Reviews (2)

Best beginners' guide
I have quite a few `bug' guides and the Peterson guides are always my favorite. The drawings are excellent, the writing is clear, and I like the behavioral and collecting notes added. There are more flashy guides with more pictures but they tend to be more limited - you can only put so many pictures in a book. They also usually cost much more. This is the book I would buy for someone wanting to learn more about the entire insect world and begin identifying the bugs they find. If their interest grows I would simply move up the full version of the same book.

Perhaps the best field guide to the insects of North America
This is a great book for both the beginner as well as those who are at the intermediate level of their study of insects.
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Subjects:  1. Canada    2. Identification    3. Insects    4. Insects & Spiders    5. Life Sciences - Zoology - Entomology    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. United States    9. Nature / Insects & Spiders    10. Zoology & animal sciences   

Reviews (2)

Strong on Fossil Forms, Weak on Latter-Day Cultures
I have used this book for about three years in my archaeology class, discontinuously I must admit. It's good for those who want a strong biological perspective in humankind's cultural evolution, but it comes up short when it comes to regional civilizations. Treatment of the state-level societies in each region (e.g., Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, Mesoamerica, Andean America) could be more detailed, and the book would be easier to follow if it used a sequence of culture model for each region from its Neolithic to florescence to decline. In treating fossil hominids and their material culture, from the earliest human and humanlike forms through the Lower Paleolithic to the Mesolithic traditions and their makers, however, this is a solid presentation.

Putting more than the past into perspective
Kenneth Fader's "The Past In Perspective" is a book designed for those who wish to learn the basics regarding the field of archaelology. Focusing on the cultural evolutions of mankind, Fader never lapses into thejargon so popularly found in some textbooks. This is a book designed tointroduce over five million years of human evolution, so naturally it isbest for those who are new to the topic. Although I used this book for myarcheology class, it contains information that could interest anyone with aflair for history. All in all, it is easy of to follow and does its best torepresent all sides ofarguments that are presented, although at times itseems to stress a war between religous and evolutionary ideas that may, ormay not exist as much as the author would like them to. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Physical    2. Archaeology    3. Archaeology / Anthropology    4. Fossil hominids    5. Fossils    6. Human Evolution    7. Human remains (Archaeology)    8. Prehistoric peoples    9. Science/Mathematics    10. Social Science    11. Anthropology    12. Social Science / Archaeology   

Reviews (2)

Educational
This book covers everything from the basics of herps, to the more advance steps in classification, breeding, and observing. In the most case this book is not a good reference guide for those with a minor understanding of the biology of reptiles, however, for those who know the basics, and are interested enough to continue their learning experiance on an advnaced level, this book is a must. Used in colleges as college text, anyone in the herpetological field in college needs this book!

Great Book
This book is for expierienced herpers only .It has almost evrything you need to know.If you are interested in learning more about herps.I give this a 5 if you are a expiereienced reader. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Herpetology    2. Life Sciences - Biology - General    3. Life Sciences - Evolution    4. Life Sciences - Zoology - General    5. Organic Evolution    6. Reptiles & Amphibians    7. Science    8. Science/Mathematics    9. Vertebrates    10. Amphibians    11. Reptiles    12. Science / Zoology   

Reviews (2)

Very very good
It is clear that the author has a serious love for Discus. Very easy reading, lots of great information. His excitement is felt in his writing.

Intresting introduction to the discus world
This is one of many books written on Discus by Bernd Degen, an very experienced discus breeder. The book is particularly suitable for the beginning Discus keeper and has excellent topics about discus care andselection. There is an rather good introduction to breeding too, showinhthechniques in detail. It is not an very detailed book, I think most Discusexperts will miss more detailed information on breeding and on selection,specially about the wild types. But in general it is a good introduction tothe novice in the Discus world. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Discus (Fish)    3. Fish    4. Fish & Aquariums    5. Ichthyology    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Pets    8. Pictorial works    9. Fishes (ichthyology)   

Reviews (2)

The Ecologist's Bible of Periphyton
I have used this book so much during my MSc Project on Algal Communities, that it became my personal bible for all aspects of benthic algal ecology. It's a very comprehensive book, that is both interesting and relevant rightfrom the start till the very end. All topics are well designed andillustrated and all in all it is very nice to read - not only forEcologists like me.

