Reference Books - Page 4

The Green Book: The Everyday Guide to Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time

Elizabeth Rogers, Thomas M. Kostigen

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Subjects -> Outdoors & Nature -> Conservation -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 51 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Ellen DeGeneres, Robert Redford, Will Ferrell, Jennifer Aniston, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Martha Stewart, Tyra Banks, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Tiki Barber, Owen Wilson, and Justin Timberlake tell you how they make a difference to the environment.

Inside The Green Book, find out how you can too:

- Don’t ask for ATM receipts. If everyone in the United States refused their receipts, it would save a roll of paper more than two billion feet long, or enough to circle the equator fifteen times!

- Turn off the tap while you brush your teeth. You’ll conserve up to five gallons of water per day. Throughout the entire United States, the daily savings could add up to more water than is consumed every day in all of New York City.

- Get a voice-mail service for your home phone. If all answering machines in U.S. homes were replaced by voice-mail services, the annual energy savings would total nearly two billion kilowatt hours. The resulting reduction in air pollution would be equivalent to removing 250,000 cars from the road for a year!

With wit and authority, authors Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas Kostigen provide hundreds of solutions for all areas of your life, pinpointing the smallest changes that have the biggest impact on the health of our precious planet.

Desert Solitaire

Edward Abbey

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 123 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Must reading 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

An early environmentalist even before the term came into use. Ranks up there with Sand County Almanac and Silent Spring. A must read for those who care about the environment. Abbey predicted some of the water problems that now face the southwest.

Editorial Review:

When Desert Solitaire was first published in 1968, it became the focus of a nationwide cult. Rude and sensitive. Thought-provoking and mystical. Angry and loving. Both Abbey and this book are all of these and more. Here, the legendary author of The Monkey Wrench Gang, Abbey's Road and many other critically acclaimed books vividly captures the essence of his life during three seasons as a park ranger in southeastern Utah. This is a rare view of a quest to experience nature in its purest form -- the silence, the struggle, the overwhelming beauty. But this is also the gripping, anguished cry of a man of character who challenges the growing exploitation of the wilderness by oil and mining interests, as well as by the tourist industry.

Abbey's observations and challenges remain as relevant now as the day he wrote them. Today, Desert Solitaire asks if any of our incalculable natural treasures can be saved before the bulldozers strike again.

Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World

Mark Kurlansky

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Total reviews: 115 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

A delightful romp through history with all its economic forces laid bare, Cod is the biography of a single species of fish, but it may as well be a world history with this humble fish as its recurring main character. Cod, it turns out, is the reason Europeans set sail across the Atlantic, and it is the only reason they could. What did the Vikings eat in icy Greenland and on the five expeditions to America recorded in the Icelandic sagas? Cod--frozen and dried in the frosty air, then broken into pieces and eaten like hardtack. What was the staple of the medieval diet? Cod again, sold salted by the Basques, an enigmatic people with a mysterious, unlimited supply of cod. As we make our way through the centuries of cod history, we also find a delicious legacy of recipes, and the tragic story of environmental failure, of depleted fishing stocks where once their numbers were te fate of the universe. Here--for scientist and layperson alike, for philosopher, science-fiction reader, biologist, and computer expert--is a startlingly complete and rational synthesis of disciplines, and a new, optimistic message about existence.

Mushrooms Demystified: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fleshy Fungi

David Arora

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 49 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Mushrooms demystified? 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

If I were a beginner, I would have been totally confused by this book. The problem comes from the dichotomous keys. They can be confusing and lead you in the totally wrong direction. The author says up-front, that there are several reasons you can be lead astray by the keys, mainly user error. Well, the keys are only as good as they are written. After having said the keys are confusing, the rest of the information provided in the book is quite good and very detailed. I wish there were more color photos to go along with the descriptions. Yes, there are over 800 photos, but most of them are black and white. It is difficult to compare detail of an actual mushroom in the hand with a black and white photo. Overall, I would say this is a good book to have in your collection, but I would not depend on this book for identification.

good condition, good shipping time 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Everything went smoothly with this transaction. I bought it used; it seems brand new except for some rather deliberate-looking permanent marker dashes on the unbound sides of the book (on the page tips, whatever that's called). Shipping time was on the fast side of the range of days.

