Outdoors and Nature Photographer

Storm Tactics Handbook: Modern Methods of Heaving-to for Survival in Extreme Conditions, 3rd Edition

2009-04-15T18:00:00.001-07:00

Storm Tactics Handbook: Modern Methods of Heaving-to for Survival in Extreme Conditions, 3rd Edition

In a storm at sea, luck is highly biased toward the sailor who has a plan. So write Lin and Larry Pardey in this, the third edition of their highly regarded Storm Tactics Handbook. As in the first two editions of this book, they describe their concerns about the tendency of modern sailors to discard the classic methods used to bring sailing vessels of all sizes from vast clipper ships to tiny yachts through amazingly strong winds and heavy seas. There is only one storm tactic that has the ability to sap the power of breaking seas, they explain. With clear and concise diagrams, they proceed to show how heaving-to works and how even the most modern of yachts can be made to heave-to, whether with only sail power or with the assistance of a sea anchor. A discussion of the many ways heaving-to can be useful at sea as a way to help the crew keep well rested, to effect repairs, to steady a vessel should outside assistance ever be necessary will convince even those who plan to run before their imagined ultimate storm that heaving-to is still a must know. A series of user-friendly checklists will help sailors from the moment they start looking for their perfect offshore boat, through outfitting, and as they encounter their first storms at sea. Highly readable stories of the Pardeys encounters with storms, and of experiences related by several other modern sailors, help illustrate and expand the points made in this book. Since writing the previous edition of Storm Tactics Handbook, Lin and Larry have voyaged an additional 35,000 miles. This has taken them as far north as Norway, twice across the Atlantic, south to Argentina, into the Pacific, around Cape Horn against the prevailing winds, and then on a circuit of the North Pacific. With insights gained from these recent voyages, they have fully revised and expanded this text by more than 40 percent, including nine completely new chapters. New material includes: Lessons from Cape Horn An interview with the late Sir Peter Blake, on storm survival and heaving-to Heaving-to using a Galerider on 55-foot Morgan s Cloud Adding rudder protection stops Discussions on avoiding chafe, building and using storm staysails, choosing storm gear, deploying para-anchors, avoiding the worst areas of cyclonic storms, and many more have been expanded to answer many questions posed by readers and seminar attendees. Mario Vittone, a U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer for 14 years, in an unsolicited testimony, wrote: I have been on several rescues (and heard of many more) that would have been completely unnecessary if the sailboat captains aboard would have . . . practiced the skills taught by Lin and Larry Pardey. Not knowing how to heave-to in bad weather is as inexcusable as not knowing red, right, return . Previous editions of Storm Tactics Handbook have sold more than 32,000 copies worldwide. As recently as November 2007, the second edition ten years after its publication was consistently #1 on Amazon.com for instructional sailing books and #2 for atmospheric science. The companion DVD, Storm Tactics is also available through Amazon

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #11703 in Books

Published on: 2008-04-15

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

256 pages

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher
The second edition of this book sold over 30,000 copies and drew excellent reviews from all major sources. The newest edition is already in its second printing and is used by many sailing schools as an important part of their curiculum. To be sure you are getting this new edition, look for Storm Tactics Handbook 3rd edition with the cover which shows a boat hove to with a bright orange trysail while a wave is breaking just forward of the bow.

From the Author
Lin and Larry Pardey have voyaged togethre for over 26 years, covering the equivalent of 5 circumnavigations on board their own self-built cutters, Seraffyn and Taleisin. Larry worked as first mate on a 140-ton, 85-foot schooner, Double Eagle, voyaging from Newport Beach, California, to Hawaii and back and along the Mexican coast before meeting Lin. He, along with Leslie Dyball, won the handicap prize for first overall in the exceptionally stormy 1974 Round Britain two-handed race. Lin and Larry have delivered two dozen boats across oceans and raced their own and others boats. Their interest in storm tactics has led them to research both older and modern methods of heaving-to, by talking and corresponding with sailors from dozens of countries, by working with Victor Shane at the Drag Device Data Base, and by testing both on their own boat in hurricane-force winds and on modern boats off the Cape of Storms, in South Africa.

Larry was selected as the winner of the International Oceanic Award, givenby the Royal Institute of Navigation under the sponsorship of the Little Ship Club of London and presented by Her Royal Highness, the Princess Royal, Princess Anne, for the most meritorious voyage of over 2,000 miles using traditional methods of navigation. Larrys award was for 30 years of successful voyaging, covering more than 150,000 miles on 21 different vessels and using onlysextant and chronometer, including his 2,840 mile voyage in 1995 from Fernancdo do Noronha to Horta, in the Azores.

In March 1996, Lin was presented with the Ocean Cruising Club Award for the person who has done the most to foster and encourage ocean cruising in small craft and the practice of seamanship and navigation in all branches, at the Royal Thames Yacht Club, in London.

Articles by Lin and Larry have appeared in Sail Magazine, Cruising World, Woodenboat (USA) Practical Boat Owner, Yachting Monthly, Classic Boat Magazine (UK), Cruising Helmsman (Australia), South African Yachting, and Nautica (Brazil).

Their nine books have been published in both the United States and England; two have been translated into German and Japanese. Lin and Larry are currently writing a new book, The Cost Conscious Cruiser. Their most recent voyage took them to Scotland and Norway, and Taleisin is ready for another voyage, either west or north in the spring of 1998.

About the Author
After voyaging tens of thousands of engineless miles under sail, penning more useful marine books than Hiscock and Moitessier combined, and receiving more awards for their pursuits than Tom Hanks has for his, Lin and Larry Pardey are entitled to their well-earned nautical opinions. Herb McCormack, editor-at-large, Cruising World Lin and Larry Pardey have been called the enablers. Their books and videos have encouraged sailors of all ages to stop dreaming and start doing. The knowledge they share has been earned during the more than four decades they have been voyaging together, years during which they completed both eastabout and westabout circumnavigations on board their own self-built, engine-free cutters, Seraffyn and Taleisin. During their most recent east-to-west voyage, they sailed below four of the great Southern Capes, including Cape Horn. An avid racing sailor from the age of 17, Larry worked as first mate on the 140-ton, 85-foot schooner Double Eagle, voyaging on her to Hawaii and along the coast of Mexico before meeting Lin. Larry, along with Leslie Dyball, won first on handicap in the exceptionally stormy 1974 Round Britain two-handed race. Lin and Larry have delivered more than two dozen boats across oceans and raced on their own and others boats. To date, Lin has sailed almost 185,000 miles and Larry has accumulated more than 200,000 miles at sea. In 1996, Larry received the International Oceanic Award from the Royal Institute of Navigation, presented by the Princess Royal, Princess Anne, for meritorious voyaging using traditional navigation methods. During the same year, Lin received the Ocean Cruising Award for being the person who has done the most to foster and encourage ocean cruising in small craft and the practice of seamanship and navigation in all branches. In 2000, both were inducted into the Cruising World Hall of Fame. Lin and Larry s articles have appeared in Cruising World, Sail, Good Old Boat, Wooden Boat, Practical Sailor, Yachting World, Yachting Monthly, Classic Boat (UK), Cruising Helmsman (Australia), Boating New Zealand, South African Yachting, Nautica Brazil, and Yacht (Germany). Their books and video programs have been published in the United States, England, and New Zealand; three have been translated into German and Japanese. Lin and Larry are cruising on board Taleisin and during the Southern Hemisphere summers, they often return to New Zealand, where they cruise and race on their 113-year-old classic gaff-rigged cutter, Thelma.

Customer Reviews

Storm Tactics Review
This is an excellent book. Well researched, thorough, with experience from many sources and clear, practical guidelines for real life use. Highly recommended.

Storm Tactics Handbook: Modern Methods of Heaving-to for Survival in Extreme Conditions, 3rd Edition
Storm Tactics Handbook: Modern Methods of Heaving-to for Survival in Extreme Conditions, 3rd Edition
Hands on approach, real cases examined. Pragmatic. Though through careful planning a modern sailor would seldom find him/herself in the conditions described, the book is very readable, informative and, most important, helps increase skills and safety of the average sailor.

A must have
I got the 3rd edition. In very few words what I believe it makes this book a real treasure is the authentic storm experience Lin and Larry is sharing with the reader. It is not a book written or inspired by other books. It is a testimony of real life storm survival experience and the story about how they improved their techniques over time. And maybe what I value most about this book is that Lin and Larry do not give general ideas and stop there, but they do go into the very fine details about almost everything. Also catamaran enthusiasts be warned that since Larry and Lin have no sailing experience on catamarans you will find nothing about cats in this book.
Since personally I haven't gotten into more that force 6 storm, this book was an excellent educative reading and provided me with more that enough information to try lay hoving-to with or without a para-anchor in worse that force 6 storm conditions.
Also note that the book is clearly written for real sailors, its focus being on how you get things done properly and in the most optimal way. Even though the science behind these phenomenons it is mentioned in a few places, you will not find here a mathematical model of let say Karman vortex street or other fluid dynamics phenomenon that may be of any interest in boating. It is a pragmatic book, a comprehensive essay about storm tactics and a superb attempt of passing by this valuable knowledge to sailor from all over the world.
Thank you Lin and Perry.

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OFA 2009 Weather Calendar (Old Farmer's Almanac (Calendars))

2009-04-15T04:00:00.001-07:00

OFA 2009 Weather Calendar (Old Farmer's Almanac (Calendars))

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #568256 in Books

Published on: 2008-08-20

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Calendar

Customer Reviews

Weather Lovers Delight
Bought this as a gift for a relative who is "into" weather. He loves it and would recommend it to anyone interested in the weather and weather reporting. Great Calendar too!

Great Retailer
Received item much sooner than expected and was exactly as advertised. i would definitely purchase from this retailer again.

Price: $8.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
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Seashells

2009-04-08T23:40:00.001-07:00

Seashells

Artist Josie Iselin celebrates the diversity and beauty of nature with her exquisite portraits of seashells. Like her extremely popular Beach Stones and Leaves & Pods, Seashells is not a field guide but an artful and informative portrayal of a beloved part of our natural world. The book balances the exotic with the familiar, from tropical corals and rare fossils to everyday clamshells and barnacles. In her introduction and captions, marine geologist and paleontologist Sandy Carlson introduces the reader to seashells in all their variety, explaining why they look as they do. Both an art book and a contemplation of nature, Seashells combines aesthetic delight in natural things with scientific fact and philosophical wonder.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #23279 in Books

Published on: 2007-06-01

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Hardcover

144 pages

Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Josie Iselin is the author of Abrams’ popular Beach Stones and Leaves & Pods. She lives in San Francisco.

Sandy Carlson is a paleontologist at the University of California, Davis. She lives in San Francisco.

Customer Reviews

What to expect for beachcomers?
This book is just that. What do you expect for beachcomers? What will you find laying around on the beach? This book doesn't explain too much in detail about those nature-made objects washed ashore(nothing like man-made things turned into something els like sea glass), but just tells what they are called, and what exactly are they or scientifically, how they are made or how they got that way. It does explain the little details of why certain shells or urchins have unusual textures and forms. It explains somewhat where they come from or where they are found. Most of the shells, urchins, sea fossils among other things mentioned in this book are from North America. It doesn't say the size, or the depth in the sea, or in more details like that. This is not really a field guide.However, It is a little bit like one. But it does give some interresting and educational information about seashells and how they are formed and what they are made of. Calcium Carbonate. Still, an ok book. I like it. I really am especially looking for a field guide, and this book came to me from UK, so I did not want to go through the trouble of returning it and I bought it used, quite cheap in a "NEW" condition. So I will treasure it amoung my other seashell books next to my large seashell collection!

-Rehana(Chicago, IL)

Beautiful pictures
This little book is a very interesting lillte reference of shells. IT's beautifully illustraded and has a small size, so you can keep it by your bed for fast access anytime you want to relax and see something nice.

Exquisite Photography - Beautiful Gift Book
For anyone who loves the beach and all it's gifts and beauty, "seashells" is an exquisite gift of knowledge and photography. One can linger on its pages and almost feel each shell as every turn holds forth another vivid picture. It is a perfect collection.

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The Backyard Bird Feeder's Bible: The A-to-Z Guide To Feeders, Seed Mixes, Projects, And Treats (Rodale Organic Gardening Book)

2009-04-08T09:40:00.001-07:00

The Backyard Bird Feeder's Bible: The A-to-Z Guide To Feeders, Seed Mixes, Projects, And Treats (Rodale Organic Gardening Book)

Become the best bird host in your neighborhood. Let The Backyard Bird Feeder's Bible be your guide to the foods and feeders, plants and projects that will guarantee you a yard that's absolutely brimming with birds!

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #90752 in Books

Published on: 2003-05-02

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

384 pages

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Similar in layout and content to Roth!s Attracting Birds to Your Backyard (Rodale, 1998), this book is both enjoyable to browse because of its color photos, line art, and call-outs and useful as a home reference because of its alphabetical arrangement. Conveying an enormous amount of information on attracting, feeding, and observing birds, the entries vary in length from half a page to multiple pages for broad or complex topics such as the benefits of fruiting plants (trees, blueberry shrubs, strawberry plants, etc.) as a source of both food and shelter. Despite some overlap with his previous title, Roth presents enough new information, techniques, and anecdotes to make this work fun, worthwhile addition likely to be as popular as similar works by John K. Terres and Mathew Tekulsky. Recommended for public libraries."Bonnie Poquette, Shorewood P.L., WI
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
This is a copious, easy-to-use guide to bird feeding with 275 photographs and 125 illustrations. The pages devoted to the birds themselves--from blackbirds to wrens-- offer a description of each (including a color photo), a list of each bird's favorite foods, and a discussion of its behavior. The authors then provide extensive lists of flowers, fruit, berries, vegetables, plants, and seeds that attract birds, and detailed information on everything from baffles, banding, binoculars, bird counts, bird watching, binoculars, and field guides to discussions of bird communication, bullies and nuisance birds, and bird migration. And that's not all: Roth and Burgoyne offer instructions on how to photograph and draw birds, and how to build birdbaths and feeders; and they even present recipes for bird-seducing treats, such as blueberry bird granola, fruitful feeder bread, mockingbird manna, woodpecker favorite, starling pleaser, and bluebird tempter. Theirs truly is a comprehensive guide for bird enthusiasts. George Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"I was amazed by the wealth of information in The Backyard Bird Feeder's Bible by Sally Roth! The book goes far beyond the traditional books on backyard bird feeding, offering information on flowers to plant, edible wreaths to make, clever ideas for birdbaths, and recipes using leftover food to supplement normal birdseed and suet. You will certainly attract more birds using the suggestions in The Backyard Bird Feeder's Bible. If you can only buy one backyard bird book, this is THE book to run out and get!"--Christine Tarski, Guide to Birding at About.com (birding.about.com)

"Few people can match Sally Roth's knowledge or enthusiasm!"--Ruth Mullen, home and garden writer, The Indianapolis Star

"Sally Roth's new book is a treasury for anyone eager to know more about bird behavior, equipment, gardening, and so much more. Roth's love for birds and her hands-on practical experience are inspiring."--Sharon Dunn and Michael Dunn, owners of Duncraft

"A masterwork! Sally Roth has written an essential reference for wild bird lovers. As they enjoy its marvelous content, readers will be amazed to discover their own transformation from mere 'bird watchers' to avid and qualified ornithologists."--Samuel F. LaBudde, executive director, Endangered Species Project
-- Review

Customer Reviews

Great All Inclusive Bird Book
My mom had this book first and I was always calling her with to look something up so I broke down and bought it for myself. If is very easy to find things and has everything for the novice bird watcher.

a wonderful resource for attracting birds
This is a must-have guide to everything about attracting birds and things you need to be concerned about. Do you want to know about how to insulate your birdbath, predators, attracting birds by growing zinnias, bird behaviors, squirrels or using apples? It is all here and more. I borrowed this book from the library and kept referring to it that I had to buy it.

I disagree with the reviewer that said it wasn't good because it was organized alphabetically. How else should it be organized? If I want to know about seed hoarding I go to Seed Hoarding, if I want to know about tray feeders I go to Tray Feeders and so on. Recently I was having a problem with my strawberry plants and was wondering what was getting to them (we have many wild animals that come and go) and it even had an article on that. So I paid more attention when I was working in my yard and noticed that a group of crows were going after them. This is something I don't want to share so I'll have to figure a safe solution to the matter.

I enthusiastically recommend this book. You won't be sorry.

The section on feeding bird on a budgets caught my attention
Here's my experience so you can discover if you are on my level or SUPERIOR to me when it comes to knowledge about bird feeding. This year we put up a super duper, no attractions spared, bird feeding center.

Did we ever get a show! We had finches, wrens, cardinals and all sorts of birds appear. We had thistle feeders and those for birds who preferred sunflower seeds. However, we also discovered that the birds inhaled food, simply seemed to suck it in like some industrial strength vacuum cleaner, small in size and...well, I wish I had a vacuum cleaner that quick and efficient! Another sign that nature trumps technology much of the time.

But....we were going into hock trying to keep those birds fed. So I bought this book partly because of the section on how to keep them fed and still afford to retire someday.

It was very helpful and now we're happy and the birds are happy. For those of you who feel just fine spending money on bird seed and not finding less costly methods of feeding the adorable little gluttons, you'll find a huge array of info in this one about how to choose feeders, which mixes work best and even how to deal with cicadas.

You can get an idea of the book's topics by using the "Search Inside the Book" feature. Of course, some things can't be taught by a book, as I learned when a bird alit on my shoulder while filling a feeder, a small gift.

But if you want info about how to attract birds, create the ideal feeders and find the mix seed mixes as well as projects you can make yourself, this IS the book to get. You can read more about it and other items on my profile page on Amazon.

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The Weather Wizard's Cloud Book: A Unique Way to Predict the Weather Accurately and Easily by Reading the Clouds

2009-04-07T20:20:00.001-07:00

The Weather Wizard's Cloud Book: A Unique Way to Predict the Weather Accurately and Easily by Reading the Clouds

This book provides weather information quickly and surely, because it focusesupon what is going on directly overhead--the actual clouds now on view in thesky, the actual sequences currently developing. 137 color, 19 black-and-whitephotographs.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #33900 in Books

Published on: 1989-01-09

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

71 pages

Editorial Reviews

Review
"You don't want to start the new year without [it]." -- San Francisco Chronicle

About the Author
Jim Duncan is a contributor for the following Algonquin Books Title: The Weather Wizard's Cloud Book

Hiram J. Herbert is a contributor for the following Algonquin Books Title: The Weather Wizard's Cloud Book

Louis D. Rubin, Sr. is a contributor for Workman Publishing Co titles including: 'The Weather Wizard's Cloud Book'

Customer Reviews

Good Cloud Identification
Excellent book. Using this along with a couple others to get back into weather forcasting Thank you for an excellent book

Superb, portable, and incomplete
I bought this book in preparation for an advanced mariner's meteorology course, and could not have made this comment without having first gained that higher level of knowledge.

This is a suberb book with two major flaws:

1) It sticks to the two-dimensional depiction of weather that is common to the average person. Although there are a couple of illustrations showing altitude, the author could easily have put in a few pages on the rotation of the earth, the 500 mb level, and how weather on the surface cannot be understood without underestanding what is happening at the 18,000 level. As my instructor put it, the high-level troughs are the chicken that hatches the surface level (scrambled) egg.

2) It provides the pictures of the clouds, but missed the key chance to break down the names into the original latin meanings, to create a matrix of high (Cirro), medium (alto), and low (strato), with substantive meaning including layer (stratus), curly (cirrus), stacked in a vertical heap (cumulo-cumulus), and delivering rain (nimbus).

Add this little matrix above, and read "Mariner's Guide to the 500-Millibar Chart" by Joe Stenkiewicz and Lee Chesneau, and Google for to find his web site, and you'll have all you need to move to the better three-dimensional interactive viewing of weather and weather charts.

I also recommend Understanding Weatherfax

A good little book
A very handy book for "instant" weather forcasting. Interesting to read and written with a bit of humor. The only shortcoming is the arrangment of the photographs of the different clouds, they are not in logical sequence.

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Fifty Places to Dive Before You Die: Diving Experts Share the World's Greatest Destinations

2009-04-07T06:20:00.001-07:00

Fifty Places to Dive Before You Die: Diving Experts Share the World's Greatest Destinations

The earth’s oceans hold many wondrous surprises—be they the small, colorful “critters” off the coast of Papua New Guinea, opportunistic red demon squids in the Sea of Cortes, or naval wrecks in the lagoon of Bikini Atoll. In Fifty Places to Dive Before You Die Chris Santella has invited diving experts from around the world to share some of their favorite destinations, so ardent divers can experience these underwater wonders for themselves—either on location in their SCUBA gear, or at home in their armchair.

The fifth in Santella’s bestselling “Fifty Places” series, the book takes divers from hot-spot destinations like Raja Ampat (off the coast of West Guinea) to old Caribbean favorites like Grand Cayman Isles. Readers will swim among whale sharks off Myanmar, befriend wolf eels off the coast of Maine, and marvel at the giant mola mola of Lembognan, Indonesia. These wonderful creatures—plus the brilliant coral reefs that often provide their backdrop—are captured in 40 gorgeous color photos from the world’s greatest underwater photographers. And for readers who want to travel to these breathtaking locales, Santella provides complete “If You Go” suggestions to help you plan your trip.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #15718 in Books

Published on: 2008-10-01

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Hardcover

224 pages

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Chris Santella is a freelance writer and marketing consultant based in Portland, Oregon. A regular contributor to the New York Times and Forbes.com, he has also contributed to the New Yorker, Travel & Leisure, Golf, American Lawyer, and Delta Sky. Santella is the author of four other titles in the “Fifty Places” series, as well as Fifty Favorite Fly-Fishing Tales (all STC).

Customer Reviews

A fun book for a cold day
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it cover to cover within 2 days. It's a fast read. Each dive site gets about a 2 and 1/2 page description (some destinations get slightly more) with a dive expert giving a brief vignette on some of the highlights they have encountered at the site. The sites range from novice-friendly to much more complicated (for example, the first site listed is in Antarctica... not exactly luxury warm weather diving!!), but there is enough here to entertain divers of all levels.

If you are looking for an in depth analysis of a dive site, this probably isnt the right book for you. The descriptions are just too brief to use the book for that purpose. But if you're just looking for ideas... or if you have a particular large sea creature you are dying to sea (i.e. mola molas, humpbacks, various shark species), the book does a good job of pointing out places where you are more-likely to encounter them. It also hits on dive spots where the macro life is the highlight.

In response to one other's reviewers comments about not having a Red Sea or a Cuba destination, that comment is inaccurate. The Red Sea destination mentioned is Sha'ab Rumi, a location off the coast of Sudan. The author recommends a live aboard boat for this trip. For Cuba, the author recommends Jardines de la Reina, though he cautions US citizens who travel there that they do so at their own risk.

All in all, a fun book to read on a chilly winter day with a cup of coffee and a tired dog asleep at your feet (at least that's how I did it!).

Great Book
This book is very informative and the pics are beautiful. I bought this for my husband who is very interested in scuba diving. He enjoys the book very much. The shipping was fast also.

A Fun Read
Very influencing to get out there and do some diving! And the photography was awesome.

Price: $16.47 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
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A Field Guide to Eastern Trees (Peterson Field Guides)

2009-04-06T16:40:00.001-07:00

A Field Guide to Eastern Trees (Peterson Field Guides)

This field guide features detailed descriptions of 455 species of trees native to eastern North America, including the Midwest and the South. The 48 color plates, 11 black-and-white plates, and 26 text drawings show distinctive details needed for identification. Color photographs and 266 color range maps accompany the species descriptions.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #25724 in Books

Brand: Liberty Mountain

Published on: 1998-07-15

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

448 pages

Editorial Reviews

From the Author
Drawings on page 3 show both leaf scars and bundle scars. Immediately beside the map for Osage Orange, too, the text says "Once native to n. Texas, e. Oklahoma, etc., home of the Osage Indians, this species was widely planted before the invention of barbed wire. It is now widely distributed in our area".

About the Author
Roger Tory Peterson, one of the world"s greatest naturalists, received every major award for ornithology, natural science, and conservation, as well as numerous honorary degrees, medals, and citations, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The Peterson Identification System has been called the greatest invention since binoculars, and the Peterson Field Guides® are credited with helping to set the stage for the environmental movement.

George A. Petrides, a veteran field naturalist, is professor of fisheries and wildlife at Michigan State University in East Lansing. He is the author of A Field Guide to Eastern Trees, A Field Guide To Trees and Shrubs, and the Peterson First Guide to Trees.

Janet Wehr is a contributor for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt titles including: A Field Guide to Eastern Trees.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Feather-leaved Palms, Tree-cacti, and Yuccas (Plate 48)

These feather-leaved palms are native in s. Florida and have ring-
scarred trunks free of old leafstalk bases. Their leafstalks are not
thorny. The only tree cacti in the eastern U.S. occur in s. Florida.
The yuccas range more widely.

FLORIDA ROYALPALM Roystonea elata (Bartr.) F. Harper Pl. 48
The smooth, cement-colored and bulging lower trunk topped by a smooth
bright-green crownshaft cylinder is distinctive. Ring scars faint.
Fronds 15' or longer. Frond segments do not lie flat but grow all
around the midrib. Height to 125'. Flowers greenish white, developing
from a spearlike green spathe at the base of the 5'–6' long
crownshaft. Fruits blue to purple, 1?2" in diameter, leathery.
Rich
soils, hammocks (swamp islands).

Customer Reviews

Peterson Field Guides
Very nice book with a lot of very useful information. I was disappointed with the fact that there were very few detailed photographs.

Field Guide
This is a pretty good field guide even though I have to skip around through the pages to find things. (The color plates are not with the descriptions, which is like other Peterson guides) It has some photos with the descriptions, which is nice, and there are range maps.

A Field Guide to Eastern Trees (Peterson Field Guides)
Great if you like Botany and trees. I used for a field biology class.

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Earth-Sheltered Houses: How to Build an Affordable...

2009-04-06T03:00:00.001-07:00

Earth-Sheltered Houses: How to Build an Affordable...

An earth-sheltered, earth-roofed home has the least impact upon the land of all housing styles, leaving almost zero footprint on the planet.

Earth-Sheltered Houses is a practical guide for those who want to build their own underground home at moderate cost. It describes the benefits of sheltering a home with earth, including the added comfort and energy efficiency from the moderating influence of the earth on the home's temperature (keeping it warm in the winter and cool in the summer), along with the benefits of low maintenance and the protection against fire, sound, earthquake, and storm afforded by the earth. Extra benefits from adding an earth or other living roof option include greater longevity of the roof substrate, fine aesthetics, and environmental harmony.

The book covers all of the various construction techniques involved, including details on planning, excavation, footings, floor, walls, framing, roofing, waterproofing, insulation, and drainage. Specific methods appropriate for the inexperienced owner/builder are a particular focus and include:

Pouring one's own footings and/or floor
The use of dry-stacked (surface-bonded) concrete block walls
Post-and-beam framing
Plank-and-beam roofing
Drainage methods and self-adhesive waterproofing membranes

The time-tested, easy-to-learn construction techniques described in Earth-Sheltered Houses will enable readers to embark upon their own building projects with confidence, backed up by a comprehensive resources section that lists all the latest products such as waterproofing membranes, types of rigid insulation, and drainage products that will protect the building against water damage and heat loss.

