This is a great book for long car trips or just to play at home.Some activities include:mini-mysteries, mazes, crossword puzzles, where to find this, coloring pages, car bingo and many, many other fun activities.Rand Mcnally is a great activity book company.I suggest getting this book, and SOON!

Peterson Field Guides has produced another winner. Western Medicinal Plants and Herbs by Steven Foster and Christopher Hobbs is a gorgeous guide book by, pardon the pun, the leaders in the field. This particular field guides sets the standard by which all medicinal plant guides should follow. Brilliant colour photographs of the over 500 identified species organized by colour for quick reference helps any novice quickly identify the plant and what'll happen if you try to make tea out of it. The detailed plant descriptions also include scientific name, family, location found, historical medicinal uses as well as highlighted warnings for poisons, allergies and other areas of caution. A very unique and special field guide Western Medicinal Plants and Herbs also offers harvesting and conservation tips. Pick this book up before you even considering picking flowers, herbs or plants for uses other than the filling your vase, it's a must have for anyone spending any extended time in the outdoors.

This was a truly marvelous book. I'm not sure what Kirkus Reviews was thinking. The comparisons to Tom Robbins were accurate, but Tom Robbins comes off as cynical and jaded where Nightingale is truly a man in love with everything: words, stories, food, spirits, nature, lovemaking, and love itself. This book is, in a word, delicious. I urge anyone who likes to be rolled up in a blanket of sensations to read this. I will be reading it aloud in bed for many years.

Federico García Lorca is among the most celebrated Spanish poets of all time. The beauty of his writing has given him a place in the gallery of the best Spanish writers. This book he wrote when he was a student at Columbia University relies on the influence he got from the surrealistic movements that were running on Europe at the time. Thus, it gets far from the poetic language used in his other books, most notably in Romancero Gitano: verses leave the regularity of the romance to explore new and rich arrangements; the metaphors grow more complex and ellaborate, making a delicious challenge to the reader; one can read a poem time and again for days and will still be unsure of its real meaning. Besides this some of the poems reach a new height on Lorca's poetry. To anybody just seeking to discover Lorca and his world, Romancero Gitano seems to be a best approach in my oppinion, but if you know it and like it, I can't help recommending Poet in New York as a new horizon to discover. If your approach to this book is open-minded, you won't be disappointed.

Chris Morley is largely forgotten now, so it might be difficult for modern readers to believe that he was once one of the best known men of letters in America. From the late 1920s to the 1940s, his columns, essays, novels and poems were widely read, and his appearances on radio were enthusiastically welcomed. Morley's most popular novel, Kitty Foyle, even made it to Hollywood. But if Morley had written nothing else than his tributes to Sherlock Holmes, it would have been enough. Indeed, it is not going to far to say that Morley is the man who single-handedly created a cult of Holmes worship (by founding the Baker Street Irregulars) which is alive and well today. While some of his Holmes work is easy to find (see his introduction to The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Doubleday), Morley's more obscure thoughts were scattered among obscure bibliographic relics. Steven Rothman has combed his considerable collection of Morley's writings and brought everything he ever wrote about Holmes into one place. This book is an excellent opportunity for anyone who knows a little about Sherlock Holmes to learn a lot about both Holmes and one of his most devout disciples. Rothman has also done an excellent job of drawing a biographical background for the reader. Morley might be forgotten, but his work about Sherlock HolmesÑÑlike the great detective himselfÑ-lives on.

What do you expect from a cognitive science book, which neatly separates all the major fields (Cognitive Psychology, Artificial Intelligence, Linguistics, Neuroscience, Philosophy, Language Acquisition, Semantics, Natural Language Processing, Vision), into chapters? First of all, it is not a mile-wide inch-deep book. Quite the contrary, it has remarkable detail, and it's definitely not an easy book for the beginner. However the fragments are not well-connected to each other, and there are no threads of thought one can follow through the text. Probably the most important problem of cognitive science is the gap between the disciplines, and the lack of a common terminology. The authors have adopted an information-processing view, and overstepped this problem rather than solving it. The result is a biased book, which is really nice if you like the information theoretic approach (like I do), but as a course-book, I suggest it as the supplementary reading.

Cognitive Science: An Introduction - 2nd Edition is a fascinating undergraduate text that accurately shows all of the subsets of the cognitive sciences. Cognitive Science: An Introduction - 2nd Edition introduces the advanced undergraduate student to cognitive science subsets such as cognitive psychology, cognitive anthropology, cognitive computational intelligence, cognitive linguistics, cognitive nurro-science, and the philosophy of the cognitive sciences. The diagrams in Cognitive Science: An Introduction - 2nd Edition are very vivid to demonstrate exactly what a philosophers/scientists sees in the subject matter of the cognitive sciences. The undergraduate text provides a very a empirical perspective of the cognitive sciences that differs directly from the classical transcendental perspective of cognition that the philosopher Immanuel Cant demonstrated in the Critique Of Pure Reason. The cognitive sciences can be very difficult to understand, but Cognitive Science: An Introduction - 2nd Edition is one of the best resources to explore the new empirical study of the science of the process of thought.

