Thanks to Outside magazine, which has been systematically cultivating a stable of fine writers for years now, we have a collection of what I'll call the "nouveau adventure" genre. Yes, there are traditional, edge-of-your-seat adventure stories by familiar names like Jon Krakauer, Sebastian Junger and Dave Roberts, but to me the real pleasure of reading this book is derived from pieces like Ian Frazier's "Keeping America's Trees Safe from Small-Curd Bubble Wrap," and Randy Wayne White's "Why Do We Fish?" Their topics are just a bit off the wall, poke gentle fun at the human condition, and still manage to offer some real insight into subjects that most of us would never have thought of.

I have also savored the several pieces in the anthology that touch a deeper chord. "The High Cost of Being David Bower," a sensitive portrait of a man literally driven by the urgency of his dream, and "The Blackfoot Years," dealing with the importance of a river to the lives of a family that has had to cope with tragedy, are two favorites.

Here you will find adventure of all kinds, insightful social commentary, high risk moments, and just enough oddball humor to keep you entertained for hours. Like other readers, I find myself returning to this collection just for the fun and pleasure of rereading my favorites. Many thanks to Outside for having the vision and sense to give these authors a home in print.

I must have re-read this book for the twentieth time by now. And I already have this whole stack of Outside magazines on the shelf! Every time I read this book I would discover something interesting and new between the lines and in the stories -- whether it's emotional, descriptive or implied. I feel terrified when I read Krakauer's take on the Everest accident; inspired by the story on David Brower and his environmental stand; and I laughed myself silly with The King of the Ferret Leggers. In short, this book take me through the whole gamut of emotions. It's a great compilation and an even greater buy.

Years and years ago an office-mate brought in a copy Outside magazine with an article on "Ferret-legging," and read to all of us. By the end of it we were dying with laughter. I made a xerox, which I saved for years, until I finally made the mistake of loaning to a friend (ex, now, obviously) WHO DID NOT RETURN IT.
Now this compendium of Outside's comes out, and blessed Mary mother of God, it includes the ferret-legging piece.
You must buy this, flip to "King of the ferret-leggers," and read the piece. You'll thank me, honest you will.
And I'm told there're some other stories in here as well. Think of them as gravy.

THIS IS THE SECOND TIME I HAVE READ THE BOOK. THE LAST TIME WAS A 110 YEARS AGO IN COLLEGE. MR. HALL MAKES US THINK ABOUT OTHER CULTURES AND ESPECIALLY OUR OWN CULTURE. IN THESE AWFUL TIMES IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND OURSELVES AND ONE ANOTHER. MR HALL'S BOOKS HELP WITH THIS. IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO UNDERSTAND A CULTURE'S LANGUAGE AND DRESS. TIME, SPACE, AND OTHER CONTINGENTS ARE JUST OR MORE IMPORTANT.

I read this book for the first time over 20 years ago after I graduated from college with an unrelated science major which I found loathesome and never used. I had already read "The Hidden Dimension" when working with an architect. I am not about to read this one again due to its complexity and the fact it "sunk in" then. Here are some of Hall's highlights:

Ch. 1 (The Paradox of Culture): "One wonders how many individuals who have been forced to adjust to eight-hour, nine-to-five schedules have sacrificed their creativity, and what the social and human cost of this sacrifice has been."

Ch. 3 (Consistency and Life): "He is forced into the position of thinking and feeling that anyone whose behavior is not predictable or is peculiar in any way is slightly out of his mind, improperly brought up, irresponsible, psychopathic, politically motivated to a point beyond all redemption, or just plain inferior."

Ch. 7 (Contexts, High and Low): "... in high context systems, people in places of authority are personally and truly (not just in theory) responsible for the actions of subordinates down to the lowest man. In low context systems, responsibility is diffused throughout the system and difficult to pin down ..."

Ch. 11 (Covert Culture and Action Chains): "The investigation of out-of-awareness culture can be accomplished only by actual observation of real events in normal settings and contexts. ... Culture is therefore very closely related to if not synonymous with what has been defined as "mind".

Ch. 12 (Imagery and Memory): "Our problems in education are exacerbated by eductional systems and philosophies that stress verbal facility at the expense of other important parts of man's mind ..."

Ch. 13 (Cultural and Primate Bases of Education): "One reason psychotherapy is so slow is that in order to change one thing it is necessary to alter the entire psyche, because the different parts of the psyche are functionally interrelated."

