David Hopes, in this sensitive and breathtaking book, reaches the highest goal of any good writing--to touch the spirit and raise it up. These essays are about nature, yes, and about its beauty--but more than that: they are about the interfaces between the human world and the natural world. Or, more even than that, they are about how the human and natural world are one, fabric of the same universe. The nature that is our nature. And, it is this knowledge that has the power to save us. I urge you to read this book and treasure it-- for its beauty and its spiritual searching and its wisdom.

There are no words to express the magnificence of Mr. Hopes' prose. I came upon a copy accidently and have read and enjoyed it more than any other book in my vast library. This is a book that truly should be re-issued. David Brendan Hopes is a literary gift to be treasured.

This is an amazing book full of stories that warm the soul. It's nice to finally see people who recognize the value that trees hold in our hearts!

Tree Stories: A Collection Of Extraordinary Encounters is a wondrous collection of original short stories and poems by both adult and child authors, each about a special tree that influenced the writer's life. An enchanting, lyrical anthology that celebrates trees half in prose and half in verse, Tree Stories is a most charming and delightful gift book for nature lovers everywhere. Waiting For A Message: Trees help you see slices of sky between branches,/point to things you could never reach./Trees help you watch the growing happen,/watch blossoms burst then dry,/see shade twist to the pace of the sun,/birds tear at unwilling seeds.//Trees take the eye to where it is,/where it was,/then over to distant hills,/faraway to other places and times,/long ago.//A tree is a lens,/a viewfinder, a window./I wait below/for a message/of what is yet to come.

I found this book in the library and kept reading it so long I paid twice the cost of the book in fines. Now, I've ordered my own copy because I cannot be without it.

Written in the style of Aldo Leopold's _Sand County Almanac_, this is a focused study of stream ecology, But it is not a dry book of science. It is a story of a stream through four seasons. The author writes of a place he knows well through a lifetime of hiking and fishing, but where he can still experience childlike wonder. Through his narrative, the reader learns about the fish, the water, plants and insects, birds and beasts, and the relationships that sustain the cycles of life and death along a stream. The author offers perspectives that develops a sense of ecological responsibility.

This book is a delight for anyone interested in the outdoors & nature. The title sounds like the book would be for undergraduates in Fish Culture; however, it is a happy surprise to find that David M. Carroll has written a wonderful, lyrical account of the life of trout including the environment and all the living creatures, critters, and flora that enter the facinating world in the life cycle of the fish. His lovely drawings add to the naturalists' delight! His account of fishing for these elusive fish should catch the fishermen among his readers, too!

Though I have not read the book, I know the author, Dr. Mallow, and I can say without a doubt that he knows his stuff. I'm sure its as good as they come on the subject. Doc, if you're reading this, I just wanted to say "hey".

I am a biology teacher at a high school in georgia, and this one of the most detailed books I have ever read. The details it goes into will shock you how someone took so long too write such a great book.

The photography in this book is superlative and the main reason to purchase it is to admire the lush color photos of California's birds. However, I also enjoy the book because it allows me, as a novice birder, to learn to correctly identify various species. This book is much superior to an Audubon guide or a National Geographic Filed Guild to birds because each photo is huge and shows the birds to their best advantage. The photo of the elusive great gray owl is simply outstanding!

I recommend this book for anyone who has an appreciation of birds and wants to vicariously see them through this medium. It will definitely prompt every armchair birder to take to the field and spy these wondrous creatures in their natural habitat. There are several birds I saw in this book which captured my fancy immediately: the black oystercatcher and the Lazula Bunting, for instance. By seeing these photos, it prompted me to go out and beat the trails and shorelines to see each of these birds up close and "in person." A great book!

An outstanding book for two reasons: 1) The photographs by the 26 contributing photographers. Each one is a work of art; excelling in composition and use of color. Kudos on the photography in this book. 2) The text by David Lukas is not only informative and educational but thoroughly enjoyable reading. The text accompanying the photgraphs adds an interesting dimension to the image of the bird. Not the typical statement you would expect to read (and if you know birds, already know.) A great book to own or to give.

I received this book as a gift, and it's become a permanent fixture on our living room table. The photos are spectacular, as is writing by Ken Brower,a knowledgeable and highly respected environmental writer.
I grew up in the SF Bay Area, and it was uplifting to read about how Sam Sebastiani has restored the wetlands on his vineyard. I wish all of the wine growers in California were as responsible stewards of the land!

