Reviews (11)

What you would expect.
I needed this book for my science olympiad team.It is exactly what you would expect from the Audubon society.Great colors, good quality, great examples. I ordered many other field guides at the suggestion from other teachers.

Audubon Field Guides Great Gifts
I purchased complete sets of Audubon Field Guides to everything for Xmas gifts this year - some given singly, some as sets.Fantastic quality; they were theme-appropriate depending upon to whom they were given and they were received with the most excitement and appreciation of any gift I have given for years.Plus, the prices were far below retail.Thanks for great service and top quality items.

Great feild guide for quick info
i loved this book i was doing a report on tourmaline and it gave me info that no othe book i looked at had ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Collection and preservation    2. Collectors and collecting    3. Minerals    4. Nature    5. Nature/Ecology    6. North America    7. Rocks    8. Rocks & Minerals    9. Nature / Rocks & Minerals    10. Rocks, minerals & fossils   

Reviews (55)

I'd go elesewhere for a broader view of energy issues
The title of this book is a good summery of their views.Most if not all of what the authors have to say is true and much of it interesting. They talk a lot about computers and how they will make cars more efficient and even about one author's theory about how life began.They are very optimistic about science finding ways to handle our energy needs without much change in our lifestyle or the health of our economy.However if you want to know something about how much oil is left, what are the prospects for specific alternative energy sources and how global warming will impact the trade offs I suggest you go to another source.The best I have found is: ENERGY AT THE CROSSROADS by Vaclav Smil.He is an academic who has studied energy issues for 40 years.It is a tougher read because it has a lot more pertinent science and information.He is not given to prediction because he has seen so many fail but he does address the issues in a thoughtful and nuanced way.

A Grand Tale
Huber and Mills tell a happy and triumphant story in The Bottomless Well.Our energy future is secure."Energy technology is now poised to evolve faster than at any time before in human history."Don't worry about the details, the markets will work it all out (markets never fail).The story is cast as a battle between order and chaos, life and death. It is a "chronicle of humanity's struggle against the second law of thermodynamics, not in theory but in the real world . . . It is a story of ingenious valves and gates that flip open and closed, with just the right timing, to push energy up the thermodynamic hill, to structure our environment, and to add order to our lives." xxix.Capitalists are on the side of order.Ghandi and government regulators are on the side of chaos.
Great material but inflated and unnecesarily devisive...
A character in the recent dystopian science fiction film The Island works all day injecting fluids into wires that disappear into the wall next to him.He is never told "where these wires go," and his curiousity to find out eats away at him.Without this crucial contextual knowledge, his understanding of his own role in the system is facile.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Energy    2. Energy Policy (Economic Aspects)    3. Energy consumption    4. Energy policy    5. Energy resources    6. Natural Resources    7. Nature    8. Nature/Ecology    9. Power Resources    10. Power Resources Management    11. Science    12. Management of land & natural resources   

Reviews (6)

Inspiring, detailed, practical
One can appreciated the authors' long experience with marine aquaria who elegantly and with simple language explained larger biological concepts yet provide detailed instructions on how do to what and why. Very inspiring are the suggested biotopes that include among others "seagrass aquarium", "reef gorge aquarium", "pizza anemone aquarium", "rubble zone aquarium" as well as the standard reef tank. These are refreshing ideas that are needed with the current predominance of grocery store shelf-like stocked, overcrowded best-of-the-month SPS tanks. Also contains a comprehensive guide about most creatures possible in a reef tank and essentially makes e.g. Sprung's "Quick" guides unnecessary in one's library.

