The Authors are to be congratulated for implementing practical applications of some difficult and highly sophisticated science, and for presenting their program in easy-to-read everyday language. This will be helpful to legions of women everywhere. The message is illustrated by 25 real life case studies containing various manifestations of the basic problem. These will be readily recognisable by any sufferer who can benefit from the approach described. This approach is self evidently logical and straightforward, and may leave British readers wondering why it is only in the USA that the technology has been developed and exploited to offer a convenient and readily available service. The answer has many facets, and is almost as complicated as the technology itself. However, astute and perceptive readers will find the book contains a number of clues, notably from Chapter 10 (Getting Started) onwards. In addition, supporting information is to be found in books on Menopause by Dr.John Lee, and on Osteoporosis by Dr.Alan Gaby.

Armed with these volumes readers should engage in some determined lobbying.

General Practitioners and Consultants plus Members of Parliament and the Department of Health all need to be convinced that HRT using bio-identical hormones must be taken seriously. As with many medical matters the science is not wholly exact and a measure of art and experience is involved. Consequently the doubters have room to argue that the margin of uncertainty is unacceptable. These arguments are used to discourage doctors and their patients from evaluating the methods for themselves. Never-the-less several thousand UK patients who can afford to finance their own treatment are already benefiting from the findings of these pioneers. Unfortunately, apart from a couple of limited privately sponsored trials there is no official UK program to collect and analyse this valuable case data. To the extent that Ahlgrimm and Kells have made a contribution in this respect their book is doubly welcome even although it may not be the ultimate definitive treatise. There appears little doubt that enormous savings could be made in the lifetime costs of women's healthcare by extending the benefits the authors describe to all NHS patients. The 15 page list of references contained in the book should convince anyone that the authors have really done their homework!

See also:-

Natural Progesterone; John Lee M.D.

What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause; John Lee M.D.

Preventing and Reversing Osteoporosis; Alan Gaby M.D.

The New Arthritis and Commonsense; Dale Alexander & Mark Occhipinti;

Dale Alexander describes the work of Dr.A.C. Frazer in 1945 that proved how long-chain oil molecules such as Progesterone can be drawn primarily into the lymphatic system instead of being largely wasted travelling the portal route to the liver. They must first be hydrolyzed by emulsifying 1:2 in milk. This method satisfies the advice on page 80 of Marla Ahlgrimm's book regarding the advantage of taking hormones with food. It would appear that the Alexander and Frazer method of administration could overcome the fundamental objection of Dr. Lee, as expressed in his books, to taking hormones orally. It would be helpful if a clinical trial could be arranged, and monitored by the methods described in Marla Ahlgrimm's book.

Accurately measuring hormones to determine the dosage that's just right for YOU and then monitoring your progress sounds like they gave this book the perfect title, because it IS the HRT solution. I've already made an appointment with my doctor for the book's recommended saliva hormone test and am looking forward to starting their "Restore" program. I've recommended this book to all my buddies at... and recommend it to everyone who needs hormone replacement therapy - ESPECIALLY for those of you whose current HRT regimen isn't giving you the results you're looking for. I hope someday this method of hormone testing and mangagement sweeps the nation."The HRT Solution" not only discusses a revolutionary approach to HRT, but also includes a thorough and precise description of hormones in general - how they work, why you need them, and what the alternatives are. In addition, the author gives advise on how to talk with your doctor about this method if he or she is not familiar with it. Like I said, this is the only book you'll need to read on Hormone Replacement Therapy!

My friends and I all agree that reading this book at the beginning of our menopausal journey would have saved us a lot of time and money. It is quite simply the most "user-friendly" book on the subject that we have found. It makes a complex subject so much easier to understand an it gives us hope that this journey needn't be a nightmare.

As grape soda is to Louis Roederer Cristal, so today's Christian books are to Edwards' "The Religious Affections". Espousing a theology foreign to most postmodern Christians, Edwards lays out the cornerstone of Christian thought of the mid-18th century.

As unflinching as his more famous sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God", this work develops the idea that what we feel and our true status in Christ are at war with one another, a constant battle that requires the searching of our souls by the Spirit of God in order to find the truth of our standing in Him. For some, the level of introspection and faithfulness demanded of the believer is higher than we might otherwise be prepared to endure. But only by complete surrender, the development of an inner craving for Christ, and spiritual examination can we rest in the assurance of our salvation.