The Ecologist's Bible for Periphyton
I used that book so much during the writing up of my MSc thesis that it became my personal bible for all periphyton related issues. I've never seen so much excelent and relevant information on this topic in just one book.The figures are well placed, and all in all it's very nice to read (notonly for Algal Ecologists like me). ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Algae    2. Ecology    3. Fish    4. Freshwater Ecology    5. Freshwater algae    6. Life Sciences - Botany    7. Life Sciences - Ecology    8. Life Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems    9. Nature/Ecology    10. Science    11. Hydrobiology    12. Microbial ecology    13. Science / Ecology   

Reviews (10)

Great Guide
I'm starting to get interested in amphibian id and was looking for a book to help as I join in on frog monitoring and other citizen science projects.So, I haven't gotten to use this book in the field yet since it's still midwinter but the book seems like just what I need.It's a typical field guide in that it has the species plates.Pictures in this section are well drawn with color variations and patterns clearly shown and also described in words.Then there are the species-specific entries where each animal is described, habitats and location maps are provided, foods are described, etc.What I especially like about this book is that in this section they also have actual photographs of the animals shown.The photos are close-up so you can see the eggs or the young of snakes for example.I especially love the section on salamanders and decided not to bother trying to get a book dedicated to salamanders just yet.This has all the info I'll need to get going on understanding and identifying these creatures.Looking forward to a trek out to the vernal pools in March and bringing this book with me.

Great for kids and their parents too!
I bought this book for my 7 year old god son.I'd seen and used other Peterson Field Guides, and I can only say they keep improving what was great to begin with.Even though my god son can't read all of the words in this guide, the wonderful color photographs with the reptile or amphibian name make it easy for him to understand.He was absolutely thrilled with this book.There are nice sections on how to capture then set up a terrarium, and to care for reptiles and amphibians in captivity. I highly recommend this for any age!

Everything a field guide should be!
This is the best field guide I've had for herps. The layout is typical; there are color plates of the species and some written commentary and advice on field herping in the front of the book, followed by species accounts and range maps. Fairly typical layout. However, the way in which subspecies were handled is new, at least to me, and incredibly practical and useful. Those subspecies that are readily distinguishable in the field are given full seperate entries and individual range maps, which is particularly nice with certain large species groups (milk and king snakes, Pitouphis, etc.)
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Subjects:  1. Amphibians    2. Canada    3. Identification    4. Nature    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Reptiles    7. Reptiles & Amphibians    8. United States    9. Aquatic creatures    10. Nature / Reptiles & Amphibians   

Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Biotechnology    3. Handbooks, manuals, etc    4. Life Sciences - Genetics & Genomics    5. Mice, Transgenic    6. Research & Methodology    7. Science    8. Science/Mathematics    9. Transgenic mice    10. Biology, Life Sciences    11. Medical / Research   

Reviews (10)

Wonderful animal story
This is the book to buy.What a wonderful book to write about a dog that has been through several struggles and survived.I would read all of her books that she writes.Great reviews....

The Miracle that Keeps on Giving
This was a great story about a dog who survived an animal shelter gas chamber and lived to tell about it with the help of Randy Grim. No dog has ever survived the gas chamber in St. Louis, but Quentin did - named after the infamous Sam Quentin.Quentin was one of the millions given up by his guardians, more like sentenced to death by his guardians.If it weren't for Randy Grim's incredible work with the St. Louis Stray Rescue, Quentin would've survived the chamber only to put back in.But that wasn't the case.Randy was called and claimed Quentin, who became a nationwide spokes-dog championing no-kill shelters.Thanks to Randy and Quentin, St. Louis replaced the gas chamber (where animals truly suffered at the end of their lives) in their animal shelters with HUMANE euthanasia.Hopefully some day it will be a no-kill shelter, along with every animal shelter in this country.
Great story - book needs work
A great story about the Miracle Dog - heartfelt and emotional.The book itself could use some reorganization and definitely needs someone to spell and grammar check it.Was disappointed with the quality of the copy, but the story was too good to not give 4 stars to. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anecdotes    2. Animal Rights    3. Animals    4. Dogs    5. General    6. Human-animal relationships    7. Missouri    8. Nature / Animal Rights    9. Pets / Dogs / General    10. Quentin (Dog)    11. Saint Louis    12. Social Science    13. Sociology    14. Dogs - General    15. Euthanasia of animals    16. Nature    17. Pets    18. True Stories   

Editorial Review

In 1898 John H. Patterson arrived in East Africa with a mission to build a railway bridge over the Tsavo River. What started out as a simple engineering problem, however, soon took on almost mythical proportions as Patterson and his mostly Indian workforce were systematically hunted by two man-eating lions over the course of several weeks. During that time, 100 workers were killed, and the entire bridge-building project ground to a halt. As if the lions weren't enough, Patterson had to guard his back against his own increasingly hostile and mutinous workers as he set out to track and kill the man-eaters. This larger-than-life tale forms the basis of the entertaining film Read more

Reviews (44)

Awesome!!
This was a fantastic book, the accounts of the "Man eaters of Tsavo," were incredible. I would reccomend this book to anyone who loves the greatout doors. It will shed a new light on the raw power of the Animal Kindom.

