Reviews (4)

CONSERVATION BUREAUCRAT COMES OF AGE
This book is mostly about Joyce Poole & her personal trials & tribulations.I did not learn anything new about elephants, but rather more about the lengths to which the author was driven to gain a prominent position in conservation bureaucracy;
a touching memoir.......
When I finished reading this book, it made me burst into tears...for such a long time, I've never read a book that was so touching and unforgettable. I love elephants so much and after reading this book. It bring me morecourage to boycott those merchants who sell ivory......very impressive workand worthy of reading again and again...

educational and entertaining
I enjoyed this book very much! I learned alot about elephants and their habitat. I feel I got to know the elephants personally from the info andstories that Joyce gave on all of them. I feel this book will give a readerinsight on the elephants,lives,loves and servival. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. African elephant    3. Amboseli National Park    4. Behavior    5. Biography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Ethologists    8. General    9. Kenya    10. Mammalian Behavior    11. Mammals    12. Nature / Field Guide Books    13. Women ethologists    14. Poole, Joyce   

Reviews (2)

Beautifully done, David
The book has a wonderfully readable text to compliment the beautiful color plates, and David's illustrations of inclusions and the rainforest are impeccable.You don't have to be a rocket scientist to understand and learn aboutamber from this work, however, I must say, David, you are a talented genius and I read every word.All my friends are fascinated by the book and the author.