Rob Roy is a former contractor with 27 years of experience and 12 previous books to his credit, including Cordwood Building and Timber Framing for the Rest of Us. An expert on underground building, he founded the Earthwood Building School in 1981 with his wife, Jaki, and is frequently a speaker at events throughout North America.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #14305 in Books

Published on: 2006-03-01

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

256 pages

Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Rob Roy is a former contractor with twelve previous books to his credit, including Cordwood Building and Timber Framing for the Rest of Us. An expert on underground building, he founded the Earthwood Building School in 1981 with his wife, Jaki, and is frequently a speaker at events throughout North America.

Customer Reviews

Manuale pratico
Bel manuale, molto dettagliato che può realmente contribuire nell'aprire la visione su modi diversi di costruire, alternativi, ma sempre molto interessanti.

Interesting reading, limited scope and approach...
Good book to add to your collection, but offers a fairly limited approach to earth-sheltered houses. I suggest you read at least 4 different books from different authors with various approaches and information before deciding on how to design/construct and earth-sheltered house. Make sure you hire an architect/engineer with suitable background to work with you as well (someone or some firm with very solid expertise in subsurface structural design and subsurface drainage - ask for help from your state land grant university and extension service).

Good Stuff
I bought this book to learn about low cost, state of the art, earth-bermed technology. The book delivers on this promise. Anybody considering going this route should take advantage of the author's school of hard knocks expertise. The method described for creating a very strong concrete block wall were especially useful. The sod roof is something I'll have to think about for a while as you give up a lot by going this route in terms of the open airy feel that can be achieved with post and beam construction techniques. Still, what he says (structurally) has merit, though from an environmental point of view it strikes me as a bit "out there". The writing is excellent. The technical details are all there to duplicate what he's done. At the same time he keeps it interesting and the reader engaged. Good stuff.

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The Story of the Titanic As Told by Its Survivors

2009-04-05T06:40:00.001-07:00

The Story of the Titanic As Told by Its Survivors

What it was really like. Panic, despair, shocking inefficiency, and a little heroism. Two lengthy narratives by passengers who had a thorough knowledge of the sea and by members of the ship’s crew. More thrilling than any fictional account. 26 illustrations.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #170666 in Books

Published on: 1960-06-01

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

320 pages

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
This invaluable book collects some of the first-published first-person accounts of the tragedy, described in old-fashioned prose and enhanced by photographs and illustrations redolent of Edwardian society, with captions such as "Ladies and gentlemen in riding habit exercised on mechanical horses and camels in the ship's gymnasium." Some of the social attitudes of the day are preserved to often startling effect: the habits of obedience of "the Teutonic race" are repeatedly praised, and one brave Titanic officer used what the book's introduction terms "the strange ethical algebra which decided that one female, travelling first class, deserved life some six times as much as one male, travelling third class." Yet it's just such period detail that makes this book so compelling--not to mention the vivid sense that the passengers just didn't get it, even while disaster was upon them. "To illustrate further how little danger was apprehended," writes survivor Lawrence Beesley, "when it was discovered ... that the forward lower deck was covered with small ice, snowballing matches were arranged for the following morning.... The cries of drowning people after the Titanic gave the final plunge were a thunderbolt to us."

Customer Reviews

GOOD BUT ..............
I would like to recommend for all those interested to also read :

" TITANIC " a survivor's story written by one of the survivors by the name of " Colonel Archibald Gracie " who, gave his story plus went to the trouble of interviewing others who had survived PLUS, he went to almost all the hearings and wrote the transcriptions of testimony as well. Sadly this man died 4th of Dec. 1912 after doing his full duty for history . Thank God for this book as I have read many accounts including this one on here ...also, I would recommend " Sinking Of the Titanic Eyewitness Accounts " by many who survived w/some photos and sketches .

A HISTORY BUFF MUST READ!!
This book definately confirms the acutual facts of the Titanic tragedy from the the day of departure until the impact with the iceberg. It gives you the true facts from the mouths of the survivors & definately corrects misconceptions lasting through the tales of time. Even the exact jounal facts of the trial after the tragedy confirms facts not accurate, even to the song the band was playing when the ship went down. It also does confirm facts that were true. Also, you learn of the changes in ship law regarding life boat number in regards to souls on board, & other major changes after the Titanic tragedy. THE MAIN THING LEARNED WAS THAT MANY BRAVE SOULS WENT DOWN WITH THIS SHIP WITHOUT COMPLAINT OR CAUSING ANY PROBLEMS AT ALL WHEN NOT NECESSARY, PLEASE HONOR THESE PEOPLE & THEIR MEMORIES AS YOU READ THIS BOOK. More detailed history that you will ever read regarding this tragedy...

Loving the book
I love this book. Learning the account of the disaster from the perspective of those who went through it is interesting.

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Don Casey's Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintenance Manual

2009-04-04T16:40:00.001-07:00

Don Casey's Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintenance Manual

The definitive guide from the world's best-known sailboat maintenance expert

Don Casey’s Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintenance Manual combines six core volumes into a single, utterly dependable resource that answers every frequent question, explains every major system, and helps you keep your boat and its components shipshape.

More than 2,500 clear and detailed illustrations guide you step by step through every procedure. Casey’s technical virtuosity, his user-friendly explanations, and Peter Compton's diesel engine expertise make even the more complicated repairs and improvements easy to understand. This must-have guide saves you time, money, and grief as you learn the fastest, easiest, most effective ways to:

Evaluate the condition of your boat or one you’re about to purchase
Repair structural damage to your fiberglass sailboat
Improve or repair your sailboat’s electrical system
Troubleshoot, maintain, and repair your boat’s diesel engine
Put a professional-looking finish on your boat’s hull, deck, spars, wood, and trim
Make and repair sails, sail covers, dodgers, awnings, sailbags, and bimini tops

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #18158 in Books

Published on: 2005-09-15

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Hardcover

896 pages

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The definitive guide from the world's best-known sailboat maintenance expert

Evaluate the condition of your boat or one you’re about to purchase

Repair structural damage to your fiberglass sailboat

Improve or repair your sailboat’s electrical system

Troubleshoot, maintain, and repair your boat’s diesel engine

Put a professional-looking finish on your boat’s hull, deck, spars, wood, and trim

Make and repair sails, sail covers, dodgers, awnings, sailbags, and bimini tops

"Astoundingly clear text and line drawing illustrations. The reader can almost feel the hand-holding this book provides through each step of a repair."—Dockside

Don Casey is the author of the universally praised This Old Boat, which has helped tens of thousands of boatowners turn their rundown production boats into first-class yachts. A regular contributor to SAIL and Good Old Boat magazines, he combines more than three decades of sailing, an innate curiosity, a knack for clarity, and an eye for the telling detail to deliver reliable expertise. He and his wife, Olga, cruise the Caribbean aboard their 35-year-old, much-modified Allied Seawind.

About the Author

Customer Reviews

Must have
OK, I like manuals. And this is a very good one. If you have a boat, you have to have it. Easy to read, fantastic illustrations. Explains and suggests. Buy it, you won't regret.

Sailbook Maintenance
As the new owners of an older boat this book has come in handy already. Very easy to read, great illustrations and step by step directions.

Great book!
I purchased this book to give to my husband at his retirement party. We are in the process of purchasing a sailboat to live aboard. We have almost no experience in sailing let alone maintenance of a sailboat. At our recent survey, my husband was able to ask pertinent questions, and have his many questions answered as well. He said the surveyor followed the book almost page by page. This book is a 'must have' for any sailboat owner, beginner or experienced. We plan to buy more of Don Casey's books to keep in our onboard library.

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Waterfowl Identification: The Lemaster Method

2009-03-28T22:00:00.001-07:00

Waterfowl Identification: The Lemaster Method

Waterfowl Identification is a Stackpole Books publication.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #59449 in Books

Published on: 1996-08

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Plastic Comb

75 pages

Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Richard Lemaster is a Stackpole Books author.

Customer Reviews

Best in hand id booklet
This is the best in hand ID booklet I have seen. Very simple and quick to use. My only suggestion is to laminate all of the pages so you can take it to the field with you. I will be doing that. Every duck hunter should have this booklet in his carry bag.

Great Book
I work for a migratory bird rehabilitation facility and this book is invaluable for identifying "birds in hand" we get at our center. I dont think many people realize you can ID a duck by the size and shape of its bill. I have used this book over and over for identification but also for teaching.

Great booklet, but should be waterproof
It is a great booklet, but the pages should be waterproof for taking into the field. I like the help in identifying the birds in flight, as well as confirmation in hand through the beak guide.

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North American Wildlife (revised and updated)

2009-03-28T08:00:00.001-07:00

North American Wildlife (revised and updated)

A valuable at-home reference and an extraordinarily usable guide to more than 2000 of the most common and conspicuous wild plants and animals. Specially designed for quick and easy identification. Vibrant, specially drawn full-color illustrations of each of the 2000-plus species.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #89952 in Books

Published on: 1998-04-13

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Hardcover

576 pages

Customer Reviews

Great wildlife identification book
If you want identification of almost any North Americn wildlife this the book for you.

Nothing comparable
My mother bought this book when I was a child in the mid 80s, and my siblings and I used it continually throughout our childhood and into our adult years to look up everything from birds to insects to "that strange thing the cat just ate". Recently I went to Barnes & Noble to look for a book similar to this, but there is nothing that compares to this book. Every book I found was for a particular class (birds, reptiles, etc.) or was even more specific (birds of North Georgia, etc.). I found no book that covers such a wide variety of species. Perhaps there are more in-depth books, but nothing beats this quick, easy reference. I'm pleased to know that they still have it in publication and that it is in the same format I grew up with. Because my mother's copy was so well loved and used, it's falling apart, so I'm buying a copy for my mother as well as one for myself. I know my children will enjoy it just as much as I did.

Christmas Gift
Have the original of this book and love it. Am very happy to see an update on it. This is a Christmas gift for our grandson-in-law.

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Be Expert with Map and Compass: The Complete Orienteering Handbook

2009-03-27T18:20:00.001-07:00

Be Expert with Map and Compass: The Complete Orienteering Handbook

"Required reading for the beginner in map and compass work, as well as for those interested in serious Orienteering. In simple, clear, concise terms the basics of map and compass work are described and illustrated." —George T. Hamilton, Appalachia This new, enlarged edition of Be Expert with Map & Compass includes everything the beginner needs to know about the increasingly popular sport of Orienteering: understanding map symbols; traveling by map alone, by compass alone, or by map and compass together; finding bearings; sketching maps; and traveling in the wilderness. Other updated sections cover competitive Orienteering, how to join an Orienteering event or organize your own, and useful hints for competitive and wilderness Orienteering. In addition to the revisions throughout, the author has interspersed the text with reminiscences of his more than fifty years of experience with map and compass. Drawing crowds of 25,000 participants at international events, the sport of Orienteering is more popular than ever. The Orienteering world championships were held in the United States for the first time in 1993. For Orienteers and scouts, avid outdoorspeople, and anyone who wants to feel more comfortable in the wilderness, this updated guide is an indispensable reference.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #13373 in Books

Brand: Silva

Published on: 1994-06-24

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

242 pages

Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Björn Kjellström, an enthusiastic outdoorsman, experienced wilderness traveler, and cross-country skier, is a former Swedish champion in Orienteering. His writings on the subject have been published in several languages. He was one of the founders of the Swedish Orienteering Federation, the first of its kind in the world, and also of the U.S. Orienteering Federation. He was a director of the U.S. Orienteering Federation for several years and was vice president of the International Ski Federation from 1951 to 1979. He was born in Sweden and now lives in Pound Ridge, New York.

Customer Reviews

Explains the Basics Easily
The book is a step by step approach to navigating, it explains from the ground up and allows the reader to become familiar with the detail of navigating.

Be Expert With Map & Compass Bjorn Kjellstrom
Although I have knowlege of orienteering this book reinforces that information and covers much more in a well explaned and easy to understand step by step process. What's more the courses that the book offer are fun interactive activities that also reinfoce each method of orienteering explanded in this book. Most anyone can benifit from this text.

vastly disappointed
I think the few pages of map/compass reading, undestanding and wilderness orienteering pale in comparison to all the games, gatherings and contests the author discusses.

For the price, vastly overrated, over priced.

I was mislead by positive ratings. Many better and more detailed books out there.

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A World Of Butterflies

2009-03-27T04:40:00.001-07:00

A World Of Butterflies

A delightful small-format book that will appeal to butterfly enthusiasts young and old, with vivid images by the leading butterfly photographer and texts by preeminent writers in the field. This chunky small-format gift book-432 pages, hardcover-features exquisite full-page pictures of 200 butterflies from around the world, accompanied by text that is informative and engaging, including essays on butterfly migration, butterflies and the environment, gardening, and watching and collecting butterflies. The selection of butterflies is arranged by location, from the Arctic Circle to rainforests, woodlands, grasslands, and deserts. Species in the book include butterflies from India, Costa Rica, Brazil, Ireland, Russia, New Guinea, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, and many North American favorites.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #254069 in Books

Published on: 2004-05-05

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Hardcover

432 pages

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The patterns and colors of butterfly wings can be as complex and brilliant as those of fine tapestries, but they’re often hard to appreciate as the little insects flutter from flower to flower. In this gorgeous little nature album (it’s 3.5" x 6"), Sandved gets butterflies to hold still—by capturing them in close-up photographs—and the secrets that he reveals can be breathtaking. There are butterflies, like the Adonis Blue and the Red Glider, whose deep hues resemble jewels, and others, like the Callicore Hydaspes, whose boldly patterned wings seem like studies in composition. Some butterflies, like the Ninety-Eight butterfly, even seem to flaunt whimsical designs of numbers, faces or hearts. The background text by Cassie is minimal: just enough to tell readers about butterfly anatomy, reproduction, migration, feeding and mimicry. Cassie also accompanies each image with a concise summary of that butterfly’s habitat, range and habits. All in all, this is a lovely book—small enough to take on a butterfly-watching expedition, but pretty enough to display on a coffee table.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
"This beautifully designed and produced book . . . inspires you to go out and look for butterflies yourself." -- Communiqué: American Zoo & Aquarium Association, April 2004

"This photographic peek into lepidorptera land unveils a world of astonishing and visual delights" -- Los Angeles Times

From the Publisher
This chunky small-format gift book—432 pages, hardcover—features exquisite full-page pictures of 200 butterflies from around the world, accompanied by text that is informative and engaging, including essays on butterfly migration, butterflies and the environment, gardening, and watching and collecting butterflies.

The selection of butterflies is arranged by location, from the Arctic Circle to rainforests, woodlands, grasslands, and deserts. Species in the book include butterflies from India, Costa Rica, Brazil, Ireland, Russia, New Guinea, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, and many North American favorites.

Customer Reviews

Emerging slowly... graceful!
Received this book as a birthday gift and I couldn't be more happy! It is very thoughtful and gorgeous for the true butterfly lover in your life. Very compact with the beautiful jacket shown. It is a wonderful coffee table book and will surely get a lot of viewing time.

My daughters love to glance during commercials and ask many questions. The images are truly breathtaking and there is information provided as to where you would see these beauties. On a typical page, you will find this info:

*Information of the name and species and interesting little facts in a small paragraph.

*Description: The colors, markings etc.

*Habitat: Where they like to live or stay.

*Range: Location; as in where in the world.

*Wingspan: Self-explanatory

Highly recommend to butterfly and nature lovers in general!

Wonderful creatures
The photos are superb and the text informative. My only wish is that the book was larger because it would be a great coffee table tome.

Ready To Suspend in the Frieze of Time
This is a book of photographs of butterflies from all over the world, arranged for the artist's eye; it has been quite helpful to me as I design pottery, wooden boxes, drawings. I have been working on a series of colored rice paper drawings and this book has inspired better work by being able to consider different butterflies to include in the images.Easier for me to use than a computer in that context. I find butterflies, just rarely, not enough for what I am doing. So here is a solution to allow me flight into art.

I think it is true, and read it here, that a small map showing the locations visually over verbally, would be a good addition. Actually though for the most part I do know the names and global placement having had geography in school. But seeing the range is pretty effective. That is a fair suggestion on re-issue. Also a CD with these images might be a most appreciated extension.

This book is placed in my home in a bowl and from it guests seem to gather attention to something worth looking at. I love books that show us the world, some aspect, photographed, explained, collected. It's small, a hand full, chubby. I open it randomly to predict the day ( particular to me) and mean to use it as a poetry exercise. Mean to. The photographs are just so clear, color vibrant. I used it in San Diego to identify a large butterfly that stayed beside me a long while, Nymphalis antiopa, The Mourning Cloak, out sunning on that day in the warmth of a particularly clear brilliant path of light. So it has proved useful to me identifying though I think it's clearly gathered more as an artistic tribute.

I found some lovely typo's "due" for "do", things that made the volume dearer.

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How to Read a Nautical Chart : A Complete Guide to the Symbols, Abbreviations, and Data Displayed on Nautical Charts

2009-03-26T14:40:00.001-07:00

How to Read a Nautical Chart : A Complete Guide to the Symbols, Abbreviations, and Data Displayed on Nautical Charts

A PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

The best handbook on chart usage, from one of the most trusted names in boating

In 2000, the U.S. government ceased publication of Chart No. 1, the invaluable little book that generations of mariners have consulted to make sense of the complex system of signs, symbols, and graphic elements used in nautical charts. Now Chart No. 1 is not just reborn but expanded and improved in How to Read a Nautical Chart. The demand for a book like this has never been greater.

Arranged and edited by Nigel Calder, one of today's most respected boating authorsand containing four-color illustrations throughoutHow to Read a Nautical Chart presents a number of original features that help readers make optimum use of the data found in Chart No. 1, including a more intuitive format, crucial background information, international chart symbol equivalents, electronic chart symbology, and thorough explanations of the practical aspects of nautical chart reading.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #18334 in Books

Published on: 2002-08-05

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

240 pages

Editorial Reviews

Review
Here is everything the navigator needs to know about the nautical chart, attractively produced in a large paperback edition...informative and enjoyable. Cruising 20050803

From the Back Cover
"Calder has done it again. This comprehensive and, as importantly, readable book on navigation should be required on all boats."--Peter Nielsen, editor, SAIL magazine

"This is a wonderful chart companion: an intriguing investigation of chart development combined with practical, hands-on data on how to really put a chart to use."--Tim Queeney, editor, Ocean Navigator

Charts, whether paper or electronic, are your most fundamental navigational tool. Using them to your best advantage requires a thorough understanding of the symbols and abbreviations and an awareness of the limits of accuracy in positions and soundings.

Did you know, for example, that hydrographic standards used to collect the majority of data on modern charts are considerably less accurate than GPS position fixes? That the majority of soundings still come from lead-line surveys? That a wreck symbol surrounded by a dotted circle means it is considered dangerous? That there are four different kinds of rock symbols, each with a different meaning? And that the definition of "danger" has changed over time and will depend on the age of your charts?

In How to Read a Nautical Chart, trusted boating authority Nigel Calder answers these and hundreds of other questions clearly and concisely. He covers in detail:

Fundamental chartmaking concepts in plain language

The limits of accuracy of modern charts (paper and electronic)

Dozens of full-scale illustrations from actual charts

Expanded versions of U.S., British, and international chart symbology descriptions contained in NOAA's Chart No. 1, the British Admiralty's Chart 5011, and the IHO's INT-1

And much more essential information designed to improve vital chart-reading skills

How to Read a Nautical Chart should be on every navigator's bookshelf.

"Nigel's enthusiasm and insight turn a mundane chart into a map of buried treasure. Every navigator should stow a copy in the chart table."--Paul Gelder, deputy editor, Yachting Monthly

About the Author

Nigel Calder has decades of sailing and cruising experience and is one of the world's foremost marine writers. He is the author of seven books, including Nigel Calder's Cruising Handbook and Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual, and has written more than 300 articles for magazines such as SAIL, Ocean Navigator, and Cruising World.

Customer Reviews

Navigation for the person willing to study and really understand
Very detailed. Plan to sit with coffee and really study but you will get good understanding of the material.

Nautical Chart Instruction
Brand new item, very nice. Smooth transaction with excellent communication & quick shipping. Thank You

The legend on a nautical chart is not enough
As a newbie to reading charts I soon realized that much of the information displayed on a nautical chart is difficult or imposable to decode without some reference outside of the chart itself.

This book does a beautiful job of explaining all the mysterious symbols and conventions. It also has a great introduction that puts chart creation and interpretation into a practical, real-world perspective. I would consider this book to be a vital part of any vessel's safety equipment.

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Animals of the Ocean, in Particular the Giant Squid (HOW)

2009-03-25T13:40:00.001-07:00

Animals of the Ocean, in Particular the Giant Squid (HOW)

Here is the third installment in a series of reference books, all written by Dr. and Mr. Doris Haggis-on-Whey, a team of highly energized and deeply focused scientists with over sixty-seven combined years of experience at their command, including six months spent lifting awkwardly-sized boxes.

Animals of the Ocean advances many heretofore unexplored discoveries and opinions, including squid dating dos and don'ts, why squid are not at all able to watch television in black and white, the ways in which people who don't know any better might think fish are not animals, the long-term effects of salt water on musical theater, and also the adventure of Gunther.

Animals of the Ocean, in Particular the Giant Squid comes with a foil-stamped and leather-inspired cover. Its pages are full color and illustrated without reserve. This book does not contain a warning label, but if it did, it would advise readers to enjoy its pages only in small and furtive doses, such as while waiting your turn at tetherball.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #170552 in Books

Published on: 2006-11-28

Format: Illustrated

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Hardcover

64 pages

Customer Reviews

Basically the best book ever written.
Completes the triad of Dr. and Mr. Haggis-on-Whey volumes (although I have to hope that there are more in the works). Very informative.

More hilarity
I love this series of books. Great topics of conversation. Makes a great gift for any age.

Well, I lol'ed
I can understand the sentiments of reviewer JMB; if absurdist humor isn't your kind of thing, encounters with it can be really irritating. Now, if it is your kind of humor, this book is a great find; I certainly enjoyed it.

If you're unsure, I suggest using the Amazon Online Reader (scroll back up to the top of the page and click the cover of the book, or the link "Search inside this book"). Might as well get an idea of what the book's like before spending your cash.

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A Guide to the Birds of East Africa

2009-03-24T23:00:00.001-07:00

A Guide to the Birds of East Africa

A beguiling novel that does for contemporary Kenya and its 1,000 species of birds what Alexander McCall Smith’s Ladies Detective series does for Botswana

For the past three years, the widower Mr. Malik has been secretly in love with Rose Mbikwa, a woman who leads the weekly bird walks sponsored by the East African Ornithological Society. Reserved and honorable, Malik wouldn't be noticed by a bystander in a Nairobi street—except perhaps to comment on his carefully sculpted combover. But beneath that unprepossessing exterior lies a warm heart and a secret passion.

But just as Malik is getting up the nerve to invite Rose to the Nairobi Hunt Club Ball (the premier social occasion of the Kenyan calendar), who should pop up but his nemesis from his school days. The jokester Harry Khan, good-looking in a flashy way and quick of foot, has also become enraptured with the object of Malik’s affection.
So begins the competition cooked up by fellow members of the Asadi club: whoever can identify the most species of birds in one week’s time gets the privilege of asking Ms. Mbikwa to the ball.
Set against the lush Kenyan landscape rich with wildlife and political intrigue, this irresistible novel has been sold in eight countries and is winning fans worldwide.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #15091 in Books

Published on: 2008-09-18

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Hardcover

208 pages

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
A charming love triangle in Nairobi, Kenya, forms the center of a novel that manages to be both sweet and gripping. Mr. Malik, a quiet widower guided by a naïve crush, spends his Tuesdays on bird walks led by Rose Mbikwa, the Scottish widow of a Kenyan politician, whom he secretly wishes to escort to the Nairobi Hunt Club Ball. Enter Harry Khan, Mr. Malik's playboy nemesis, who also takes a liking to Rose. Mr. Malik's social club organizes a bet—whoever can spot the most bird species in one week earns the right to ask Rose to the ball. While Harry heads off on expensive safaris, Mr. Malik is beset by a plague of problems, including the theft of his car and bird-watching notebook, and an ambush by renegade Somalis. The competition takes on a surprising page-turning urgency, thanks largely to Mr. Malik's delightful nature and his unexpected secrets. With captivating character sketches and glimpses into Kenyan life and politics, Drayson meets the inevitable comparisons to Alexander McCall Smith without breaking a sweat. (Sept.) ""
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved."

