Book Description

This second edition 'Gemmology' has been expanded and updated throughout by the well known writer and editor of Butterworth-Heinemann's gemmology series, Peter Read. This is a much needed update of a classic text and new syllabus information and sample examination theory papers for the Gemmological Association's Preliminary and Diploma courses are included. The additions also incorporate more recent developments, such as the introduction of synthetic moissanite and the De Beer's instruments for distinguishing between natural and synthetic diamonds.

'Gemmology' still serves as a useful reference guide for gemmologists detailing the latest natural and synthetic gem materials and is an invaluable text for anyone in the gemmological profession.

* Much needed update to a classic text
* Best author to write this book
* New information for the relevant exams and courses with techniques and questions ... Read more

Book Description

As global population continues to grow, mankind must learn to balance consumption and conservation of the planet's scarece commodoties. Geographic information system (GIS) technology brings a new perspective to the challenges faced by natural resource managers. How can agricultural yields be improved without depleting the soil? Where should timber be cut to best protect endangered species? How can landscapes be restored after the extraction of oil or minerals? What can be done to keep land development from choking rivers and coastlines with silt?

This book presents a dozen case studies of real organizations using GIS to address these and other pressing issues of natural resource management.Case studies include: Oregon Department of Forestry, City of New York, World Resources Institute, US Environmental Protection Agency, Chevron Corporation Seaside High School, Delaware Coastal Management Program, US Borax, Portand Metro, USDA Forest Service, New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection, and Southcorp Wines Estate.

Managing Natural Resources with GIS provides a behind-the-scenes look at how geographic information systems are used to frame questions and find answers to problems that affect us all.

Bonus CD - Test drive ArcView GIS, the easy-to-use software for viewing and analyzing geographic information.Learn what GIS is and how it works in six multimedia presentations.See and hear how ArcView GIS software performs basic GIS tasks.Use a trial copy of ArcView GIS software to work through a tutorial using a variety of data. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

More like an Advertisement
I think one could get the gist of GIS from free web sites instead of buying this book. It's not bad, it's just more like an advertisement than what the title suggests.

Good Book
Very good book that explains the uses of GIS in the Natural Resource Environment. Book is very simple to understand yet can also be used by more advanced individuals for exmaples on how to use GIS. ... Read more

Book Description

The history of Alaska is filled with stories of new land and new riches -- and ever present are new people with competing views over how these resources should be used: Russians exploiting a fur empire; explorers checking rival advances; prospectors stampeding to the clarion call of "Gold!"; soldiers battling out a decisive chapter in world war; oil wildcatters looking for a different kind of mineral wealth; and always at the core of these disputes is the question of how the land is to be used and by whom.

Major themes include Alaska Natives, exploration and mountaineering, mining rushes, railroads and aviation, military operations, and the conflict pitting conservation against development, with a spotlight on the current debate over oil drilling in ANWR.

Some want Alaska to remain static, others are in the vanguard of change. Alaska: Saga of a Bold Land shows that there are no easy answers on either side and that Alaska will always be crossing the next frontier.

Reviews (5)

Readable history of Alaska
Borneman presents an exceptional overview of the history of Alaska which isn't mired in the minutiae of detail that many historians feel necessary to disclose. Because of this, he keeps the pace pretty quick. There is an excellent bibliography in the back of the book for those interested in studying the subject in more detail, but Borneman presents a lot of history in these pages. I faulted the book on the maps, which are small and therefore not very detailed. Most readers might not find this too much of a problem, but I like to follow along the trail, so to speak, with the author.

Well told....
Alaska, Saga of a Bold Land, is an archetype for North American regional history. In an entirely commendable fashion, Walter Borneman has provided the captivating details of a frontier state which remarkably remains so into the 21st century. Plotting the economic victories and upheavals, the natural disasters and wonders, Borneman deftly communicates the intimate details rarely found in such a readable history.

Borneman's view is a balanced one where competing interests are at play. In the ever divisive fight over land use and conservation, Borneman admirably selects the middle ground while patiently explaining the potential impacts upon Alaska's future. Such an objective and, yet, compelling achievement is highly appreciated as was Borneman's excellent asides into local characters and customs. Alaska has been pushed and pulled by outside interests since it's inception as an economic engine. From early Russian fur exploitation to contemporary cruise ship tourism, Alaska, Saga of a Bold Land, is a gem.

A competant history of the frozen frontier
Before there was Seward's Folly, there were the Russian fur traders, and before them were the native tribes. Borneman takes you on an exhaustive trip through our 49th state from its geological formation and the land bridge with Asia to the dawn of the twenty-first century. Along the way we are introduced to explorers, natives, conservationists, trappers, fishermen, prospectors, politicians and oil men, among a slew of others. He shows how Alaska has been misunderstood, misrepresented and exploited all through history. The history he presents is very thorough - almost too thorough. He speaks of many peoples and locations as Alaska was explored and the great blank on the map became filled in with details. But this is the weakness of the book. For such a vast land (superimposed over the lower 48 states, Alaska would stretch from the southeast, to California, and up to the Dakotas), the maps in the book, while helpful, do not adequately help the reader. There needed to be more - many of the places are introduced to us as the explorers come, yet pinpointing them on the map could be difficult without a guide. By necessity, many maps of Alaska need to be large scale; unfortunately a lot of this large scale is taken up by wilderness. Borneman needed to give us more blow up sections of the coast to illustrate what he was talking about. It was not until 100 pages after it was first talked about did I understand where a location really was. Despite this flaw, you can't quibble with the author's passion for the subject and the time he has spent putting together the story of this fairly unknown land. And with its role in various empires, exploration and expansions, the history is a fascinating tapestry of kingdoms and explorers. It is not a difficult read, just one with lots of details, but one that can transport you to our northernmost state, seeing where it is and where it is still trying to fit into our United States. A book worth the investment of time.