Great Story hands down.
THIS MAN ENDURED ALOT OF THINGS IN AFRICA,HIS ACCOUNTS OF STALKING ,HUNTING AND KILLING THE TWO MANEATERS OF TSAVO IS A VERY GOOD STORY HANDS DOWN.THE AMAZING THING IS THAT THESE MANELESS LIONS CAN STILL BE SEEN TO THIS DAY AS THEY ARE STUFFED AND IN A MUSEUM HERE IN THE STATES! PATTERSON WAS AN ENGINEER CONTRACTED TO WORK ON THE RAILROAD, HIS WORKERS KEPT QUITTING HIM ON ACCOUNT OF THE LIONS FEEDING ON THEM AT WILL, PATTERSON FINALLY DECIDED TO TAKE MATTERS INTO HIS OWN HANDS AND THE EXCITING EVENTS THAT TRANSPIRE ARE WORTH THE READ.

Good
I though this was a good story - some scary moments. A better story in the same vein is "Maneaters of Kumaon".
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Subjects:  1. Africa - General    2. Africa, East    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. General    5. History: World    6. Hunting    7. Hunting - General    8. Hunting Sports    9. Lion attacks    10. Lion hunting    11. Sports & Recreation    12. Uganda Railway    13. Voyages And Travels    14. Kenya    15. Wild animals   

Features

• Abridged
• Audiobook

Reviews (14)

Listening to Nature's Songs
Absolutely amazing..I bought this for my daughter who has many birds viitng her outside feeders..My granddaughter also tries to identify the birds by their song..They have the CD rigged next to their patio door..Anytime they are looking for information..on comes the beautiful song birds. It is perfect for anyone who loves the world of birds and their families.

Good for the intermediate birder
I first received this as a gift when I was a beginning birder (basically from the backyard) and to be honest - at that point it was too much for me.I just got confused because actually listening to birds and all their different types of songs/calls and then trying to figure out which bird on the cd it might have been was tough (I'd forget what the bird sounded like and it'd leave before I found it on the cd).But that was me as a beginner.Now that I have a few bird songs under my belt and I can tell the difference between a woodpecker and a nuthatch without a second thought (yea, I was a real beginner) this cd is of better use.Now I can use it to hone in on birds that I think the song might be rather than having to go through so many because it was all so new.So, bottom line, I think its an excellent set of cds that you can really learn from but its better for someone who has thew basics down rather than someone who is the blank slate just starting to learn.

not for beginning birders
I bought this collection to replace a set of Aubudon tapes that I'd lost a few years ago, and have found that I much preferred my old tapes to this collection.While the Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs is very comprehensive and has great depth and variety, I am unable to use it to identify a couple of fairly common bird songs I hear in my back yard.With only the bird name and no other description provided on the cds, all of the songs and calls start to run together.What I particularly liked about my previous tapes was the additional song and habitat descriptions provided around the calls.The Stokes companion booklet provides some of this information, but my purpose in purchasing an audio guide was to listen, not to read.For an experienced birder or someone who knows what they are listening for in the field, this will probably be a helpful guide.For someone just starting out, a collection of fewer songs and more description would be a better bet. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Abridged Audio - Misc. Nonfiction    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    4. Nature    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (1)

Fishes of Mexico
Excellent book for the experenced and the novice.Great information on Goodeids that is hard to find in the regular aquarium books. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fishes    2. General    3. Ichthyology    4. Life Sciences - Zoology - Ichthyology    5. Mexico    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Science    9. Fishes (ichthyology)    10. Hydrology (freshwater)    11. Nature / General   

Reviews (6)

Identify Yourself
I've been looking for a book like this for a while.I highly recommend it to anyone that needs a little bird identification help and is confused on similar looking species.It offers many useful tips and a lot of great advice.This is not the book, however, if you're looking to identify flycatchers or specific shorebirds.Besides that, though, this is a fantastic book.

Well worth it, and great value as well.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to get into the details of bird ID. Pitfalls and difficult problems are emphasized. For example, there is a whole chapter on how to distinguish the immature bald eagle from the golden eagle. Some of those tricky problems seem to be glossed over in the usual field manual, only to present unexpected difficulty later. This is not an introductory text, but it is an easy and entertaining read. Well worth it, and different than the vast majority of texts.

