Editorial Review

Roy Chapman Andrews was never much of a scholar, and anyone who looked at his high school report card might have foretold an undistinguished future. But, from an early age, Andrews's ambitions lay outside the social norm; an ardent fan of Read more

Reviews (17)

The flaming cliffs
This book tells the tale of Roy Chapman Andrews. He was an outdoors man, who talked his way into the American Museum of Natural History, and eventually becomes the director there. Andrews has the strong belief that the human race originated in Asia instead of the more common belief of Africa. Andrews is able to find backing to fund trips of Asia and Mongolia to find proof to back up his belief.
many errors in there
Gallenkamp did a good job in bibliographic research, but please be careful when you read this book. Don't believe everything therein is true. I have noticed that there is a tremendous amount of inaccurate information included in text especially in accounts of Andrews' whaling trip to Japan (I am a native Japanese, so I know more about Japanese geography than him!) although most of the errors do not affect significantly the whole story of Andrews' life with a full of adventure.

A DIFFICULT BOOK FOR ME TO REVIEW
I must start by admitting that as a young boy, many a many a year ago, that I thrilled to Andrews' first hand accounts of his adventures.They were the sort of stuff a small boy in the midwest dreamed of.That being said, and having to admit that I am no longer that little boy (well, not much anyway), I had very mixed emotions about this book.I was a bit disappointed in the scholarship shown at times.Some of the writing was a bit flat, and viewing Andrews through the eyes of what I know now and did not know then, Andrews' image has been sort of tarnished for me.
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Subjects:  1. 1884-1960    2. Adventurers & Explorers    3. Andrews, Roy Chapman,    4. Asia - Central    5. Biography    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Fossils    8. General    9. History: World    10. Naturalists    11. Naturalists & Gardeners    12. Scientific Expeditions    13. Travel    14. United States    15. Central Asia    16. History / General    17. History of science    18. Rocks, minerals & fossils    19. Travel & holiday guides    20. World history   

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - General    2. Antiquities    3. Archaeology    4. Asia    5. Fossils    6. Hominids    7. Middle East    8. Nature / Field Guide Books    9. Neanderthals    10. Prehistoric Anthropology    11. Prehistoric Archaeology    12. Social Science    13. Sociology    14. Early man    15. Social Science / Archaeology   

Reviews (7)

Coniferophiles Will Love This Book
For me, the conifers are the trees that really make a difference.Each one is such a unique and majestic statement on the landscape.
Bountiful and Plentiful
Conifers grow old, big and tall in California. What better book for discovering the coniferous bounty that the state has to offer. Second only behind Mexico in native conifer species, the conifer elevates the landscape and become an indelible symbolic reflection of all that is natural in California, from theSierra rich in yellow, sugar and Jefferey Pine to the isolated groves of heavy sequoia, magnificent in their collosal staure. High in the White Mountains of Eastern California, living at seemingly impossible heights the bristlecone pine lives long and prosperous in stauesque poses in an inhospitable environment. The redwood defines the Northern coast, living lavishly in mist shrouded groves. The mighty Tahoe National Forest displays a rich blanket of fine firs as far as the eye can see...

Lanner (the author) is a genius.....
I would love to be able to add to the other (four) reviews here, regarding this book, but I think I'll recommend that you read those reviews, and simply accept their accolades....
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Subjects:  1. California    2. Conifers    3. Nature / Field Guide Books    4. Plants - General    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Trees & Forests - General   

Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    4. Life Sciences - Zoology - Ornithology    5. Nature    6. Nature / Field Guide Books    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Reference    9. Biological Sciences    10. Birds & birdwatching    11. Birds (ornithology)    12. Birds and Natural History    13. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching    14. South East Asia   

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. Life Sciences - Biology - Marine Biology    3. Nature / Field Guide Books    4. Nature / Fish    5. Science    6. Science / Marine Biology    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Anatomy    9. Fishes    10. Identification    11. Laboratory manuals    12. Marine Biology   

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Birds    3. Birds & Birdwatching - General    4. Collection and preservation    5. History    6. Nature    7. Nature / Field Guide Books    8. Nature/Ecology    9. Ornithologists    10. Ornithology    11. Birds (ornithology)   

Reviews (25)