Editorial Review:

Simply the best and most complete mushroom field guide and reference book, with over 950 photographs.

A Supremely Bad Idea: Three Mad Birders and Their Quest to See It All

Luke Dempsey

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Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

It was an epiphany: The moment two friends showed Luke Dempsey a small bird flitting around the bushes of his country garden, he fell madly in love. But did he really want to be a birder? Didn’t that mean he’d be forced to eat granola? And wear a man-pouch? Before he knew it, though, he was lost to birding mania. Early mornings in Central Park gave way to weekend mornings wandering around Pennsylvania, which morphed into weeklong trips to Texas, Arizona, Michigan, Florida—anywhere the birds were.A Supremely Bad Idea is one man’s account of an epic journey around America, all in search of the rarest and most beautiful birds the country has to offer. But the birds are only part of it. There are also his crazy companions, Don and Donna Graffiti, who obsess over Dempsey’s culinary limitations and watch in horror as an innocent comment in a store in Arizona almost turns into an international incident; as a trip through wild Florida turns into a series of (sometimes poetic) fisticuffs; and as he teeters at the summit of the Rocky Mountains, a displaced Brit falling in love all over again, this time with his adopted country.Both a paean to avian beauty and a memoir of the back roads of America, A Supremely Bad Idea is a supremely fun comic romp: an environmentally sound This Is Spinal Tap with binoculars.

All Things Bright and Beautiful

James Herriot

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Yet another instant classic 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Is there anyone who read ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL and who didn't rush right out and buy this one next? I didn't think so. I gave the first one a rave review, and rightfully so, but somehow I don't recall enjoying it as much as I did this one. He's an amazing talent on so many levels. Read the real reviews by the real reviewers. They're all true. This man lived in the moment, and he enjoyed all in life that is enjoyable.

Editorial Review:

James Herriot has now become firmly established and accepted as one of Darrowby's veterinarians. He's also married, and lives with his wife Helen on the top floor of Skeldale House. His former boss, now partner, Siegfried, lives downstairs with Siegfried's brother Tristan.James continues the rich and rewarding day-to-day life of a small-town veterinarian, and we journey with him across the dales, meeting a whole new cast of unforgettable characters -- humans, dogs, horses, lambs, parakeets -- all of them drawn with the same infinite fascination, affection and insight that made James Herriot one of the most beloved authors of our time. All all the stories are warmly, evocatively told by the world-renowned "voice" of Dr. Herriot -- Christopher Timothy.

National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds--E: Eastern Region - Revised Edition

NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 53 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

absolutely exquisite 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

The photographs in this book are incredibly gorgeous. There are over 600 photographs, all of them crisp, clear and close up. The book includes information about territories, nesting habits and even describes the sounds the birds make in detail. This is a wonderful book not only to be enjoyed by bird watcher but also to be used by couch potatoes like me who don't get out much. But you might be inspired to get out and look for birds after a mere glance through this beautiful field guide. Well worth having.

Editorial Review:

Introduced in 1977 and completely revised in 1994, these bestselling photographic field guides have become the birding bibles of more than four million enthusiasts. Virtually every bird found in North America is brought to life in a full-color photograph and with textual information on the bird's voice, nesting habits, habitat, range, and interesting behaviors. Accompanying range maps; overhead flight silhouettes; sections on bird-watching, accidental species, and endangered birds make these the most comprehensive field guides to birds available.

Note: the Eastern Edition generally covers states east of the Rocky Mountains, while the Western Edition covers the Rocky Mountain range and all the states to the west of it.

A Sand County Almanac (Outdoor Essays & Reflections)