Excellent book for Beginner and Intermediate Birders
This is an excellent book for sorting out and identifying those tricky birds that are difficult to distinguish from one another.It is aimed at beginners and intermediates, but still provides helpful points for advanced birders.Julie Zickafoose does an beautiful job at the illustrations, and Bill Thompson clearly outlines the differences between similar species.This is a good book to own if you are having troubles with identifications. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bird Watching    2. Birds    3. Birds & Birdwatching - General    4. Identification    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. North America    8. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (1)

The PDR for wilderness injuries & related illnesses
Foregoing knowledge of the existance of this text was unkown, until it was needed in an emergent situation on site. At that time a stingray injury required our immediate attention. With no previous experience in this kind of injury, the book provided immediate no frills information on treatment, backup care and procedures.After this experience, I carefully examined the text at length and was amazed at the comprehensive nature of the topic that was covered.I would recommend this text to be present in allhealth care provider libraries and offices, as it is in mine. Dr. H.J. Willis D.O. Emergency & Trauma Physicia ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Emergency Medicine    2. Environmentally induced diseases    3. Medical    4. Medical / Nursing    5. Mountaineering injuries    6. Outdoor medical emergencies    7. Wildlife    8. First aid & paramedical services    9. Medical / Emergency Medicine   

Reviews (1)

transformations, be grateful
Photography is simple and elegant, image is right faced page layout, text explanation of the image left face layout. This was purchased for it to be a gift. I believe it is high quality. The image definitions, colours, and natures detailed designs are clear to behold and appreciate. Better still if you are at that place in life for being able to learn and be grateful for the things we take for granted. Great for designers -from fashion through to structural engineers. Regardless of where you are at, it's a stunning book to have on the coffee table or amongst your library ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Butterflies    2. Butterflies & Moths    3. Nature    4. Nature/Ecology    5. Pictoral works    6. Nature / General    7. Photographs: collections   

Reviews (1)

Wonderful basic guide to study corals and coral reefs
This is a basic and comprehensive book about the processes that affect coral reefs. Exelent edition by Birkeland, includes some of the most restpectable scientists in the field. the book includes plentifulreferences very useful if you need to start a search in any of the topicsincluded in the book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Coral reef biology    2. Coral reef ecology    3. Earth Sciences - Geology    4. Life Sciences - Ecology    5. Marine Biology    6. Marine Life    7. Nature    8. Nature/Ecology    9. Science    10. Science/Mathematics    11. Applied ecology    12. Biology, Life Sciences    13. Nature / Marine Life    14. Science / Ecology    15. Science-Earth Sciences - Geology    16. Science-Life Sciences - Ecology   

Reviews (4)

The Physics of Pulsatile Flow
This is a well-written book by an expert in the field of biomathmatics and cardiovascular dynamics. I am impressed by the self-contained contents of the book and the flow of thoughts.The book introduces the fundamental physical principles and fluid mechanics before embarking on the subjects of steady flow in tubes and pulsatile flow in rigid and elastic tubes. The author leads the readers smoothly into the interesting regimes of vascular tree structures and their optimization, and the wave propagation and reflection phenomena.The relevant end-of-chapter problems are good additional sources to recapture the intended message from the text, as well as learning about other applications. Students and professionals in math, science, engineering and cardiovascular dynamics will find this text a good addition to their reading list. A work of art, a classic, February 11, 2002
Professor Zamir's new book is an exceptionally strong, beautiful and persuasive treatise on the physics of flow through tubes and tree-shaped paths, in steady and unsteady flow.This work is fundamental physics.The mathematical treatment is authoritative and very accessible.The concepts apply not only to blood circulation, for which most of the empirical data are carefully documented, but also to other tree-shaped flows, from physiology and geophysics to optimized piping networks in mechanical and civil engineering. A very informative book
As a researcher with expertise in electrical engineering and specialization inthe fields of digital signal and image processing "The Physics of Pulsatile Flow" was a big help in quickly understanding the basics of pulsatile flow in general. In particular, I needed to model the wall velocity of blood vessels as a function of the velocity of a viscous fluid pumped through that vessel and found a good first approach for solving this problem in chapter 5 called "pulsatile flow in an elastic tube". The references given throughout the book are also valuable to gain further insights. Read more

Subjects:  1. Biophysics (Specific Aspects)    2. Blood flow    3. Body fluids    4. Fluid dynamics    5. Hematology    6. Life Sciences - Anatomy & Physiology    7. Life Sciences - Biophysics    8. Medical    9. Physiology    10. Science    11. Tubes    12. Animal physiology    13. Biophysics    14. Regional physiology    15. Science / Biophysics    16. artificial organs    17. cardiovascular system    18. medical imaging systems    19. pulsatile flow in tubes    20. vascular trees   

