Reviews (5)

The Best Technical Review of California Plants
There is no easy way to identify a plant to species, but if it is in California it is far easier to use this volume than the others. Although it was written in 1925, the line drawings are for me priceless. Be advised that names change in 75 years even if plants do not, you will need a modern flora to reference the old name. HIGHLY recommended, but technical.

Good Reference and Learning Guide
This is an excellent guide.Very comprehensive, however you must have formal education in botany and plant ID in order to effectively use the guide to key plants to genus and or species.Not recommended for the average person.Just people who are plant nerds!

Not for the uninitiated
This book is an excellent botanical key listing a huge number of plants. It is not your average "audubon" guide, since it requires you to key out the plant in question using botanical systematics. Definitely a good reference book, but hard to use casually to find out what that tree is in your front yard! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Botany    2. California    3. General    4. Identification    5. Life Sciences - Botany    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Pictorial works    9. Plant Geography    10. Plants    11. Botany & plant sciences    12. Plant life: general    13. Reference works    14. Science / Biology    15. USA   

Reviews (13)

Knutsons Point the Way
Direct, easy to understand, effective and rewarding.
The Most Detailed Dog Training Book
I bought this book to learn about the breed and training required for them. What I got was a detailed lesson on training any breed of dog. This book really breaks down the training process and helps you understand how a dog thinks. Once you read this book, the light will come on and you'll feel more assured when training you dog.

The Pointing Labrador
This is a no nonsense, practical guide to a very special type of dog, the Pointing Labrador. The book is written by an expert pointing labrador trainer couple with years of experience which they are willing to line out in their book for the average pointing lab owner. Starting with how to pick a puppy,beautiful pictures, to tips on practically everything involved with the rearing and training of this very special breed of dog. Very well written, easy to pick up and read about certain topics of interest, enjoyable and not too wordy or complicated. The emphasis in this book reinforces the idea that the training process can be funfor you and the dog, very positive. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals / Pets    2. Dogs - Breeds    3. Dogs - Breeds - Sporting Dogs    4. Hunting - General    5. Pets    6. Pets / Dogs / Breeds    7. Sports    8. Sports & Recreation    9. Sports & Recreation / Hunting    10. Bird dogs    11. Dogs    12. Dogs - Training    13. Hunting    14. Hunting - Bird Hunting    15. Hunting dogs    16. Labrador retriever    17. Labrador retrievers   

Reviews (18)

I will read this again.
Just finished Tertzakian's book... its quite good, just a bit `engineerish' though definitely a company man's view. Especially sobering is the chart half way through showing the effect of a 5% world oil production decline (depletion) coupled with rising world demand; satisfying both will be difficult.
Well-researched, topical history of the world's oil dilemma
So many books lately have touted the looming energy crisis that a new book on the topic bears a fairly heavy burden. It must demonstrate a firm grasp of prior scholarship, yet be innovative enough to serve a distinct purpose amid similar tomes. In this regard, author Peter Tertzakian achieves the first objective nicely and comes close on the second. He shares his keen sense of how the impact of energy sources has rippled across history and altered its course. He discusses the concepts of "energy cycles" and "energy break points" to explain how inherent mismatches between dwindling supply and growing demand lead to crises that can be resolved only by innovation and "rebalancing solutions." Upon closer examination, though, the "break point" seems referential to the familiar notion of a "paradigm shift." And, alas, the author's menu of alternate energy choices is no more satisfactory than anyone else's. Given his historical acumen, however, we find that this book is a useful addition to the expert chorus warning the global citizenry to wake up and smell the petroleum.