Readable Alaskan History
Having moved to Alaska a little over a year ago, I thought catching up on Alaskan history would be a good idea. So I bought a copy of this book. It is an easy to read book, and took me about two weeks to go through. It takes the reader from the beginning with the various diverse Alaskan natives, then up through the Russian flag following Russian commerce, their sale of Alaska to the U.S., and the days before the gold rush. From there, the impacts of world war and the advent of oil drilling, among other events, is covered. Much is in here which I had not heard about anywhere else; for instance, who knew that Alaska struggled from as early as 1916 onward to become a state? And who remembers that voyages were made to check the feasibility of shipping oil directly out of Prudhoe Bay (which as you can see with the oil pipeline's construction didn't work out very well)?
This was a good book, and it served to reinforce my vision of Alaska as an "exploited" state--that is, its resources are tapped,and after the goods are tapped out, the people leave until the next "gold rush". As the author is a mountaineer, he devotes much time to the subject--which depicts the enormity of the state. The challenges faced here are shown with the history of railroad construction and other attempts at transportation, as well as the early episodes of European exploration.
The major flaw of the book is that the maps are of little help. It would have helped if he would list as many towns mentioned as possible on the maps. I am not from Alaska originally, so I struggled in some areas to keep a good geographical sense about me as I read along. The maps appear at the beginning of "Books One" thorough "Nine" and often when compelled to check them for a particular place, you can't find it. Nonetheless,if you are interested in finding out more about the 49th state, pick up this book.

An Exhaustive History
Walter R. Borneman's "Alaska: Saga of a Bold Land" delivers exactly what it promises to deliver from its subtitle. The book is a complete history of the 49th State, from prehistoric times until the dawn of the 21st Century. Checking in at 540 pages of narrative, it is as big and daunting as Alaska itself. Though the book could have used more illustrations and perhaps some photographs to assist the reader, Borneman is a good enough storyteller to keep things interesting.

The story begins with a discussion of the migration of native tribes from Siberia during the last ice age. Borneman then flashes forward to Vitus Bering and the first Russian explorations and colonization of the territory. This is then followed by "Seward's Folly," the American purchase of Alaska, which, surprisingly, as Borneman demonstrates was much more widely supported than many historical accounts would indicate. At two cents an acres, it was certainly one of the great bargains of the 19th Century.

Moving into the 20th Century, the story focuses on the Alaskan Gold Rushes and American settlement, the Japanese invasion during World War II, the 1964 earthquake, and finally the production of oil and the resulting envioronmental controversies. Borneman's scope is expansive, and any reader of his book will come away with a very complete knowledge of the history of what remains the last American frontier.

Overall, a comprehensive and well-written account that will be particularly appreciated by history buffs. ... Read more

Book Description

From stunning mountain ranges to arid expanses of desert, America has been blessed with an incredibly diverse land -- and the vision to protect it for our and future generations to enjoy. These lands are ours to view, wander, learn from, and revel in. America's National Parks captures all that is great about all fifty-six parks in the national park system. It also gives interesting, easy-to-understand background on the geological and ecological forces that continue to make each national park so worthy of protection.

Nature lovers will be captivated by gorgeous photos of landforms, flora, and fauna. Families will appreciate the information that is sure to enhance vacations at the parks. And visitors to any of the country's national parks will forever treasure this book as a memento of past visits and an inspiration for future ones.

Unlike any other book published on national parks, America's National Parks is a must-have for anyone who relishes America's natural wonders and wants to learn more about the powerful forces that created them. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

spectacular visuals, excellent text
This book is a spectacular visual text to some of the American National Parks. The size of the photos, and their photographic quality, are just excellent. The photos are right up there with National Geographic-type quality. In addition, the accompaning text gives ecological insights to where and why this part of the United States was designated and saved as a National Park. The book gives short but insightful accompanying text for each of the Parks that are presented to the reader. The only problem is, unfortunately, the organization of the chapters, and a very skimpy table of contents, and the reader can get easily annoyed with these two problems. It is hard to understand why the publisher made such errors, as the problems are very obvious, and the whole book suffers as a result. It is a beautiful book covering many of the National Parks, with super photos and very good college level text, and if you can put up with the problems of a missing table of contents, this book is a great collection of art, ecology, and the National Parks of the USA. A 5-star for the photos and accompanying text, and a 3 for a useless table of contents. Sorry, but the publisher made major mistakes in putting this otherwise spectacular book together. But I will still give the book a 5-star anyway. The photos and text are just too good to give this book anything less than a 5-star.

Spectacular Presentation of Natural Wonder
Paul Schullery presents a book filled with powerful and beautiful images of fifty-six national parks that have been dedicated to the preservation and protection of irreplaceable treasures. This book shows why these parks are so worthy of protection.

Not only are they places where indescribable beauty can be seen, they have also been formed by unique geological forces. From stunning mountain ranges to arid expanses of desert, these are the lands we view, wander in and learn from.

America's National Parks is a celebration of the diversity of national parks throughout the United States. They are grouped according to the geological forces that helped to create them.

