Book Description

This text, with its streamlined and simplified content, covers principles necessary to maintain food safety within a foodservice operation. It reflects the latest FDA Food Code and prepares people for the ServSafe® Food Protection Manager Certification Exam. Heavily illustrated, this full-color book provides useful pedagogical tools for understanding food-safety knowledge, essentials, and fundamental concepts. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Very Good Reference, must buy
This book was quite helpful for my the National Servsafe test. It was a good reference, and it had excellent chapter of the microbiology of food. If you really want to know the type of questions asked on the National Servsafe Test get the following which is on amazon.com:
Study Guide for the National Servsafe Exam: Key Review Questions and Answers with Explanations
ISBN: 0971999678
I used both these books and passed with ease. Not to mention both these books helped me to get an "A" in my sanitation class.
Both books are must buys. ... Read more

Book Description

A personal adventure, a fascinating study of anthropology and ethnopharmacology, and, most important, a revolutionary look at how intelligence and consciousness come into being.

This adventure in science and imagination, which the Medical Tribune said might herald "a Copernican revolution for the life sciences," leads the reader through unexplored jungles and uncharted aspects of mind to the heart of knowledge.

In a first-person narrative of scientific discovery that opens new perspectives on biology, anthropology, and the limits of rationalism, The Cosmic Serpent reveals how startlingly different the world around us appears when we open our minds to it.

"The Cosmic Serpent is a spellbinding, scholarly tour de force that may presage a major paradigm shift in the Western view of reality." --Michael Harner, Ph.D., president, Foundation for Shamanic Studies, and author of The Way of the Shaman ... Read more

Reviews (37)

Good questions, but inconclusive
Jeremy Narby's argument is that when shaman's drink hallucinogenic brews, their consciousness sinks to the molecular level, and literally communicates with DNA, the basic building block of life. DNA appears to shamans, and others who drink these magic brews, as serpents. This is why, Narby claims, serpents loom large in ancient cultures around the world. It is also how shamans get their expert knowledge of plants. When shamans say that the spirit in the plants tell them how to concoct life-saving remedies, they mean what they say. In hallucinogenic trances, the plants speak. Narby goes onto to speculate that the world is one vast communication network among strands of DNA. You don't have to buy the DNA-communication theory to enjoy this book. It is written in an engaging, personal, first person narrative style. It shows how science works, how "eureka moments" occur when one is relaxed and thinking about other things. Maybe his theory is totally off-base, but even so, big ideas like this one often spur research in different, interesting directions. We are only as good as our questions, and Narby's question is a great one: What if the shamans are right?

An insightful book that leads us back to the planet.
I found this to be one of the most exciting books I have ever read. Not because of the science or the shaman perspective but because it leads us out of the clouds and back to the planet we live on to learn fundamental truths about life. The appreciation and love of our planet and all its species is crucial to our continued existence and Dr. Narby certainly whets our interest with his fascinating hypotheses. Perhaps, if God created everything and God is in us and all around us, God and DNA may be synonymous. And how wonderful it would be for us to feel that God actually has such a close physical association with us instead of being a separate being living in a far off realm. This book brings a number of important ideas and concepts together to attempt the creation of a whole meaning. Wonderful read!!!

Cosmic Serpent: DNA And The Origins of Knowledge
I have always been conflicted with the theory of evolution. It seems rational, but speciously so. It ignores consciousness, which is senior to science. Surely, any theory that purports to map out the arrow of life must account for our ability to know that we know. Without bringing theology or Creationism, God forbid (pun intended) into the equation, Narby explains a viewpoint that puts sentinent life onto center stage. Weaving together intuition and rationlism, Narby allowed me to dispell my conflict and realize that LIFE is consciousness and is the driving force behind "evolutionary" progress. Sounds corny, I know, but read it with an open mind and see if your views don't change, even a bit.

Incredible Ruminations
This book takes you on a wild ride of DNA, mythology, and culture and somehow integrates them. The only problem is you have to be somewhat of a believer in the first place to allow Mr. Narby to buckle you in and hit the thrusts. Really though, it is a fascinating cultural study that never claims to be true or untrue, it just reports what was said and seen. There is a power to ayahuasca and hallucinogenic drugs of which we still don't know the full extent. This book is far-fetched but in today¡¯s rapidly changing world it¡¯s not impossible that we (from the modern world) will not soon agree with them (from the 'primitive' world).

The best part of the book is the way it personalizes and characterizes DNA. After reading it it¡¯s all you will think about: how much is DNA effecting everything we do.

It¡¯s a fascinating read. It points out simple similarities like the fact that the double helix is shaped like a snake but then goes into detail that I can't do justice to here. If you have any interest in DNA or anthopological studies then this book is a must.