Reviews (55)

Activism Masquarading as Science...
Knowing the author by name and by reputation, I borrowed this book from a friend rather than contributing to him financially by paying for it.It's just the kind of pseudo-scientific garbage I'd expect when someone schooled in Philosophy is allowed to write a book on a scientific topic.The serious question of whether - and to what degree - nonhuman animals experience emotion should be entered into not only with skepticism, but with knowledge of how Science should be carried out, and how to go about evaluating the data that results.Masson is qualified to do NONE of these, and seems utterly unaware of that handicap.
What this book could have been
It started with a great title, and an interesting subject. In fact, i already started reading it agreeing with the author. However, this book is terrible. It is unbelievably repetative, and the arguments are amazingly bad. If this book was redone using some solid thinking, it would be awesome. We won't change anyone's mind until you write arguments above a junior high level. I would recomment looking for other authors. I went into this book with high expectations, and was very disapointed. In fact, it pushed me more over to the other side as I read it, just because i was so taken aback by the garbage that was being put forth as argument and evidence. There just has to be a higher standard than this. If a student wrote it, i would give it a D.

arrogant authors
What a piece of crap!I agree with the overall point the authors attempted to make, but they spent so much time bashing humans while offering so little support for their argument that I want to disagree.The authors should stick to something they know something about. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animal Physiology    2. Animal intelligence    3. Animals    4. Emotions    5. Emotions in animals    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Zoology    9. Science / Zoology   

Editorial Review

What's that squirrel thinking as it runs across the street? Behavioral neuroscientist Marc D. Hauser asks big questions about little brains in Read more

Reviews (17)

Tons of Experiments on nonhuman animals and infants
This book is very nice to read. It discusses a myriad of experiments conducted on nonhuman animals, mainly chimpanzees, but also pigeons, insects, rats, among other animals. Each chapter discusses a different topic: math cognition, spatial reasoning, morality in aniamls, self-awareness, among others. One little thing I did not like about this book is that Dr. Hauser is overcritical of almost all experiments, even though those very arguments can be said about his own experiments! The book overall provides a lot of information about animal behavior--and mind.

Shaping minds
Studies of human cognition inevitably raise the question: "Are other animals 'conscious'?".This immediately leads to a more perplexing question: "What is consciousness?".With the concept still but vaguely defined in human terms, asking it of the other animals evokes a host of difficulties.Hauser, to his credit, makes a worthwhile attempt to deal with both questions.In this sweeping survey, he declares that simplistic approaches to how the various primates deal with life are misplaced.There is a range of animal awareness out there, shaped by the forces of natural selection.Each species must be studied carefully and intensively, both in controlled and wild conditions.And the work, he insists, has barely started.
Not definitive.
This is a report of ongoing studies, by many in different fields, of whether animals experience "moral emotions, feelings such as guilt, shame and embarrassment", if they're capable of inhibiting their own desires, if they "understand the impact of their" decisions, etc. I'm not sure how objective Mr. Hauser is however as, to me, he seems determined to have his opinion prevail as I can't recall one study he's accepted as valid. I'm sorry too that the studies are not definitive. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animal Psychology    2. Animal intelligence    3. Cognition in animals    4. Comparative psychology    5. Life Sciences - Zoology - General    6. Science    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Social behavior in animals    9. Wild animals   

Reviews (4)

Reference for OTs and PTs
I found this book (older edition) at one of my clinical sites.It it well put together and easy to follow.This is a great text for students who are learning MMT.I only wish that I had know about this book sooner.

A Must Have For All Body Therapies!
This is an excellent book. Worthwhile purchase
If you ever needed to know what all the muscles in the body were, where exactly they attached to the skeleton, what movement they created, and ways to test how strong they are this is the bible.As a physical therapist, this has been an invaluable book to have both as a student and as a clinician. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Allied Health Services - Physical Therapy    2. Examination    3. General    4. Medical    5. Muscles    6. Musculoskeletal Diseases    7. Pain    8. Physical therapy    9. Posture disorders    10. Rheumatology    11. Science    12. Anatomy    13. Animal physiology    14. Biomechanics, human kinetics    15. Sports injuries & medicine   

Subjects:  1. Fish    2. Fisheries & Aquaculture    3. Fishes    4. Ichthyology    5. Nature    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Fishes (ichthyology)    8. Technology / Fisheries & Aquaculture