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Book reviews for "Burroughs,_John" sorted by average review score:

John Burroughs: An American Naturalist
Published in Hardcover by Chelsea Green Pub Co (October, 1992)
Author: Edward J. Renehan
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Excellent
I first got turned on to Ed Renehan when I saw him on C-SPAN discussing the book he wrote about the family of Theodore Roosevelt, entitled THE LION'S PRIDE. After enjoying LION'S PRIDE, I purchased and learned a lot from Renehan's beautifully written account of John Brown and the Harpers Ferry raid, entitled THE SECRET SIX. Then, although I'd never heard of John Burroughs, I moved onto this excellent biography of a fascinating but neglected figure of American history, and am glad I did. Now I will turn to some of Burroughs's own writings, if I can find them!

Exquisite
Ed Renehan has put together an exquisite, instructive review of the long life of John Burroughs. The old lion emerges in all his splendor in these pages -- intellectual, literate (he knew Emerson and Whitman among others), worldly (he had a mistress who was a New York psychiatrist), and above all, a sympathetic observer of the natural world. We need his perspective as never before. -- John Hanson Mitchell, author of CEREMONIAL TIME, LIVING AT THE END OF TIME, and other books

A real education
Edward Renehan has restored John Burroughs to his rightful place in the history of American literature and conservation. -- Frank Graham, Jr., author of SINCE SILENT SPRING, THE AUDUBON ARK, and other books


Old Dogs Remembered
Published in Paperback by Synergistic Pr (01 June, 1999)
Authors: Bud Johns, Tom Stienstra, James Thurber, Brooks Atkinson, E.B. White, Loudon Wainwright, John Galsworthy, Stanley Bing, John Updike, and Ross Santee
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For a good cry......
read one of the short pieces in this anthology. They are also incredibly uplifting too. A brilliant bedside companion for any dog lover.

Not a sad read but a celebratory one
Although each of the pieces in this book was inspired by the loss of a much beloved dog, this is really a book about vibrant, fully-alive dogs: family pets, fellow hunters, soul mates, and best friends. And while none of the dogs remembered so fondly here still lives, Old Dogs affirms the remarkably special place in the heart we reserve for our dogs. My own dog is sturdy in her middle-age, but reading the eulogies and odes in this moving anthology has made me appreciate more all the quirky habits I take for granted, like how she can't resist running off with one of my Reeboks when I'm shoeing up for our evening walk--the little prance she performs when I tell her, "Bring the shoe back!" Not a sad read but a celebratory one, required for every dog owner!

Makes wonderful reading.
This is a remarkable anthology of stories and poems by outstanding authors of the past, as well as more recent times. Although these moving remembrances are only of beloved dogs, the lovers of any species of pet will find identical sentiments for their own losses. Whatever kind of companion animal you had, you will find your own bereavement and healing tears reflected here, as well.

Care was taken to avoid over-sentimentality, in this assortment of loving reflections of dogs, celebrated here. These accounts are full of love, and are sometimes even funny - and we are thrust into the realization that perhaps that is the most wonderful kind of living memorials we can have for a beloved pet. Too often, we lose this perspective, while trying to keep from drowning in our own bereavement and sorrows.

Rather than being a collection of sad literary memorials Old Dogs Remembered is a joyful celebration of life with pets. This inspires healthy new points of view and adjustments to moving on into our new lives, without them.

Here we are treated to many different outlooks on how they permanently enriched the lives of their owners. Reading these heartwarming pages will broaden the understanding of each reader, concerning his/her own personal bereavement. Here, we are offered the collective wisdom of others, who reminisce on their honored pets. There is much to be shared and learned here, as well as enjoyed.

With so many different authors, one must appreciate that references and styles have changed drastically, through the ages. As an example of this, some might find the essay by the dramatist John Galsworthy to be interesting, but a bit troublesome to read. And, as with any anthology, there may be some accounts not everyone would appreciate. But all pet lovers will readily identify with the overall shared remembrances, here. This is a heartwarming collection, which can be enjoyed comfortably, in several installments.

There will be many an uplifting tear shed in its reading, and we suggest it for your reading pleasure.