Wide Ranging Overview of Energy
Tertzakian provides a useful, historical, and wide ranging look at all the world's energy sources. He starts with the stories of how 'rock oil' replaced whale oil for lighting and why Churchill converted the Britsh navy from coal to oil even though Britian had lots of coal and no oil. In a graph of US oil comsumption plotted against real GDP he shows the dramatic and permanent impact the 70's oil price increases had. After a chapter on the search for oil and the implications of dwindling new finds of oil, he speculates on how the world's energy mix will need to adjust to the upcoming peaking of 'light sweet crude' by the development of "alternate energy supply chains" like liquified natural gas and the Canadian oil sands.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Energy Economics    5. Energy consumption    6. Forecasting    7. Industries - Energy Industries    8. International - Economics    9. Petroleum industry and trade    10. Power resources    11. Business & Economics / General    12. Energy Technology & Engineering    13. Management of land & natural resources   

Reviews (8)

Beautiful and Useable Book
I love this book- the art is absolutely beautiful and the general layout really shows it off. It talks about how to begin nature journaling, giving tips on both starting the habit and learning to draw! I love the approach it takes, fostering a closeness and syncronicity with nature and its cycles!

Love This Beautiful Book!!!
Our family loves this book - we love the examples from actual nature journals and it has really inspired myself and my children to keep our own nature journals.As we do so, we come to have a better appreciation for the amazing creations all around us.The author really helps to encourage even budding artists to keep nature journals, which helps some of the more timid artists in our family.

Wonderful teaching tool.
I coordinate outdoor workshops for women to provide them the opportunity to learn new skills.We hosted a new class,Nature Journaling, and the instructor needed a book to suplement her curriculum.I selected this book based on the Amazon recomendations and further research.Both the instructor and participants loved the book.It was very helpful and useful once they left the workshop.Read more

Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Diaries    3. Journal Writing    4. Natural history    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Reference    8. Art techniques & materials    9. NATURAL HISTORY, COUNTRY LIFE & PETS    10. Nature / Reference   

Reviews (12)

Fifty Places to Fly Fish Before You Die
A wonderful book for the fly fishing enthusiast.A keepsake for all fishermen.A must have for the coffe table!

Beatiful places
nice book, but i would like to see more pictures of the different species!! also some maps to locate some places would be great...I live in argentina and the 3 places chosen are great, although you must be a millionaire to fish rio grande!! Fortunately we still have a lot of places here to fish for free.
Places i only wish i could go
There are a lot of places i realy wish i could go fly fishing.Unfortunatly, there are only a few select places that are affordable.and those that are doable just don't have much description convincing me to go.if there was only some background info or narrative this book would go be a much more useful guide. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fishing - Flyfishing    2. Fishing - General    3. Fly fishing    4. General    5. Sports    6. Sports & Recreation    7. Fishing, angling    8. Places & peoples: general interest    9. Sports & Recreation / Fishing   

Reviews (12)

A delightful memoir
This was a book I hated to see end.The descriptions of Corfu, family members and residents of the island, and wildlife were lyrical and loving.The author was a keen observer of his environment and was able to share his observations vividly with the reader.His humorous anecdotes were of laugh-aloud variety.
A pleasant summer read!
My Family and Other Animals is about a ten-year-old boy named Gerald who moves to the sun-soaked island Corfu, Greece with his family to escape the dreary and gloomy climate in London. There, he encounters many different animals and people. I absolutely loved this book because it was really funny. There was a lot of action in this book. Durrell lovingly described each and every animal that he owned. He also told every detail of the settings, so I felt like I was really in Corfu!
My Family and Other Animals
Charming and delightful. A true story which made me want to pack and return to Corfu again. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Corfu Island    3. Corfu Island (Greece)    4. Description And Travel    5. Europe - Greece    6. General    7. Greece    8. Natural History    9. Nature    10. Nature/Ecology    11. Personal Memoirs    12. Travel - Foreign    13. Travel - General    14. Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs   

Reviews (2)

Lake and Pond Management Guidebook
Absolutely the last word in pond or small lake creation and maintenance.For both the amateur and professional landscaper.Well worth the steep price.