Think out of the box
You won't have to go over the ammonia cycle again here, though there is enough info to get you started. The title is a great indication of what to expect. This book is about thinking out of the box in aquarium keeping and planning them correctly.
another great microcosum publication
an exalent read for beginers! covers many important aspects of reef keeping in understandable languege.Read more

Subjects:  1. Coral reef animals    2. Fish & Aquariums    3. General    4. Marine aquariums    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Pets   

Editorial Review

With language as colorful as a Canyonlands sunset and a perspective as pointed as a pricklypear, Cactus Ed captures the heat, mystery, and surprising bounty of desert life. Read more

Reviews (104)

I try to imagine a ride along the river...
Edward Abbey is a contradiction. A poet when describing the wonders of the desert and the joys of solitude; then he becomes a strident critic ofhis fellow man if they have the audacity to disagree with him. There is a definite will and intelligence driving the prose, but it is partially spoiled by the rants that Abbey goes on. The book has a split personality; celebrating the wilderness, but using a voice that often becomes so disagreeable that you might want to take asphalt to the park yourself. Finally though the poet wins out and you go along for the ride. I try to think of this book as rafting down the river, enjoying the wonders and trying to avoid the jagged rocks. A little white water is fine; just don't hold me underwater forhours at a time.

A yawn as big as the Grand Canyon
When this book first came out, it started a nationwide cult, primarily of college-aged students, who suddenly became entranced with nature and began to rally against the forces trying to contain it.Although he had written three prior books, this was Abbey's first major success as he relates stories from his two summers as a Park Ranger in the Arches National Monument in southeast Utah.There is no straight narrative here, just bits and pieces from his experiences in this desert land.He also finds time to boat down the Colorado River through the Glen Canyon before it is forever flooded by another massive dam. Although I stuck with this book to the end, I found it more sleep inducing than inspiring.Although written well, Abbey seems to find it necessary to include the names, bothEnglish and Latin, of every single plant and bush that grows in this desert.He even endlessly names the rocks. Then he goes on to the stars! And that trip down the river was mostly repetitive glimpses down side canyons.However, this is a forerunner to one of my favorite books, Abbey's "The Monkey Wrench Gang," as he gives us glimpses into the beginnings of eco-terrorism with the pulling up of surveyors' stakes and the destruction of billboards.I have read the "Gang" many times, "Solitaire" will just be once.

"Arches" Outshines Abbey's Militant Gibberish
Abbey is the type of person that you will either love or hate.There is no middle ground.Personally, I find few things in this book that do Arches the justice that it deserves and I can't tolerate Abbey's selfish militant eco-hermit gibberish.That being said, I'm a scientist and I realize the importance of preservation of our wild lands and I constantly encourage people to become involved BUT I will never become so selfish as to propose exclusion of these places to handicapped people.Futhermore, I could never place a snake's life in higher regard than a human unless the human is a worthless piece of sh*t.So, you can tell I'm not on the majority's side here...I won't glorify this Abbey's book like others have done in these reviews.Do yourself a favor and VISIT Arches and see these things for yourself.Its the most beautiful place you will likely see out West.For something really enjoyable, read anything by John Wesley Powell...won't be written about Arches but will describe the West in its early, unexplored days. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Arches National Park    2. Biography    3. Desert biology    4. Essays    5. General    6. National parks and reserves    7. Natural Resources    8. Nature    9. Nature/Ecology    10. Park rangers    11. United States    12. Utah    13. Modern fiction    14. Nature / Natural Resources   

Reviews (1)

Great, economical, and practical guide
What a value! For under $10, not only do you receive a well written and highly practical guide to things that anyone can do to help slow global warming, you get a hillarious foreword by Larry David (Seinfeld/Curb Your Enthusiasm Fame) and an excellent resource listing of websites, organizations, associations, and companies that are working to stem the tide of climate change. This book is slim enough to fit in a back pocket, backpack or purse - which makes it easy to read on the commute. This is an ideal companion / follow-up-read to "An Inconvenient Truth" as it offers some great advice on what to do. If you're concerned about climate change, have seen Al Gore's documentary, read An Inconvenient Truth, or have friends and family that share your concern - or better yet don't - buy this book and a copy for them!
Read more