John Burroughs : The Sage of Slabsides
Published in Hardcover by Clarion Books (March, 1997)
Author: Ginger Wadsworth
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An excellent contribution
Mr. Kanze and I seem to agree on at least one thing, that Ms. Wadsworth's JOHN BURROUGHS: THE SAGE OF SLABSIDES is an excellent contribution. As for my own book, I've searched it for the word "kidnap" and can't seem to find that phrase anywhere. -- Edward J. Renehan, Jr., author of JOHN BURROUGHS: AN AMERICAN NATURALIST

This is a terrific book! --- Edward Kanze
Ginger Wadsworth, distinguished author of children's books on John Muir and Rachel Carson, brings the naturalist, literary critic, and philosopher John Burroughs to life in The Sage of Slabsides. As a Burroughs biographer myself (my THE WORLD OF JOHN BURROUGHS was published in 1993 by Harry Abrams, with a deal in the works to revive the book next year in paperback), I am in a position to judge the quality of Wadsworth's treatment. I think she does a brilliant job of telling the story of Burroughs's long and eventful life in a way that children will find captivating. There are quotes from Burroughs's published writings, journal entries, and an array of fine photographs, all well chosen to appeal to kids. The scholarship is first-rate, too. For example, Wadsworth notes the adoption of Burroughs's son, Julian, in July, 1878, as is documented in his journal, rather than repeating the false claim of Edward Renehan's JOHN BURROUGHS: AN AMERICAN NATURALIST that the boy was essentially kidnapped from its biological mother in April. The secret of Burroughs's success may be that, with his playful humor and passion for nature and the out-of-doors, he remained a kid at heart throughout his nearly 84 years. He had a genius for passing along his childlike enthusiasm to others, which explains why people could not get enough of his company. Wadsworth keeps up the tradition. Boys, girls, and adults reading this book will likely be inspired to walk a few of Burroughs's forest paths.


The River Home: A Return to the Carolina Low Country
Published in Paperback by Houghton Mifflin Co (April, 1993)
Authors: Franklin Burroughs and John M. Bryan
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One of the best books I've read this year!
Burroughs's book is a wonderful tale of exploration into the dense, winding, wonderful Waccamaw River in SC, and into the mostly forgotten past of his native Horry County. His marvelous sense of detail, poetic sensibility, and grand sympathies with all things natural and human make this a memoroble book indeed. I know Prof. Burroughs might hoot at the comparison, but I enjoyed this book as much as anything I've read in Thoreau.

wonderful natural history of the Waccamaw River
A human life, I think, should be well rooted in some spot of native land, where it may get the love of tender kinship for the face of the earth, for the labors men go forth to, for the sounds and accents that haunt it, for whatever will give that early home a familiar, unmistakable difference amidst the future widening of knowledge: a spot where the definiteness of early memories may be inwrought with affection, and kindly acquaintance with all neighbors, even to dogs and donkeys, may spread not by sentimental effort and reflection, but as a sweet habit of the blood. -George Eliot (Daniel Deronda)

This sentiment and the chance discovery of Nathaniel Holmes Bishop's The Voyage of the Paper Canoe (1878), detailing a canoe trip down the East Coast which included a side trip on the Waccamaw River, were the twin impulses that lead Burroughs to return to his native Horry County, SC and make his own trip down the Waccamaw. Burroughs, a professor at Bowdoin, published a terrific collection of essays Billy Watson's Croker Sack in 1991 (it even made Mr. Doggett's Suggested Summer Reading List for Students) and this book is every bit as good.

Whether he's detailing the history of the county, the river and his own family or relating his encounters with the river's unique residents or describing the wildlife he encounters, Burroughs has a sharp eye, a sympathetic ear and a silver tongue. Here is his description of one bird he meets:

Yesterday a red-shouldered hawk had called the day to order, and got its business underway. Today it was a pileated woodpecker: a staccato drum-burst against a hollow tree, then the bird itself. It flew across in front of me, with its peculiar alternation of flap, swoop, and collapse, and its last swoop fetched it up against the trunk of a cypress. It clung there a moment, cocked and primed, a perfectly congruous mixture of Woody Woodpecker, frock-coated nineteenth-century deacon and pterodactyl. Then it gave the tree an abrupt, jackhammer strafing, rolled out its lordly call, and swooped away, leaving the day to its own devices.

If you've ever seen one, you know that a pileated woodpecker has never been described better and if you haven't you must almost feel that now you have.

This is a wonderful bucolic look at the history and nature of the Waccamaw, which will leave you wishing that you too had such a place coursing through your blood.

