Book Description

Reviews (5)

This book made me want to stay indoors forever
I could not put this book down. It is so gruesome, but every story is true! There are bear attacks, people falling through ice, plane crashes, ice storms...you name it; if it can happen in Alaska, then someone has lived to tell about it! I find it facinating to read about unbearable situations that people have survived. This book isn't for those of you who don't want to read the gory details, but if that's what you live for, then this is your book!!

Good for reading at bedtime or while camping
Alaska, despite its many cities and roads, is still a land with large vistas of wild, untamed territory. Kaniut's book is a collection of several dozen Alaskan tales of death and survival, ranging from plane crashes in poor weather to bear attacks, climbing accidents, entrapment in mudflats as the tidewater poured in, winter stranding on ice floes, badger mauling, frostbite on hunting forays gone wrong, and many other true dramas. While the book is rather limited in its straightforward, no-nonsense approach (one could, without being disrespectful, call the style prosaic), it does make for good bedtime reading before drifting off to sleep. The wildness of nature that demonstrates the numinous aspect of God's creation in the last few chapters of Job can be seen in these stories, reminding us that man is not the master of everything he surveys. Nature is wild, dangerous, and commands attention and respect. Ignore this and you might die or be severely crippled (as some of these stories demonstrate.) Overall, this was not a great book, but a good one, a decent selection to take along on a camping trip.

THE ULTIMATE HUMAN TRIUMPHS AND TRADGEDIES
READING THESE REAL LIFE ACCOUNTS WILL LEAVE YOU MARVELING AT THE POWER OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT AND THE WILLPOWER SOME MEN HAVE TO LIVE. YOU WILL SEE HOW TRADGEDY CAN STRIKE EVEN THE WELL PREPARED AND HOW NATURE CAN PUSH MAN TO UNTHINKABLE LIMITS. BY FAR, LARRY KANIUT'S BEST BOOK.

spine tingling tales make toes curl
As a long time Alaskan, I enjoyed the true to life tales shared by the adventurers within the covers of the book. I found myself pacing the floor as I scanned the pages of this book. Not only was I unable to put it down, I was unable to sit down and read it. Good, book, Mr. Kaniut and contributors.

Bill Zeddies

Mind numbing true adventure!
This is easily the best collection of true adventure tales ever assembled. I was blown away by the courage, danger, and pure adrenaline running through these stories. My advice: run to your nearest bookstore and BUY THIS BOOK! ... Read more

Book Description

Interpretation for the 21st Century is uplifting and inspiring as it enhances the reader's understanding of how to compellingly interpret our cultural and natural legacy.  The 15 guiding principles set forth in this book will assist anyone who works in parks, forests, wildlife refuges, zoos, museums, historic areas, nature centers, and tourism sites to more effectively, and joyously, conduct their work.  This book, now updated and in its second edition, has been used internationally and has been translated into Chinese.  It serves as inspirational reading for students in environmental education, forestry, conservation, history, communications, outdoor recreation, and park management. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Interpretation for the 21st Century
Larry Beck's and Ted Cable's "Interpretation for the 21st Century, Fifteen Guiding Principles for Interpreting Nature and Culture" is one of the best resources I have found for tour guides, museum professionals, educators, and anyone who builds programming around historical, cultural and natural sites or institutions.

It introduces the classics of interpretation (Tilden, Mills, etc.) and then covers everything from the bigger picture to the details of specific practices.

As a program manager in a museum, I find lots of food for thought, training material, and program development guidance in this book. It also captures the excitement, joy, and passion that Interpretation can embody in its best forms. This book is both inspiring and helpful every time I use it. ... Read more

Book Description

The First Edition of Ecology and Classification of North American Freshwater Invertebrates has been immensely popular with students and researchers interested in freshwater biology and ecology, limnology, environmental science, invertebrate zoology, and related fields. The First Edition has been widely used as a textbook and this Second Edition should continue to serve students in advanced classes. The Second Edition features expanded and updated chapters, especially with respect to the cited references and the classification of North American freshwater invertebrates. New chapters or substantially revised chapters include those on freshwater ecosystems, snails, aquatic spiders, aquatic insects, and crustaceans.

* Most up-to-date and informative text of its kind
* Written by experts in the ecology of various invertebrate groups, coverage emphasizes ecological information within a current taxonomic framework
* Each chapter contains both morphological and taxonomic information, including keys to North American taxa (usually to the generic level) as well as bibliographic information and a list of further readings
* The text is geared toward researchers and advanced undergraduate and graduate students ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A Good bench reference for non-insects
The other reviewers' descriptions are correct: this is a valuable reference. I would like to like to clarify this a little however. The text is an important tool for taxonomists and ecologists working with aquatic macroinvertebrates. However, its emphasis is clearly on non-insects. If you need to identify insects-the most abundant aquatic macroinvertebrates, you should use Merritt and Cummins (1996) text: An introduction to the Aquatic Insects of North America. If you will be identifying samples for stream bioassessments you will need both of these books-and probably some others-as bench references.

To use these references to identify organisms, you will need access to a laboratory because you will need glassware, forceps, microscopes and other tools and chemicals. Sometimes a dissecting scope is required. Sometimes you will need to mount parts of organisms on microscope slides to view them on a compound scope at high magnification. If you represent a volunteer group and don't have access to (or experience with) this type of equipment, this book may not be for you. You might be better off with Resse Voshell's book: A Guide to Common Freshwater Invertebrates of North America. His text generally has family-level taxonomy based on characteristics observable in the field. Both books contain interesting ecological information in addition to taxonomic identification.

So yes, this book clearly deserves two "Thumbs Up" but you should consider your experience level, taxonomic need, and how you will use this book before you purchase it. I hope this helps you decide if the book is right for you. Feel free to email me with questions if necessary (brett@thebugguy.org). Best regards.

A Major Source of Aquatic Invertebrate Information
The second edition of "Ecology and Classification of North American Freshwater Invertebrates" has provided aquatic biologists with a powerful tool. The study of freshwater organisms has gained in importance as we see our precious water resources become more scarce and polluted. As water flows downhill it takes with it every chemical and waste product we deposit on the surface. Fresh water (and marine) organisms are a first line of defense alerting us to the destruction. The presence or absence of many of these organisms is often significant in regard to water quality and environmental health.

In addition, there is increased interest in our freshwater systems and their biota, both among professionals and knowledgeable amateurs. The lack of funding and specialists in certain areas for the needed research in aquatic systems may make the role of the latter more important with time, as has already occurred in astronomy and to a lesser degree in other areas of study.

This book is a good summery of aquatic organisms from Protozoa to Arthropoda. Despite a few irritating typos, it compares well with earlier editions of Pennak's "Freshwater Invertebrates of the United States" in coverage (the 4th edition of Pennak drops both the protoctists and the insects, while retaining the non-insect arthropods and including some color illustrations). If one can afford them they are both worth having, but for reasonably up-to-date overall coverage and inclusiveness and at a cheaper price, Thorp and Covich (eds.) book is a good reference for all Canadian and U. S. freshwater invertebrates in the very broad sense.