Subjects:  1. Citizen participation    2. Environmental Conservation & Protection - General    3. Environmental Studies    4. Environmental protection    5. Global warming    6. Greenhouse effect, Atmospheric    7. Nature    8. Nature/Ecology    9. Politics / Current Events    10. Prevention    11. Public Policy - Environmental Policy   

Reviews (22)

A nice guide for oregon
My last bird book was a petersons from 25 years ago. Amazingly it has worked well for a causal birder. Recently we felt like up grading. I bought three books, the sibley has range maps right with the bird , which the petersons does not have any more. ( my old copy does have that feature.) This was a good buy, My mother likes the small Oregon Birds , its pocket sized ,and color oreinted. I use the petersons because once I narrow my choices, Petersons has more options.
Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America
I have found this book to be well done and put together. I started using it about two weeks ago and have found it easy to use and I like the pictures and imformation on the birds that is given.

Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America
Excellent book and about time.Sibley's orginal book was just too large to carry around so we used Kauffman as a field guide.While his book is also good, Sibley manages to give you pictures of the same bird in its juvenile plumage, males and females, morphs, flying and other variations.You can really get a more positive ID on your birds with this book.I also have the one for Eastern North America for visiting friends in Texas and beyond.The more books the better, but Sibley's divided versions of his big book is a must. ... Read more

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

Reviews (7)

Native Plants of NE
Excellent book for those of us in the NE States and are gardeners. This book is particularly good for people moving into the area.

great resource
A local nursery owner had recommended this bood as a guide in helping me landscape my new yard. The information is great and the pictures are extremely helpful. It offers a lot of variety and not your everday-popular plants/shrubs. I'm looking forward to having things my neighbors don't even know about!

Well worth buying for native plant enthusiasts
This is alot more than a seed catalog read.I enjoyed the Professor's introduction, in which he shares a great deal about many plants in the book, his favorites, why, and how they work in his own garden.Not particularly applicable to me personally was a good deal of information on ecosystem types in the Northeast and wetland information.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Gardening / Horticulture    2. Native plant gardening    3. Native plants for cultivation    4. Nature    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Northeastern States    7. Plants - General    8. Regional - Canada    9. Regional - New England (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)    10. Nature / Plants    11. Nature   

Reviews (200)

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
I want to like Annie Dillard, I really do. I think the world is a better place because Annie Dillard thinks and writes as she does. But, the bugs. Lots and lots of looking at, thinking about, and describing bugs. Some other creatures too, both larger and smaller than bugs, but mostly bugs.
Sublime, Ethereal Prose
Dillard is an amazing writer. Reading this is almost like floating down a river; the beauty around you is so overwhelming that you don't catch everything but what you do is simply breathtaking.
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
This is a wonderful book - it is poetry. It's a book to keep and to pick up again and again. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dillard, Annie - Prose & Criticism    2. Essays    3. General    4. Literature - Classics / Criticism    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Literary Collections / Essays   

Reviews (14)

A must read!
Good for bringing new dogs into your family. A must to read!

Getting ready for baby
This book was recommended at a veterinary conference in Kansas City ... I work at a small animal hospital, and I was looking for a book to recommend to our clients when they are preparing for a new baby.I was hoping for more information, however, about problems that parents should expect between their child and the dog as the child grows up.This book presents realistic training ideas and other options (rehoming, euthanasia) for dogs that just should not be around kids, and also suggests when the owner should seek professional help.

Very good book!
We bought this to help us train our two newly rescued rat terriers to accept our grandchildren.They had some very good advice on introducing dogs to children, etc. that we have already used. Hopefully, by the time they visit, they will be more socialized to children.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Children and animals    2. Dogs    3. Dogs - Training    4. Nature    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Pets    7. Social aspects    8. Training    9. Nature / Dogs   

Reviews (4)

Absolutely fascinating work
This book took me into the grassroots level work of the newest Nobel Peace Prize winner.I was glad to get a glimpse into what the world is just recognizing as the new frontier - the hope that comes from action at the local level which makes real course changes in our world as a whole.I enjoyed the very practical outline of this movement's accomplishments and connections to the growing consciousness for earth's slow, steady salvation.