This work also holds up a Christian faith that seems radically different - and more vital - than what we know. For this we should thank Edwards for allowing 21st century men and women a tie to historic Christianity, especially as seen through early-American eyes.

"The Religious Affections" is an extremely difficult book to read, not only because of the sentence structure and word choices of the 18th century, but also because of the loaded theology. It is a bombshell to the heart of anyone who earnestly desires to follow Christ. Impossible to ignore, Edwards' book demands a response. No one can read it and be unchanged. The level of discipleship it asks is shocking to modern readers, but ultimately necessary for our salvation.

One of the greatest theological works of the 18th century. Who better to describe the place of the heart (emotions) in the true Spiritual life, than one whose mind is so sharp and precise on both the specific revealed Word of God, and the general revelation of creation. If you have ever read any of Edwards' sermons, then you need to read this work as well. How can we claim to know God with only our minds, if not also our hearts? It is not the quickest read, but it is like climbing a mountain, worth getting the view at the end.

I'm a minister of music at an evangelical church. Almost every week, I have the conversation with someone "what are the role of emotions in our services and in the Christian's life in general?" (Nobody really asks it THAT way, but you get the idea.)

I've come to the point where I won't even begin the conversation without having them read this book. Seriously! Edwards covers ALL the issues in a thorough and practical way.

Strap on your thinking cap, but know it's worth it! I read this book every year and God never fails in using it to refocus my heart on Him.

This is the best safety and rescue book with a wealth of information every boater should know. A must read, re-read and own it for reference.

We all know in any adventure sport there is a risk. Be prepared and and practice those skills in the event you ever need them. Those of you who know John Lull will reguard him as the "guru" of kayak safety and rescue. Get this book, practice what you read, and have the confidence in any situation.

John Lull's Sea Kayaking Safety & Rescue is a "user friendly", comprehensive manual on how to kayak safely in a variety of sea environments. Offering step-by-step descriptions of real-life scenarios and numerous illustrations of key kayaking techniques, readers will learn how to competently assess kayaking risks, learn effective assisted self-rescues, develop group kayaking strategies, read weather patterns and currents, negotiate surf and ocean rock gardens, and deal with boat traffic. Highly recommended for personal and community library reference collections, Sea Kayaking Safety & Rescue is essential, "must" reading for the novice, and has a wealth of practical information to enhance safety and success for even the more experienced kayaking enthusiast.