"A seed like no other"
Dropped by its parent over three centuries ago, the seed produced something special in the way of a tree.Rising from the soil alongside a river in an island off the West Coast of North America, it produced a Sitka spruce of unusual character.It was a Golden Spruce.When migrating Asian peoples settled on the island it became the source of mythologies, venerated it as part of their heritage.One dark night, however, it was hewn nearly down by a man with a sense of mission.John Vaillant, in a brilliant, comprehensive account of the tree, its worshippers and its changing surroundings, relates how the tree's story is important to us all.
good picture of primitive place
Having travelled in the areaI found the description of setting and characters very reminiscent of what I know to be there.Good story but the fifth star is withheld because of pools of distraction here and there in the book.I suspected that the story needed to be "plumped up" to make it book length rather than a short story.
No more paper towels for me.
After finishing this book I felt like booking a trip to British Columbia to see some of what remains of the precious forests Vaillant describes.Warning:This book will make you question your consumption habits andyour personal culpability in the destruction of North American forests. If you read it, be prepared for a shock.Few of us outside the logging industry know just how much has been lost.I would recommend this book to anyone.It is entertaining, informative and motivational without being preachy or condescending. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Agriculture - Forestry    2. British Columbia    3. Forest Management    4. Hadwin, Grant    5. Haida Indians    6. Logging    7. Nature    8. Nature / Field Guide Books    9. Nature/Ecology    10. Queen Charlotte Islands    11. Sitka spruce    12. Trees    13. Trees & Forests - General    14. Biography: general    15. Forestry & silviculture: practice & techniques   

Subjects:  1. Nature / Field Guide Books    2. Life Sciences - Zoology - General    3. Reference    4. Nature / Wildlife    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Nature   

Reviews (4)

Great waterfowl identification guide
"Waterfowl : An Identification Guide to the Ducks, Geese and Swans of the World" is a wonderful guide for waterfowl identification, withbeautiful colored plates of all 155 species of ducks, geese, and swans. Areally nice book for everyone who likes wild waterfowl. The only thing Imiss are the screamers which are also a part of the anseriformes(waterfowl).

Poor reprint quality ruins a great series
Make a plate-by-plate comparison of the new Waterfowl or Shorebirds guides with the original hardcover editions and you'll see that the sofcover illustrations look like cheap color photocopies.All of the subtlety anddetail that made the originals the best field guides of their kind has beenlost.Save your money for the used bookstores.

Steve Madge delivers again
Maybe i'm a little biased but this is a great book.However trying to find a copy was something of a wild goose chase ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    4. Ducks    5. Geese    6. Identification    7. Nature    8. Nature / Field Guide Books    9. Nature/Ecology    10. Swans    11. Waterfowl    12. Birds & birdwatching    13. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (2)

Fantastic photos!
It's such a shame this book went out of print because the photographs in it are stunning and exactly what you need for field recognition. The big size was probably it's undoing but at second hand prices it's a great buy despite it's age.

This is the best introductory guide I've ever used.
You can throw away those rock and mineral guides you've been collecting through the years; this well-written and well-thought out guide makes them pale and obsolete. I bought this for myself, then needed another one for ayoung niece who was captivated by its straightforward style andunbelievable photos. It is clean and organized and easy to use as areference. It would also make a great text for self-education as it placesrocks and minerals in context, including photos and descriptions of famouscliffs, sills, and other geologic formations around the world. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Earth Sciences - General    2. Fossils    3. Identification    4. Mineralogy    5. Nature    6. Nature / Field Guide Books    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Rocks    9. Rocks & Minerals    10. Petrology    11. Science / General   

Subjects:  1. General    2. Identification    3. Nature    4. Nature / Field Guide Books    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Pacific Coast (U.S.)    7. Pictorial works    8. Reference    9. Trees    10. Trees & Forests - General   

Reviews (5)

Great book about fossils
This book has very accurate illustrations.It is very helpful for people who are interested in fossils, and everything that has to do with collecting them.It is easy to understand, and interesting to read over and over.

Best Fossil Reference Book, Ever
Frank Garcia pierces the veil of paleontology and brings you right down to the surface of your own dig. Great guide to get you started in fossil collecting
A very good guide book to get started in collecting fossils.Great advice on equipment, locations and methods for collecting.The illustrations of typical specimens are extremely helpful in identifying finds.Mr Garcia writes with a great wit and a genuine love of science.His matter of fact story telling coupled with the excitement of discovery makes it obvious that to him, science is a verb. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Archaeology    2. Archaeology / Anthropology    3. Collection and preservation    4. Fossils    5. Paleontology    6. Paleontology (General)    7. Science    8. Science/Mathematics    9. Palaeontology    10. Rocks, minerals & fossils   

Reviews (12)