GREEN BELT MOVEMENT
I found this book to be an enlightening and educating account of the background and work of the current Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Wangari Maathai.THE GREEN BELT MOVEMENT is currently the only volume that provides as much insight on this topic.
Depressed about the environment?Read this book!!
The Green Belt Movement by Wangari Maathai is a wonderful, informative and user-friendly book that gives a good sense of the movement's history and the person behind it. Just as Maathai in her work likes to keep her hands in the dirt planting trees, in her book she cuts directly to the meat and bones of what the Green Belt Movement is about and how it functions practically on the ground.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Environmental Conservation & Protection - General    2. Environmental Studies    3. Green Belt Movement (Society :    4. Green Belt Movement (Society : Kenya)    5. Kenya    6. Natural Resources    7. Nature    8. Nature/Ecology    9. Tree planting    10. Trees & Forests - General    11. Africa    12. Environmentalist, conservationist & Green organizations   

Reviews (17)

Less than stellar
I was disappointed to find that there was no useful information contained therein. While the pictures were very well done there were no colloquial names to help identify species.

Good supplemental book
I own about a dozen mushroom books and have recently added this one to my collection. "Shooming" can be a dangerous pursuit and, like almost all are aware, absolute identification is required. I don't think I would personally feel competent with this book alone, nor any other for that matter. I feel there are better books but these are very heavy monstrosities. This one, like a few, can be carried into the field while the larger, more definitive guides await at home, or in the car. The pictures are good but I prefer a "Peterson Guide" type approach to indicate what, exactly, I should be looking for. My only other personal objection is that I prefer a guide that uses their Latin name since this knowledge will be more easily transferable from one book to another.
A poor choice
I purchased this book becase it said Audubon.Thus I expected much more than I received. I was hoping to identify a few mushrooms I had found in my area.After spending a great deal of time, I was able to identify none.There are far better pictures available in other books.For instance the picture of the Shaggy Mane does not look at all like the Shags I have collected and eaten.All in all, a waste of money. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Canada    2. Fungi    3. Identification    4. Mushrooms    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. United States    8. Botany & plant sciences    9. Nature / Mushrooms    10. North America    11. Trees & wildflowers   

Reviews (7)

not as good as i expected
this highly recommended book started out as a compelling read, but became something i had to force myself to finish. it seems to be a series of lectures strung together, which may have been interesting as lectures, but is not cohesive enough to be a book. the good information is lost amidst the rambling style.

A must read for Landscape Architects
Anyone studying environmental planning or LA should read this book.

Significant Book for Architects - Though a Little Slow
While it's not the kind of book you want to lounge around the fireplace reading, it is a book that is frequently referred to by architects.It is significant in designing and ecologially friendly building in today's built-up environment.Summary:Not a great book, but a useful resource for architects. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Effect of human beings on    3. Environmental Conservation & Protection - General    4. Environmental policy    5. Human ecology    6. Landscape    7. Nature    8. Nature/Ecology    9. Planning    10. United States    11. Applied ecology    12. Architecture / Landscape    13. City & town planning - architectural aspects   

Reviews (6)

A must have
This book is excellent to keep in the car during forays and cross reference with mushroom field guides. The pictures are almost 3 dimensional and most of them show the various stages of the fruit bodies. The photos also show with clarity, every part of the mushroom in detail in their true colors and variations. This affordable reissue of this highly regarded tome caused quite a clamor in my mycolgist club.

