An excellent reference for the keystone and umbrella endangered species of the San Joaquin Valley. Any biologist that works in California should have this fine collection of papers. The species are in peril and it's up to us to do something about it.

The book:"Keiko The Whale" is full of interesting facts about Keiko and other orca whales. It tells about what he did in his tank in Mexico, his incredible journey from Mexico to Oregon, and how his trainers work with him to get him prepared to return to the wild. This is a great book to read and you should read it too!

Of science-fiction novels, of cold-war novels, of serious American novels -- one of the very best. But then so is another Budrys novel, "Rogue Moon". "Who?" was made into a disappointing film; "Rogue Moon" awaits an animator perhaps not yet born. But both should be cherished first as books.

It's really a shame this book is out of print, as it is just as good as the more famous Ambrose books. The reason "The Making of a Paratrooper" reads so well is that Kurt Gabel was a paratrooper and participant in everything he describes...something Ambrose can't claim. His is a light, easy style of prose that reads easily, yet conveys the emotions, both high and low, of war. Friends blown to pieces or shot in the head right next to you. Moments of hilarity and joy...or the abject misery of fighting in hellish conditions. It's all here, from the beginnings in the tough jump school--it's amazing how hard these men trained--to the bloody European battlefields. All I can say is, this book pulls you in and keeps you there in a way that few tomes do. It is well worth the purchase. I might also add that Dr. William Mitchell, a paratrooper in the same Airborne outfit as Kurt Gabel and who wrote the final chapter of "The Making of a Paratrooper," was my political science professor at the University of Oregon in Eugene. He still proudly wears his paratrooper beret.

When perusing this volume, you will be struck by how skillfully the author manages to strike a balance between letters and his own interpretation. You are taken on a journey of Roethke's poetic process; the text explores the why and how of Roethke's work in a subtle yet understanding way. This is a good read for those who wish to learn more about the private mind behind Roethke's published writing, and those who wish to gain a better appreciation of how one literary mind shapes and guides another.

I first read Saucer of Loneliness in Sturgeon's E. Pleribus Unicorn. It instantly became my favorite and still is in this new book. Its always a pleasure to read his works.

This is a nice book to get for anyone serious about studying early Korean History (pre-Yi dynasty). It gives you a taste of the Samguk Sagi, Samguk Yusa, The Chronicles of Koryo as well as early Wei China accounts and the controversial inscription on King Kwanggetto's Monolith. From these documents, you can learn, quite literally from the horse's mouth, the struggle of the Three Kingdoms against each other, the struggle of the later Three Kingdoms and the thought and philosophy of the people at that time. Please bear in mind, these are excerpts, not full texts of the primary sources. These only give you a taste and flavor of the full texts.

Okay, I have never read this book, but I would like to comment on the short story, Microcosmic God as it has always been one of my favorites. My dad told it as a bed time story when I was younger and I've actually read it several times since then. The story involves a brilliant scientist named Kidder, who has absorbed the sum total of man's knowledge and is frustrated by the fact that he will not live long enough to witness future breakthroughs in technology. The logical solution of course, is for him to create his own race of beings (called Neoterics), with a faster metabolism and shorter lifespan (about 12 days, I think), so that he can observe their evolution and eventually learn from their discoveries. It is truly amazing that Sturgeon is able to pull off this level of scientific arrogance in a realitively succinct and believable manner (after all it is a SHORT story). Can the creation of intelligent life possibly be so simple? Hardly, but I was willing to swallow the premise, because the idea is fascinating and I truly wanted to know how it would turn out. I can easily understand why Kidder would go to such lengths in order to glimpse the future of mankind. Of course, the story also includes an evil banker, Conant, who wants to exploit Kidder's inventions (such as a pill that cures the common cold) for profit, but by far the most absorbing aspect of the plot is the Neoterics themselves. Kidder keeps them in a large covered atrium (they are extremely small) and observes them through a magnifier. While human rights activists would obviously protest Kidder's treatment of the Neoterics (in one instance he lowers the roof of the atrium steadily over a period of time, causing widespead distruction and panic, and waits for them to create a support system out of tinfoil) one can't help being impressed by their resourcefulness and the collective way they respond to every threat. Kidder creates a written language for the Neoterics and begins communicating w/them. It is soon apparent that they believe him to be God. I don't want to ruin the outcome of the story, but I would definitely recommend this as a quick read for anyone, not just science fiction lovers. It explores the themes of faith and mortality in very original way.

