Reviews (236)

Powerful message
Congratulations to Al Gore for taking on a subject largely regarded as anathema by the US political establishment. Yes the science is still unsure on many of the issues, however, it IS becoming increasingly apparent that C02 emissions from industry, petrol engines etc are contributing to driving global temperatures upwards. That said, there is truth though that global warming is a natural event because thanks to analysis carried out on ice samples from the Greenland permafrost, thousands of years old, we have a clear record of many natural warming cycles going back millennia.
What was Gore's degree in? Oh yeah, journalism
Oh please... what scientific background does this guy have???? What a joke!The stuff in this book is more sophmoric than a prom.This is a political treatise with no scientific value at all.What is my degree in?Well, I have 3: BS chemistry, MS environmental science and a JD (Law).

From the inventor of the Internet????
For the lunatic Lefties and Wingnuts, this is a "Bible".From someone who lost an election, whined and wimpered until told to "shut up" by the USSC, we get this garbage dumped on the fools who would believe it.
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Subjects:  1. Climatic changes    2. Ecology    3. Environmental Conservation & Protection - General    4. Environmental Science    5. Environmental Studies    6. Environmental aspects    7. Global warming    8. Nature    9. Nature/Ecology    10. Science / Environmental Science   

Reviews (4)

Highly disappointing
While the class I took that used this textbook was informative, this book was full of what seemed to be the authors' personal opinons.Like another person said here in the reviews about blame on the Bush administration, and lack of references aside from photo credits, this book seemed to be geared more towards giving you the biased outlook of the author than an unbiased view of environmental science.
Interestign articles with a thick political spin
This revision must have been specially produced just to include all the anti-Bush rhetoric.In nearly every chapter, responsibility for the current state of the environment is laid squarly on President Bush's administration.
One of the Best
This is one of the most readable environmental texts I've seen.
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Subjects:  1. Ecology    2. Environmental Science    3. Environmental Studies    4. Environmental sciences    5. Human Ecology    6. Life Sciences - Ecology    7. Science    8. Science/Mathematics    9. Textbooks    10. Ecological science, the Biosphere    11. Science / Environmental Science   

Editorial Review

Working in his garden one day, Michael Pollan hit pay dirt in the form of an idea: do plants, he wondered, use humans as much as we use them? While the question is not entirely original, the way Pollan examines this complex coevolution by looking at the natural world from the perspective of plants is unique. The result is a fascinating and engaging look at the true nature of domestication.Read more

Reviews (125)

Readable copy and interesting hypothesis.
A long book on botany if you are up to it. For a more compact and lively study try The Story of the Apple.

An engaging piece of practical history

A Three Hundred Page Sleeping Pill
I was given three months to read this book, and each time I picked it up I threw it down in disgust.Between the none-stop Johnny Appleseed referances to the Collegian's Guide to Growing Pot, it is amazing I got through it.I am convinced he was once a Columbian drug lord. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ecology    2. Gardening / Horticulture    3. History    4. Human-plant relationships    5. Life Sciences - Botany    6. Nature    7. Plants    8. Plants - General    9. Science/Mathematics    10. Nature / Plants   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (105)

Amazing
This is one of those books that will leave you amazed at what you didn't know.Life on our continent before Columbus was so much more than I had ever realized before books like Mann's and the Jarrod Diamond's work.
Life Before Columbus
Much of history is written from a Euro centric perspective.And why not?History is written by winners.Europe was the home of the industrial revolution.It was therefore inevitable that the dominance that this created would serve to produce its own history.
Terrific
The other reviewers have admirably summarized this book. It is a wonderful compilation of current thinking on the history of the Americas before the Europeans.
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Subjects:  1. Americas (North Central South West Indies)    2. Ecology    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Native American    7. Native Americans - History    8. North American    9. History / Native American   

Reviews (32)