The Lake Detective... He Can't Be Stumped!A great GLer
This is that guy from AM1500 KSTP... Garage Logic, with Joe Soucheray.He goes by "The Lake Detective", and all he does is lakes, I guess.He's found a great niche in MN, land of 10,000 of 'em.Being a lakeshore owner, I've already used some of his techniques to keep my shore in great shape.The beauty of a lot of his approaches is that the solutions mostly seem pretty low-tech and inexpensive.But that's a good thing.I didn't have to rent expensive equipment to get my shore cleared, and the results have been great.Read more

Subjects:  1. Ecosystem management    2. Environmental Conservation & Protection - General    3. Environmental Science    4. Environmental Studies    5. General    6. Lake ecology    7. Limnology    8. Science/Mathematics    9. Technology    10. Water quality management    11. Hydrology (freshwater)    12. Management of land & natural resources    13. Science / Environmental Science   

Reviews (13)

Good for quick reference
If you already know a bit about corals, this is a nice book to have around for quick reference.I especially like that it lists similar corals and gives some basic information on how to tell them apart.It can be deceptive, though.The information it gives on the specific corals is very general, and should not be considered a good source for research on a coral you're planning to actually buy.Don't get me wrong, though.I'm happy I have this book, but I'd suggest supplementing it with a text such as Eric Bourneman's "Aquarium Corals: Selection, Husbandry, and Natural History".This text will actually give you much more specific information on requirements to care for the corals, as well as some better techniques to identify certain corals, since many look very similar, and there's no way any book could show every possible shape and color for many species.

good picture book
Book has lots of good pictures to help you identify corals.IN this manner it can be used as a min-coral atlas.
Good First Reference Text, pity about poor quality binding and packaging
A wonderful first reference text from Julian Sprung. The necessary information is well presented and communicated in a clear manner. A word of advice, don't get the hardcover version as it looses pages through poor binding and Amazon's inability to package adequately results in the corners being damaged in transit. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Coral reef animals    2. Earth Sciences - Oceanography    3. Identification    4. Marine Life    5. Marine invertebrates    6. Nature    7. Oceans & Seas    8. Reference    9. Science    10. Science/Mathematics   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (37)

Must-read for any woman or parent (especially working moms!)
I find myself raving about this book to every woman (and man) I know. This is the most astounding and thought-provoking book I've read in recent years.Professor Hrdy is an emeritus professor of anthropology at UC Davis who puts the behavior of mothers and infants into an evolutionary context, using a comparative approach and drawing from sociobiology, anthropology, and psychology. I enjoyed this book from my perspectives as a student who did doctoral research in behavioral ecology; as a scientist who's tired of the superficial stereotype of instinctive, selfless maternal devotion; and most profoundly as a mother who's trying somehow to balance the equation of doing good for my family, myself, and the world as an ecologist with a conservation group. I appreciated the fact that she did not just rely on her own research on langur monkeys, but extensively reviewed other studies (and pointed out the dearth of studies that challenge societal assumptions that all mothers should care for every infant under any circumstance). She also entertains different hypotheses instead of just staking out a prescription based on an idealized version from one point in human evolutionary history (i.e. romanticizing hunter-gatherer societies), as seen in anthropologist Meredith Small's "Our Babies, Ourselves", which is also a wonderful book, but lacks the breadth of Hrdy's scholarship.
A must read for any evolutionary psychologist
So many great little factoids. My favorite topics include family planning (abortion, infanticide), maternal bonding, the adaptiveness of menopause, females in social structure, and lots of other tidbits I wish more authors would cover. The most fascinating thing is that these topics come up in the animal kingdom, not just with us. Evolution from a female viewpoint
This is a fascinating look at evolution with particular reference to the female of the species.Packed with fascinating information about female behaviour through the ages. Descriptions of life among hunter-gatherer groups are particularly interesting.Subjects like infanticide, wetnursing, abandonment of infants, etc are gone into in great detail.I learnt a lot from this book.I particularly enjoyed the splendidly bloodthirsty lullabye from the Napoleonic era printed at the end of this book, my children love it.One small complaint, at one point in this book Ms. Hrdy compares housewives to laboratory rats.Now, I am used to the abuse routinely heaped on housewives, but this is really going a little too far.The big difference between a laboratory rat and a housewife is that I, a housewife, can leave my house any time I like (maybe it's different in America, perhaps housewives are kept locked up there, I don't know), and I frequently do.i have alot more freedom of movement than I would if I were, say, stuck in an office all day long.I quite accept Ms. Hardy' point that children do not have to be caredfor full-time by their mothers, but it would be nice if she could refrain from abusing those of us who actually enjoy being full-time carers. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Life Sciences - Evolution - Human    3. Mother and child    4. Motherhood    5. Natural selection    6. Psychological aspects    7. Science    8. Social Science    9. Sociology    10. Women's Studies - General    11. Science / Evolution   

