Reviews (2)

Pretty good
A very good, highly scientific review of the redwood forest ecosystem.I found this to be a genuine effort on the behalf of the Save the Redwoods League to provide a comprehensive view of the forest, the issues it faces, and how it might be better managed.
The Redwood Forest - An Ecological Synthesis
This is the first widely available publication that attempts to describe the ecology of the redwood forest ecosystem. It is aimed at a wide-ranging audience from environmental professionals to the general public with adeeper-than-average interest in redwoods.Thirty-two contributing authorswere involved writing separate sections of the book with Dr. Reed Nossdoing the editing. The nine chapters cover paleocology, human history,flora, fauna, forest ecology, stream ecology, conservation planning, andforest management.As a first attempt at compilation of redwood forestinformation it is welcome and long overdue since there is scant elseavailable.The book includes many new research findings includinginteresting discoveries by biologists working in the forest canopy ofold-growth trees.Unfortunately there are some significant gaps in thecoverage provided (the soil ecosystem is a major one, the importance oflarge down logs is another) and some minor, but annoying, areas ofmisinformation.A more complete review of this book appeared in theJanuary 2000 issue of "Fremontia", the journal of the CaliforniaNative Plant Society.It may be viewed online at the CNPS web site. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Coast redwood    2. Ecology    3. Environmental Conservation & Protection - General    4. Forest conservation    5. Forest ecology    6. Forests & Forestry    7. Life Sciences - Ecology - Forest Ecology    8. Nature    9. Nature/Ecology    10. Science    11. Trees & Forests - General    12. Conservation of the environment    13. Deforestation    14. Technology / Agriculture / Forestry   

Reviews (18)

reading the forested landscape
I have grown up in new england and studied the biological sciences for 20 years and Tom Wessel knowledge and wonderful insight to the natural world is amazing. the book is a wonderful read and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys the outdoors and natures beauty.

Read this book and then Read the Landscape!
See that tree? - that stone wall? - How about that mound of earth in the woods?Never noticed them before?Well this book will help you to discover all kinds of 'hidden' clues that help us to understand how the land was used in the past and what forces helped to make it the way it is today.
Great book
This book provides an excellent introduction to forest ecology.Wessels begins each chapter with an etching that captures a typical feature of northern forest.He then guides us to understanding what one can learn from the etching through asking key questions and making more detailed observations.The book focuses on central New England forests, which he defines as reaching roughly from the Southern half of Vermont to the Northern half of Massachusetts, and stretching eastwards to the coast of Maine.The book will help even beginners understand more about the forests surrounding them, although it helps if readers can at least recognize a beech tree from a maple or a pine before they start.The book is full of so many details that one reading through it is not enough; this is a book to dip into over and over again as one explores the forest.The book includes a number of useful appendices, covering such varied topics as a chronology of New England history, key kinds of evidence to look for in the woods, common woody and non-woody plants, a glossary, and a bibliography. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ecology    2. Forest dynamics    3. Forest ecology    4. Natural history    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. New England    8. Trees & Forests - General    9. Nature / General    10. Northeastern & North Atlantic states    11. The countryside, country life   

Reviews (4)

Agaves of Continental North America

Excellent
- Based on 25 years of travel and research, this is the ultimate guide to agaves. This is the second printing of a classic. - Eco Travels in Latin America websiteEND