Is this the best book on Binocular astronomy?
This book was a bit of a disappointment after hearing all the glowing reviews. After wading through 6 chapters with terrible photo reproductions of telescopic (not binocular) views, where many sky objects are described as not suitable for binoculars, we arrive a chapter 7 which is the reference list of binocular objects. This consumes half the book and is a complete reference list ordered by constellation with a paragraph description of most. But you will need another reference to find them since there are no maps here.
If you have large binos, don't miss this book
This book covers +1000 deep sky objects plus solar system objects for binoculars. It includes many faint objects that can be seen with ordinary binos under very favourable conditions so the observers with largebinoculars can use this book better. Although there are +1000 objects givenin the book, most of them are not explained but rather their basic datalike coordinates and magnitude are given. It does not have maps so you needan atlas with this book. However; this book is very useful with itstabulated data and constellation-based organisation. You cannot find anyother complete and well prepared list and data of objects visible inbinoculars. The author also groups Messier objects into 4 difficulty groupswhich is helpful for inexperienced observers.

A Classic Reference and Observing Guide
Touring the Universe Through Binoculars remains the single most authoritative source for people who want to view the night sky with binoculars.Sure, there are other books on the subject, but Touring theUniverse stands apart for its thorough survey of the binocular sky.Thisbook lists objects that the other books miss entirely (and that the authorsprobably don't even know exist!).Read more

Subjects:  1. Astronomy    2. Astronomy (General)    3. Astronomy - General    4. Binoculars    5. Handbooks, manuals, etc    6. Nature    7. Nature / Field Guide Books    8. Observers' manuals    9. Science    10. Science/Mathematics    11. Star Observation    12. Astronomical observation: observatories, equipment & methods    13. Science / Astronomy   

Reviews (3)

Perfectly titled; incorrectly sub-titled.
The title of this book is accurate; it's subtitle is not.Literally 80% of the pages in this book are near-clinical descriptions of shark attack cases around the world, separated into chapters by geography.While it's mentioned in various spots before then, the last 15 pages finally truly discuss "their causes and avoidance."
shark
if you would like to knowwhy shark bites people this book will make you understanding shark in away you know shark are intersseting aimmals Great Information.....
This is truly a good book for anyone interested about sharks and why they attack. The book gives an almost comprehensive view of attacks from around the world. It even gives a synopsis on the sharks that seem to attack people the most. I would recomend this for anyone who is just curious about sharks, or anyone who is interested in attacks by sharks specifically. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fish    2. Marine Life    3. Nature    4. Nature / Field Guide Books    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Safety    7. Shark attacks    8. Nature / Mammals   

Subjects:  1. Europe - General    2. Germany    3. Hagenback, Carl    4. History    5. History - General History    6. Life Sciences - Zoology - General    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Science    9. Wild animal trade    10. Zoological Gardens    11. Zoos    12. 20th century    13. History of specific subjects    14. Medical / History    15. Zoos & wildlife parks   

Reviews (5)

It's not just an endtable book...
This book can serve as a great endtable book with itslarge-page (12.5" x 9") format and accurate paintings of avariety of sharks by R. Ellis, but this book is more than that. Most Detailed Shark Book Ever Written
Mr Ellis has written the most informative, detailed book on every species of shark there is. Anything you want to know about sharks is in this book.I have read many shark books and myself and my husband are shark lovers andwe believe this book is superb.Definitely recommendable.

The book of Sharks
When i was a kid growing up, sharks were (and still are) the greatest thing on earth. This book was the first book i ever read about sharks, although back then all i did was look at the pictures. I own the bookstill, and now that i am older, i know that is is one of the most thorough,and thought prevoking books dealing with this subject. It is a worthy entryin any shark lovers collection ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fish    2. Marine Life    3. Nature    4. Nature / Field Guide Books    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Sharks    7. Nature / Marine Life    8. Sea & seashore life   

Reviews (6)

Field Guide
The Guide was a gift for my wife. She enjoys sitting on our deck and observing the different wild life in our back property. She is enjoying the book immensely.

Great field guide
I have bought many field guides and petersons are the easiest to use, my wife and kids love them and get plenty of use of them.