This book examines the ongoing (1655-1680) conflict between Thomas Hobbes and Oxford's Savilian Professor of Mathematics, John Wallis, over the squaring of the circle and related problems of Euclidian geometry. To the end of his long life, Hobbes asserted that he had succeeded in squaring the circle, and Wallis refuted him again and again. This "war" extended beyond mathematics, to, to each man's religious beliefs and politics.
What interested me most immediately was the cast: the people involved and their intellectual and personal relationships. Hobbes' first public involvement with squaring the circle, was his intervention in the dispute between the Danish mathematician Longoburg (Longomontanus) and John Pell. Interestingly, Hobbes demonstrated that Pell was correct in rejecting Longomontanus's claim to having squared the circle. Pell was author of an essay regarding establishment of a library of mathematical books and instruments. That essay was published as an appendix to his friend John Dury's The Reformed Librarian. Pell and Dury were part of the Hartlib circle, as was Theodor Haak, who reported Hobbes' role in the Pell/Longomontanus dispute to John Aubrey. After that we see Henry Oldenburg, secretary of the Royal Society, asking Hobbes to make up a list of mathematical texts. Presumably, the list was for Robert Boyle. In 1658 we find Thomas White and Kenelm Digby carrying communications between Fermat and Fenicle de Bessey in France and Lord Brouncker and Wallis in England. White, a Jesuit, had headed the English College at Douai; he had engaged Hobbes in debate over Galileo's Dialogues; and, at the end of a long life of intellectual distinction, he was caught up in the Popish Plot fabricated by Simon Oates. Etc.
It's worth describing the problem of squaring the circle, because it accounts for so much. Simply put: can a square be constructed that has the same area as a given circle, or vice versa? The key to the answer is in the word "constructed." By means of certain curves, such a square or circle can be defined. But those curves cannot be constructed using the classical instruments: ruler and compasses. Essentially, we're dealing with the transcendental character of pi, something that wasn't proved mathematically until the early 19th century.
Jesseph asks the question: why did Hobbes insist so long, to the end of his life, that he had squared the circle? Wallis refuted him again and again, but Hobbes hung on like a snapping turtle. Answering the question opens a window on the political, philosophical, social, and mathematical developments of the time. To summarize:
Hobbes's materialist philosophy brought him to support Isaac Barrow in Barrow's contention with Wallis over the primacy of geometry over arithmetic. These were the two components of classical mathematics, geometry dealing with continuous quantities and arithmetic with discrete. Barrow held that geometry was primary because it dealt with real physical reality, like distances and area, whereas numbers were abstractions: 1, 2, 3, etc. are concepts drawn from one egg, two brothers, three ships, and the like.
Hobbes' Erastianism--his contention in Leviathan that the king should be ruler over the religion of his subjects--placed him on the side of the Independents (congregationalists) against the Presbyterians in Protectorate religious politics. Hobbes, himself an atheist, felt that the Independents could be more easily be brought to heel by the King than the Presbyterians. Wallis was a Presbyterian, had even been Secretary of the Westminster Assembly.
Hobbes shared with the eduicational reformer John Webster and the Independent preacher William Dell a mistrust of the universities as temples to the scholasticism deriving from Aquinas. Wallis and his friend Seth Ward, Savilian Professor of Astronomy, were both actively involved in defending the universities from these attacks.
Of particular interest is the first of these issues. The debate between geometry and arithmetic came to the fore at this time because the distinction between the two was breaking down. Descartes (1637) and then Viete (1646) had defined analytical geometry. Napier (1620s?) had derived the logarithm from his work on the geometrical problem of the parallax. Cavalieri (1635) developed a "method of indivisibles": parallel slices of a geometric figure which, taken together, define the figure. Where this all is going, it seems to us in Whiggish hindsight, is toward notions of infinity, infinite series, and Newton's calculus.
I'll close by noting that Jesseph responds to Shapin and Schaffer, who, in their Leviathan and the Air-Pump, make "the success or failure of a scientific research program entirely independent of the truth or falsehood of the program's central claims." Jesseph calls their approach Wittgensteinian, but it was recognized when the book came out as post-modernist radicalism: science as pure social construct, without necessary basis in either the physical world or agreed canons of reason and method. The fact that Hobbes persisted so long in his claims is certainly less important than that after 1670 he was no longer taken seriously as a mathematician, except insofar as Wallis took the time and effort to refute him in the Transactions of the Royal Society.

On the surface, this book seems an unlikely candidate for my enthusiasm. It appears to be 500 pages of minutia. In fact, the author starts out by saying it is an expansion of a footnote to an early work on the relatively obscure Calvinist mathematician Wallis. How perfectly academic! If that doesn't put the book out of reach, look forward to reading about 1000 footnotes.

Regardless, I think this a great book. Once I got comfortable with the terms, I realized this might be construed as something much more interesting than the traditional 'discovery' of mathematical truths. I'm still not exactly sure how to characterize it, but I'm having fun thinking it a history of science fiction. After all, 'squaring the circle' is the 17th century equivalent to predicting the winner of the Kentucky Derby or tomorrow's change in the Dow Jones Industrials. I may be stretching a bit here, but there is clearly more on the plate than justifying 17th century mathematic revolutions with apples falling on the head of a reclining Newton.

Rather than placing the subject matter in purely mathematical terms, Jesseph considers his material in a wider context, one that makes room for Restoration style science fiction. Keep in mind that Newton's alchemy was an early form of teleportation and the monads of Leibnitz took advantage of an early warp drive. Despite overtly humiliating Hobbs for his mathematical errors, its clear that Jesseph finds Hobbs the ultimate winner. Hobbs suffers no more from his lapse of academic rigor than any contemporary science fiction author. And like Jules Verne, the spirit of his ideas has won if not his details. The political science advocated by Hobbs in Leviathan is hard to distinguish from contemporary standards. Hobbs advocated severely limiting the legal authority of church bishops, scientific materialism and the notion that good laws could produce a good society. Meanwhile, Wallis would be known as a dogmatic right-wing Christian fundamentalist. Further, most of us are convinced that science has 'solved' the problem of 'squaring the circle' which is all Hobbs was advocating, anyway.

And so, Jesseph does a subtle job of indicting my modern sensibility. Painting Hobbs to be the fool, he is actually pointing a finger at my happy secular humanism. Bravo!

So, why is squaring the circle so tricky?