An excellent book for both the expert and browser
Some of youmay be aware of the current amber exhibition at the Natural History Museum in NewYork. At the same time as the launch of this exhibition David Grimaldi; chairman, associate curator and organiser of this display has authored and published a new book on amber to compliment the show. New books on amber, particularly in English are so rare that I have taken the liberty of reviewing the work here for those who are interested. My credentials are thin for this task. I collect amber and have an extensive collection of pieces with flora and fauna inclusions. I read and collect articles, books and any work on amber I can get my hands on. I have had work published myself in my other existence as a management consultant. So I have some idea of the demands made on writers and authors.However, with your forgiveness I submit this review for your interest; `tis a meagre a thing, but mine own1. The book, `Amber - Window to the Past1 is immediately impressive both by its size and rich colour jacket. The cover shot at first sight might be some kind of artistic abstract picture, but is actually a photograph of several insects trapped in a piece Dominican Republic amber, a great attention grabber. The book was printed and bound in Japan and this countries predilection for quality and precision is clearly present in this work. There are 230 illustrations, which include 115 colour plates. Amongst these are some old line drawings and pictures which have been published in other works. These seek to illustrate certain inclusions and methods of amber collection. They help contextualise and place amber in an historical setting and their presence is understandable. The majority of pictures are however entirely new, 95+%. The photography is exemplary. Photographing amber myself I recognise the difficulties and problems one encounters, but here only the best and most lavish illustrations have been used. The pages simply ooze class. The book is principle divided into two sections: Amber in Nature and Amber in Art. The nature section begins by illustrating the origins of amber, how it came into existence, the types of trees which created it and is replete with interesting quotes and diagrams. Having already mentioned the graphical content of this work I will emphasise that nearly every page of text is supported with pictures and drawings which are comprehensible and useful. They helps immensely with understanding some of the processes and concepts dealt with in the work. There are the merest handful of areas where both facing pages are full of text with no graphical content. That in 208 pages is quite a feat. The following chapter covers geographical distribution of amber deposits. A minor exception here is the Isle of Wight amber deposit just off the South coast of the United Kingdom. This is a rich if very small source of some of the most ancient amber in the world and yet other than a few papers published by Dr Edward A. Jarzembowski has received scant to little attention by the academic press. The emphasis in this section is given to the major source deposits of amber, namely the Dominican Republic and the Baltic Coast though other areas are covered such as Mexico, Burmese, Japanese and the Middle East. A marvellous picture on page 58 shows quite literally gigantic `dunes1 of crude amber being bagged after being extracted from the now defunct Bitterfield mine in Germany. This illustrates better than any list of figures the vast quantities of amber which must have flowed out of this general Baltic region. I have seen a very similar photograph taken of the same scene in the 1995 book `Stenen som flyter och brinner` authored by Ake Dahlstrom and Leif Brost of the Swedish Amber Museum. This is a book written in Swedish, so it has limited distribution. I am glad that Grimaldi has included this picture here, for those people for whom amber has a special attraction or interest, it is simple awesome, and I use this word carefully. There then follows a rich selection of photographs illustrating the different types of inclusions which can be found within amber. Only the best and rarest are presented here and might give the casual reader the impression that this type of inclusion is present in nearly every other piece of amber ever found. Nothing could be further from the truth. These pieces are only the Creme de la Creme of the amber world. It is only when flicking through these pictures, time and time again and reading where they have come from that one realises the gargantuan task Grimaldi undertook in gathering together so many of these items not only for photography but also for display in the NHM exhibition. As well as the normal photographs in this section there is also a range of electromicrographs. These illustrate the micro preservative qualities of amber rather than the macro aspects which the normal pictures do so well. This leads logically into a section on DNA and its presence within such well preserved inclusions. This latter issue seems to have become a hot topic amongst many journalists, no doubt inspired by Crichton1s Jurassic Park and all the accompanying publicity. What frankly is more interesting I believe are the deductions and insights which can be drawn from the range of inclusions in amber about the ancient forests, their ecological workings, the animals present and the environmental conditions which existed. This too is also addressed in the book with a section on the ancient communities of the amber forests and woodlands. A final chapter in this section addresses amber forgeries and is especially interesting showing the lengths to which some people have gone in creating fake or counterfeit amber pieces with large or rare inclusions. This chapter draws on an earlier article written by Grimaldi et al in the NHM Journal which specifically addresses amber forgeries. This earlier work shows in even greater detail the deviousness of some amber forgers. However, the best photographs have been transferred to the book, with the exception of a Tarantula allegedly found in Dominican amber but which the author was unable to tests for its authenticity. The lack of confirmation one way or the other no doubt accounts for its omission from this volume. The second half of the book looks at Amber in Art. The initial part of this section begins by looking at the uses of amber through the ages starting at the Mesolithic Period. This whole section has a predominantly European slant. Here again are some unique illustrations and diagrams. The famous Hove cup from the Booth Museum in Brighton, United Kingdom is shown. It differs from many I have seen in the way the lighting has been set up to illustrate its translucence and the fine craftsmanship needed to have produced this piece. The text goes into some depth on the histories of amber and gives a broad though not heavily detailed account of its prominence in antiquity. It makes for good light reading without becoming bogged down in too many dates or claustrophobic details. The segment on Medieval and Renaissance amber shows some examples of woodcut prints detailing how amber was obtained in the Baltic but only one 17 century piece of jewellery is actually illustrated. The years leading to the beginning of this century are well structured. Ample information provides a rich description of the uses and the levels to which amber in art aspired during these years. Nothing is present on the contemporary use of amber in art and jewellery and would have been interesting. As DNA in amber has become a focus for many people so too has the `amber room1, an 18 century concoction of the Prussian and later Russian nobility. In essence this was a room completely covered in amber which mysteriously went missing during the second world war. Russian craftsmen are now in the slow and laborious process of re-creating this masterpiece from old photographs and diagrams. Some of the first pictures I have ever seen of their efforts appear in this book and show the amazing level of opulence they have achieved to date. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Amber    2. Amber art objects    3. Antiques & Collectibles    4. Antiques/Collectibles    5. Arts And Crafts    6. Glass & Glassware    7. Mineralogy (Specific Aspects)    8. Nature    9. Nature / Field Guide Books    10. Rocks & Minerals    11. Gold & silversmithing    12. Jewellery & jewellery-making    13. Museum, historic sites, gallery & art guides    14. Palaeontology   

Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Cheetah    3. Leopard    4. Mammals    5. Nature    6. Nature / Field Guide Books    7. Nature Photography    8. Nature/Ecology    9. Pictorial works    10. Subjects & Themes - Plants & Animals    11. Wildlife    12. Kenya    13. Nature / Wildlife    14. Tanzania    15. Wild animals   

Reviews (1)

Masterpieces is a masterpiece
Minerals and crystals are among the most beautiful objects on the planet.Their sculptural shapes and intense colors can be mesmerizing.Amazingly these specimens haven't been "enhanced" by cutting or polishing.They are as God made them.These magnificent photographs of the world's greatest collection capture their beauty as well as any book I've ever seen.
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Subjects:  1. Art & Art Instruction    2. Catalogs and collections    3. Collection and preservation    4. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions - Museum    5. Earth Sciences - Mineralogy    6. History    7. Houston    8. Minerals    9. Pictorial works    10. Rocks & Minerals    11. Science    12. Science/Mathematics    13. Subjects & Themes - Plants & Animals    14. Texas    15. Museum, historic sites, gallery & art guides    16. Rocks, minerals & fossils    17. Science / Mineralogy   

Reviews (3)

W O W what a book!
This is the absolute book for wildflowers.Pictures are clear and precise, the information is a bonus.What a book!

Excellent Field Guide for Flowers!
Wildflowers of Tennessee is easy to use when locating a particular flower. It also contains good descriptions which help to indentify each flower. The photography is clean and clear. I'd highly recommend this book if the Tennessee, Ohio Valley, and Southern Appalachians are areas you frequent.
Excellent Book at a Great Price
There are several things that set this book apart from other field guides.The plasticized cover, heavy stock paper, and page size make for an excellent and robust field guide.The quick color guide in the front makes short work of identification.The photos are taken from the aspect at which you would discover the plant, also helping with identification.Descriptions are will written and complete.
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Subjects:  1. Flowers    2. Nature    3. Nature / Field Guide Books    4. Nature/Ecology    5. Plants - General    6. Water Supply   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (1)

A beautiful book
This book is a keeper.It's a beautiful coffee table book.It has stunning photography of wildflowers and a very nice personal account written by Lady Bird herself. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Botany    2. Flowers    3. Flowers - General    4. Gardening    5. Gardening/Plants    6. History    7. Landscape Horticulture    8. Nature    9. Nature / Field Guide Books    10. Pictorial works    11. Reference    12. United States    13. Wild flowers    14. Wildflowers   

Subjects:  1. Fish    2. Health/Fitness    3. Nature / Field Guide Books   

Subjects:  1. Africa - General    2. Business & Economics    3. Business/Economics    4. Commerce    5. Deforestation    6. Forest policy    7. Ghana    8. Natural Resources    9. Nature    10. Nature / Field Guide Books    11. Economics, Finance, Business and Industry    12. History / Africa    13. Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects   

Reviews (2)

Chapters mix history and cultural and geologic insights with tips on locating authentic pieces, valuation and more
One of New Mexico's symbols is turquoise, so it's fitting that a discussion of jewel would come from New Mexico Magazine's publishing arm. Any who wish to learn about the stone must have The Allure Of Turquoise: it appears in its second updated edition to pack color photos on every page with discussions ranging from the history of turquoise in both jewelry and Native American circles to issues surrounding its sale, authenticity and preservation. Chapters mix history and cultural and geologic insights with tips on locating authentic pieces, valuation and more: turquoise collectors will find this essential.
An Excellent Introduction.
The cover alone is worth the price!Each stone in this photograph of 46 specimens of turquoise is identified at the start of the book.High quality natural stones from the most important mines of the Southwest are pictured side by side with treated and plastic versions.

