This book is the result of a three-way collaboration between a scientist, a philanthropist and artist dedicated to producing a diorama depicting 300 years of New England's natural and cultural history.

The work, started in the late 1920, captures the essence of the Harvard Forest approach to environmental science, in which a solid understanding of the landscape history provides a basis for interpretation and conservation of nature.

Lifelike and detailed, the dioramas' historical and ecological approach remains relevant today as it becomes more apparent that changes in nature can only be assessed through long-term perspectives.

Many people do not realize that Harvard University has its own forest in New England. The forest has been a source of study for silviculture since its founding in 1907 for almost 100 years.

In the late 1920s, Harvard professor Richard T. Fisher joined with a philanthropist, Dr. Ernest G. Stillman, and talented artisans in the studio of Guernsey and Pitman in Harvard Square to develop a remarkable series of dioramas to capture conservation issues for future generations of silviculture students to study. These dioramas are the basis for the text and illustrations in this book.

New England was mostly ancient forest when the European settlers arrived. The small Native American population cleared only a modest portion of the forests, and used the game from the forests rather more than the timber. With immigration, New England rapidly became one big farm. So much for the original forests. Next, the New England farms were put out of business by richer, midwestern farms shipping their goods to the east. Within a few decades, new forests arose to cover the temporarily cleared and abandoned fields. With rapid growth in pines, a second wave of clearing occurred about a hundred years ago, leaving the forests to start to regrow again. The current hardwood-dominated forests are a result of this man-driven process. These experiences provide many lessons for understanding the impact that people have on forests, and for suggesting better practices for the future.

In one sequence of seven dioramas depicting the same place over time, you can see the whole historical process take place. I found it fascinating. I recognized in each image places that I had visited in New England. Now I can connect each site to what it represents in terms of environmental circumstances. That is like learning to read nature in the way I can read a book to get a message.

Today, we think ahead further (but probably not yet far enough) to consider the implications of our actions on future generations and other species. These dioramas show the importance of capturing the natural history of an area to begin to draw those lessons.

Another set of dioramas were designed to exemplify the conservation issues in New England forests, including loss of old-growth forests, habitat needs for wildlife, natural losses due to hurricanes, erosion from cutting forests, imported pests that feed on forests, and the impact of natural fires and fighting forest fires.

To me the most fascinating part was in the suggested good principles of forestry management. Each stage of forest growth and regrowth is displayed, along with what needs to be done for each stage. This reminded me of being asked about what to do by a client with very large holdings of forests in Maine a few years ago. If I had known about these dioramas, I could have given much more appropriate and valuable advice. I do feel quite a pang of regret at the missed opportunity, as a result.

The final section of the book shows the detail of how the dioramas were created.

The book also tells you about the history of the Harvard Forest and how to reach the Fisher Museum where the dioramas are displayed. I recommend the visit!

The reference to Bullough's Pond in the title of this review is for the highly regarded book that slightly preceded this one, about the ecological history of a man-made pond in Newton, Massachusetts. If you have not yet read that fine work, you have a real treat ahead of you. Anyone who is interested in understanding the rhythms between humans and nature can learn much from these two books.

Having read these two books, a new question occurs to me. At one time, forest fires were aggressively avoided in New England. The current view is that these are a natural process and should not be so aggressively countered. Where else do our views need to be shifted to reflect the long-term best interests of all?

How should use of forests and water reserves be adjusted to reflect optimum benefits for the next ten generations? How would our use change if this question were stretched to cover twenty generations? Do we even know how to think about these questions? Do we have plans to be able to learn how?

Overcome the presumption that only the here and now is important. What we do here and now is very important, but our decisions need to be much more independent of momentary needs and perspectives.

Perhaps microcosm is not quite the world, Forests Through Time offers a fascinating angle of insight into one aspect of the ecological development of New England. For a wider angle, one reads Bullough's Pond, and for the complete picture of the land in colonial times, Changes in the Land. This however is a fascinating view and well worth perusing.

This book presents Pierre Koenigs work very well. James Steele has written many great architecture books and this one is as good as his others. In the book is the most complete and extensive representation of Pierre Koenings work I have ever seen printed. The pictures are large, and very nice. It is a very good book with his work well documented and insightful articles written by James Steele and others.

Excellent book, I wanted to see more.

This book shares with the reader the highlights of Koenig's career with breathtaking shots of the case study houses, blue prints, and narration accompanying each. Truly, one of the most spectacular collections dedicated to this incredibly gifted, ground breaking architect.