Diagrammatic illustrations, important landmarks, travel routes, topographical maps and spectacular full-color photographs illustrate the sheer majestic beauty of nature.

You will also find captivating information to encourage an awareness of the landforms, flora and fauna. Families will also find information to help enhance their vacations at the parks.

Inside the front cover a map of America shows the location of each park I started to remember my trip to the Grand Canyon National Park and my husband's visit to Denali.

Our Treasured Lands
The Rolling Land - Volcanic and Geothermal Forces
The Broken Crust - The Power of Mountain Building
Water Designing Lands - Waves, Caves and Currents
Ice Sculpting Stone - The Carving Power of Glaciers
The Patient Power - Wind and Water Erosion
Weather Shaping Life - Effects of Extreme Climates

This book contains some of the most amazing photographs I've ever seen of America. From pictures of dripstone formations adorning New Mexico's Carlsbad Cavern in New Mexico to Lush Ecosystems shrouded in Fog in the National Park in Washington, these pictures help to vividly describe each park. I remember once having an argument with someone over the fact that there were rainforests near where I lived in Washington and no one would believe me. Well, here is proof!

I was also especially interested in looking up the Painted Desert we visited once on a trip across America after college. At the time, I didn't actually realize I was in the Petrified Forest national Park in Arizona because technically, we were just driving right through and I wasn't paying attention.

This book has helped to bring a new awareness to my own life and also encourages a desire for more exploration. Now I definitely want to see Mount McKinley in person.

Voyageurs National Park looks like a fascinating place to paddle around lonely islands. However, they do say never to skimp on insect repellent. A third of the park is water.

A memento of past visits or an inspiration for future exploration! ... Read more

Book Description

This Second Edition of Elements of Petroleum Geology is completely updated and revised to reflect the vast changes in the field in the fifteen years since publication of the First Edition. This book is a usefulprimer for geophysicists, geologists, and petroleum engineers in the oil industry who wish to expand their knowledge beyond their specialized area. It is also an excellent introductory text for a university course in petroleum geoscience.
Elements of Petroleum Geology begins with an account of the physical and chemical properties of petroleum, reviewing methods of petroleum exploration and production. These methods include drilling, geophysical exploration techniques, wireline logging, and subsurface geological mapping. After describing the temperatures and pressures of the subsurface environment and the hydrodynamics of connate fluids, Selley examines the generation and migration of petroleum, reservoir rocks and trapping mechanisms, and the habit of petroleum in sedimentary basins. The book contains an account of the composition and formation of tar sands and oil shales, and concludes with a brief review of prospect risk analysis, reserve estimation, and other economic topics.

* Updates the First Edition completely
* Reviews the concepts and methodology of petroleum exploration and production
* Written by a preeminent petroleum geologist and sedimentologist with 30 years of petroleum exploration in remote corners of the world
* Contains information pertinent to geophysicists, geologists, and petroleum reservoir engineers ... Read more

Reviews (2)

From an OPEC country ...
Excellent book, easy to read for petroleum engineers yet quite insightful and nicely presented. A great deal of references are useful to direct further reading, this book became my preferred reference in petroleum geology. Highly recommendable.

Excelente libro, fácil de leer para ingenieros de petróleo pero no por eso superficial y además sobriamente formateado. Gran cantidad de referencias cumplen su propósito de dirigir el estudio de aquellos interesados en profundizar en cualquiera de los tópicos que cubre el autor más que satisfactoriamente. Sin duda una de mis referencias preferidas en el tema. Altamente recomendable.

From the Titan of petroleum!
This second edition surveys the science of petroleum geology. It describes the generation, migration, and entrapment of oil and gas, and outlines the procedures used in their location, evaluation, and production. The topics, appropriate for the geology student (and cyber-cadet seeking abiogenic petroleum anywhere in the universe), include requisite basic material from the fields of petroleum engineering and geophysics. The eight colour plates are packed with useful information.

Selley's writing style is most welcome. ... Read more

Book Description

"We can place this book on the shelf that holds the writings of Thoreau and John Muir." San Francisco Chronicle

These astonishing portraits of the natural world explore the breathtaking diversity of the unspoiled American landscape -- the mountains and the prairies, the deserts and the coastlines. A stunning tribute to our land and a bold challenge to protect the world we love.
... Read more

Reviews (44)

The Danger To Nature Is Our Nonparticipation
There are few books on conservation, wildlife and nature that haven't been quickly obsoleted, are hoplessly trapped in period pop cultural amber, are fronts for naive political extremism or are simply irrelevant.

Aldo Leopold's "A Sand County Almanac" is one of those few; composed of illuminating vignettes dealing with practical knowledge of and experience in the North American wilderness, thoughtful critiques of today's accepted notions of wildlife and land "management," and the realistic acceptance of the human role as a predator within nature's massive food chain. Leopold believed humanity's ever-increasing physical and psychological isolation from full but equal participation in all parts of the natural world's reality--its beauty and wonder as well as its cruelty and danger--has been to its severe detriment.

This trend, to him, is leading us to environmental carelessness, colossal misuse and waste of natural resources, and, worst of all, gives rise to an aberrant social ideology reveling in the fatuous cartoon fantasy of nature being a big, happy, perpetually peaceful commune if only humans weren't there. After looking at our sad record of pollution, repeated habitat destruction, poaching, overfishing and listening to the endless, arrogant prattle of government bureaucrats, pop conservationists and so-called animal rights activists, it seems Leopold is indeed a prophet for our times

What Do You Value?
An American classic, A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold extolls the highest virtues attainable in nature when Homo sapiens adopt a land ethic, which recognizes that, regardless of economic considerations, the preservation of the natural environment is an obligation. Leopold introduces the reader to wildlife and the land on a personal level, while stressing the fact that a communal relationship exists between human beings and the earth. Instead of presenting people as domineering conquerors over the environment, Leopold explains that humans are interdependent members of an energy circuit called the biota, which consists of all living animals and plants.