The Bible of the Agaves is back in print!
Back by Popular DemandThe University of Arizona Press called this week, to let me know that they have reprinted Dr. Howard Scott Gentry's Bible of theAgaves..."Agaves of Continental North America."This book, originally printed in 1982, is an indispensable guide to the Agaves, a group of plants that have been used by the people of Mesoamerica for well over 9,000 years. With a copy of this book in your fat little hands, you can learn how to brew up a few cups of killer Mescal and weave a mat to rest on while you contemplate the authorityof your brew... Dr. Gentry gave twenty-five years of his life to the Agaves, conducting field research from central Nevada south to the islands off the coast of Panama. Widely recognized as the world's leading authority on the Agaves, Dr. Gentry was an agricultural explorer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture for more than 30 years. I first met Dr. Gentry while on a field trip in Mexico in the late `50's. I was asked to be his mailman. I delivered mail from the U.S. to him and took mail back to post from El Paso. I learned more about the Agave family in one night around the campfire than I could have learned in two semesters at a University.I was invited to a reception honoring Dr. Gentry back in 1982 at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. The occasion was a giant celebration ofthe publication of the book Agaves of Continental North America. Part of the funding for the book was from a grant from the National Academy of Science. A day after the reception, Dr. Gentry took me over to his office to share some field data and photos with me. When I asked Dr. Gentry about the fine points of funding research and writing, he smiled and said: "You know, I would rather re-write the entire book and do all of the field work all over again than I would fill out all the paper work necessary to obtain funding from the National Academy."Dr. Gentry's book is one of those rare books that speak to the scholar and to the layman. Every serious student of desert plants needs a copy of this book.I know that Dr. Gentry is in Agave heaven, visiting with Mayahuel, the Goddess of Agaves and together, they are profusely thanking the University of Arizona Press, for this important reprint! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Life Sciences - Botany    2. Plants - General    3. Science    4. Science/Mathematics   

Reviews (1)

Micropropropagation of orchids
Excellent, This book is the best on this matter, It has the micropropagation protocols for every single kind of orchid and a good explanation step by step with charts, tables, pictures.... exceptional. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Floriculture    2. Flowers - Orchids    3. Gardening    4. Gardening/Plants    5. General    6. Micropropagation    7. Orchids    8. Science    9. Gardening: plants    10. Horticulture    11. Plant reproduction & propagation   

Reviews (1)

A very practical reference on mycophagy and mycology
covers all the basics.. in detail.. includes basic taxonomic keys and useful materials. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bacteriology    2. Fungi    3. General    4. Identification    5. Mushrooms    6. Reference    7. Southern States    8. Mycology, fungi (non-medical)    9. Science / Environmental Science   

Reviews (2)

The Best
I'm an avid reader oh herbal lore and gardening.This is the most informative book I've yet seen. This book has color photos and detailed descriptions for over 700 herbs. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in herbs.

best field guide for identification
this book along with "edible wild plants:a north american field guide" by thomas elias and "a field guide to medicinal plants and herbs: of eastern and central north america" by james a. duke will provide all the information necessary for positive identification. cross referencing the various photos and other information leaves no doubt. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Gardening    2. Gardening/Plants    3. Handbooks, manuals, etc    4. Herbs    5. Nature    6. Pictorial works    7. Plants - General    8. Reference    9. Cooking / Herbs, Spices, Condiments   

Reviews (1)

Knowledgeable!!!
If you are interested in,mind expansion,consciousness,psychedelics,religious/mystical experiences,the un-tapped part of the psyche,and the magic of Psilocybin mushrooms that tap you into that part,then you will love this book!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternate Spirituality    2. Consciousness    3. Fungi    4. General    5. Healing - General    6. Mushrooms    7. Mushrooms, Hallucinogenic    8. Mycology    9. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    10. Popular Culture - General    11. Psychology    12. Shamanism    13. Sociology    14. Spirituality - Shamanism    15. Body, Mind & Spirit / Mental & Spiritual Healing    16. Microbiology (non-medical)   

Subjects:  1. Agriculture - Agronomy    2. Agriculture - Crop Science    3. Agriculture - General    4. Flowers    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Technology    7. Technology & Industrial Arts    8. Crop husbandry    9. Science / Botany   

Subjects:  1. Agriculture - Crop Science    2. Life Sciences - Botany    3. Life Sciences - General    4. Life Sciences - Horticulture    5. Mushroom culture    6. Mushrooms    7. Mushrooms, Edible    8. Science    9. Science/Mathematics    10. Technology & Industrial Arts    11. Crop husbandry    12. Mycology, fungi (non-medical)    13. Science / Botany   

Reviews (3)

