I love this book! It features a variety of information, including an interesting introduction of codes. There is even a little history of codes in the past. Next, it moves right on to simple codes. This section has an easy picture code, a code you can use on a computer, and some number codes. Chapter three is all about position codes, and chapter four is about code wheels. Chapter five includes my favorite code- the Rail Fence. There is also a section on breaking codes and secret languages. Invisible ink ends this wonderful book. Here's my message to you: re adth isb o oky oul ll ov eit. (hint- take away the spaces.)

This is a great little book full of lots of information. As a child I had a ton of fun, and it even inspired a science project. This is a great one for all those kids who feel they have a lack of privacy, but make sure not to loose your copy, especially if you use it to write in your diary.

Zim is the most comprehensive text on codes and secret writing, containing instructions on most common methods of encrypting messages. The book gives a brief history of codes, then goes on to explain the difference between codes and ciphers, writing with invisible ink and using code wheels or other equipment. Useful for children and adults alike.

This book is great for people who want to learn the basics of different trees, their leaves, their twigs and bark of the trees around their area. If you don't know if the tree grows in your area, you can look at the maps in the book to see if it does. If you like trees and want to learn about them, you'll love this book. I loved this book because it built my foundation for knowledge in trees and their different families.

I love this little book. I've carried it on many hikes, dog walks, and through several years of walking to graduate school. It's easy to use, detailed enough to be helpful, and small enough (my aged copy, at any rate) to fit in your back pocket. Of all of the field guides that I own, I've used this one the most.

I was asked to read The Trees over the summer for school. As a high school student who loves to read, I was estatic to have a new, thick book placed in front of me. 2 months later, I wasn't even half way through it. Every time I started to read the novel, I would either fall asleep, or just give up out of simple boredom. Richter did not make this book very reader friendly, never setting up a true plot, never reaching an exciting climax in the story, and never making you become attached to ay character besides Sayward Luckit. Who lived a dull life, caring for her brother and sisters. Perhaps this is a book beyond high school capability, or perhaps it is a book that was made to cure insomnia... I don't know. However, I do know that I would never recomend it to anybody, unless they were looking for a way to fall asleep.

I saw the miniseries years ago and loved it instantly. This seems like the real way it must have been for our ancestors (not that far back!). It's always fascinating to get a glimpse of how people lived many, many years ago. I read the Trilogy, and found this book, as the first in the series, probably my favorite. It will capture your imagination from the beginning.

The first part in "The Awakening Land" trilogy, "The Trees" chronicles the settling of the Ohio wilderness in the early days of the Republic. With an ear toward authenticity, Conrad Richter has seamlessly mixed history with fiction by introducing realistic characters who tamed Ohio when it was the "West." The story is simple, but beautifully told as Richter introduces the Luckett family, especially eldest daughter Sayward. The Lucketts claim the land and eke out a living among a howling wilderness as Sayward becomes the true head of the family. Richter is to be congratulated for introducing a realisitically strong character who, representing nameless and countless pioneer women, is a true hero. Read it for history or read it for fiction, it will touch you and teach you.

This is is a fine book devoted to famillar mammals of the US and Canada. It shows full-color illustrations and maps that show you where the specific critter lives for many different mammals. Plus it tells you what a specific mammal eats and wether it is dangerous or not. A must for all nature-lovers !

Detailed drawings depict types and qualities of the multitudes of crafts of varying tribes. As an artist, it is important to see the finishing details of clothing and basket weaves, etc., such as how the pueblo wind their boots around their legs and tie them, or the type of weaving patterns in their clothing. There are many illustrations of tools, potteries, weapons, etc., how they were made and how to identify between the various tribes and time periods, identifying the various cultures as well. Very descriptive narratives. This is a simple, usable and thorough resource. Very interesting. Good for children and adults alike.

When I was a kid my uncle gave me a copy of this book and it opened up a world which still intrigues me...reptiles and amphibians. Even today I consult the book for info on some lizzard I don't recognize or to see if salamanders actually spend a lot of time out of water. In fact, I'm sharing it with my own nephew now--age 11--who's discovering this new world of life for himself. This book is well-presented and easy-to-use, as well as full of great illustrations that alone make it worth reading through. Profiles of each reptile and amphibian are thorough withough being overwhelmingly scientific. A timeless classic for young or old...one to share over the generations.

The Golden guides are classics, sometimes dated in both name and nominclature, but for a kid just getting started they can't be beat. They are small for small hands, have general but limited information and decent color drawings. You know a book is well received when it has continued to be printed for well over half a century!

I teach in a College and was surprised to see that they are still the book of choice for some Biology students who also grew up with them. The only reason I don't give them 4 stars is the fact that much of the info is awfully dated.

'Social Statics' should be read by anyone interested in political philosophy, ethics, or philosophy in general. Not only does it serve as a source of hope for the future of mankind, but also as a guide to the steps that can be taken by all in order to ensure that that happy future arrives as quickly and as peacably as possible. For the future can be hindered, and its fate is in our hands.

In the future, every man will be a law unto himself, capable of fair dealings with others without the strictures of government or the threat of punishment; and as a result, goverment will no longer exist, since it will no longer be necessary. As fiercely as we maintain our own rights, so shall we maintain the rights of others, knowing that every crime we commit will return to us eventually, whether personally, or by weakening the bonds of society, the only means through which we are capable of exercising our rights.

But at present, because we have not fully adapted to the demands of society, government is necessary. It is necessary in order to maintain our rights, and to protect us from the aggression of others, whether they be invaders from abroad, or thieves from within.

