This book is by far the simplest book I've ever read for a deer hunting book. It lacks sophisticated detail and has a flavor for the bare basics. I strongly encourage hunters to steer clear of this book if they have any exprience at all. I give it 2 stars (instead of 1) for the beginner who actually may find this somewhat useful. Otherwise don't waste any time reading this.

Richard Smith is a true hunter with excellent ethics. His book is great for the beginning hunter. However its is full of endorsements from the beginning.I gave this book to a friend to read before I would even hunt with him for the first time. Hats off to you Richard for allowing so many deer to pass you by and let them become future trophies. I only wish others people would enjoy the outdoors as much and not think of the sport as a chance to shoot at the first deer that comes by. I would be honored if I ever got the chance to hunt with you

Wonderful book to read in the off season!! Great tips, well organized, lots of useful pictures. Good luck!!

i felt the need to ward people away from this guidebook, i'm a local hiker, and only appreciate the book because it is so comprehensive. typically i'f i want to try a hike from this book, i will find it in another guide,and use their directions. the mileages are off, in both the hiking and driving. there are no hiking maps, only driving. Most hikes are very short, and very easy. directions are ... poor, and it's hard to stomach the author portraits on the back of the book. only buy this book if you plan on hiking EVERYTHING in flagstaff, otherwise you are buying an over comprehensive guide, when a "best of flagstaff" hikes book would show you the goods, and be far more useful. i hate this book.

We found this book to be extremely helpful as we were new to the area and weren't sure where to go. The maps were very detailed and precise. The descriptions helped us choose which hikes would be of greatest interest to us. Definitely a book to buy!

Mr. Howells exams enduring myths which developed during the two years following the 1912 sinking of the Titanic. He follows "the metodological tradition of authroities such as John Grierson and Clifoord Geertz, supported by thinkers such as Hegel an Kant" in taking a case study approach to the unsinkable nature of the ship, the concept of women and children first, of being british and dying as gentelemen. For the student of the Titanic disaster, the book does not reveal any new facts, simply it seesk to assign psychoanaytical concepts.

I have always wondered why the Titanic tragedy has had such a profound grip on our minds and our imaginations. This fascinating book looks at the myths that have grown up around the Titanic, and interprets why these myths appeal to us. I found it to be a very profound insight into psychological benefits potentially provided the many misconceptions that stall our progress every day. To understand why we look at the myth rather than the opportunity is to learn how to be a stallbuster who can go on to achieve great things.

Howells found six parallels between the Titanic myths and those located in preliterate myths of various peoples. First, realistic detail is used to establish credibility for the fantastic parts of the story. Second, myths create an idealized version of the world that people would like to aspire to. Third, myths express truths about the societies (rather than the events) that create and believe the myths. Fourth, myths are an attempt to meet society's needs by expressing ideas that would be helpful if followed. Fifth, myths express the entire culture rather than just the thinking of a single author. Sixth, myths are a way of creating meaning out of an event that seems overwhelming otherwise.

Howell explores in depth the later writings about many of the mythical events of the Titanic. In these he finds many expressions of English Edwardian ideals of masculinity and social class. Further, parts of the myth express a desire to draw a lesson from the experience -- that of hubris (excessive pride) causing a fall. The parallels to Paradise Lost and the myth of Prometheus are immediately invoked.

The book is very well organized and clearly written. The introduction is a good overview of the book. The first chapter provides an accurate summary of what really happened on the Titanic. The second chapter explores the significance of myths and the Titanic. Chapters three through seven look at particular myths (Women and Children First! -- but some men escaped the disaster as well; Be British -- holding up the nation as an example to all; We Shall Die Like Gentlemen -- a reference to class even though a high percent of the upper class people survived; 'Nearer My God, to Thee' being played by the band -- a conflict between spiritual and secular values; and The Unsinkable Ship -- which should have been applied to Olympic, Titanic's predecessor). The conclusion makes a interesting parallel between the words used by President Reagan after the Challenger shuttle disaster and the little reported words of a duchess in unveiling a statue of the Titanic's captain in 1914. This comparison shows the fundamental needs that myth serves in a very profound way.