Subjects:  1. Indians of North America    2. Jewelry    3. Nature    4. Nature / Field Guide Books    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Pictorial works    7. Rocks & Minerals    8. Southwest, New    9. Turquoise jewelry    10. Nature / Rocks & Minerals    11. Rocks, minerals & fossils   

Reviews (4)

Birding Babylon-Simple Beauty in Wartime
This is a small, beautiful book.The natural phenonomena and bird-life that Jonathan Trouern-Trend desribes with such simple elegance in Birding Babylon is both comforting and poignent as it all takes place in Iraq near the beginning of our most recent conflict there.
A nice perspective on a terrible war
Because I am a birder, a friend bought me this book.It is perfectly aimed, not a pure birding, and no ranting about the war. Shows the power of nature and appreciation of nature to put a lovely perspective on even the most ugliest of wars. I wanted to know what the birds he referred to looked like so am ordering the birds of the middle east. one might wish photos or more realistic drawing of the birds, but I think that would detract from the journal-like nature of this cute little book.

I love this book
This book is great! Part birding journal, part soldier's diary, and fully a reminder that Iraq isn't just a place on a map or in the newspaper. It's a quick read and you really get the feeling that you are just reading the author's notebook that he had in his back pocket while on patrol--really interesting. There's also a list of the 122 species that he saw while in Iraq, which was very enlightening--it's not just a desolate war-torn area over there--there are real signs of life! And the book itself is a really pretty hardcover book; there are even illustrations of all the different birds he saw. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Blogs    4. Diaries    5. General    6. Iraq War, 2003-    7. Military    8. Military - Iraq War    9. Naturalists    10. Nature    11. Nature / Field Guide Books    12. Nature/Ecology    13. Soldiers    14. United States    15. 21st century    16. Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -    17. Birds & birdwatching    18. Iraq    19. Nature / General    20. True war stories   

Reviews (3)

Stunning!
This is one of the most gorgeous books you'll come across--every aspect is beautifully thought out. The bird paintings by the Gentlings are breathtaking--and often offer a little sly humor in their composition. Treat yourself or another bird lover.

Award Winner for Book Design
This book has received an Award of Excellence from the 2001 Southern Books Competition. "You could not find a lovelier title page spread than that in Of Birds and Texas. The sensitive calligraphy and the well-designed two-column text pages support the stunning bird prints." Congratulations to the authors, designer Ellen McKie and the University of Texas Press.

A LANDMARK VOLUME REISSUED
When Of Birds and Texas was first published in 1986 it was quickly deemed the most magnificent book in the history of Texas publishing.Consisting of40 exquisitely detailed bird portraits and ten Texas landscape scenes, the volume was enhanced with accompanying commentary by the Gentling brothers and a personal essay by John Graves.Read more

Subjects:  1. Art publishing    2. Birds    3. Birds & Birdwatching - General    4. Individual Artist    5. Natural History Illustration    6. Nature    7. Nature / Field Guide Books    8. Nature/Ecology    9. Ornithology    10. Pictorial works    11. Subjects & Themes - General    12. Texas    13. Art / Individual Artist    14. Birds & birdwatching    15. Birds (ornithology)   

Reviews (3)

Great look at the history of park rangers
This book is full of wonderful photos that tell the history of national park rangers, as well as some interesting text. If you're a ranger, related to one, or simply a fan of parks, you'll enjoy this book. It's an easy read and will probably make you wish you had one of these great jobs.

National Park Ranger
With 30 years of first-hand experience, Butch Farabee captures the culture, values, language, objectives, history, unspoken processes and people of the National Park Service - rangers. A wealth of photographs and inside knowledge makes this essential reading for spouses and visitors. There is a thorough and illustrated discussion of uniforms and badges, evolution from predator control and fire suppression, to sustaining natural processes and recognizing the integral role of wildland fire in healthy ecosystems. An Absolute Must for Fans of Our National Parks
The mission of the National Park Service to preserve and protect our natural and cultural resources for future generations.Charles Farabee's knowledge and experience is portrayed superbly in National Park Ranger: An American Icon.Farabee is able to make the reader feel like they've been transported back to the late 1800's where our earliest parks were protect by members of the U.S. Army.Farabee then takes the reader to when the park ranger comes onto the scene and beyond.The history of the park ranger is very romantic and makes the reader yearn to travel back in time.Read more