New Revolution?
This book is a really good read for anyone interested in technological partial solutions for modern environmental issues. Many great examples of processes which have been innovated, and what could be done.
Unqualified Author
Benyus' degree is in natural resource management and all her previous work has been with wildlife.She isn't qualified to write about many of the topics in this book.At one point she attempts to describe things like the conversion of sunglight energy into ATP in plants and obviously she doesn't understand it so the reader understands even less.Additionally she admits to not understanding and not trusting gene transfection.How can you write about something that you don't understand and don't trust?I was halfway through the book when she started getting stuff wrong about molecular biology (my specialty).At that point I asked myself how much other stuff did she get wrong that I didn't catch?Finally, the author spent too long talking about the scientists and places she visited.How nice they were, what their labs look like, how much wheat is growing outside, and in general a lot of fluff that does little to excite someone about the science.
Interesting but extremely detailed
This is a truely facinating book.It goes into a lot of detail about the particular areas of research which can get tedious.I would definately recommend it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Applied Sciences    2. Ecology    3. Life Sciences - Biology - General    4. Life Sciences - Ecology    5. Science    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Biotechnology    8. Science / Ecology   

Subjects:  1. Ecology    2. Environmental Conservation & Protection - General    3. Environmentalism    4. Green movement    5. Natural Resources    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Sustainable development    9. Environment; political science; ecology    10. Globalization    11. Nature / Ecology   

Reviews (3)

Reviews, anyone?
This is an excellent textbook, one that I have used in two of my Environmental Science classes (namely, Environmental Problems of Man [Bio 11], and Energy for the Future [Envi Sci 1].) While not completely without bias (which is mostly subtle, and not totally incorrect), the book offers a solid introduction to many environmental issues. The introduction chapter of the textbook states that environmental science is interdisciplinary, and the book is laid out accordingly. Chapters run the gamut from biology, chemisty, simple physics, and pure ecological common sense. An excellent purchase for any serious scientist and/or conscientious environmentalist.

hmm
I'm kinda dissappointed because the seller stated that this book is hardcovered. But when I received it, it was copied and paperback.

Required Reading
I bought this book for my class because it was cheaper at Amazon than at my school's bookstore.(shipping was cheaper too!)It's not an exciting read, but has some valuable information about how us humans are ruining the Earth with our SUVs and abuse of fossil fuels. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ecology    2. Environmental Conservation & Protection - General    3. Environmental Science    4. Environmental Studies    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Science / Life Sciences / General    8. The Environment   

Reviews (3)

Great book!
Great book, clean language. A good start for anyone who want to learn statistics and somenting else.

Primer is truly helpful
I have found this treatment of statistics unusually lucid and practical for the ecologist (or, I imagine, other scientist) desiring a better understanding of statistics and guidance in practical use of various types of statistical analysis. Unlike many statistical texts, it takes an almost conversational tone in explaining many concepts, using clear examples to illustrate various statistical approaches. While it is not as complete or detailed as larger statistical texts, it covers the fundamentals of most of the important tests and methods ecologists use on a day-to-day basis. One area of weakness is the treatment of classical non-parametric analyses, which Gotelli trades in entirely for Bayesian or Monte Carlo methods.
Statistics for people with muddy boots
I was delighted with this book, because it fits some of my own prejudices about statistics!
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Subjects:  1. Ecology    2. General    3. Life Sciences - Ecology    4. Science    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Statistical methods    7. Ecological science, the Biosphere   

Reviews (22)

Practical, perfect for the layman.
I am not a marine biologist, but many of the authors of the more advanced books on reef aquariums seem to assume that of their readers.
for the pros
very excellent book. for the pros. maybe too much for casual aquarists

Assistance from the master himself
Calfo goes into minute detail with humor.As expected he hit the nail on the head with this one, again. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Aquarium    2. Aquariums    3. Coral reef biology    4. Coral reef ecology    5. Corals    6. Nature    7. Nature / Ecology    8. Pets    9. Pets / Aquarium   

Subjects:  1. Ecology    2. Effect of human beings on    3. Environmental Engineering & Technology    4. Environmental sciences    5. Human Ecology    6. Life Sciences - Ecology    7. Nature    8. Science    9. Science/Mathematics    10. Ecological science, the Biosphere    11. Science / Meteorology   

Reviews (1)

Scarily good
As a layperson with next-to-no knowledge of the subject, nor any maths, algebra or statistics, I thought I'd have a lot of trouble with this book.
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Subjects:  1. Ecology    2. Environmental Science    3. Life Sciences - Ecology    4. Science    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Study & Teaching    7. Ecological science, the Biosphere    8. Science / Biology   