This book would be a good one to share with someone else (or even for a book club) and then to discuss in terms of how myths help and hurt us. Then you could discuss places where contemporary myths should be challenged. This will be a great stallbusting adventure for you!

Donald Mitchell

Coauthor of The Irresistible Growth Enterprise and The 2,000 Percent Solution

(donmitch@fastforward400.com)

This book has one over-riding theme repeated constantly: The White Man is always wrong and the Indian is and has always been an innocent victem. I won't list details, but the lack of objectivity and obvious implications to the promote the theme are insulting. Although the book may contain some valuable and useful facts about Native Americans and their lifestyles, it is impossible to determine how authentic any of them are due to the overt propaganda that is being constantly asserted.

A beautiful book that pleases the mind and eyes. Very authoritative and full of historical and anecdotal information relating to the Native Americans. Begins with pre-Columbus and continues through the ages to the 90's. A must read for anyone interested in Native american culture and history. The photographs and illustrations are priceless and well worth the price of the book. Add this to your history collection, younsters enjoy browsing at the wonderful prints of paintings and illustrations. An easy read whose pictures entertain and captivate the imagination.

As a guide to the trees of N-America (exclusive of Mexico and tropical Florida) it seems obvious to compare it with Sargent's "Manual of the Trees of North America (exclusive of Mexico)", now available as a Dover-reprint. The present book appears an abbreviated and updated version of the earlier one, with distribution maps the most noticeable addition. However I find the earlier one definitely more attractive, if only because the line-drawings are so much clearer in the old book. In Preston's book the reproduction of the drawings is very black, and hence unclear.

When comparing this with the magnificent "Trees_of_Canada" by John Laird Farrar (aka "Trees_of_Northern_United_States_and_Canada") the book by Preston looks shabby indeed. The most kindly thing to be said would seem to be that this is vastly overpriced. Surely the USA can do (a lot) better than this for its trees?

This 400 page book is a no-nonsense identification manual for north American trees exclusive of Mexico and tropical Florida (except for 35 species of hawthorn and 16 usually shrubby willows). It is adequately illustrated by drawings and distribution maps. Most of the species are described (habit, leaves, fruit, twigs, bark, general), some of the more uncommon ones are only mentioned in the keys. Although the book claims to use language as simple as possible I can imagine that it is the botanists who come to terms with it most easily.

A real drawback can be found in one of the introductory keys (species with toothed leaves) where the identification relies heavily on fruit characters. This is no doubt scientifically accurate, but not very practical in the field. A less rigorous, user friendly approach would be preferable.

I recommend the book to people with botanical training who will be happy to find the species arranged according to families and not according to the position of leaves. I liked the book because of its mostly very useful keys and because it presents all the north American trees in one easy-to-carry volume

While the book presents numerous types of agricultural buildings from all over the U.S., it doesn't go into any sort of detail about any of them, making it of limited reference use.

For what I wanted the book for it is a fantastic resourse. I build model barns and covered bridges. This book has not only given me new ideas but also a history behind them. Love the book.

The logbook style of D'Aboville's book doesn't lend itself well to a deep understanding of what goes through the mind of a solo rower travelling across the ocean. The reader gets glimpses, but not a coherent narrative. The terse entries make for a fast read and the subject matter is interesting.

While this small book is just right as an introductions to the questions one should ask about ancient civilizations in the Americans, it is not good for someone with some historical background. Indeed it best serves scholars interested in the ancient Americas better than anyone else.

This book had excellent descriptions of tracks and habitats of different animals in North America, but I was disappointed in the photos. Most of the photos of tracks were in snow, not dirt or mud. Also, in order to get a description of track size,you must read the text. There were very few pictures of scat and other signs as well. This is a good book if you want to sit down and read about animal tracks and signs, but a poor reference in the field. If you want a field book, look elsewhere.