Reviews (1)

BEAUTIFUL, SACRED BOOK!!
This is the book you're looking for if you believe that Earth Mother and ALL of us on her are important and SACRED!!...This is a thoughtful and MIND-ALTERING book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christianity    2. Christianity - Theology - General    3. Essays    4. Nature    5. Religion    6. Religion - Theology    7. Religious aspects    8. Spirituality - General    9. Theology    10. Nature & existence of God   

Reviews (3)

Alaska by an Alaskan
Many of the best-known books about Alaska, its people and wilderness, have been written from an outsider's perspective (John McPhee, for example, or Joe McGinniss), with an outsider's sense of detachment and strangeness, as though what they were commenting on were just slightly odd on some level. "My sense of wilderness is personal" - Margaret E. Murie
Mardy Murie is often referred to as "The Grandmother of American Conservation" and "The Grand Dame of the American Conservation movement, but somehow after reading her story, these titles barely seem adequate to describe such an incredible and personal woman.While we may liken Murie to women like Rachel Carson or Anna Botsford Comstock, Murie's journey is singular.We follow her from her childhood in Wyoming to graduation at the University of Alaska, through love, into the far reaches of the Alaskan North. "And I see them dancing....."
I, first, heard of Mardy Murie and her husband, Olaus, while watching John Denver's The Wildlife Concert.He wrote A Song For All Lovers for their deep and abiding love for each other and for the state of Alaska.The song's beauty gave rise to my curiousity.And, recently, while watching a documentary of Mardy's life, I became determined to read this book about her life.Read more

Subjects:  1. Alaska    2. Alaska - Local History    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Description and travel    7. Essays    8. Frontier and pioneer life    9. General    10. Murie, Margaret E    11. Natural history    12. Pioneers    13. Regional Subjects - West    14. Travel    15. United States - West - Pacific (General)    16. Women    17. Arctic regions    18. Travel writing   

Subjects:  1. Hunting - Bird Hunting    2. Hunting - General    3. North America    4. Sports    5. Sports & Recreation    6. Upland game bird shooting    7. Hunting or shooting animals & game    8. Sports & Recreation / Hunting   

Reviews (6)

Timeless
This book compiles some of Olson's best writings.In it, his last book, Olson further explores the concept of self-reflection and self-discovery through wilderness solace.His writing will be of interest to anyone who enjoys the outdoors (especially canoeing), but also readers who enjoy general contemporary philosophy.

Best wilderness book
This is the best book ever written on wilderness.

get in touch
although the theme here is obvious. the thing i liked best about this book was how it brought attention to the many overlooked things in life. a must read for outdoor enthusiasts ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Essays    2. General    3. Nature    4. Nature/Ecology    5. Nature / Essays   

Reviews (29)

My kind of book!
I didn't want to put this book down. Perhaps it just appeals to me but I really enjoyed the story. I found it well written. Definately not boring. If you like books like: Swiss Family Robinson, A Place in the Woods (Helen Hoover), April Morning, Robinson Crusoe, I believe you will like this one too. The story takes me to a winter wilderness camp and I feel I can identify with the story teller. Makes me wish I had been there myselfto see all he saw and feel all he felt. Makes me wish for my own youth back so I could be so implusive and adventurous.

I laughed and cried...
...laughed as Fromm's romantic mountain-man notions came back to bite him in the butt and cried when it was over!Having lived in Montana for 8 years, I found myself mentally transported back to campsites and hiking trips along with the author.This is a page-turner and leaves you wanting to hear more about Fromm's adventures.

