....This set of audio tapes was a disappointment to me. I had wanted a set of bird songs to accompany my new Peterson Eastern Birds field guide, 4th edition.( Previously, I had owned the 2nd edition and its excellent, page-coordinated, accompanying tapes and had used them for years.) I bought this new set of audio tapes blind, so to speak, because they were shrink-wrapped with no real description visible. No one in any of the retail stores I consulted knew anything about them nor was willing to break into the shrink-wrapping.
....Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central is actually a 3-tape short course in identifying bird calls. It is essentially useless for field identification. To make use of this set of tapes, one would have to sit down and listen and listen and listen to interminable commentary by a sonorous male voice introducing bird calls in clusters that are of minimal use because they are grouped by similarity, which often doesn't translate into geography or habitat. The second side of the third tape is a "review" that is actually a test.... one must listen to a series of unidentified songs and try to remember what they are, after having spent the hours required to listen to the other 5 sides of the tapes.
.... The up side of this set of tapes is that the bird song recordings are excellent. They include both the song and the call. (But they are useless in the field in this format.)

If you live in North America east of the Mississipi and want to identify birds by ear, read on...

This audio set is a very well thought out and produced tutorial for introducing beginning "ear" birders to the world of birding by ear. The audio quality is excellent with several renditions of each song and call. The pace is well suited to the target audience - only after repeated listening will you want to skip ahead through sections. The groupings of similar songs seem well designed, and reflect situations in the field that pose problems. Each song is described verbally, with an onomatopoetic description. I wish the CD were coded so that sub-tracks could be accessed directly without the introductory descriptions, but the design of this set isn't as encyclopedia of song, rather as short course in learning how to identify song.

Buy this and the "More birding by ear", listen to them for 10 - 30 minutes a day (great drive time listening), and master the art of birding by ear!

Great learning tool for the novice and a great reminder for the seasoned veteran.

I took a look through the 20 or so Latin books and dictionaries at my locals B&N book store. This one seems by far the strongest candidate for self-study (my intended use) - combining
a fairly attractive visual presentation with some interesting and easy-to-digest history/background information. Actually this is the only book I saw that I would consider buying. [I am thinking of learning a little Latin with my son, for fun and general education.]

I used these books in high school a few years back. Now I've picked them up to learn Latin on my own. Unfortunately I need a second language for my Masters, and my college didn't offer Latin.

The first book jumps you right into the lessons. Most books I've found, force grammer and pronounciation through the first few chapters.

People put down Latin and are afraid to learn it, saying it is hard. Considering the romantic languages and much of English come from Latin, it's a lot easier than people think. Just use common sense and you can learn to pick out words. I gave a few passages to my Latin-free husband and he got the idea of some of the sentences. It took a bit of figuring, but anyone should be able to do it.

The only negative, is using this book alone. It helps to have someone to ask questions of. At least when you get into the conjegating of verbs and their declensions. If you can find someone to ask a few questions of, then you're all set.

If you are just starting ut in Latin, and you want to learn the language with and exciting storyline, useful grammar tips, and cultural information at the end of each 'Stage' or chapter, then you would like to buy this superior textbook. In a set of four, the first book contains twelve stages.

Coyote is a kick in the pants. Richard Miller's character Beffle, alias The Beer Fairy, changes personas and disguises like most of us change socks. In fact, many characters in this book change identities as Beffle and her erstwhile employer Two Bears roar through several American Indian casinos trying to escape a vast unnamed conspiracy that threatens to murder them.

From an Ohlone home base casino in Carmel Valley, Calif., Beffle and Two Bears plot the resurgence of American Indian culture through the pocketbooks of American consumer culture, primarily gambling, called here as in advertisements, "gaming." Miller not only places the reader on the Big Sur coast but also trails us to Las Vegas and Connecticut, while making a strong point that the motel rooms that Beffle frequents could be "anywhere USA."

Beffle and Two Bears travel to develop a scheme that will combine casinos around the country to buy back Indian land and establish a new Indian confederacy. The motel culture of the dominant culture won't do; perhaps the resurrection of the Indians with their respect for nature will save society. Or will it? Miller makes the reader acutely aware that casinos are sprouting in places where the deer once roamed.