About the Author
NICHOLAS DRAYSON has written extensively about wildlife and natural history; he is also the author of Confessing a Murder, which was hailed by Booklist for its “view of Darwin never before seen.” An Englishman by birth, Drayson lived in Nairobi for two years. He now lives in Australia, where he received a Ph.D. from the University of New South Wales.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Chapter 1

‘Ah yes,’ said Rose Mbikwa, looking up at the large dark bird with elegant tail soaring high above the car park of the Nairobi Museum, ‘a black kite. Which is, of course, not black but brown.’ Mr Malik smiled. How many times had he heard Rose Mbikwa say those words?
Almost as many times as he had been on the Tuesday morning bird walk.
You never know exactly how many kinds of birds you will see on the Tuesday morning bird walk of the East African Ornithological Society but you can be sure to see a kite. Expert scavengers, they thrive on the detritus of human society in and around Nairobi. At his first school sports day (how many years ago was that now – could it really be fifty?) Mr Malik remembered little of the sprinting and javelin throwing and fathers’ sack race but he would never forget the kite which swooped down from nowhere to snatch a devilled chicken leg from his very hand. He could still recall the brush of feathers against his face and that single moment when as the bird’s talons closed around the prize its yellow eye looked into his. Of course it wasn’t quite accurate to say that he had no memories of the javelin throwing. Few would forget the incident with the Governor General’s wife’s corgi.
There was already a good turnout. Seated along the low wall in front of the museum a gaggle of Young Ornithologists (YOs), mostly students training to be tourist guides, chattered and preened.
The Old Hands were also out in force.
Joan Baker and Hilary Fotherington-Thomas were leaning against a car talking to a couple of pink-faced men, one bearded, whose pocket-infested khaki clothing instantly identified them as tourists and their accents as Australian. Standing furtively to one side were Patsy King and Jonathan Evans.
They had been carrying on their Tuesday morning affair for almost two years now and though Mr Malik had never had an affair, he supposed that a certain furtiveness was necessary to achieve full satisfaction in these things. The two were an unlikely match. Imagine a giraffe, towering above the wide savannah. Now imagine a warthog. But Mr Malik was used to seeing the lanky figure of Patsy King striding along road or track, her 10 x 50 binoculars enveloped in one large hand, with Jonathan Evans trotting along beside her. To Mr Malik they seemed, like members of his own family, no longer remarkable.
Keeping himself to himself as usual was Thomas Nyambe. He was standing with his back to the crowd, looking up towards the sky, entranced. Mr Nyambe loved birds, and had been coming to the bird walks even longer than Mr Malik.
Tuesday was his rostered morning off from his job as government driver. A driver in Kenya is seldom paid enough to afford a car of his own, so as usual Mr Nyambe had walked to the museum from his home in Factory Road, just behind the railway station. As usual Mr Malik would offer him a lift to wherever they were going that day.
A bang and a rattle and a loud curse through an open window announced the arrival of Tom Turnbull driving over the speed bump in his yellow Morris Minor (the speed bump had been there over a year now but still it took him by surprise). He opened the door of the car, got out, and slammed it. He cursed, opened the door, and slammed it again.
The distant town hall clock struck nine.
‘Good morning and welcome,’ said Rose.
All conversation ceased, all heads turned.
‘I see a few new faces here – and many old ones – but I welcome all of you to the Tuesday morning bird walk. My name is Rose Mbikwa.’ Mr Malik had got used to it by now, the transformation of Rose’s normal low contralto speaking voice into her public voice of distance-shrinking volume and clarity. Rose looked around the group, nodding here and smiling there, then conferred again with the young woman who had earlier pointed out the kite.
‘And to those of you who don’t know her, may I introduce Jennifer Halutu. Just to remind you, I will be away next week and Jennifer will be leading the walk. Last week, you may remember, we thought we might try the MEATI but we didn’t have enough cars. Do we have enough this week?’ She looked around the car park. ‘I think we might.
Who can give lifts?’ Hands were raised, calculations made.
‘Good, that’s fine,’ said Rose. ‘Then the MEATI it is. You all know the way?’ It was left to Joan Baker and Hilary Fotherington-Thomas to explain to the mystified newcomers that the Modern East African Tourist Inn was a popular restaurant on the southern outskirts of town.
Thomas Nyambe had already slipped into the front seat of Mr Malik’s old green Mercedes 450 SEL. The back seats were sttill empty. Perhaps, thought Mr Malik, the two tourists would like to come with him? He was about to offer a lift when another Mercedes, a shiny red SL 350, bounced in over the speed bump and swung into the car park. A tinted window opened, a sunglassssssed face leaned out over gold-braceleted arm.
‘Hi, Rose – not too late?’ The man leapt out of the car. ‘Hey, David, George, there you are. Your chariot awaits.’ The tourists, who Mr Malik now surmised were called David and George, walked over to the red Mercedes to be greeted with handshakes, smiles and shoulder clasps.
‘These guys are staying at the Hilton too, Rose, so I said they should come along. OK with you?’ After the three of them had gained Rose’s approval and paid their visitor’s subscription the two guests were shown into the passenger seats while the driver jumped back behind the wheel, started the engine and pulled out on to the drive, yelling out through the window just before it closed.
‘See you there, everyone.’ Who on earth was that? Brown skin, white hair, expensive clothing, and some kind of American accent; yet he looked slightly familiar. Mr Malik had little time to ponder this question, nor how this man seemed to know Rose Mbikwa, before several young black Africans piled into the back of his old Mercedes.
The rest of the YOs slipped and squeezed into Rose’s 504, Tom’s Morris Minor and the assortment of Land Rovers, Toyotas and other vehicles that other Old Hands had brought along. Engines were started, handbrakes released. As he drove gently over the speed bump and eased his tightly packed load out into the morning traffic, Mr Malik was wearing a worried expression.
That man. No, it couldn’t be. Not after all this time.

Customer Reviews

Book purchased
product received was as advertised, and in great condition. Would buy from this vendor again.

A Guide to the Birds of East Africa
What a delight! Not a page-turner, but highly enjoyable. I love Kenya, and birds but it is the story that is so captivating. This book isn't so much for the bird watching enthusiast as for someone who enjoys a sweet story that still provides lots of food for thought. I will be sharing my copy and definitely recomend it.

Makes me want to go watch some birds
How to describe this book? Is it about life in Kenya, about birdwatching, about an enchanting romance, a mystery? Yes, all of those. The characters are distinct and fully fleshed-out -- and wonderfully memorable. I was sorry to finish it.

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Living Like Ed: A Guide to the Eco-Friendly Life

2009-03-24T08:40:00.001-07:00

Living Like Ed: A Guide to the Eco-Friendly Life

FROM THE PIONEER OF ECO-CONSCIOUS LIVING

A committed environmentalist for more than thirty years, Ed Begley, Jr., has always tried to “live simply so others may simply live.” Now, as more and more of us are looking for ways to reduce our impact on the planet and live a better, greener life, Ed shares his experiences on what works, what doesn't–and what will save you money!

These are tips for environmentally friendly living that anyone–whether you own or rent, live in a private home or a condo–can try to make a positive change for the environment. From quick fixes to bigger commitments and long-term strategies, Ed will help you make changes in every part of your life.

And if you think living green has to mean compromising on aesthetics or comfort, fear not; Ed's wife, Rachelle, insists on style–with a conscience. In Living Like Ed, his environmentalism and her design savvy combine to create a guide to going green that keeps the chic in eco-chic.

From recycling more materials than you ever thought possible to composting without raising a stink to buying an electric car, Living Like Ed is packed with ideas–from obvious to ingenious–that will help you live green, live responsibly, live well. Like Ed.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #41929 in Books

Published on: 2008-02-19

Released on: 2008-02-19

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

240 pages

Editorial Reviews

Review
“Filled with sound advice and first-hand experience from someone who has been walking the walk for more than 38 years, Living Like Ed provides a wide array of practical options for anyone who wants to make his life a little-or a lot-greener. Ed Begley is more than a beloved Hollywood figure; he¹s an all-American hero, and Living Like Ed is a comprehensive yet accessible guide to becoming more environmentally savvy that light greens and bright greens alike will find themselves dog-earing for years to come.”
—Treehugger.com

From the Trade Paperback edition.

About the Author
ED BEGLEY, JR., is a veteran actor who has appeared in numerous film and television roles. He and Rachelle reside in L.A. in a self-sufficient home powered by solar energy. Visit him at LivingLikeEd.net.

Customer Reviews

Green energy primer for our times
This books has a lot of serious information in it about sustainability, but delivers it in a very simple style. Unlike many course books and science entailed green eco books, this one gives very basic recycling methods and complex energy sustainability theory at the same pace.
This is a great book for anyone with a household who is reviewing ways to cut energy bills and recycle stuff.

What is a Eco-Friendly life?
This book will explain what you can do to help the environment as one person or family.I thought it was time to make a difference in this world and this book helps with that. It gave me many idea's.

His book looks at 6 area's in our lives we can be more efficient.The Home,transportation,energy;garden and kitchen;clothing and hair;skin care. He has also included a workbook of questions that you can answer with your own life styles and how to improve it, helping the earth.

i want to be like ed!
This book is great. It's very easy to read, helpful, and interesting. Ed & his wife explain a variety of home improvements one can make and provide logical explanations for all of them. This book makes me want to do everything i can to live an eco-friendly life.

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The Snake Charmer: A Life and Death in Pursuit of Knowledge

2009-03-15T05:40:00.001-07:00

The Snake Charmer: A Life and Death in Pursuit of Knowledge

Although it was still too dark to see well, Joe absentmindedly thrust his right hand into the sack to extract the specimen and have a look. Immediately, he winced with pain and yanked out his hand. A tiny black-and-white banded snake, less than ten inches long, was dangling limply from his middle finger, its fangs still sunk into his flesh.

In the fall of 2001, deep in the jungle of Burma, a team of scientists is searching for rare snakes. They are led by Dr. Joe Slowinski, at forty already one of the most brilliant biologists of our time. It is the most ambitious scientific expedition ever mounted into this remote region, venturing into the foothills of the Himalayas. The bold undertaking is brought to a dramatic halt by the bite of the many-banded krait, the deadliest serpent in Asia. In the moment he pulled his hand from the specimen bag and saw the krait, Joe knew that his life was in grave and imminent peril. Thus began one of the most remarkable wilderness rescue attempts of modern times, as Joe's teammates kept him alive for thirty hours by mouth-to-mouth respiration, waiting for a rescue that never came.

A daredevil obsessed with venomous snakes since his youth, Slowinski was a modern-day adventurer who rose quickly to the top of his field, discovering many previously unidentified snake species in his brief yet exhilarating career. The Snake Charmer is at once brilliant biography and exotic travel literature, blended with an accessible introduction to the bizarre, fascinating-and sometimes controversial-world of snake science. The narrative transports the reader into primeval wilderness, from the Everglades to Peru to Burma, in search of rattlesnakes and boa constrictors, kraits and cobras.

Joe Slowinski's career was fast and exciting, his tragic final expedition a pulse-pounding struggle between man and nature. In The Snake Charmer, renowned journalist and author Jamie James captures the life and death of this charismatic, endlessly fascinating man. Exhaustively researched in interviews with Slowinski's colleagues and family, and the author's own trek into the wilds of Burma, this is narrative nonfiction in the tradition of Into the Wild and The Perfect Storm.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #73385 in Books

Published on: 2008-06-03

Released on: 2008-06-03

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Hardcover

272 pages

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
James (The Music of the Spheres) tells the gritty and sad story of Joe Slowinski, a flamboyant and well-known herpetologist who died in Burma in 2001, aged 38, from the poisonous bite of a krait snake. Different snakes—from the first black rat snake he encountered at age five to the cobras on which his professional success was built—anchor different phases in Slowinski's life, as James paints a portrait of a man filled with ambition, intelligence, passion and recklessness. The account of the expedition into an unexplored region of northern Burma is chilling—it set a new standard of misery for scientific expeditions. After Slowinski was bitten by the krait, he was kept alive for 30 hours, through his companions' heroic efforts, with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. But the snake's potent neurotoxin did its work, and Slowinski died deep in the jungle. In the end, this book is both a tribute to Slowinski's spirit and scientific accomplishments, and a cautionary tale about the dangers of an overly passionate ambition. 8 pages of color and 8 pages of b&w photos. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author
Jamie James is the author of eight books, including The Music of the Spheres, Other Origins, and Eccentrics: A Study of Sanity and Strangeness. Since 1999 he has lived in Indonesia, where he writes for American publications including The New Yorker, the Atlantic Monthly, Condé Nast Traveler, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the Wall Street Journal.

Customer Reviews

Every Herper should read
Joe Slowinsky grew up just across state line from me. I have been herping in many of the same places as him. The Snake Charmer is something every one interested in herpetology should read. Its the stupid mistakes that get people killed or injured. If one thing could come out of Joe's death, I hope its that people pay a little more attention to detail and prevent stupid little mistakes.

Brilliant, Fast-Paced, Erudite and Entertaining
Author Jamie James has created an instant fan in me. A lifelong herpetologist and naturalist, I was immediately drawn to the subject of this work, but it is the novelist in me who finds the most pleasure in the book. It is a biography that reads like a thriller and yet it contains the most fascinating digressions, both in the form of "short-takes" on different snake species and in intellectual tornadoes that spin evolution, biology, religion, philosophy and history in their wake. As if that was not enough, the book manages to weave this extraordinarily rich and textured tale against a backdrop of science in the new millennium, its glories, pitfalls, triumphs and perils. All in all this work is a tour-de-force. Bravo!

Sensational death of a Peter Pan
I'm at odds about this book. On one hand, I very much enjoyed learning more about herpetology and field biology. The best parts of the book, I thought, delved into advances in the classification of snakes and description of key species. Did you know that nearly all snakes are poisonous but that some are simply not toxic enough to affect humans? I didn't. That some "primitive" snakes such as pythons have pairs of organs (kidneys, lungs, etc.), but that more "evolved" snakes have single organs, making them more streamlined and efficient? Or that those who survive the nearly-always-fatal bite of the Russell's viper undergo a peculiar pituitary reversal, taking on childlike characteristics and becoming hairless, impotent, and sterile?

This sort of snake lore provided a fascinating glimpse into a little-known world. However, overall the book is structured as a biography with herpetological interludes. It commences at the moment when Joe Slowinski, a gifted but reckless herpetologist, was bitten by one of the world's most deadly snakes during an ill-fated expedition in a remote region of Burma. The book then breaks off and returns to Slowinski's childhood and progresses gradually back to the point of the fatal bite, which ultimately kills Slowinski after prolonged and heroic efforts to keep him alive.

Author James, in the epilogue, makes the connection between Slowinski's rashness and overconfidence and his death, but I still had difficulty overcoming an aversion to the beer-swilling, macho Slowinski, who at thirty-eight still behaved like a disarmingly charming but socially stunted twelve-year-old. I suppose I've met too many characters in this mold over the years to retain much regard for them. They gravitate toward the never-never land of labs and field research, places that allow them to obsess over a chosen subject, insulated from significant moral and social development.

James does a good job of scrupulously telling Slowinski's tale, and he has a clear, easy-to-digest style that makes for rapid reading. But I found myself wondering if his efforts to be even handed about his subject -- not to mention safeguard access to his sources of information, including Slowinski's parents, sister, and friends -- led him to indulge in a bit of hagiography. Slowinski's manner of death may have been sensational, but I didn't feel his life itself merited the full biographical treatment.

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National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Fossils (National Audubon Society Field Guides)

2009-03-14T16:00:00.001-07:00

National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Fossils (National Audubon Society Field Guides)

This, the first all-photographic field guide to cover fossils found throughout North America north of Mexico, includes nearly 500 full-color photographs identifying corals, trilobites, shells, teeth, bones, as well as fossil-bearing rocks and outcrop formations. The descriptive text includes information on size, geological period, geographical distribution, and ecology of the animal or plant before it was fossilized. In addition, the book provides lists of Geological Survey offices and major fossil collections, a geological time chart, and a guide to collecting and preserving fossils.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #30145 in Books

Published on: 1994-01-01

Released on: 1982-10-12

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Turtleback

848 pages

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap
This, the first all-photographic field guide to cover fossils found throughout North America north of Mexico, includes nearly 500 full-color photographs identifying corals, trilobites, shells, teeth, bones, as well as fossil-bearing rocks and outcrop formations. The descriptive text includes information on size, geological period, geographical distribution, and ecology of the animal or plant before it was fossilized. In addition, the book provides lists of Geological Survey offices and major fossil collections, a geological time chart, and a guide to collecting and preserving fossils.

Customer Reviews

The real Bible
This is a good book for the beginner who knows that the earth is 4 billion years old..The types of fossils discussed are perfect for the average collector..Not too big like dinosaur bones. This is not a book on how to prepare a fossil collected. Just a reference to the identification of a fossil.Note..There are a few typo errors like missing pages but it is still a good book for the starter..

Over the fence
Nobody does it like the National Audubon Society. Read the other reviews for more in-depth criticism. As an amateur rock hound, it serves my needs just fine.

National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Fossils
An older book, never revised in 15 years it seems. Still appreciated by my sister, who it was gifted to. She's into archaeology. Appently still a good one.

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DEER HUNTING 101: The Beginner's Guide to Deer Hunting

2009-03-14T02:00:00.001-07:00

DEER HUNTING 101: The Beginner's Guide to Deer Hunting

From choosing a weapon to placing the meat on your plate, this book covers every basic element of deer hunting that you should need to be successful in your endeavors. The author has chosen select portions of his hunting regime to share with the reader so they too will have the tools necessary to partake in the fruits of their labor. This book contains enough essential information to become a permanent fixture in the back pockets of every hunter regardless of their skill level, and as indicated by the men who have endorsed it as just that - should be.(Book endorsed by David Hale of "Knight and Hale Game Calls" and Jim Shockey of "Jim Shockey's Hunting Adventures")

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #251764 in Books

Published on: 2006-05-30

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

172 pages

Editorial Reviews

About the Author
An Indiana native, author Dave Pruet is definitely an avid hunter, but there is a lot more to him than just that. He is also a Christian, Husband, Father, Son, Friend, Widower, Business Owner, Author, Professional Musician, GriefCare Counselor, Sunday School Teacher, Percussion Instructor, Trap/Skeet competitor, Soccer Referee, Sports Trainer, Youth Group Leader, Licensed Taxidermist, Soccer Dad, Dance Dad, HS Band Booster, Fisherman, MADD lifetime member and spokesperson, Adult Education Leader, and a 'Green Bay Packers' NFL football team stockholder. Dave and his wife Donna, have two teen-aged children, Kayla and Kevin. Dave is one of 3 siblings born to parents from Rushville, Indiana and grew up in the booming college town of Bloomington, Indiana - home of the Indiana University Hurryin' Hoosiers. He holds separate degrees in Architecture; Business Management/Marketing, and although he works for a company full-time, he also owns and operates his own Drum Studio where he sells equipment and provides private drum lessons to students of all ages and skill levels. Dave, as previously mentioned, Co-Founded the Monroe County Chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) after his 26 year old wife Tina, and 5 year old son Eddie, were both senselessly killed by the irresponsible negligence of a drunk driver in August of 1989. Currently, he is completing a book titled, "Standing In The Rain", which depicts the tragic events he has endured throughout his life. This book is due for release in the Fall of 2010. Dave has achieved many goals in his own life, but his new-found passion is writing. With his writings, Dave hopes to be able to help those that are unaware of certain areas of life that he has experienced, and alleviate them any unnecessary steps to reach specific goals of their own. Dave's books are written for the use of learning; healing; and moving forward in life, and can be found at his online website: www.booksbydave.com where you may purchase them for yours

Customer Reviews

Good beginer book
This is a book for the novice that touches on things without going into great detail (see the negative review about moon phases mentioned but not discused in detail). I read the book as a new hunter and I believe I got a doe partly because of this book. If you have read alot of books on hunting, you will not find anything new. But if you PLAN to read alot of books on hunting, or just read one, this is not a bad place to start.

Great Book - ENDORSED BY THE BEST
All books have good and bad reviews and if they dont, it is only a matter of time before they do. One of the reviews on this site is unfavorable - that is unfortunate, but it also tells us that this review is unresearched and comes from an individual who does not understand the value of such material as 'Deer Hunting 101'. All I can say is that when I look to purchase a 'how to' book, I look to see if it is endorsed. 'Deer Hunting 101' has been endorsed by two of the biggest names in the Deer Hunting industry - if it werent up to snuff, I doubt these two men would have put their names on it. Give it a try - you too can join the vast amount of deer hunters who have been successful as a result of this book. Thank you for your interest and good hunting!

Not what it claims
2008 was my first year trying deer hunting, and I hoped this book would give me some additional knowledge to supplement what I had learned from friends and other sources. Instead this book proselytizes - apparently only God-fearin' people can successfully hunt deer. Much in the way of snide remarks, not so much in the way of education. An example, the author refers to the importance of the phase of the moon... but never actually mentions which phases are best, or anything else at all about moon phases.

Avoid this book if you are interested in entering the world of deer hunting. I wish I had avoided it. Not even worth being given away free.

To all reading the reviews - good luck in your next hunt!

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The Green Book: The Everyday Guide to Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time

2009-03-13T12:00:00.001-07:00

The Green Book: The Everyday Guide to Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time

Ellen DeGeneres, Robert Redford, Will Ferrell, Jennifer Aniston, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Martha Stewart, Tyra Banks, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Tiki Barber, Owen Wilson, and Justin Timberlake tell you how they make a difference to the environment.

Inside The Green Book, find out how you can too:

- Turn your thermostat a degree lower in the winter; if every home in America did it we'd save enough energy to power all the home is Iowa for one whole year!

- Take a shorter shower; if America subtracted just one minute from their daily showers we'd save twice the amount of freshwater withdrawn from the Great Lakes every day!

- Reuse ribbon and wrapping paper; if two-thirds of Americans each saved an arm's length of ribbon this year, we could tie a bow around the earth!

With wit and authority, authors Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas Kostigen provide hundreds of solutions for all areas of your life, pinpointing the smallest changes that have the biggest impact on the health of our precious planet.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #14478 in Books

Published on: 2007-06-19

Released on: 2007-06-19

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

224 pages

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Environmental matters get the star treatment in The Green Book. Rogers and Kostigen address the fact that Americans endanger the balance of the ecosystem by the amount of waste we produce, the amount of water we use, and the amount of energy we consume, and celebrities, including Robert Redford, Ellen DeGeneres, Jennifer Aniston, Faith Hill, and Dale Earnhardt Jr., contribute observations and suggestions for living green. In the hope that the glamour of the A-list will make discussion of environmental challenges more palpable, Rogers and Kostigen establish 12 aspects of our habitat, such as home, work, and school, and suggest better lifestyle choices in each arena. Small adjustments in the way we consume and dispose of resources add up to significant and positive environmental effects. Illustrating the results of green actions with descriptive rather than numerical analyses, Rogers and Kostigen write, for example, that if everyone in the U.S. used one less paper napkin per day, in a year's time we would have saved one billion pounds of landfill waste. An outstanding resource, The Green Book offers hope and practical suggestions. Crossland, Pamela

Customer Reviews

Celebrity Driven Drivel
The authors get off to a bad start by stating their "desire to be environmentally friendly while remaining selfish consumers." Trying to remain calm, I am then told that "usually, kWh (kilowatt-hours) are used to measure electrical power or natural gas use." Actually, natural gas is measured in therms. Hoping it can't get worse, I then learn that Cameron Diaz and William McDonough espouse the "noble savage" idea, de-bunked by anthropologists, that humans lived in harmony with their world before modern civilization arrived. That's why buffalo were herded and driven off a cliff. The answer is "not about limits but about abundance" but we are then told how to limit our use of water, electricity, petroleum products, etc.
The authors proceed to do what every other "green" book does - make lists of easy things you can do. Trivial actions are given equal weight with meaningful actions. Chapters include: Home, Travel, Shopping, and Building. The Building chapter makes no mention of energy audits or blower door tests. It recommends ceiling fans when it could recommend floor fans, at a tenth the cost. It confuses insulation with air sealing when it calls for an "envelope of insulation" that reduces leaks. How did this make the New York Times Bestseller List? Could it be the celebrities?

Very good
This book was shipped within 1 week of purchase. It was in brand new condition for a used price. I would purchase again.

Living Green at its best!
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know what they can do to make a difference and try to be greener! I would highly recommend this to everyone!

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Retriever Training: A Back-to-Basics Approach

2009-03-12T22:40:00.001-07:00

Retriever Training: A Back-to-Basics Approach

If it seems like today's retrievers are becoming increasingly hyperactive and hard to train, well, they are, says Robert Milner in this new book on retriever training. And the fault is not only in the breeding but in the training, both of which render a dog better suited for field-trialing than hunting. To reverse this trend of difficult dogs and difficult training methods, Milner offers a system every bird hunter can easily understand and follow. This back-to-basics approach teaches how to pick a pup that will likely be calm and obedient, and then how to train that pup on the basics of steadiness and obedience to create the perfect hunting and at-home companion. In Retriever Training, Milner has taken the latest scientific research into how dogs learn and combined it with his own commonsense training methods. The result is an approach that is as effective as it is easy. For the hunter who wants a calm, steady, and obedient retriever, there's no better training method. (6 1/4 x 9 1/4, 208 pages, b&w photos, illustrations)

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #24472 in Books

Published on: 2005-10-01

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

208 pages

Editorial Reviews

Review
“It may well be the best book on the subject since Dick Wolter’s Gun Dog, which came out nearly a half-century ago.” -- Dave Rossie, Press & Sun-Bulletin, Sept. 10, 2000

“If I were training a retriever puppy now, and had no interest in competing in field trials or hunt tests, this is the program I’d embrace.” -- Tom Davis, Sporting Classics magazine

“Written by a man who has been training dogs professionally for more than 30 years, this 198-page book is one of the best on dog training to be published.” -- The Spokesman-Review, Aug. 30, 2000

Review
"May well be the best book on the subject since Dick Wolter's Gun Dog."--Dave Rossie, Press & Sun-Bulletin

From the Back Cover
If it seems like today's retrievers are becoming increasingly hyperactive and hard to train, well, they are, says Robert Milner in this new book on retriever training. And the fault is not only in the breeding but in the training, both of which render a dog better suited for field-trialing than hunting. To reverse this trend of difficult dogs and difficult training methods, Milner offers a system every bird hunter can easily understand and follow. This back-to-basics approach teaches how to pick a pup that will likely be calm and obedient, and then how to train that pup on the basics of steadiness and obedience to create the perfect hunting and at-home companion. In Retriever Training, Milner has taken the latest scientific research into how dogs learn and combined it with his own commonsense training methods. The result is an approach that is as effective as it is easy. For the hunter who wants a calm, steady, and obedient retriever, there's no better training method.

Customer Reviews

Good for Hunting dog training
I liked Mr. Milner's approach to training. My bet is it will result in a good hunting companion. If you are looking for information on training for hunting tests or field trials, go elsewhere.

Retriever Training
extremely thorough. very clear and concise information that should be read by anyone training a labrador retriever, whether for hunting or for basic obedience training

Good but limited
I thought this book was very informative BUT some of the training techniques just didn't work with my chocolate lab. While the information was good there wasn't much about what to do if your dog has a problem with say, the heeling training technique. I learned a lot, but I needed another book or to enroll my retriever puppy in a class.

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Walden: 150th Anniversary Illustrated Edition of the American Classic

2009-03-12T09:00:00.001-07:00

Walden: 150th Anniversary Illustrated Edition of the American Classic

In August 1854, Houghton Mifflin"s predecessor, Ticknor & Fields, published a book called Walden; or, Life in the Woods, by a little-known writer named Henry Thoreau. At the time the book was largely ignored, but it has gone on to become one of the most widely read and influential works ever published, not only in this country but throughout the world. In August 2004 Houghton Mifflin, in association with the Walden Woods Project, will proudly publish a special 150th anniversary edition, beautifully illustrated with Scot Miller's spectacular color photographs, which are accompanied by historic black-and-white photographs and drawings. In the spirit of Thoreau, the book will be sensibly priced at $28.12, half a cent less than he spent building his cabin at Walden Pond.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #27478 in Books

Published on: 2004-08-11

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Hardcover

288 pages

Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was the author of A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers, "Civil Disobedience," The Maine Woods, and Cape Cod, as well as Walden. The Walden Woods Project was founded by the musician Don Henley to protect the land and waters celebrated in Walden and Thoreaus other writings. The spectacular color photographs by Scot Miller capture Walden in images as vividly as Thoreau captured it in words.

SCOT MILLER is a professional photographer whose recent projects have focused on Yosemite, the Maine woods, the Texas hill country, Italy, and France. The Harvard Museum of Natural Historys "Thoreaus Walden: A Journey in Photographs by Scot Miller" is currently on a national museum tour. Millers photographs have appeared in numerous books and publications. He lives in Carrollton, Texas, with his wife, where they own and operate the Sun to Moon Gallery.

Customer Reviews

A nasty American crank
No wonder Gandhi admired him. --- I am speaking of "The Unknown Gandhi," the nasty old crank who believed that India could only progress by banning the railroads and doctors.

We have been taught --- and so carefully taught --- that Thoreau was some sort of "important thinker," that it comes as a shock to read this:

"I see young men, my townsmen, whose misfortune it is to have inherited
farms, houses, barns, cattle, and farming tools; for these are more
easily acquired than got rid of. Better if they had been born in the
open pasture and suckled by a wolf, that they might have seen with
clearer eyes what field they were called to labor in. Who made them
serfs of the soil? Why should they eat their sixty acres, when man is
condemned to eat only his peck of dirt? Why should they begin digging
their graves as soon as they are born? They have got to live a man's
life, pushing all these things before them, and get on as well as they
can."

Please read that passage carefully. People who inherit farms from their parents are unfortunate.