A life raft in a sea of confusion!
This book got me through Microbiology lab--easy to understand, and thorough.Everything you could want to know about a bacterium or a species is detailed here for you! I'm not selling this one back!Get this if you don't want to be writing reports in the middle of the night, going "oh, shoot, I didn't look up this or that bit of information in my professor's copy!"
A GOOD MANUAL WITH OLD COSTLY GISTS
This "Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology" has an admirable practical approach. It depicted the characteristics of bacterial groups in a straightforward manner. Using a wide focus, it featured vivid illustrations, which will enable you to reason like a professional. The manual provided a good number of easy-to-master materials. A good reference for little organisms
The book is big and heavy and is filled with useful information for the world of microorganisms. All microbiology majors must have this book in their libraries. This book helps you identify, compare, and understandmicroorganisms better. Every organism is descibed in detail: gram-stainreactions, fermentation reaction, morphology, etc. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bacteria    2. Bacteriology    3. Classification    4. Health/Fitness    5. Life Sciences - Biology - Microbiology    6. Microbiology    7. Science    8. Terminology    9. Medical microbiology & virology    10. Microbiology (non-medical)    11. Reference works   

Reviews (1)

Reveiw of the Filed Guide to Coastal Wetland Plants of the Southeastern United States
This book was very well written and an extremely good guide for field identification of wetland and wetland type plants.I wish there were a few more color photographs, but the leaf ID drawings are excellent. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Coastal plants    2. Identification    3. Life Sciences - Botany    4. Nature    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Pictorial works    7. Plants - General    8. Reference    9. Southern States    10. Wetland plants    11. Applied ecology    12. Plant ecology    13. USA   

Reviews (3)

Beyond beautiful
The beauty and simplicity of the photographs in this book made me weep.What a joy. I'll return to it frequently.

PERFECT PARTNER TO "100 ROSES"
Sydney Eddison is back, introducing _Foliage_, Feinstein's follow-up to _One Hundred Roses_. In the introduction, "Looking Beyond the Obvious," Eddison introduces Foliage as a collection ready to instill a childlike observation and pleasure into grownups. Alexandra Anderon-Spivy's essay, "The Architecture of Nature Enhanced," discusses Feinstein's use of the computer in his images, his talent, and man's love of nature. The rest of the book contains a combination of photographs and such things as poetry, plant names, and famous quotes. There is something informative or inspiring to go with each photograph. Each section is labeled to let the reader know what is in it (Grasses and Ferns, Edibles, The Essence of Green, The Beneficial Green Plant). Feinstein's grasses look picturesque and proud; his vegetables lined and curved and his various greens sharp and eclectic. My favorites are the Hosta leaves (pg 90) and the poppy flower buds (pg 94). feast your eyes on this!
This informative, elegantly designed album of 100 luscious color photographs of plants in all their beauty & symmetry, is divided into Grasses & Ferns; Edibles; The Essence of Green; The Beneficial Green Plant; Leaf Coloration; Cactus & Succulents, & Seeds of Change. It is a sumptuous feast for the eyes, & a treasure for your library.Read more

Subjects:  1. Foliage plants    2. Individual Photographer    3. Leaves    4. Photo Essays    5. Photoessays & Documentaries    6. Photography    7. Photography of leaves    8. Pictorial works    9. Plants - General    10. Subjects & Themes - Plants & Animals    11. Photographs: collections    12. Photography / Individual Photographer   

Subjects:  1. Life Sciences - Botany    2. Nature    3. Nature/Ecology    4. Plants - General   

Reviews (1)

How We Understood the Plants
The natural world presents innumerable objects which humans have needed to categorize and name; animals, germs, stars, storms, rocks, and other huge kingdoms have eventually been broken down into types and grouped so that we could begin to understand them.Such a process of categorization may have taken many centuries, and we have gotten better at it with a scientific understanding of the world, but the impulse has been there for as long as we have been thinking about the things around us.Plants have been one huge kingdom we have tried to understand in such a way, and in _The Naming of Names: The Search for Order in the World of Plants_ (Bloomsbury), Anna Pavord has made a big, magnificent book about this effort.She has dug back to the ancient Greeks, and shown how thinkers through the medieval ages and Renaissance tried to get a grasp on the disorderly plant kingdom, with eventual success even before the taxonomic standards laid down by Linnaeus which we still follow.It is, surprisingly, the pre-Linnaean efforts that Pavord has chronicled; at the end of the book, she gives an admittedly grudging nod to Linnaeus, who generally got plant classification wrong (and shocked eighteenth century bishops, since his classification dwelt on the "loathsome harlotry" of the immoral sexual behavior of the flowers).The story up to that time, however, makes for wonderful scholarship and tributes to the plantsmen who eventually made the jungle comprehensible.
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Subjects:  1. Botany (Specific Aspects)    2. History    3. History: World    4. Life Sciences - Botany    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Nomenclature    8. Plants    9. Plants - General    10. Science    11. History / General   