Excellent mycological guide
The photographs and descriptions are among the most useful we have in our collection of mushroom guides.Marvellousfor amateur mycologists and veteran mushroom hunters alike.

a required text!!!!
As a long time schromer this book is used all the time. It is not a complete guide to wild mushrooms no book is since there a thousands of different species in the U. S..The pictures are the highpoint of this book, although the text describing what a mushroom is and how to use the book is also a value. I have the 1st edition and it is getting dogeared from heavy use ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fungi    2. Identification    3. Mushrooms    4. Nature    5. Nature/Ecology    6. North America    7. Pictorial works    8. Reference    9. Reference And Information Services    10. Fungi - North America - Identification    11. Mushrooms - North America - Identification    12. Mushrooms - North America - Pictorial works    13. Nature / Mushrooms   

Editorial Review

Covering 508 bird species found east of the Rocky Mountains, the revised second edition takes into account changes in taxonomy and uses improved photography. At the heart of the guide is a set of 646 well-made color photographs whose subjects are organized by easily discerned characteristics (e.g., "chicken-like marsh birds," such as the clapper rail; "gull-like birds," such as the kittiwake; and "upright-perching water birds," such as the common murre). The photographs are then keyed to textual descriptions of the birds' appearance, range and habitat, nesting characteristics, and behavior. Easy to use and handsomely produced, this belongs in every eastern birdwatcher's collection. Read more

Reviews (27)

Not a true field guide
This guide was not designed for field birding.
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds: Eastern Region - Revised Edition
Excellent book for every bird watcher.

Handy Guide
Great pictures Would have liked pictures of the male, the female and the juvenal printed next to each other. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    4. Identification    5. Individual Species Of Birds    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. North America    9. Birds & birdwatching    10. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Editorial Review

These days, more and more people are saying no to "better living through chemistry" and yes to a lifestyle that is less toxic and more environmentally friendly. This trend toward a more natural lifestyle has become something of a crusade for Annie Berthold-Bond, author of Read more

Reviews (23)

A Thorough Discussion of Green Clean
This is one of the first books that I read on the subject of green cleaning and how very toxic some of the household products we have all grown up using really are.The book contains a vast array of home-made recipes for everything you can think of and not just for house-cleaning but also for personal care as well.Annie also infuses the book with her humor and wit as well as her recommendations for commercial green products for those who would rather not make the investment of time and money in making the recipes.Some recipes are very simple and others are more involved.This book is an excellent reference and resource for anyone looking to expand their green clean library.

excellent reference for living a green life
I purchased this book because of the positive reviews at this site, and have not been disappointed.
A great book
Annie Berthold-Bond has done a lot to help clean up America. I used to use tons of chemicals to clean my home, but no more. Her scrubby cleanser was the first recipe I used and I no longer worry about sticking my hands in a bleach based scrubby cleanser to do the job. I love her Castille soap recipe and we now use it as a face and body bar and it also makes a great shampoo bar. No more plastic shampoo bottles and sodium lauryl sulfate to worry about any more. I actually clean my home more because I know that I am not being poisoned in the process. Thanks Annie! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cleaning & Caretaking - Household Hints    2. Environmental Toxicology    3. Environmental aspects    4. Home Improvement / Construction    5. Home Management    6. House & Home    7. House cleaning    8. Household supplies    9. Indoor air pollution    10. Nature/Ecology    11. Reference    12. Toxicology    13. Home & House Maintenance    14. House & Home / Reference   

Reviews (3)

Spectacular
This book is spectacular.The images are breathtaking, and the quality of their presentation is nothing short of superb.Wow!!!

Why reorganize a symphony?
Let me qualify my remarks by first saying that I have not even seen this version. I have no doubt that the printing is of the highest quality, but I have a serious reservation about the organization of this book.Audubon deliberately mixed his birds in a non-taxonomic order to maintain a freshness and an element of suprise.I recently acquired a large format copy published by Welcome Rain, which follows Audubon's original order.The effect is a delightful romp through nature, full of suprises, drama and movement.He never intended it to be a catalog with all his ducks in a row, it was to be an experience.I have seen an abridged, small format edition of his paintings arranged in the standard, dull taxonomic order of a typical field guide and the effect is nothing like seeing them in the order Audubon intended.Rearranging the plates for convenience of listers diminishes this work, and to a certain extent, is a disservice to the artist.While I am happy to see that his work remains in print and is being reproduced at very high standards, I would hope that it would be viewed as a symphony, not as a random collection of notes needing to be organized alphabetically.