Reviews (28)

Lots of pictures... but what is this fish?
I bought this book to help me identify fish. Have it worked so far? No.
Impressive Picture book; useless otherwise
This book has changed a lot since the first edition. Mostly, it has removed information and added pictures. LOTS of pictures. It is more of a coffee-table book than any kind of aquarium guide. But even the pictures are of uneven quality. I was shocked that the only picture included for a couple of fairly common fish were of dead, poorly-preserved specimens. Yikes!
An Atlas and Little Else
"ATLAS" is defined: A volume of tables, charts, or plates that systematically illustrates a particular subject: an anatomical atlas. That's what this book is and nothing else. It has both a scientific name index and a somewhat handy Popular Names index and usually several plates (pictures) of each species. This book can be used for two purposes. If you have the name of the fish, you can find pictures of the species from the indexes. One can also puruse the many pages of pictures and find something that interests them and then go to another book for detailed information. That's about it.
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Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Aquarium fishes    3. Ecology    4. Fish & Aquariums    5. Identification    6. Pets    7. Pictorial works    8. Fishes & aquaria    9. Reference works   

Reviews (2)

Didn't have book, Issued VERY fast refund
They didn't have the book even though it was posted.However they issued a very promt refund without any problems.

Good reference book
This book provides a good summary of methods and techniques that are available for wildlife studies. It is a good starting point for graduate students and researchers who would like to get a broad overview, but for more details on particular types of analysis, other resources are needed. For someone who has never been exposed to population biology, the expansive breadth of the book may be somewhat overwhelming. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animal populations    2. Ecology    3. Estimates    4. Life Sciences - Ecology    5. Life Sciences - Zoology - General    6. Mathematical models    7. Science    8. Science/Mathematics    9. Statistical methods    10. Wildlife management    11. Animal ecology    12. Ecological science, the Biosphere    13. Forestry & Land Management    14. Science / Ecology    15. Wildlife Biology   

Reviews (2)

Comprehensive and interesting
This is a must-read text for anyone interested in a general overview of ecology.The chapters are thorough yet concise and the topics are laid out in a logical progression.

very good text
a very readable text...interesting, well written, and full of colorful diagrams.a good introduction to a discipline i had taken for granted. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ecology    2. Life Sciences - Biology - General    3. Life Sciences - Ecology    4. Nature    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Science    7. Biology, Life Sciences    8. Ecological science, the Biosphere    9. Science / Biology   

Reviews (5)

good wetland text
Overall, this is a very good text on wetlands (for students and professionals both).However, I personally feel that a entire chapter could be devoted to wetland soils and wish that this book gave a better presentation of wetland soils.Furthermore, a great deal of research has been performed in Boreal wetlands and Boreal Prairie wetlands of Canada yet the Canadian literature is somewhat lacking in this text.Its still the best option out there for professors.

Applauded by this Environmental Engineer PE!
There is no better book for learning about wetlands that I have found.Many students find hydrology difficult, but this book lays this critical process out clearly, with excellent illustrations and diagrams.
The Wetlands Textbook
I first picked this book up to consider a career as a wetland scientist (among other things) and instantly dove into the heaps of information provided. It is well written and easy to read with nicely labelled sections. I found that it had all sorts of information on the subject. It is highly useful.Read more

Subjects:  1. Ecology    2. Environmental Conservation & Protection - General    3. Environmental Engineering & Technology    4. Life Sciences - Ecology    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Science    8. United States    9. Wetland ecology    10. Wetland management    11. Wetlands    12. Wetlands Conservation    13. Wetlands Ecology    14. Management of land & natural resources    15. Technology / Environmental    16. Wetlands, swamps, fens   

Subjects:  1. Conservation Of Natural Resources (General)    2. Ecology    3. Environmental Conservation & Protection - General    4. General    5. Life Sciences - Biology - General    6. Life Sciences - Ecology    7. Restoration ecology    8. Science    9. Science/Mathematics    10. Applied ecology    11. Conservation of wildlife & habitats    12. Environmental science    13. Science / Biology   