Excellent support for benthic macroinvertebrate surveys
A retired chemist, I have been using Thorp and Covich in connection with benthic macroinvertebrate surveys related to stream water quality work. The drawings are extremely clear, and the keys are excellent. As an amateur, I particularly appreciate the book's comprehensive glossary. If you find that Voshell's fine but brief Guide to Common Freshwater Invertebrates of North America does not provide you with the level of detail you need, you'll almost certainly find Thorp and Covich very useful. A minor flaw--the page(s) listed in the index for an item are often three pages earlier than the page(s) in the book at which the item actually occurs.

Excellent macroinvertebrate reference book
I found this book to be an excellent reference source for me as a field biologist. The chapters contain background information for each family along with drawings and a chapter outline. I can compare the specimens I've collected to the drawings and descriptions in the book with confidence. A very useful reference for the field biologist. ... Read more

Book Description

When Peter DeLeo set out one Sunday morning on a sightseeing and photography trip over the central Sierra Nevada mountains in California, he had no idea that he would soon be fighting for his life with the odds stacked very much against him. DeLeo's single-engine plane encountered turbulence, and he and his two passengers crashed in the mountains. All three survived the accident but sustained multiple injuries. DeLeo had broken ribs, a shattered ankle, and a badly damaged shoulder. After assessing their situation, they decided that the passengers should remain with the plane while DeLeo would hike out to bring back help. It was already winter; he left the limited emergency supplies with the plane's passengers; and he was hampered by his injuries, but DeLeo was determined to get help. He found or improvised shelter at night, carefully warmed himself during the daytime, drank from small pools of melted snow and ice, and slowly but steadily made his way toward civilization. Suffering from exhaustion and on the verge of collapse, he found a hot spring that provided him with temporary warmth and insects to eat. Injuries, dehydration, malnutrition, and a two-day blizzard slowed him, and a rockslide nearly killed him just as he glimpsed the valley and highway that he so desperately sought, but DeLeo's courage saw him through.

Meanwhile, Civil Air Patrol planes searched fruitlessly for the lost plane and for survivors; twice, DeLeo frantically tried to signal the search planes, but to no avail. When DeLeo finally reached a highway, he found it almost impossible to convince the authorities that he was the lost pilot who had been all but given up for dead. His astonishing survival, one of the most remarkable feats of endurance on record, made national and even international news.

Now, for the first time, Peter DeLeo tells his remarkable story in gripping detail. His amazing saga is destined to become a classic. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Questions for Peter DeLeo
Mr. DeLeo:

On the assumption you read the reviews of your book posted here at Amazon.com, I think many of your readers, particularly pilots like myself, would appreciate your comments regarding the inconsistencies between your book and the NTSB accident report.Questions I am personally curious about are:

1) As the pilot-in-command, why didn't you assure that the ELT was operational before leaving your two passengers to await rescue?With 600 hours in your Maule often flying over remote terrain how is it possible you did not know the ELT was never installed properly in the first place?

2) How do you reconcile the reported mild wind conditions with your accounting of sink so strong it caused a rapid 3,000 foot altitude loss?Were you simply caught in a box canyon flying too low as the report (and the video tape) suggests?

3) What are your thoughts ten years later about your lack of pre-flight planning such as not filing a flight plan, carrying the appropriate maps and ideally a handheld radio?

Your survival story is amazing.I doubt I could have endured what you did and survived half the time.

As a pilot though I find it disingenuous that your book hardly mentions the poor decisions that seemed to have made as pilot-in-command before and during your flight.

Your response would be appreciated.

Questions
I, like many other readers, picked up this book and could not put it down. An excellent read. Then the questions began. Some things just left me with nagging doubts. I know the area of the crash and the author's trek route very well having spent many summers in this part of the Sierra doing scientific research and the last 30 years hiking its trails in summer and winter.

I too ask why Wave didn't walk out? He was essentially uninjured. Leaving the scene of the crash immediately also seems a bit far fetched- but who knows- people do odd things when they are in shock and injured.

I've reread the book several times now and still many things don't add up. Why did he go east over the crest of the Sierra rather than southeast over the lower portion of the crest? Why go over Olancha Peak when a much lower pass (and easier terrain) is clearly visible to the south of the peak? The east side of Olancha Peak, esp. in the summit area at night, in a weakened condition is a sure recipe for disaster. Why climb the extra 1500 or so feet to the summit?

Weren't there any charts in the aircraft which he could have used for navigation? What was that helicopter doing in the meadow when he just missed seeing DeLeo? The "I would like to know" list goes on-and-on. Obviously he survived - it is really a great survival story- but I think there is a lot more to the story.

All-in-all I liked the book- but I would like to hear more explanations from the author. Perhaps some of those nagging doubts will go away.

An amazing story with lingering questions
This is an incredible, amazing survival story. So why isn't it an incredible, amazing book?

In November 1994, Peter DeLeo's plane, carrying him and two passengers, crashed deep California's Sierra Nevada range.With a broken ankle, broken ribs and a broken shoulder, he hiked out through deep snow in 13 days, eating only bugs to survive. He didn't make it out in time for his two friends, Wave Hatch and Lloyd Matsumoto, to be rescued. Both died at the site of the crash.

Survival story fans can live vicariously through DeLeo's ordeal, testing themselves on whether they would make the right moves in order to survive. He offers careful detail about each step of his hike, helping the reader picture where he was and the decisions he had to make.

DeLeo shows that he had to be smart to survive. He chose his route carefully to avoid going in circles. He learned to pick a good shelter (a rocky cave -- too cold; the hollowed out trunk of a tree -- good). He made sure to dry his clothes in the afternoon sun. I sometimes questioned his choices -- at one point he spent several hours climbing a tree to get a better
view -- but the fact is, he made it out under almost impossible conditions, so he clearly did something right.

Still, questions nag at this book. For starters, the author often seems just too cool and analytical about his horrible ordeal. A normal person would be saying, "My broken bones are killing me! I've only eaten bugs for days and I'm starving! I'm wet and cold and just plain exhausted!" But DeLeo instead portrays himself as carefully analyzing the crust of the snow, the angle of the sun, the droppings of wild animals, and the color of his urine (many times). Is this the way he really is, or is this just the way he wants to portray himself?

Was it really necesary to show DeLeo's whole hiking route in the map in Chapter Three, thus giving away much of the story?

And why was it DeLeo and not Wave who walked out?DeLeo describes Wave as having just a bruise on the forehead after the crash. DeLeo had 16 broken bones. Wouldn't it have made a lot more sense for Wave to have gone for help?

I might have been able to let that one go if it hadn't been for the postings of some other reviewers on this site who pointed out that DeLeo left out some important details.

For starters, DeLeo never mentions the important fact that the investigation by the National Traffic Safety Board found that the crash was his fault for flying too low in a box canyon.

Second, while DeLeo mentions making a plan with Wave to use the emergency locator transmitter from the plane, he never mentions, even in the epilogue, that the ELT was found still in the plane, not turned on and lacking a required antenna.

True, DeLeo doesn't *lie* about these things but he clearly dodges them -- because both make him look bad.