Eh...
This is a good guide to be used in conjunction with the Kays and Wilson guide (a much more recent and complete book). It has not been updated in quite some time, but the information should not be dismissed. It works, but should not be your only mammal field guide. You will be disappointed if it is. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Canada    3. Handbooks, manuals, etc    4. Identification    5. Mammals    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. United States    9. Nature / Mammals    10. Wild animals   

Reviews (1)

Excellent overview
Ian Newton yet again is successful in giving a wonderful overview of a complex environmental issue ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. Life Sciences - Zoology - General    3. Nature    4. Nature / Field Guide Books    5. Ornithology    6. Population Biology    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Social Psychology    9. Birds (ornithology)    10. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (5)

Great in-depth quick reference handbook
I work on a whale watch boat in Kona, Hawaii and this book has been extremely helpful in my work. It is an excellent handbook on these mammals, a great in-depth introduction book for beginners and a great concise reference book for veterans as well. Very well made and designed with some photos and excellent illustrations. Very easy to navigate through the info and select what you need to know and refer back to it.
A WONDERFUL ADDITION FOR ANY NATURE REFERENCE LIBRARY
This book is breathtaking. I had no idea there were 80 or more species of Cetaceans! While I may never have the opportunity to see any of these wonderful animals alive except in captivity, this book is a wonderful addition to my nature reference library. It is fascinating to read, and even scientists have not seen all of these cetaceans alive (some have been named by skeletal remains), or if they have reported seeing them alive, have possible doubts about the exact species observed. I will read this book over and over just because it is so fascinating. Beautifully illustrated, including maps of the individual species ranges. It also has an exact format, page to page, with clear, concise identification keys. Population numbers are shown where known, threats, habits, diet and habitat are also in a keyed format for each species represented. A wonderful book for anyone nature lovers, and especially good for children because so much information is provided about dwindling populations due to various types of assaults made on either the animals or their habitats by people. Even children who may not be able to clearly understand all of the text will find the pictures and the text that they can understand to be very enjoyable and educational. It is a book that most anyone will reach for again and again through the years!

The field bible on marine mammals
This book is universally recognised in the whale conservation world as the best of all field guides to whales, dolphins and porpoises. It has no peer for accuracy of information, and the drawings of species are the most reliable you can find. The organisation I am with, the Whale and Seal Foundation, gives a copy to every student in our marine mammal rescue workshop where we train government agencies and carer groups in whale rescue including species identification. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cetacea    2. Identification    3. Mammals    4. Marine Life    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Whales    8. Nature / Marine Life   

Editorial Review

When naturalist Kilham was asked to take in two orphaned black bear cubs, the conventional wisdom was that he would end up with 200-pound brutes too dependent to leave home. So Kilham decided to try his own unconventional method--he raised them in their natural habitat, surrounded by the wild bear-filled woods of New Hampshire. As their bear mother, he was given an unprecedented look into the lives of bears and what he observed turns bear stereotypes on their head. Black bears exhibit behaviors thought to be found only in humans and great apes, such as an intricate system of communication and cooperation, insight, planning, deception, and even ethics, like fair play, empathy, and altruism (qualities not found in apes). Kilham, who has now raised 26 cubs, is an intrepid bear mom, and a humble and delightful storyteller. This is an irresistible story of some of the most endearing rogues ever encountered. Read more

Reviews (8)

Among the Bears: Raising Orphaned Cubs in the Wild
I'm only half way through the book but I can tell you it is difficult to put down. As a wildlife Rehabilitator I find Benjamin Kilham's book informative yet fun to read.

Black Bears are great
I just finished reading Among the Bears and I think Benjamin did a great job at describing the bears body language, and his explenation of what their sounds and gestures meant are superb,,,I have seen a lot of bears in the last 40 years and have seen several of these gestures..This book starts out a little slow but soon picks up and then Icould not stop reading, This book does tell it like it really is in thebears world good and bad

Benjamin Kilham is a complete idiot - He actually supports bear hunting!!!
I've never been more disappointed in a book and I think this is the first book I've ever actually returned.I didn't want this man to get a single penny from me.My concerns were immediately raised when I read that he was a gunmaker and when he made the comment "I reached out to poke the radio on to a country western station.I like to listen to songs with lyrics I can understand".So I immediately look up bear hunting in the index and am soon horrified to read that he supports hunting and even bear hunting and tries to justify it as a valid wildlife management technique!How he could ever raise cubs and yet still support murdering them for fun is beyond me.Torturing and/or killing animals for pleasure is a classic sign of being a sociopath.So if you love wildlife and bears like I do and if you're an intelligent person then you will avoid this book like the plaque.If you want to read an amazing book about bears and two amazing people then get "Grizzly Heart" by Charlie Russel and Maureen Enns.Unfortunately, for some reason this book isn't yet available in the US and you must order it from Canada but its worth the extra trouble. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anecdotes    2. Bears    3. Behavior    4. Black bear    5. Black bears    6. Kilham, Benjamin    7. Mammals    8. Nature    9. Nature / Field Guide Books    10. Nature/Ecology    11. Wild animals    12. Zoology & animal sciences