Editorial Review

A field of common red poppies growing wild by the roadside can transform an ordinary landscape into a place of mystery--their fervent, insistent color seems designed to take the breath away. For readers who've fallen under the poppy's spell, Christopher Grey-Wilson's Read more

Reviews (2)

A beautifully illustrated guide to the poppy family
This remarkable and beautifully illustrated guide to the poppy family covers both wild and cultivated poppies around the world, updating and extensively revising the only book available on the topic. From general traits and cultivation to specifics to genera and species grouped by subfamilies, Poppies is recommended for college-level horticultural students with a special, technical interest in growing poppies.

Poppies A guide to poppies in the wild and in cultivation
Poppies is a well written and well organized book covering the main subfamilies and genera of the poppy species. Illustrations are included to clarify the in depth descriptions. This book is best suited for someone with a biology/botony background. I would not recomend this book to the casual gardener, as it is more of a college level text, complete with scientific names. The color plate in the middle of the book was a nice addition. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Flowers    2. Flowers - Perennials    3. Gardening    4. Gardening / Horticulture    5. Gardening/Plants    6. Poppies    7. Gardening / Flowers / Perennials   

Reviews (11)

Native Florida Plants
I am the co-author of "Native Florida Plants".The new revised edition was printed in early 2004.The new book is not listed on www.amazon.comI think the problem may be the different ISBN number. The new ISBN number is 1-58979-051-0.The book is available from National Books Network at 1-800-462-6420.We hope to see our book on www.amazon.com very soon.This is a great site to get new and used books.I am a customer.Robert Haehle

New Edition
Native Florida Plants is NOT out of print! A new, updated edition was published early this year, and includes additional plants, an updated source list, and a list of family names. Hope it appears onAmazon's website ASAP. (I am the co-author.)

Native Florida Plants: Low Maintenance Landscaping and Garde
As a fairly new resident of Florida I look forward to Robert Haehle's NGA email each month, with his great advise & tips.This book is a "must have" for anyone new to tropical gardening, as well as, the Southern natives. The information & beautiful photos are especially helpful in identifying what is in my yard & what I would like to add. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Floriculture    2. Florida    3. Flowers - General    4. Gardening    5. Gardening / Horticulture    6. Gardening/Plants    7. Landscape    8. Landscape Horticulture    9. Landscape plants    10. Low maintenance gardening    11. Native plant gardening    12. Native plants for cultivation    13. Plants - General    14. Regional - South (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA    15. Regional - South (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)    16. Gardening / Regional    17. Gardening / Regional / South (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)    18. Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects   

Reviews (9)

Tremendous help to this novice
When I started a new hobby of photographing wildflowers, I had no clue on the importance of learning plant families in order to identify them. If I couldn't tell from the picture in a field guide, I was up a creek. "Botany in a Day" was the first book I found that organized the families in a simple, clear way that I could understand and this system has become my main guide for grouping and identification. The herbal information is interesting, but not relevant to my project. I'm very grateful for the help I've received from this book

Good intention, disappointing result
This book could have been a gem for people interested in botany and healing plants, but it does not manage to fill this void.The text is not read by a professional botanist (I assume) and incorrect or dubious facts are common.Furthermore, the text is filled with typos and misspellings that could easily have been caught in a simple spell-checking program. The figures are from older literature and are not well reproduced.The aim with this book, to explain botany in a day, is highly recommendable, but I cannot recommend this book in its present shape and quality-level. A completely corrected, re-formatted, and revised edition of this book is needed. For people interested in the plant families of North America I instead recommend the high-quality work of Zomlefer: Guide to Flowering Plant Families.