Aldo Leopold

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Total reviews: 75 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Aldo Leopold's A Sand County Almanac has enthralled generations of nature lovers and conservationists and is indeed revered by everyone seriously interested in protecting the natural world. Hailed for prose that is "full of beauty and vigor and bite" (The New York Times), it is perhaps the finest example of nature writing since Thoreau's Walden.
Now this classic work is available in a completely redesigned and lavishly illustrated gift edition, featuring over one hundred beautiful full-color pictures by Michael Sewell, one of the country's leading nature photographers. Sewell, whose work has graced the pages of Audubon and Sierra magazines, walked Leopold's property in Wisconsin and shot these photographs specifically for this edition, allowing readers to see Sand County as Leopold saw it. The resulting layout is spectacular. But the heart of the book remains Leopold's carefully rendered observations of nature. Here we follow Leopold throughout the year, from January to December, as he walks about the rural Wisconsin landscape, watching a woodcock dance skyward in golden afternoon light, or spying a rough-legged hawk dropping like a feathered bomb on its prey. And perhaps most important are Leopold's trenchant comments throughout the book on our abuse of the land and on what we must do to preserve this invaluable treasure. This edition also includes two of Leopold's most eloquent essays on conservation, "The Land Ethic" and "Marshland Elegy."
With this gift edition of A Sand County Almanac, a new generation of readers can walk beside one of America's most respected naturalists as he conveys the beauty of a marsh before sunrise or the wealth of history to be found in an ancient oak.

The Backyard Beekeeper: An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Keeping Bees in Your Yard and Garden

Kim Flottum

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Comprehensive in a traditional way 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This was hard for me to put down, and appeared to cover all the things a beginning bee keeper should know and included recipes for using honey. It was well written and interesting. However, after reading it, I did decide not to try to keep bees in the city, as I don't want to create problems for my neighbors. I will wait til we have our homestead in the country.

The bee diseases were addressed in what appeared to me to be a conventional, western medical model. I am interested in learning if there are effective alternative 'holistic' approaches to managing bees, so have also purchased a book on natural bee keeping. I have heard that some natural bee keepers address some diseases by using paper towels soaked in coconut oil. I would like to learn how to produce our own honey without exposing my bees and family to chemicals.

Vicki

Editorial Review:

This book isn't just a guide to beekeeping or a honey cookbook; it's both. No other book on the market provides an in-depth review of beekeeping and what honey is good for and how to use it.

Beautifully illustrated, the Backyard Beekeeper is perfect for the health-conscious person who wants to sweeten up their life by saying no to processed sugars and yes to eating organic, healthy food.

This book is the complete "honey bee" resource with general information on bees; a how-to guide to the art of bee keeping and how to set up, care for, and harvest your own hives; as well as tons of fun facts and projects that are bee related. The second half of the book is the complete guide to honey. It reviews the different types of honey and their health effects as well as provides hundreds of ideas and recipes for using honey in recipes, cosmetically in facemasks and shampoos, and for medicinal uses.

Remarkable Trees of Virginia

Nancy Ross Hugo

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Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

This stunning collaboration between the noted garden writer Nancy Ross Hugo and the photographer Robert Llewellyn showcases the fruits of an effort begun in 2004 to research, locate, and photograph Virginia's most remarkable trees. Four years later, more than one thousand trees had been officially nominated to the project and many others suggested for possible inclusion. The results, presented in this elegant, four-color volume, are astounding. Hugo and Kirwan, the project coordinators, have selected a sample of trees and "tree places" that illustrate the enormous variety, startling beauty, and fascinating history of Virginia's trees. Here you will see, through Llewellyn's incomparable lens, not only some of Virginia's largest trees, including a newly discovered national champion overcup oak in Isle of Wight County, but also some of the state's oldest, including baldcypress trees over 800 years old in Southampton County and red cedars over 450 years old in Giles. You will find unique trees like a willow oak in which a tricycle is embedded, fine specimens like the massive American beech in front of Sleepy Hollow Methodist Church in Falls Church, and outrageously shaped trees, like the water tupelos in the Cypress Bridge area of Southampton County. You will find trees associated with famous people and events as well as trees associated with ordinary people in extraordinary ways. Perhaps best of all, you will learn about communities that have gone to great lengths to protect their trees and about places where the public can visit some of the best trees and "treescapes" in the state.

Remarkable Trees of Virginia is a celebration of trees, but it doesn't dodge hard issues. In a section on urban forests, the authors describe the major problems facing trees in urban areas and point out strategies urban foresters are using to solve them. They describe the ecological services trees provide and issue a call for action both to protect trees in their existing habitats and to find more places where trees can "grow large and long."

Hugo, Kirwan, and Llewellyn present a treasury of Virginia's trees that is, indeed, remarkable.