Please feel free to send questions or comments to mmount@essex1.com

Several colleagues have recently adopted, or plan to adopt the new textbook by JUDD, W. S., CAMPBELL, C. S., KELLOGG, E. A. & STEVENS, P. F. 1999. Plant systematics, a phylogenetic approach. ISBN 0-87893-404-9, for teaching vascular plant taxonomy. The book has some very useful introductory chapters on modern tools, which provide students with an insight on the applications of phytochemistry, mollecular biology and confection of cladograms.
Surely plant (and other) systematics bear on a traditional use of systems which have inherent flaws, given the tremendous diversity os species (or whatever you can call the final taxa) they deal with. The limitations of a patchy fossil record render phylogenetic approaches, however tempting their confection may be for a plant scientist in his search of a broader understanding, a kind of Nirvana that can never be completely conquered. We can know with some accuracy how long ago currently fossilized plants lived, but anyone familiar with the concept of convergence can hardly attribute affinities to a leaf imprint not attached to a flower or vice versa. Oddly enough, some of these concerns are addressed in Chapter 1 of the book, which is not consistent with the classification system proposed [since a large number of smaller but very important families was left out].
On p. 3 the book addresses the theory-neutral approach and clearly states it's intent to go further - into Phylogenetic interpretations. Conversely the most exhaustive numeric study of all species in a single extant genus, using all characters one can securely split into states, will shed light on their similarities, providing just another elegant and often valuable way to organize data, such as a cladogram. Distinguishing similarities reflecting true affinities from those brought about by convergence remains a cumbersome task which shall always rely on traditional methods.
The comment on p. 6 says: "We do not know the actual phylogeny of any nontrivial group of organisms [what would a trivial one be?], but instead must infer phylogenies from the data available to us." I have trouble agreeing with this point of view, since available data is admittedly patchy and often inconsistent. Paths in the true cladogram of evolution can not be retraced based on assumptions. We only have access to the dense upper surface of the crown, while the gross remainder of the tree's branches and trunk are obstructed from view. No matter from which angle one looks at it, Phylogeny draws on a generous dose of guesswork. On the practical purpose of classification, I cannot but paraphrase CRONQUIST (1988:12), one of the traditional taxonomists excommunicated in this book: "In taxonomy, consistency must always be secondary to the primary objective of recognizing natural groups on the basis of all available information".
Fitting the entire universe of traditional knowledge and current advances of plant systematics into a comprehensive book for students at any level poses obvious problems: How does one cope with limited space to organize the maelstrom of data? Our minds need to create categories in order to control storage and retreival of information. Obviously some omitting is inevitable, but at least the general idea of diversity must come across. In that sense I am especially intrigued by the comment by Michael Donoghue in the foreword "Students will readily appreciate the desirability of abandoning ranks altogether."
Following one of the modern trends, some groups of plants in the book's system, (for ex. used for Orchids in Dahlgren's treatment) are named using formal taxonomic rank, while other are not. If a group is recognized as separate, why not give it a rank? One inherent function of ranks is providing a common language - the only method of sharing knowledge currently used by humans. It must be recognized that the way in which ranks are currently applied is not problem-free: why must there be a defined number of them, let's say, between family and species? Rather than eliminating ranks, we should create new ways to apply them and see them.
No matter how deeply modern views have shifted, we can never entirely erase nor replace the results presented in old publications. Students need to know and understand important footsteps in 2 centuries of botanical investigation, which have paved the way toward current advances. We can now add new characters from an arsenal of chemical and mollecular data, ecological observations and a substantially improved matrix of geographic data. Regardless of academic rank, we are all students with a mission to discover and organize information and convey knowledge, not to ignore, misplace or ommit data. How can a student fit families like the Acanthochlamydaceae, Acoraceae, Boryaceae, Burmanniaceae, Corsiaceae, Costaceae, Didieraceae, Epacridaceae, Lemnaceae, Velloziaceae or Xyridaceae into such a system, when they are not even in the alphabetical index?
A good system must account for every component as best it can. Misplacing taxa (implicitly considered the most common flaw of traditional classifications) is still better than making-believe that odd parts don't exist. The argument of producing a textbook for undergraduate courses does not justify the omission of important plant families. Students deserve to start out at least with a complete set of families and the tools to recognize them. Even a great job of organizing a mere subset of information has very limited practical value, especially if Phylogeny is one of its main goals. Some of the smaller families which were left out are very important from both the taxonomic and the phytogeographic perspectives. Despite some hardships such as dichotomic keys starting with presence or absence of betalains, Cronquist's system remains the most recent comprehensive reference guide to the diversity of flowering plant families, simple enough to be used at the undergraduate level.
Though data from modern sources, such as molecular and chemical, are used in the introductory chapters, it is not quite clear how this data was usen in confecting the classification by JUDD et al., and there is no way of knowing whether the new system proposed shall hold its consistency after all omitted families of vascular plants are included in the data.