Even more absurd is the idea that it is easier to get a farm than to get rid of it. This is where I find a total disconnect with reality. In every country around the world, the rural poor DREAM of owning their own land: they may scrimp and save over the generations to finally get their dream, and buy their own land. Yet here is this American nutcase asserting that farms are easier to get than they are to dispose of!

He goes on to say that it would be better for such children to be born in a state of nature (he does not bother to tell us what happens to the mother) and "to be suckled by wolves."

Well, Henry! Wolves do not suckle human babies, Henry. They EAT them. We are not talking about cartoons here, Henry. We are talking about hungry wolves.

For my money, a genuine American crackpot --- and we're pretty good at turning them out.

OK, now, it's your turn. Would you like to be born in a family which was at least somewhat financially secure, or would you rather be born in the wilderness, and be suckled by wolves?

Walden: 150 Anniversary Illustrated Edition
Walden Pond is a classic which everyone should be required to read. I read this years ago and wanted to add this one to my library. What a wonderful surprise it was. The pictures enhance this classic. I recommend this book to anyone interested in Thoreaus' works, Nature and getting back to the basics in life. In this busy life we live, it is relaxing to spend time reading this book.

Lovely
Bought this as a gift for my husband and he really loved the photo illustrations. They are beautiful. Makes a nice "coffee table book".

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The Ringing Cedars of Russia (The Ringing Cedars, Book 2)

2009-03-11T19:20:00.001-07:00

The Ringing Cedars of Russia (The Ringing Cedars, Book 2)

"The Ringing Cedars of Russia," the second book of the Ringing Cedars Series, in addition to providing a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the story of how "Anastasia" came to be published, offers a deeper exploration of the universal concepts so dramatically revealed in Book 1. It takes the reader on an adventure through the vast expanses of space, time and spirit from the Paradise-like glade in the Siberian taiga to the rough urban depths of Russia's capital city, from the ancient mysteries of our forebears to a vision of humanity's radiant future.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #16179 in Books

Published on: 2005-06-15

Original language: English

Binding: Paperback

272 pages

Customer Reviews

Bla bla bla
No comparison with book one. It is mostly about Megre's personal life. It is as if he said everything he has to say in book one and has no more, so he fills the pages with a lot of bla bla.... (we are not interested in). It is boring.. but you keep on reading hoping to find something new, but nothing. The last chapters are a repitation of book one.

an amazing journey
What I loved about this second book in the series was seeing how Vladmir managed to get the first books published. All the fits and starts. Being helped by wayward characters and noble strangers. While his writing lacks finesse, it's almost a little JD Salinger in that it feels totally appropriate given that the author is one of the main characters in this unfolding story of our existence....

The first book is like a shocking introduction that feels too surreal to be true. I had to digest that for a week or so before I could pick up book 2. And then I was just really curious, so how the heck did he get this book published?

I think this is the book that talks about the very interesting school more or less run by the children. I've read all 9 books so that may come later.

Every book seems to build on the stories and insights of the previous books. They are all worth reading. Take your time. It is alot to absorb and reconcile. But it's worth it.

not for everybody
These books are not for everybody.I would go there only if you are able to think beyond the box.For people who do not like how things are going in our culture,who know something is not right with our way of life. Very mind blowing books!

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Extraordinary Chickens 2009 Wall Calendar

2009-03-11T05:40:00.001-07:00

Extraordinary Chickens 2009 Wall Calendar

A perennial favorite, this bestselling calendar features all-new photographs of the world's most extraordinary chickens.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #227504 in Books

Published on: 2008-08-01

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Calendar

24 pages

Customer Reviews

These chickens are extraordinary!
I buy this calendar every year. They are truly extraordinary chickens, and the photography is beautiful. (Stephen Green-Armytage's books are great, too.)

Beautiful and Hillarious!
I bought this calendar for my father in a nursing home, to give him a few chuckles. It is now hanging on his wall and is a daily topic of conversation for his nurses and other visitors! This calendar is made of excellent quality paper with 5 star photography, I am ordering another one for myself! It's great for any animal lover, the photos are sure to bring laughter to your day.

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The Secret Life of Plants

2009-03-10T15:40:00.001-07:00

The Secret Life of Plants

The world of plants and its relation to mankind as revealed by the latest scientific discoveries. "Plenty of hard facts and astounding scientific and practical lore."--Newsweek

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #14607 in Books

Published on: 1989-03-08

Released on: 1989-03-08

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

416 pages

Editorial Reviews

From The Washington Post
"This fascinating book roams...over that marvelous no man's land of mystical glimmerings into the nature of science and life itself."

Review
"Plenty of hard facts and astounding scientific and practical lore." -- --Newsweek

"Plenty of hard facts and astounding scientific and practical lore.""--Newsweek""Once in a while you find a book that stuns you. Its scope leaves you breathless. This is such a book."--John White, "San Francisco Chronicle""This fascinating book roams...over that marvelous no man's land of mystical glimmerings into the nature of science and life itself."--Henry Mitchell, "Washington Post Book World"

Customer Reviews

Amazing Read!
The Secret Life of Plants takes Plant Spirit shamanic understanding to an entirely new level. I am beyond impressed with this read. Don't say that lightly. If you've ever felt drawn to Plants or the woods, this book will explain why and what that pull is on a subconscious level. I'd recommend it to anyone wanting to expand their perception of nature's wisdom and energy as a whole.

Awesome book
I have to say, this book blows any plant book I have so far out of the water. The great thing about this book is that it will open doors to not only plants, but it will make you re-think everything. It will show you plants / animals / humans are all but one. The book goes through so many people's experiments and will challenge you to re-think everything you thought you knew about plants.

The book is about plants, but it is also about life, animals, and everything in between, how were are all inter-connected....

Pick it up and have a read when your ready to learn about life.

The Secret Life of Plants
The Secret Life of Plants
We have had an older edition of this book for many years and read it so often that it fell apart!!!! And so we bought a new one. That in itself should be recommendation enough. It's a fascinating book!! Alas not for vegetarians, because they would feel like going back to eating meat!!

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Buried Treasures You Can Find: Over 7500 Locations in All 50 States (Treasure Hunting Text)

2009-03-10T01:20:00.001-07:00

Buried Treasures You Can Find: Over 7500 Locations in All 50 States (Treasure Hunting Text)

Buried Treasures You Can Find

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #77842 in Books

Brand: Garrett Metal Detectors

Published on: 1993-10

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

365 pages

Customer Reviews

FASCINATING BOOK
LOVED THIS BOOK. COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN. AS A BEGINNING TREASURE HUNTER, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT.

Buried Treasures
Very happy with this book. Came in a timely manner was very easy to read and thoroughly enjoyed it.

a good "basic" tips book for you to find tips for farther research
it listing a lot of tips 7500---however since it list so many tips--- needless to say it can only give a brief bit on each one----its a good starting point of "local treasure stories /tales" in your state & area that you then must go and do the "leg work" to flesh out the rest of the story. if you are a research based type hunter its a good starting point--- "tips" to get you started ---if you expect ---"well go the the corner of elm and jones street in zippytown,florida and walk seven feet east --dig five feet down and you'll be set for life ---well get real --if it was that easy the bookwriter would do it. good hunting to all.

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The Orvis Fly-Fishing Guide, Completely Revised and Updated with Over 400 New Color Photos and Illustrations

2009-02-20T04:00:00.001-08:00

The Orvis Fly-Fishing Guide, Completely Revised and Updated with Over 400 New Color Photos and Illustrations

Now for the first time in full color, The Orvis Fly-Fishing Guide appears in a completely revised and updated edition that solidifies its place as the flagship title of the Orvis books. A best-selling, fully illustrated, and comprehensive book, this large-format volume has been required reading for every angler for the past two decades.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #16996 in Books

Brand: Orvis

Published on: 2007-01-01

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

288 pages

Editorial Reviews

Review
"This Guide may be the single most valuable item a novice angler can buy . . . and most of us would do well to re-read the sections on flies, fly selection, and stream tactics every spring before pulling on our waders for the first time."--Rod & Reel

From the Back Cover
Now for the first time in full color, The Orvis Fly-Fishing Guide appears in a completely revised and updated edition that solidifies its place as the flagship title of the Orvis books. A best-selling, fully illustrated, and comprehensive book, this large-format volume has been required reading for every angler for the past two decades.
With new illustrations and paintings by renowned fly-fishing artist Bob White, this wholly rewritten edition addresses every significant requirement of the sport and provides an excellent foundation for pleasurable years of fishing. Included here are instructions for tackle selection; casting and presentation; flies and their specific uses; essential knots and how to tie them properly; successful techniques on stream, pond, or ocean; and information on the best tackle, flies, and methods for pursuing major gamefish in fresh and salt water, from bluegill to tarpon.

About the Author
Tom Rosenbauer, who has also written The Orvis Guide to Reading Trout Streams, works in Manchester, Vermont, as vice president of marketing at Orvis.

Customer Reviews

Was new to fly fishing and needed a book
If you are new to fly fishing and looking for a book, this is it. This book covers all the basics that a person new to the sport will need. But where other intro books are too high level, this book also goes into enough detail to actually provide some insight and understanding of the sport. I have been fly fishing for three years now and have re-read this book before each season. It makes more and more sense each time I read it as I can relate my experiences each year back to what is in the book.

good reference book
I bought this book based on other reviews and was pleased with the product. Has plenty of color photos and diagrams which make this a good reference for fly fishing beginners like me. I thoroughly recommend this book for anyone even slightly interested in the sport.

Great basic review of Fly Fishing
Just recently started Fly Fishing again after 20 year so thought I would update my copy. It was more than worth it. The book has been updated with changes in techniques. Highly recommended for beginners or even more experienced fishers who my be trying new things or brushing up on their basics.

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Cryptozoology A To Z: The Encyclopedia of Loch Monsters, Sasquatch, Chupacabras, and Other Authentic Mysteries of Nature

2009-02-19T14:00:00.001-08:00

Cryptozoology A To Z: The Encyclopedia of Loch Monsters, Sasquatch, Chupacabras, and Other Authentic Mysteries of Nature

The ultimate quest for the world's most mysterious creatures

The Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, the Abominable Snowman -- these are the names of the elusive beasts that have caught the eye and captured the imaginations of people around the world for centuries. Recently, tales of these "monsters" have been corroborated by an increase in sightings, and out of these legends a new science has been born: cryptozoology -- the study of hidden animals.

Cryptozoology A to Z, the first encyclopedia of its kind, contains nearly two hundred entries, including cryptids (the name given to these unusual beasts), new animal finds, and the explorers and scientists who search for them. Loren Coleman, one of the world's leading cryptozoologists, teams up with Jerome Clark, editor and author of several encyclopedias, to provide these definitive descriptions and many never-before-published drawings and photographs from eyewitnesses' detailed accounts. Full of insights into the methods of these scientists, exciting tales of discovery, and the history and evolution of this field, Cryptozoology A to Z is the most complete reference ever of the newest zoological science.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #56825 in Books

Published on: 1999-08-05

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

270 pages

Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Loren Coleman, a forty-year veteran of cryptozoological field expeditions and research, has written several books on nature's mysterious creatures, including The Field Guide to Bigfoot, Mysterious America, and Tom Slick and the Search for the Yeti, and has served as both on- and off-camera consultant to NBC-TV's Unsolved Mysteries and A&E's Ancient Mysteries. Coleman is the mission cryptozoologist for the 1999 Nessa Project's search for the Loch Ness Monster, and a consultant to a forthcoming expedition in search of Mongolia's hairy wildmen, the Almas. He is a professor at the University of Southern Maine and lives in Portland.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Abominable Snowman

When most people ponder on the "big three" of cryptozoology, they are thinking of the Loch Ness Monsters, Bigfoot, and the Abominable Snowman. Though many assume these beasts to be mythical, a body of intriguing evidence exists for each. Of the three, the Abominable Snowman is the cryptozoological animal longest known and discussed in the West.

The more proper name is Yeti, but most Westerners have been more familiar with the moniker "Abominable Snowman." "Abominable Snowman" is a phrase coined, accidentally, by a Calcutta Statesman newspaper columnist, Henry Newman, in 1921.

It happened when Newman wrote about the 1921 sighting by Lieutenant Colonel (later Sir) C.K. Howard-Bury and his party, who saw dark forms moving about on a twenty-thousand-foot-high snowfield above their location, the Lhapka-La pass on the Tibetan side of the Himalayan mountains, and viewed them through binoculars. This is the first credible Western sighting of what until then had been mostly a shadowy tale (at least to Westerners) of strange, hairy upright creatures in Tibet, Bhutan, Sikkim, Mustang, and Nepal. Howard-Bury would later, on September 22, 1921, find footprints "three times those of normal humans" at the site where the dark forms were moving about.

The Sherpas insisted that the prints were those of the metoh-kangmi, as Howard-Bury rendered it. Kang-mi loosely means "snow creature." The metoh part should have been written as met-teh, which translates as "man-sized wild creature."

Newman's mistake was caused in part by Howard-Bury's mistransliteration of the Sherpa word. Howard-Bury did not understand that the Sherpas recognized several types of creatures; on this occasion they had used a generic, not a specific, term. The error was compounded when Newman changed Howard-Bury's metoh-kangmi to metch kangmi, which he explained as a Tibetan word meaning "Abominable Snowman."

In any case, this proved to be a pivotal event in cryptozoological history. As Ivan T. Sanderson wrote, "The result was like the explosion of an atomic bomb." The melodramatic name "Abominable Snowman" spurred gigantic press interest. Newspaper coverage multiplied as more and more expeditions sought to climb Mount Everest.

The true origin of the phrase "Abominable Snowman" has been misrepresented over the years. For example, on a 1992 episode of the television series Unsolved Mysteries, a well-known Irish explorer wrongly claimed that the creature got its name because of its horrible odor.

The real animal behind the name is neither abominable nor a true creature of the snows. These beasts usually appear to live in quiet retreat in the steamy mountain valleys of the Himalayas, using the snowy passes as a way to move from one spot to another, leaving behind huge mysterious footprints. They are not -- contrary to another widespread misunderstanding -- white. And they are not a single creature.

A better generic term for Abominable Snowman is the Sherpa yeti, loosely meaning "that there thing." Yetis are known as huge creatures -- humanoid beasts, covered with thick coats of dark fur with arms, like those of anthropoid apes, which reach down to their knees.

A description of the reportedly three types of Yeti is discussed, in depth, within that entry.

Zuiyo-maru Monster

In April 1977, thirty miles off the coast of Christchurch, New Zealand, the trawler's nets of a Japanese fishing boat, the Zuiyo-maru, snared a huge animal carcass of an unknown origin. The crew hauled the monstrous body out of the ocean onto the deck, and Michihiko Yano, the ship's assistant production manager, measured the creature and took some now-famous photographs. The creature was thirty-three feet long and weighed about four thousand pounds. It had a snakelike head at the end of a long, slender neck, giving it an unwhale-like appearance. Some of the crew thought it was a rotten whale, but others were not so sure. After great difficulty, the stinking Zuiyo-maru Monster was thrown overboard.

Media attention in Japan focused on the plesiosaur-like appearance of the creature. Interest in Sea Serpents rose. Toys were produced of the Zuiyo-maru Monster.

But Yano had taken samples of the "horny fiber" from one of the monster's fins. Tests determined the Zuiyo-maru Monster was a decomposed basking shark, although few today know that part of the story.

Customer Reviews

CRYPTOZOOLOGY A to Z
I rectamend this book for anybody thats got a intres in cryptozoology this is nonme stop reading and perk up your intres in this hidden animals.

Essential Dictionary for Bigfoot, Yeti and the Loch Ness Monster
Co-written by long-time cryptozoologist Loren Coleman, this little book is more like a dictionary of cryptozoology than an encyclopedia. For those not in the know, 'cryptozoology' refers to the study of 'hidden' or 'unidentified' animals - the Loch Ness Monster, Sasquatch, the Jersey Devil, Alien Big Cats, surviving dinosaurs and that sort of stuff. Whether your into serious research as to the existence of 'monsters' or just interested in folklore and weird phenomena, this book will be right up your alley.

The bulk of this book's 250+ pages consists of alphabetically organized entries related to cryptozoology, including famous or noteworthy Cryptids (the Minnesota Iceman, Ogopogo, Mokole Mbembe, Thunderbirds, etc), famous cryptozoologists (Bernard Heuvelmans, Ivan Sanderson, Roy Mackal, Richard Ellis, Dao Van Tien, Scott Corrales, etc) and other subjects of note. For example, although well known today, the giant panda receives an entry because it was for mystery to westerners until 1914! Likewise, Vietnam's "lost world" where many new species have been discovered also gets mention. Each entry is relatively short and to the point, so those looking for more detailed accounts of particular sightings will have to go elsewhere, but its still a great point of reference.

Of particular note is the amount of information on the more obscure and recent cryptids (or at least, less known to non-cryptozoologists). I mean sure, bigfoot, chupacabras and the Loch Ness monster are well known, but what about Australia's bunyip, the Beast of Gevaudan that terrorized 18th century France, or the deadly olgoi-khorkoi? What about the recent discovery of coelacanths in Indonesia? This book includes a sketches and photographs too. Theres a photograph of the mounted shunka waraki'n, a mystery predator that was shot in the Midwest, as well as the Minnesota iceman, the zuiya-maru carcass and even a pygmy elephant!

The book also includes a very brief definition and history of Cryptozoology, and a very nice time line (matched with the 'discovery' of various animals). Nice, but again most people with an interest in cryptozoology will have some idea of this already. Still, all in all this is a very handy little reference book, especially for those more obscure cryptids that you may hear about or see mentioned online. If you are unfamiliar with the field, then this is a great starting place, especially because there is so much great material that Loren Coleman has written on the subject. So check this book out. Then you too can know all about modern-day mermaid sightings, surviving prehistoric sharks, the emela-ntouka and the giant bird that attacked Marlon Lowe in 1977.

Not enough Creatures - too many creature hunter bios
For the price it's OK - but half the books entries are bios of people involved in creature hunting and there is a huge number of cross-over entries that are Bigfoot-Yeti type creatures just under different names unique to their cultures. So only about 1/3 of the book, at best, is actually unique creatures to read about. The rest is bios and fairly redundant text on similar creatures under different names. It's only because of the affordable price that I gave it 3 stars instead of 2.

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Rain Gardens: Managing Water Sustainably in the Garden and Designed Landscape

2009-02-19T00:20:00.001-08:00

Rain Gardens: Managing Water Sustainably in the Garden and Designed Landscape

Rain gardens encompass all possible elements that can be used to capture, channel, divert and make the most of the rain and snow that fall on a property. Using the innovative and attractive approaches described here, it is possible to enhance outdoor spaces and minimize the damaging effects of drought, stormwater runoff, and other environmental challenges. Nigel Dunnett & Andy Clayden have created a comprehensive guide to water management techniques for the garden and built environment. Filled with practical, manageable solutions for small and large-scale implementations and utilizing authoritative research with state-of-the-art case studies from all over the world, Rain Gardens is the first book on sustainable water management schemes suitable for students and professionals.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #37147 in Books

Published on: 2007-04-01

Format: Illustrated

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Hardcover

188 pages

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
The demand for water is growing exponentially as supplies dwindle, so it becomes ever more critical for home gardeners, professional landscapers, construction engineers, and city planners to consider rainfall and snowfall management. Structures as small as a garden shed and hard surfaces as massive as an arena parking lot each have an environmental effect through the loss of water as uncontained runoff. Rain gardening emphasizes the capture and reuse of water within residential and commercial landscapes by using such techniques as bioretention ponds, storm-water chains, green roofs, and permeable paving. In this unique and essential resource, Dunnett and Clayden expertly and comprehensively explain the various methods of creating rain-gardening systems in clear, precise, and enthusiastic language; augment their proposals with simple line drawings and color photographs; provide a concise directory of suitable plants; and draw on inspiring case histories of successful rain-garden projects throughout the U.S and Europe. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
Nigel Dunnett is a senior lecturer in the Department of Landscape at the University of Sheffield, England, where he has developed innovative research programs into naturalistic and ecologically-informed planting for gardens and public landscapes. He writes regularly for leading horticultural magazines and journals and lectures widely throughout the UK.

Andy Clayden is a landscape architect, garden designer, and a lecturer at the University of Sheffield, England.

Customer Reviews

Great Book!
This is a great book for introduction to varies methods in dealing with storm water management. As a landscape architecture student it was very useful in apply to my studio projects. I would recommend it to other students as well as anybody interested in learning about what the future entails for urban water management.

Great Informational Book
A very informative book on an important topic. Pictures are used well to illustrate.

Not proper title name
This book only covers about 16 pages of rain gardens out of ~175 pages. A more appropriate title should be its subtitle, not rain gardens. If you're looking for rain garden info, this is not the book. It is a good reference for other sustainable water practices - standing water retention, swimming ponds, green roofs, etc.

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Long Way Down: An Epic Journey by Motorcycle from Scotland to South Africa

2009-02-18T09:40:00.001-08:00

Long Way Down: An Epic Journey by Motorcycle from Scotland to South Africa

Eighteen countries. Five shock absorbers.
Two bikers. One amazing adventure...

After their fantastic trip round the world in 2004, fellow actors and bike fanatics Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman couldn't shake the travel bug. Inspired by their UNICEF visits to Africa, they knew they had to go back and experience this extraordinary continent in more depth.

And so they set off on their 15,000-mile journey with two new BMWs loaded up for the trip. Their route took them from John O'Groats at the northernmost tip of Scotland to Cape Agulhas on the southernmost tip of South Africa.

Along the way they rode some of the toughest terrain in the world -- and met some of the friendliest people. They rode their bikes right up to the pyramids in Egypt and visited Luke Skywalker's house in Tunisia. They met people who had triumphed over terrifying experiences -- former childhood soldiers in Uganda and children living amidst the minefields of Ethiopia. They had a close encounter with a family of gorillas in Rwanda and were nearly trampled by a herd of elephants in Botswana.

Riding through spectacular scenery, often in extreme temperatures, Ewan and Charley faced their hardest challenges yet. With their trademark humor and honesty they tell their story -- the drama, the dangers and sheer exhilaration of riding together again, through a continent filled with magic and wonder.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #73817 in Books

Published on: 2008-07-15

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Hardcover

352 pages

Editorial Reviews

Review
'A great book' BELLA

About the Author
Ewan McGregor was born in Perthshire in 1971. An actor who has appeared in more than thirty films -- Trainspotting, Velvet Goldmine, Moulin Rouge, and the second Star Wars trilogy among them -- he rides an MV Augusta F4S and a KTM Duke. He lives in London with his wife and two daughters.

Charley Boorman was born in England, grew up in Ireland, and currently lives in London with his family. An actor whose first starring role was in Deliverance, he met his costar Ewan while shooting The Serpent's Kiss. He rides a Ducati 748 and is preparing for the2006 Paris -- Dakar rally, if his wife lets him

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
1
Where's Charley?

CHARLEY: I remember the moment it started. It was October 2004, very late one Friday night. We were in the old office in Bulwer Street with boxes all around us, bits of paper, all the office equipment gone. For a few minutes we just stood there reflecting. This is where Long Way Round had all begun, where we'd planned everything, checked and re-checked the maps: it's where we'd first seen the bikes.

It was over, finished: we'd ridden around the world, a mammoth journey; an epic adventure. But it was over now.

The maps were still on the wall and we stood before them once more. Ewan glanced at me.

'What do you reckon, Charley?'

'I don't know.'

'South America, India maybe?'

I looked up at him. 'What about riding through Africa?'

Ewan and I first met on a film set in County Clare more than a dozen years ago, our friendship born out of our passion for motorbikes. We've been best mates ever since. We'd always talked about riding together; France maybe, Spain. But then Ewan walked into a map shop, and over dinner that night we decided to forget France or Spain, we'd go the whole hog and ride around the world. The adventure of a lifetime, the two of us off on a couple of bikes. I wasn't sure we could pull it off; I wasn't sure it would even happen.

But it did. A late-night conversation became a dream, the dream became an adventure and that adventure proved to be a pivotal point in my life.

I grew up in the movie business, but I'm dyslexic...and I mean badly: if it hadn't been for my dad taking a year out to teach me to read, life could've been very hard. Even so, reading for acting parts could be difficult sometimes. Historically I'd enjoyed success in movies like The Emerald Forest, but after Long Way Round the direction of my life altered completely. I found myself in places like the pit lane of Moto GP circuits with heroes like Kenny Roberts grabbing my arm and telling me how much he'd enjoyed watching our journey.

I was no longer just John Boorman's son - in fact my dad rang me up the other day to tell me he'd introduced himself to someone and they'd said, 'Oh, Charley Boorman's dad'.

My career was now in motorcycling - albeit not in a conventional way - and the success of Long Way Round enabled me to live another dream. Ever since I can remember I'd always wanted to race bikes, so together with Russ Malkin, a very good friend and producer/director of Long Way Round, I entered the world's most dangerous race: the 2006 Dakar rally - five days in January where I rode ridiculous distances at ridiculous speeds before an innocuous crash tipped me off and I broke both my hands. (I never made it to the sand dunes and I've unfinished business there.) That dream was over for now, but another was just beginning.

Ewan flew in for the end of the Dakar to congratulate us all (my fellow teammate Simon Pavey had made it all the way to the finishing line). He was joined by film maker David Alexanian, the fourth member of the team that created Long Way Round. There we were in Dakar - all together again. And there in the scorching sun we confirmed what we had first mapped out over a year before in Bulwer Street. The adventure was on again - John O'Groats to Cape Town: we would ride the Long Way Down.

Once my hands were healed, the first thing Ewan and I did was return to the Royal Geographical Society in London, the place where we'd mapped out the first trip. Our bikes parked outside, I took my helmet off. The old red brick building seemed very familiar.

'So here we are again, Ewan. What do we say to them this time?'

He laughed. 'How about: Hi, remember us? We're back for more.'

Inside I quickly recalled how solemn the place felt; the arched windows, blue carpets and the magnificent ancient maps that decked the walls. One in particular dated from 1920 and at the bottom it was engraved with images of the old continent, names and places going back to colonial days when just about every European country fought for a share of the spoils. Ewan pointed to a picture of a guy in a pith helmet in a pretty compromising position with a tribesman. 'Hey, Charley,' he said. 'Here's how you made friends with the natives back then. See, you grabbed a man by his willy.'

In the journey-planning office we met the same assistant we'd spoken to before and she had yet more large-scale maps spread on a mahogany table.

'Have you decided on a route?' she asked us.

I shook my head. 'Nothing definite yet, but we're going to ride down through Europe, I think, probably cross from Sicily.'

'We'd like to follow the Nile,' Ewan added. 'It's one of those journeys, you know; one of the great trips of the world.'

She nodded. 'Sudan is pretty unstable and so are parts of Ethiopia. You'll need to be up on your paperwork.'

I rolled my eyes. 'Jesus, paperwork. The Ukraine, Ewan. Remember?'

'You mean when we waited nine hours to get in - how could I possibly forget?'

'Ethiopia is absolutely beautiful though,' the assistant went on, 'and despite the problems they're really trying to build up tourism. Sudan is full of open spaces, the Africa of the movies, if you like.' She smiled then, a little warily. 'There are security issues, however.'