But government itself is a threat, and must be maintained in its proper role, without being allowed to expand beyond it. And this should be one of our goals: to check its wrongful expansion. When government goes too far, it distracts itself from its rightful purpose, that of protection, to everyone's detriment, by losing its focus; and it adds to our burdens, by compelling us to fund its expansion; but most importantly, it hinders all of progress itself, since real progress can only occur naturally, over time, and without the aid of government, however well-intentioned it may be.

Government must be checked, and our rights maintained. But in order to promote society even further, it is necessary for us to express our inmost thoughts, those we believe in most sincerely, for these are the result of years of societal evolution, and though they may come to nothing, and take root in no one's heart, they may be universally accepted, and serve as a guide to others both in their actions and in the setting up of their own ideals. Through progress in belief, we advance towards that society which we currently consider hopelessly ideal and utopian.

I bought this book because I was expecting to ID the brown recluse which has several variations. This book had one poorly drawn picture and 1 sentence about the Brown Recluse. I was disappointed to say the least. This is one of those little field guides for kids.
This would be a good field guide for someone about 8 years old.

This book has excellent pictures for identification, however it mainly uses scientific names. There is also limited information about the spider or types of spiders that are pictured. I use this book for identification by the pictures and another book (National Audubon Society's field guide to insects and spiders) to learn more specifics about the spiders attitue and lifesyle. These two books compliment each other perfectly. There are also pictures of spider relatives and insects commonly thought of as spiders, such as whipscorpions, ticks, and arthropods. This book is excellent for a reference!

Last week I woke up when a spider bit me on my forehead. It was a shallow, burning pain rather like someone had injected a weak solution of hydrochloric acid under my skin. About a third of my forehead was flushed red when I first looked in a mirror, but the redness subsided within a few hours, leaving a dime-sized lump that is still visible a week later.

I used "Spiders and Their Kin" to tentatively identify the mangled remains of the spider as a small Brown Recluse ('Loxosceles reclusa'). Just in case I needed to go see my doctor, I put the spider into a baggie and froze it. Luckily, my forehead didn't dissolve---according to the Levis, "In severe cases...the wound grows deeper and does not heal for several months."

At any rate, "Spiders and Their Kin" is a handy book to have around. I bought a copy for my sister when she found what she thought was a Black Widow in her garage, and I also got a copy for myself in order to identify the gigantic black and yellow spider that was hanging head-down in my Japanese Spiraea (it was---or maybe I should say, she was a Black and Yellow Argiope ('A. aurantia').

When I first bought this book, just looking at the cover made me itch. However, it is filled with fascinating little tidbits about Arachnids and their kin. I used to think that Hairy Mygalomorphs were the ugliest spiders on Earth (most especially the ones with ten inch leg spans), but now my vote goes to the Pirate Spiders ('Mimetidae'). Luckily, they are small spiders (4 - 6 mm), so you would have to use a magnifying glass to get the full impact of one of these hairy little dudes.

It is really rather impolite of me to make fun of 'Mimetidae,' since they help beautify my backyard by eating other spiders. According to the authors:

"Pirate Spiders invade webs of other spiders. The slow-moving Pirate Spider bites the web owner, which is quickly paralyzed and sucked dry through the legs, one after another."

Sounds like someone dining on crab legs.

The only fault I can find with "Spiders and Their Kin" is that it doesn't go into enough detail on the individual species and subspecies of Arachnids. And that's not a fair criticism to make, since Golden Nature Guides are meant to be used for quick identification, not detailed research.

Now, I've got to work up my courage, venture outside, and try to identify that big brown spider that has built her web from the house electrical line down to the clematis beside the porch door. Her abdomen is wider than it is long, she has striped legs, and she only comes out after dark...

By the way, "Spiders and their Kin" has a useful chapter on 'Collecting Spiders.' If you're an arachnophobe like I am, learning more about these critters might be the quickest way to cure yourself.

This was either the first or second guide that I started out with when I was very young. I will always have respect for it. It contains full-color drawings of the most common birds that a person is likely to see. A total of 129 of the most common American birds is included. Text and range maps are also included in this pocket-sized guide. The drawings display spring plumages of adult male birds, and normally females or young if they are very different. The text is good and gives the common name, length, description, behavior, verbal descriptions of vocalizations, and sometimes abundance. The text also points out the differences between males and females, and related birds that are similar. This guide contains some nice introductory information. Some of the information deals with how to use the guide, how to identify birds, equipment, where to look, bird classification, and attracting birds. There are also two illustrations that detail the parts of a bird. I find all of the drawings throughout this guide to be pretty good. Most of the drawings share the same page as the text and range map, but a few of the drawings are on the right page, while the text and range maps are on the left page. This guide has some very useful information that is located in the back. For each bird that is illustrated, there is information dealing with migration, eggs, nests, and feeding habits. The back of the guide also contains a listing of scientific names for the birds illustrated and an index. I used to take this guide out with me when I first started birdwatching. I still have the older and also the newer edition. Whenever I would identify a particular species of bird, I would write all of the important information about it on the page. Even though I don't take this guide into the field anymore, it's not because I don't like it. I feel confident with the organization, drawings, and information; however, this guide does not contain all of the birds of North America--only the common ones. That aside, I still think that this guide is a good choice and starting point for beginners.

This was either the first or second bird guide I ever owned. It's a birding guide that contains the most common species of birds that you'll see. The maps are good, the drawings are excellent, and the information on each bird is great. Greater starter guide for beginners and children.