Now, you might note that the book isn't really about the crash or the ELT, it's about DeLeo's survival ordeal. So, does his evasion on those two topics really matter to the rest of the book?Yes, they do.In this type of book, you're completely dependent on the author to recount events honestly -- there are no other witnesses. So you've got to trust the author to be giving you the straight story. Unfortunately these issues cast just enough doubt to make readers wonder: "How much of the truth am I getting?"

Amazing accomplishment but nagging questions.
I read this book thinking it'd be along the lines of the moving and incredible "Into Thin Air". Unfortunately I was left with several questions about the book and the veracity of the narrator.

His accomplishment in surviving 13 days through extreme conditions is amazing and nothing short of inspirational. I mean to take nothing away from that and would have been satisfied with the book on those merits alone.

However, I felt there were too many unanswered questions. I'm not a pilot but I found it odd that he didn't mention the reasons for the plane going down. Writing from the perspective he was, several years after the incident, he obviously knew more about the crash than he chose to include.

Similarly, I continue to find it odd that between the author (a man with 16 broken bones) and Wave (who is described in the book as completely unharmed save for a bruise upon his forehead) that the author was the one chosen to walk over 45 miles (as the crow files) for help.

It would seem a highly illogical decision for the one severely hurt, especially with a shattered left ankle to make the hike than for someone who suffered no injuries whatsoever. I feel the author's reliability is questioned when he seems to gloss over reasoning for this and offer no collaborative information.

An interesting read but several nagging questions remained that had me wondering what really went on during this entire ordeal. Whatever the answers, his ability to survive is amazing.

I'm in awe...
I ordered the book shortly after it was published and when I say I couldn't put it down, I'm not kidding.It's been several weeks since I read the book and the story still amazes me.I started reading the book early on a Saturday morning and finished it a few hours later.Mind you, in the middle of that was a quick trip to the grocery store and an oil change.I was so absorbed and wrapped up in the story that I felt like I was living it.When he finally got out to the highway, I was sobbing like a baby.The book really moved me.

I'm not very good at writing stuff like this.But, if nothing else, you've got to read this book! ... Read more

Book Description

David Quammen's book, The Song of the Dodo, is a brilliant, stirring work, breathtaking in its scope, far-reaching in its message -- a crucial book in precarious times, which radically alters the way in which we understand the natural world and our place in that world. It's also a book full of entertainment and wonders.

In The Song of the Dodo, we follow Quammen's keen intellect through the ideas, theories, and experiments of prominent naturalists of the last two centuries. We trail after him as he travels the world, tracking the subject of island biogeography, which encompasses nothing less than the study of the origin and extinction of all species. Why is this island idea so important? Because islands are where species most commonly go extinct -- and because, as Quammen points out, we live in an age when all of Earth's landscapes are being chopped into island-like fragments by human activity.

Through his eyes, we glimpse the nature of evolution and extinction, and in so doing come to understand the monumental diversity of our planet, and the importance of preserving its wild landscapes, animals, and plants. We also meet some fascinating human characters. By the book's end we are wiser, and more deeply concerned, but Quammen leaves us with a message of excitement and hope. ... Read more

Reviews (52)

Thoughtful, entertaining, and important
*The Song of the Dodo* is a very long book on what some of us believe to be a vitally important subject, the ongoing loss of worldwide bioversity. Anyone interested in the fate of the world's wild creatures and yes, the fate of the world itself should read it and will likely enjoy it.

David Quammen does an exemplary job of leading his readers through almost two centuries of significant ideas and debates related to "island biogeography," a subject which is a lot more interesting and certainly a lot more significant than it might sound. Begining with the fascinating story of the Darwin vs. Wallace story vis-a-vis "who really came up with the theory of evolution first?" Quammen goes on to explain and illustrate just why the biogeography of islands is so important to any consideration of biodiversity and wildlife conservation for the world as a whole.

In weaving this historical narrative, Quammen doesn't just encapsulate theories (though he does this in some detail), he takes his reader into the field where the sometimes abstract principles behind diversity/rarity/extinction are actually demonstrated through the predicaments faced by various creatures. Quammen ventures to the Aru Islands, the Galapagos, Madagascar, Guam, Tasmania, Mauritius, Barro Colorado Island in Panama, the Amazonian rain forest, and on and on. It's a veritable world tour of places where rare and endangered animals struggle for existence in a world where human encroachment is causing an alarming acceleration in the rate of species extinction.

Through his mostly fascinating discussion of places, species, and biologeographical theories and the people behind those theories, Quammen shows an unusual ability to restate abstruse ideas in clear and understandable terms. He also writes with humor, a gentle and humane world-view, and an excellent eye for empirical detail.

For me, the most painful chapter was "Rarity Unto Death," in which he recounts selected stories revealing how various animals (and peoples) have been lost to extinction. The discussions of the extinction of the dodo and other wild creatures are terribly sad; the horrifying tale of the demise of the Tasmanian aborigines is heart-rending and infuriating.

In the end, Quammen's workmanlike effort establishes a "big picture" demonstrating how small, isolated ecosystems render their wild inhabitants increasingly vulnerable to extinction. We come to see that the biological notion of "islands" applies increasingly not just to small land bodies surround by water, but to more and more of our continental ecosystems as they are carved up into isolated pockets of habitat through human encroachment and development. Indeed, increasingly, the world's ecosystems are composed of various kinds of "islands," a situation that threatens to result in catastrophic losses of biodiversity over time.

That the situation is not entirely hopeless for all creatures is shown by the remarkable, human-aided recovery of the Mauritius kestrel, rescued in recent years from the very brink of extinction. But certainly the message overall delivered by Quammen is not a comforting or upbeat one.

In a book of this length and scope, there inevitably will be sections that particular readers may not like. I found the chapter on theorists McArthur and Wilson a bit pedantic and boring in places, partly due to the very abstruse nature of their mathematical theories. However, it also irked me a bit that Quammen took such an awe-filled, uncritical attitude here, particularly in his worshipful presentation of his audience with the Great Man, Edward O. Wilson. Wilson is a towering figure in the history of biology and biography, certainly but a few words of criticism might have been in order here. Yes, the leftist activitists of the mid-seventies were out of line in pouring water on Wilson's head at a scientific meeting and their accusations toward him vis-a-vis his theories of sociobiology were shrill and excessive. But the truth is that some of Wilson's human-related "speculations" in the final chapter of his book on sociobiology *were* overreaching, inappropriate, and yes, foolish, and he deserved some of the criticism he received. In providing a discussion of the furor raised by the mathematical grand theorizing proposed by MacArthur and Wilson and other scientists beginning in the sixties, Quammen also could have pointed out that the often emotional debate over "mathematical modeling" vs. "detailed, real world empirical research" took place (and in some ways, continues) not just in the biological sciences but in a large number of academic fields. Whereas it's easy to dismiss extremist critics of truly useful mathematical models as narrow-minded or antediluvian, the proliferation of derivative, marginal, and in some cases, fairly useless "quantitative models" has at times threatened to eviscerate various fields of study, emptying them of virtually all attention to empirical detail and rendering them arid and lifeless.