I cast a glance at Ewan. She was right, as we knew only too well. We'd only just started investigating the route and already knew we'd need armed guards to get us through places like northern Kenya. We were thinking about going into the Democratic Republic of Congo, and weren't sure whether we'd have to go through Zimbabwe. This was going to be a very different journey from Long Way Round, and I think we were only just beginning to realise how different.

Having reacquainted ourselves with the Royal Geographical Society we headed for the wilds of Devon and a weekend's survival course. The weather was shit, a cold, drizzling rain, and to make things even more miserable, Ewan had his tent up before me. He was crowing about it. I mean, he never gets his tent up before me. It was galling. There was some consolation however: he'd put it up at the bottom of a hill and it was raining, which meant there was every chance he'd have a river running through it before long.

After that, we got lost in the 'wild wood' whilst hunting for strategically placed survival rations, and then we had to build shelters from fallen branches and bits of foliage.

Not that we're competitive or anything, but my A-frame and ridge was up, the sides constructed and I was already onto the roof whilst Ewan was still going on about a 'long ridge pole' and the 'bell end' being big enough. After making a wall of branch and fern, the last layer was leaves. Lying inside I could still see daylight and my feet stuck out, though I only discovered that when the instructor kicked them. He proceeded to tell us about a friend of his who went to sleep with his head sticking out of a similar shelter in Africa, only to be woken by a hyena ripping off his face. Our instructor liked telling those kinds of stories: he liked to tell them a lot.

He was complimentary about my shelter, however, testing thestructural quality by climbing right over it while I was lying inside. In his own words, it didn't budge an inch.

Ewan was arranging leaves and ferns and other bits and pieces; like a boy scout he was, having a whale of a time. 'Colour coding confuses your enemy,' I heard him mutter.

Finally he was finished, the branches covered with sprays of fern and leaf. He was stretched out inside and the instructor asked him if he felt confident that it was structurally sound.

Ewan replied that he did.

'Good,' the instructor said, 'because I'm going to walk on it.'

He'd barely shifted his weight when the 'bell end' Ewan had been so proud of collapsed, showering our Jedi Knight in broken branches.

For a moment there was silence. Then from the depths we heard him: 'Yeah, well, I think obviously there's room for improvement. But generally...' We could see his hands, gesticulating from under the crushed ridge. 'I was quite happy with its...you know, I liked the feel of it and it smelled really nice.'

On cue and not without a certain sense of ceremony, the rest of the shelter collapsed; a few moments later Ewan emerged: half a beard, his woollen hat askew.

'Shame,' he said. 'I put a lot of love into that.'

EWAN: What Charley didn't mention was that his A-frame was put together by the instructor. That's why it was so solid. I did mine myself. Not quite the same thing, is it?

The instructor really did like his tales of horror: hyenas eating people; elephants trampling our campsite; not to mention the machete-wielding madmen lurking outside every bar. Having said that, he also told us that despite our laid-back attitude, I was 'wily' and Charley was really 'industrious'.

From Devon, hyenas and elephants, it was Essex and a replica of the border between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. Driving down a track in a 4x4 we had the feeling we were about to be ambushed. We were right - just as we were considering potential escape routes a mine exploded in front of the truck.

David Alexanian, who would be joining us on the real trip, was driving. He immediately started backing up. More flash bangs went off, mines, or grenades maybe, exploding behind us.

Now we heard the rattle of gunfire and a man appeared on our right. Heavily built, he approached the vehicle at a crouch, wearing camouflage and carrying an AK-47. We dived for the doors on the passenger side only to find another guy bellowing at us and brandishing not a gun, but a couple of vicious-looking axes.

We piled out of the vehicle. Hands in the air, we tried to talk to the gunmen - a whole gang of them now. We tried to explain about UNICEF, and what we were doing. They weren't listening or didn't understand: they didn't care. Before we knew it we were forced away from the vehicles, our captors demanding money, jackets, our watches.

We'd discussed such a situation with our instructors and they had advised us that in really dangerous areas, convoys of vehicles were put together under armed guard. Our trip was high profile ...

Customer Reviews

Great adventure story
Loved this journey by motorcycle. DVD was wonderful. You wouldn't believe the hardships involved in this trip

Long Way Down
Great book and an easy read. Love the story. Both McGregor and Boorman write in a log entry style and this gives the book a real life feel. I am looking to see the DVD. If you love motorcycles and travel this is a new adventure awaiting.

Interesting travel writing with a motorcycle flavor
Ewan and Charley's adventure from northern Scotland to the southern tip of Africa reads much like two diaries being integrated for the book. Each author has his own voice. These generally are complementary, but they expose their own tensions and those of the trip as well. Their involvement in African charitable organizations and the emotions they invoke raise the book from a fairly straight narrative into bringing greater understanding and sympathy for the situations faced in most African countries.

At one point, Charley takes the bungee jump from the Victoria Falls railway bridge (360 feet vertical drop). Ewan wonders a bit at Charley's bravado. Having been there and done that jump at age 62, I can appreciate both points of view. But if you are there, don't pass it up!

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Tactical Shotgun: The Best Techniques And Tactics For Employing The Shotgun In Personal Combat

2009-02-17T19:40:00.001-08:00

Tactical Shotgun: The Best Techniques And Tactics For Employing The Shotgun In Personal Combat

In his second book on tactical weapons, Suarez sets the record straight on the true role of the shotgun in combat. He shows you what you need to know to defend your home, family or business, including multiple hostiles, low-light situations, moving targets and more.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #78988 in Books

Published on: 1996-09

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

232 pages

Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Gabe Suarez is a veteran of Southern California law enforcement, where he has served for many years. His extensive field experience includes single officer patrol, gang enforcement, special operations and tactical training. He was one of the founding members of his department's Special Weapons and Tactical Precision Rifle teams.

Customer Reviews

Good Tactical Information
If you are relatively new to tactical shotgunning, this book contains a lot of good information. I think if you are a complete novice then it might leave you with some unanswered or unsure questions. It contains very good information for everything from defensive to offensive styles and emergency reloads to what type of ammunition to use in different situations. The chapter on types of shotguns was very interesting. It brought up some things I hadn't thought about. The pictures in the book are helpful but sometimes didn't quite match the text. Overall a helpful book.

Like his other books, an outstanding common-sense overview
Gabe Suarez has written several books on shooting, and like the others, this book provides a solid introductory base to the who, what, when, where and why of employing the shotgun. Many have criticized his works because they can't get past "the basics", which he presents in each book. However, it's these "basics" that you're most likely to remember, use and be successful with. If you have his other books, you'll read through some familiar territory including the psychology of using a weapon against another human being, the risks and considerations and the common-sense practical aspects of being prepared for the time you may have to do so. Then he launches into the specialty of this book, suitable equipment (guns and accessories) and successful employment of the equipment to survive the encounter. Before you buy this book, beware, Suarez does not believe in point shooting (neither do I). If you're as stubborn as I am, only you're in the point shooting camp, don't bother with this book. Suarez is a student of Cooper and believes in using your sights. He does little to nothing to address the other point of view.

review
good educational product, it enhanced my general culture, this guy really knows his stuff, great buy

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The Last American Man

2009-02-17T05:20:00.001-08:00

The Last American Man

In this rousing examination of contemporary American male identity, acclaimed author and journalist Elizabeth Gilbert explores the fascinating true story of Eustace Conway. In 1977, at the age of seventeen, Conway left his family's comfortable suburban home to move to the Appalachian Mountains. For more than two decades he has lived there, making fire with sticks, wearing skins from animals he has trapped, and trying to convince Americans to give up their materialistic lifestyles and return with him back to nature. To Gilbert, Conway's mythical character challenges all our assumptions about what it is to be a modern man in America; he is a symbol of much we feel how our men should be, but rarely are.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #9084 in Books

Published on: 2003-05-27

Released on: 2003-05-27

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

288 pages

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
"By the time Eustace Conway was seven years old he could throw a knife accurately enough to nail a chipmunk to a tree." Such behavior might qualify Eustace as a potential Columbine-style triggerman, but in Gilbert's startling and fascinating account of his life, he becomes a great American countercultural hero. At 17, Conway "headed into the mountains... and dressed in the skins of animals he had hunted and eaten." By his late 30s, Eustace owned "a thousand acres of pristine wilderness" and lived in a teepee in the woods full-time. He is, as Gilbert (Stern Men) implies with her literary and historical references, a cross between Davy Crockett and Henry David Thoreau. Gilbert, who is friends with Conway and interviewed his family, evidences enormous enthusiasm for her subject, whether discussing Conway's need for alcohol to calm down; his relationship with a physically and emotionally abusive father; or his horrific hand-to-antler fight with a deer buck he was trying to kill yet she always keeps her reporter's distance. At times, Conway's story can be wonderfully moving (as when he buries kindergartners in a shallow trench with their faces turned skyward to help them understand that the forest floor is "alive") or disconcerting (as when, in 1995, he's uncertain about Bill Clinton's identity). Gilbert has a jaunty, breathless style, and she paints a complicated portrait of American maleness that is as original as it is surprising.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* Eustace Conway discovered nature's wonders as a boy growing up in South Carolina during the 1960s. Miserable at home, a born perfectionist and fanatic, he took to the woods and developed wilderness skills unknown to most modern Americans. By the time he finished high school and moved into a teepee (his abode for 17 years), he was convinced that only encounters with "the high art and godliness of nature" could help save American society from its catastrophically wasteful habits and soul-deadening trivial pursuits. Conway is not alone in his beliefs, but he is unique in his maniacal drive to proselytize, and, ironically enough, he's taken his teaching mission to such extremes by attempting to create an Appalachian wilderness utopia that it's impossible for him to live the very life he champions. Tough, shrewd, gifted, vigorous, and contradictory, Conway, who set a world record crossing the continent on horseback in 103 days, both enlightens and confounds all who know him. Gilbert, a top-notch journalist and fiction writer, braids keen and provocative observations about the American frontier, the myth of the mountain man, and the peculiar state of contemporary America with its "profound alienation" from nature into her spirited and canny portrait, ultimately concluding that Conway's magnetism is due in part to his embodying society's most urgent conundrums. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
The finest examination of American masculinity and wilderness since Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild. -- Outside magazine

Customer Reviews

Awe inspiring story
I am not a person who gives a lot of 5 star reviews. I like a lot of books but find few I absolutely love and stay with me for a long time -- but this is one of those books. I would venture to say this will be one of my top 5 books for 2009.

My book group selected it for our January read since we all liked "Eat, Pray, Love" and had the priviledge of hearing Elizabeth Gilbert speak this past fall. It had been in my "want to read" list for a while and I was thrilled when it was the choice. This was a book that I was totally engrossed in from the minute I picked it up. I was mentally transported into the story of Eustace Conway's life and found myself eager to finish it and yet sad when it was over.

As all can read in the product description, this is the story of one man's life who walks to the beat of a different drummer. It chronicles his childhood (I wanted to weep for this small, vulnerable child as I read along) and all the adventures and mis-adventures he has while growing into who he is at the age of 40.

I took a glance at some of the other reviews and have to say that many of the reviews seem to focus on whether or not the reviewer liked him as a person or not. If they liked him, the book got high praise and just the opposite if they found him to be irritating. I think that does a great diservice to the book that Elizabeth Gilbert has written and to the story of Eustace Conway. He is like any other human being in that he is flawed. There are mistakes he makes along the way, particularly regarding the relationships he has -- he is very demanding, opinionated and critical. However, many people who have great vision and achieve great things are not the most likeable or the easiest to get along with. Mr. Conway is just such an individual. While he is a man I wouldn't want to live with, I greatly admire his integrity and vision. The mark of a good book to me is one where I feel like I expanded by thinking by being exposed to concepts/people outside my comfort zone -- that definitely describes this book !

Elizabeth Gilbert does an outstanding job of showing us who this man is, warts and all. It is hard not to romanticize his life, but Ms. Gilbert is able to show us all sides of his personality and life. This isn't just a rosy picture of a mountain man -- this is a real portrait of who he is and what he does.

One great book !

An amazing life!
Eliz Gilbert does a nice job telling the story of Eustace Conway.What drive!Wears me out, but excites me at the same time. What a shame that the drive he inherited from his Dad prevented him from nurturing a full life relation with someone who could become his wife. He met some women who sounded perfect for him, but he simply couldn't relax enough to enjoy them and the life they could have given him.My hat is off to him for giving back to nature(in his teachings) what nature gave to him. I believe that he had an impractical goal( hoping that grand segments of the American public would convert to nature),but he sure gave it 150% so I hope he feels gratified for the work he has done. It was a wonderful and inspiring story, and I highly recommend it for the outdoor enthusiast!

Thought Provoking
This book really made me think. It wasn't the best written book. I liked her other book, Eat Pray Love better, however even though I'm not thrilled with her style of writing I love the content she presents and what she writes about. This book has seriously made me look at the purpose and quality of my own life and the changes I want to make.

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John Muir : Nature Writings: The Story of My Boyhood and Youth; My First Summer in the Sierra; The Mountains of California; Stickeen; Essays (Library of America)

2009-02-16T15:40:00.001-08:00

John Muir : Nature Writings: The Story of My Boyhood and Youth; My First Summer in the Sierra; The Mountains of California; Stickeen; Essays (Library of America)

In a lifetime of exploration, writing, and passionate political activism, John Muir made himself America's most eloquent spokesman for the mystery and majesty of the wilderness, a master of natural description who evoked and celebrated with unique power and intimacy the untrammeled landscapes of Alaska and the American West.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #244191 in Books

Published on: 1997-04-22

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Hardcover

928 pages

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
This volume is virtually an entire library of Muir. It combines The Story of My Boyhood and Youth, My First Summer in the Sierra, The Mountains of California, Stickteen, and a number of his essays along with illustrations, a chronology of his life, and scholarly notes. At $35, this is a remarkable bargain for public and academic libraries alike.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
The richness of his writing roots deeper into the terrain than any other wilderness writer known to me. -- David Craig, Los Angeles Times Book Review

From the Publisher
The Library of America is an award-winning, nonprofit program dedicated to publishing America's best and most significant writing in handsome, enduring volumes, featuring authoritative texts. Hailed as "the most important book-publishing project in the nation's history" (Newsweek), this acclaimed series is restoring America's literary heritage in "the finest-looking, longest-lasting edition ever made" (New Republic).

Customer Reviews

Muir should be required reading, period.
I've only read "My First Summer in the Sierra," and attest to Muir's enchanting style and lucidity. He writes as an enthusiast, but gives his stories a plain-spoken clarity that can be enjoyed by all.

Muir must have been quite an individual - after working as a shepherd for a few months, he talks of getting time off from his employer, "tying some bread to his belt, and walking to Mammoth" from the Merced area of the western foothills of the Sierras. Yep, a nice casual stroll. Or climbing and looking down into the ice cone on Yosemite Falls. Why not? It's there every winter...

I hope Library of America will put out another volume so they can make "The Yosemite" available to all. In it, Muir describes the three native Californian "Yosemite" (Tuolumne, Sequoia, and Kings) almost as a tour guide. This book is a glaring omission from the LoA volume, and gives great insight into the mind of the premier conservationist of the early 1900s.

As always, LoA delivers a quality volume at a good price.

Remarkable Boy in Scotland and Wisconsin
I read the Boyhood section published by the Sierra Club. An engaging, descriptive writer was John Muir. If you enjoy detailed descriptions of nature you will not be able to put it down. He was a student of human nature as well as nature and quite an inventor!

Essential Outdoor Reading
This is essential reading for anyone interested in preservation and those who simply love nature writing. I read this book before reading "The Wild Muir". In comparison, this one is obviously a more thorough overview of Muir's life. Reading this book first makes "Wild Muir" more enjoyable....kinda like reading a novel before watching a movie based on it.

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A Neotropical Companion

2009-02-16T01:00:00.001-08:00

A Neotropical Companion

A Neotropical Companion is an extraordinarily readable introduction to the American tropics, the lands of Central and South America, their remarkable rainforests and other ecosystems, and the creatures that live there. It is the most comprehensive one-volume guide to the Neotropics available today. Widely praised in its first edition, it remains a book of unparalleled value to tourists, students, and scientists alike. This second edition has been substantially revised and expanded to incorporate the abundance of new scientific information that has been produced since it was first published in 1989. Major additions have been made to every chapter, and new chapters have been added on Neotropical ecosystems, human ecology, and the effects of deforestation. Biodiversity and its preservation are discussed throughout the book, and Neotropical evolution is described in detail. This new edition offers all new drawings and photographs, many of them in color.

As enthusiastic readers of the first edition will attest, this is a charming book. Wearing his learning lightly and writing with ease and humor, John Kricher presents the complexities of tropical ecology as accessible and nonintimidating. Kricher is so thoroughly knowledgeable and the book is so complete in its coverage that general readers and ecotourists will not need any other book to help them identify and understand the plants and animals, from birds to bugs, that they will encounter in their travels to the New World tropics. At the same time, it will fascinate armchair travelers and students who may get no closer to the Neotropics than this engagingly written book.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #47113 in Books

Published on: 1999-08-16

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

451 pages

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
A second revised edition of John Kricher's well-received 1989 text, A Neotropical Companion distills whole libraries of information on the Americas' tropics. Kricher explores the workings of a rainforest with admirable clarity, discussing matters such as regeneration pathways and ecological succession. He also takes a sidelong glance at current issues in evolutionary theory, using his deep knowledge of the tropics to add to the literature on speciation and various hypotheses surrounding it. Ethnobotanists in particular will want to have a look at Kricher's catalog of tropical medicinal plants, in which lie the promise of cures and reliefs for a host of modern illnesses.

Review
An intense and lively field guide. . .compact and richly substantive -- Review

The book is exactly what it says it is, a companion to take with you on your travels in the New World tropics... The author has written ... with just the right amount of informality and humor. Journal of Natural History An intense and lively field guide...compact and richly substantive Scientific American

Review
The book is exactly what it says it is, a companion to take with you on your travels in the New World tropics. . . . The author has written . . . with just the right amount of informality and humor.
(Journal of Natural History )

An intense and lively field guide. . .compact and richly substantive
(Scientific American )

Customer Reviews

Not a Text Book
I had a class in Panama taught out of this book. I don't recommend it for that purpose. If you're interested in learning some general stuff about t he tropics, it's great (If you can stand the author's personality). I find the book to be awkwardly organized and overly repetitive. It's three time's as long as it needs to be for the information it contains. The information within is a mixture of personal observations and widely accepted facts without clearly distinguishing which are which. Save your money, get something else.

great general guide
This book provides a good overview of several ecosystem types within the neotropics, including information on plants, insects, birds, mammals, and inter-species interactions. It's written in an academic but accessible style. My only criticism is the presence of numerous typographical and measurement-conversion errors in the book. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book - I brought it with me to Peru, and read it from cover to cover.

really fun for the amateur naturalist
This is just a great book if you like this sort of stuff. The content is thorough but not overwhelming, and the author does a really good job making the complex science of neotropical ecology accessible for non-academics.

I purchased it before I traveled to birdwatch in Costa Rica and wowed my companions with little tidbits and facts that I pulled pretty much verbatim from the book. It opens you eyes to things in the tropics that you would most certainly miss otherwise and should be considered indispensable for anyone traveling there with an interest in nature.

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U.S. Army Map Reading and Land Navigation Handbook

2009-02-15T11:20:00.000-08:00

U.S. Army Map Reading and Land Navigation Handbook

The U.S. Army's official guide to teaching soldiers the invaluable skill of map reading, determining location, and navigating.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #98036 in Books

Published on: 2004-07-01

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

192 pages

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover
The U.S. Army’s official guide to map reading, determining location, and navigating.

For a soldier, knowing where you are is a matter of life and death, and so it comes as no surprise that the Army has produced the most complete, clear, and thorough guide to map reading and navigation available.
The book starts with a comprehensive explanation of the meaning and uses of maps, whether photographic, planimetric (standard-style), or topographic, then proceeds to the use of those maps, discussing compass techniques, celestial navigation, and determination of distance. There is a detailed section on interpreting topographic maps, with notes on tactical considerations for differing terrain, as well as determining the ease of movement through an area.
The book’s crucial, well-illustrated chapters have invaluable information on:
Training Strategy • Maps • Marginal Information and Symbols
Grids • Scale and Distance • Direction • Overlays
Aerial Photographs • Navigation Equipment and Methods
Elevation and Relief • Terrain Association • Mounted Land Navigation Navigation in Different Types of Terrain • Unit Sustainment

There is also information on field sketching, the tricky art of map folding, units of measure and conversion factors, map symbols, orienteering, and the global positioning system (GPS).
For the adult outdoorsman venturing into the wild, the Boy Scout, or the serious military buff, the U.S. Army Map Reading and Land Navigation Handbook is an indispensable, must-have book.

Customer Reviews

US Army Map Reading unfit book for Army let alone civilians
Book legibility very poor. That is the biggest complaint. How can a book be instructional when it can't be viewed. If the Army actually buys this book in this condition, fire the buyer.

Don't make up false expectations about this book.

There is nothing special you will find in this book. There are no military secrets or better techniques. It is a very simple, easy to understand guide - covering the basic skills required for navigation.

After finding the text of this book on some global security website I felt really stupid having paid for it.

not to learn from
Found this book confusing. Maps are illegible which makes the text irrelevant. It covers way too much detail all at once instead of progressing through steps. Covers alot of info and data useful only for those in the military. May work in conjunction with a lecture course, but by itself I would be surprised if anyone learned only from this book. I am new to this so maybe it's just not for beginners.

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A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians (Peterson Field Guide Series)

2009-02-13T00:00:00.001-08:00

A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians (Peterson Field Guide Series)

This third edition covers all the species of reptiles and amphibians found in western North America. More than 650 full-color paintings and photographs show key details for making accurate identifications. Up-to-date color range maps give species' distributions. Important information on conservation efforts and survival status rounds out the detailed species descriptions.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #33530 in Books

Published on: 2003-03-27

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

560 pages

Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Robert C. Stebbins is a contributor for the following Houghton Mifflin Company Title: Peterson Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians

Robert C. Stebbins is a contributor for the following Houghton Mifflin Company Title: Peterson Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians

Customer Reviews

I would like to see it to be able to review it.
I have never received these books. They were due on June 1-5, 07. It is now July 13th. I placed the order the first week in May. This is slo even for Mexico mail. However, I know the Peterson series and they are usually excellent.

I love this
I love this book because I have the National Audubon Society First Field Guide for reptiles and I would often run in to reptile that the I couldn't Identify. I knew that I needed a bigger better book. So I bought the western and eastern Peterson Field guide for reptiles and amphibians and it had a lot more reptiles and it had amphibians which I never had a book that had information about them before, it has a lot more reptiles and it's shows you were they are each located. It give you a detailed description of each animal and a detailed drawing of each animal. Because of this I have been able to identify reptiles and amphibian that I couldn't before. I don't like that they use drawing of the animals instead of pictures and the drawings just show the heads of the snakes.

must have
great detail & pictures are in color this edition! Maps are in color also! This is helpful when out in the field looking for your "herps". Thanks to Robert Stebbins & all involved in compling all the data needed for the updated guide

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A Walk through the Heavens: A Guide to Stars and Constellations and their Legends

2009-02-12T10:20:00.001-08:00

A Walk through the Heavens: A Guide to Stars and Constellations and their Legends

A Walk through the Heavens is a beautiful and easy-to-use guide to the constellations of the northern hemisphere. By following the unique simplified maps, readers will be able to easily find and identify the constellations and the stars within them. Ancient myths and legends of the sky are retold, adding to the mystery of the stars. Written for the complete beginner, this practical guide introduces the patterns of the starry skies in a memorable way. No equipment is needed, apart from normal sight and clear skies. Milton D. Heifetz is a clinical professor of neurosurgery at the University of Southern California and visiting professor at Harvard Medical School. This is his first astronomy book. Wil Tirion is the author of numerous sky guides, including The Cambridge Guide to Stars and Planets (1997), The Cambridge Star Atlas (1996), and The Monthly Sky Guide (Cambridge, 2003). Previous Edition Hb (1998): 00-521-62513-0

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #176358 in Books

Published on: 2004-02-23

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

96 pages

Editorial Reviews

Review
'You don't need a telescope to learn where the constellations are - this book tells you exactly how to find them simply by looking at the sky. It's a useful skill to acquire: you can impress your friends when you stumble out of the pub by pointing out what's where in the night sky. The legends are fascinating too. This is a good book for someone who hasn't made their mind up about investing in a telescope.' The Times 'The third edition of this well-known book is most welcome ... Wil Tirion's illustrations are a real delight ... I cannot fault its value and appeal, and would recommend it to any newcomer to the night sky' Popular Astronomy

Review
"...a helpful guide that introduces young adults to the starry heavens--one that can perhaps lead to lifelong inquiry and involvement with astronomy." Science Books and Films

Customer Reviews

Fun!
This guide is so easy to use! It has maps of the sky for the different times of year.
Very worth it!

Simply Fantastic
A superb introduction to Astronomy. I would consider myself just shy of a subject matter expert and I purchased it to introduce it to my wife. It is a great introductory piece that covers the basics. It does not include all the detailed specifics that some people look for. It is short and to the point, but it will really keep the reader turning the pages. If only I could use this to teach from! I love the lore aspect of the book as it helps to also educate on Greek mythology.

Suits me.
I like to look at the constellations in my backyard. In other books, the constellations are presented separately, and you have to guestimate where they are. This book shows you one constellation, and then shows you how to line up the stars for the next one. For example, most people can find the big dipper, and from there most people can line up the stars on the front of the dipper part, and be directed to the North Star. Well, this book shows that if you follow the curve of the handle, you can find the star Arturus, in the constellation Bootes. All the constellations in this book are connected this way, so that you don't have to guess where they are anymore. Every constellation points to another.

Also, most books have the stars on a dark blue background with black writing. It's hard to read. This has the stars white, on a light lavender background, so the black and white writing stands out much better. All in all, it make the diagrams much easier on the eyes. I am going to try to learn one constellation each night.

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A Field Guide to Mushrooms: North America (Peterson Field Guide Series)

2009-02-11T00:20:00.001-08:00

A Field Guide to Mushrooms: North America (Peterson Field Guide Series)

More than 1,000 species of mushrooms described in detail. Over 700 paintings and drawings reveal subtle field marks that cannot be captured into photographs.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #52913 in Books

Published on: 1998-02-15

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

448 pages

Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Kent H. McKnight is a contributor for the following Houghton Mifflin Company Title: A Field Guide to Mushrooms

Vera B. McKnight is a contributor for the following Houghton Mifflin Company Title: A Field Guide to Mushrooms

Roger Tory Peterson, one of the world"s greatest naturalists, received every major award for ornithology, natural science, and conservation, as well as numerous honorary degrees, medals, and citations, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The Peterson Identification System has been called the greatest invention since binoculars, and the Peterson Field Guides® are credited with helping to set the stage for the environmental movement.

Customer Reviews

If you are beginning, start with this one.
We own several different guides. Each has it's own strength. I recommend this as the first guide for those beginning to identify MR/Fungi. It covers most of the basic MR/Fungi family, but is not encylopedic as Arora's 'Mushrooms Demystified' attempts to be, nor does it have the number of color photographs that either the Falcon Guide 'North American Mushrooms' or Audubon's Field Guide. But it's one of the easiest to use beginning with 48 (mostly color) plates, then branching off into related species.