Terrific Read
If you love adventure travel books, such as Kon-Tiki or Blue Highways, this a book for you. Though it is short, it immediately brings you in. A thoroughly enjoyable book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American - General    2. Essays    3. General    4. Nature    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Outdoor Life   

Subjects:  1. Boating - General    2. Handbooks & Manuals    3. Reference    4. Ships & Shipbuilding - Engineering    5. Ships & Shipbuilding - Repair & Maintenance    6. Transportation    7. Transportation / Automotive / General   

Reviews (10)

An Ace for Ackerman
I was assigned to read this novel for an English class and was not excited to dive into a scienc book. But the depth of Ackerman's poetic words creates had changed my thought. The Moon by Whale Light not only capivates the reader's thoughts of the endless beauty of the natural world but also inhances our appreication of well-written literature.Needless to say I will be asking for another of Ackerman's poetry books for under the Christmas tree.

intriguing
Naturalist-writer Diane Ackerman writes passionately about several animals and their habitats in this collection of nature essays.In sensuous prose she captures the experiences of whale watching, alligator sexing, bat investigating, and visiting Antarctica to view penguins in the wild.Ackerman gets up close and personal with these intriguing creatures, using poetic prose to describe their habitats, habits and appearance.Not only do the animals come alive, so too do the naturalists and various people she meets in her travels.
Enchanting
I think this was the first book by a naturalist that I ever read (and it was many years ago that I first read this book) that was utterly enchanting and engaging. Most books of this nature are didactic with occasional leaps into literary writing. Ackerman, in contrast, balances fact with fancy and reality with conjecture; she balances personal experience with the universal; she asks original questions that have no known answers; she merges conversation with conservation; she gives us a sense of who she is without losing the thread of what she's writing about. Not being particular scientific, I was surprised to find myself clinging to every word, reading the book straight through in perhaps two nights of bedtime reading.Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Essays    3. Life Sciences - Zoology - General    4. Nature    5. Nature / Field Guide Books    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Wildlife    8. NATURAL HISTORY, COUNTRY LIFE & PETS    9. Nature / Wildlife   

Reviews (9)

Alaskan Melodrama in the Style of Reader's Digest
I think reading any work should teach you something, and tales of wilderness incidents should not simply be armchair rubbernecking. This book is a collection of true incidents involving sportsman, backcountry travelers, and bush pilots. Their misfortunes could have been models for preventing readers from finding themselves in similar situations. Kaniut misses this opportunity. Instead of an analysis of the actions that saved the subjects (or cost them their lives), most stories are just circular and pointless recollections of how scary it was having a bear drag you around/being submerged in freezing water/crashing a plane in the backcountry, etc. According to this book, surviving these incidents simply requires some really hard praying, but reaffirms one's love of life and/or faith in god. It's akin to seeing dozens of people pulled from a wrecked plane and saying "WOW, what a miracle!!" while ignoring what the pilot did in the last seconds, recognizing the crew for an efficient evacuation, and acknowledging the skill and training of the ground emergency response crews. Kaniut would relate being mauled by a bear, the conclusion being that this was a terrible attack by a viscous animal, but god smiled and saved the day. In contrast, an NGS story I read after Danger Stalks about several bear attacks on hunters taught me (if I was inclined) how not to handle kills and seasonal factors that could emerge in the future that would make bears more aggressive, all the while infusing the human emotional element of these attacks. A serious missed opportunity is analyzing bush pilots' incidents. This book could have served as an excellent resource for this otherwise dry and difficult to find info (you can read FAA/NASA reports, but they often lack analysis, can be hard to sort through, and often simply blame "pilot error leading to..."); but the reader will have to find their own lessons in the aircraft incidents, if Kaniut provided enough detail between the sermons and anecdotes. Thus distilled, Danger Stalks is either just reflective of the human fascination with other's bad luck or a fluffy triumph of the human spirit book.

