Michael Meese is the new Deputy Head of the Department of Social Sciences and former Director of Economics at West Point. Bart Keiser is also a former Director of Economics at West Point. The Social Sciences faculty is also in the process of writing the 5th Edition, which should be coming out in a few months; so if you can wait, you'll get a more current version. But if you are in the military and are considering major changes to your financial situation in the near term, this book is well worth the investment.

I highly recommend this book for all service members.

Exquisitely illustrated, with on-site field notes and diagrams should keep the enthusiastic amateur fossil hunter entertained. An abundance of technical notes, photographs of real specimens and colour reconstructions, many of which uphold Australia's reputation for the unusual and/or the alternative, in terms of evolutionary development. Evolutionary experiments abound with examples which include 'thingadonta' (nobody really knows what it is), several species of marsupial lion, Tasmanian 'wolf' (thylacine) ancestors, flesh-eating kangaroos, several failed lines of kangaroos, several platypus ancestors, giant marsupials such as Diprotodon-the world's largest, a giant wombat, koala ancestors, numerous bats, possums, and creepy critters of all types, are presented. No primates unfortunately, and no bears or dogs, but it is interesting how some of these vacant evolutionary niches were filled by marsupial alternatives-especially in the case of the 'Tasmanian wolf', and the carnivorous marsupial 'lion'. And it is interesting to speculate what kind of alternative type of 'marsupial primate' may have (could still!) have arisen. An upright 'hominid'-like marsupial, wandering the Australian plains-who knows if Australian rainforests hadn't have all but disappeared.

The book puts the various animals and lineages into perspective, describing the changes of climate and habitat loss over the last 25 million years as Australia's climate became drier as the continent drifted north. Many lineages were/are in slow decline before the arrival of the aborigines and Europeans, as Australia's rainforests progressively shrank.

The colour illustrations and landscape reconstructions are a major feature, and they are outstanding. This book is highly recommended for the enthusiastic fossil hunter, or for those just curious in Australian animals and palaeontology in general.

REVIEWS

'It is a pleasure to welcome this distinctive book...Miles...puts Jones into a bigger context and better perspective than most...I recommend it thoroughly'

Miichael Alexander in Modern Language Review

' 'Thorough and revealing...a very useful piece of research, well concewived and well- documented'

The Planet

'Valuable, highly detailed...a great pleasure and enlightenment'

Poetry Listing

The book also gives a great (meaning clear yet not too simple) introduction to marine biology for the Pacific Northwest, explaining tides, currents, the origin of the coast , and the basic biology of the major groups (taxa) of organisms. Furthermore, he provides tips on beachcombing.

All in all, a very handy reference. I will consider it for my Marine Biology class for non-majors (I'd use it with a majors course, too, if I taught one!).

In this delightful pop-up book, multi-award winning artist Michael Foreman charts the magical world of a young boy's exuberant imagination.

A GREAT story and a fine collectible book!