A Field Guide to Mushrooms: North America
Good up to date material. Good illustrations

2nd best mushroom book
The pictures in this guide are not quite as nice as in the audubon version but is still easy to use and a nice handy size for carrying in a pocket

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The Sibley Guide to Birds

2009-02-09T20:20:00.001-08:00

The Sibley Guide to Birds

David Allen Sibley, America's most gifted contemporary painter of birds, is the author and illustrator of this comprehensive guide. His beautifully detailed illustrations—more than 6,600 in all—and descriptions of 810 species and 350 regional populations will enrich every birder's experience.

The Sibley Guide's innovative design makes it entirely user friendly. The illustrations are arranged to facilitate comparison, yet still capture the unique character of each species.

The Sibley Guide to Birds provides a wealth of new information:
—Captioned illustrations show many previously unpublished field marks and revisions of known marks
—Nearly every species is shown in flight
—Measurements include length, wingspan, and weight for every species
—Subspecies and geographic varients are covered thoroughly
—Complete voice descriptions are included for every species
—Maps show the complete distribution of every species: summer and winter ranges, migration routes, and rare occurrences

Both novice and experienced birders will appreciate these and other innovative features:
—An introductory page for each family or group of related families makes comparisons simple
—Clear and concise labels with pointers identify field marks directly
—Birds are illustrated in similar poses to make comparisons between species quick and easy
—Illustrations emphasize the way birds look in the field

With The Sibley Guide to Birds, the National Audubon Society makes the art and expertise of David Sibley available to the world in a comprehensive, handsome, easy-to-use volume that will be the indispensable identification guide every birder must own.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #17220 in Books

Published on: 2000-10-03

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

544 pages

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
More than 10 years in the making, David Sibley's Guide to Birds is a monumental achievement. The beautiful watercolor illustrations (6,600, covering 810 species in North America) and clear, descriptive text place Sibley and his work squarely in the tradition of John James Audubon and Roger Tory Peterson; more than a birdwatcher and evangelizer, he is one of the foremost bird painters and authorities in the U.S. Still, his field guide will no doubt spark debate. Unlike Kenn Kaufman's Focus Guide, Sibley's is unapologetically aimed at the converted. Beginning birders may want to keep a copy of Sibley at home as a reference, but the wealth of information will have the same effect on novices as trying to pick out a single sandpiper in a wheeling flock of thousands. The familiar yellow warbler, for instance, gets no less than nine individual illustrations documenting its geographic, seasonal, and sex variations--plus another eight smaller illustrations showing it in flight. Of course, more experienced birders will appreciate this sort of detail, along with Sibley's improvements on both Peterson and the National Geographic guide:

As in Peterson, Sibley employs a pointer system for key field markings--but additional text blurbs are included alongside the illustrations to facilitate identification.

Descriptive passages on identification are more detailed than those in most other field guides. For example, Sibley includes extensive information on the famously hard-to-distinguish hawks in the genus Accipiter (sharp-shinned, Cooper's, and northern goshawk), noting differences in leg thickness and wing beat that will be of use to more advanced birders. A section on the identification of "peeps" (small sandpipers) includes tips about seasonal molting and bill length. Confusing fall warblers, Empidonax flycatchers, and Alcids receive similar treatment.

As previously mentioned, ample space is given to illustrations that show plumage variations by age, sex, and geography within a single species. Thus, an entire page is devoted to the red-shouldered hawk and its differing appearances in the eastern U.S., Florida, and California; similarly, gulls are distinguished by age and warblers by sex.

Range maps are detailed and accurate, with breeding, wintering, and migration routes clearly depicted; rare but regular geographic occurrences are denoted by green dots.

The binding and paper stock are of exceptional quality. Despite its 544 pages, a reinforced paperback cover and sewn-in binding allow the book to be spread out flat without fear of breaking the binding.

Some birders will be put off by the book's size. Slightly larger than the National Geographic guide, it's less portable than most field guides and will likely spend more time in cars and desks than on a birder's person while in the field. For some it will be a strictly stay-at-home companion guide to consult after a field trip; others may want to have it handy in a fannypack or backpack. But regardless of how it is used, Sibley's Guide to Birds is a significant addition to any birding library. "Birds are beautiful," the author writes in the preface, "their colors, shapes, actions, and sounds are among the most aesthetically pleasing in nature." Pleasing, too, is this comprehensive guide to their identification. --Langdon Cook

From Publishers Weekly
The bird-watching world knows Sibley best as an immensely talented painter. His thick, attractive and data-packed color guide offers nearly 7,000 images, along with range maps and detailed descriptions of songs, calls and voices, for all the birds North Americans might see. It's a more informative volume than Kenn Kaufman's forthcoming Birds of North America (Forecasts, Sept. 11) but less portable and harder for beginners to use. An introduction describes the key parts of major classes of birdsDthe tomia and culmen of a gull's bill, the scapulars and coverts of passerines (songbirds). Sibley then moves on to hundreds of pages of birds in 42 categories, from Loons and Grebes to Silky Flycatchers and Bulbuls. A typical page has two columns, with one species in each: that species gets a color-coded range map, a description of its voice, and four to eight illustrative paintings. These multiple images of single species are the guide's most attractive feature; they let Sibley show some birds in several poses, as well as important seasonal and regional, juvenile and mature, breeding and nonbreeding, or male and female versions of the same bird. (Gulls, terns, and many other seabirds, in particular, change their patterns completely when breeding.) Sibley assists viewers by giving, on the same page, images of species that might be mistaken for one anotherDone column shows 13 kinds of thrushes. He also describes calls for every bird (not just the more common ones), and makes many more comparisons. If Kaufman's guide belongs in birders' coat pockets, Sibley's big, detailed book belongs on their desks; it's easy to imagine birders rushing to Sibley's guide to check details of plumage or to confirm an ID the smaller guide has helped them make.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Scientific American
For birders who cut their teeth on Roger Tory Peterson's Field Guide to the Birds, that book seemed definitive, like the King James Bible or Bogart and Bergman in Casablanca. But it's a new millennium, and David Allen Sibley and the National Audubon Society have produced an impressive new Guide to Birds.

How does it differ from earlier guides? When Sibley himself was asked, he replied: "My book relies much more on illustrations.... I believe the average field guide user spends the vast majority of time looking at the pictures, and when I was developing this layout I based it on the premise that most of the text in current field guides is redundant.... I wanted a book that would condense a huge amount of information into a portable size, and at the same time make the information 'patterned,' logical, and accessible to any reader."

He delivers. Full-color paintings--6,600 of them--show us 810 North American species in an array of shapes, stages, colors, markings and poses (at rest, in flight, perched, swimming and so on). Raptors are shown from below. All significant plumages are depicted: the Laughing Gull, for example, is shown in six different stages. Voice descriptions (songs, flight calls, juvenile begging cries, threats, displays) appear on every page. Full-color range maps show complete distributions, migration routes, and summer, winter and breeding locations. Measurements are there, too: wingspan, length and weight. To facilitate comparison, information and illustrations are arranged in the same way for each species, and birds are shown in similar poses. Happily, the text accompanies the drawings as captions, so you don't have to flip back and forth. Pointers guide your eye to the relevant feature.

The book's introductory material is a primer on how to look at and identify birds, beginning with the parts of a passerine, or songbird. The introduction also includes Sibley's "rules," the first of which is: "Look at the bird. Don't fumble with a book, because by the time you find the right picture the bird will most likely be gone. Start by looking at the bird's bill and facial markings. Watch what the bird does, watch it fly away, and only then try to find it in your book."

Even the endpapers overflow, in an organized way, with useful tools: metric conversions, rulers, a map of the area the guide covers. A sturdy, flexible cover, sewn-in binding, and heavy, nonreflective paper add to the pleasure of using this book. True, it's a little hefty for the field, but this is a quibble. Better to have all this information than to be able to tuck the book in your pocket. Besides, it fits easily in a backpack.

Born to Bird

The son of Yale ornithologist Fred Sibley, David Sibley taught himself to draw at age six by tracing Arthur Singer's illustrations in Birds of the World. After two semesters at Cornell, he dropped out to work at the Cape May Bird Observatory. Several years later he left Cape May and crisscrossed the U.S. in his pickup truck to study birds, storing his sketching equipment in the cab and sleeping in the back. By his late 20s he was an acknowledged expert, leading tours for WINGS. Now 39, he is married to Joan Walsh, an ornithologist he met at Manomet Bird Observatory, and the father of two young children. Sibley starts his drawings in pencil, working from photographs and field sketches. He then puts the illustrations on an opaque projector and adjusts for size so they are exactly proportional to the others on that page of the guide. After correcting for size and shape, he traces the projection and paints the final version in gouache, working in transparent layers until he reaches the desired color and texture.

EDITORS OF SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN

Customer Reviews

A lot in a small package
I bought this book to complement my field guides. The Audobon Society tag is almost recommendation in itself and the moderate price is a bonus. It's a little too heavy for the pocket, and a bit large, but flexible and sturdy binding with a wipe-clean cover should protect it in a backpack. Descriptions are easy to understand and the illustrations are crisp and clear. This would be a great book for someone who is becoming more adept at species identification and wants to expand on the information contained in smaller guides. The Easy Bird Guide: Eastern Region: A Quick Identification Guide for All Birders (Falcon Guide)The Easy Bird Guide: Western Region: A Quick Identification Guide for All Birders (A Falcon Guide) I would recommend this book for the beginning and more advanced birder alike.

Sibley's Guide to Bird's
Excellent pictures of birds. If you are trying to identify them in Flight, there are pictures of the underside that you would see when looking up.

good book
Nice book, I purchased it on the reviews of others. I have not regretted it. I got it for some information, and found I was using it for other items.

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A Fine and Pleasant Misery

2009-02-09T07:00:00.001-08:00

A Fine and Pleasant Misery

More witty cautionary tales of outdoor life, by everybody's favorite expert on the subject, Patrick F. McManus.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #131667 in Books

Published on: 1981-04-15

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

209 pages

Editorial Reviews

Review
"A hilarious compilation."--Los Angeles Times

"Patrick McManus is a treasure."--The Atlantic

"Everybody should read Patrick McManus."--The New York Times Book Review
-- Review

Review
"A hilarious compilation."--Los Angeles Times

"Patrick McManus is a treasure."--The Atlantic

"Everybody should read Patrick McManus."--The New York Times Book Review

Customer Reviews

Full of laughs
Absolutely a great read full of laughs. I am of the age that I can relate to his experiences.

Great
I grew up reading his books and am now ordering them as gifts for my kids. They shoot canoes don't they and a fine and pleasant misery are my favorites.

Laugh Out Loud
I bought the book for my father who luckily already had it and gave it to me. Makes you really remember what it was like being a kid playing outside...yes, I actually did laugh out loud - over and over! My 8 year old son wants me to read him the short story "The Two-Wheel ATV" repeatedly.

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The Devil's Teeth: A True Story of Obsession and Survival Among America's Great White Sharks

2009-02-08T16:40:00.001-08:00

The Devil's Teeth: A True Story of Obsession and Survival Among America's Great White Sharks

A journalist's obsession brings her to a remote island off the California coast, home to the world's most mysterious and fearsome predators-and the strange band of surfer-scientists who follow them

Susan Casey was in her living room when she first saw the great white sharks of the Farallon Islands, their dark fins swirling around a small motorboat in a documentary. These sharks were the alphas among alphas, some longer than twenty feet, and there were too many to count; even more incredible, this congregation was taking place just twenty-seven miles off the coast of San Francisco.

In a matter of months, Casey was being hoisted out of the early-winter swells on a crane, up a cliff face to the barren surface of Southeast Farallon Island-dubbed by sailors in the 1850s the "devil's teeth." There she joined Scot Anderson and Peter Pyle, the two biologists who bunk down during shark season each fall in the island's one habitable building, a haunted, 135-year-old house spackled with lichen and gull guano. Two days later, she got her first glimpse of the famous, terrifying jaws up close and she was instantly hooked; her fascination soon yielded to obsession-and an invitation to return for a full season. But as Casey readied herself for the eight-week stint, she had no way of preparing for what she would find among the dangerous, forgotten islands that have banished every campaign for civilization in the past two hundred years.

The Devil's Teeth is a vivid dispatch from an otherworldly outpost, a story of crossing the boundary between society and an untamed place where humans are neither wanted nor needed.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #171002 in Books

Published on: 2006-05-30

Released on: 2006-05-30

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

304 pages

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
In a post-Jaws/Discovery Channel world, unearthing fresh data on great white sharks is a feat. So credit Susan Casey not just with finding and spotlighting two biologists who have done truly pioneering field research on the beasts but also with following them and their subjects into the heart of one of the most unnatural habitats on Earth: the Farallon Islands. Though just 30 miles due west of San Francisco, the Farallones--nicknamed the Devil's Teeth for their ragged appearance and raging inhospitality--are utterly alien, which may explain why each autumn, packs of great whites return to gorge on the seals and sea lions that gather there before returning to the Pacific and beyond. That Casey, via her biologist buddies Peter Pyle and Scot Anderson, can even report that sharks apparently follow migratory feeding patterns is a revelation. Throughout The Devil's Teeth, Casey makes clear that year upon year of observing the sharks have given Pyle and Anderson (and by extension, us) insights into shark behavior that are entirely new and too numerous to list. The otherworldly Farallon Islands, meanwhile, also dominate Casey's engaging tale as she charts their transformation from ultradangerous source of wild eggs in the 19th century to ultradangerous real-life shark lab and bird sanctuary today. Despite the plethora of factoids on offer, Casey's style is consistently digestible and very amusing. She also has a knack for putting things into perspective. Take this characteristic passage:

The Farallon great whites are largely unharassed. They might cross paths with the occasional boatload of day-trippers from San Francisco, but they're subjected to none of the behavior-altering coercion that nature's top predators regularly endure so that people can sit in the Winnebago... and get a look at them. This is important because despite their visibility at the Farallones, and despite the impressive truth that sharks are so old they predate trees, great whites have remained among the most mysterious of creatures."

By book's end, it's hard to know what's more captivating: The biologists' groundbreaking data, Casey's primer on the evolution of the Farallones, the islands' symbiotic relationships with the sharks, the gulls and sea lions they attract, or the outpost's resident ghosts. Frankly, it's a nice problem to have. --Kim Hughes

Getting to Know the Great White

It was a BBC documentary on great white sharks visiting California's Farallon Islands that turned Susan Casey from an editor of adventure and outdoors stories in such magazines as Outside to a journalist obsessed with an outdoors adventure of her own. In her Amazon.com interview, Casey recalls the fascinations and the follies of her time with the sharks in the Farallones and discusses everything from the ethics of adventure journalism to the stunning silence and size of nature's perfect predators. And in her answers to the Significant Seven (the seven questions we like to ask every author), she reveals her admiration for both Joseph Mitchell and Johnny Knoxville (once you've read her book, both choices seem appropriate).

The outer edge of the fearsome Maintop Bay, a spooky, boat-eating stretch of water that makes everyone uneasy. Not surprisingly, the sharks seem to love it. (Susan Casey)	An 18-foot shark investigates a 6-foot surfboard. (Peter Pyle)	A shark attack at the Farallones is not usually a subtle event. (Peter Pyle)
Scot Anderson (in orange) observes a feeding. Also in the boat are director Paul Atkins and cinematographer Peter Scoones of the BBC film crew that visited the Farallones in 1993 to film The Great White Shark. (Peter Pyle)	The Farallones researchers see some action from a shark named Bluntnose. (Peter Pyle)	An unquiet cove: Just Imagine (Casey's temporary home) at its moorage in Fisherman's Bay, 150 yards west of Tower Point and 200 yards east of Sugarloaf. (Susan Casey)

From Publishers Weekly
From its startling opening description of scientists racing to the bloody scene where a shark has decapitated a seal, this memoir–cum–natural and cultural history of the Farallon Islands—"the spookiest, wildest place on Earth"—plunges readers into the thrills of shark watching. Casey, a sportswriter with recurring dreams about deep-sea creatures, "became haunted" by the 211-acre archipelago 27 miles west of San Francisco when she saw a BBC documentary about Peter Pyle and Scot Anderson, biologists who study the great white sharks there. The islands are the only place on Earth where scientists can study the animals in their natural habitat. These evolutionary ancients (sharks lived 200 million years before dinosaurs) can be as large as Mack trucks, eat suits of armor, are both fierce and friendly, and, according to Casey, are an addictive fascination for those lucky enough to encounter them. Casey's three-week solo stay on a yacht anchored in shark waters is itself an adventure, with the author evacuating just hours before the yacht disappeared in a storm. Her suspenseful narrative perfectly matches the drama and mystery of these islands, their resident sharks and the scientists who love them. Photos.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Each September a group of great white sharks gathers off Farallon Islands--a 211-acre, 10-island archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, 27 miles off San Francisco--and remains there for about three months. For 15 years, biologists Scot Anderson and Peter Pyle have studied them and concluded that the same sharks return to the same location each year. These islands--protected as a national wildlife refuge--are the only place where it's possible to study their behavior naturally in the wild. Anderson and Pyle can recognize each shark and have named them; there's Betty and Mama, Spotty and T-Nose, among others. Casey, a development editor at Time Inc., joined the biologists for eight weeks to gather material for the book, which has 16 pages of color photographs. The result is a detailed and absorbing account of these awesome creatures. George Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Interesting History
This book caught my eye after taking a fishing trip out the the Farallon Islands up north. It's great for anyone with an interest in science, sharks, and quirky individualists. The only reason I didn't give it five stars was the ending -- which left me wanting for more closure (I won't give up any more)...

GREAT BOOK!!
I just finished reading this book and I've got to say that this was a really good book. The author really makes you feel like it is YOU who are there at the Farallon Islands, instead of just reading about someone else's experiences. I learned a lot about great whites, the wildlife on the islands, and the history of the islands. There were many interesting facts and "experiences" that I took away from this book that will stay with me for a long time.

Unforgettable sea story
I rank this book as one of the most exciting true adventures I have ever read. The shark research is certainly a main part of it, but for me the whole story of the boat, and what happened with it is just incredible. If you own a boat, this book is VERY entertaining. . saying more than that would give it away I am afraid. The other reviews describe the book well, but I just wanted to add that one point.

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Horse

2009-02-08T03:00:00.001-08:00

Horse

Powerful, beautiful, wild, fragile, and elegant, horses are as diverse and as enigmatic as people. This oversized luxuriously illustrated book, designed by Sam Shahid, is a celebration of the physical beauty of the animal, of what horses can do, and the sense of wonder and awe that the horse evokes. A competitive amateur show-jumper since childhood, Kelly Klein is a highly respected horsewoman, as well as a renowned fashion stylist. In this stunning collection of more than 250 selected photographs, including many previously unpublished, she conveys her very intimate and personal fascination with horses, and the intense vulnerability that counters their natural power and majesty. Mingling high fashion images with vintage shots of races and rodeos, fine art with amateur photography, this anthology is as provocative as it is beautiful, and reveals the extraordinary spectrum of emotions horses inspire in us. With photographs by Helmut Newton, Annie Leibowitz, Bruce Weber, Robert Mapplethorpe, Chris Makos, Richard Prince, Bob Richardson, and Ellen von Unwerth, among many others, Horse is a definitive reflection of an indefinable love and a passionate tribute to a uniquely beautiful animal. Horse is also available in a deluxe slipcased edition limited to 500 copies, each signed by Kelly Klein.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #57947 in Books

Published on: 2008-10-24

Released on: 2008-10-24

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Hardcover

272 pages

Editorial Reviews

Review
"(Klein's) book of equine photographs (and concomitant equestrian skills) is a well-judged compilation of photographers' work." --Vogue UK

"Her book of equine photographs (and concomitant equestrian skills) is a well-judged compilation of photographers' work." --Vogue UK

Review
"...this stunning equine portrait....celebrates the beauty, grace, and power of the animal."

Review
"My friend Kelly Klein's new photography book, Horse (which features over 250 equine pictures Kelly selected) is a must-buy-now."

Price: $94.50
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Death in the Silent Places

2009-02-07T13:00:00.001-08:00

Death in the Silent Places

Already recognized as a master of adventure writing for his classic Death in the Long Grass, former big-game hunter Capstick now turns from his own exploits to those of some of the greatest hunters of the past. With his characteristic color and flair he recalls the extraordinary careers of men like Colonel J.H. Patterson and Colonel Jim Corbett, who stalked legendary man-eaters through the silent darkness on opposite sides of the world; men like Karamojo Bell, acknowledged as the greatest elephant hunter of all time; men like the valiant Sasha Siemel, who tracked killer jaguars though the Matto Grosso armed only with a spear. With an authenticity gained by having shared the experiences he writes of, Peter Capstick eloquently recreates the acrid taste of terror in the mouth of a man whose gun has jammed as a lion begins his charge, the exhilaration of tracking and finding a long-sought prey, the bravery and even nobility of performing under circumstances of primitive and savage stress, with death all around in the silent places of the wilderness.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #72979 in Books

Published on: 1981-05-15

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Hardcover

288 pages

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Few writers have matched Capstick's flair for describing the hunt...in gruesome, realistic terms...A page-turner that is absolutely spine-tingling." --Publishers Weekly

"This book had me on the edge of my seat. . .297 pages of spine-tingling yarns." --New York Times Book Review

"Death in the Long Grass is an exciting book, superbly written." --Guns & Ammo

"Capstick...is brilliant in his description of his hunts for some of Africa's most vicious killers...The terror produced by some of these pieces is almost too real. As the pages turn, breathing grows shallow, adrenalin is pumped into the veins, the palms sweat until the outcome is resolved and there is time to drag a handkerchief across a damp brow." --Chicago Sun-Times (Triple Recommendation Rating)

"Death in the Long Grass will excite you, scare you and make you laugh...as a source of information it surpasses itself, and as a narrative it will hold the reader spellbound. . ." --Guns Magazine
-- Review

From the Publisher
7 1.5-hour cassettes

Customer Reviews

Suspenseful, but poorly-placed humor
My review hits the middle of the gamut of earlier reviews. Not a hunter, with no desire to be one, I still thoroughly enjoyed the suspense and details of the stories recounted here. I also love the variety, from lions to German cruisers to man-eating leopards. (I must admit to being less favorably inclined to the story of Bell's elephant killing, as those huge animals were less of a threat to humans than the tigers, leopards, and lions described elsewhere.) Overall, these stories have significant WOW impact throughout and I found myself wondering how I would have fared in similar circumstances. My guess? Rather poorly!
However, I must agree with the negative comment about the oddly-placed humorous comments. Even as I smiled at some of them, I was struck by the incongruity of the words.
Still, I've recommended the book to many friends and don't hesitate to recommend it here, as well.

Not all about hunting
The titles of Peter Capstick's books appear very unimaginative and it seems that they are trying to cash in on the popularity of "Death in the long grass". This is not so. I have read three books by this author all of which have titles beginning with "death in....". Each book has something new to say and you do not get tired of reading about the almost countless adventures that Capstick recounts.
To write about "Death in silent places": it is a collection of short biographies of some of the greatest hunter-adventurers of the last century. Their adventures are described in a very racy style. No doubt Capstick was able to write so well because he could identify with them. Some stories have a racist tinge to them however. May be this is not surprising as the book is set in colonial times.
The author seems to be a great fan of W.D.M. "karamojo" Bell but this fellow appeared to me to be a great poacher and murderer of elephants. He may have had a very adventurous life but he was a criminal nevertheless.The other people described in this book also have something wrong with them (except Jim Corbett). I guess we all have our faults
In summation I can say that this book is definitely a very good read and does not have a boring passage in it.

Mandatory Reading
This book was my first encounter with Peter Hathaway Capstick, but it won't be my last. It contains a series of short stories about dangerous game hunting (and World War I scouting) in Africa, India, South America, and Ceylon. The stories Capstick tells are primarily about the exploits of other famous hunters, although he interjects annecdotes about personal experiences and also tells the tale of his own hunting of a cape buffalo with a spear.

One of the most amazing aspects of this book is that Capstick brings to life the reality that, in the not-so-distant past, people in various parts of the world lived in actual, realistic fear of being killed by large, predatory, animinals, including lions, jaguars, and leopards. That might come as a surprise to some, as might the awesome power and cunning possessed by those animals.

This book is a must read for anyone who is even remotely interested in exotic places, big-game hunting, adventure, and the history of the British Empire a hundred years ago. I will be recommending it to my father, brother, and father-in-law, as all of them will enjoy it.

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Life: Picture Puzzle Holidays! (Life Picture Puzzle)

2009-02-06T21:40:00.001-08:00

Life: Picture Puzzle Holidays! (Life Picture Puzzle)

This fall, join LIFE as it goes on holiday with the newest themed book in its Picture Puzzle Series, the puzzle phenomenon that has taken the publishing world by storm.

As the leaves change color and the air turns crisp, our thoughts naturally turn to the upcoming holiday festivities. The folks at LIFE have also been thinking about these days of good cheer, and have been busy collecting the prettiest and most fun-filled photos of the winter holidays. LIFE Picture Puzzle: Holiday (the 7th book in the series) is 144 pages filled with all the moments that warm our hearts and the most amusing, challenging and beautiful puzzles drawn from Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year's. See if you can spot the differences as the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade floats by or catch the funny ornaments that have jumped on the Christmas tree.

With puzzles that will charm first-time players as well as ones that will daunt the most experienced puzzle masters, this special LIFE Picture Puzzle Holiday book is sure to delight readers and be a cherished gift for players of all ages.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #32029 in Books

Published on: 2008-10-28

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

144 pages

Customer Reviews

Lot's of fun
I have all of the Picture Puzzle books and this is just as fun as the others! The family played it on Christmas day, and boy was it challenging.

Life Holiday Picture Puzzle Book
My daughter fell in love with the Life puzzles when they were still printed in the "Life Magazine" insert in the Sunday paper. The first puzzle book was poured over by the entire family. I had the opportunity check this one out before ordering, and it is just as much fun as all of the others have been. If you have a child, friend, or parent who loves visual puzzles these books are addicting. All of the puzzle books are great presents for kids!

Awesome!
I first bought the "original", and liked it so much, I just bought this one. I bought it because I wanted something to keep me busy on a plane ride (& it sure did)! The plus side of it is, it keeps your mind going, and studies show that combats the risk of Alzheimers! So a win-win! Makes a great holiday gift, too.

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Trees of North America: A Guide to Field Identification, Revised and Updated (Golden Field Guide from St. Martin's Press)

2009-02-06T08:00:00.001-08:00

Trees of North America: A Guide to Field Identification, Revised and Updated (Golden Field Guide from St. Martin's Press)

Smell the bark of the aromatic Sassafras. Wonder at the Lodgepole Pine, whose heat-activated cones reseed forests destroyed by fire. Search for the Sugar Maple, whose foliage blazes red and yellow in autumn. North America's trees rank among nature's most awesome creations. This premier field guide features all characteristics-tree shape, bark, leaf, flower, fruit and twig-for quick identification, making it a superior choice for trail walks, creating displays, and scientific or commercial needs.

