This book is a treasure. Mr. Van Dyke obviously has the soul of a poet, and within his graceful prose he paints vivid and soul-stirring pictures of some of the most beautiful places on earth. He describes in fine detail observations he made on a long trip, on horseback in 1898/99, over, around, and through the lower deserts of Arizona and California. He leaves no stone unturned as he describes the magnificence and beauty of each aspect of the desert, and pulls no punches in his criticism of man's destructive intrusions. To Van Dyke, the play of light and shadow, the star-pocked night skies, the ragged and jagged ranges of mountains, the perfectly adapted plants and animals, the sometimes shifting sands, and the silent river barrier known as the Colorado are each part of the unique sum which is, in its own harsh and angular way, a paradise of color, form, and life: "The Desert."

Speaking as one who has lived on and wandered through this same desert for nearly forty years, I can attest to the accuracy of Van Dyke's physical descriptions and, perhaps more importantly, I can note that I've found here both the magic and the majesty which he so ably describes. Still, this isn't a book for everyone. Those who prefer the gleam of glass towers and the roar of jet planes to flaming sunsets and yapping coyotes, save your money. Van Dyke wrote, "Not in the spots of earth where plenty breeds indolence do we meet with the perfected type. It is in the land of adversity ... that finally emerges the highest manifestation."

He was right, and he leaves us "The Desert" as evidence.

I have a Ph.D. in oceanography and have taught it in colleges. I was looking at this book for clues on writing oceanography for kids. I didn't read every word but in my skimming I found two pretty bad errors. The book says gives theocean off Chile as an example of a region with very little life (WRONG! there's upwelling of nutrient-rich water there and it's an example of a region with a lot of life) and that chemosynthetic bacteria at hydrothermal vents make oxygen (NO! it's energy). The book is fun but for readers who don't know a lot of oceanography, beware.

Bill Nye The Science Guy has a winner, again. This one is the Big Blue Ocean. There are twelve easy to do experiments for children to do. How big is the ocean? That is the first question. It is answered very informatively, then it is followed by a great experiment to cement the concept for hands on learners. The whole book is formatted the same way with informational side bars added. Good third and fourth grade material.

If your kids (and you!) love Bill Nye on TV, they'll also enjoy him in print form. Here Bill is up to his usual antics--but it's all serious science. This fun and accurate introduction to a number of aquatic concepts is likely to "hook" kids--so be prepared to follow this book up with one that goes into more depth!

What could've been a good guide to modern indie film is bogged down by Pierson's relentless and self-serving tooting of his own horn. Who cares?!? What we really want is the inside story of all these independent films and filmmakers. Pierson seemed to lose track of who the stars of his book should be. I also found the author's writing and his overall knowledge of movies to be lacking. A much better book on the same broad topic is "Celluloid Mavericks" by Greg Merritt, which covers the entire history of American independent film from a much more literate and balanced perspective.

Although I'm a big fan of indie films, I found this book a bit dull. Not that I'm looking for a typical Hollywood put on the glitz and glamour type of book, but the book basically deals with how the author put together financing and got distribution for some indie films. It definitely could have been told in a more exciting way. The best thing about it is the interviews with Kevin Smith that are interspersed through the first half or so of the book. Then, they drop off, and I did as well. The author is definitely a huge fan of Kevin Smith, which is great, as there are a lot of Kevin's journal entries included about when Clerks was at Sundance. If you like Kevin Smith, this is a good read, if only for the interviews and the chapter about Clerks. If not, then well...you might like it, but it's a little dull. If you haven't seen Slacker, Go Fish, Roger and Me, Clerks, She's Gotta Have It, Amongst Friends, Reservoir Dogs, etc., then you might have a hard time as well.

I truly enjoyed this book. From the inside info to the conversations with the filmmakers. The author is definitely a man who enjoys the "independant" film industry and he conveys his experiences in a very readable and accessible way. It's a good read which is the most important thing a book can be.

Do you like to read about aliens? Do you like stinky cheese? Do you like silly books? Then here is book for you. This is about Funny Boy, a "good alien" who has been sent to Earth to save us from "unspeakably disgusting aliens." In two other books Funny Boy saved Earth from alien invaders by using his sense of humor and jokes. He alleviated the Airsick Alien from Andromeda, and then banished the Bubble Brained Barbers from the Big Bang. Now, the President of the United States has drafted Funny Boy to save us from conniving chitchatting Cheeses from the celestial planet of Chattanooga. It's already "snowing" white cheddar cheese on New Jersey! Funny Boy better think fast!