In short, an attempt to find the circle which is exactly 1 square foot in area forces us to confront conflicting intuitions about how we prove the existence of 'real' objects. Try it out for yourself. It is something you can attempt with pencil and paper, or better... try it with a home computer. One of the great things about this book is that it lays out the mathematical issues clearly enough that anyone with high school algebra and maybe an ability to write an excel spreadsheet, can play the 17th century geometer and mathematician. I had a great time doing a 'quadrature' in Excel. If you are interested, I'll email you the spreadsheet (see users.htcomp.net/markmills).

In summary, I think Jessup's book fits into a broad, ongoing reappraisal of mathematical history. I can identify 3 trends, 'Squaring the circle belonging to the 3rd and most important of them:

1. Bringing non-western mathematics to western readers. The best of this is the ongoing research into ancient Chinese mathematics. See 'Chinese Mathematics: A Concise History', Li Yan, Du Shiran, John N. Crossley, Anthony W.-C. Lun, Shih-Jan Tu or 'Astronomy and Mathematics in Ancient China: The Zhou Bi Suan Jing', Christopher Cullen. In short, most of what the Europeans called 'new' math in the 1500s had been around for 500 years in China.

2. Finding a physiological basis for mathematic intuitions. Check out the cognitive research described by 'Where Mathematics Comes From: How the Embodied Mind Brings Mathematics into Being', George Lakoff, Rafael E. Nunez, Rafael Nuñez. All you really need to read is the first chapter. The rest is rather speculative.

3. Reappraising the conventional myths about heroic ancient European mathematicians. Unless your ambition is a tenured job teaching the history of math, you will have a great time reading sensible inquiries into pre-modern western math. Take a look at 'Biographies of Scientific Objects , Lorraine Daston (Editor), or Pappus of Alexandria and the Mathematics of Late Antiquity, Serafina Cuomo.

One cannot help wondering why two scholars did engage in such a fiercely dispute for half of their intellectual life. John Wallis, Oxford's Savilian professor of geometry had no trouble in exposing time and again the mathematical short-commings in the preposterous claims of so ill equiped an amateur mathematician as Thomas Hobbes. But why was the battle so intense and why should it cover nearly a quarter of a century, producing hundreds of letters, books and publications? Even more bewildering is the fact that the subject of the debate, squaring the circle, was later proved to be impossible and that neither the claims of Hobbes nor the rebuttals of Wallis contributed anything significant to the field of mathematics. Fortunately, Douglas Jesseph provides adequate answers to these questions in this excellent work on 17th century history of mathematics. A study of these important controversies sheds light on the reform of mathematics in the 17th century and exposes the widely divergent philosophical conceptions of mathematics to which both antagonists adhered.

A first fundamental issue concerned Hobbes' materialistic foundation of mathematics where Wallis reasoned from the traditional account that mathematical facts do not depend on the structure of the material world. A second source of dispute was the completely different concept of ratios: Wallis defended that those ratios could only be applied to homogoneous quantities. Thirdly, the angle of contact between a circle and its tangent was a subject of wilful misunderstanding from the part of Wallis. Finally, the important 17th-century debate on infinitesimal small quantities was heavily criticised by Hobbes and although he did not develop an alternative, his objections to some of the obscurities of Wallis' arithmetic of infinities were well justified. These disputed foundations on the philosophy of mathematics were not the only sources of the irreconcilable conflict. Wallis and Hobbes also held opposing views on methodological issues such as the nature of demonstration and the centuries-old discussion on analytic and synthetic methods. For Hobbes all demonstration must arise from causes and as such he rejected techniques from algebra and analytic geometry in which one starts by assuming the truth of the proposition that is ultimately sought and deduces consequences from that assumption. In doing so he tossed aside the tools that might have helped him in his desperate attempt to make his mark as mathematician. Apart from diverging views on the fundaments of mathematics and methodological issues, religious and political positions play part in explaining the controversy. Wallis fitted neatly into the reformed tradition while Hobbes' religious opinions stood far apart. Hobbes was excluded from the newly established Royal Society for ideological and personal reasons and as such was deprived from a forum to respond to his critics. His political opinions and his vitriolic polemics at universities brought him into conflict with many important people and explain at least some of the vehemence with which the dispute was conducted. However, Jesseph refrains from pursueing sociological reductionist account and spends part of the last chapter convincingly demonstrating the inadequacy of a purely sociological explanation of the dispute. By uncovering the conceptual gulf dividing Hobbes and Wallis, Jesseph succeeds in demonstrating important differences in the philosophy of mathematics in the 17th century and explains why these two men engaged in such ferocious fight. Objectively, Hobbes miserably failed attempt at the solution of classic geometric problems makes him the loser of this dispute. But one can feel in this book also some sympathy for the consequent way in which Hobbes rigorously applied principles of his philosophy to mathematics and ultimately rejected classical geometry to avoid an even worse fate: the refutation of his own philosophy.