Ch. 13: Over bureaucratization: "The problem with bureaucracies is that they have to work hard and long to keep from substituting self-serving survival and growth for their original primary objective. ... Bureaucracies have no soul, no memory and no conscience."

Ch. 14 (Culture as an Irrational Force): "Since the men and women responsible for these [anthropological] studies for the most part are both well trained in Anglo-American social science methodology and well motivated, one can only assume that there is something basically wrong with the way in which social science research is often conducted."

It's amazing to me that the (brilliantly simple) ideas found in this book aren't more a part of public consciousness and discussion, especially 25 years after its publication. These aren't high-flying concepts. They're experimentally proven and frighteningly basic revelations about how humans function, and the fact that they were never a part of my curriculum in one of the best prep schools in the country and then a top Ivy League school simply drives home Hall's point about the state of academia. My only complaint is that the book jumps around quickly and doesn't always spend as much time as I'd like on particular threads. It also isn't particularly actionable, but given its conclusions this is not surprising. I recommend Maps of Meaning by Jordan Peterson for another fascinating look at how the cross-cultural human psyche is configured. It's a powerful counterpoint to the fashionable but vacuous idea that everything in culture is an arbitrary construct, unconnected to millions of years of evolution of the human organism.

Birthflowers of the Landscape, by Linton McKnight, is a refreshing contribution to the spirituality of flower gardening and landscaping. His insight and practical suggestions provide a good grounding for the creative gifts instilled in all of us by our Creator.

This book shows you how to take these beautiful flowers and create a garden that will give you beautiful color all year. It also shows you that you have a Birthflowers of the Landscape flower which will magically bloom on your birthday every year. This author has been interviewed for the A&E Open Book Show and it is gaining national recognition in major publications such as Better Homes and Gardens, BottomLine, etc. A must for all gardners and for those who love flowers.

I have read your wonderful book. Not only will it be very helpful, especially for new gardners, this will be a wonderful addition to my horticulture library. Thank you for sharing it with me.

Incredible. Everything you've ever wanted from a band that time forgot, but never get. Really well written, with the ring of truth and a great sense of humor. Some great cold war stuff too. Maybe this is what Johnny Rotten was refering to when he talked about going under the Berlin Wall. Such a strange, interesting story, that now I've read the book, listened to the CDs over and over, even saw one of the guys walking around NYC with a baseball cap on and still have a hard time believing all this really happened. But right there in the book is a photo of a tonsured Dave Day comparing notes with a spit-curled Bill Haley; and there's even a German poster advertising, in clockwise order, an album from The Who, Hums of The Loving Spoonful, Fresh Cream, and lo and behold, black monk time.

After reading this book and listening to the CD of the same name, readers/listeners will say "The Velvet who?" This is rock and roll at its strangest, most twisted and rebellious. Mr. Shaw's story borders on the fantastic, but it really happened! Five GIs shaving their heads and dressing in black and pumping out punk music a decade before the Sex Pistols, the Clash et al. Who woulda thunk it? This is truly an essential addition to any rock musicologists library.

Eddie Shaw's book, BLACK MONK TIME, is an in-depth look at the mutation of a standard 60s rock n roll group into the first punk band. As bassist for the Monks, he is able to give readers an inside look at the dynamics of a working rock n roll group. His prose really starts to catch fire, appropriately enough, when the band begins to undergo radical changes; both musically and satorially. Fans of the Velvet Underground to the Sex Pistols should give both the book and the Monks sole album (entitled BLACK MONK TIME also) a whirl.

When the name "Big Thicket" is mentioned to about anyone in East Texas, huge trees with dew-dripping moss and dense underbrush come to mind. But after reading Wanda Landrey's BOARDIN' IN THE THICKET, all I can think of are good country recipes and amusing homespun stories.

Boardin in The Thicket is a "must have" for anyone wanting to put the country back in cooking.

In todays fast-paced world, it's refreshing to read a book such as Wanda Landrey's "Boardin' In the Thicket". In her book, Landrey recreates the ambiance of a time when people would sit on their porches and rock and weave a tale or two.

Rilke ranks among the world's greatest poets. Each poem in the Book of Images is an elegant snapshot of a beautiful world. Snow's translation is superb, and he is commonly regarded as the preeminent English translator of Rilke's poetry. This text contains the translation and the original German side-by-side so that readers can gain a better appreciation of Rilke. The Snow translatio of the Book of Images is one of the greatest English-language poetic achievements.