I also was just a tad disappointed in the book's final section, where Quammen pays all too short shrift, in my view, to the question of "so what?" as it relates to the ongoing loss of world biodiversity. He makes the point that human encroachment is creating mass extinctions, but really doesn't drive home his thoughts as to why urban dwellers with no plans to visit the rainforest or the Galapagos should really care. I guess to Quammen the tragedy represented by this trend is self-evident, but what's really frightening to some of us is just how easy it is for people to live out their lives without ever having to give a darn about these broad, long-term issues of biodiversity. The question, "Why should people care?" needed atleast a bit more attention, I think.

Overall, however, this is a fine, readable, well-crafted, and wonderful book. I salute David Quammen for his accomplishment.

A great book about ecology and travel
This is unquestionably the finest book I've read that explains biogeography and population ecology in clear, concise English for the average intelligent person interested in the natural world who lacks a background in science. Quammen deserves highest praise for devoting much time to learn relevant science and then disseminating this knowledge to his readers. Much to my amazement, Quammen fully understands the implications of MacArthur's and Wilson's theory of island biogeography, encompassing such diverse subjects as determining the appropriate size of wildlife refuges to studying cycles of mass extinction in the marine invertebrate fossil record. He gives compelling descriptions of Alfred R. Wallace, Robert H. MacArthur, and E. O. Wilson as scientists and people, pointing out the importance of Wallace's and MacArthur's work towards our understanding of biogeography and indeed, of biological diversity. To his credit, Quammen mentions other signficiant players, such as Ernst Mayr, Daniel Simberloff, Jared Diamond, and of course, Charles Darwin himself. Mixed successfully with biography and scientific research are lyrical passages about the many islands Quammen visited in pursuit of Wallace's footsteps and ongoing important ecological research. Anyone wishing to catch more than a glimpse of great science and how it pertains directly to preserving endangered species should read this magnificient book.

From Anecdotes to Science
This is a terrific read on important biological questions which lie in the scientific stratum far above the world of molecular biology, which has come to dominate so much of the field, almost to the point of extinguishing the venerable methods of systematics, evolution, and field studies of actual organisms. Quammen transports us into a world where interactions of animals in real ecological systems are the object of study, charming us into seeing its importance, and introducing us to the people who are working to advance our understanding of the natural world.

The central theme of the book is the importance that islands have played in this area of research, starting from the work of Darwin and Wallace, extending to the modern work of men such as E. O. Wilson, Macarthur, Simberloff, and Lovejoy. What is revealed is a science progressing from anecdotes and scattered observations of curiosities to something with its own generalizations and laws that can be have an increasing certainty, backed by sound statistical studies, and that produces graphs and tables, equations, useful computer models and testable hypotheses. The majesty of the process is astounding.

Quammen writes clearly and spares no effort to involve the reader, mixing a historical treatment of the process, interviews of the modern players, and his own thrilling explorations of the remote islands--he splendidly communicates his excitement and involvement.

Excellent overall, but...
Quammen has an engaging writing style that cuts through the scientific jargon and allows the layman to feel as if he understands the broad issues that occupy biogeography. His historical account (from Wallace and Darwin up to the present) of how we've come to understand speciation and extinction is captivating.

Contrary to what some other reviewers have said, he does NOT disparage Darwin. He merely highlights some aspects of the Darwin/Wallace controversy that are not well-known to the average person. Wallace may have been 'rehabilitated' long ago in the scientific community, but to the average person Darwin is the "father of the theory of evolution", so Quammen's discussion -which emphasizes that both deserve alot of credit-is a useful antidote for that.

Where i take issue with Quammen is his failure to tie declining bio-diversity with any stakes for humans beyond the aesthetic. He strikes me as being guilty of "biological snobbery". Take, for example, the cases where an island that was previously filled with wondrous songbirds and exotic, unique lizards is overrun by rats, pigs, and house cats that were brought to the island by humans. The rats, et al. either eat the exotic wildlife or so alter the environment that they can't survive, thereby going extinct. Quammen obviously considers these situations to be tragic. He disparages the newly-arrived animals as "pestiferous" (p.561), or "junk" or an "ecological blight" (pp.562). His tone is rather gleeful when he describes how a bioligist kills a "pest species" mongoose by bashing its skull against a rock, and when another researcher squashes a "pest species" preying mantis between his fingers. Quammen seems to *like*, in an aesthetic sense, birds of paradise and cinnamon-coated lemures more than rats and cats, and that colors his analysis.

But beyond the aesthetic, why should anyone care if cats overrun a tropical island and kill off the native turtles? Why are the cats any less entitled to live there than the birds are? The turtles reached the island some time in the past by floating in on flotsam, the rats by stowing away on a ship. What's less "natural" about the latter than the former?

Quammen doesn't explain that, so the reader is left wondering what the stakes for humanity or for "the planet" actually are.

A wonderful, important book.
I don't usually write reviews of books that already have a bunch here, but this book is important enough to make an exception.
I forget now how I came across this book, but I'm glad I did. Quammen writes in very clear prose, keeps the story moving, and provides a wealth of detail. If I were the editor, I might have shortened some of the personal accounts, but that's about the strongest criticism I can come up with.
The book explicates the theory of island biogeography, the theory of islands are where species develop, and that in a larger sense, continents are both islands and collections of islands. It's much more complicated than that, but I don't read thousand-word reviews, so I shouldn't write one.

The book is complete, and very well thought out. Midway through the book, as he's discussing species extinctions, I'm thinking, why doesn't he talk about the passenger pigeon? And, in the next chapter he does.

One of the things he does is remind us of WHY the theory of evolution became unavoidable to a generation of people trained in Biblical literalism (Darwin himself was a Anglican seminary graduate, and took his voyage on the Beagle before settling down as a parish priest.) There's a "movement" nowadays which purports to prove that there's no real evidence for evolution, that It's really a lie told by Bible-hating scientists. If this book did nothing but dispel that myth, it would be worth reading. (a synopsis of his account would take me a couple of pages.) But it does more, so much more that.
A modern book discussing extinctions must almost inevitably be depressing, but he manages to close the book with a note of hope, almost triumph.
Read this book. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

A Fine Guide To Earth/Universe Connectivity
Thomas Berry has put together in this one book what a thousand other writers have attempted and that is: a complete format for human perception of reality that should and can pervade through all our earthly activities, esp. religion, politics and economy. Let Earth and it's biolgical processes teach and guide us to a rational, sustainable, regenerative, healthy existence.

There are many potent passages all through this work and I picked out one that I felt was inclusive of the gist of the book.

..."This universe itself, but especially the planet Earth, needs to be experienced as the primary healer, primary commercial establishment, and primary lawgiver for all that exists within this life community. The basic spirituality communicated by the natural world can also be considered as normative for the future ecological age."- Page 120

This is an excellent treatise on reverence for the creative life forces that sustain us and treat us daily to a plithora of interactive life processes and our need to acknowledge this gift by treating it with the awe and respect it deserves.