This book is among the leading candidates in the race for best tree identification book ever. It has a huge advantage in that it first appeared in 1917 (as Native Trees of Canada, already a good book) and has been continually revised and updated since. This book pretty much has it all: clear distribution maps, fine line-drawings of details and pretty decent color pictures of various other details (including bark).

Of course Canada has the 'advantage' of not having many tree species, which makes it easy for an author to be complete. Just imagine Harri Lorenzi trying to cover Brazil to the same degree of detail!

It is a pity the US has no other books on this same scale, and that this degree of detail is only available for its Northern part (OK, California has some fine tree books too!).

I put Tree Finder or Winter Tree Finder in my pocket when I go for a walk, but this is the book I take out when I get home to learn more, or just for the pleasure of looking at the photos and illustrations. Very thorough--for instance, photos show examples of what the bark looks like on both young and mature trees for most species. It's really a Canadian book (published in Canada as Trees in Canada), but coverage is good for the northern tier states of U.S.

If you want to know about trees in the northern US and Canada this is the one book to buy. It's certainly not a pocket field guide, but for learning trees in all seasons, reproductive parts, bark, leaves/needles it's great. Lots of good color photos. I use this one the most of all the tree ID books I own. Even more than Barnes & Wagner, because of the pictures.

wow i really liked this book! it was sooo cute and funny! i hope one day to have made my very own book just like the ppl who made this one. that's soooo neat. i like the fact that it wasnt just pictures; it was a whole bunch of pictures made into a story. i cant wait to see what these ppl come up with next!

~TAylor

I loved this book. Mr. Lund's foxy use of words and pictures lets us into the afterhour life of the animals is our life. I am giving it for a Christmas present. Read it! You will be glad you did.

This book will be loved by young and old alike. It is full of warmth and lots of laughs. These clever photographs of animals will have us all saying .. Hmmmmmm what are they doing when we leave the house. Great work Mr. Lund !!

Radio theater is a literary genre of its own, with its particular rules. To translate efficiently into it these enormous works -both in size and complexity- is a task that is successfully accomplished by L.A. Theater Works, its cast and its writer. One is carried away by the excellent acting and effects, and the stories are presented so that one understands their development and feels the power of the situations.

It is great to listen to these important stories and catch most of their implications, while, for example,driving your car. This dramatisations bring them to life far more efficiently than a severe abridged reading of the original book that I possess also -of "The Idiot"-.

If you like audio drama and Dostoievski, this is your best choice.

The Brothers Karamozov is an epic yet personal novel that will knock the wind out of you. My favorite character is the vapid Grushenka who bedevils all of the slightly twisted Karamozov brothers and Father. A great book for its religious, historic, and lyrical values.

"Brothers Karamozov" is so good right from the first paragraph that I literally could not put it down -- I read it while cooking, during an ultrasound exam (!), even for 5 minutes in church! It's a grand, sweeping epic of a novel, which reads like the latest page-turner on the best seller list -- the characters are so vivid & real & 3D, the most amazing & appalling things keep happening to them and keep being caused by them, & yet at the same time it's a fascinating look at 19th cent. Russian life & mores, at religion, at the psychology of families....just a FANTASTIC novel, I've never read a finer one!!

Folly's father is Ploutos (wealth) who regulates all public and private affairs of mankind (war, peace, military power, justice, assemblies, marriages, treaties, laws, art and science, humour and earnestness...).
This book is full of humour, occasionally pessimistic and sometimes a cynical diatribe against mankind. His principal targets: the Roman Catholic Church, his fellow countrymen, the Dutch, and women. Erasmus was a misogynist.
This book is still not old-fashioned and didn't loose his vitriolic style. By reading it, I still learned a lot about human foolish behaviour.
I recommend the short but impressive work by Stefan Zweig on Erasmus for an appraisal of his public and private life.

You cannot beat this edition, prepared in the early darkness of WW II, for depth, humor, and readability. An outstanding look at the most courageous Renaissance man imaginable.