Reviews (54)

The Tracker
It is important to know that even though this book may seem fictional, in truth, Tom Brown's account of his early childhood, The Tracker, is a non-fiction narrative. There are many details of the book to make one think it is fiction, but it should be remembered that our narrator was only a child and a young man during the events of this narrative. Tom Brown did an excellent job portraying the way a child should feel and act in the given situations, even though they had happened years before. It is easy to tell that Stalking Wolf and his teachings were extremely important to Brown as he grew up. He spent every day he could outside and everyday there was something to be learned from nature.
Nature lover
A must read for anyone that believes in the sacredness of nature and life. Tom Brown is truly one-of-a-kind.

Its worth every cent and then some.
This is a marvellous book. Although the cover and back-cover illustration and summary are sensationalised the book itself is not. It is the spiritual insight gained by Tom Brown as he learns both from his Apache teacher/mentor/guide and the world itself that stands out in this book. His period of four years as a kind of apprentice of the old man and the deep friendship with Rick, the old man's grandson, are the cornerstones of a great story. It resounds, to some degree, with the adventures of Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn although his was a clearer instruction to the spirit that moves in everything. There is no question that the teacher's continuing appearance of looking at the spirit itself acting in the world is true. This can be seen by anyone paying enough attention for long enough.
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Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. General    3. Nature/Ecology    4. Tracking and trailing    5. Nature / Ecology   

Reviews (2)

Wetland Indicators by R.W. Tiner
This book is very well put together and provides a wealth of information on Wetland Indicators.If you are just learning about wetlands, what is in them, and how to identify different ones, then this book will be GREAT for you!

Very Useful
This book is a good overview of Wetland Delineations. I bought it for the mapping information and found it useful when using GIS for Wetland Delineation Maps ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ecology    2. Environmental Engineering & Technology    3. Environmental Science    4. Life Sciences - Ecology    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Plant indicators    8. Science    9. United States    10. Wetland ecology    11. Wetlands    12. Wetlands Ecology    13. Ecological science, the Biosphere    14. Management of land & natural resources    15. Nature / Water Supply   

Reviews (34)

Keep this in your pack.
This book is the best starting place for those wishing to learn about wilderness survival.The book is well organized and a pleasure to read.The subject matter can be dry, but Mr. Brown does a good job of interlacing his personal experiences with the instructional material.There are two reasons I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5. 1)I think it could use more diagrams and pictures.Without an instructor by your side it would be easy to misunderstand some of the more technical skills covered.2) This book is mainly for temperate regions.While much of the material is useful for any climate, it is missing tropical and artic specific information. Mr. Brown's knowledge of survival and tracking techniques is second to none.His field guides should be on every outdoor enthusiast's book shelf, and this book should be in your pack with you at all times.

Credit well deserved in this "have it all" guide.
I must give credit where deserved and Tom Brown, Jr. certainly deserves it.
Some good nuggets, largely impractical
In my experience, wilderness survival books come in at least two distinct flavors: from-scratch survival (like this book) and practical outdoors education.
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Subjects:  1. Nature    2. Nature/Ecology    3. Outdoor life    4. Reference    5. Wilderness survival    6. NATURAL HISTORY, COUNTRY LIFE & PETS    7. Nature / Ecology   

Reviews (7)

STREAM MONITORING
This book is invaluable to citizen volunteers who monitor the streams of Virginia.

Freshwater Invertebrates of North America
I purchased this title as a fly fisherman wanting to learn more about entomology.This was a very helpful book written at a high school level which is good for someone wanting to tackle the subject for the first time and to get a good grasp of the vocabulary and science before moving on to more detailed college texts on the subject.
Extremely useful to both amateurs and professionals
This book is an excellent guide to family-level invertebrate identification.It has wonderful pictures and excellent background information on the organisms.
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Subjects:  1. Freshwater animals    2. Freshwater invertebrates    3. Identification    4. Invertebrates    5. Lakes & Ponds    6. Marine Life    7. Nature    8. Nature / Ecology    9. Nature/Ecology    10. North America    11. Rivers    12. Ecology    13. Freshwater life    14. Reference works