A Global Story, A Saving Story
In one of his Dialogues, Plato says that the most serious difficulty one faces when attempting to philosophize is in "finding a suitable story for what one wants to say." But it's a difficulty worth facing at this time in history because a suitable story may serve to energize and advance current efforts to develop a globally responsible spirituality.

Everywhere we hear from perceptive folk that our conventional story has grown dangerously obsolete, and only by reimagining the world and our place in it can we advance beyond the dysfunctional limits of the old story.

The "dream of the earth" so beautifully described in this work by "geologian" Thomas Berry just may be the "big enough story" needed now to creatively navigate the global transition from a way of destruction to a way of sustainable wisdom rooted in a respect for the earth as respect for our very own bodies

New Age Religion in the Guise of Christianity
Don't be misled. Because Thomas Berry is promoted as a Catholic priest, many people are falsely led to believe that his books present Catholic or Christian teaching about the environment. Instead, this book presents a New Age blend of do-it-yourself religion mixed with pseudo-science. If you're into that, you'll probably like this book...

Should be required reading for college first-years
"Dream of the Earth" should be considered a definitive work of 20th century, but, sadly, it has been overlooked by most of the populace. So powerfully written and earnest in some places that I was actually moved to tears, this book serves as a final plea and loose guide on how to save the planet - and with it, ourselves. In a broader sense, the book serves as a history of the human condition, how we came to be in the fix we are in today, and what massive, cultural changes need to take place in order to retain the last scraps of our mythic, extraordinary being.

Most see the coming ecological cataclysm (the next 50 years) as impossible to avoid or as nonsense. It is neither of those things. If this book doesn't drive you to change your lifestyle, nothing will.

This book may change the way you look at the earth.
A friend recently recommended this book. In this deep-ecology classic, Berry examines man's relationship with the earth. He explores our mistaken beliefs that we are separate from the planet, and that it exists solely for human destruction, pollution, exploitation and profit. He encourages us to take responsibility. This book forever changed the way I will look at our world. Read it. Then read Wes Nisker's "Buddha's Nature" (1998/2000) to learn, from a buddhist perspective, how to put Berry's "dream" into everyday practice.

... Read more

Book Description

A bold new plan for those concerned about rising temperatures, population projections, and spreading water scarcity.

Lester Brown notes that if the environmental trends of recent decades continue, the global economy will soon begin to unravel. The food sector, he believes, is the most vulnerable. Record-high temperatures and falling water tables are already taking the edge off grain harvests in some countries, including China, the world's largest grain producer.

The wake-up call will come, Brown believes, when 1.3 billion Chinese consumers with an $80 billion trade surplus start competing with Americans for U.S. grain, driving up food prices. Rising food prices could create political instability in low-income countries, disrupting global economic progress.

At that point, it will be clear that business as usual—Plan A—is not working. In Plan B, Brown outlines a World War II-type mobilization to stabilize climate by restructuring the global energy economy and to stabilize population by investing heavily in health care, family planning, and the education of girls in developing countries. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Good science is not discredited by bad science
An important contribution to the environmental debate. I was suprised by the critical review below that gives 1 star to Plan B and cites "The Skeptical Environmentalist" by Bjorn Lomborg as a refutation of Brown's work. Readers of that review may not be aware that "Skeptical" has been discredited, refuted and rejected by the scientific community. Critical reviews of Lomborg's book can be found in leading science journals, including Nature, Scientific American and Science. The Danish Committees on Scientific Dishonesty issued a decision that declared Lomborg's research "to fall within the concept of scientific dishonesty," and to be "clearly contrary to the standards of good scientific practice." (Lomborg is Danish). Readers will not be persuaded by references to junk science coming from an anti-environmentalist.

Rescuing a planet from nonsense
Lester R. Brown is a well known and totally discredited doomsayer and environmental crackpot. His analyses and prophecies (consistently proven wrong) are based on crude number doctoring and misunderstanding of basic biology, economics and statistics. And while one might argue that debating his views is a waste of time, he and his likes have a loud and fairly influential following. For a more balanced and sane description of the state of the world, read for example the books by Julian Simon, and Bjorn Lomborg's "The Skeptical Environmentalist".

I agree with that person, buy 10 and pass them out.
Wow, after reading this book, I am left speechless. I read this book in conjunction with a Native American Studies class that I took, and I have never learned more terrifying facts in my entire life. Lester Brown, although he admits that the task is too great for one book, describes bluntly the thin line our species is walking between self preservation and self destruction. He does not pull any punches in describing how the human race is pushing Earth dangerously close to its breaking point. Brown outlines the clear reality that if trends continue the demand put on the environment by humanity will overtake its carrying capacity. He makes many interesting points but he also stays true to the title of the book, not only spreading blame, of which there is plenty to spread, but also offering possible solutions to the most important of problems. I thought I was environmentally conscious before I read this book, boy was I surprised. This book brought my environmental consciousness to a whole new level. It also unfortunately made me realize that unless the rest of the world gets on the same page as Brown in a hurry, the environmental damage will be irreparable. I'll agree once again with what that other reviewer said. Read this book and buy 10 copies to hand out.

A species out of control?
Lester Brown recently wrote Eco-Economy: Building an Economy for the Earth in which his thesis was that "the environment was not part of the economy...but instead that the economy was part of the environment." (p. xv)

Here he presents an upbeat and positive plan for saving the world from the consequences of what he calls the planet-wide "bubble economy." His central argument is that we are about to face a food shortage of crisis proportions as our aquifers and rivers run dry. The relative price of food, which is directly dependent upon ready water supplies from underground and through the diversion of rivers, he argues, is about to skyrocket as China and other grain-hungry nations begin to import grain.

His plan B is a combination of interventions that would include environmental tax reform, that is, taxing products in terms or their true cost including pollution and the use of non-renewable resources. Thus the consequences of pollution-induced illnesses like asthma, etc. be factored into the cost of gasoline. In this way non-polluting energy sources such as windmills and solar energy cells would become cost-competitive with fossil fuels almost immediately.

The first half of the book is devoted to describing the problem, which he calls "A Civilization in Trouble." The second half is devoted to his Plan B which includes adopting "honest global accounting," stabilizing the population, and raising land productivity. He wants not only to shift taxes from the environmentally sound ways of doing business to the ecologically harmful ways, but to shift the subsidizes that many countries now give to fossil fuel producers and to fishing and logging industries to environmentally safe products and industries. He points out that it is foolhardy to subsidize the destruction of our environment as we are now doing.

Brown quotes Oystein Dahle, former Vice President of Exxon for Norway as saying: "Socialism collapsed because it did not allow the market to tell the economic truth. Capitalism may collapse because it does not allow the market to tell the ecological truth." (p. 210)

A striking example of what Brown means by shifting taxes comes from former Harvard Economics professor N. Gregory Mankiw, who wrote: "Cutting income taxes while increasing gasoline taxes would lead to more rapid economic growth, less traffic congestion, safer roads, and reduced risk of global warming..." (p 214)

Incidentally, Brown asserts that rising temperatures adversely affect crop yields. He notes that crops are grown in many countries "at or near their thermal optimum, making them vulnerable to any rise in temperature." He cites a study by Mohan Wali at Ohio State University showing that photosynthesis increases until the temperature reaches 68 degrees F. and then plateaus until it hits 95 degrees whereupon it begin to decline, and ceases at 104 degrees. (pp. 62-63)

The problem with his solution is that, as Brown points out, the body politic, especially that of the United States, must take action to implement the changes. Unfortunately, President Bush, who represents corporate interests (as most American politicians do), will continue to call for more studies, and nothing will be done. More particularly, taxing destructive practices will only work if all (or at least a substantial majority) of the countries of the world cooperate. Polluted air, acid rain, depleted aquifers, and rivers run dry cross borders. Consequently we have a daunting task in front of us.