Weird
This book develops a hypothesis that DNA expresses information about itself to humans through consumption of hallucinogenic plant substances. As support for his idea, Narby notes that many cultures worldwide worshiped serpents or used serpent symbols in some form or another. Narby attributes this to the serpentine nature of the form of DNA which is expressing knowledge of itself to people. According to Narby, people from less-developed cultures, especially religious people, are more likely to be receptive to the messages from DNA because training in rational thought processes doesn't get in the way of transmission of the messages. For me, the most valuable observation that Narby makes is that through meditation, one may connect with new ideas and ways to look at problems that the unconscious mind has discovered while the rational mind was chasing down facts. Unlike Narby, however, I think I personally would look for a few more pieces of hard evidence to support the wild ideas of the unconscious mind before publishing them. The book includes extensive references; in fact, there are 60 pages of endnotes and 20 pages of bibliography in the 246 page text. ... Read more

Book Description

Extensively revised and updated, the new edition of the highly regarded Handbook of Proteolytic Enzymes is an essential reference for biochemists, biotechnologists and molecular biologists. Edited by world-renowned experts in the field, this comprehensive work provides detailed information on all known proteolytic enzymes to date. This two-volume set unveils new developments on proteolytic enzymes which are being investigatedin pharmaceutical research for such diseases as HIV, Hepatitis C, and the common cold.

Volume I covers aspartic and metallo petidases while Volume II examines peptidases of cysteine, serine, threonine and unknown catalytic type. A CD-ROM accompanies the book containing fully searchable text, specialised scissile bond searches, 3-D color structures and much more.

* Presents practical information in terms of name, history, activity, specificity, structural chemistry, preparation, biological aspects, distinguishing features, and relevant references for each enzyme; representative assay conditions are also included
* Enzymes are further presented not only according to the Enzyme Commission system, but are further subdivided within each class to include clans and families, based on genetic relatedness
* Provides information and answers on how one peptidase can be distinguished from another and referred to ambiguously, and how a scientist can tell when they have discovered a novel peptidase
* Accompanying CD-ROM provides useful search facilities ... Read more

Book Description

Massive data acquisition technologies--such as genome sequencing, high-throughput drug screening, and DNA arrays--are in the process of revolutionizing biology and medicine. This concise, user-friendly and interdisciplinary guide to DNA microarray technology is an introduction and a reference for both biologists and computational scientists.The authors describe the underlying technologies and offer an awareness of the "noise" and pitfalls present in the data generated. They also provide an idea of the different data mining techniques and algorithms that are available to interpret data, and the advantages and disadvantages of each in differing situations. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Excellent book. Recommended.
This book has a good balance between experimental and computational methods. It provides a description of DNA microarray technologies, experimental protocols, and the multiple sources of noise and variability. The book contains an insightful overview of the computational issues and available algorithms for data analysis from differential expression, to dimensionality reduction and visualization (e.g. PCA), to clustering (e.g. hierarchical). New methods are described to gether with a good overview of available software, data bases, web sites, and other resources, as well as several "walk through" examples. I particularly enjoyed the last chapter on Systems Biology.

By far the best book on DNA microarrays.
"Very complete : covers both the experimental and the computational methods with specific examples. Written by two top scientists who have worked hard at complementing each other's strengths. I particularly enjoyed the last chapter on Systems Biology which provides a masterful overview of current resaerch trends." ... Read more

Book Description

This volume commemorates the 50th anniversary of the appearance in Volume 4 in 1948 of Dr. Jeffries Wyman's famous paper in which he "laid down" the foundations of linkage thermodynamics. Experts in this area contribute articles on the state-of-the-art of this important field and on new developments of the original theory. Among the topics covered in this volume are electrostatic contributions to molecular free energies in solution; site-specific analysis of mutational effects in proteins; allosteric transitions of the acetylcholine receptor; and deciphering the molecular code of hemoglobin allostery. ... Read more

Book Description

Hemp jewelry is being worn by everyone!The Hemp Masters knotting manual is a simple, easy to follow, instructional guide to creating outstanding chokers, bracelets, anklets and car mirror charms.This is not just a project book, it is a complete knotting guide which gives the reader tools for creating their own patterns.With market tested patterns and a little hippie humor, this guide will keep crafters smiling as they learn.And as the author says, If you enjoy doing something, you do it well.If you enjoy learning something, you learn it well.This book has an abundance of illustrations and photographs to complement the clear, comprehensive instructions.

The introduction has definitions of terms and facts about hemp.How To Begin details deciding how long to cut the hemp and how to start tying a piece of hemp jewelry.There is also a section of Helpful Hints for working with and knotting hemp cords.

The Knotting Guide explains and illustrates the Half Knot, the Half Hitch and dozens of variations on these knots, giving the crafter a plethora of choices for pattern combinations.The use of beads and of endings and clasps isalso explained.Knots For Masters presents the Pretzel Knot and Phish Bone pattern; two of the coolest, bank maker patterns ever!Finally, there are 22 example projects, from the simple to the complex, all beautiful, with pictures and instructions for each.

Written for both beginning and seasoned crafters, this entertaining volume will prove invaluable for any person wishing to learn more about hemp, knotting techniques, and making irresistible jewelry.A very interesting book and a great gift idea!

24 illustrations; 61 photographs; 4 pages in full color. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Good for the intermediate hemp artist
I've been doing hemp for years, and this book has so far been the most helpful as far as learning new methods, knots, patterns, etc. I just wish that the book covered a little bit more about new knot styles and jewelry patterns (rather than the projects nobody would make in the back).
Great for people who already know the basics.