I've been a fan of IJ since reading it in the summer of '96, but I've never read such a lucid and thoughtful analysis as this book provides. Burns has put enormous effort into analyzing Wallace's writing style, and avoids the simple analysis that Wallace is concsiously trying to undermine. Even though there are many subjects in the book that I would love Burns' opinion on, he is forthcoming about the limitations of the 'readers' guide' format, and has chosen his few topics for detailed analysis with care and skill.

I especially liked his understanding and analysis of IJ's literary context: rather than simplistically comparing Wallace's work to Pynchon or DeLillo, as many have done, he explores the richer tradition of myth materials and 20th-century literature that informs Wallace's brilliant novel.

My only criticism is Burns' failure to comment on Wallace's sense of humor, which was one of the reasons I loved IJ so much, and why I find it worth re-reading from time to time. I've enjoyed other writers endorsed by Wallace, like Irvine Welsh and Dave Eggers, but some literary analysis of Wallace's effective use of different varieties of humor would have been helpful. Still, given the lucid and concise analysis Burns provides, this criticism should be understood as part of my wishlist, not any negative take on Burns' sense of humor.

A remarkable book - and a fitting tribute to DFW's wonderful novel. Quite how Stephen Burn has managed to cram so much lucid opinion and information into a book of this brevity is beyond me, but he should be warmly applauded for doing so. One quibble only, for the publishers: labelling this book a 'readers guide' is doing it a disservice. Burn's book is much, much more than that.

Young David is sent by his friend, Mickey, to join the Orphan Train and thus escapes the New York streets where they are homeless. David is reluctantly adopted by a childless couple who want free workers for their farm. He is worked hard and they are miserly. He befriends Amos, a former slave, who works on the farm. The KKK moves in and threatens the family for employing and paying a negro. Amos moves on westward and David stays, winning the grudging respect of his adoptive parents. Historical detail seems accurate and story is good, with black and white illustrations. Recomended for 5th graders, and teachers.

David Howard is an eleven year old orphan in 1866. He's lived on the streets of New York City so long, he can barely remember the time when his parents were still living. A friend tells David about the Children's Aid Society, an organization that sends young orphans west on trains to find new homes. That summer, David heads west and finds a new home with the Bauer family on their Missouri farm. But the simple chores they assign to David are hard for a boy who's never been out of the city before. Luckily for David, the Bauers' hired hand, Amos, a former slave, is happy to help David learn about life on a farm. But the Ku Klux Klan has reached the little town of Harwood, where David and his foster family live, and they will stop at nothing to drive Amos away. Now, it's up to David to save his friend. Read this exciting new book in the Orphan Train Children series to find out what happens!

Hal Foster is the Master of Cartoon Art, without peer, without equal, he is simply extraordinary. Little is known of his life--until now. Thanks so much for bringing us this book! Many terrific anecdotes, in depth stories of his life and influences and work habits. I have never seen many of the illustrations included here. A truly terrific book! Very handsome in every respect. I was delighted by this purchase.

Brian Kane has a lot going for him to begin with; the cooperation of Hal Fosters grandchildren and extraordinary access to the Foster family and private papers; but without a sensible recognition of the importance of the sequence of events which lead to the assignment of Hal Foster onto the TARZAN strip, and the eventual culmination of Fosters aspiration to produce his own strip, the storytelling and illustration masterwork PRINCE VALIANT, this pedigree could have been lost or mislaid.
However the pedigree is not lost; this books remains a standard for anyone attempting to pay due homage to a historic artist, a master of his media, and a disciplined Professional who won awards within and outside of his field as a matter of course.
And one doesn't necessarily need to be a firm fan of Popular Culture to see, on the page, the initial artworks provided through family archives, but watch the commercial illustrator become the accomplished storyteller cartoonist/illustrator to the craftsman who transcends his adopted field.
A power read, yet eyefuls of narrative,illustrative, and evocative draughtsmanship which will allow anyone owning it to want to revisit this book as anyone reading the Sunday Funnies has revisited the two classics which Foster brought to pinnacles of powerful evocation : TARZAN and PRINCE VALIANT.
An affectionate and heartful reccommendation by a long time and familiar fan of Hal Foster; impossible to imagine anyone could have completed the task with more vigor and commitment and completedness.

