I grew up in Philadelphia, and have fond childhood memories of visiting "America's First Zoo," which is the subject of this book. Although some animal rights people are against zoos of any kind, the fact is, today's zoos do a great deal to help save endangered species through various breeding programs. In some cases, such as the Pere David deer from China, the zoos have literally rescued species from extinction (see p. 218). The author of this book does an excellent job of balancing biology with human interest stories, as he takes you behind the scenes and shares "animal gossip" about some of the zoo's most popular exhibits. "The Peaceable Kingdom" follows a year's worth of zoo activities through the four seasons, and is simply cram-packed with zoology, history, geography, and odd facts about animals. (Did you know that a male rhino has a two-foot long erection?) Absolutely a fascinating read!

a wonderful documentation of the harmony, and discord, between the animal kingdom and the modern world. A must read for animal lovers

This reprint is a 2 volumes in 1.

"The standard source on this beloved major general who was killed at Spotsylvania, this work focuses on two primary periods of Sedgwick's career-the Mexican War and the interval 1855-1864. Each volume contains many dozens of letters relating to military affairs and personal matters. The letters were mostly written by Sedgwick to his [family, which] add greatly to the understanding of Sedgwick's personality. The letters provide commentary on a wide variety of officers and politicians, the activities of the army as a whole, and official business." Civil War Books

Did I love this book? No, but it certainly kept me up past my usual bedtime for a few nights trying to read another page because, no matter how predictable or coincidental the plot sometimes seemed, the story was voyeuristically compelling and rarely boring. I'd recommend it to anyone who appreciates a fresh mystery (although I kept thinking of David Lynch's Blue Velvet, especially early on). The characters were pretty well drawn and I rarely wondered what their motivation was, which I think is key to this type of novel. Don't expect The Dark House to win any literary awards, but don't be surprised if the person on the beach next to you this summer gets sunburned because they don't want to stop reading long enough to put on sunblock.

This book is awfully good for a first novel. Suspense is hard to create! And Sedgwick does it like a pro in "The Dark House." For page after page we read on because questions are burning in our minds. And with each chapter we plunge deeper into the darkness with more questions. To me it matters not that the resolution is somewhat less than satisfactory. Because it always is. The question, the mystery-- these things urge us on. This is a stylish mystery. With great suspense. And it's set in Boston, New Hampshire and Vermont. I recommend this highly and look forward to Sedgwick's next novel.

The Dark House takes you on the ride of your life. Starting out with the main character Edward Rollins, a damaged soul, riding in his car, following random people to their homes and ending with a building strength and catharsis of Rollins, this book is extremely well written. Rollins definitely has problems, but as the reader starts viewing him as psychologically damaged by his circumstances, he becomes less and less screwed up---and more of a classic protagonist. In The Dark House everything has a reason as well as a connection to the story. If I didn't enjoy it so much I would have been put off by some of the coincidences found in the plot (but NO LOOSE ENDS in this work). The writing was excellent, plot intense, while the scenes and individuals were interesting and stimulating.

This book was a major disappointment. Flatly written, with editing errors even in the names of medications, this book displayed a depth of ignorance about psychiatry, psychiatrists and contemporary psychotherapy. As an experienced psychiatrist, familiar with McLean, the hospital which is described in the story in slightly disguised form, I can assure the public that junior staff are thoroughly supervised, have no time to run around playing detective and would not be allowed to violate boundaries between professional and personal in the way depicted.
What about poetic or artistic license, you may ask...Well, for that argument you need a work of art, which I would argue this book is not.

A haunting book, especially parts that are set back in time, when Madeline (Mrs.) Bemis was young during WW II. Gives a wonderful sense of how constraining it must have been in that era, especially for a girl coming from a "good" family. I also like the contemporary relationship between Mrs. Bemis and her therapist, forty years (more?) younger, who's got problems of her own.