Rilke is that poet that you, if you are tormented by memories of high-school poetry lessons past (dactylic metre sound vaguely familiar?), ought try. His imagery is accessible, his meaning clear...and he manages simultaneously a beautiful degree of both spiritual and metaphorical richness.

Snow's translations of Rilke's poetry are superb; he consistently preserves the metric structure and is also conscious of the need to employ every word and consider every nuance of meaning, rather than simply settling for glossing it (a surprisingly common problem in poetry translation). In the challenging world of finding faithful poetry translation, Snow's work is outstanding...and the original material to my sense of literary aesthetics unsurpassed...little of Rilke's beauty is sacrificed in the execution of this translation. Rilke's simultaneous spareness, sensitivity, and richness endure here; rather than imposing himself upon the reader, Snow succeeds admirably at the translator's task, and brings Rilke to the English-speaking audience.

Rilke's poems are simple, describing everything for the reader. He never overpowers with metaphors and deeper meanings.

This book can serve as a great endtable book with itslarge-page (12.5" x 9") format and accurate paintings of avariety of sharks by R. Ellis, but this book is more than that.

The book has excellent illustrations, paintings, and photographs, and biographies of several prominent shark researchers, conservationists, and shark-hunters. But more importantly, this book does a good job of summarizing aspects of the biology, ecology, and evolution of this amazing and intruiging group of animals.

Is this "the" definitive shark book? I would say that's a safe statement for the non-technical crowd. The only thing it needs to keep the technical crowd happy is a comprehensive list of references to scientific literature that was used to provide the information detailed in the book.

If you are interested in marine life, and in the lives and times of this group of top predators, then this book is for you.

Top marks, even though some of the information is becoming somewhat dated.

Mr Ellis has written the most informative, detailed book on every species of shark there is. Anything you want to know about sharks is in this book. I have read many shark books and myself and my husband are shark lovers and we believe this book is superb. Definitely recommendable.

When i was a kid growing up, sharks were (and still are) the greatest thing on earth. This book was the first book i ever read about sharks, although back then all i did was look at the pictures. I own the book still, and now that i am older, i know that is is one of the most thorough, and thought prevoking books dealing with this subject. It is a worthy entry in any shark lovers collection

This book is one of my favorites that I have ever read. It shows off it's mysitcal abillities without going overboard.

I have all of Claudia J. Edwards' books; I love them. I wouldn't trade them for love or money. Her writing is not the tightest, but her characters glow with emotion and determination. Her women, especially, are incredibly strong and capable characters. While hardly flawless, her female character struggle through with grit, and that only makes it better.

Throw in a lot of horses and all i can wonder, repeatedly, is why there isn't any more! I wish there was a way to contact this writer and beg for another book.

Runa's mother was hanged when Runa was twelve for being a witch. Runa spent the next eleven years on the run from those who would do the same to her because of her ability to wield magic. Finally she is caught, imprisoned for five years and then exiled. After two years wandering in the wilderness she enters a green and pleasant land. At this time she is 32, she has never established a home or a lasting relationship of any depth because of the misfortunes in her life.

The story opens with Runa being stalked by a large, invisible beast. When it appears it is a silver striped, sabetooth tiger, longer than Runa's horse. This Silver cat announces that Runa is its "meat" but does not attack her.

Exploring further, Runa discovers a land where the skeletons of the plague dead remain unburied. It is also infested with outlaws. She rescues a young boy whose father has been killed and learns that the land was once under the care of "the Burdened Ones", the Silver Cat Mantic and Margrave. The Margrave was the war leader and hunter, the Mantic a magic wielder. Together they provided protection, sustenance and healing for the "Tiller Folk." But about 150 years earlier the Margrave and Mantic had been deposed and killed in an uprising. Since that time the land had suffered. Anyone who had attempted since then to take over the Castellum where the Burdened ones had ruled has been destroyed by the magical guardians.

Her interest piqued, Runa manages to establish herself in the Castellum and begins to surround herself with the Tiller folk, but she finds herself unable to perform the roles of both the Margrave and the Mantic. The Silver Tiger is the guardian spirit of the land who chooses the Mantic and mMrgrave.

Then, one day, a bearded and braided barbarian, accompanied by a dozen followers pounds at the gate of the Silver cat castellum with the warning that there savage cannibals are coming their way. The savages are being herded their way by the other local leaders because they do not recognize Runa as a proper Mantic despite her possession of two horses and her undoubted skill at sorcery.