-All of North America in one volume
-Over 730 species in 76 families and 160 range maps
-Native species and important introduced foreign varieties
-Text, range maps, and illustrations seen together at a glance
-Common and scientific names
-Convenient measuring rules

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #23610 in Books

Published on: 2001-04-14

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

280 pages

Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Golden Guides first appeared in 1949 and quickly established themselves as authorities on subjects from Natural History to Science. Relaunched in 2000, Golden Guides from St. Martin's Press feature modern, new covers as part of a multi-year, million-dollar program to revise, update, and expand the complete line of guides for a new generation of students.

Customer Reviews

Take this with you on your next walk in the woods
More than 700 species in 76 families are included in this comprehensive but compact field guide. Maps show the range, and the text includes scientific name, brief description, size, and use for each tree, all delightfully illustrated in color by Rebecca Merrilees. The introduction is followed by a guide to the tree families, and a section on basic features of trees, as an aid to identification. Each species is described within its family for ready comparison. Includes notes on exotic species, bibliography, index, and even a handy measuring guide.

Great Guide
My well-worn Golden Guide to Trees is a reliable source of information for tree identification. I have a couple of other guides but reach for the Golden Guide first because I find it easier to identify things from illustrations rather than photographs.

As with any guide one must learn how to use it properly. Familiarize yourself with the family descriptions and nomenclature featured in the front of the book.

Good reference and ID book
This is a great book to have for basic quick reference on trees and their identification. I've found it to be very valuable and accurate in the field. I believe this is one of the better field guides on trees, but I always cross reference to my copy of Peterson's Trees and Shrubs to make sure I have the correct plant. Since this book only covers trees, I would highly recommend having another guide that covers shrubs as well.

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The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey

2009-02-04T21:40:00.001-08:00

The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey

At once an incredible adventure narrative and a penetrating biographical portrait, The River of Doubt is the true story of Theodore Roosevelt’s harrowing exploration of one of the most dangerous rivers on earth.

The River of Doubt—it is a black, uncharted tributary of the Amazon that snakes through one of the most treacherous jungles in the world. Indians armed with poison-tipped arrows haunt its shadows; piranhas glide through its waters; boulder-strewn rapids turn the river into a roiling cauldron.

After his humiliating election defeat in 1912, Roosevelt set his sights on the most punishing physical challenge he could find, the first descent of an unmapped, rapids-choked tributary of the Amazon. Together with his son Kermit and Brazil’s most famous explorer, Cândido Mariano da Silva Rondon, Roosevelt accomplished a feat so great that many at the time refused to believe it. In the process, he changed the map of the western hemisphere forever.

Along the way, Roosevelt and his men faced an unbelievable series of hardships, losing their canoes and supplies to punishing whitewater rapids, and enduring starvation, Indian attack, disease, drowning, and a murder within their own ranks. Three men died, and Roosevelt was brought to the brink of suicide. The River of Doubt brings alive these extraordinary events in a powerful nonfiction narrative thriller that happens to feature one of the most famous Americans who ever lived.

From the soaring beauty of the Amazon rain forest to the darkest night of Theodore Roosevelt’s life, here is Candice Millard’s dazzling debut.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #2718 in Books

Published on: 2006-10-10

Released on: 2006-10-10

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

432 pages

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In a gripping account, Millard focuses on an episode in Teddy Roosevelt's search for adventure that nearly came to a disastrous end. A year after Roosevelt lost a third-party bid for the White House in 1912, he decided to chase away his blues by accepting an invitation for a South American trip that quickly evolved into an ill-prepared journey down an unexplored tributary of the Amazon known as the River of Doubt. The small group, including T.R.'s son Kermit, was hampered by the failure to pack enough supplies and the absence of canoes sturdy enough for the river's rapids. An injury Roosevelt sustained became infected with flesh-eating bacteria and left the ex-president so weak that, at his lowest moment, he told Kermit to leave him to die in the rainforest. Millard, a former staff writer for National Geographic, nails the suspense element of this story perfectly, but equally important to her success is the marvelous amount of detail she provides on the wildlife that Roosevelt and his fellow explorers encountered on their journey, as well as the cannibalistic indigenous tribe that stalked them much of the way.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From The Washington Post
Just try to imagine it: George W. Bush loses re-election by a landslide and, undeterred by the humiliation of it all, sets off on a journey of unspeakable danger and hardship into the darkest depths of the Amazon jungle. There would be a media circus the likes of which the world has never seen. Picture the TV crews following in his wake, tripping over chemical toilets, generators and satellite phones. In these times of media gurus and spin-doctoring, we would write off the expedition as a stunt, a way of stealing the limelight from his rival's victory.

Rewind almost a century, to November 1912. Theodore Roosevelt, one of the most popular presidents in American history, is crushed at the polls by Woodrow Wilson after two terms in office (this was before the two-term rule). Roosevelt is 54 years of age, 5'5" tall, weighs more than 200 pounds and when speaking sounds "as if he had just taken a sip of helium." He's shunned by his high-society Republican friends for having run as a third-party candidate, and is generally lampooned by everyone else for losing by such a wide margin. What does he do? Sets off into the Brazilian jungle to venture up an uncharted tributary of the Amazon, known as "The River of Doubt," which has given Candice Millard the title of her fine account of the expedition.

For the indefatigable Roosevelt, the adventure was not a media stunt, nor the start to a long comeback campaign. It was a form of self-imposed therapy. Roosevelt had been a pallid, sickly child. He had overcome asthma and early illness by throwing himself headlong into physical challenge. Whenever hit by despair, he collected himself and embarked on what he termed "the strenuous life." There was no question about Roosevelt's stamina. While campaigning for the 1912 election, he had been shot in the chest by a Bavarian immigrant. Although wounded (one bullet was five inches inside him), Roosevelt insisted on delivering the address. Holding up his text so that the terrified audience could glimpse the holes in it, he shouted, "It takes more than that to kill a bull moose!" As far as he was concerned, a resounding political whipping called for a fabulous feat. He was invited to Latin America to deliver a series of political speeches. It was a mildly uninteresting proposition, for he claimed to detest public speaking, but the thought of jungle adventure was a potent incentive. That his third son, Kermit, was living in Brazil at the time made the idea of South America all the more enticing.

The expedition was to be led jointly by Roosevelt and Brazil's most celebrated explorer, Candido Mariano da Silva Rondon. Kermit was invited to participate, too, and he readily accepted despite his recent engagement. Another leading member was the naturalist George Cherrie, who had spent 30 years exploring the Amazon.

A journey of 400 miles took them across the Brazilian Highlands to the Amazon basin. Three years earlier, while exploring the region, Rondon had discovered a twisting, foaming waterway. With no clue as to where it went -- or if it went anywhere at all -- he christened it Rio da Duvida, "The River of Doubt."

From the outset the name must have seemed inappropriate; "The River of Execution" would have been more fitting. The stream was a surging passage of rapids and boiling white water, the banks of which hid enraged Indians armed with poison-tipped arrows. As one who has endured months of adversity in the Amazon, I can vouch that jungle hardship strips a man of his defenses. The enemy is all around: anacondas, piranhas, caimans, sweat bees, disease, hunger, fever and -- worst of all -- the uncertainty of knowing when, how or if it will come to an end.

But for Roosevelt, the jungle also provided the therapy he sought, making his usual world of American politics seem distant and trivial. The endless succession of calamities (resulting from ill-planning and sheer bad luck) would have been enough to distract the most disciplined mind. Notable setbacks included terrible illness and the loss of canoes and supplies to the perfidious rapids. By the end of it, the party was so worn down that even the slowest advance was an ordeal. The team members were emaciated, crippled by disease and fatigue and trapped by rapids -- Roosevelt as much as anyone else. One night George Cherrie, the naturalist and Amazonian expert, took a good look at the sweat-soaked figure before him. He had little hope, he confided in his diary, that Theodore Roosevelt would survive until morning. The specter of death hovered over a man who faded in and out of delirium, reciting over and over a couplet from Coleridge: "In Xanadu did Kubla Khan a stately pleasure dome decree."

Roosevelt pulled through, and The River of Doubt reminds one of the man himself -- thorough, robust, extremely knowledgeable and triumphant. There are far too many books in which a travel writer follows in the footsteps of his or her hero -- and there are far too few books like this, in which an author who has spent time and energy ferreting out material from archival sources weaves it into a truly gripping tale.

From Bookmarks Magazine
Every critic enjoyed Millard’s yarn about an ex-president’s fervent desire for adventure and self-acceptance. By focusing on the vivid details of Roosevelt’s journey to the Amazon as well as his relationship with his son, Millard creates much more than your typical ho-hum adventure. The beauty of this story is not just that Roosevelt’s rich history could spawn a thousand adventure stories, but that Millard’s experience with National Geographic is evident in her beautiful scenic descriptions and grisly depictions of the Amazon’s man-eating catfish, ferocious piranhas, white-water rapids, and prospect of starvation. A story deep in symbolism and thick with research, Millard succeeds where many have not; she has managed to contain a little bit of Teddy Roosevelt’s energy and warm interactions between the covers of her wonderful new book.

Customer Reviews

A Masterpiece
This is an incredible story about men with amazing willpower, strength and courage. Roosevelt's character is unmatched in recent history; he gave a political speech wearing a blood stained shirt after being shot by a would-be assassin claiming "It takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose!" One of the manliest men in history. Top 3 best books I've ever read.

A compelling read.
Having read several books written by and about Theodore Roosevelt, I had to check this one out. And I'm glad I did. Ms. Millard did a remarkable job of background research for this book. Not only did she describe the American political climate leading up to this adventure and the backgrounds of the primary role players of the expedition, she pleasantly surprised me with detailed natural history of the Amazonian environment. I learned as much about the ecology of this unforgiving land as I did about the adventure itself.

Theodore Roosevelt's strength, tenacity, and leadership qualities leap from the page. Oh, if we only had a leader of his ilk in our country today.

Ms. Millard writes in a riveting, page-turning style, compelling me to keep reading while savoring every moment. I anxiously await her next project.

As Excellent as TR Himself
This book is bully! I really enjoyed Millard's well-written and well-researched glimpse into an expedition somewhat lost to history, and marvel at the character of at least one politician from time past. TR shared his food and cared about the people around him, and was mostly concerned with not being a burden himself. One could only wish for the reappearance of a TR wing of American politics, one that would be at the same time vigilant about the environment and yet willing to fight for and defend American values in an unapologetic manner.

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Country Wisdom & Know-How

2009-02-04T08:00:00.001-08:00

Country Wisdom & Know-How

Reminiscent in both spirit and design of the beloved Whole Earth Catalog, Country Wisdom & Know-How is an unprecedented collection of information on nearly 200 individual topics of country and self-sustained living. Compiled from the information in Storey Publishing's landmark series of "Country Wisdom Bulletins," this book is the most thorough and reliable volume of its kind. Organized by general topic including animals, cooking, crafts, gardening, health and well-being, and home, it is further broken down to cover dozens of specifics from "Building Chicken Coops" to "Making Cheese, Butter, and Yogurt" to "Improving Your Soil" to "Restoring Hardwood Floors." Nearly 1,000 black-and-white illustrations and photographs run throughout and fascinating projects and trusted advice crowd every page.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #3692 in Books

Published on: 2004-09-01

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

488 pages

Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Storey Publishing, located in North Adams, Massachusetts, is one of the most respected and trusted publishers in the categories of country living, crafts, pets, and animals.

Customer Reviews

Interesting and fun
My husband and I have a farm and love to see how things were made before there were stores to get things. We try some things for fun and also work.

everything you ever wanted to know but afraid to ask.
I purchased this book and later had to buy 3 more for friends and family that were impressed by it too. it is truly a wealth of information. we have used it for many projects. sometimes i go to the book when i have a question sometimes i pick up the book and look for something interesting to try.

Getting back to what I was taught, filling in the details.
I was raised on a hog farm, and as a child worked the land and raised the animals as I was directed. After the farm went under in the 1980s, I was sent to live with my father in the city. It has taken me 21 years to get back to my roots, and work the soil.

I remember many things about my way of life as a child, but this book filled in many questions I had not been taught. Mom has long been gone, Dad is a slicker, Grandpa has passed away.

Planning our chicken coup with my son, what a great guide to pass it down.

From canning, gardening, harvesting meat, to making your own soap. Slickers can even use this guide.

The only down fall is the small print, old eyes don't see so good. But for 20 bucks, with all the reading and learning, it is a wonderful tool.

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Before the Wind: True Stories About Sailing

2009-02-03T04:40:00.001-08:00

Before the Wind: True Stories About Sailing

Words of wisdom, humor, practical advice, and ripping yarns.

Twenty-five selections from some of the world's most famous authors and sailors.

Read about:

Joshua Slocum, the first man to sail around the world alone
Richard Henry Dana's extraordinary account of beginning a sailor's life
Ted Turner's racing strategy
Clare Francis on her transatlantic solo race
Robert Louis Stevenson's emigrant passage of North America
Jack London sailing in Polynesia

Plus portraits of:

Dennis Conner
Thomas Lipton
Jacques Cousteau
Ernest Shackleton
The great schooner Bluenose
and more

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #111492 in Books

Published on: 1994-02-01

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

288 pages

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Even if you're not a sailor, you'll love these classic sea tales. I couldn't put this book down." -- Bay & Delta Yachtsman

"It would take many hours of intense research to find better true stories than those Gowdey has chosen." -- The Ensign

Even if you're not a sailor, you'll love these classic sea tales. I couldn't put this book down.''

Review
``Even if you're not a sailor, you'll love these classic sea tales. I couldn't put this book down.'' (Bay And Delta Yachtsman )

About the Author
David Gowdey, a native of London, Ontario, now lives in San Rafael, California, with his wife and two children. His first collection, Riding on the Roar of the Crowd, was hailed as "an absolute feast" by hockey fans, critics, and sportswriters.

Customer Reviews

Great Selection
Throughly enjoyed the selection of sailing stories. In fact one story(of a novice sailor taking his family for a sailing holiday) was so good I read to my wife and then had my daughter read to the family over dinner one night and we all laughed and reflected how real(and sometimes close to home) the experience was.
Amazing range of stories and hardly a dude amoungst them. Many very poignant, like the family on an ocean crossing experience who sailed into an island harbour against better practice and judgement and it cost them there yacht. The range from Americas cup to day sailors and solo
yachtwoman is wide , but it works. An easy read. Thank you. New Zealand day sailor

An "ok" read
I'm still trying to muddle through this book of stories. I find some to be quite mudane & not the least bit exciting. I was expecting more.

A Nice Collection of Sailing Stories
The author David Gowdey presents a 282 page collection of 25 sailing stories, weather guides, interviews, and poems - all of interest to sailors or people wishing to read about sailing. The stories are not really related to one another and as such this is not a compendium of stories that teach you how to sail or to be a better sailor. Rather it is a loose collection of interesting short stories and interviews about the sea and sailing divided into three sections, which covers general sailing, ocean trips, and some stories about racing. It covers small boats to large ocean racers, preparing for trips, crew psychology, cooking, weather, the appeal of the sea, poems, etc. He acts as an "editor" and writes a short four page introduction and injects a one page map of the world showing some of the routes outlined in the sailing stories. There are neither an index or a bibliography for further readings. As such the book merits just 2-3 stars for effort in my opinion, but in fact is closer to 5 stars in terms of reading enjoyment. All the stories can be found elsewhere but the author puts them into one book - and for that reason the book is popular and a good read.

For the most part it is an interesting read and vary varied. Each story is different and the writing is in general excellent. He has the story of "Lipton's Last Challenge" of the America's Cup by his boat Shamrock in 1930, the story of the Bluenose, interviews with Ted Turner and Dennis Connor, comments by a competitor of Dennis Connor - that is actually much more telling and positive about Connor than his interviews, preparing for an ocean crossing, Clare Francis crossing the north Atlantic alone, a story called "Cousteau: The Poet" - which gives many insights about the man, a short story by Robert Louis Stevenson, and one story about the loss of a boat, plus many more.

An excellent short book that I would recommend to sailors or simply people wanting to read about sailing. I wish it had a bibliography, an index, and I found it too short. Having said that, the book does inspire the reader to find more similar stories.

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Spirit Horses

2009-02-02T00:40:00.001-08:00

Spirit Horses

The power, grace, and freedom of horses had always resonated deeply with Stromberg. Through his photographs of these magnificent beasts, he sees a way to bridge what he calls "modern life’s disturbing separation between people and nature." The result is Spirit Horses, showcasing 140 of Stromberg’s extraordinary color portraits of these animals, along with quotations from leading teachers and writers exploring equine wisdom and its intersection with spirituality. The photographs in Spirit Horses were shot in a variety of locales, from wildlife sanctuaries to private ranches to natural habitats in Europe and the western United States. These images — and the accompanying quotes — offer a portrait of horses as profound teachers, giving strength and stability to a world out of balance.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #147629 in Books

Published on: 2005-09-15

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Hardcover

168 pages

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
The two sides of the human relationship with horses are reflected in a new book celebrating the practical and the spiritual. Stromberg is a professional photographer who came to horses and riding later in life. Horses became his teachers, reminding him of valuable truths about the connection of people and nature. They speak to him of the wild and of a world without boundaries. The photos in this mostly wordless, coffee-table-size book reflect these beliefs, and are of horses unrestrained by riders or tack, mostly without enclosures. Printed in color, black and white, and sepia tones, they often show horses in motion, manes and tails flying, with dust or sheer movement blurring the edges of the photo. Many subjects are not well-groomed show horses but rather their wilder brethren with shaggy forelocks and rough coats. Sprinkled throughout are quotations that range from the Dalai Lama to Henry Beston to D. H. Lawrence. This lovely book will more than please horse lovers. Nancy Bent
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Spirit Horses 2009 calendar
I order Tony Stromberg's calendar every year, and this year I was very disappointed. The photos are of strikingly poor quality, compared to the usual(some are blurred/discolored), and most of them were displayed before in past calendars. I probably will not order this item from Amazon again, unless I can get a preview of the photos beforehand.

Spirit Horse
I am an equine artist, and bought this book for the photography. I found it to be very poor. A lot of the pictures were bland, uninteresting, and many were out of focus. I resold the book.

Breathtaking
All I can say is Spirit Horse's is just Breathtaking. A beautiful book,I would recommed it for any horse lover.

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The Seven Seas 2009: The Sailor's Calendar

2009-01-31T22:00:00.001-08:00

The Seven Seas 2009: The Sailor's Calendar

The Seven Seas—North America's #1-selling sailing calendar, now in its twenty-fourth year—takes you on twelve unforgettable voyages.

Bask in serene waters from the Marquesas to Tahiti and feel the glow of a sunset after a glorious day at sea. Experience the morning mist of Celtic's Killary Harbour, gaze at majestic cliffs sailing in the Tasmanian Sea, and feel the invigorating power of the ocean. This calendar is of the highest-quality printing—ideal for framing.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #49720 in Books

Published on: 2008-09-08

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Calendar

12 pages

Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Ferenc Máté's books of photography include the highly acclaimed World's Best Sailboats. He lives in Italy.

Customer Reviews

sailing
my family loves works by Ferenc Mate. His calendars are great to day dream by, his novels are great.

A sailor's calendar
Exceptional colored photography enhances the picture of various types of sailboats in scenic parts of the world. The background of the monthly calendar depicts an ancient map of the area in which the boat is located and includes a descriptive verse.

LINDA'S VIEW
THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL CALENDAR FOR THE SAILING ENTHUSIAST. THE PHOTOGRAPHY IS BEAUTIFUL AND IT IS A JOY TO LOOK AT THE CALENDAR DAILY

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Camping & Wilderness Survival: The Ultimate Outdoors Book

2009-01-31T08:40:00.001-08:00

Camping & Wilderness Survival: The Ultimate Outdoors Book

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #151238 in Books

Published on: 2006-03-01

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

1080 pages

Customer Reviews

Fantastic Information
I have quite a few book's pertaining to the outdoors,but Camping & Wilderness Survival takes the cake. It is the most informative book that I have ever seen. The content is great and it is packed full of valuable information. Definately a must have book. If you have an outdoors library, you need to include this book in your collection. I will take it with me on camping trips for quick reference if I need to know something. I highly recommend it.

Comprehensive, but sometimes outdated
I found this book to cover many topics in depth (probably more than most are looking for). I found the reading to be a little dry and the material to sometimes be outdated. Not bad as a reference tool because of the depth/comprehensiveness/diversity of the topics as long as you confirm what you find with another (current) source.

WHAT THE BOY SCOUT MANUAL SHOULD BE
As a former Scout and now as a Assistant Scout Master, I recommend this book as the best overall camping and survival manual to all Boy Scouts as a reference guide. Over the years, the BSA manuals have become more of a photo album and not teaching tool. They've left many of the needed skills and techniques out and if it was not for having leaders trained in the old way as Paul Tawrell does in his books. It makes a great gift for those boys & even girls that what to experince the great out outdoors.

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The Dog Listener: Learn How to Communicate with Your Dog for Willing Cooperation

2009-01-30T18:40:00.001-08:00

The Dog Listener: Learn How to Communicate with Your Dog for Willing Cooperation

In The Dog Listener Jan Fennell shares her revolutionary insight into the canine world and its instinctive language that has enabled her to bring even the most delinquent of dogs to heel. This easy-to-follow guide draws on Jan's countless case histories of problem dogs -- from biters and barkers to bicycle chasers -- to show how you can bridge the language barrier that separates you from your dog.

This edition includes a new 30-Day Training Guide to further incorporate Jan's powerful method into every element of pet ownership, including:

Understanding what it means to care for a dog
Choosing the right dog for you
Introducing your dog to its new home
Overcoming separation anxiety
Walking on a leash
Dealing with behavioral problems
Grooming
And much more

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #14826 in Books

Published on: 2004-01

Released on: 2004-01-20

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

400 pages

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Standard dog training has long advocated the use of force choke collars, sharp smacks, harsh language. Fennell, a dog trainer in England for 30 years, wants to change all that. Expanding upon the theories of horse trainer Monty Roberts (the basis for The Horse Whisperer), Fennell believes one can best train dogs by emulating natural behaviors, that is, by treating them as they would treat each other in the wild. Her intelligent, straightforward and humane method has engendered controversy and increasing enthusiasm. After Fennel's dog Purdey went manic, injured Fennell's young children and had to be euthanized, she was fearful of owning a dog again. Lured back into it by the pleasure of showing spaniels, she adopted a high-strung young shepherd, Sasha, and investigated alternative training methods. Fennell's simple and succinct method posits that domesticated dogs are confused, believing themselves to be the pack leaders, and humans their subordinates. Fennell retrains dogs to accept a human as their alpha leader. She spurns the use of force, even in training language, employing instead a system of Pavlovian rewards. Those wanting true canine companionship will find Fennell's commonsense approach attractive and easy to apply with puppies as well as with older dogs. She addresses common problems, from separation anxiety to barking at guests to the mistrust of strangers that rescued dogs often harbor. Her knowledge and love of dogs is expansive and her concern for their well-being balances kindness and appropriate discipline. (Aug.)
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Fennell, a longtime dog owner, trainer, and champion show-dog manager, provides a comprehensive guide for creating peaceful coexistence between dogs and their owners. An advocate of nonviolent pet training, Fennell shows readers how to successfully train their canine companions using gentle, respectful techniques and also shares anecdotes and advice from her years of experiences (both good and bad). Fennell's techniques appear to deal efficiently with canine problem behaviors by teaching owners to establish leadership while eliminating separation anxiety, nervous aggression, and destructive behaviors, such as biting. She also notes ways to reassure overprotective dogs and much, much more. Fennel emphasizes that there is no quick fix for most of these behavior issues; her methods require time and a lot of patience. Although every training technique she outlines might not work with every dog, her book contains quite a lot of useful information. Most current or prospective dog owners would benefit from taking a look at it. Kathleen Hughes
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
Jan Fennell is a dog owner who had always subscribed to the 'obedience' school of training. But two things happened to make her reassess her methods. First Purdey, her Border collie-whippet cross, pushed Fennell's small son through a glass door, then bit her daughter and had to be put down. Then she met the famed Monty Roberts, author of The Man Who Listens to Horses. Fennell's attitude to dogs and her life changed entirely on that afternoon in 1990. Enthused by what Monty could achieve with horses, she decided to try to apply his principles to canines. Watching videos of wolves, dingoes and wild dogs, she saw exactly the same behaviour replicated in her own home by her pack of five dogs. The light dawned when she realized that obedience training meant trying to impose a human framework on the dogs. Instead, it was necessary to look at things from the dog's point of view as it operated within a pack mentality. The dog, unless convinced otherwise, believes it is the leader of a pack in which its human partner is a subordinate. Once the author had learned to understand the dog's way of thinking everything else fell into place. A dog jumping up at a visitor was attempting to establish hierarchy, a dog barging in front while walking to the door was protecting the den. Gradually she developed a technique called Amichien Bonding. This consists of four separate elements that need to be repeated constantly day in, day out. Following the success of her technique with her own dogs, Fennell was increasingly called on by friends to help with their dogs. The second half of the book is devoted entirely to sorting out dog problems: fussy eaters, car chaos, fear of noises, difficult puppies and soiling in the home. The author's ideas are not entirely new. The same philosophy can be found in John Fisher's Think Dog, and Amir Avnit also bases a similar training programme on years of researching wild canines. But Fennell wins hands down for the simplicity of her technique and the easy-to-follow instructions. In a number of case histories, she sets out exactly what has to be done if certain negative types of behaviour occur. The book is extremely well written, recording setbacks and triumphs along with details of her family life. The techniques are still so revolutionary to most of us that even non-dog owners will find it a fascinating page-turner. (Kirkus UK)

Customer Reviews

Very Pleased
We, and everyone else in our neighborhood, have a copy of this book. This purchase was to give our daughter a copy. It arrived without delay, and she is as delighted with the book as we are.

This is a must if you have a dog.
The Dog Listener is a wonderful Lady. I have learnt so much from this book.
One of the few books that you will ever need if you have a dog.
Louise Pay

An Eye Opener for Sure!
Before I picked up our fourth dog, a rescue boxer, the rescue organization strongly recommended that I read this book. Am I ever glad I did!

An easy, almost breezy read, it's packed with sound, basic dog psychology and training procedures that are sensible and humane (actually canine). Specific behavior problems are colorfully discussed via actual cases. Not only have I gained greater respect for the culture of dogs, but my three older, dreadfully rude dogs have become more enjoyable to be with.

It's all about being 'alpha', which I always thought I was, but now understand that my dogs didn't share my opinion. Thanks to the author's training advice my dogs are calmer and seemingly happier. She has helped me assume an alpha position without ever needing to resort to harsh, loud, or punitive actions. I've read many, many training books, but none has ever so successfully interpreted problem behaviors from the perspective of the dog as thoroughly and clearly as this book. I've actually bought three more copies to give to family members who have and love dogs.

Following the basic approach spelled out by the author, our dogs' behavior has improved greatly, the new rescue dog is wonderfully integrated into our family, and we all revel in their true doggie-ness. We remain a work in progress, but each of us, human and dog alike, is more secure and happy in her or his role.