Pass on "Danger stalks the Land..."
First of all, let me just say that I read a lot of non-fiction books about adventure (Jon Krakauer's books, Spike Walker's "Working on the Edge", Greg Child, etc.). I found this book to be boring and uninspiring. The problem is this:
OK but spare us the ellipses . . . please
I really enjoyed many of the stories that Mr. Kanuit wrote.I only have two complaints:
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Subjects:  1. Accidents    2. Adventure and adventurers    3. Alaska    4. Escapes    5. Essays & Travelogues    6. General    7. Natural Disasters    8. Nature    9. Nature/Ecology    10. Outdoor Survival Techniques    11. Survival after airplane accide    12. Survival after airplane accidents, shipwrecks, etc.    13. United States - Pacific - Alaska    14. Active outdoor pursuits    15. Environmental impact of natural disasters & phenomena    16. Social impact of disasters   

Editorial Review

Helen and Scott Nearing wrote Living the Good Life and many other best-selling books about working hard, living simply and self-sufficiently while saving time for fun and pursuits of the intellect. This is a book written by Helen after Scott died (at 100 years old!), and is a story of love and living and dying on one's own terms, at peace with the world and with one's own heart. Inspiring and moving, this is a "how-to" book about facing life with delight and with eyes open. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Bio of an odd couple
Scott and Helen Nearing spent half a century building stone houses, growing their food, and making a living on primitive homesteads in Vermont and Maine.Scott died at age 100 in the 1980s.Helen lasted another 10 years or so and this is her account of her life before Scott and their life together.
A Natural Conclusion
Having chronicled their lives to this point, it's only natural that Helen Nearing should tell the story of Scott's passing. Beautifully written, I almost enjoyed this book more than any of the Nearing books that came before.
We are fortunate that Helen left us this book
When your 100-year old husband of 55 years has passed on and you, at 88, can see your own end, and when you have spent most of those years seeking and living the good life, and when you take the time and trouble to record your thoughts for posterity, it is surely worthwhile for us, the readers, to take note and reflect on what might be of value in our own goal of living the good life. This is not a biography of the husband, Scott, nor an autobiography of Helen but it is offered as a tribute to Scott's being as Helen knew it. She wants Scott to be remembered as an unassuming, kindly, wise, husband as well as a principled, uncompromising, intellectual radical; she also wants to share with us his peaceful, intentioned, and premeditated ending. Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. Country life    4. Essays    5. Nearing, Helen    6. New England    7. Sociology - Rural    8. Specific Groups - General    9. Biography: general    10. Environmentalist thought & ideology    11. USA   

Editorial Review

While many readers are familiar with John McPhee's masterful pieces on a large scale (the geological history of North America, or the nature of Alaska), McPhee is equally remarkable when he considers the seemingly inconsequential. Read more

Reviews (18)

Great writing is never outdated.
"Oranges" was the first of John McPhee's books I ever read. I found a copy at a thrift store about ten years ago, and was absolutely blown away by it. Since then, I've probably read it another six or eight times. There is so much fascinating information in it, covered in such a beautiful way, that I could probably read it once a month and still find it entertaining. I'm here to buy yet another copy, as I tend to loan out McPhee's books to my friends, whether they ask for them or not. Unlike other books I loan out, my friends eventually return the McPhees, if only in hopes that I'll loan them another one. I always do. Oranges has been away for about a year this time, and I'm feeling a powerful urge to read it again.
Orange you glad he started it all?
It's forty years now since this brilliant little mandarin of a book appeared. Early reviewers (and readers of McPhee in the New Yorker) were amused and even a bit ill-at-ease at the entertainment that the author squeezed from a subject as apparently banal as oranges.
Oranges
First published in the 1960s, Oranges by twice Pulitzer winning journalist, John McPhee got a limited lease of life back in 2000 when Penguin reissued it as a modern classic. And while it's an interesting little book covering pretty much everything to do with oranges, the reportage within doesn't so much as ground the book in its time than date it
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Subjects:  1. Essays    2. Nature    3. Nature/Ecology    4. Orange    5. Specific Ingredients - Fruit   

Editorial Review

Diane Ackerman relishes the world of her garden. As a poet, she finds within it an endless field of metaphors. As a naturalist, she notices each small, miraculous detail: the hummingbirds and their routines, the showy tulips, the crazy yellow forsythia. Of visiting deer she writes, "I love watching the deer, which always arrive like magic or a miracle or the answer to an unasked question."Read more