Reviews (2)

A Superb Collection ...
This is a superb collection of over sixty original scientific papers, book extracts and other articles by Ed Wilson, one of the all-time great scientists. Each article is placed into historical context with a new introduction by Wilson. Organized by major theme area rather than chronologically, the book illustrates how Wilson's grander biological theories have been underpinned by a deep, relentless inquisitiveness. Wilson's fascination with the diversity of nature in general and ants in particular really shines through. The production quality of the book is excellent. Even at the full retail price the book is a bargain; the currently discounted Amazon price is astounding. This book is well worth buying even if you have most of the original papers.

The Ultimate Naturalist
E.O. Wilson is America's foremost writer on biology, biodiversity, and conservation. (He has two Pulitzer Prizes to prove it.)In "Nature Revealed," we get a look at his most significant writings, just as they appeared in the original journals. This selection gives us a look into the mind of one of today's most brilliant and influential scientists, but it also presents a moving clarification of some of the most important conservation issues facing us today.Everyone who cares about the fate of the earth should read this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ants    2. Biological diversity    3. Biology (General)    4. Entomology    5. Insect societies    6. Life Sciences - Biology - General    7. Life Sciences - Zoology - Entomology    8. Science    9. Science/Mathematics    10. NATURAL HISTORY, COUNTRY LIFE & PETS    11. Philosophy of science   

Reviews (4)

Very Good
Dont own previous books by Paul Stamets, but have read through a bunch. THis book is a really fine addition to the library. Lots of information, lots of color photos, and an enjoyable read. Get it.

this is an incredibly interesting + informative book
This is a well written, interesting book. And mycelium running has more relevance than I ever imagined (if I thought about it at all). In general, I'd ditch science books for literature in 2 seconds. But I just can't put this book down. It's definitely worth your $$$.

The most comprehensive mushroom/fungi book out there
Paul Stamets truly knows the material and has some great insights into the world of growing mushrooms. He succinctly describes how the science of the relatively unknown 5th kingdom (fungi) can be applied to mycoremediation to help unpollute the planet.Even though this sounds like a heavy subject, the material is understandable for people with little scientific or fungal knowledge and helps anybody understand hwo they too can get closer to mushrooms. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ecology    2. Environmental Science    3. Fungi    4. Gardening    5. Gardening / Horticulture    6. Gardening/Plants    7. Life Sciences - Ecology    8. Medical Botany    9. Mushroom culture    10. Mycelium    11. Organic    12. Pharmacy    13. Reference    14. Specific Ingredients - Vegetables    15. Applied ecology   

Reviews (4)

Timberly Wannamaker, Speech Pathology Graduate Student
Great reference item. the book is well written and easy to follow. Highly recommended.

One of the best A&P books for SLPs!
This book was required reading in my graduate program and I am thrilledthat it was! I have worked in both acute care as well as school settingsand have found this book to be extremely helpful from both ends of thespectrum. An absolutely fantastic desk reference, especially in the acutecare setting!