This is the story of how Runa and her barbarian come to terms with one another and with the requirments of being burdened by responsibility for other people. From two separate cultures, neither completely understands the other, but they are forced to learn to cooperate and respect one another abilities in order to survive.

This book, despite some small awkwardness in style is definitely a keeper.

I am a survivor of Tony Leyva's crimes and was not mentioned in the book. My experience with him was in the early 70's. I have first hand knowledge of how he operated and can truly say Mr. Echols' report on Leyva is completely thorough and accurate. Relatively few people will work to expose this type of behavior. Echols is to be congratulated. A must-read for parents.

Mike Echols does an outstanding job of chronicling the history of abuse "Brother" Tony, an evangelical itinerant preacher, inflicts upon the children of families who came to look up to him and trust him with their sons. Brother Tony is clearly a psychopathic predator who took advantage of hundreds and hundreds of boys during his roving ministry. Echols well illustrates that pederasty has not just been a problem in the Catholic Clery but in the fabric of many who betrayed the sacredness of the trust that was bestowed upon them in a number of arenas. While Brother Tony eventually gets jailed, it's fairly clear that it's far too little, too late. Brother Tony will be back in action within the next few years and parents need to look out for their kids.

Brother Tony's Boys illustrates again the importance of parents talking forthrightly to their children about potential predators who might be as close as relatives or as trusted as men of God. A sad story which chronicles a tremendous betrayal and the damage that these young people will need to come to grips with as their lives progress. An excellent edition to books dealing with similar issues in differing settings: "Scouts Honor" chronicling the sad story of abuse in the boy scouts, Jason Berry's outstanding book on Catholic Clergy, "Lead Us Not Into Temptation" Parents might read these along with some of the books on averting and treating some of these issues, i.e., author Mic Hunter is among the treatment pioneers in this field and his books are available on Amazon.com. A frightening subject -- yet not one to simply be ignored. Parents and educators need to be proactive about these kinds of predators! Highly Recommended! Daniel J. Maloney

Good book I guess but you can not truelly investigate Namblaa until you have made a list of alll government members all the way up to the whitehouse who are actual members of nambla until you expose them you will never be able to truelly battle Nambla

I was fortunate enough to find this book during a most difficult time in the life of my (then) 15 year old daughter. She was one of those children that challenged every family structure and desire for peaceful coexistence. The love was unquestioned, but the pain we were experiencing was also profound. Through this book, I learned to reframe the difficulties and experiences -- and have more emotional distance so that I could truly be an effective parent for my daughter. It was a long and gradual road but today I am very grateful to report that my daughter and I are VERY close and she is building a healthy and happy life for herself. We both thank Dr. Val Essen for her significant contributions to our family relationships.

As a therapist and a parent, I am continually searching for the ultimate parenting book that I feel comfortable recommending to clients because it has worked for my family. I have found that book in "Bring out the Best." It's more than just a handbook of practical parenting skills, it presents a complete parenting philosophy that is respectful, insightful, forgiving and non-shaming. The beauty of the book is that it is simultaneously individual and universal. Rather than dishing out cookie-cutter parenting skills, Dr. Val-Essen asks the reader to explore the ideal parent that you would like to be and leads you through the process of making that dream a reality. After reading this book, I have developed a new level of respect for my children. I see them more clearly as seperate individuals. I have learned to recognize their unique strengths and to work with them rather than againzst them. In a sense, I have fallen in love with my children all over again. These new insights, coupled with Dr. Val-Essens's emphasis on assertion skills, has helped transform our family. We communicate more openly, enjoy each other more genuinely, and the level of cooperation in our home has risen dramatically. Parenting is not only the most difficult job anyone will ever undertake, it is also the most humbling. Dr. Val-Essen's book gently guides the reader through this process with honesty and compassion. As a result, I feel more confident in my abilities as a parent and my children reap the benefits. What could be better? I highly recommend this book.

This book came very highly recommended by a teacher of a parenting class. I purchased it because I am a classroom elementary school teacher and because my brother needed some quality parenting tips. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN!!! When I recommend this book, I don't recommend it to parents exclusively. It is more about fostering relationships and helping people to achieve their highest potentials. It deserves a wide readership and is not limited to interactions with children. To me, this book is a whole philosophy of life (as in the quotations it includes from Mandella and Goethe)and has applications far beyond building family relationships. It addresses all meaningful interactions and relations with others. It is a book about building trusting relationships and has a wonderful philosophy of life.