In this volume Sturgeon is beginning to hit his stride. Some of these are among the best short stories in SF (e.g. Microcosmic God, Shottle Bop).

In the earlier stories, Sturgeon was still trying to find his ideal voice. Much of the prose was forced, and some rather simple plot devices (especially irony) were common. In this volume, though, he is coming into his own.

The best part of this collection is that he only got better later . . . this is only the second volume and just about every story here is a keeper and the really great ones will stick in your head forever. "The Microcosmic God", "Cargo", "Jumper" and all that type are nothing less than entertaining and at the same time showing you Sturgeon's highly sensative glimpses into the human heart. This guy cared about everyone and understood what made people tick, while some of his stuff might be considered formulaic still at this point, he can't be a genius everytime out and seeing everything in the proper order and context allows you to see his evolution. This entire ten volume series is a blessing, there aren't many writers who we get the chance to see them develop and there aren't that many who deserve this chance, all in all Sturgeon is at the top of the list. Cheers to whoever thought of this idea. Make sure these always stay in print!

This volume showcases the earliest works of Sturgeon, and it shows both that he was going to be really, really good, and that he wasn't quite there yet.

One of the great tragedies of science fiction's success in taking over the world is that we've lost our sense of the history of the genre. After the explosion of popularity the genre saw in the late seventies, there has simply been way too much science fiction and fantasy for anyone to read all of it, much less read the best of the past. In other words, the time when every fan had read the essential works has passed; any sense of tradition and common ground has vanished into the mediocrities of Hollywood and the latest endless series of repetitious commercial formula. Which is precisely why this series of Theodore Sturgeon's complete stories, accompanied by the recent reprints of most of his novels, is so incredibly important. When one considers the fact that at the 2002 World Science Fiction Convention I met three fans who had never even heard of Sturgeon, much less read him, these reprints are highly essential. How anyone can call themselves a fan without reading Sturgeon (and Heinlein, and Asimov, and C.L. Moore, and Kuttner, and so many more) is beyond me. This first installment of the complete works of the greatest short story writer science fiction and fantasy ever produced may not be his best, but it is critical for any understanding of where science fiction began to attain the levels of greatness it has all too often forgotten. Among the best this volume has to offer includes the utterly chilling and absolutely unique "Bianca's Hands," which will both revolt and delight you, and the charming "Ether Breather," with its original aliens. As a writer myself, I enjoyed all the journeyman work, especially since I could see how the craft developed; as a science fiction critic and scholar, I also thoroughly enjoyed the biographical story notes at the end, which may be the closest we ever get to a biography. All in all, one of the great publishing events of the history of our chosen obsession.

Ted Sturgeon was the best short story writer of the 20th century. He wrote the novel "More than Human" in the early 1950's.

Writers try to change the world in a way to make it better. Isaac Asimov looked for more intelligence in the world. Robert Heinlein for more deliberate good work, not accidental, in the world. Ted Stugeon, however, looked for more love in the world. Which is pretty much what all of Sturgeon's great work is about: love.

It is probably because of this that Sturgeon is still read today. But not as much as he should be. He should be a writer who everybody has heard of.

It is sad that the SFWA don't give out the grand master award to those who have shuffled off their mortal coil. Theodore Sturgeon is one who should be granted the title postumously. It is sad that he couldn't be granted it in life, but it something that should be granted to him now that he has pasted from this world.

This volume of this series focus' on the early work of Sturgeon. Probably from even before he started thinking of himself as anything more than a parttime writer. It is still good stuff to read though.