There's lots of background on what the dominant white culture has done to the Indians since stealing their land and Two Bears becomes an eloquent spokesman for the injustices as well as for the dreams of the tribes. His diatribes skewer our contemporary consumer culture as surely and accurately as an arrow strikes the bulls eye.

Yet there's something rotten in Denmark, as Shakespeare would say, when various people attempt to kill Beffle, and the pair, along with their trusty bodyguards, confront an unknown force that could be the CIA, the FBI or the Mafia. Who is trying to kill them and why? Or is anyone what they seem? And who are these sex-crazed twins and their cohorts who keep popping up to rescue Beffle at the oddest times?

Not to give away the plot, but no one is who they seem to be and the last pages of the book once again turn identities on their heads. Make an afternoon free to read this compelling story of ideals that bend back on themselves like pretzels and still hold out hope that something can change; people will triumph over their own doubts and greed and we can look to some of the beliefs of the American Indians to see us through our complex so-called civilization.

COYOTE is a swirling vortex of thoughts and ideas. It is about our mortal and immortal selves. It is about the pyramids of power who do their damnedest to control us, and inadvertently, themselves. It is about innocence and deceit. Who are the bad guys anyways? Should we be judged by what we do or why we do it? COYOTE is both thoughtful and fun, a fast-paced fiction that raises many serious issues. I truly recommend it!

Like its namesake in Native-American mythology, Miller's Coyote is playful and cunning. Its heroine, the resourceful and mysterious Beffle-who's an accomplished disguise artist-takes the reader on a coast-to-coast tour of Indian Casino gambling, that includes a stop in the nightmarish Mecca of gambling, Las Vegas. It also includes a bizarre high school reunion in the bowels of Ohio. Coyote is funny, suspensful, and serious as it looks at the history of relations between Native Americans and the Europeans who dropped by uninvited. Lots of good history wrapped in a witty, fast-paced adventure. I read it over a weekend and forwarded it to a friend who read it in a night. Terrific book.

All of Audobon's books are great because they will fit in a pocket or day-pack. Nicely organized and includes awesome full color pictures that really help in the identification. The information on the flowers is very extensive. A must for anyone who likes flowers and wants to know what kind they have.

"What kind of wildflower is this, Dad?"

"I don't know?"

"Is it poisonous?"

"I don't know."

"It's sure pretty."

"Yes, it is pretty."

The above was always my reply to my children's questions about the wildflowers we saw whenever we took our family journeys into the Great Basin Desert, or high into the Pahvant Mountains. I got tired of saying, "I don't know." Well, because of the "National Audubon Society's Field Guide to Wildflowers" (Wester Edition) I know now, to tell my children to stay away from the (poisonous) Water Hemlock which I always thought previously was wild carrots. Now I can answer their question and impress them with my knowledge at the same time.

I would like to suggest this field guide to any of you family outdoor enthusiasts, especially fathers, so you don't get caught in the I don't know syndrome. The same applies for all the birds you see on your excursions--"What kind of bird is that, Dad?"--sound familiar? Well don't fret, you can click on my name, in this review, and find a field guide to Birds. Then you'll be doubly prepared.

Good luck,

from a father like you.

I take this (as well as the Peterson Field Guide to Pacific States Wildflowers) with me on all my wildflower hunting trips. The extensive color photos are extremely helpful for identifying wildflowers. Flowers are organized by color. This has by far more real flower pictures than the Peterson Field Guide.

Prof. McKenzie's book, "The Home", touched me to the core. The plight of children, in all walks of life, are "dear to my heart". The book made me alternately cry and smile throughout with it's sometimes heart- wrenching look at life through a young boy's eyes. It is good to know that children without "parents" and a "normal" family can be cared for and loved enough to grow up and become viable, giving human beings. For the sake of suffering and lonely children everywhere, I believe this story needs to be told.