Reviews (23)

not what I was looking for
In an earlier book, Ms. Ackerman congratulates herself on being open to experience more than most people. In light of this, I found that in this book she is too self-absorbed in herself (ironic for someone who does at times describe the natural world so beautifully) and too enamored of her ability to write prose.
brilliant, meditative, poetic and charming
i checked this book out from the library during the drab winter months of oregon, and i was so enraptured with it that i kept it for 3 weeks, reading it as slowly as possible, savoring every page.it's on my list of books to buy for myself, as well.i thought her writing was fluid and descriptive.i thoroughly enjoyed meandering along with her through her garden and through her life.i imagine her garden must be incredible.i'm no book reviewer, but i can say this: i haven't read any of ackerman's other books (yet), but this one is spectacular.

a gardener's deligh
I read this book from the library and then bought it for myself because it is definitely a re-reading book. I have read it several times now and it amazes me every time.The depth of knowledge and the decriptions of her plants along with the distractions of her life are interesting, engaging and wonderful to read. Diane is one of my favorite authors but this book combines her scientific wordy writing style with one of my loves - plants and gardening. I read it when I'm sad and it reminds me of the wonders in the world and in my yard and neighborhood.I envy her spending so much time in her garden. I highly recommend it to plant people who like to read books besides the plant manuals that tell you how to grow things, enjoying the plants is the ultimate pleasure. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Essays    2. Gardening / Horticulture    3. Gardens    4. General    5. Natural history    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Gardening    9. Nature / General   

Subjects:  1. Hunting - Bird Hunting    2. Sports & Recreation    3. Ford, Corey   

Editorial Review

In this collection of essays, continuing the argument begun with Read more

Reviews (5)

Essays that make you think
I am not a farmer, nor do not live in an agricultural landscape.However, the degredation of the rural way of life and the depredations of corporate agriculture on it have long been an interest of mine.
Wonderful thought provoking collection of essays
The Gift of Good Land is a wonderful thought provoking collection of essays about ancient and modern small scale agriculture and the ecological advantages of diversified small scale farming over the large scale industrial monoculture that prevails in the present day.

Diverse, easy to read and easy to like.
The Gift of Good Land is a collection of 24 essays that were originally written for magazines. The original venue means that the essays are quite readable in terms of sentence length and punctuation.These essays cover awide range of topics.Read more

Subjects:  1. Agriculture    2. Agriculture - General    3. Ecology    4. Economic aspects    5. Essays    6. General    7. Literature - Classics / Criticism    8. Nature    9. Nature/Ecology    10. Social aspects    11. U.S    12. United States    13. Applied ecology    14. Literary studies: general    15. NATURAL HISTORY, COUNTRY LIFE & PETS    16. Nature / Ecology   

Reviews (3)

What book!
I ordered this book May 12th. When I followed up on June 6th, I was informed the order was automatically cancelled due to a shortage of books. It would have been nice to know this or at least be informed the order is on backlog. No communication. Fantastic Manual!!!
I ordered the Seloc Manual for the 1.5 to 40 HP Johnsons thinking it would probably be a nice companion to the "other" manual I already had.I was wrong - -the other one is nothing compared with this one.It gave me the know-how and confidence to go ahead and do major repairs as well as tune-ups etc. that I couldn't have done without it.It's just like having a master outboard repairman looking over my shoulder and giving me little hints and suggestions along the way.Lots of excellent photos, too which are extremely helpful.Totally recommended!I would actually give it 15 stars!