Good book for the creative young person...
Our 13 year old daughter has been making necklaces and braclets since she was about 10. We started her off with the cheaper beads and how to books. She took such an interest and mastered all the knots and beading methods she had at her disposal. She then really got hooked on the hemp and the nicer beads. So for the past year or so she has gotten extremely good. She has people ask her to make them necklaces, braclets, etc. She was getting bored and asked for some more books for Christmas. We bought her this book and she loves it. It has some different knots she didn't know yet and also gave examples of some easier ways to do the ones she did know. So indeed this book is worth purchasing!!!

Great Jewelry/Great Teacher
When I wanted to get into knotting hemp, I was looking for a book that would cover all the bases-- and Max Lunger *totally* delivers. Although it's not quite as extensive as I was hoping, (the whole book is only like 50 pages) the pictures, diagrams, and expertly explained knotting methods were awesome, and really helped to illustrate to how-to's of each piece. There are about 12 projects that Max guides you through step-by-step, and if you're new to the world of hemp weaving, don't worry; he doesn't leave anything out. Plus, he lays down the basics so well that pretty soon you're busting out your own hip-stylin' designs, no problem. Overall, great book to get you going...*well* worth the dinero!

super great teaching book...the one I used the MOST!
Hey....just the best book I found on making all sorts of jewelry out of hemp. The knots are easy to learn and the sample pictures give lots of suggestions for variety. I have gotten many compliments on my necklaces...the slide loop clasp is absolutely the greatest way to start a piece. It looks good and is a real pleaser when you give it to someone as a gift. I can't say enough as to how many neat things I learned from this book...I really dig this funky book! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The Bees of the World¿a must-have book
Anybody with a serious interest in bees -- and by that I don't mean just honey bees and beekeeping, but the thousands of other species that provide the fundamental service of pollination in both natural and agricultural ecosystems -- must seriously consider getting this book. It will be an invaluable resource for both those studying insects and those studying plants, for plant conservation is intimately wrapped up with the survival of their pollinators.

This is a magnum opus in both senses of the word. It is a big book, with over 900 pages, containing a wealth of information on bees. It is also a product of over half a century's research and learning by the world's foremost authority on bees, Charles Michener. His efforts, and those of the subsequent generations of researchers spawned from his lab at the University of Kansas, have been the foundation of our current state of bee knowledge.

At first glance, the book might appear intimidating: a heavy tome printed in a small font size, with black-and-white diagrams. The only respite seems to be a series of gorgeous color plates featuring the amazing photos of Edward S. Ross and Paul Westrich. A few minutes with it will quickly show you that it is a rich source of accurate information, and despite its technical content, well written and readable.

Broken into a series of sections, it provides complete coverage of bees and their biology. The first is a general discussion of bee biology (nesting, floral relationships, parasites, sociality, etc.); the second, explains the structure of bees and their origins; the third, bee taxonomy; and the fourth, (the bulk of the book) contains keys to identify bees and chapters on each family or subfamily with notes on each genera (distribution, floral preference, if any, etc.). This is accompanied by an extensive bibliography and reference list. This book will not only help you understand the ecological requirements of bees but also enable you to identify them to sub-genus level.

The price might deter you; it certainly gave me pause for thought. Having finally taken the plunge and purchased a copy I have no qualms at all about the expense. This is an astonishing work of scholarship. To have so much information gathered into one volume is invaluable. This is likely to remain the standard work of reference for many years.

Matthew Shepherd
Pollinator Program Director, The Xerces Society

Bees of the World--A definative work
If you work on bees, you will need to get a copy of Mich's Bees of the World. There is no way around it.

Some 16,000 bee species are placed to genus, and the indentification guides (keys and illustrations) are the best yet.

[...] ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Convinced me to leave the city and buy a cow!
At the time when I ordered this book, I was living in a trailer park, and researching nutrition carefully. I am a mother of five children, and our family keeps growing, so I want to be sure that our family gets the best nutrition we can. I feel that good nutrition is something every mother should strive to give her children, no matter how rich or poor.

So, after learning that untreated milk (unpasteurized, unhomogenized) is better for your health, I went looking for a legal way to obtain raw milk for my family. I started out at www.westonaprice.org (the Weston A. Price organization is aimed at getting nutrient-dense foods onto America's dinner tables) and could not find any suppliers in my area.

I started looking at the possibility of getting my own cow to milk, and ordered this book. In the first few chapters, Joann explains the value of the cow, and untreated dairy products. Then, she goes on to explain all the how-to's of having a cow. This book alone convinced me that I wanted to leave the city and the trailer park and have some land with a cow!

Since owning the book, I have referred to it often. When my cow got bloat, I quickly referred to the book to find out what to do. I saved my cow's life because Joann's words were right there, even though she lives far away from me. I'm so glad that she wrote this book, and even more glad that I own it. Joann also has an online diary (which I LOVE to read) and an online discussion forum that has been very helpful.