It is easy to see why this book, A Sand County Almanac, is still quoted today. Has the United States or the world considered instituting a land ethic? Are major decisions involving mining, farming, manufacturing, hydroelectric power, housing construction, waste disposal, recreation, and nuclear energy utilizing a universal land ethic? Why not? Has the scientific world given modern society the answers concerning land and water renewal or how to prevent animal extinction? All of the basic philosophical arguments presented in Leopold's book are still being pondered by conservationists today. Besides explaining why a land ethic is needed, this book is an indictment upon each generation that reads it and yet does nothing. Not only is Leopold's text a good read, but it is also an essential one.

Marilyn Glaser, Student
Great Basin College

A poetic journey for the diehard environmentalist
Are you one of those people who actually likes to read Thoreau? Well then you're missing out! Aldo Leopold is sooooo much better. Leopold's writing is poetic yet it also calls the common person to action. Likewise Leopold walks the walk when it comes to protecting the environment. While this book isn't exactly page turning, if you like authors like Thoreau, then you should definitely check out The Sand County Almanac, which is the bible to environmentalists. Random Excerpts:: There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot. These essays are the delights and dilemmas of one who cannot...the opportunity to see geese is more important than television, and the chance to find a pasque-flower is a right as inalienable as free speech. ___Is education possibly a process of trading awareness for things of lesser worth? The goose who trades his is soon a pile of feathers.:: If you are a die hard environmentalist (or you just like to read poetic stuff) this book is for you.

An Environmental Classic
Aldo Leopold summarizes many environmental movements within this compilation of essays. The Sand County Almanac was one of those university-assigned books that I could not part with and still have today. A must read if you are interesed in the mind of the Wisconsin borne man who set aside the first designated wilderness in New Mexico.

A whole different world existing so near & yet so far.
A fine work in which Aldo Leopold personifies all the creatures & flora living in the forest. He knew even then, in the 1940's that their world was at risk, from us & they would lose. As a learning exercise it works & I recommend it espcially to high school students.
The division of the tape into 12 months serving as chapters is also effective as is continiuing story of the felling of a great tree. As they cut deeper we are taken back in time.
A good tape to relax with. Stewart Udalls narration is just right. ... Read more

Book Description

Dozens of stories, legends and tales by a man who lived with the Blackfeet Indians in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Amazing legends told so vividly the reader can actually picture what is happening.

Schultz was well regarded by the Blackfeet and this book is considered a valuable collection of Blackfeet history. ... Read more

Book Description

For centuries, diamonds have symbolized wealth, prestige and love; however, behind those symbols lies a world of deceit, monopoly and war.

Hart follows the diamond trail around the globe, from the basement room where Gabi Tolkowsky, the world's greatest diamond cutter, faced the 599-carat Centenary diamond, to the fogbound smugglers' paradise of Africa's Diamond Coast. He records the heroic struggle of the 24-year old woman who discovered a multibillion dollar diamond mine on the Arctic Circle and describes the company that feared her most, masterminds of the great and shadowy diamond cartel.

Combining history, science, business, and adventure, Diamond captures the essence of this priceless gem and the world that surrounds it. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Hart's "Diamond" a good read, except for one thing...
Matthew Hart's "Diamond" provided an interesting and entertaining glimpse into the world of the diamond trade. Rather than giving a detailed treatment of the geology of diamonds and the history the diamond business, the author covers these in broad strokes, while highlighting key people and events that have shaped the diamond industry worldwide. More attention is given to recent events (nineties through to present), especially the diamond discoveries in the Canadian Arctic. Overall, it is a very readable book. However, I was quite disappointed by the utter lack of even a passing mention of man-made diamonds. I know there is an interesting story behind the development of the technology for making synthetic diamonds, and the impact they have had on the diamond industry.

A tale of carats, cartels, and "Conflict Diamonds"
There are various different levels of appeal with this book. Persons interested in the hard surface of the science in this business will enjoy reading about mineralogy, how to select excavation sites, and what constitutes a good "kimberlite pipe" which is the cone-shaped geological feature comprised of diamond bearing strata. Those that find the sparkle of a financial story appealing will be captivated from the first chapter, when Hart describes the bonanza that came the way of three small-time Brazilian miners. They uncovered a 81-carat pink diamond and ended up netting a glittering sum of 2 million. There are stories that have a bit of a rough edge to them and also required a bit of digging into the past. History buffs will approve. Here Hart is talking about the secretive and somewhat clouded history of the DeBeers cartel and it's current attempts to maintain control of 80% of the world's rough diamonds. What other term but "chipping away" could best describe the chapter on Eira Thomas, a young female geologist who discovered a huge cluster of high-grade diamond pipes in the Canadian Actic. This discovery more than anything else has begun to loosen DeBeer's grip on the industry. And finally for those who wish to get down in the trenches there are the descriptions of the "diamond conflicts". This is the warfare in Angola and Sierra Leone that is finaced by diamond revenues. Here we see the dirty and bloody side of the story.