I liked/recommend this book
This book is one the repair shop will hate and one the outboard owner will like.A very thourough repair manual.Good know-how ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Automotive - General    2. Boating - General    3. Maintenance and repair    4. Outboard motors    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Self-Help    7. Ships & Shipbuilding - Engineering    8. Ships & Shipbuilding - Repair & Maintenance    9. Technical & Manufacturing Trades    10. Technology    11. Transportation    12. Transportation / Automotive / General   

Reviews (5)

Adventures through the Pongo on a raft
What I like about Matthiessen's account is that he has no clear destination (e.g, through "some remarkably bad planning, I crossed the Andes nine times in five months")., and hence open to adventure and experience. He writes of what he sees and what affects him. He also is reflective about how he effects the local residents or native Machiguenga guides. I have some sadness that the tribes he encountered (1960's) may no longer be there. He writes honestly, not claiming superiority, for example he takes pistol shots at crocodiles. His adventure down the Urubamba was particularly compelling ... would he find the giant crocodile bones, would he find the lost city ruins? Along the way he manages to accomplish something remarkable (the traverse of the Pongo), and as any proud adventurer, tries to understand if his adventure was historically unique. For bird watchers, there is an added enjoyment of trying to identify some of the birds he describes along the way. This travel journal sets a standard for other adventurers and for my own daily journals.

Adventures through the Pongo on a raft
What I like about Matthiessen's account is that he has no clear destination (e.g, through "some remarkably bad planning, I crossed the Andes nine times in five months")., and hence open to adventure and experience. He writes of what he sees and what affects him. He also is reflective about how he effects the local residents or native Machiguenga guides. I have some sadness that the tribes he encountered (1960's) may no longer be there. He writes honestly, not claiming superiority, for example he takes pistol shots at crocodiles. His adventure down the Urubamba was particularly compelling ... would he find the giant crocodile bones, would he find the lost city ruins? Along the way he manages to accomplish something remarkable (the traverse of the Pongo), and as any proud adventurer, tries to understand if his adventure was historically unique. For bird watchers, there is an added enjoyment of trying to identify some of the birds he describes along the way. This travel journal sets a standard for other adventurers and for my own daily journals.

Eye openning
Matthiessen always teaches,in a quiet sober way.The extent of hisexperience coupled with a wonderful style has always made his subjectfascinating.The Cloud Forest is no exception.Fromornothology,Buddhisum,indigious peoples,spirituality,the environment,to hisfiction... on every subject he gives the reader a clearinsight.Quammen,Lopez,Finnegan,Mcgune,Proulx et al,all in one.Simply the best. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Essays & Travelogues    2. General    3. Nature    4. Nature / Field Guide Books    5. South America    6. Travel    7. Nature / Essays    8. Travel writing   

Editorial Review

This is a most wondrous and unusual book. Its scattered text and stunning photographs convey a spirit of reverence and adventure that will cause readers to recall their own private epiphanies gained through contact with the natural world. Originally published by the Sierra Club in 1967,

Reviews (23)

Desert Island book...
If I had to choose 10 books that I would bring with me to a desert island, this would be one of them.

A nice little book
This is an enjoyable little book full of photos taken by two brothers in the 1960s.The photos are all from the brothers' road trips across the U.S., but the stories of these trips aren't really here.Instead, the brothers pair each photos with a quote, in the classic Sierra Club style.Many of the quotes are from famous works, many are from the brothers themselves.Some don't make sense at all, such as a quote from a deer that's somehow multiple millennia old.Hmmm.
Golden and important
This book is a treasure...golden and important. It is a primer of sorts for living a good and authentic and adventurous life...the bible with a small b for so many of my friends who discovered at some point how big the world is...and how much we can experience if we widen our perspective. "Take shelter under the cloud...while others flee to carts and sheds" I probably am misquoting from memory but there are so many great quotes in this small but vital book.One of my favorites for so many reasons...to be shared with friends and family. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Essays    2. Essays & Travelogues    3. Special Interest - Adventure    4. Travel    5. Travel - General    6. United States - General    7. United States - West - General    8. Art Forms, Treatments & Subjects    9. Gift books    10. Nature    11. Regional    12. USA   

Reviews (3)

Ahead of its time
I think this is a good collection of Jung's thoughts on nature. While I don't always agree with what he says, I found many of his words to be prophetic. In fact, some passages predicting the future are downright eerie.
An amazing collection
I wished for years to see what Jung wrote about the natural world and our relationship with it in one volume that would spare me the hassle of going through the Index to the entire Collected Works.This is that book.Check out the Table of Contents (click on the book logo above to see it) to get an idea of how clearly organized this book is.I use it in graduate courses for Jung and ecopsych students.Highly recommended.