Subjects:  1. Environmental Conservation & Protection - General    2. History    3. History: American    4. National Park Service    5. Park rangers    6. Political History    7. Politics / Current Events    8. Public Affairs & Administration    9. United States    10. United States - 19th Century    11. United States - General    12. United States.    13. American history: from c 1900 -    14. Cultural studies    15. History / Americas (North, Central, South, West Indies)    16. Management of land & natural resources    17. USA    18. Zoos & wildlife parks   

Reviews (1)

The Best Bats of Florida
Bats of Florida is the book I have been looking for. The general discussion on bats is the best I have ever read. It covers the latest science in a balanced and easily readable style. Much of the information should be useful to anyone interested in bats. The species discussions of the bats found in Florida are the most up to date and complete information available. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Bats    3. Florida    4. Identification    5. Mammals    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Wildlife    9. Wild animals   

Reviews (1)

Outstanding reference for the tree lover
This large-format reference is a sheer joy to browse and eye candy for tree lovers. Beautiful photos, illustrations, tables, charts, and thumbnail maps indicating native distribution are just some of the features. The beginning chapter "What Is A Tree" traces the morphological characters and structural diversity as well as a section of "deconstructing wood" which covers growth rings, bark characteristics, the root system, leaves, flowers and fruits, and the growth of trees. The second chapter, "Forests," discusses the forest ecosystem, and the various forests of the world. "Trees and Mankind" covers the forestry industry. The remainder of the book arranges trees by family (with the exception of the "Trees of the Tropics" genera, which are ordered alphabetically). Each category includes a thorough description, charts indicating common names, the different species, a thumbnail world map with colored areas indicating natural distribution and beatifully rendered illustrations showing tree structure, leaves, fruits, etc. All entries include outstanding color photographs, many of them full page. A glossary of tree-related terms and an index is included. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Encyclopedias    2. Nature    3. Nature / Field Guide Books    4. Nature/Ecology    5. Reference    6. Reference And Information Services    7. Trees    8. Trees & Forests - General    9. Nature / Trees    10. Trees - Encyclopedias   

Reviews (3)

A reviewers are not equal
After reading a negative review on these pages at the advice of the reviewer I bought the Cambridge book he recommended. That was a mistake. Whereas the Cambridge book is a good reference book with lots of technical info and good photographs, it has not one photograph of rock in the field - precisely what I need. I've since purchased Schumann's Hand Book and I like it considerably more. The Cambridge book will sit on my shelf, Schuman's will get out in the field and serve me well.

This book is a waste of money, it is very poor
I have actually reviewed this book for publication but the journal's policy is to not use negative reviews so it never appeared.It is difficult in just 1,000 words to summarize my review but I will say thatthe book is loaded with technical deficiencies, flat-out errors andinconsistencies that make it a very poor reference work.Furthermore, itwas translated by someone who knew nothing of minerals so the errorsintroduced by the translator are monumental, hundreds!There are termsdevised by the translator that mean nothing to English readers and don'tappear in any other mineral/gem book of any kind! Fine coffee-table book with great color photographs.
Originally published in German in 1985, this paperback is full of wonderful color photographs.Many specimens are from Germany or from other parts of Europe, and anyone wanting to view such specimens, but cannot travel to a museum in Europe, is advised to get this book as it would be an easier trip.Read more

Subjects:  1. Earth Sciences - Geology    2. Handbooks, manuals, etc    3. Identification    4. Minerals    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Precious stones    8. Rocks    9. Rocks & Minerals    10. Nature / Rocks & Minerals    11. Rocks, minerals & fossils   

Reviews (4)

Best alpine flower guide
I grew up and live in the summer in a Colorado ghost town at 9,000 ft.altitude surrounded by 13,000 ft. mountains.This is the best guide for Colorado alpine flowers I have ever seen.Great illustrations, fine explanatory notes - a must have for alpine flower afficianados.