Oh, and one more thing, there is nothing comparable to the taste of food that you've raised yourself, not to mention the superior nutrition and absence of hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, and herbicides. It is a wonderful life, and this book helped me to have the confidence to jump in with both feet and do it!

Worth reading just to savor the first couple of chapters.
Why is modern America so dissatisfied with life? We're rolling in wealth to the extent that we can afford vacations to Europe, boats, swimming pools and $100 concert tickets. We don't have to bother raising or even cooking our own food, because multinational corporations continue to discover ways to produce technologically advanced, highly processed food products at lower and lower cost. We don't have to repair our own cars, clean our own houses, or mow our own grass. We own multiple automobiles, televisions, computers and even places to live. We take advantage of a standard of living that exceeds most other countries on the planet. To quote a popular song, "The Future's so Bright, We Gotta Wear Shades." Why then are so many of us taking Prozac, seeing therapists, and finding less and less joy in our daily lives? It's difficult to contemplate, but many of us somehow feel disconnected from our daily existence. Despite being surrounded by incredible riches, we somehow long for a lifestyle that no longer seems attainable. Something important seems to be missing. No only can't we identify what's missing, we don't have a clue on how to restore it to our lives. Joann Grohman's book, Keeping a Family Cow, provides a great deal of insight into this very issue.

Keeping in character with the book's premise, the author provides a detailed guidebook for nurturing and managing a dairy cow while successfully integrating such a creature into a modern lifestyle. Presented in an easy-to-understand, straightforward manner, the book offers up a plethora of information designed to turn the most inexperienced neophyte into a competent dairyman. The book provides details on animal acquisition, feeding, disease prevention, breeding and food hygiene, and is written in such a way to offer enlightened reading to a diverse audience. Joann also maintains a free web site,..., that provides a discussion forum for cow-related issues. If you've ever contemplated adding a bovine member to the family, this book will go a long way toward helping to make this project a success.

Even though these technical topics make the book worth the price of admission, I strongly believe that there is more to this book than initially meets the eye. During my undergraduate years, I stumbled upon a book called The Continuum Concept (authored by Jean Liedloff) that contrasts Western child rearing techniques with those of more primitive cultures. Even though I was not yet married, and had no interest in starting a family, I realized that there was something about her ideas that resonated with my innate sense of right and wrong. I couldn't identify why I could so easily relate to her views on nurturing infants, but it just seemed as if Liedloff had illuminated obvious truths about human nature that no one had previously discussed.

Joann's writings resonate in the same fashion. The first couple of chapters in the book seem to emanate from someone who shares Liedloff's understanding of human nature. Keeping a Family Cow demonstrates a remarkable insight into the cultural, technological and market forces that have produced the frenzied pace that we all take for granted, and demonstrates how the acquisition of a family cow can restore some of the "rightness" that seems to be missing from our daily existence. There's something incredibly satisfying about Joann's arguments to support the family cow concept, and her writings offer a glimmer of hope that we can somehow find our way back to a lifestyle that is more in tune with our expectations, our evolutionary experience as human organisms, and our hopes and dreams for the future. I can't recommend this book enough.

no family cow should be without it
This is an excellent book! It covers all areas of keeping a milk cow for your family practically, clearly, and concisely. It covers caring for your cow, feeding and health concerns, milking, breeding and calving. It also covers caring for your milk, making butter and other home dairy products. My copy is dog-eared and butter-stained, I refer to it often. ... Read more

Book Description

Discovering Genomics, Proteomics, and Bioinformatics combines integrated Web exercises with a problem-solving approach to train readers in basic hands-on genomic analysis. The authors present global problems, then provide the tools of genomic analysis to help readers dissect the answer, thus encouraging critical thinking skills. Short boxed readings called "Math Minutes" explain the math behind the biology.For anyone interested in genomics, proteomics, or bioinformatics. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A novel approach!
Abstract: great and innovative book. I have seen many books, but none like this. It is still concise in this first edition, yet could become the "Lewin" of genomics.
Score: 9/10.

Recommended to students: yes, together with classic works like Brown.

Recommended to Central Library: yes.

1. The supplied CD-ROM is a nice teaching aid. Yet, it is difficult to "extract" pictures from it for teaching purposes. It would be much more useful if the pictures were individually supplied in standard high-quality graphic formats like TIFF, instead of PDF. The later is perfect for distributing text with pictures, but not to retrieve such pictures. Other publishers distribute the book artwork as individual TIFF files. That approach greatly enhances the book and boost sales. This is particularly useful for teachers. Actually, it is a must for us these days. Please, make sure that future versions of the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM are --as this one-- compatible with the open-source Unix-based Mac OS X platform. Thanks.

2. The associated web page "Instructor's Guide"3. The discovering questions are terrific. Please, expand them in future versions.

4. Math minutes are an excellent idea.

5. Boxes are welcome. Please, include more.

6. Also helpful are the boldface words on each chapter. Perhaps they could be also included in a keywords at the beginning of each chapter.

7. The index should be more comprehensive and should have all main entries in boldface. This is important to any index and very few books have it right.