Beautiful volume of audubon
If you are a birder and you collect all the great bird books, your collection is not complete until you get this. A beautiful book, contained in a hard case, with excellent printing. A steal at $250 at its original price, now knocked down between $125 to $185. Get this book! A great tribute to Peterson and Audubon. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art & Art Instruction    2. Artists    3. Biography    4. Birds    5. Individual Artist    6. Nature/Ecology    7. North America    8. Ornithologists    9. Ornithology    10. Techniques - Painting - Specific Subjects    11. United States    12. Birds (ornithology)   

Subjects:  1. Carving    2. Crafts / Hobbies    3. Nature/Ecology    4. Diamonds   

Reviews (8)

$1 per square foot margin
For eight years, Lee averaged 110 cubic years of compost per season.Each year Lee added 5,000 square feet of garden.The idea was to cash in on new farmer markets in Boston Neighborhoods.In 1988, Lee had nearly one acre planted and grossed $36,000 and that average out to 50 hours a week or 12 an hour.Don't be afraid of creating too much competition.Growers are currently only serving 1 to 3 percent of the market with organic foods.The number of acres dedicated to growing organic foods amounts to less than 1 percent of the national agricultural land base.Organic foods include more than 200 varieties of vegetables, 1,000 varieties of flowers, and close to 100 different herbs, several distinct growing methods, and at least 10 prime marketing methods.97 percent of the market buys from the supermarket.
Take in $36,000 From Your One-Acre Garden
After five years of backyard gardening and selling his produce, author Andrew W. Lee took in $36,000 from his one-acre garden.That is quite an increase from the $1,700 he made in his first year in addition to that being one VERY productive acre!This is a very good book, covering nearly everything a farm marketeer might want to consider before starting a garden and setting up a roadside stand.If you are considering venturing into the lucrative business of growing and selling your own produce, this book will be valuable.
Great information for gardeners hesitant to sell their product.
I found this book very informative, inspiring and motivational.I have been gardening for 7 or 8 years (started when corporate America was killing me)just for relaxation.Now I am retired and have a very big garden, but more than my family and my neighbors can eat. I'm seriously considering a greenhouse, but before such an investment needed some research.This book really helped me make the decision to proceed with the greenhouse. Our Farmers Market kicks in next week and I can't wait.This book will make you think of things you hadn't considered, the ups and downs.I really enjoyed it. Wish me luck! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Agriculture - General    2. Fruit-culture    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. General    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Organic farming    7. Truck farming    8. United States    9. Vegetables   

Reviews (14)

out of this world!
One can only think the amount of knowledge Don has on bird sounds is in a different scale to the rest. But then he finds the way to transmit a good portion of it with simple and very easy to read stories and that becomes even more incredible. A very beautiful book in all senses.

Book is fascinating but CD is confusing
Criticism of the CD:What I wanted was a CD where the type of bird would be announced on the CD before or after the song, so that I could listen to the CD without having to read along in the book.(I wanted to learn bird songs during my commuting time, which precludes reading along.)Also, even when using the book, I had a great deal of trouble telling when one track had ended and another had begun, so I was usually lost and confused.This is not the right CD for me.

Wow - my ears are opened!

Read more

Subjects:  1. Bird Behavior    2. Bird Watching    3. Birds & Birdwatching - General    4. Birdsongs    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (23)

Birds Field Guide review
The pictures were what I was interested in.They are clear and very accurate.I would liked to have had more detail on the history of each bird but over all, it has helped me a great deal.

Great book
Love the illustrations.Much more realistic than any we have seen.We are lovers of wildlife and a grateful for such a wonderful reference.

A Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern and Central North America
This is a fantastic book.It came in perfect condition. ... Read more

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