GRADE: A


The Art of Seeing Things
Published in Paperback by Syracuse Univ Pr (Trade) (January, 2001)
Authors: John Burroughs and Charlotte Zoe Walker
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Burroughs at his best!
This is the anthology readers and scholars of John Burroughs (1837-1921) have been waiting for. Charlotte Walker, a professor of English at the State University of New York at Oneonta, has gathered selections from Burroughs's vast oeuvre and assembled them in a handsome volume. The words are set in modern type, and the subject matter is as fresh and timely as ever. Burroughs is often remembered as a naturalist, but he was much more than that: a perceptive and accessible literary critic, a philosopher, a radical thinker who advocated the overthrow of traditional religions in favor of an open-eyed nature worship steeped in science and wonder. Earlier anthologies of Burroughs's work have tended to ignore or suppress his thorny and provocative side, but Walker gives us the man in all his dimensions. As the author of a concise biography of Burroughs, I was pleased to open this collection and find it crowded with favorites---philosophical essays such as "Faith of a Naturalist," travel pieces such as "A Hunt for the Nightingale," an excerpt from "Our Rural Divinity" (about the dairy cow!), perceptive criticism of Emerson and Thoreau, studies of Catskill farm life, and more. This book makes a fine addition to any library and offers the best intorduction to Burroughs in print. Bravo! Highly recommended!


The Breath of Life
Published in Paperback by Fredonia Books (NL) (March, 2001)
Author: John Burroughs
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Burroughs - man of letters and naturalist
John Burroughs was a respected man of letters and a dedicated naturalist. This is one of Burroughs's last statements of his naturalist philosophy.


Evidence-Based Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Published in Hardcover by B M J Books (15 December, 1999)
Authors: John McDonald, Brian Feagan, Andrew Burroughs, and Brain Feagan
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Good evidence in Digestive diseases
This is by far the best reference if you are looking for evidence in Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Objectives very clear and useful for attendings, residents and medical students not only in a G.I. service but also in a medicine rotation. It helps me a lot when we are discussing a controversial topic like treatment in functional dyspepsia, treatment of ulcerative colitis or the screening in colorectal cancer on rounds or even in a conference. I especially like chapters 1 (evidence based gastroenterology), 3 (ulcer disease and helicobacter pylori infection) and 25 (ascites and hepatorenal syndrome) . Highly recommended because is different from traditional old books.


Guide to Barsoom: Eleven Sections of References in One Volume Dealing with the Martian Stories Written by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Published in Mass Market Paperback by Ballantine Books (January, 1976)
Author: John Flint Roy
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A reference guide to the Martian Tales of E.R.Burroughs.
The Martian Tales of Edgar Rice Burroughs have been an insperation to countless of highly imaginitive people. This guide gives you a more detailed view into the complex world and society E.R.B. created. It gives you understanding of Barsoomian words, customs, history, landscape, fauna and flora, transportation, army and civil ranks and thoughts. If you are an E.R.B. fan this is the guide to his Martian Tales.


Pellucidar
Published in Paperback by Quiet Vision (Duplicate of QVIS9). (October, 2001)
Authors: Edgar Rice Burroughs and John, J. Allen st
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David Innes returns to Pellucidar for Dian the Beautiful
"Pellucidar" is the second volume in the Pellucidar series by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and find our hero David Innes and his scientist friend Abner Perry returning to the inner world. At the end of "At the Earth's Core" the duo had returned to the surface only to discover that Hooja the Sly One has substituted a Mahar, one of the rhamphorhynchus-like sentient reptiles that tyrannized Pellucidar, for Dian the Beautiful, the woman Innes loves. So the plan is to get back down there, rescue Dian, and if time allows end the exploitation of the primitive humans by the evil Mahars. The good news is that Innes returns to the inner world, but the bad news is that he ends up in a different part of Pellucidar where he has no friends and new enemies. This 1923 novel is stanrd ERB adventure, where the hero is separated by circumstances and bad guys from the woman he lives (in fact, it is very reminiscent of "The Gods of Mars," the second John Carter novel). But this is still before ERB was in his potboiler stage where the main game was turning out as many Tarzan novels as possible. What makes Pellucidar a bit different from the rest of the Burroughs fantasy adventures is the unique geography of the inner world and the prominence of smart guy scientist Abner as a supporting character (i.e., the brains of the outfit). If at all possible you want to pick up a copy of "Pellucidar" that has the original illustrations by Illustrated by J. Allen St. John, who remains by favorite ERB artist. The Pellucidar series consists of six stories, including a Tarzan crossover, and continues in "Tanar of Pellucidar," but these first two novels stand alone as

LlamaScout Like Book
Pellucidar continues the tale of David, the lovable protagonist from At The Earth's Core. It tells the story of his return trip to the fabled subterrainian stone-age land known as Pellucidar. Here he must locate old friends, reunite with his lost loved one, and face his all-but-forgotton foes.

Burroughs' writing is simply fabulous, and even makes the characters seem all the more realistic, though many of them are not even human, but sentient creatures who can exist only in the minds of great writers like Burroughs, and in the land known as Pellucidar.