I would highly recommend this book - and it would make a great gift!

Proof that our heroes are all around us. Stunning photographs affirm that we can save this planet from ourselves. The results of one person's efforts are reproduced in a neat, coffee table format that shows how even a mere 100 acre marsh (a former hay field!) can be transformed into a life-sustaining ecosytem that supports a diverse number of species. As in many of Ansel Adams photographs that encompass the reflection of the small landscape within the larger one--Michael Sewell has illustrated the importance of the "small place" as an ecological bell-weather of the greater environment. He proves that determined individual efforts do pay off, and gives us hope for the future. Text by the Browers, Father & Son, heighten this moving, life-affirming experience. Inspiring!

I find that this book is excellent for providing accurate background information on the animals and plants as well as portraying each species with characteristic body language. This is by far my favorite photography book as a piece of art as well as a biological reference tool.

Amazing, beautiful photos of some of North Americas rarest species. A "must have" coffee-table book!

For anyone with a serious interest in Wolf Ecology or Dog Psychology this is a'Must Read!'. In the book Mech draws on his own observations of wolf behaviour, as well as those of other influential wolf researchers. Full of information and observation on the ecology, sociology, behaviour and communication of wolves, I have found this book invaluable in my research into Dog Physcology, and have even applied some of what I learnt from its pages to the training of my Inuit pup.

This book fascinates every wolf lover even more of this species, and those, who haven't decided yet what to think about wolves, might start to love them and "fight" for the recovery of this species. It gives many details about behaviour, ecology, and conservation of wolves. Despite being written in the 90ths most of its information is still up to date. This book is used by many students, but is equally suitable for the interested public as Mech manages to describe the facts in clear, understandable words. It is highly recommendable for people who want to learn more about wolves.

Few creatures have been so misunderstood, so shrouded in myth... and such inaccurate myth... as canis lupus, the wolf. Wild and beautiful, in my mind the most beautiful of all creatures still walking our earth today (although in painfully diminishing and harrassed numbers), the wolf inspires fear in many. But then, ignorance often inspires fear. We need books such as this one - with text and photographic selection by Candace Savage, foreword by L. David Mech - to banish such ignorance and reveal to us something of this wild and wonderful animal. For not only is he beautiful, but he is also highly intelligent, and, yes, highly "civilized" in his ways.

Henry Thoreau, author of another of my favorite books, "Walden", said: "In wildness is the preservation of the world." I believe this with all the healthy wildness in my heart. On a journey some years ago to Alaska, I brought along little luggage, but many books... and many of these were about wolves. I realized how little I knew about this incredible animal. Like so many, I knew more the myth reaching back to my own childhood... the nasty child-eating beast of Red Riding Hood, the ravaging monster harrassing three little pigs.... and, later, Jack London's Call of the Wild. I saw movies that portrayed the wolf as a fearsome monster who freely stalked and killed human beings. I visited museums where the taxidermist had so positioned the wolf as to fully expose bloodied fangs in a nightmarish snarl, dear little bunnies lying gutted in the red snow before him. The wolf kills, as all animals must to survive and eat and feed their young, but the more I read and researched this animal, the more I was impressed with his intelligence and integrity. The first myth to go was the one that wolves will hunt down and attack a human being. That is simply false. They are intelligent enough to avoid if at all possible every encounter with man, but will defend themselves and their young with respectable ferocity. Rarely have I known of any species that has such a strong sense of family as does the wolf. If only we cared and nurtured our young as does a pack of wolves... Faithful for life to his mate, the wolf not only provides nourishment for his young, but fosters a sense of family that we can only envy in our society of broken families and latch-key children.

This book provides not only fascinating information about wolves, but is filled with a breathtaking selection of photography that allows the reader a glimpse into the lives of these magnificent animals. I would follow this book up with an evening in a log cabin, fireplace roaring, wolves on the snowy horizon singing, with my favorite movie, "Never Cry Wolf," based on Farley Mowfat's book by the same name.

This book is an excelent source of knowledge and pictures of wolves. Covers Myths, nature of, and wolves everyday life. Book is FULL if excelent pictures.

a true example of brillance, in subject matter and illustrations....!!!!!!!!!

David Carroll marvelously mixes the arts with science: true to his art, he is a refined Thoreau. His love and understanding for his subject is clearly evident.