The amount of information in The Bird Almanac, and the diversity, is staggering, and there is far too much to cover in a short review. The information covers both birds and bird watching, starting with a complete checklist of the world's birds. There is a chart showing the suggested fossil history of birds. The sections on anatomy include not only the traditional bird diagram, but also labeled drawings of the skeleton, digestive system, brain, eyeball, feather tracts, and other systems. There are charts on heart rates, metabolic rates, hearing range, and number of taste buds in various species, and dozens of others in the physiographic section. There are also charts on wing loading, flight speed, daily flight distance, average altitudes of migrating birds, and the ability of birds to transport prey after capture. The mortality section includes charts on the relative occurrence of a long list of diseases and lists of threatened and endangered birds.

There is a section on biggest, smallest, longest, most traveled birds, etc. A section on who's who in bird biology and conservation includes not only the expected names, but important figures less well-known. Do you want to know who was president of the AOU in 1938, or any other year? Who are the recipients of the Elliot Coues Award? It's all here, as well as which teams have won the World Series of Birding and who has won the Duck Stamp competition. There is a section on resources for bird watchers that includes a list of the world's bird watching and ornithological organizations, with addresses, lists of Internet resources, a compilation of the world's bird watching magazines, lists of rare bird alerts, tour companies, CD ROMs, and on and on.

This is one of the most impressive, and useful, one-volume collection of information about birds and bird watching available anywhere. Readers will find themselves delving into it for pleasure over and over, and it will be one of the most frequently used references on the shelf. My copy is going on the shelf next to the Birder's Handbook and the small set of references that are my first line of defense whenever anyone asks a question or I need a quick answer. This book belongs in every bird watcher's library.-Eirik A.T. Blom

This book was first published by Schocken in 1968, and remainsone of the best resources in English for understanding what Jewish Law has to say about birth control and abortion. It's not just a simplistic summary or a laundry list, either! The author explains, in step-by-step detail, the various laws and how they were derived from specific religious texts. Unfortunately, the current hardcover reprint is a bit pricey, to say the least. I'd really like to see a paperback reprint to make it more accessible to more people. Still, if this is your area of interest and you can't find a used copy, then a new one is well worth the price.

Chapter One gives an excellent overview of the structure of Jewish Law, explaining the various types of canonical documents -- Talmud, Rashi & Tosafot, Shulchan Arukh, responsa of later authorities, etc. -- which is a great help to readers who are not familiar with these important post-biblical Jewish sources and/or how Jewish Law works. The rest of the book explores, in clear detail with sources given, such things as Jewish attitudes toward sex, Talmudic references to birth control and abortion, debates about when the soul joins the body, etc., ending with a summary chapter, "The Jewish view on birth control." Where appropriate, the author also compares and contrasts Jewish beliefs with those of various Christian groups. Considering that abortion is such a hot topic in the USA right now, this book should be in the library of every group or individual who wants to understand the Jewish view(s) on this important subject.

This compilation of games to use in teaching Japanese is so interesting, I have barely been able to read it since my friends (all Japanese) continue to want to go through it & use it with their kids & all. I'm ordering 2 more as it's such a hit. The fact that it has materials that are useful for all levels of learning adds greatly to its appeal & usefulness.

This is a book to have. I am not thru it yet because I take it a little at a time. I underline. Levin can make you "get" Heidegger and Merleau-Ponty and their predecessors in a way they themselves simply could not. Who would know, from the title? It could be just another academic book. It was just luck that I bought it.

Very nicely written and organized book that accomplishes it's editorial goal...that is to encapsulate brief interventional therapy and integrate it into the delivery of every-day primary care. From traditional affective disorders such as depression and anxiety, to end of life issues and nursing home care, this book addresses the mental health issues that are interwoven into the majority of patient interactions. The authors make a compelling case that the family physician, or any primary care provider, is uniquely positioned to intervene early in the course of adjustment disorders, and that many mental health disorders are much easier to treat when addressed in the acute phase. Written in clear, concise style, each chapters can be reviewed in 10 minutes or less, and outlines are provided at the beginning of each chapter so that the clinician can reference them on the fly. Highly recommended.

The four Pierson sons, intelligent, and well-educated for their time, originally opposed secession but served their country whole-heartedly in all theaters when the War came.
The letters of three sons are contained here, preserving valuable insights not only of battles and camp life but also frank opinions of the behavior of high officers and politicians. The tenacity of the Piersons, through sickness and wounds and hunger, in a War they didn't welcome, is fine testimony to the courage and patriotism of the Condederate soldier.
(The numerical rating above is a default setting with Amazon's format. This reviewer does not employ numerical ratings.)

The book is very useful. It shows you the beginning of all business subjects. It's a great fundamental business book

This book is perhaps the best single volume reference on Byzantine coins currently available. It is a great guide for both the beginner and novice collectors as well as the advanced collector on a budget who doesn't want spend a small fortune on the Dumbarton Oaks collection of Byzantine coin references.

This book is well organized and illustrated with many examples on the same page as the listing, rather than having to turn to the back of the book to view plates in order to check the picture of the coin. Coins are listed by decreasing denomination within a seperate section for each mint for every emperor. This makes it easier to identify a coin if only the mint or emperor is known. Cross references to other catalogue numbers such as those in Dumbarton Oaks are given for each listing as well.

Prices are listed in two different grades in UK pounds and are closer to real market values than Sear's other references on ancient coins and their values.

The Catholic Challenge Bible Game offers over 2,000 Q&A referenced to The New American Bible and officially approved by the Church's imprimatur and nihil obstat. The game has depth and intergrity for all Catholic Christians who want to test their knowledge in five areas of Biblical literature: the Law, the Prophets, Wisdom, Gospels and Epistles.

The game has all the bells and whistles which will keep a player involved and interested in achieving the best score possible.

A Certificate of Merit can be printed showing the player's name, level of play and total score allowing students, families, youth groups, Bible study groups, etc., to play contests and tournaments.

The game is a "must buy" for any Catholic household with kids in elementary or secondary education. The game promises many, many hours of fun and enrichment enabling curiosity and knowledge about the Scriptures.

The Catholic Challenge Catechism Game is the first and only church approved Catechism Game for Catholics. It is the best and most friendly way for kids and parents to learn about the structure and contents of the new Catechism of the Catholic Church.

This game for Mac and Windows allows up to four players or teams to compete in answering over 2,200 Q&A on various major themes and issues developed in the Catechism. The game has great balance and integrity.

Teachers and parents can use the game to assess religious knowledge in their students. The game also is useful to host contests and religion bee tournaments in order to reward achievement in religious learning.

The Catholic Challenge Catechism Game will keep a player interested and curious about all that is available in the Catholic Catechism. The entertainment will only be surpassed by the enrichment provided through by the play of this game.