A comprehensive guide to plant families
Though definitely *not* a field guide. This book is intended to be an introduction to plant families, and it does a good job at that. All the vascular plant families present in North America are briefly described and identification tips noted. Very few actual species are thoroughly described, though the "medicinal" properties of many species, mostly collected from other sources, are recounted here. This book would be better titled "Herbalism in a Day" as it's long on lists of medicinal uses and short on detailed botanical information. I'm pleased I purchased it, but it would be a inadequate substitute for an actual field guide or flora. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Botany    2. Flowers    3. Herbal Medications    4. Identification    5. Life Sciences - Botany    6. Medicinal plants    7. Nature    8. Nature / Field Guide Books    9. Nature/Ecology    10. Plants - General    11. Science / Botany    12. United States    13. Edible plants    14. Herbs    15. North America    16. Plants    17. Science    18. Therapeutic aspects   

Reviews (2)

Embryology of a spectrum of organisms
This reference, suitable for the interested general reader, does not stress developmental biological principles of a few studied animals, but rather, presents the embryology of the range of multicellular organisms, from sponges to mammals to plants. The reference starts with an overview of metazoan development and larvae. Chapters on the development of mesozoans, poriferans, cnidarians, and ctenophorans then follow. The development of platyhelminthes and nematodes is then presented. The protostome coelomates are then discussed, with chapters on the development of nemerteans, sipunculans and echiurans, gastropods, annelids, arthropods, and lophophorates. The deuterostome coelomates are then discussed, with chapters on the development of echinoderms, tunicates, cephalochordates, fishes, amphibians, reptiles and birds, and mammals. The reference concludes with a chapter on plant life cycles.

Good organism specific embryology text
This text is a great tool for anyone studying a particular organism. Rather than having a topical organization like most embryology texts, this book organizes chapters by organism. I found it very useful in myundergraduate research on the development of the sea urchin, because all ofthe information I needed was all in one place, whereas other embryologytexts had me searching through chapter upon chapter to find what I waslooking for. While it is not the most desirable text for learning theprinciples of embryology, I would highly recommend this book to anyonelooking at the development of a specific organism. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Embryology    2. Life Sciences - Biology - Developmental Biology    3. Life Sciences - Biology - General    4. Science    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Animal reproduction    7. Developmental biology    8. Plant reproduction & propagation   

Reviews (3)

MMM mmmm.Time for pie.
When I was a kid I loved loved loved reading picture books that involved apple pies.I didn't particularly care for pie in real life, but on the printed page there was no desert more delectable and delicious to read about than scrumptious nummy buttery apple pie.I had to grow to adulthood before I really grew to appreciate this particular dessert, and I've been devouring them ever since.Looking back, I was also a big fan (when younger) of the beautiful apple blossom.For those of you living in Michigan, the apple blossom is the official state flower (a fact remembered almost entirely by elementary teachers and school children).Looking at Zoe Hall's enjoyable, "The Apple Pie Tree", a book at combines these two long distant loves, I find myself wishing I could have had this book at my disposal when I was a kid.A tale that examines the step-by-step process of how apples grow and are later turned into pies, it effectively conveys seasons, growth cycles, and (literally) the birds and the bees.
The Apple Pie Tree
Interested in teaching about plants, the seasons, pollination? Read this book.Along with wonderful pictures, you can branch out into so manydifferent science related topics.The apple tree grows, is pollinated, andfinally, in fall, is ready for harvest.This book even includes a recipefor apple pie!

A favorite!
This book is a favorite for me and my 3 year old son.We love following the apple tree from winter to fall with the two sisters.They're growing "the best part of apple pie" right in their yard.It's help toteach him about the seasons as well as the process of growing something andthe pride in having a hand in creating something.He is enthralled by thecollage style illustrations and watching the baby robins grow up in thetree.A recipe for the apple pie is included at the end of the book, butwe always use our own.We just bought a second copy of this book to giveto my son's preschool library and the teachers and children both werethrilled for the new addition.Sure to be a classic! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Apples    2. Children: Grades 1-2    3. Cookery (Apples)    4. Juvenile literature    5. Nature / Field Guide Books    6. Plants - General    7. Fiction   

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Angraecum    3. Flowering Plants (Angiospermae)    4. Flowers - Orchids    5. Gardening    6. Gardening/Plants    7. Nature    8. Nature / Field Guide Books    9. Orchids    10. Plants - General    11. Botany & plant sciences    12. Flowers    13. Gardening / Flowers / Orchids