Characters abound. The founders of DeBeers - Cecil Rhodes, Barney Barnato and Ernest Oppenheimer, the "garimpeiros" or miners of Brazil and Eira Thomas. The journey is around the world, from South Africa, Angola, and Sierra Leone, to Siberia, London, and the Canadian arctic. DIAMOND: A JOURNEY TO THE HEART OF AN OBSESSION is an appropriate title for the contents of this well written and very informative book.

Story of a cold blooded love affair
This is a good general account of the modern day diamond business, with the right mix of technical detail and story telling. The reader learns about how diamonds are formed, found and exploited, as well as the romance and large personalities behind the trade. As with most accounts of the gem-trade, the story inevitably revolves around the Goliath of the industry - the de Beers cartel, but Hart goes a long way to explaining how they rose to eminence and how they manage to exert so much control, even if this control is now waning. He also includes interesting details on the differing stages of diamond sales, from the selling of 'rough' to the marketing of the finished article that most of us associate with diamonds.

Hart is to be commended for including a section on conflict diamonds, and how the trade in these is effecting the lives of thousands for the worse. He is cynical about how much the industry will do to stop the trade of these tainted gems, but the reader gets the feeling that his cynicism is not misplaced - much of his story is taken up with the greed and backstabbing involved in the search for and trading of this precious commodity. This definitely is a cold blooded love affair. But Hart manages to tell it as it is, leaving the reader to decide if diamonds really are worth the trouble and money that they currently command.

There are few complaints about this book, only minor quibbles. One is very partisan - I would have liked to have read more about the Argyle diamonds of Australia, and how they have been attempting to make brown diamonds (champagne and cognacs to be more romantic) fashionable. I also would have expected more on the trading houses of Antwerp and Tel Aviv, but Hart was obviously more concerned with the swashbuckling nature of exploration. But as stated, these are minor quibbles - this is still a fascinating read.

A good book that makes you want to know more
After reading "Diamond", I wanted to know more. More about what the diamond trade has done for (and to) the people of Africa, about what the search for diamonds has done to the environment of Canada, and about what the whole of the diamond trade means to the world economy. What would a diamond really be worth today were it not for DeBeers? How and why did Cecil Rhodes start endow the Rhodes scholor program at Oxford?

A natural-born focus for human aspiration
I've become a real fan of that most ubiquitous form of covalent elemental carbon, since I've had the good fortune in my progress in years to acquire a few moderately-priced examples thereof and "live with them" in daily life. It is the incredible aesthetic appeal of the actual article of commerce that has propelled me into the recreational study that lead me to Hart's entry into the peripheral commentary. When I find myself "on" to something, I'll usually go cover-to-cover in a couple of days, which was the case here, so maybe I should rate the book a full 5 stars. I guess I could have been spared all the talk about Canada and the various financial intrigues of the many historical personalities in the business, but I was there for my own sight, upon diamonds, in and for themselves, and cannot say I was disappointed. Obsession is clearly the word for these objects, formed by the strange physical chemistry of the inner earth and now-vanished epochs of planet-building, and brought through immense effort to the full light of appreciation by the artisanry of such folks as we read about in chapters 10 and 11, which were my favorites. Anyone who touches the "provenance" of a diamond, from discovery to end-use, must necessarily take a share in just what the item will become in its own unending lifetime, be it the likes of the Tolskowskys to the barest of entry-level polishers in Gujarat, India. I would have liked to have read a little more on the modern-day prospects for maintaining price stability, especially in view of the kind of crushing potential from second-hand goods that must exist, should the population that has been sold on the diamond's perpetuity somehow decide that other, more weighty needs should direct their asset-retention decisions. Every polished stone, it is true, has something of a spiritual transcendance, and while Hart works to show us that the torrent of rough from the world's pipes shows no sign of lessening, he also has some of the diamantaire's reverent respect, of just what potential there is for that individual token, of vanishingly-small weight, that any person of any strength can carry and conceal. It would seem that in the diamond, human nature has formed a perfect bond with nature itself. I have to wonder, too, if the developments in large synthetic gems were simply too new at the time of Hart's writing to give them the kind of attention they deserve. It is, after all, the most colorless of the non-included that draws the greatest price, and what of the likes of General Electric, should they wind up being able to peddle unadulterated tetrahedral carbon by the bushel? Also, Mr. Hart could have treated us to a bit more about the final consumer industry, whereby the millions of polished diamonds see some of their greatest increase in financial clout. "What might now be in the back of the minds of the movers and the shakers?", I was left wondering when I finished the book. Is the fantasy sustainable? Well, for someone bent on building a lucrative enterprise of woefully-temporal currency upon what is for the admiring possessor a true taste of the immortal, the diamond was made to order. My thirst, though slaked for a moment, will continue, for the diamond beckons inexorably forth. ... Read more

Book Description

Like the highest mountain peaks, deserts are environments that can be inhospitable even to the most seasoned explorers. As Craig Childs makes clear in this highly praised book, there are two easy ways to die in the desert: thirst or drowning. His extraordinary treks through arid lands in search of water - mysterious solitary water holes, a network of streams that flow only at night, a gushing fountain that conceals a hidden lake, serene and otherworldy - are an astonshing revelation of the natural world at its most extreme. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

A wonderful guide to the desert
What John McPhee did for North American geology in "Annals of the Former World", Craig Childs does for the deserts of the southwestern U.S. in "The Secret Knowledge of Water". Childs does it better, however: he writes as a son of the desert, one whose intimate knowledge and love of the land and its ways percolate up through these pages like the waters of a favorite desert spring. And he shares his admiration and respect for the desert in a lyric prose that delights as much as it informs.