A crucial psychological problem is that our instincts were honed in the pre-history when the resources of forest and savanna were effectively inexhaustible, where it didn't matter how much we burned and polluted since we could just move on. Our numbers were so small relative to the land that it would renew itself as we were despoiling other lands. With six billion-plus people on the planet there are no "other lands" and there is no time for the land to renew itself. We can no longer toss our waste over our shoulders, defecate in the stream, and slash and burn.

This is just one respect in which we have to ask, are human beings as presently evolved able to cope with the modern world? The tribal mentality, with its violence toward outsiders and toward the environment, is still with us, but the tolerance of the environment for such behavior is not. The myth of the noble savage and indigenous people living in harmony with nature needs a reality check. We are savages in headsets, neither noble nor ignoble. We are indigenous people whose lands have gone the way of the Garden of Eden. We are clumsily and incompletely adjusting to a different landscape: the modern world.

The race is on. Which will come first: our adjustment to the needs of the planet or the collapse of our great civilizations? Note well it is the needs of the planet that come first. Note also that the collapse of our civilizations will usher in a period of immense pain and suffering, even for those of us sitting atop Mount Olympus, as it were, in our garden homes sheltered from the storms in our inner cities and in Bangladesh and Pakistan.

A great deal of human suffering can be averted by anticipating the consequences of globalization, of diminishing resources resulting in diminishing returns. But it is also true that a great deal of human suffering can be averted by not doing something stupid that may have unintended consequences. We must use our abilities and our knowledge to choose between the two. Lester Brown is trying to help us do that. This book is a fine introduction to the problem and to a possible solution.

Required reading
This book is in three sections - the first part provides facts, figures, charts and tables to define the problem; the second part - Plan A - projects the future under the business as usual scenario; the third part - Plan B - is Brown's recommendations of what we must do. The problem has the following components:
- over the last 50 years world population has doubled, the global economy has expanded seven fold and our claims on the earth are excessive;
- we are cutting trees faster than they can regenerate, overgrazing rangelands, over pumping aquifers and draining rivers;
- soil erosion of cropland exceeds new soil formation;
- we take fish from the oceans faster than they can reproduce;
- we are releasing CO2 into the atmosphere faster than nature can absorb it, creating a greenhouse effect raising the earth's temperature;
- habitat destruction and climate change are destroying plant and animal species faster than new species can evolve.

Throughout history man has lived on the earth's sustainable yield but humanity's collective demands surpassed the earth's carrying capacity in 1980 and by 1999 exceeded carrying capacity by 20% creating a global bubble economy. "The sector of the economy that seems likely to unravel first is food. Eroding soils, deteriorating range lands, collapsing fisheries, falling water tables, and rising temperatures are converging to make it more difficult to expand food production fast enough to keep up with demand. In 2002, the world grain harvest of 1,807 million tons fell short of world grain consumption by 100 million tons, or 5%. This shortfall, the largest on record, marked the third consecutive year of grain deficits, dropping stocks to the lowest level in a generation." Trying to fill the 100 million ton shortfall, feeding an additional 70m people each year, reducing the number of under-nourished and rebuilding stocks is likely to further deplete aquifers, increase erosion and raise food prices. Farmers face two challenges - rising temperatures and falling water tables. The 16 warmest years on record have all occurred since 1980 with the three warmest in the last five years and this adversely affects grain harvests, forcing traditional grain exporting countries like Canada to reduce or cease exports. World wide 70% of water is used for agriculture, 20% by industry and 10% for residential purposes. Water mining due to governments' failing to limit pumping to sustainable yield has increased pumping costs and reduced profit margins when grain prices are at a historical low, obliging many farmers to withdraw from irrigated agriculture. Industrial demands are increasing and industry can afford to pay much more for its water than farmers. Sandra Postel in 'Pillar of Sand: Can the Irrigation Miracle Last?' details a bleak picture of what is in store for us regarding falling water tables, rivers which don't reach the sea and the impact on food production. China is such a populous country that whatever happens there impacts everyone in the world. China's deserts are expanding and the US Dust Bowl of the 1930s is being reproduced there but on a much bigger scale. China's forthcoming grain deficit will force up grain prices. "Many of the most populous countries of the world - China, India, Pakistan, Mexico, and nearly all the countries of the Middle East and North Africa - have literally been having a free ride over the past two or three decades by depleting their groundwater resources. The penalty of mismanagement of this valuable resource is now coming due and it is no exaggeration to say that the results could be catastrophic for these countries and, given their importance, for the world as a whole." Many countries are living in a food bubble economy; the question for these countries is not whether the bubble will burst, but when.

The food bubble economy is just the first of the bubbles that the author explains. If we continue with business as usual - Plan A - the troubles described will continue or worsen; the world is failing environmentally and will eventually fail economically. "In sum, no one knows exactly the extent of our excessive claims on the earth in this bubble economy. The most sophisticated effort to calculate this, the one by Mathis Wackernagel and his team, estimates that in 1999 our claims on the earth exceeded its regenerative capacity by 20%. If this overdraft is rising 1% a year as seems likely, then by 2003 it was 24%. As we consume the earth's natural capital, the earth's capacity to sustain us is decreasing. We are a species out of control, setting in motion processes we do not understand with consequences that we cannot foresee."

Einstein told us that you can't hope to get out of a problem with the same thinking that got you into the problem so we cannot expect Brown's proposed solutions to be readily accepted or popular. However, they all practical and make sense. Most proposals are familiar but few holding positions of responsibility have been willing to implement them because Plan A gains more votes and today's politicians are unlikely to be around when the leaders of tomorrow have to pick up the pieces. "Plan B is a massive mobilization to deflate the global economic bubble before it reaches the bursting point. Keeping the bubble from bursting will require an unprecedented degree of international cooperation to stabilize population, climate, water tables, and soils - and at wartime speed. Indeed, in both scale and urgency the effort required is comparable to the US mobilization during World War II."