This is a funny and inteligent choice. Praise of Folly may make us think much more than we might -- if that is possible -- imagine.

Though pitched primarily to business leaders, anyone interested in the changing workplace will relate to this book. The authors do an excellent job of presenting their case: it's tough to find good employees who will stick around. Family, the economy, society, and technology have caused workers to re-examine their lives, and they're the ones now with the power.

So how do employers keep good employees? Learn about and listen to what employees want, and create a great place to work. The book outlines six expectations employees have: balance and synergy, work as a noble cause, personal growth and development, partnership, community at work, and trust. The major theme, though, is values: workers want a workplace they can believe in.

The authors present examples of companies across North America currently meeting (and often surpassing) their employees' expectations, to superb retention results. Quizzes at the end of each chapter help business leaders put what they've learned into action, and profiles of company leaders bring a human element in. CEOs, ignore this book at your peril: this is the future of work.

I had eagerly anticipated this book after having read John Izzo's first book, "Awakening Corporate Soul" co-authored with Eric Klein.

Many books on changing values and cultures often provide the reader with mostly theory, jargon and academic research. This book bridges the gap between theory and practice in a user friendly manner. The book is full of examples of companies and individuals making a difference in their workplace and relating this to the changing values of the workforce. It is an easy, captivating read.

This book has helped me understand the workforce in our organization better and in doing so has helped me to be a more responsive leader. However, this book needs to be shared with others in your organization. Every manager would do themselves well to have this book in their library.

ARE YOU READY FOR THE SHIFT? (Your company's retention rate could depend on it)

SIXTH ON THE GLOBE & MAIL'S BEST BUSINESS BOOK LIST IN CANADA

Partnership. Balance. Synergy. Community. These are some of the values shaping the work ethic that is transforming the workforce. An understanding of this transformation is essintial for business leaders who want to attract and keep the very best employees.

VALUES SHIFT defines how and why our work ethic is changing, and it focuses on the six major shifts people expect from work. As well, if offers practical ideas on what companies and managers can do to retain and inspire the people they need and value.

Based on leading-edge research and experiences with more than 200 companies, John Izzo and Pam Withers help people understand these shifting values and highlight companies that are responding successfully.

"This book explores the six values in depth and offers some eye-opening examples of companies that have responded in innovative ways" NATIONAL POST

"Well written and informative!" WILLIAM BRIDGES, Author of JOBSHIFT and MANAGING TRANSITION

"As books on employee retention go, this one is a treasure...packed with inspiring examples of companies that are achieving retention against the odds; it's entire concept is groundbreaking." CANADIAN BUSINESS FRANCHISE

The remarkable thing about this book is the beautiful close-up colour pictures of almost every species. Not all the pictures are flawless--anyone who's ever photographed birds knows how hard it is to get a good, detailed, well-lit close-up shot--but they are very high quality and make this both a gorgeous coffee table book and a valuable identification aid.

The coverage is not as complete as, say, Peterson's Field Guide to the Birds of Texas, which I also own. The Peterson has, for example, many more of the confusing fall warblers; the Tveten explicitly says that detailed coverage of the warblers is outside its scope. But the differences in coverage are generally of the rarer birds; anything a casual bird-watcher is likely to see will be in the Tveten; and the Peterson has few good colour plates.

This is a larger book than is really convenient out in the field, though. Plus the descriptive sections, while well-written and interesting, aren't organized in a way that makes it easy to quickly find important field marks or check the range. If you want to get just one book I'd recommend this one; get another for completeness or for use in the field.

This book has beautiful photographs of Texas birds. It describes their songs, how they eat, mate, nest, care for offspring, and all in an interesting manner. The way the author describes birds, you know he has a great love for these winged creatures. Cedar Wax-wings are "courteous", Loggerhead Shrikes have "the inclinations of a hawk", Grackles are "bullies", Carolina Chickadees are "acrobatic", Horned Larks have a "rakish, devilish air", etc.. Believe it or not, these descriptions actually help me remember what the birds look like and what they are called. Highly recommended.

This colorful book thoroughly covers the wide range of birds in Texas. The close-up photography is stunning and provides for easy identification of birds encountered in the wild. Every aspect of each bird is described in depth in lively and interesting prose. The excellent organization of this book allows the reader to find the bird they are looking for quickly and efficiently. I highly recommend "The Birds of Texas". I only wish I had bought the hardcover edition instead of the softcover.