This book, written by an orphan, contributes a first person voice to the conversation on child welfare. A reunion of orphanage alumni convinced the author to write about his own orphanage upbringing. The permanence of "The Home" and knowing that he would not be sent away helped him develop a sense of place and of belonging. The alumni agreed that this was seminal to their well being. The author's upbringing in this Presbyterian orphanage is testament to the healing power of a constructive rural life. The children learned to care for themselves and each other by raising their own food (crops and animals) and maintaining the farm equipment and the buildings. They went to school and church on the property until they entered high school. The administrative leadership was strong, moral and fair. His story is not a nostalgic rendition of the experience. It is a very objective assessment of the benefits he received from growing up on this particular 1500 acre farm orphanage.

This review is in response to the Booklist one above. In The Home, McKenzie makes a case in favor of orphanages as opposed to foster homes based on his own experiences. He points out that The Home is his story and was not intended to speak for all orphans. This book shows how people have choices in life - they can choose to use what they are dealt for them or against them. The stories that McKenzie relates illustrate how he learned valuable life lessons during his childhood, which ultimately contributed to his present success. Although some of the stories in the book made me cry, I thorougly enjoyed reading it. I feel like The Home gives readers a peek into McKenzie's soul. Truly inspirational, very interesting, and it makes you re-evaluate your own childhood!

Great general reference guide with photos by renowned insect photographer Dr. Edward Ross. A well done eighty-three page introduction covers such topics as classification, anatomy, behavior and collecting. Not for real die hards as the number of species is limited. Great though for students, naturalists, nature photographers and others interested in a good general introduction that uses top quality photography.

It would be impossible for any single book to be a total guide (and I have many!), but this book has EXCELLENT photographs - which is especially helpful with hemiptera (true bugs), since there is a shortage of identifying guides for them. I not only found photos of insects that I (and my county ag agent) had been unable to identify, this book is wonderfully keyed to indicate whether insects are beneficials, pests, neutral, etc. This "at a glance" keying (by color, symbols and single alpha's) is very helpful for gardeners since most books do not give good information on what insects eat (a predator can develop into a pest as an adult, and vice versa), etc., but rather only provide physical identification information. Organic gardeners can frequently find information only on the worst (most common) pests, and may live in areas where they have worst pests that are not indigenous elsewhere, or identification of the most common predators, that may not be universally common. The author give life histories and other valuable information frequently lacking in "identification" books. Scientific names are provided for the more serious reader - and to help in identifying similiar insects in more complete but poorly illustrated books. Because of the beautiful photos, it would be a good "beginner book" for a budding entomologist too! This book is a real bargain!

This guide is awesome, pictures and illustrations are from very high quality, I found this guide comparable to those guides from Audubon.

Two illustration of insects come on left page, and on the right page you have the theorical info, so It easy to read and look at the picture at the same time. Insects are very easy to find, theyre grouped in orders, and by similitudes of course.

This is a must have for any insect enthusiast, no mether if a begginer or if an expert on this field.

It is very complete.

A very good reference and field guide to snakes from Texas to North Dakota eastwards, aimed at enthusiasts and accessible to the average reader. It builds on Tennant's earlier books on Texas and Florida snakes (which were excellent), and in fact the text of the species accounts is often lifted more or less directly from those books. This makes this book less than original, but the detail -- over 600 pages worth -- is very good. Lots of photos, though each are a little small. This book is thicker, more thorough and generally stronger than the companion western volume (Snakes of North America: Western Region). It also has a good bibliography. One quibble, though -- the range maps often do not extend into Canada (though the Canadian ranges of the relevant snakes are discussed in the text), which reduces the usefulness of this book for Canadian readers. Recommended.

Overall I thought this book was well written, very comprehensive, and quite easy to use. The copy I purchased has a problem with some of the pages being out of order. The Western guide I have has the range maps for the hognoses reversed. These may be a function of the printing company's sloppiness. However, I believe this book is an important addition to any serious amateur or professional herpetologist or budding herpetoculturist.

This book has the most comprehensive and up to date data down to sub-specific detail I've seen in a field guide, or any publication for that matter. This book is informative and easy to read. As a field guide it tries to group the animals by their appearance, which is occasionally annoying, but for a novice trying to identify something it is logical. The collection of pictures is quite complete, however, unusual color morphs of some species are depicted where it would be better to show clearer pictures of typical specimens(especially because it is a field guide).