A good friend
I knew Mr. Zemlin personally when he lived in Brimson Minnesota. I saw thefirst edition when he first got it off the press and I was very impressed.Sorry to say that Mr. Zemlin has since passed away in 1998. His knowledgeof a&p was far greater than any other person I have ever known. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Education    2. Education / Teaching    3. Hearing    4. Human Services    5. Life Sciences - Anatomy & Physiology    6. Physiology    7. Physiology Of Speech    8. Science    9. Sensory Neurophysiology    10. Special Education - General    11. Speech    12. Animal physiology    13. Medical / Audiology & Speech Pathology    14. Phonetics, phonology, prosody (speech)   

Reviews (8)

sizes missing
Does not contain more than photos and a small text box per creature. There is no mention of sizes, something of great importance when stocking an aquarium. For me, it is too quick of a reference quide. The information (and much beyond that) contained here can be found in Nilsen's "Reef Secrets".

Good reference text, pity about poor packaging
This is a wonderful first reference text from Julian Sprung. Well set out and communicates the necessary information in an undestandable way. A word of advice, don't get this text in a hardcover version as the pages are poorly bound and Amazon's inability to adequate package the book results in damaged corners. Why pay more to get damaged goods and the Amazon run-around?

Invertebrates: A Quick Reference Guide
After 30+ years as a salt water enthusiast, I can easily say thAt this book answers the majority of questions about the proper ways to keep inverts alive and well in a home aquarium setting.
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Subjects:  1. Marine Life    2. Nature    3. Nature / Field Guide Books    4. Science/Mathematics   

Reviews (7)

Not the best in the Southeast but a must.
Although it's been mentioned as the "best book" for plant identification in the Southeast by reviewers, this is simply not accurate and any true field botanist can attest to this.It's a wonderful manual for an OVERALL coverage of Carolinas, parts of Virginia, Tennessee, and portions of Alabama and northern Florida.In regards to wetland plants, Godrey & Wooten's work remains the gold standard for the entire SE. Andre Clewell's "Guide to the Vascular Plants of the Florida Panhandle" is better even without illustrations and covers many, many more species.As you move away from the Jacksonville, FL area and move westward toward the panhandle (and still well within the heart of the SE) Radford, et al. becomes hit and miss and doesn't cover the much more species rich area of the Florida Panhandle and adjacent southern Alabama and SW Georgia.
absolutely necessary!
As a botany major, I have to say this is the most important book to have in your collection. I use it for classes, I use it for the field, I use it for reference. Some things are outdated and need to be corrected, but for the most part it is essential for anyone dealing with plants. One concern I have is that it may be hard to use for people who are not knowledgeable in plant vocabulary. The keys are sometimes difficult for even advanced botanists to use, and not always because of the plant in question. It is a must-have for anyone dealing with plants, but a good plant dictionary is something I heavily recommend.

Good but outdated
Though the Green Bible has been the best in the southeastern US for the past 30 years, and is still the best published manual for the Carolinas, it's in dire need of updating.Taxonomy for many of the species has changed, many more species have been discovered in the Carolinas since it was written (some native, some exotic), and the dot maps reflect what was know about species 30-40 years ago and don't necessarily reflect what is known about current ranges (also, the county dots aren't always backed up by occurrence records deposited in herbaria and thus are difficult to confirm)... overall, a wonderful publication, but one in need of a modern overhaul. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Life Sciences - Botany    3. Nature    4. Nature/Ecology    5. NATURAL HISTORY, COUNTRY LIFE & PETS    6. Science / Botany    7. biology; botony; plants; flowers; Carolina; horticulture   

Subjects:  1. Earth Sciences - Meteorology & Climatology    2. Meteorology    3. Science    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Textbooks    6. Weather    7. Science / Meteorology   

Subjects:  1. Earthworm culture    2. Earthworms    3. Worms   

Subjects:  1. Life Sciences - Biology - General    2. Life Sciences - Botany    3. Life Sciences - Zoology - Entomology    4. Reference    5. Science    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Insects (entomology)    8. Plant reproduction & propagation    9. Reference works    10. Science / Life Sciences / Zoology / Invertebrates   