Childs has worked as a guide and teacher in this area of the country. That he wrote a book based on his knowledge of the terrain is not all that surprising, but his ability to provide a guided tour on paper and to paint word pictures of desert scenes like a novelist would is extraordinary. The successive sections of the book stand on their own as introductions to the desert world and, particularly, to the nature and role of water in the desert. But they also peel away a layer at a time, revealing more and more fascinations as he leads through the book. So we are treated at the start to an account of what John Wesley Powell called the "Thousand Wells" area of the Arizona-Utah border, a collection of potholes, or "waterpockets", each containing hundreds (or thousands) of gallons of water and found sitting on the surface of the land in one of the least likely places on the planet for water to be. But from there we are treated to more delights: underground reservoirs that bubble up to the surface in springs or spout out from a rock face in a waterfall; arroyos that carve the desert into creeks and then disappear; canyons that channel even modest rainfall into floods that are as fierce as they are fickle. Childs' prose is full of wonder and an eye for detail; he can get new-agey at times, though, especially in how often and how strongly he personifies water, and the account he tells of child sacrifice to stop a flood can be either poignant or horrifying, depending on one's point of view. So the accounts hit some bumps here and there, but nothing hard enough to make the jeep he's taking us around in bend an axle.

I have been to, or near, some of the places Childs describes in Secret Knowledge and, as a lifelong resident of the well-watered east, naturally missed every single feature he wrote about. So next time I go, I will be sure to bring this book along to point the way to some of the hidden gems of the desert. It's like having the best tour guide ever lead you around personally, but on the cheap.

A Pleasurable and Informative Read!
"The Secret Knowledge of Water" is prose poetry, without a single word wasted. Three or four months after reading it, many of the images are still in my head: images of ancient trails to waterholes; large, unexpected swimming holes, microbes so hardy their environment can go dry and they just curl up and wait...

This book will become even more valuable and compelling as drinking water supplies diminish in quality and quantity. Childs leads us with great flair to a subject of unparalleled importance. His musings blend with touches of humor, history and fascinating naturalism. "Secret Knowledge" should be on every nightstand and in every science (and literature) classroom. It's truly a work of art!

A Fascinating Read!
I've lived in the desert, I've hiked in the desert, I've camped in the desert and I've cursed the desert but nothing I have read before made me understand and love the desert like The Secret Knowledge of Water does.
Until I read Craig Childs' essay, I never gave much thought to water in the desert except that without it you die. Childs paints a vivid picture of the juxtaposition of desert and water in all of its manifestations. I can still picture the pools of water in the tinajas of the barren, sun-baked Cabeza Prieta and the thunderstorm-fed floods on the Arizona Strip. I can feel the terror he must have felt squatting on a ledge in a feeder canyon of the Grand Canyon as flood waters rose and swirled around him and his relief as they receded, leaving behind tons of debris. I can also feel his awe at the power and majesty of nature at the same time. I can feel his exhilaration as he bathes in a deep, cool waterpocket after a long day's hike. And I can sense his deep respect for the original peoples of the desert and how they have adapted to its caprice.
It is obvious from his style that Childs has an abiding love for the desert. If you know and love the desert, you will find The Secret Knowledge of Water a fascinating read and come away with new respect for the desert and for the waters which both nurture and shape it.

Vicarious desert travel
For desert hikers, the only substitute for "being there" is to be there through someone else's eyes. Childs has opted for a life that few can or will choose...although many of us may wish we had. His experiences are uncommon enough that a simple telling would be sufficient to keep the reader engaged. I could actually feel fear myself during his description of entry into a canyon-side spring against the flow...40 stories up. This book will keep me going a while longer while I wait to get back to this landscape again.

Close to Land, Close to Water
In the southwest, as one strives to get closer to the land it becomes necessary to get ever closer to the knowledge of water that Childs writes of here. Thirst in the desert without this knowledge of water will fan a killing panic long before any real threat of deadly dehydration. Beyond survival though, Childs shares beauty, science, historical anecdote and research in a nice balance.

Every few generations, Childs tells us, civilization sends someone into the desert to gain and map the knowledge of water. In this generation, we are grateful Childs was chosen. Facsinating. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Good hagiography of a controversial man
This is a good introduction to the theories and life of Viktor Schauberger, an Austrian naturalist and inventor. Born in 1885, Schauberger started life as a forester who tried to understand and copy Nature. From watching mountain streams he developed unorthodox theories based on vortex movement about water and its use. He started out designing highly efficient log flumes that used water in vortex motion and at its densest temperature of 4 degrees Centigrade. He then proposed cleaning up the Rhine River by rebuilding the natural curves which stimulate vortex motion in the water. He said that this vortex motion in the Earth caused spring water to be more alive than plain water. He believed that plants grew better in this living water and developed laboratory sized egg-shaped water energizers to activate water.

He also developed theories about the harmfulness of iron and steel tools in agriculture and proposed replacing them with copper ones. He designed an egg-shaped composter that was supposed to develop Noble compost which would be much more beneficial in gardens.