The book is good for anyone who wants a quick understanding of certain possibilities of why the North won. However, some of the essays(this is no reflection of the actual book) are not that well justified in my opinion.

Reissue of a classic collection of essays from the 60's...Currents's "God and the Strongest Battalions" is alone worth the price!...Economic, political, social, etc., aspects are all considering by the "big-gun" historians of 40 years past...Scholarly enough for the serious student, yet very reader-friendly for the novitiate...recommended in the strongest possible terms!

This is an excellent book which contains six essays on the various economic, miliary, diplomatic, social, and politiical reasons why the Confederacy lost and the Union won the Civil War. This book saved my butt

Don't read this book expecting 408 pages detailing the adventures of individual SOG soldiers and their missions. There is really only one chapter, "Crossing the Fence" with its details of SOG operations in Laos, that fits that bill. What Shultz details, using unprecedented access to recently declassified Pentagon documents and interviews with many of the participants in SOG operations, is the complete story of the origin, operations, successes, failures, and lessons of the Studies and Observations Group. His prose may not be scintillating, he may repeat himself frequently, and the beginning of the book may bog down occasionally with flow charts of command, but Shultz isn't writing a popular history. He's writing a policy review of SOG's operations for future civilian and military leaders who may turn to covert operations and unconventional warfare to get themselves out of diplomatic binds. The final chapter of the book summarizes these lessons.

Still, this book is worthwhile reading even for ordinary civilians.

Those interested in espionage history will find a fascinating account of SOG's attempts to foster rebellion in North Vietnam and wage psychological warfare. Not only do we learn why the CIA could not start a resistance movement in the "denied" country of North Vietnam, a "counterintelligence state" of extreme paranoia and security, but why the inheritor of the project, SOG, was also doomed to fail and fail spectacularly. Of approximately 500 agents inserted into North Vietnam, all were killed or captured and many turned into double agents.

But SOG officers experienced in espionage turned this disaster into a brilliant operation that convinced North Vietnam a massive underground was operating in their country and loyal North Vietnamese were implicated as traitors. For those wanting to know exactly what is encompassed by the term "psychological warfare", Shultz gives some idea in the chapter "Drive Them Crazy with Psywar". SOG set up a fake resistance movement with accompanying bogus radio traffic, propaganda, and blocks of ice parachuted into the jungle to melt and leave empty chutes and an uneasy feeling amongst the North Vietnamese.

Shultz also tells of the few maritime operations SOG carried out against enemy targets, its sabotage efforts which included tainting caches of the enemy's rice and leaving behind tainted ammo for the VC and NVA soldiers, and its operations against the Ho Chi Minh trail.

But the documentation on SOG was initially classified for a reason. Ultimately, the program was a failure, and Shultz documents how there's plenty of blame to go around. Civilian leadership in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations micromanaged the program, had unrealistic expectations for its speed and efficacy, and held the bizarre belief that covert means should be congruent with overt public policy. Military leadership at the highest levels set up SOG as a sop to civilian leaders whom they thought naively enamored of special warfare. They expected little from it, provided little by way of support, and had no plan to coordinate SOG's efforts into the grand Vietnam strategy. Shultz also points out that special ops was, far from being a glamorous, honored posting, a career stopper for a professional military man.

While Shultz, of course, concentrates on SOG, I also learned a fair amount about the diplomatic, political, and military history of the Vietnam war in general. Prior to this, my only exposure to the war, in book form, had been a biography of Carlos Hathcock, the Marine sniper in Vietnam.

The book is a bit slow at times, but it rewards the reader who completes it.

The Secret War Against Hanoi by Richard H. Schultz, Jr. is yet another example of how the higher-ups in Washington failed the soldiers on the ground in Vietnam. Schultz details the beginnings of our clandestine operations during the Vietnam War and the micromanaged progression they took under Lyndon Johnson's administration.

