The most comprehensive ecological work ever published. Fifty years of observation and data in a single locality is a standard unequaled by any other researcher in terrestrial vertebrate biology. Contains a wealth of information. Well organized, with modern taxonomy (yes, the correct name is Elaphe emoryi) and correctly employs only standard common names for ease of use. Put it right up there next to your Peterson Field Guides. Like their status as the bibles of North American field guides, it will become the bible of herpetological ecology worldwide. Highly recommended.

The most comprehensive ecological work ever published. Fifty years of observation and data in a single locality is a standard unequaled by any other researcher in terrestrial vertebrate biology. Contains a wealth of information. Well organized, with modern taxonomy (yes, the correct name is Elaphe emoryi) and correctly employs only standard common names for ease of use. Put it right up there next to your Peterson Field Guides. Like their status as the bibles of North American field guides, it will become the bible of herpetological ecology worldwide. Highly recommended.

I was so fascinated by Laura Dassow Walls' unique take on Thoreau that I was inspired to complete my own graduate work on Transcendentalism. Any student of Thoreau will appreciate this innovative look at the old master.

I first heard Laura Walls deliver the concepts contained in this volume at a recent annual meeting of the Thoreau Society. Her presentation was clear and direct, introducing the hearer to the historical personalities that influenced the platform upon which Thoreau based his world view. This book expands the same theme, for it fills in a great deal of minutia that had to be omitted from the ealier presentation. Seeing New Worlds is an important excursion into both the obvious and the subtle influences that shaped the late writings of Thoreau, such as Faith in a Seed, which only recently was made available to students of this enigmatic soul. Congratulations to Walls for a well researched intrusion into a complex mind. Tom Potter

Published in association with the Peabody Museum at Harvard, this book collects the data gathered by physical anthropologists during fieldwork in Iraq in the late 1950s / early 1960s. It gives a brief history and ethnographic description of Iraq's many ethnic, linguistic, religious and tribal groups. Includes extensive columns of measurements on height, size, colour, and other physical characteristics.

Like packing a laptop, this 650-page book covers every creature an East Coast nature lover could encounter, from starfish and sharks to rabbits and walruses. Very easy to identify your sighting with numerous color plates and vivid descriptions. Author, Collins, offers own observations and challenges the reader with unexpected wit and wisdom seldom found in nature books. 40 years old and shamefully out-of-print, if you find a copy, hold on to it!

This book gives a description of numerous rock & gem types, along with characteristics, pictures, geography, etc. Good book for someone just starting out in the world of rocks. However, it is not helpful for someone with prior knowledge. It is a beginners level book and a really good one at that.

Astonishing that so many pages of such great writing (and such wonderful, interesting annotations) can be purchased for so little money. We have needed an inexpensive annotated edition of Thoreau's best short prose for a very long time, and this clearly fits the bill. Teachers and students, in particular, will find this book extraordinarily useful. The Thoreau material and annotations alone are extraordinarily valuable, but Hyde's excellent introduction on Thoreau's "Prophetic Excursions" make this the best deal available for a Thoreau book. Buy it; you'll be glad you did!

Even as the Clinton presidency draws to a close, Arkansas remains the undiscovered state. Fishes of Arkansas is a visual treat--a species by species documentation of the incredible diversity of freshwater fish found in that state's streams and waterways. Arkansas is an inland state, so one might imagine that a fish survey would document only a narrow array of green and brown game fish, of little interest to those outside the bait and hook hobbies. Fishes of Arkansas demonstrates instead the incredible biodiversity found in the numerous fish species located in Arkansas. Here are pictures of gorgeous fish, large and small, including many of intense beauty and tremendous color. The darter section of the book, featuring many species endemic not only to Arkansas but in many cases to a single river in Arkansas, shows the reader spectacular, unforgettable fish. The narrative is simple and straightforward--each entry is a separate species, usually with a picture. The grouping is organized by family, and the authors provide judicious use of light explanatory and summation material to tie the individual entries together. If you need something on your coffee table or shelves which is light, pleasant picture-filled reading but not fluff, try Fishes of Arkansas.

I am not a sportsman; I do not ride, hunt, fish, or shoot. However, I loved this book because the stories are universal; they illustrate life and human nature. I laughed and learned at the same time. Everyone will like this book, even if you do not engage in any of the sporting activities around which the stories take place. I also like the fact that you can start reading at any point in the book--you do not have to read the entire book in sequence, although you will want to read it again and again.

The photography in this book is spectacular! It is what you expect from a Sierra Club book. Put together with wonderfully thoughtful and though-provoking texts by various writers, this book can give even a hard-core city slicker pause. Wilderness at its best....words to salve the heart.

At last! Someone has opened the door, I never dreamed a book could make my heart skip a beat, make all my young memories from when I was growing up in Miami, come back so vividly. All the hours walking through heat,bugs,rain and swamps !!! Yas it was great. Only someone else who has joined in the comradery to such an adventure can relate to the hours of work it took to compile so much info on a subject which has been kept hidden from the laymen collectors. I collected Tree Snails back in the early sixties and seventies, I was privileged to meet and talk with some of the old time collectors, which sparked my appreciation of this unique shell. Thanks to Mr. Close for such a realistic and factual account of Florida Liguus. I was able to learn from this book even more, and it gave me a basis to educate my children to appreciate the special beauty of an indigenous species. I hope anyone who has an interest in this subject, will read this book and practice good conservation in protecting the special treasures of the Florida Everglades, for future generations to come! Sincerely, Arthur W. Riegle Papaartr@aol.com