Reviews (5)

Palmer's Field Book of Natural History
I have had this book since my college days---mid fifties---and refer to it regularly.Last night our daughter told her 3 year old son to call me about a ginko berry he had found and I should look it up in Palmer's.So, it is now on it's third generation.Pretty good reputation.It is very comprehensive.
Excellent book
I have used the 1949 edition since high school.I especially treasure this book for its opinions which are revealed in the last paragraph of each entry.The book has a decidedly no-nonsense approach to the use of natural resources, while still very much concerned with conservation and human ecology.It's editorial emphasis is ahead of its time.

An Excellent Fieldbook
This book was given to me by my uncle more than 20 years ago and I still refer to it constantly.Although the delineation of kingdoms has been revised since the last printing of the book, it is still an excellent resource for the naturalist.I use it in conjunction with more current field guides to learn more about my interest.This book goes beyond the standard field guides by providing not only a physical description for each entry, but also adds a description of the history and uses of the entries where possible.I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in our natural world. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Natural history    3. Nature/Ecology    4. Science   

Reviews (11)

Not Worth Looking At
Poor reproduction quality.Actually no quality.Not approved by the Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.

Adams wouldn't have approved
While some photos are reasonable, most are seriously flawed. Some are flat, some are excessively contrasty, others seem murky and indistinct. Some of the photos need cleaning to remove dust spots, etc. Even the title is wrong , as the book includes photos of dams and sheep.There are many other excellent books, which have been prepared from Adams prints and produced with much more care. Buy one of those.

Are we looking at the same book?
Many of Ansel Adams' exquisite photographs call out for large reproductions, and this book displays them in a decent size format. But what a waste. The reproductions are nearly all flat and murky, with little detail in the shadow. If I had read far enough down into the customer reviews, I would have been warned; but the reviews at the top of the stack were quite favorable. Which leads me to wonder: Are we looking at the same book? I advise readers to purchase Adams books published by Little, Brown, and Company (aka "Bulfinch"). Even at smaller sizes their books display much more detail and clarity than does this disappointing edition. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adams, Ansel,    2. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions    3. Landscape photography    4. Photo Essays    5. Photoessays & Documentaries    6. Photography    7. Pictorical works    8. Subjects & Themes - Plants & Animals    9. Subjects & Themes - Travel - U.S./General    10. United States    11. Wilderness areas    12. NATURAL HISTORY, COUNTRY LIFE & PETS    13. Photographs: collections    14. USA    15. Sale Books   

Reviews (4)

Work in Progress
The author is obviously a person of great vision and enormous generosity of spirit.The book is very good, and I hope that a rating of three stars isn't some insult where no insult is deserved.I was very disappointed because I expected a serious discussion of superadobe techniques, which I regard as possibly more practical than the ceramic constructions.The book has only seven pages treating superadobe.Those are pasted as an afterthought, right at the end.They don't constitute a detailed and serious discussion.As much information can be found on the calearth.org web site.So, I felt that the advertisements of the book were a little misleading. Rebuilding safely in Iran and elsewhere, after earthquakes
If ever a book was inspired by compassion for earthquake victims, this is it. Aware of the bitter experience of Middle East peoples with seismic disasters, architect Nader Khalili pulls together what works in those same cultures to show how we can build affordable housing that will survive major earthquakes. Carry Adobe, rammed earth, and Cob to the next level.
This book will teach you how to make your adobe, rammed earth or cob building a permanent structure that can stand up to the elements. I wish it had more photo's, colour ones to give us an idea how this type of architecture looks in colour. It would be nice if a new edition came out since I am left with quite a few questions. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Design & Construction    3. Home Improvement / Construction    4. Methods & Materials    5. Applied ecology    6. Building construction & materials    7. Building skills