Thrilling Adventures Inside The Hollow Earth
In the incredible world inside the Earth David Innes discovers a new frontier for Mankind. He strove to carve a civilization out of its Stone Age perils. But the kidnapping of the beautiful cave-woman-empress, Dian, made him drop his fight for advancement and enter into a still greater battle against all the primitive monsters of Pellucidar!

1st rate book!


A Princess of Mars
Published in Audio CD by Tantor Media Inc. (01 February, 2001)
Authors: Edgar Rice Burroughs and John Bolen
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GET THIS BOOK! Read the whole series!
John Carter, Dejah Thoris, Tars Tarkas, they are all here! This is the totally unbelievable story of a man who got transported to Mars basically, because he thought it would be cool to go, so he wished it, and POOF, he's there. Then, there's the fact that the planet itself and the life on it are also completely ridiculous. FORGET ALL THAT! Read it to be swept up in one of the greatest adventure series of all time. John Carter goes to Barsoom (Mars, to the Martians) rescues the most beautiful woman in the universe and (later in the series) conquers an entire world through the power of his will and the strength of his right arm. Handsome, powerful heroes, beautiful half naked captive princesses just panting to be rescued, Villians, so evil you want to go back in time to strangle their parents, Big ugly friends, (What are you laughing at, remember Chewbacca?) strange beasts, stranger aliens, wierd science, epic battles, betrayals, great reunions. This one's got it all. The best of Burroughs' body of work, the most action packed series from the true master of the action story. Edgar Rice Burroughs is the creator of Tarzan. Don't ever pick up his work expecting an intellectual workout. Just get in and hang on for the ride

Not just for guys!
Princess of Mars is a fantastic, wild ride. I think everyone makes a mistake though of saying it's just a guys book. I'm a woman, and it was my mother who recommended Princess to me! I think any girl who's interested in science fiction or fantasy would really enjoy this book. Yeah, it was obviously written with adolescent boys in mind but I think anyone can enjoy this wildly imaginative page turner.

The characters are all extremely likable. John Carter is the perfect southern gentleman. Honorable, loyal, incredibly brave, respectful to women, extremely handsome; a perfect hero who is never boorish or conceited. Then there's Sola, one of the few green Martians to show compassion and kindness, and Tars Tarkas(aren't these names so cool?)a ferocious green martian warrior with a tragic past who is also able to feel compassion and love. And I dare anybody to tell me that they wouldn't want a Woola of their very own! Dejah Thoris though is mainly for the guys. Carter's love and devotion for her was really sweet. I didn't even know that this was part of a book series until I read it on amazon and now I am really eager to read the other books of the series. And wasn't the end cool? I don't think I've ever read an ending quite like that before. What Carter found in the cave at the end was very creepy and intriguing. (I won't give out a spoiler)

Although this is pulp fiction and sort of like a comic book in a way,(I can see mothers in 1912 scolding their kids, "That Edgar Rice Burroughs is going to rot your mind if you keep reading it!") it's still light science fiction at it's best! (I'll warn you right off though, please don't expect something deep and complex like Dune or Darkover and post a review whining about it. Princess is purely for fun.) And am I the only one that thinks Princess would make a really awesome movie?

Imagination & Adventure!--WOW!..A must read!
You want imagination?..adventure?..a few dabs of science(remember it was written in 1912)?..an ageless hero?..an absolutely beautiful damsel in distress?..a whole new world?..with a language all it's own?..inhabited with strange new creatures?.. friends and foes?..battles royal?..This book, and all 10 or 11 sequels, have it all! ER Burroughs was the early master of science fiction, adventure, and imagination; a man ahead of his time, and he gives the reader a roller-coaster ride of incredible adventures. Join with us now as John Carter meets, rescues,and captures the heart of the INCOMPARABLE Dejah Thoris, Princess of Mars!, and eventually, along with his friend Tars Tarkas, follows suit with the entire red planet, Barsoom to its wild and whacky inhabitants.

Is this intellectual literature?..of course not. Is it non-stop fun and enjoyment, the original page-turner novel?...You bet it is! Pick this book up, start reading, and I guarantee: you won't put it down until you're finished!..and then you'll run out the door and be hunting for the 2nd book in the series, The Gods of Mars, and then # 3, The Warlord of Mars, and on through the series. Be warned: make sure you have access to #'s 2 and 3 before you start The Princess...you'll be sorry if you don't!

I first read the Burroughs Martian novels(there were 10 known to me then) as a graduate student studying Physics, some 40 years ago. They provided the perfect escape from the rigors of courses like Quantum Mechanics and E & M. Now I reread them,and I continue to enjoy. You will too.


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