The story of our covert actions begins immediately after John Kennedy inauguration. Kennedy convened his first national security meeting and was wholely dissatisfied with American efforts to counter North Vietnam's promotion of the Viet Cong. Kennedy insisted that the US do to North Vietnam what they were doing to South Vietnam. Neither Kennedy nor anyone else present at that meeting would know exactly what we were in for because of that directive.

Schultz makes it clear that once the Pentagon was handed the responsibility for covert operations in Southeast Asia that they were almost assured of failing. The military neither wanted nor could handle the covert operations that were truly necessary to bring about the withdraw of North Vietnamese support for the Viet Cong. The army in particular was against the Pentagon's use of covert operations as a means of furthering the war effort. They believed 100 percent in conventional military methods and did not believe that special forces were going to contribute one bit to the war effort.

To go along with the military's disinterest was the civilian leadership's unreasonable expectations regarding covert operations. Many members of the Kennedy and Johnson administrations did not fully grasp the difficulty of conducting successful covert operations against a "denied target" like North Vietnam. Kennedy himself believed that the CIA was merely dragging its feet regarding North Vietnam due to a lack of resources or competence or both.

Too often the senior military brass left the special forces units in Vietnam out to dry with inadequate resources and staffing. They refused to staff the units with the senior level people which normally went with the important missions in Vietnam. It was something that the Pentagon wished would just go away.

Coupled with the military's cold shoulder, the special operators had to deal with the bureaucratic nightmare that was Vietnam policy. If their operations requests made it through the Defense Department, they then had to travel the hallways of the State Department before final approval by President Johnson. Very little of what the special operators wanted to do ever made it all the way through Washington intact.

The Secret War Against Hanoi is illustrative of the way in which democracies have trouble conducting wars that dictatorships do not. It was fear that kept special forces from even coming close to fulfilling the promise that they had in Vietnam. It was the fear of what our allies would say, what the Chinese or Soviets would do, and, most importantly to the members of the Johnson administration, what the voters would think.

The Secret War Against Hanoi is not very surprising in light of what we already know about the Vietnam War. However, it does provide some good insight into how not to conduct covert operations. While the United States has not had enough success with covert operations to say that we have developed a workable method, we certainly should take the lesson away from Vietnam about what the wrong methods are.

Richard Shultz has uncovered many new facts about how the CIA and the military carried out secret operations during the Vietnam War. His careful research and brutal honesty tells the story--warts and all. He gives both a strategic and a tactical perspective. You will get to know well some extraordinary characters who fought political, diplomatic and bureaucratic barriers to try to undermine the regime in Hanoi. Many lessons here for future conflicts.

The book purports to tell the story of Richard Etheridge but the first third is about "Wilds African Brigade," a black brigade that committed murder, arson, looting and the hostage taking of white women in Tidewater North Carolina and Virginia in October and December 1863.
On its return to base in Portsmouth Virginia Brigadier General Wild was relieved of command and the brigade disbanded.

This history of the Pea Island Lifesavers is beautifully written so that the story captivates from start to finish. In fact, I wasn't sure that this was my kind of book, but the early, vivid description of the dangerous coast and the duties of the men who walked the Outer Banks looking for shipwrecks hour after hour convinced me that I had to read the whole book. Clearly well researched, this book taught me a great deal about the Civil War and U.S. maritime history but, more importantly, explored the humanity in our country's history. It takes saavy authors to recognize that the real beginning of the Pea Island Lifesaving Station begins not with its inception but with the lives of the men, namely Richard Etheridge, who served there. Because of the emphasis on people and place, the book reads quite like a novel and, therefore, can be appreciated by a wide audience. Fire on the Beach deserves to be read, for it demonstrates that history must be revealed and retold with all its contradictions, complications, and individuals.

I am admittedly not a history buff. I do however treasure the three years I was lucky enough to live on North Carolina's Outer Banks. "Fire on the Beach" was recommended to me & now I would like to pass that gift on to anyone who reads these reviews. This book tells a fantastic tale of a man & a period of time that are both truly inspiring. It does not read like a "historical text", but more like a well plotted out novel. If you have any interest in Post Civil War South, Turn of the century maritime history, North Carolina's Outer Banks, or the US Coast Guard, do not pass this book up!