8. The glossary is helpful. It should be more comprehensive,
including more terms.

9. The summaries and conclusions are great, yet should be expanded to include more relevant information. They should be like a "minichapter" an the end of each chapter or --better-- at the beginning. All partial summaries could be pooled into a larger summary that way.

10. Addendum sections could be included as separate notes or boxes.

11. The pronunciation tips for new words are also an excellent idea; mostly for non-English speakers.

12. The classified references are really useful. Well done. If they were commented or "annotated" they would be just perfect.

13. A list of abbreviations would be welcome. A list sorted by the full name would be very handy as well.

14. What about telomerase and aging? What about the fact that
unicellular organisms are immortal? Or stem cells? Or tumor cells? Death is a tax that multicellular organisms have to pay to nature in order to evolve. Yet we humans might change that soon.

15. It should be clearly indicated the organisms with genomes made of dsDNA, ssDNA, dsRNA and ssRNA.

16. Missing bioinformatics tools and step-by-step analysis of genes and mRNA (see next) and whole genomes.

17. It would be really helpful to explain clearly and analyze --even from a bioinformatics point of view-- the structure of genes, mRNA, CDS, introns, exons, promoters and terminators. It is not clear where do these elements start or end or how to recognize them. Diagrams and graphs would greatly help to explain these absolutely basic and fundamental concepts. In other words, imagine that you have cloned and sequenced a genomic gene as well as a full mRNA (cDNA). Now you want to publish your results and for that you do a comprehensive description of your gene (chromosome) and cDNA (mRNA). That is precisely the kind of information that is missing as a diagram and explanation. In this way, it should be indicated that you may encounter several ATG (or other) starting coding triplets in the mRNA, that if the 20 or so amino acid residues of the 5'-end of a peptide have a high percentage of hydrophobic residues, they are likely part of a leading peptide which would be further excised, that you may encounter several polyadenylation signals, etc. On the genome side, the promoter and terminator structures should be analyzed, as well as the intron-exon boundaries.

18. Likewise, it should be indicated the tools and current
possibilities to determine or predict the 3D structure of a protein (folding) from the primary structure of the peptide.

19. Does not mention Lasergene package of DNAStar20. Which genes are best to draw dendrograms? Differentiation between genes from the nucleus or organelles (mitochondrion or chloroplast). Likewise for DNA fingerprinting and molecular markers.

21. Differential display methodologies are missing (as well as other methodologies of gene expression like subtractive hybridization).

22. Large-scale sequencing is missing. For instance, sequencing of single-molecules will allow the sequencing of whole chromosomes or genomes.

23. Missing tables comparing different genomes with full details
(size, ploidy, percentage of genes, introns, exons, repetitive DNA, junk DNA, etc).

24. Reference to manufacturers is very useful. Please, include also links to web sites. Best if all manufacturers are included as an appendix.

25. All web sites (NCBI, etc) and web-based applications (BLAST, ORF Finder, etc) should be clearly indicted in an appendix.

26. It is not indicated that the PCR was in fact described with full details by Khorana et al 14 years before Mullis et al.

27. Please, include more drawings and pictures in the printed book and CD-ROM.

28. Suggestion: including chapters on eukaryotic-genomic DNA
libraries, cDNA libraries, subtractive libraries.

29. Suggestion: including chapters on plant and animal transformation.

30. Suggestion: including drawing of Maxam-Gilbert sequencing method and Sanger method (Applied Biosystems electropherograms,
electrofluorograms).

31. Prions, viroids and viruses could be also included.

32. A title index at the beginning of each chapter would be very
useful. Besides the goals for chapter, which are quite useful.

33. Bioinformatics could be significantly expanded.

34. QuickTime videos explaining some topics would be fantastic.
Please, make them in QuickTime (best quality, platform-independent).

35. All in all, a great novel approach. Keep up the great work! ... Read more

Book Description

From the Foreword…
"[A] must read for all of us committed to understanding the interplayof structure and function...[T]he individual chapters outline the suiteof major basic life science questions such as the status of effortsto predict protein structure and how proteins carry out cellularfunctions, and also the applied life science questions such as howstructural bioinformatics can improve health care through acceleratingdrug discovery."

This book provides a basic understanding of the theories, associated algorithms, resources, and tools used in structural bioinformatics. The reader emerges with the ability to make effective use of protein, DNA, RNA, carbohydrate, and complex structures to better understand biological function. Moreover, it draws a clear connection between structural studies and the rational design of new therapies. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Terrific Book
"...a terrific job in this timely creation of a compilation of articles that appropriately addresses this issue." (Briefings in Bioinformatics)

Useful and Timely
"...a useful and timely summary of a rapidly expanding field." (Nature Structural Biology, Vol. 10, No. 8, August 2003)

Recommended Book
"...recommended for anyone who wishes to develop bioinformatics tools for protein structure analysis." (The Biotech Journal, April/May 2003) ... Read more

Book Description

For 17 years readers have turned to Storey Books for advice on raising animals. Our Modern Way series of six books has sold more than 1,000,000 copies. In an effort to provide readers with the best how-to animal books on the market we are completely updating all six Modern Way titles and re-introducing them as part of our Guide to Raising series.