Around the Second World War his theories and experiments take a much different direction and he starts talking about Implosion energy as opposed to combustion explosion energy. He starts developing machines that generate more energy than they use and that run on water and air. Out of this research he claims to have developed a domestic power station that generates large outputs of energy from slight streams of running water. Even more fantastic is a flying saucer that used a 1/20 horsepower electric motor as a starter and then ran on the surrounding flow of air. The research on these inventions was destroyed at the end of the war. Schauberger and his son Walter never seem to have been able to find the resources to develop working models again.

Today his theories on vortex motion of water are taught at the Anthroposophical Emerson College in England. His copper farming tools are sold from the school his son Walter started, the Pythagoras Kepler Schule in Austria. His water, forestry, and farming theories have been accepted by Biodynamic Farming communities and may be helpful to organic farmers today.

There are two appendices at the end of the book by New Age science experts on the underlying theories of vortex energy. I find these actually detract from the book rather than help it. A Bibliography also is less than useful. Most of the sources are to obscure journals or original Austrian publications. These types of resources are less than helpful in such an introductory text.

Perfect Start for anyone interested in Learning about Water
I agree that this book is only a brief introduction into the thoughts of Schauberger but hopefully many people are inspired by this book to move forward into the area of water research in an effort to uncover many more truths about what really makes water healthy.

Unfortunately there is so much...on the market, evolving around new-age water products, which in-no-way copy Mother Nature as Viktor had stressed. All these people need to purchase this book in order to obtain some form of initial clarity if they are going to be involved in water research or water products of any kind. Living-water; revitalized-water; restructured water; clustered & micro-clustered-water; alkaline water; Pi-water; crystal-water; snowflake-water; cupcake-water; energized-water; polarized-water; magnetized-water; and all the many others that are on the market have obviously never read any of Viktor's work or at least understood it. Let us all use Viktor's work as a basis to change the planet and make this world a better place to live.

An Excellent Appetizer, Please Pass the Main Course
This is an excellent, brief introduction to the thought of Viktor Schauberger, and I hope it inspires works which are more complete. Callum Coates' books reach in this direction, but what is really needed are more people to read these books, synthesize their information, and come up with new and original books which take us further into depth in these areas. This will probably involve synthesizing the work of Schauberger, Grander, Bienveniste, and others.

An understanding of Schauberger is very important for those attempting to reconstruct an Indigenous European Perspective. Schauberger has the elements of a modern water shaman, and his shamanic / intuitive techniques of letting his body float with the water should be closely correlated with what Hans Peter Duerr has to say about "out of body" experience in his tome "Dreamtime". Although Schauberger lived in the 20th Century, his perspective allows us to imagine back what earlier indigenous practitioners may have been like. The Colonial, Imperialist Europe is only one side of the coin of Europe. We must also include the suppressed indigenous, pagan, and green sides. Significantly, the Inquisition represents a watershed in European history where a great deal of the indigenous healers and theorists were wiped out in holocaust proportions. An understanding of Schauberger, coupled with an appreciation of Steiner, Hildegard of Bingen, Hans Peter Duerr, and others, will allow us to reconstruct what a noncolonial, nonimperialist Europe was like.

Understanding water's nature is essential in this regard, for water forms the basis of our understandings of flow. Furthermore, understanding water's energetic qualities will help us understand how it interacts with the body. Traditional Chinese Medicine, for example, would benefit from an accurate and holistic understanding of water's qualities.

In short, this book is an excellent appetizer, but I await the main course ...

Thought provoking intro to little-known qualities of water
Although it occasionally veers into new-age speculation or pseudoscience, this book offers a rare look at truly alternative ideas about water and energy. The description of Schauberger's early work with flumes is enthralling, and the brief exposition of "flow forms" towards the end of the book is valuable. Search "flow forms" in any web search engine to see some of the sites around the world espousing a fascinating technology that unites water pollution control with esthetics.

Great introduction to IMPLOSION and what we missed out !
I have to say - I got very AGGRAVATED by some portions of this book , because it TOTALLY agreed and expanded on my very own frustrations with our retarded "modern" technologies.

I have ALWAYS dreaded NOISE - I haven't done empirical research on this subject, but my gut instinct has led me to run from & truly hate noisy machines. I feel like someone were stabbing me when I am exposed to a Harley Davidson on the road ! The only friends I really have in this matter I think are the ANIMALS - have you ever noticed the DREAD & FEAR with which ANY animal reacts to our machines ( most notably our motors - be they lawnmowers, drilling machines ... ) Even birds totally abhor the NOISE from our aircraft & automobiles .. notice their flight, as from terror, when they are flying over traffic !

Now I see that IMPLOSION is essentially a NOISELESS phenomenon !! And this is the technology that truly supports the LIVING ! My question - FOLKS, WHEN WILL WE RECOGNIZE THAT WE ARE NOT MACHINES ?? AND OUR SPIRITUALITY IS NOT SOME GOD-DEVIL-CRAP but a PHYSICAL manifestation of the higher ????