If you want to know more about Lord Norman Foster's contribution towards Germany, then, this book would be it. It tells you all you need to know about Reichstag, probably the most controversial building ever built in the history of Germany. Along the way, you get to learn more about Germany as a country. This book was well presented with high quality pictures abound, taken by several prominent photographers of all aspects & angles of Reichstag, pictures of Lord Foster's previous works (to understand his way of seeing things), pictures of Reichstag's past and present (to let us appreciate how far that building has gone through). Moreover, to enhance diversity & to understand Reichstag from many prespectives, Norman Foster invited several scholars to complement his own writings. The final result was simply spectacular. I wouldn't find this book academic. Rather, I found it highly entertaining & I came out of it a better knowledgeable person. Definitely a must-have for architecture enthusiast or if you want to have a cerebral hard bound book to display on top of your coffee table. Among the highlights of the book was reading about the competition stage, about Lord Foster pitching against other international superarchitects (such as Santiago Calatrava) and local architects from Germany, & of his reservation if Germany was sincere towards its invitation of international people other than Germans to participate or the whole thing was just for show; his emphasis of 4 points, ie. Parliament being intertwined with Reichstag's history, an understanding of the institution & its inner workings, economics in terms of meeting the budget in the restoration of Reichstag & the savings achieved through reduced running costs via technology advancement & clever planning, & lastly the emphasis on energy ecology by using sustainable environment friendly for sources of energy other than its reliance on fossil fuels- reinforcing Germany's image as the country that takes the lead in fostering better technology that would reduce the unfavourable impacts towards our fragile environment; a project all on its own for Lord Foster to design the eagle or better known as the "fat hen" that signified Germany; Lord Foster's involvement with avantgarde artists such as Jenny Holzers (American), Christian Boltanski (French), Gerhard Richter & Sigmar Polke (German) & many others -reminding readers that Reichstag is not merely acting as a Parliament but also as an important Art Gallery (3% of the construction cost of the building, already 1% higher than the norm); the evolving stage of deriving the iconic dome, which was deemed as a 'boiled egg' by some critics at one stage but eventually, being deemed as the icon that all Germans are proud with in the end; Lord Foster's invitation of Danish graphic artist, Per Arnoldi to look into colour coordination of the place; the intensity (at times, heartbreak) but effectiveness of constant dialogues with the Building Committees, the techniques used in the restoration process re the graffitis left behind by the Allies armies after WW2, Claude Engle (lighting consultant)'s invaluable contribution of the lighting design by channelling xenon lights towards the cone & thus, channelling them through all corners of German, symbolising the democracy at work & spreading thru all corners of the land, & so forth. The book also contained a proper Reichstag's chronology, end credits, postscripts to bombard us with even more information. Lord Foster stressed the significance of getting in touch with the past, to live the present, & anticipate the future with optimism, sensitivity towards the history of a building to come up with a building solution that is appropriate for its time rather than having to resort to brutal reconstruction, the necessity of having transparency & lightness interior in contrast with the solid mass exterior to show the passage of time & the changes made in terms of thinking. Highly recommended.

I recently spent a month in Europe. I was suprised after visiting Berlin, Vienna, Prague, Budapest, and London- that Berlin emerged as my favorite place.... that despite what I thought beforehand, I left my heart in Berlin, not Prague.

I only went to Berlin because I studied many historical events that took place there, and Berlin was the epicenter of The Cold War! West Berlin was THE capitalist showpiece and East Berlin was THE communist showpiece. United, Berlin will become (when all the construction has been completed) Europe's showpiece and greatest city- WITHOUT A DOUBT.

This book is the story of the awesome history of Berlin, a history that seems more embedded in tragedy than triumph. But, alas, Berlin has survived two devastating wars and the harsh reality of the WALL. Now, it is Berlin's turn. It's Berlin's turn to show the world what a magnificant place she was, is, and will become.

The Rebuilding of the Reichstag not only talks about the post-Wall renovations, but illustrates in great detail the history of the building, and thus the history of Berlin- you are taken on a journey of the history of a city and it's people....the people of Berlin who always seem to have to pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and begin again. In this book, the Reichstag shares with you what she has witnessed. You are there in 1945 witnessing the hollow shell of the war damaged Reichstag. You are there witnessing the division of the city as the Wall ran directly behind the building. You are there witnessing the divisions end as the wall comes tumbling down, and you are witness to the jubilation outside the Reichstag upon German unification.

After reading through this great book, I realized what a centerpiece to Berlin's history the Reichstag truly is. It's not just a parliament building- it's Berlin! The Reichstag speaks for Berlin's history. The fate of the Reichstag seems to run parallel to that of Berlin. What has happened to the Reichstag has happened to Berlin.