Written by experts, these guides give novice and experienced livestock farmers all they need to know to successfully keep and profit from animals. Each book includes information on selection, housing, space requirements, breeding and birthing techniques, feeding, behavior, and health concerns and remedies for illness. The books also address the business of raising animals - processing meat, milk, eggs, and more. The authors were chosen not only for their expertise but also for their ability to explain the ins and outs of animal husbandry in an inviting and authoritative manner. Whether readers are ready to start an entire herd or flock or are considering purchasing their first animal, Storey's Guide to Raising series offers vital information; each book is an indispensable reference. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Great upgrade of Raising Goats The Modern Way!
As previous publisher of a magazine for people wanting to return to nature I had read the original book many years ago. This edition is a vast improvement with some 80 pages of additional information and it has been updated to reflect current practices.

If you are considering raising dairy goats primarily for your family milk needs, or as a part-time supplemental income, this book is perfect for you.

If you want to expand later into making dairy goats your primary income, you will want to add Goat Husbandry. Goat Husbandry has two basic flaws - it is more highly technical and it is intended mostly for the UK.

Belanger's book would be more complete and would eliminate my need for Goat Husbandry if only the following two issues had been more thoroughly covered:

1 - Provide income projections for several classes of commercial dairy goat operations. Perhaps a chapter of 40 pages would be needed to do the topic justice, but if done properly, commercial dairy goats could become more accepted by the financial community and, therefore, could promote the practice.

2 - Provide a chapter showing, say, three dairies that meet the requirements of Grade A. Yes, it is a widely variable regulation even within a single state, but at least readers could gain a better understanding of the costs, design and implementation to achieve such status. Perhaps even interviews of the operators could be included in a manner similar to Gail Bowman's humorous phone chats with Annette Maze in Raising Meat Goats For Profit.

The two points above are not meant as criticism, for, as I stated, Belanger has done a great job with this book. I'm just wishing he could add the two points above so I could make room on my bookshelf by discarding Goat Husbandry. Further, although Goat Husbandry does provide some information on commercial dairying with goats, it itself is not especially thorough on the topic and, further, is so dedicated to costs and incomes in Britain that it is not very useful for North America.

Hmmm...perhaps there is yet room in the market for yet another goat book. Say, "Commercial Dairy Goats in Canada and The U.S.A." Get busy Jerry or I'll write it!

I am certainly pleased with Belanger's Raising Dairy Goats and will keep it on the same shelf as Goat Husbandry and Raising Meat Goats For Profit. With these three, my goat library is nearly complete.

Incidentally: Belanger formerly published Countryside & Small Stock Journal, perhaps the best ever magazine for small livestock farmers. It is now run, I think, by his kids and you can view it on the web.

If you need a book on goats buy this
I have gotten my hands on several books since I decided to raise goats, and this has by far been the most helpful. Belanger is objective, knowledgeable, and sensible. He covers every aspect of goat dairying - except what might be specific to your own geographic reason. But if he'd put in something like that it would have been a different type of book. He discusses all the many ways that you can do things - not just the one or two that he himself prefers. There are even many recipes in the back.

An excellent resource for the begining dairy goat breeder...
I really like this book. I have been involved with goats for the past two years, and have been lucky enough to keep my herd with a friend who has been "doing" goats for more than ten years. As I read through this book it covers all of the major topics that a novice needs to know about, and presents the information in an easy-to-read format.

The book covers the following topics: Basic Information About Goats; Milk; Getting Your Goat; Housing; Fencing; Feeding; Grooming; Health; The Buck; Breeding; Kidding; Raising Kids; Milking; Keeping Records; Chevon; Dairy Products; and Recipes for Goat Products. It has an thorough appendix, a good glossary, and an extensive index.

All in all I highly recommend this book for someone considering purchasing dairy goats, as well as those who already have goats and want a good reference book to which they can refer as needed. Don't hesitate, buy it!

The Dairy Goat Handbook for small scale farmers
When it comes to small scale farming, accurate information is very important and Belanger exceeds not only in delivering a book that I consider the very best in my collection on dairy goats, but his writing style will have the beginner to the advance goat farmer well on their way in raising healthy dairy goats. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

What a great place to start
This was the first book I purchased when I decided to plant a few fruit trees in my yard. Every book I have purchased since has failed to provide any new information. Save your money and buy only this book. It has everything you need to know in an easy to read format.

A helpful guide for anyone with an orchard
This guide has helped my husband and I correctly plant and maintain our peach and apricot trees. It's easy to follow and has many helpful hints for the novice orchardist.

Ars Fruiteca
In the words of the famous poet Archibald MacLeish, "An orchard should be palpable and mute as a globed fruit. Dumb as old medallions to the thumb. Silent as a sleeve-worn stone". In Stella Otto's superb orchard bible, her life's work truly takes on a new meaning as she explores the roots and branches of modern day fruit tree keeping.
"Twig by twig the night entangled trees"... Archibald's infamous words come to mind as the reader experiences Otto's in-depth and detailed pruning techniques that are vividly described with full page color photos from her own garden. This book inspires the green thumb in all of us.