This book is not just for environmentalists; it is of interest to every housewife who will shortly see her housekeeping money pay for less and less. This book should be required reading for everyone who hopes to be alive in a few years time. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

A valuable guide to outer and inner awareness
This is an unusual book in which hard core tracking tips are blended with instructions on cultivation of the inner silence. As opposed to other stories about tracking which border the domain of fiction (e.g., "The Way of the Scout"), Brown gives us in this Field Guide practical advice on reading animal tracks, constructing shelters etc. The tips on "Nature Observation" in this field guide are unsurpassed by any other tracking book I know. TB provides us with priceless descriptions of what happens the moment we enter the forest - that is, how the alarm signal spreads from the birds to mammals and how long it takes for it to subside. The forest he is talking about is a living entity, where everything is connected and where one can plug into the circuits of the information flow by learning to listen to the sounds, by studying the terrain and the wind and by knowing how to camouflage and mask one's smell. The book provides useful info on various types of walking/stalking in the woods. Finally, there is deep reverence for nature something which occurs when one has learnt to be silent amidst the whispering trees (no mean trick for the Westerner who tends to function through the head). Tom Brown has learnt the inner silence tricks from his Apache teacher ("the Grandfather") and trackers might find this book useful for learning more about Native American attitudes toward nature. A similar approach to nature is encountered in some of Paul Rezendes' books (which i also recommend). In short, this book will be useful to those who are interested in approaching nature on its own terms. It will inspire the beginners in tracking and complement knowledge of hard core SAR UTS trackers (:)

Exiting!!!!!!!
This book gave me a renewed enthusiasm for nature and an urgent need to be outdoors, I wanted to do everything he was teaching as I was reading it. I went right out and practiced his techniques as soon as possible during and after reading this book. I've never seen so much wildlife as I do now. It has made me a better outdoorsman and has given more meaning to my time spent outdoors. I can't wait to share it with my father who taught me some basics of tracking when I was a boy. This book taught me all the stuff I wished I had learned long ago, now i must make up for lost time I spent with my eyes closed to the things that connect me with the earth.

Beyond Hiking and Camping
This book guides you to a deeper communion and awareness of nature not possible through the ordinary outdoor pursuits most authors write about. Here you will learn the basics of camouflage, observation, and movement which opens the door to seeing more in the outdoors then you thought possible. After reading this book for the first time, I took Brown's advice and simply sat down in the woods. Within fifteen minutes a woodchuck came blithely walking by totally oblivious to my presence. That was more wildlife than I had seen on a dozen previous hikes or camping trips. It was the starting point of twenty years of exploration and discovery and the end of mindlessly walking along trails and missing everything along the way. In this book Brown takes you beyond the "veneer" most other tracking guides cover. He helps you learn how to age tracks, identify the animal's sex, and read the animal's movements and emotions from the shapes and forms found around the track. Brown teaches through stories and experiences that brings tracking to life. This is in stark contrast to the dull didactic recitation of measurements and readings most other books provide. If you ever wondered if Native Americans could really track like the Apache in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the answer is here because Brown learnt everything he knows from an Apache Native American. Are you tired of returning from long hikes or camping trips only to feel that you somehow missed something? then get this book and welcome to Tom Brown's incredible world of adventure and discovery. Keep one thing in mind however, this book is only the beginning. It's up to you to decide how far along this path you want to walk.

There are better
An o.k. introduction to the subject, I suppose, but there are better on tracking itself, such as James Halfpenny's A Guide to Mammal Tracking in North America, which simply presents serious, hard information, and outstanding illustrations, on family and species track characteristics, gaits and interpreting them, etc., without the mystical mumbo-jumbo of Brown's book(s). This book will help you become more aware of nature, as did the several courses I took at Brown's school in the early '80s, but I have since become very skeptical of much of what Brown has said and written. (And compare the illustrations of tracks in Brown's book to the illustrations in Murie's A Field Guide to Animal Tracks, from Houghton Mifflin, published earlier.)

probably the best of its kind
everything you need to know to observe nature more effectively. Good tips on stalking, camo and tracking. Brown at times gets "too close" to nature with his "way-of-the-indian-spirit-myths." ... Read more

Reviews (34)

A sea novel of which legends are made.
Mr. Spike Walker takes you from elation to utter dispair as you read through detailed accounts from the primary sources. Those of us who know the sea will only have a deeper respect for its truly awesome and untold powers. Those that have not been able to experience the sea will feel as though they have after reading Mr. Walkers' accounts. "Working on the Edge" will ignite a sense of adventure and longing to experience all that life has to offer. By no means will I pass on without visiting the Alaskan coastline after reading this book. Mr. Walker's experiences will bring to light part of the core of human existance with the world around us. This is truly an incredible story of one man's account of some of his years of life. I feel that I have not only read a great book, but as though I have met an amazing individual who shared some of himself with me. This glimpse into life is not to be missed. Give this book away when you are done so that others can experience it too.

HAIR RAISING, BONE CHILLING, TOTALLY GRIPPING STORIES!!!!
After having read "Working On the Edge", and now "Nights of Ice", my esteem for the author, Spike Walker and the other men and women of the Alaskan commercial fishing industry, has risen sky high!!! This book is as interest absorbing as the best of the best that I have read, including "The Perfect Storm"! The reader gets the feeling of really being in Alaska, in direct contact with the victims, survivors and rescuers. These two books, cover to cover, were impossible to put down without the question of "what happens next?!" Thoroughly entertaining reading, I was sorry when they ended, as they had my attention to the very last word!!! Great! Great!! Great!!! Thank you Mr. Walker, for the thrills of a lifetime!!!

Real Life
This book is filled with true stories of people who live for excitement or have no other choice of jobs. It is gripping and begs that you stay awake for yet another page or three, long past your bedtime. Just buy it!

Could be about 100 pages shorter
I enjoyed a lot of this book, but after a while it got pretty boring. All those heroic sturdy men wrestling the crabpots around the deck, the huge seas, the long drunks. The story gets repetitious after a while, and then you start to pay closer attention to the author's style, and it does not really bear much close scrutiny. A lot of it is overwrought and amateurish, full of cliches. Worst for me about the book was that in the end I was wondering what is so heroic about risking your life to make a lot of money really fast.

A GREAT READ
In "Working on the Edge" Spike Walker takes us through the trials and tribulations that present themselves through numerous crab seasons. This book is so well written, that there are times where you feel like you are on the deck pulling in a crab pot right there with him. If you want to a great book about "The Worlds Most Dangerous Profession", I suggest you read this book! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

You MUST read this book
If you ever read anything in your life, make it this book. I cannot explain how important it is that you read this book.

You will understand my urgentness once you have read it. Please.

A Great Book
Tom Brown's books are all very good including this one. It is about Tom having grown up by an old Apache named Grandfather. Grandfather teaches him many skills of the wilderness - both physical and spiritual. It is a great book and ties in to Tom's whole series of books. I encourage you to read them. They will give you a new awareness on life that you never thought of before. ... Read more

Book Description

Crimes against Nature reveals the hidden history behind three of the nation's first parklands: the Adirondacks, Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon. Focusing on conservation's impact on local inhabitants, Karl Jacoby traces the effect of criminalizing such traditional practices as hunting, fishing, foraging, and timber cutting in the newly created parks. Jacoby reassesses the nature of these "crimes" and provides a rich portrait of rural people and their relationship with the natural world in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A lucid book on how we've "created" nature - and outlaws
Crimes Against Nature is written by one of America's foremost new thinkers on the environment. Karl Jacoby's book has all the beauty and intellectual force his lectures are famous for.