This book is full of awesome illustrations, from grand photos, to models, to architectural plans. Not only does it show the evolution of the Reichstag- it shows various plans for the building from the beginning and throughout its history. That is perhaps the most interesting part- the plans that people came up with. It's really too bad the "Big Roof" idea didn't pan out- because it would have been truly awe inspiring.

Even if you are only interested in architecture and have no interest in history- this book is still definitely for you.

That is why this book is so great.... I thought upon first seeing it, it would be pure architecture... it is pure architecture, but Foster has managed to capture something huge and so great. Foster has managed to capture Berlin.... a city on the verge of finally becoming.

I dearly love the author of this book and his writings. I've been following his work for many years and hope to do so for many more. I'm waiting 'patiently' for his next work. Thanx, David, keep up the good work.

You will want to read these pages over and over again. David Foster's words are poignant, stirring and dynamic. They easily make their way to your soul!

In this beautifully translated edition of Alejandro Morales's breath-taking and heart-wrenching novel, we are invited to re-live (or experience for the first time) the modern, barrio existence. Lives filled with violence, sex, drugs and, yes, hope, are embodied in Morales's protagonists, Julian and Mateo. The novel now includes an insightful introduction by Francisco A. Lomeli (who also translated the Spanish text) as well as a bibliography of works by and about Morales. This Bilingual Press edition juxtaposes the English text on the left with the corresponding original Spanish text on the right for easy comparison. This is a powerful novel that should be read by all.

This book is fun, interesting, catchy and leaves a big question mark in your head about what will happen next to Bernard Wheel and the Lake Elsinore Boys. This book also reminds you that you can do anything if you believe, or in other words, you can do anything with mind over matter. The book hypnotizes you to read more and more. It is the kind of book you can read over and over according to my son, who is a fifth grader.

The Lost Boy is one of the best books I have read. This book tells an adventurous story of Dave Pelzer's struggle to get away from his abusive mother, his trip through several foster homes, being labeled as a foster child, and finally becoming a successful writer and father. The adversity that Dave Pelzer has to over come is amazing and inspiring. Dave Pelzer shows how strong the human sprit is. This book will leave many people feeling better about there own lives and inspire them to do more. After reading this book, a person should feel like he or she can overcome anything.

This book is very emotional. People that cry easy may want a box of tissues near by while reading. It is unbelievable what Dave Pelzer went through. The Lost Boy is a "roller coaster" ride through horrible times and positive highs. The lows will bring tears to the biggest man and the highs will leave a person feeling good about life. I recommend this book to be read as soon as possible.

The Lost Boy is the inspiring sequel to A Child Called "It". Although the books are a lot a like, The Lost Boy will make a person feel good about life and inspire him or her to do more. This may be one of those rare occasions when a sequel is better then the original.

The Lost Boy is the second book of the trilogy written by Dave Pelzer. It shares the trails and tribulations of a child trying to start a new life after spending many years in a severly abusive home, with alcoholic parents, a mother who caused physical and emotional suffering, and a fireman father that is rarely home. The book covers his last few months at home, the discovery by his school that he is being abused, his escape from his abusive home, and stories of the things that happend and the several foster homes that he was in and out of from the time he left his house until he was eighteen. Dave is faced with many decisions throughout the book. During the time when Dave was in and out of foster homes many people did not realize that not all children in foster homes did something wrong to have them there, making it very hard for Dave to make friends and lead a normal life. The book shows how hard it is to cope for a child who has had a terrible childhood. I highly recommend all three books in the trilogy, especially The Lost Boy.

I did read the first of these three books. This is a wonderful story. I still have a lot of unanswered questions. Hopefully they will be answered in the next book. I have a few friends that have been moved into different foster homes. The one thing that they have told me is that the hardest part is to feel wanted and that you maybe finally have a home. So I can only imange what Dave has gone through. Yet his mother still seems to be there to haunt him. He does a few things that he should not do, just to make friends and feel that he fits in. He does put his trust into his social worker. Which is good. He also hads a family that he can call his. When he sees his brother he tries to help. I really don't understand why the system would let his brothers stay with his mother. This women should have never had kids. The father to sit by a let this happen is sick. Hopefully they will get theres in the end. Well I recomend this book. It is a wonderful story. I know a 12 year old who is reading it and they know that they have a good life. Thank you for the wonderful story of your life Dave and God Bless you.