The backyard orchardist-- a near miss
From the reviews I had expected much more from this book. I regret spending to money to buy it. Last spring I put in a small orchard and found the book to be a bit short on specifics. It contained the type of information I had already gotten from my nursery about pollinators, root stocks, chill times, etc. though the book only covers a few very common varieties. I found the pruning section to be too much of an overview. I was able to find the much more comprehensive information I needed (not only on pruning, but on pest management, fertilization, irrigation, etc.) from various state agricultural extension services--on line.

User-friendly. Hits all the bases
The Backyard Orchardist by Stella Otto is filled with fruit growing information that is very easy for the hobbyist to implement. Equally important, the information is well organized and is exceptionally easy to find.

Strengths:

*The information is comprehensive.

*The information is very specific. Example: The tables inform you as to which pesticides are most suitable for a given pest (cross referenced to a table of illustrations) and when to spray for them.

*The information is both usable and generic. For example: The advice on fertilizing recommends that the grower adjust the amount of fertilizer to match a target annual growth rate (length of shoot extension). That technique compensates for differences in soil type, rootstock, cultivar, etc. Basically, it teaches the grower how to pay attention to their trees.

Weaknesses:

*Illustrations are more functional than artistic. Not always a drawback.

*The very specific nature of the advice limits it. The book was published in 1995. The regulation status (and availability) of pesticides can change from year-to-year. New disease-resistant cultivars are released annually.

*Lists of fruit cultivars will seem a little sketchy to the rabid fruit growing enthusiast.

Summary:

*Buy this book if you live in the area bounded by Maine, Montana, Colorado, and North Carolina and you can only afford one book on growing tree-fruits.

*Do not buy this book if you want a "coffee-table book." ... Read more

Book Description

Since the publication of the second edition of Free Radicals in Biology and Medicine in 1989, the techniques of modern molecular, cellular, and structural biology have provided new data that have transformed scientific thinking about topics within free radical research. New reactive species, such as peroxynitrite, have been discovered to have a role in biological systems. Much of this third edition has been completely re-written and what remains from the second has been thoroughly updated. There are new chapters on antioxidant defence systems in bacteria, plants, and animals; the detection of free radicals; the role of antioxidants in aging, nutrition, disease, and therapy; and a new appendix on molecular biology. The chapter on oxidative stress and its consequences includes the damage and repair of DNA, proteins, and lipids, cytokines, and cell death (both apoptosis and necrosis).

Free radicals and other reactive species are now implicated in a wide range and number of diseases and the third edition covers their role in hypertension, diabetes, lung damage, cystic fibrosis, nervous system disorders, viral infections, and cancer. The toxicology chapter has been updated to include new sections on complex mixtures, nitro- and azo-compounds, and radiation. Erythrocytes, chloroplasts, the eye, the skin, reproduction, and exercise are covered as special cases of oxidative stress and antioxidant protection. Reactive species can act as useful biomolecules and this role is fully discussed. There is also an up-to-date introduction to free radical chemistry (as well as a basic chemistry appendix) and oxygen toxicity. Each major statement in the text is referenced. The authors have maintained the simplicity of approach and readability of the previous editions to make this book an invaluable companion to all those interested in the role of free radicals in life. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Notes from an Oxymoron
Excellent book that provides a thorough grounding to the field. Keep the updated editions coming every few years and it will continue to stay at the top.

An excellent book for scientists
Free radical biology has become a big research area. This text is definitely a helpful tool for students and professionals alike. Halliwell and Gutteridge are both the "authorities" in free radical research. The book contains the basic concepts of metabolism, metal interactions, free radical formation, and antioxidation. The book then relates these processes (that is, oxidative and nitorsative stresses) to pathological events using various disease paradigms. The text contains good illustrations. It is an excellent reference material for everyone who is entering the field of free radical biology and medicine. ... Read more

Book Description

Honey-mustard chicken roasting in an oven, fashion models sporting the latest line of lipstick, blush and balm, and the piercing sound of paper being torn in half may not seem to have much in common. But in reality, food, cosmetic and paper products similar to these often undergo rigorous testing at some stage or another as part of a fascinating-and stimulating-scientific process: sensory evaluation.Aimed at the practicing sensory professional, Sensory Evaluation Techniques, Third Edition, makes product evaluation clear, concise, and approachable, with the simplest to the most complex sensory methods and their interpretation spelled out. The book explores the theory and applications of sensory evaluation methods with sufficient background material to allow the user to understand the evaluation of sensory perception and actually perform sensory tests. The book's "how-to" description of sensory evaluation methods features all of the commonly-used practical sensory tests, followed by a guide to selecting the optimal method for a given problem. Descriptions are accompanied by several practical examples. Consumer research techniques are included, and the book contains complete instructions for the Spectrumä method of descriptive analysis, as well as relevant selection of those statistical techniques the sensory analyst needs, with examples illustrating the analysis of sensory tests.New in the Third Edition is the latest information on sensory tests and statistical techniques for the analysis of sensory data being introduced all over the world. The Unified Approach to discrimination testing, for example, which is now becoming the norm in sensory science, is examined in detail, with examples provided. Also new: a Test Sensitivity Analyzer and over 300 scales and hundreds of standard terms for the Spectrum method. So whether it be for instructors and students of sensory science, practicing sensory analysts, or researchers and libraries in the production and marketing of food, beverages, cosmetics, fragrances, textiles and paper products, Sensory Evaluation Techniques, Third Edition, is one of the most comprehensive sources on sensory panel techniques in the industry. ... Read more

Book Description

The first comprehensive resource on CRP--a powerful new way to assess heart attack risk

Half of all heart attacks and strokes occur in people with normal cholesterol levels--a phenomenon that has long baffled doctors.