This book gives a startlingly new perspective on just how we've created our national parks. In doing so, he makes us rethink what we consider our proudest achievements - and at what cost we've achieved them. Five stars.

An intriguing look at our national parks
"Conservation" seems like a completely positive word--e.g., we want to preserve nature for future generations. I remember how in awe I was when I saw the Grand Canyon for the first time.

But after reading Jacoby's book, I feel like I have a whole new perspective. Not that I don't agree that protecting the environment shouldn't be a high priority--for example, I think the idea of drilling into the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil when we have all these people driving thes gas-guzzling SUVs is the height of idiocy. But this book shows that there were some human costs to creating the park--the Indians and poor white people who already lived on the land that became parks. I didn't realize that they had the U.S. army patrolling and occupying the Grand Canyon to keep people out--although I do remember thinking that the Forest rangers' uniforms (and Smoky the Bear!) were very militaristic.

Basically, what became parks were already living entities that had people living in and exploiting their natural resources and changing the environment. So now I realize when I see the Grand Canyon, it's not as if it's in a time warp, completely untouched for centuries. I plan to keep traveling and visiting more parts--esp out west, and this book has definitely deepened my understanding of our National Park system! ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (8)

A Fitting Conclusion
My wife and I just finished reading the whole series of four Herriot books. I think that the first one (_All Creatures Great and Small_) is probably the best one overall. The author probably put the best stories he knew into his first book. But there are several delightful stories spread through the later books, and all four make for enjoyable reading.

This book has a couple unique features. One is that the author goes on a couple international adventures traveling as caretaker of some overseas animal shipments. These are interesting travel stories on their own. Also in this book we meet James' children and see them grow up to some degree.

_The Lord God Made Them All_ is a fittingly warm and pleasant conclusion to a really enjoyable series of books.

a beloved memoir
James Herriot once again takes you on a magical journey through his whimsical hamlet of Yorkshire Dales, stealing your heart at every stop along the way. Anyone who picks up this book will be immediately captivated by the depth of love and respect for animals that embodies all of Herriot's books. Every character you meet, be it human or animal, will tug your heartstrings in a manner that you never expected from such a humble book whose clear honesty parallels that of the other books in an unforgettable series. You don't have to be an animal crazed lover like me to enjoy the simple joys of this book- it is definitely a cherished read, you won't regret it!

Good compilation of vignettes
I read James Herriot's first four books when I was a child. Now in my 30's, I recently picked up his fifth book. I was struck by how these stories are ostensibly about animals, but say vastly more about their human owners and the need for companionship. Herriot's writing style is appropriately simple and unadorned, which atcually helps increase the impact of his stories. However, his writing can be a bit at times. There really is not a plot, just a selection of stories from his years as a a vet and resident of a small Yorkshire town.

Unfortunately, he jumps around in time a bit too much (from 1947 to the mid-1950s). For example, he includes journal passages from trips he has taken as a vet escorting animals for sale to other countries. These stories are fairly interesting, but don't really belong here and are interspersed between all the other stories, further leading to a lack of context. Overall, a worthwhile, but flawed book that is significantly buoyed by Herriot's obvious love of animals and their owners.

Heck of a Book
James Herriot is a remarkable author. He proves this once again in the last of his set of novels, The Lord God Made Them All. In it Herriot tells us maore heartwarming tales of his life as a Yorkshire veterinarian. He writes very down to earth, which allows readers to relate to his stories very well. Especially in this book. Herriot not only writes about his experiences as a vet , but about becoming a father, and experiences he has while his children are young. An old client of Herriot once tells him, "Aye, there's no doubt about it, when your children are young and growin' up around ye- that's when it's best. It's the same for everybody, only a lot o'folk don't know it and a lot find out when it's too late."(369) James also writes about his voyage to Russia on a freighter with a bunch of pedigree sheep. And his journey to Istanbul which was supposed to be luxurous and relaxing. Needless to say, it was far from that. Nevertheless, as in all his stories, Herriot is able to turn them around to make us laugh and fill us with wisdom. After reading the book, I have aquired a better apprecition of life, and high hopes for the future. You can't help but think that way when he ends the book with the words, "....there are great days ahead!"

Awesome!
Well, what can i say? This is one of the books that made me think about changing my job to become a vet! The stories are great, the caracthers are full of life. James Herriot writes beatiful stories. In one storie you laugh, in the next you cry. This whole series is a must for everyone! ... Read more

Book Description

Updated and Expanded Edition

Winner of the Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order 1992, Named New Options Best Political Book


Economist Herman Daly and theologian John Cobb, Jr., demonstrate how conventional economics and a growth-oriented industrial economy have led us to the brink of environmental disaster, and show the possibility of a different future. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Ethical, Humanitarian, Communitarian, Sustainable

Dr. Herman E. Daly may well be a future Nobel Prize winner ...he is especially well-regarded in Norway and Sweden, where he has received prizes one step short of the Nobel. He is the author, co-author, or primary contributing editor of many books that fully integrate the disciplines of economics and ecology. I bought the three most recent for the purpose of selecting one to give out at my annual Global Information Forum. I ended up choosing this book to give away to hundreds, in part because it is available in paperback and is not a more expensive "trade" publication; and in part because it is strong in laying out specific ecological policy areas in the context of a strong theological or ethical perspective.

Of the three books I reviewed, (the newest "Ecological Economics: Principles and Applications", the oldest, updated, "Valuing the Earth: Economics, Ecology, Ethics") the first, the text-book, is assuredly the most up-to-date and the most detailed. If you are buying only one book for yourself, that is the one that I recommend, because these are important issues and a detailed understanding is required with the level of detail that this book provided. It should, ideally, be read with "Valuing the Earth" first (see my separate review of that book, from the 1970's updated with 1990's material and new contributions), then this book ("For the Common Good"), and finally the text book as a capstone. But if you buy only one, buy the text book.

This is a second-edition work, updated from the 1984 first edition. I like it very much in part because it comes across as less academic and more common-sense in nature. Part One does a lovely job of tearing apart the fallacy of misplaced concreteness with respect to economics, the market, measuring economic success, the reduction of the human to a "good" that can be traded without regard to humanity and ethics and community, and land. Part Two gently introduces the reader to the many distinguished thought-leaders and practitioners who have gradually matured the discipline of economics to embrace humanity, community, and sustainability as non-negotiable realities that cannot be ignored.

Part Three, a major factor in my choosing this book over the others for broad pro-bono distribution, addresses the specifics of policies one element at a time: free trade versus community; population; land use; agriculture; industry; labor; income policies and taxes; from world domination to national security as an objective. Finally, Part Four, without being corny or preachy, describes the religious or ethical vision (I still think the Golden Rule works as a one-sentence definition of common interest).

An afterword on debt in relation to money and wealth is particularly timely as the American public foolishly allows the White House carpetbaggers to run up a $7 trillion deficit that our great-grandchilden will never be able to pay off if we continue is these evil and irresponsible directions, all in sharp opposition to the sensible and ethical constructs in this book.

Of the three books, none of which really duplicate one another in any negative way, albeit with overlaps, this is the second that I recommend for purchase, after the textbook.

Great ideas, will they work?