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Foxfire 9

2009-01-30T05:00:00.001-08:00

Foxfire 9

The newest entry in the Foxfire publishing phenomenon--which all totalled has sold over 7 million books to date--continues the bestselling tradition with an all-new collection of home-folk material that promotes a more self-sufficient way of life. Black-and-white photographs throughout.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #39665 in Books

Published on: 1986-10-17

Released on: 1986-09-17

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

512 pages

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Wigginton has declared this the last of the numbered Foxfire books. It commemorates the 20th anniversary of his teaching in Rabun County, Georgia. One of his reasons for discontinuing this format is that the books are no longer reviewed because there is nothing new to say about them. How true. The topics are all that changes, and some of them are repeated. This collection emphasizes home remedies, trading and general stores, quilting, wagon making, and log cabin making. Essential for school and public libraries whether or not they have previous books.Sondra Brunhumer, Western Michigan Univ. Libs . , Kalamazoo
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher
Foxfire highlights the twentieth year of the Foxfire high school program with a new volume as fascinating as its predecessors. Included are general stores, the Jud Nelson wagon, a praying rock, a Catawban Indian potter, haint tales, quilting, home cures, and the log cabin revisited.

From the Inside Flap
Foxfire highlights the twentieth year of the Foxfire high school program with a new volume as fascinating as its predecessors. Included are general stores, the Jud Nelson wagon, a praying rock, a Catawban Indian potter, haint tales, quilting, home cures, and the log cabin revisited.

Customer Reviews

Informative and timeless
I bought the book because it has one of the best sections on fire pit firing of homemade pottery that I have seen, complete with excellent photos, as well as step by step info and historical info. The section on Quilting - The Joy Of My Life - Auntie Arie Carpenter is extensive and even has templates you can copy and use for making your own quilts. There is also a wonderful section on the country store, which as I read it seemed to be a combination of pay with cash or goods, like eggs, crops etc. Very worth the expense and a book I will treasure.

Outstanding
The entire Fox Fire colledtion should be required reading for all people of this country. You would get a feel for where we came from and our heritage. The books show a deep respect for each other, God and country. Very good.

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Albertus Seba's Cabinet of Natural Curiosities (Jumbo)

2009-01-29T15:20:00.001-08:00

Albertus Seba's Cabinet of Natural Curiosities (Jumbo)

Albertus Seba's "Cabinet of Curiosities" is one of the 18th century's greatest natural history achievements and remains one of the most prized natural history books of all time. Though it was common for men of his profession to collect natural specimens for research purposes, Amsterdam-based pharmacist Albertus Seba had a passion that led him far beyond the call of duty. His amazing, unprecedented collection of animals, plants and insects from all around the world gained international fame during his lifetime. After decades of collecting, Seba commissioned illustrations of each specimen and arranged the publication of a four-volume catalog detailing his entire collection. This superb, complete reproduction is taken from a rare, hand-colored original.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #34786 in Books

Published on: 2001-10-01

Format: Illustrated

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Hardcover

636 pages

Editorial Reviews

Review
A gorgeous testament to the wonder with which the Old World surveyed the New. -- Wall Street Journal - November 30, 2001

Perhaps this year's most unusual book. -- Town & Country, December 2001

Customer Reviews

Big but Beautiful
If you love art, nature, or have an intrest in taxinomony. This is the one for you.

The Best Book Ever !!!!!
I first saw this book at a resort we were staying at. I had to have it!! I have never seen a more amazing book. This book is something I believe everyone should own. It is a wonderful teaching tool for young children, an interesting study for adults, an artists dream to have each specimen right there in front of you, an interesting and colorful study of thousands of specimens of sea, land and sky. To think that these were drawings that occured way before the camera was even thought of. Once you see this, you won't believe you lived without it. Don't skimp on this one; buy the Jumbo book and enjoy. Don't forget to order a new coffee table to hold it! ( : You won't be disappointed...ever!! ( :

My most cherished book
This book is an outstanding bargain. It is beautiful and breathtaking. I hadn't read the dimensions of the book before ordering and was really surprised when this 16 pound book arrived in its own cardboard case. The pictures are so gorgeous and some poster sized prints are included -- unfortunately, the images selected for the posters are not the most attractive of Seba's work. Before ordering, I had planned to cut out some of the prints for framing, but I can't bring myself to do that now --this book is just so amazing.

Price: $126.00
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The Cloudspotter's Guide: The Science, History, and Culture of Clouds

2009-01-29T01:20:00.001-08:00

The Cloudspotter's Guide: The Science, History, and Culture of Clouds

Now in paperback: the runaway British bestseller that has cloudspotters everywhere looking up.

Where do clouds come from? Why do they look the way they do? And why have they captured the imagination of timeless artists, Romantic poets, and every kid who's ever held a crayon? Veteran journalist and lifelong sky watcher Gavin Pretor-Pinney reveals everything there is to know about clouds, from history and science to art and pop culture. Cumulus, nimbostratus, and the dramatic and surfable Morning Glory cloud are just a few of the varieties explored in this smart, witty, and eclectic tour through the skies.

Illustrated with striking photographs (including a new section in full-color) and line drawings featuring everything from classical paintings to lava lamps, The Cloudspotter's Guide will have enthusiasts, weather watchers, and the just plain curious floating on cloud nine.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #345571 in Books

Published on: 2007-06-05

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

320 pages

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
With tongue firmly in cheek and more than a little irony, Pretor-Pinney, founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society, clears up any confusion readers may have about what separates a stratus from a cirrus from a cumulonimbus. He starts at the bottom-that is, at sea level-and discusses the types of clouds that form at each level in the atmosphere. The result is an amusing and remarkably informative jaunt through the heavenly vapors that draws on classical poetry, physics, geekery and pop culture. Despite this improbable mélange, Pretor-Pinney succeeds in fleshing out subtleties and making difficult concepts like convection, advection, condensation and atmospheric optics comprehensible to almost any reader. The author has included dozens of illustrations, cloud photos (including one that looks like two cats dancing and another that resembles Thor hurling a lightning bolt) and diagrams showing the anatomy and lifecycles of clouds. Rounding out the volume are a chapter on the human effects on clouds and a narrative about the author's pursuit of the "Morning Glory," which he calls "the most spectacular cloud in the world." By mixing self-deprecating humor and hard science, Pretor-Pinney makes learning about clouds fun.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author
Gavin Pretor-Pinney is cofounder of The Idler magazine in England. He has been obsessed with clouds since childhood. Based in London, he is the founder of The Cloud Appreciation Society, which boasts more than 5,000 members worldwide.

Customer Reviews

Cumulus congestus
This is such an enjoyable book. It's not 'scientific'; rather it's 'aesthetic'. And that's not unreasonable because clouds are infinitely variable - one form merging into another, one species evolving into another ..... If you judge a type correctly at one moment, a minute or two later and your assessment may no longer be accurate. I loved the stories used to illustrate the information in the book. Perhaps I might have liked more stories about clouds from the point of view of the cloud - as pilots would experience when flying close to, or through them. There is one story of a pilot who fell through a cumulonimbus - what an experience! And then there is the expectation and the exciting realisation of the morning glory in the final chapter.

Enthusiastically recommended for the way it enhances life in the way it draws interest and attention to what we might otherwise just fail to see.

Look up for clouds
Gavin Pretor-Pinner deserves praise for taking something so obvious as clouds, and writing a whole book. We tend to take the fluffy white (or bleak grey ......) objects for granted, and many know a little about what they are composed of, and where they come from. Mr P-P is obviously something of an expert in his field, and a real enthusiast, and has caused my thoughts to be "amongst the clouds", and in that the book has achieved some success. However, can I still name the 10 cloud types, and identify them? That is a different matter.

After a general introduction, there are chapters on each of the 10 (main) cloud types. In previous eras, clouds were seen to portend the weather. In the days of the 24-hour availability of detailed meteorological forecasts, that is now hard to believe. Knowledge of cloud formations is becoming something that we do not need to know. There are detailed explanations of weather fronts, (cold front, warm front and what used to be known as occluded fronts). However, there are no weather maps as a pictorial guide, with isobars. That would have been helpful.

Generally, I liked the book more as I progressed, but the subject matter is not `a story'. Gavin writes better when the detail is linked to little anecdotes, and he has a wry sense of humour, more to make the reader weakly smile that laugh. There are informative matters of detail, so that any reader will come away with items they never knew. The style brings life to the sometimes dry subject matter of condensed water vapour, which at times left me reeling with formation details and Latin names of the sub-species of clouds.

I found that some detail of the basic cloud types merged into each other, much as a blanket of Cirrostratus. But then again, I am not a paid-up member of the Cloud Appreciation Society - yes there really is such a society, and this book resulted from that organisation, with the author as its founder. Of more interest to me was the detail about halos, and other visual effects that can be seen. Before opening this book, I had never heard of a `sundog', and am now eager to see one.

Is the weather the same now as it has always been? Mr P-P talks about climate change from a different angle, bringing this in to ways in which we have changed our clouds. This has been done both consciously (Russian attempts to ensure that the weather is fine for May day parades), and unconsciously. In the latter category come the new types of clouds that are seen high in the sky on some otherwise cloud-free days - the contrails ("condensation trails") from jet aircraft. It is interesting to note the effect that 9/11 had climate on the USA, with no aircraft flying and causing contrails for 48 hours. This resulted in an increased average difference of day-time and night-time temperatures of 1.1 degrees centigrade in tem mediate aftermath.

The last chapter details a particular cloud formation, not one of the 10 cloud types, but a spectacular, localised cloud, known as "The Morning Glory". Impressive as this is, I found it has too much coverage, and there were many more illustrations than of more widely-occurring phenomena. Awe-inspiring - yes. Worth that amount of coverage - no.

One thing is certain, I walk more with my head in the clouds, looking at the water vapour above, below and around me with a little more knowledge and detail.

Peter Morgan, Bath, UK[...]

altocumulous lenticularis fan
Since reading this book my friends and family have renamed me clerd (cloud nerd). I love this book. It is written to be informative and amusing. That's the best way to learn. I remember the lectures I had where the professors made me laugh, but remember less when they stared at their shoes and mumbled.

The book describes a cloud genera per chapter, starting with the nomenclature and progressing through the science and is interspersed with all sorts of tales and anecdotes of history and art. It also goes into weird cloud phenomena such as sprites, blue jets, sun dogs and rainbows. There are beautiful pictures of clouds, science figures and art reproductions.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is even only vaguely interested in learning about what is going on above them. Gavin will draw you in and make a clerd out of you too.

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The Gun Digest Book Of Concealed Carry

2009-01-28T11:40:00.001-08:00

The Gun Digest Book Of Concealed Carry

In addition to tactical aspects of self-defense, practical information like choosing the right firearm and ammunition, used gun purchases, and all legal aspects of self-defense with a gun are also extensively covered in this complete and authoritative look at concealed carry.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #2721 in Books

Published on: 2008-09-22

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

256 pages

Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Massad Ayoob is one of the pre-eminent fighting handgun trainers in the world. He operates the Lethal Force Institute, which trains both U.S. and international clients. His methods of reflexive, high speed yet accurate shooting has been adopted by the U.S. army as part of its standard pistol-training course. Massad has written many books for Krause Publications, including Combat Handgunnery, The Gun Digest Book of Sig-Sauer, and The Gun Digest Book of Beretta Pistols.

Customer Reviews

Excellent Book for the CCW Holder
Excellent book! Mr. Ayoob's writing style and advice are the best in the business. This book details everything about concealed carry including the BUG - Back Up Gun. I had been thinking about a backup gun for a little while and after reading this book, I purchased a S&W 642 Airweight revolver and then a Galco ankle holster. It's excellent.

Massad includes information on guns and defense ammo and I like that he goes through the many different types of holsters including pocket and ankle and how to draw from them. He also discusses the controversial open carry issue and often refers to "don't frighten the horses" when referring to concealed carry - I like that, he's right on the money!

While the chapter on IDPA was ok and he's a proponent of it, I particularly don't like the 'competition' side of CCW. I carry for defense, not competition. My defense gun doesn't have special sights or trigger jobs (which can get you into trouble - and he mentions this) and I'm not afraid to throw it into the dirt.

One thing I love about Massad's books is the real world experience he brings to his books, including this one. His 'final thoughts / advice" is alone worth the price of the book!

As an NRA Pistol Instructor and long time CCW holder, I highly recommend this book - You won't be disappointed!

Must read for civilian concealed carry
This publication contains good information and makes reference to current events from today. A very good reader for anyone considering "concealed carry". Covers potential litigation issues and illustrates "how to carry". Recommended reading.

Great single volume reference
I have known the author of The Gun Digest Book of Concealed Carry for about ten years now, and also know several of the people mentioned and pictured in this book. Reading through it felt like attending an extended lecture from one of Mas's classes at the Lethal Force Institute. I have personally taken a number of those classes and thought I would have a strong feeling of "been there, heard that" reading this book, but instead found myself either learning or remembering something important in almost every chapter. You might expect this book to feel like an advertisement for the latest whiz-bang product from some company advertising in a gun magazine. Not so. Rather, it is a compiliation of Mas's fifty odd years of carrying firearms for self protection, and over thirty years teaching this material to others. Reading it feels like sitting down for drinks and an extended Q&A session with the author.
The chapters are laid out in a logical fashion such that the reader should just start at page one and continue until the end of the book. Too often, books in this category are set out in a pick and choose format, where the reader needs to look at the table of contents or an index to find something relevant. With Concealed Carry, just start reading and continue learning until you hit the back cover.
Mas starts with why people carry firearms, and the lifestyle choices and changes that such a decision will require. Once he has helped get your mind right about the concept, he moves on to choosing firearms and ammunition for self defense. The firearms he recommends are those he has shot, or seen work in law enforcement, shooting classes, and competition. The primary need in a defensive firearm is reliability. Mas shows that you don't have to spend thousands on a custom firearm in order to achieve this. Most firearms shown are off-the-shelf items from your local gun shop with only tritium sights or laser grips added for night use. He only recommends those which work, and which he has used.
Once you have picked out a firearm, you'll need a holster. Mas goes through them by type, including strong side hip, inside waist band, cross draw, shoulder, pocket, and ankle holsters, among others. He goes through the advantages and disadvantages of each, and explains situations where one choice might be better than another. Just like with the firearms, Mas tells the reader which holsters he has used and which work for him. By virtue of having taught thousands of people over the years, Mas also explains what works for different body types that do not necessarily work for him. Many instructors fall into the trap of "what works for me must work for you too." Not Mas. He freely acknowledges that his style of carry may not work for women, large males, those who spend lots of time seated, etc. The holster chapters are extensive and well written. They also allow the readers to obtain information as to what will work best for them. I would advise anyone considering purchasing a "one size fits all" type nylon holster at a gun show to put that same money into this book and learn what works and what doesn't.
Once Mas has the reader squared away as to attitude, hardware, and holsters, he then moves on to the final two topics: clothing and practice. Those who carry learn how to dress around the firearm so as to keep it out of sight in public. Most people do not want to see non law enforcement officers carrying firearms openly in most states. Some hard headed gunnies refuse to acknowledge this. Mas explains the harm that can result from ignoring this fact. He has a whole chapter on clothing choices specifically designed to keep self defense firearms concealed. When you carry firearms for self defense, eventually you learn to dress around the gun. This book will jump start the process.
Most people who carry firearms for self defense will take only one training class, usually the one to get the license, if even that. Mas explains the perils which can befall someone who chooses to carry only some of the time, or not practice the skills needed to draw and reholster a firearm in a self defense situation. He is a big proponent of competition in order to help develop those skills, including IPSC/USPSA, NRA Action Pistol (Bianchi Cup), and especially IDPA matches. The irony of the situation is that those who carry on a daily basis, train with professional instructors, and regularly compete with firearms become less likely to need those skills the better they get.
I rank this book as a "must read" along with In The Gravest Extreme, by the same author. For about the same cost as a box of premium self defense ammunition (useful) or a gun show special holster (not useful), get this book and read it cover to cover. It answers lots of questions about concealed carry and is the next best thing to actually taking a class from Massad Ayoob.

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Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times (Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series)

2009-01-27T22:20:00.001-08:00

Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times (Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series)

The decline of cheap oil is inspiring increasing numbers of North Americans to achieve some measure of backyard food self-sufficiency. In hard times, the family can be greatly helped by growing a highly productive food garden, requiring little cash outlay or watering.

Currently popular intensive vegetable gardening methods are largely inappropriate to this new circumstance. Crowded raised beds require high inputs of water, fertility and organic matter, and demand large amounts of human time and effort. But, except for labor, these inputs depend on the price of oil. Prior to the 1970s, North American home food growing used more land with less labor, with wider plant spacing, with less or no irrigation, and all done with sharp hand tools. But these sustainable systems have been largely forgotten. Gardening When It Counts helps readers rediscover traditional low-input gardening methods to produce healthy food.

Designed for readers with no experience and applicable to most areas in the English-speaking world except the tropics and hot deserts, this book shows that any family with access to 3-5,000 sq. ft. of garden land can halve their food costs using a growing system requiring just the odd bucketful of household waste water, perhaps two hundred dollars worth of hand tools, and about the same amount spent on supplies - working an average of two hours a day during the growing season.

Steve Solomon is a well-known west coast gardener and author of five previous books, including Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades which has appeared in five editions.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #577 in Books

Published on: 2006-04-01

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

360 pages

Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Steve Solomon is a well-known west coast gardening guru, and author of five previous books. The founder of Territorial Seed Company, he has taught Master Gardener and Urban Farm classes at the University of Oregon in Eugene. His book, Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades has appeared in five editions.

Customer Reviews

I just wanted to kill myself after reading this book!
This author basically dismisses every other gardening method or technique as unrealistic. After reading this book, it amazes me that anyone has ever grown anything in a garden. The main point that I take away from this book is that if times get hard, don't count on being able to feed yourself or your family from a garden, it just won't work. Sorry if this is a dissappointment.

great help for beginning gardner
I found the book to be very helpful on how to get through the essentials. The author has great insight and offers his own experiences as a helpful guide through start up, maintenance and developement of a practical garden. Most importantly, IT'S USEFUL !!!

Must Read!!!
Very, very important and informative book! This is no sissy gardening book! I bought it for my husband, and he loves it! Perfect for anyone wanting to be as self-sufficient as possible.

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Endgame, Vol. 1: The Problem of Civilization

2009-01-27T08:20:00.001-08:00

Endgame, Vol. 1: The Problem of Civilization

"Derrick Jensen is a rare and original voice of sanity in a chaotic world. He has wisdom and wit, grace and style, and is a wonderful guide to a good life beautifully lived."-Howard Zinn

The companion piece to Derrick Jensen's immensely popular and highly acclaimed works A Language Older Than Words and The Culture of Make Believe, Endgame stands to become Jensen's most influential book. Building on a series of simple but increasingly provocative premises, Jensen leaves us hoping for what may be inevitable: a return to agrarian communal life via the disintegration of civilization itself.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #31333 in Books

Published on: 2006-06-01

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

528 pages

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The author, who in earlier books like The Culture of Make Believe discussed his experience of violence and abuse as a child, calls now for determined and even violent resistance to environmental degradation. Jensen comes across in volume I as a provocative but personable philosopher-activist who in lyrical and witty writing bemoans species extinction, sullied air quality, shrinking icecaps, expanding deserts and vanishing forests wrought by humans. But Jensen believes "this culture will not undergo any sort of voluntary transformation to a sane and sustainable way of living." Civilization, he says in volume II, is killing the planet, so "[c]ivilization needs to be brought down now." Jensen dwells through several chapters on the need to destroy tens of thousands of river dams, whether with pickax-wielding citizen armies or through the use of well-placed explosive charges; other chapters consider how simple it would be to paralyze the American capitalist system if small activist cells were to disrupt railway, highway, pipeline and other elements of commercial infrastructure. Jensen clearly feels a close connection to nature, writes movingly about the hoped-for return of the salmon, the trees, the grizzly bears. But he has become so disgusted with what he calls "civiluzation" that he has more compassion for the salmon than for his fellow humans. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Jensen, author of A Language Older than Words (2000) and The Culture of Make Believe (2002), has a deserved reputation as a writer of consequence and conscience who has pursued an environmentalist message with great fervor. In his latest work, however, a two-volume manifesto, he argues for the necessary destruction of civilization to save the world. Jensen posits his case against industrial development through discussion of everything from dams to the use of torture by the U.S. military. Endgame touches on numerous valid and necessary subjects, but Jensen's strident tone and heavy reliance on sources that fully support his message weaken his presentation. And when he offers solutions for the problems we face, he preaches violence. Clearly he is passionate, but apparently the success of his earlier books has led to his writing only for those who already agree with him, rather than crafting a balanced discussion that allows readers to come to their own conclusions. Jensen has become an extremist, and he may have done his cause the worst possible service by alienating the readers he most needs to inspire. Colleen Mondor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
Activist, philosopher, teacher, and leading voice of uncompromising dissent, Derrick Jensen holds degrees in creative writing and mineral engineering physics. His books include Endgame, Volumes 1 and 2; As the World Burns, with Stephanie McMillan; A Language Older Than Words; and The Culture of Make Believe.

Customer Reviews

But, you've never had a gun.
J.W.K. you wrote, "Fits Like a Gun in Your Hand"
How would you know?

I'm not just being flipent. I'm pointing out that Greens are (compared to say, rednecks) passive in temperment and ideology. They talk and talk....
Which is good, because there actions would be (like blowing up a dam) would be quite evil.

Incredibly insightful book!
Civilization is killing the planet. This culture will not--can not--voluntarily transform into one that is sustainable. The inevitable conclusion of an unsustainable and ever-expanding way of life is omnicide. In Endgame, Derrick Jensen asks what we are going to do about that. There is no more important question we can ask ourselves, ever. There is nothing more important to think about and to figure out.

Unless we stop it, and it may already be too late, civilization (and global industrial capitalism in particular), will continue chewing up this planet until it has destroyed everything. The stakes really are that high.

It really is that urgent. In Endgame, Jensen brings to bear irrefutable logic, total honesty, his generous spirit, and incredible insight about how this culture works, to help the reader snap out of denial and face reality with strength and courage. I don't know another book that is more important to read and absorb... and, of course, to act upon.

Where Were You Derrick?
Derrick Jensen is a brilliant thinker. "A Language Older Than Words" is essential reading, a truly brilliant book.

If you have ever felt caught between the desire to spike a tree and the belief that violence only begets violence, then like me you may well have looked forward to the release of "Endgame," Jensen's exploration of whether violence can be justified in response to our dark and destructive culture.

Gandhi, Edward Abbey, Martin Luther King, Thoreau, all examined this question. While Jensen may well be original enough to belong in this list, he failed with the first volume of "Endgame."

The book is self-indulgent, rambling, unfocused and full of vitriol. Deep thought? Don't look for it here.

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Sharks 2009 (Calendar)

2009-01-26T18:20:00.001-08:00

Sharks 2009 (Calendar)

In the underwater wilderness of the world's oceans, sharks are the top predators. They are swift swimmers capable of incredible bursts of speed, with flexible bodies and razor-sharp teeth designed for battle. Superior senses of smell and hearing, and the ability to detect electrical fields, help sharks locate prey from great distances, in darkness or hidden in the sand of the ocean floor. While many species are fierce carnivores, few attack humans and fewer still do so unprovoked. In Sharks 2009, world-renowned underwater photographers create a yearlong gallery of images that reveal sharks in their natural habitat and as they are rarely seen. Informative captions shed further light on these compelling creatures.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #538735 in Books

Published on: 2008-05-23

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Calendar

24 pages

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Firefly Books offers an outstanding selection of 14" x 12" wall calendars (Panorama calendars are 18" x 12"). The nature, landscape and wildlife wall calendars feature the work of some of the best photographers in the world. Each image is a superb high resolution reproduction and most are printed without borders making each page an eye-catching poster.

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The Night Sky 40°-50° (Large)

2009-01-26T04:20:00.001-08:00

The Night Sky 40°-50° (Large)

The Night Sky is a rotating star finder (planisphere) that allows the user to recognize the constellations for any time of night, any day of the year. The sky appears to rotate (due to the rotation and orbital motion of the earth), so to be successful recognizing the constellations a beginner needs to know which stars are above the horizon at any time.

This is the full-sized version of The Night Sky suitable for the 40°-50° latitude zone (northern United States and parts of Europe). We have versions for the following latitude zones: 50°-60°, 40°-50°, 30°-40°, 20°-30°, and the Southern Hemisphere. We also have pocket-sized versions available for the same latitude zones.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #69653 in Books

Published on: 1998-01-01

Binding: Map

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher
The Night Sky comes in two sizes: Large (8 inch diameter) and Small (5 inch diameter). The large size is best for learning the constellations. The small size is best as a pocket reference to tell you what constellations are up if you are already reasonably familiar with the constellations. In each size the charts are available for different latitude zones.

To find the correct size and latitude zone, use the following ISBN numbers in your Amazon.com search:

The Night Sky 50°-60° (Large), 1891938088 (Small), 1891938096

The Night Sky 40°-50° (Large), 0961320745 (Small), 1891938010

The Night Sky 30°-40° (Large), 0961320753 (Small), 1891938029

The Night Sky 20°-30° (Large), 0961320761 (Small), 1891938037

The Night Sky Southern Hemisphere (Large), 0961320737 (Small), 1891938002

From the Author
Most planispheres attempt to represent the whole dome of the sky on one flat map, creating severe distortion near the outer edges of the map (the southern part of the sky). The Night Sky was specially designed to overcome this problem: two maps divide the sky into north-facing and south-facing views, which are shown on the front and back sides of the chart. When you turn around, simply turn the chart over. This design feature eliminates over 90% of the distortion found in conventional one-sided planispheres.

Other features of The Night Sky were designed with observers in mind:

--Dark stars on a white background make the map easier to read at night with a dim (or preferably red filtered) flashlight. (Under red light the dark blue of the chart becomes a velvety black.)

--The maps are computer-plotted for accuracy and show stars down to a consistent brightness cut-off. What you see on the chart is what is really there.

--The constellation figures emphasize simple patterns connecting the brightest stars, making the constellations easy to recognize and remember.

--The pocket version has fewer stars and omits some of the less conspicuous constellations to minimize clutter and maintain readability.

--The Night Sky comes in a protective vinyl pouch and the chart has plastic outer surfaces for dew resistance.

About the Author
David Chandler has taught astronomy, physics, and mathematics at the high school and college levels since the early 1970's and is an active amateur astronomer. He has built telescopes ranging from 6 inches to 25 inches diameter and has helped found the Pomona Valley Amateur Astronomers and the Tule River Amateur Astronomers. He has a BS in Physics from Harvey Mudd College, an MA in Education from Claremont Graduate School, and an MS in Mathematics from California Polytechnic University. Besides teaching he writes astronomy software, does custom star mapping and consulting for science toy companies, and has published a number of charts and books designed to help beginners become successful in observational astronomy.

Customer Reviews

Great star viewing aid
This planisphere is the most user-friendly I have used. It is well constructed of durable material, and, unlike some, is double-sided, this permitting more detail on each side.

The stars, displayed as black dots on a white background, are shown as larger or smaller according to their apparent magnitude, the usual astronomical convention. The names of the various objects shown are acceptably legible. Obviously, copious detail cannot be shown on discs of this size, but Chandler's planisphere provides a satisfactoy depiction of the night sky and is quick to use.

The Night Sky Chart
This an excellent tool for amateur astronomers and has helped me greatly to identify sky objects. The two sided charts are unusual. The chart was real easy to align for the date.

Great product
I got this product for a college course in astronomy and it's exactly what the professor asked for...works great for the class!

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