C-Reactive Protein, or CRP, is a newly discovered measure of inflammation in the body that some researchers believe is twice as important as cholesterol in predicting one's risk of heart disease. C-Reactive Protein is the first comprehensive consumer book on the subject.

CRP is quickly becoming a hot topic in the media, and public awareness about CRP is growing. The American Heart Association and the Centers for Disease Control now recommend that some 40 million Americans have their CPR levels tested as part of their regular physical. Written by an awardwinning cardiologist, this book explains what CRP means to one's health and shows readers step-by-step how to keep CRP under control. Readers will find:

• Important advice on what to do if CRP levels are high
• Lifesaving information on nutrition, supplements, and medications
• Instructions for getting CRP levels tested and more

Book Description

Contemporary in perspective, this user-friendlyintroduction to foodservice procurement -- purchasing, receiving, storage,and inventory control -- emphasizes that purchasing 1) is the firststep in preparing menu items that satisfy customers, and 2> is not acost center in the operation (as it was for many years), but that itcontributes to the profit, and that every dollar saved is a dollar profit. Stresses the importance of the procurement unit in thefoodservice operation -- that purchasing, receiving, storage, and inventorycontrol are the base of the entire operation. Explains how to make decisionsabout which products meet the quality standards required by the customer andat the same time find the lowest price for a product. Emphasizes the HazardAnalysis Critical Control Point system. Uses the Food Guide Pyramid as theconceptual framework for the food section. Discusses how processing ormanufacturing and marketing or distribution, exclusive of the cost ofmaterials, packaging, and overhead, can add value to products and increaseprofits.For those preparing to work in a commercial ornoncommercial foodservice. ... Read more

Book Description

Growing Perennials in Cold Climates is destined to be a landmark in gardening publishing.It is the first book ever of its kind for perennial gardeners.

Beginning with the 50 best perennial groups to grow in cold climates, the book details both the good and the bad news about these plants in the most reader-friendly, easy-to-follow fashion in the history of gardening publishing.It includes easily accessible information on how to grow cold climate perennials, where to plant them, the different soil types, companion plants, and caring, pruning, and propagation.Fully illustrated throughout, this is the guide that gardeners living in colder climates have been waiting for.

Reviews (7)

Delightful reading and gobs of information.
A passionately written book. The information is detailed yet to the point and not boring or too scientific. A great book for the cold climate novice gardener or a reference for the master.
The pictures are beautiful and plenty. The layout is clear, logical and well organized. The book's a real keeper. Great job.

Best book for perennials in the Midwest
I've bought and borrowed numerous books regarding perennials. None has been so complete and well illustrated. Each plant species has varieties listed as well as planting, mulching, pruning, dividing techniques and advice. As an avid perennial gardener, I can't recommend this book highly enough. Kudos to the authors!

Gardening in areas that reach 20 degrees below 0
This book lets you know which perennials you can buy and grow in cold climates. It is a must for anyone in the Northern Areas of 20 degree's below 0 even in Canada. It shows the pictures of the flowers and where they will grow best for cold weather. It also shows you the best variety to buy and where you can order them, plant them and how to do it. It is a must for cold weather climates.

A incomplete book with a lot of filler
While perhaps suitable for a beginning gardener, this book omits many useful and common species while including obscure cultivars that are virtually indistinguishable from one another. Important cultural facts are often missing or buried in the cookie-cutter approach to each species. This book has no index, the omission of which may point to hasty editing. More experienced gardeners should look at books written by Steven Still.

Everything you want to know
I'm a new gardener planning on starting with perennials. The book is a great resource and learning tool, with complete lists, good photos, and specific directions on how to select and care for these plants. ... Read more

Book Description

This comprehensive book focuses on the chemical and physical bases of food science that are essential for success in careers in food science, dietetics, and the food service industry. Its very accessible and user-friendly approach guides readers clearly through complex subject matter and motivates learning.Thorough overview of each of the basic food components—Carbohydrates, Fats and oils, Proteins, and Water. Covers the most recent research in food science and technology—domestic and foreign scenes—with special emphasis on the scientific principles involved in creating food products to meet the needs and concerns of consumers. In-depth examination of food-borne illnesses and expanded coverage of food safety; biotechnology and genetically-modified foods (GMO); Alternative sweeteners and their applications in today's foods; and fat substitutes.For professionals in the food science, dietetics, or food service industry. ... Read more