The second edition (2002) has been much expanded (from 464 to 576 pages) and has been adjusted to keep up with the (headlong) developments in this field. It also includes more descriptions of families.

In some ways the book has not changed. It very much looks the same since the same illustrations were used. It still has only limited usefulness as a systembook in that coverage is far from complete. The appendix on "Botanical nomenclature" is still a soft spot. Not only is the (badly) erroneous bit on the naming of cultivated plants still there, but the slanted view of the ICBN has worsened (the ICBN even being called "Linnaean" in a bit of blatant forgery of history) and the PhyloCode is plugged.

Nevertheless the times they are achanging, and those desiring to change with the times will find the second edition a work they need to be familiar with.

The book of W. Judd is essential to all Botany student and studious of Systematics and General Botanical. For the ones that still feel difficulties in the comprehension of the concepts of Phylogenetic Systematics, the clear text and explanative allows a very clear vision of the whole process. The approach of the initial chapters, mostly of the chapter 2 is too much elucidative, allowing to the reader if involve with the study themes, learning simultaneously all vision of the phylogenetic systematic current. It is a book that can't miss in shelf of any botanist or studous of plants.

The realities pictured in this book can be scary, but they touch on the truth about our ever-growing environmental problems that need real solutions and real people to solve them!Children have the power to have a profound impact on the future of our environment and this book allows them to know that hope exists if every child lends a helping hand. Parental guidance should accompany initial reading of the book to help answer questions. This book would make an excellent addition to personal collection or classroom library!

Blur...has mananged to wrestle critical and complex topics that effect our already multifaceted lives and succeed at it. The insight contain within delivers thorough logical concise fact based solutions that encourage integrating change and fostering adaptability to ensure future success. Blur, maginifies and embodies the adage "out with the old and in with the new", without creating a negative outlook on how the connected present is and how its future will be. My opinion, "This is great stff, that's why I'm ordering the audio book version".

Zeitlin fulfills his mission to compare the creation myths from many times and peoples, but he doesn't do it in an exciting or engaging manner. While each story builds on the next, the retellings themselves are a bit bland, and could have used a more drama. In spite of an impressive list of acknowledgements and sources (including Joseph Bruhac and E.C. Krupp, Edith Hamilton and Carl Sagan, and a nod to Joseph Campbell), Zeitlin is no storyteller.
The wide range of stories is impressive. Here the reader finds Genesis and the Talmud, theories of the first scientists and present day ones, and tales from India, Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
Chapter layout is consistent. Each chapter begins with "Imagine ..." inviting the reader to slip into the culture and beliefs of the origins of the tale. A one sentence abstract further sets the stage, and Zeitlin puts each tale into context before going on to relate the story. Each myth is given thoughtful consideration as to how it fits in with the others.
The illustrations by Chris Raschka are a bit disappointing. He made an effort to research each period and culture to render appropriate patterns and drawings, but like the text, the illustrations fall flat. Rectangles in shades of gray cover and confuse instead of illuminating. The graphics, many of which incorporate traditional patterns, would have made lovely borders instead of single page pictures. Color would have made the illustrations less static.
Too scholarly for children, and of little appeal to YA's, it is unclear for whom this book is intended. Zeitlin presents big ideas, big words, and some adult themes, but usually it is either younger children or college students who explore such folk tales and myths. The author is to be commended for promoting openmindedness, and for his ability to portray many different belief systems with respect. Perhaps this will fit into curriculum frameworks, be a jumping off point for teachers, or be useful to storytellers.

I loved this book. I've seen so many different books on origin stories from around the world - there are dozens of them. This once is totally unique - it's about how different cultures picture the world. From the Maori, to the Egyptians, to the Desana Indians, the book explores the different visions of the universe that each culture has set forth in its myths and stories. There are even wonderful chapters on both medieval and modern science - even a chapter on Genesis. Most of the chapters are accompanied by myths and stories - all of them beautifully written. This book is perfect for a curious Middle School reader whose interest in the cosmos is just awakening - but it's great for all ages. It's one of my favorite books