Excellent application of Jung to Nature
Ms Sabini affectively organized Carl Gustav Jung's thoughts and reflections on Nature and Man. It is insightfully edited and gives an excellent view of Jung's thoughts on mans separation from Nature and our own roots. Read more

Subjects:  1. (Carl Gustav),    2. 1875-1961    3. Essays    4. Jung, C. G    5. Jung, C. G.    6. Jungian psychology    7. Movements - Humanism    8. Movements - Jungian    9. Nature    10. Philosophy    11. Psychological aspects    12. Psychology    13. Mind, body, spirit: disciplines & techniques    14. Popular psychology    15. Psychoanalysis & psychoanalytical theory   

Reviews (2)

I "hold hands" with the trees near timberline, and we talk...these women would understand (and I KNOW Jen Bove does).
I have just finished this wonderful book. I read each selection as slowly as possible, savoring every word, so as to make it last as long as I could. I've spent a great deal of time in the wilderness, but never ALL ALONE, and I really admire the courage of those who have. Reading these stories helped me remember what I love so much about hiking/climbing...the trees, the smell, the wind, the weather, and most especially, getting above timberline. As I get older (and my knees more worn), I've become more and more concerned with keeping up with the group, and I thank these women for getting me back, grounded, in WHY I'm there in the first place.
Not Just for Women - an insightful glimpse into those who work in the wild
Not just for women, this book could have just as accurately be titled "A Mile in Their Boots: Those Who Work in the Wild." This non fiction collection of thirty some stories gives an insightful glimpse into those who earn their living beyond our world of freeways, cubicles and shopping malls.
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Subjects:  1. Anecdotes    2. Employment    3. Essay    4. Essays    5. Nature    6. Outdoor life    7. Social Science    8. Sociology    9. United States    10. Women    11. Women In The U.S.    12. Women's Studies - General    13. Nature / Essays    14. Travel writing    15. USA   

Reviews (17)

As a fan of Peter Benchly I found it sometimes irritating
Let me first say that I'm a huge fan of his other books. Shallow and ridiculous as they are, (save the wonderful Girl in the Sea of Cortez,) I always had fun with them. His writing was serviceable and the characters and plots interesting enough to follow along on fast paced stories. With Shark Trouble, although it does contain some riveting true life stories that are, in least in my opinion, better written then some of his fictional scenes, much of the book is repetitious warnings, simplified explanations and annoyingly obvious viewpoints that are presented as revelations.
A contrite Benchley apologizes
Peter Benchley apologizes for scaring everyone out of the water with "Jaws."This book, a collection of essays about sharks and shark attacks, allows Benchley to wax poetic about how endangered sharks are and how we as humans can protect ourselves from these creatures since we occasionally share the same ocean.Not a bad book (not nearly as bad as "Beast" or "White Shark") but not a great read, either.

Misleading Title--More Than Just About Sharks
Yes, I know, scare sells. But the title of this book may deter an ocean enthusiast from picking it up. The book IS largely about sharks - attacks, top terrors, how to avoid encounters, etc. - but there is also useful information about swimming safely in the sea, as well as fascinating accounts of other sea life, such as orcas and mantas, that the author has been, shall we say, intimate with.
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Subjects:  1. Essays    2. Fish    3. Marine Life    4. Nature    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Saltwater Fish - Individual Species    7. Sharks    8. Nature / Marine Life