" They have eyes, but they don't see ..... " ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent Book!
This book contained vast amounts of information on every gem topic there is. It helped me tremendously in learning about gems. It also saved me a lot of money when I went out and purchased a ruby bracelet for my mother and diamond ring for my wife. I probably saved at least a thousand dollars just from using the knowledge obtained from this book. It is a great book and I recommend everyone buying it. It is a great investment! ... Read more

Book Description

By retaining a strong focus on policy and real-world issues, Environmental Economics and Management: Theory, Policy and Applications, provides an applied, practical approach to environmental economic theory accessible to students with minimal or more advanced economic exposure.The text has a modular structure, which not only organizes the presentation, but also provides a format that allows instructors flexibility and preference in designing material for the course.The presentation does not compromise economic theoretical concepts, but it does complement economic theory with timely, real-world applications. This text is intended to give undergraduate and MBA students a clear perspective of the relationship between market activity and the environment.The text integrates the business perspective in the development of environmental decision-making - a vantage point often overlooked in more conventional treatments. The general approach uses economic analytical tools such as market models, benefit-cost analysis, and risk analysis to assess environmental problems and to evaluate policy solutions. ... Read more

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Magnificent illustrations of tropical plants and flowers
Margaret Mee fell in love with the flowers and plants of the Amazon River basin. Following her first visit to the Amazon in 1952,she returned to the river another fourteen times and painted illustrations of many tropical plants and their flowers in the field, directly from nature.

This book is the catalog for a three year traveling exhibition of some of her pencil and gouache illustrations of Amazon flowers and plants. The color reproductions gathered together here bear a very satisfying, close resemblance to the originals in form, contour, hue and saturation. ... Read more

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Taking both a scientific and philosophical approach to water in its myriad forms, this collection covers everything from resource management and protection to the profound mysteries of life's liquid. Writing on Water is part of the Terra Nova series of books, which is devoted to showing "that environmental issues are cultural and artistic as well as practical and political." True to that aim, the essays, stories, poems, and photographs in this enlightened and entertaining compendium cover a wide range of waterborne topics. In his essay "The Rarest Element," physicist Sidney Perkowitz explains that despite thousands of years of scientific advancement, our understanding of water "fails just as the questions get truly interesting.... [M]any of the most basic and familiar properties of water remain tantalizingly, and frustratingly, unexplained." In an excellent piece on the endlessly complicated world of water rights, Peter Warshall, editor of Whole Earth magazine, notes that for effective watershed governance, "you need the discipline of working rules and a good sense of humor. Admire humans and their leaky canteen-like bodies, and gently, firmly cover their greedy mouths before an insatiable thirst destroys the town." In "Rain," poet Joseph Bruchac celebrates water as the alpha and omega of life on earth: "Long before we / who walk, swim or fly / arrived / this pond was singing."

This impressive collection also features the writings of Bob Braine, Anne Collet, Robert Grudin, David Morse, Eva Salzman, and Octavio Paz, as well as the photographs of Adam David Clayman, Helen M. Ellis, Sally Gall, Margaret McCarthy, and Jerry Uelsmann, among others. Rich in scope and consistently rewarding, this book will be of interest both to those studying water issues and to those content to sit and watch the river flow. --Shawn Carkonen ... Read more

Book Description

Across OECD countries, governments are seeking policies to make education more effective while searching for additional resources to meet the increasing demand for education. The 2004 edition of Education at a Glance enables countries to see themselves in the light of other countries' performances. It provides a rich, comparable, and up-to-date array of indicators on the performance of education systems that represents the consensus of professional thinking on how to measure the current state of education internationally.

The focus of the 2004 edition is on the quality of learning outcomes, the policy levers and contextual factors that shape these outcomes, and the broader private and social returns that accrue to investments in education. For the first time, the publication also provides indicators on how the labor market returns to education have evolved over time as education systems have expanded.

Indicators are not limited to aggregate country performance, but also address variations within countries. This allows for an examination of equity issues in the provision and outcomes of education, on dimensions such as gender, age, socioeconomic background, type of institution, or field of education.

With thematic organization and in-depth background information accompanying the tables and charts, this publication is a valuable resource for anyone interested in analyzing education systems across countries. ... Read more

Book Description

Violent conflict can spell catastrophe for developing countries and their neighbors, stunting and even reversing the course of economic growth. Recent World Bank research on the causes of conflict and civil war finds that the countries most likely to be blighted by conflict are those whose economies depend heavily on natural resources. Natural Resources and Violent Conflict: Options and Actions first explains the links between resource dependence conflict and then considers what can be done to help reduce the risk of civil war in these nations.

In this collection of previously unpublished essays by experts in the field, contributors consider the risks of corruption, secessionist movements, and rebel financing. They also consider the roles played by government, the development community, and the country’s population and propose an agenda for global action. Focusing on what we can do collectively to diminish the likelihood of civil war, contributors to this volume suggest practical approaches and policies that could be adopted by the international community—from financial and resource reporting procedures to commodity tracking systems and enforcement techniques, including sanctions, certification requirements, and aid conditionality.

A fascinating look at the results of important new World Bank research, this book represents an important addition to the dialogue on development ... Read more

Book Description

Although considerable progress has been made in improving environmental quality in parts of the United States, many localities have yet to meet federal air and water quality standards and many hazardous-waste sites remain to be cleaned up. At the international level, the U.S. and other countries continue to face critical environmental problems. As a contribution to the literature on public policy and to help educate students about natural resource issues, this book identifies the likely "hot spots" of environmental policy and presents alternative and often opposing points of view on the major controversies that are likely to be with us well into the next century. Among the topics covered are comparative risk assessment; market incentives in environmental regulation; environmental justice; public versus private management of public lands; international trade and sustainable development; and the relationship between national security and environmental protection. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Geology of Ore Deposits
This book, by Guilbert and Park, is the "Bible" for any economic geologist on ore deposits. As a graduate student in geology, I am constantly using it as a reference and use it more frequently than any other book I have. We used another textbook for my economic geology course, but all of us referred to "The Geology of Ore Deposits" when some info was needed. It is also on several professers shelves as well. Well organized and easy to find specific info. ... Read more