Best one I've seen!
I go to Coloradobackpacking, rafting and climbing every summer and of all the field guides I have ever had, this one is the best!It has very easy to use color format so you can find any flower in a matter of seconds. KEEP IT HANDY!

Good one!
This book is just what I was looking for a reference book in the field and home.It has both photos and drawings of each plant.One plant per page and the pages are nicely grouped by flower color which is visible on thepage edges as well.The indexes, as usual in nature books of this type,have both common name and Latin name of each plant.Included are black andwhite diagrams of leave types and flower head patterns with glossary.Eachitem listed has a synopsis of flowers, leaves, what"~ kind ofimmediate environment it grows in, "Life Zone(s)" i.e. foothills,alpine, etc., and flowering time. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Colorado    2. Environmental Conservation & Protection - General    3. Flowers    4. Identification    5. Nature    6. Nature / Field Guide Books    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Pictorial works    9. Wild flowers    10. Wildflowers   

Reviews (28)

great reference
This book has highly detailed photos,not illustrations, that help to identify any species you might come into contact. The format is very easy to navigate and you can even log the fish that you've I.D.'d in the back. I think all field guides should be built like this one!

Awesome book!
This is a well done book on reef fishes!Beautiful photographs and wonderful descriptions make identifying reef fish easy... I can't wait to take this book to Bonaire in April!

Reef Fish review
Awesome book.Easy to use and look up various species.Great photos.u will like it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bahamas    2. Caribbean Area    3. Coral reef fauna    4. Fish    5. Florida    6. Identification    7. Nature / Field Guide Books    8. Nature/Ecology    9. Saltwater Fish - Individual Species    10. Fisheries    11. Marine Biology    12. Marine life   

Reviews (1)

Full of information on minerals
I checked this out of the library and liked it so much I have to buy a copy.There is a mass of information on a broad spectrum of minerals and it is chocked full of great photos and illustrations.Would also make a great coffee table book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Earth Sciences - Geology    2. Earth Sciences - Mineralogy    3. Fossils    4. Geology (General)    5. Nature    6. Nature / Field Guide Books    7. Rocks & Minerals    8. Science    9. Science/Mathematics    10. Geology    11. Nature / Rocks & Minerals    12. Rocks   

Reviews (3)

How to Spot an Owl
Owls are unique and fascinating, but, unfortunately, also quite elusive, which makes their observation quite frustrating for the beginning birder.This guide was written--reluctantly--to lessen some of that frustration.Reluctantly, because, while the authors wish to indroduce the owl to new generations of birders, at the same time they are very concerned about adverse influence that birders can have on owls.The book consists of two parts: an introduction to birding for owls, and the owls of North America.In the latter, each species that is found in North America is discussed to some degree.While the Whiskered Screech Owl, which only occurs near the Mexican-American border in southern Arizon, only has two paragraphs devoted to it, other species are covered by a number of pages.Information is largely anecdotal and easy to read.At least one photograph of most species is included, the quality of which is usually excellent.

A Great Spot
If I had only one book to buy about owls, this one is it.It is a howling success!

Very helpful to new "owlers"
I originally got this book when I found a trio of young screech owls in my favorite river area. It gives a lot of information that is USEFUL to people who really want to see owls. Kinds of owls, signs of owls to look for,crisp b/w photos, and some common sense ettiquette.Good book! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bird watching    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Nature / Field Guide Books    4. Nature/Ecology    5. North America    6. Owls   

Reviews (1)

Detailed compilation of discoveris of NA gemstones
This is an update featuring all new information which has come to light since vol. II was published in 1976. It is a detailed compilation of discoveries and occurrences of all North American gemstones.Read more

Subjects:  1. Earth Sciences - Geology    2. Earth Sciences - Mineralogy    3. Gems    4. Natural Resources    5. Nature / Field Guide Books    6. Rocks & Minerals    7. Science    8. Science/Mathematics    9. Geochemistry    10. North America