New Houses: 36 of the World's Most Spectacular Home Designs

Book Description

This lavishly illustrated volume displays the 40 most spectacular houses built in recent years. Located all over the world, they are set apart by their imaginative and innovative design, as well as their use of the latest technologies in construction, newly developed sophisticated materials, and furnishings from leading designers.

Organized by geographic location -- city, suburbs, country, mountains, or by the sea -- they present the best of original and innovative designs from the world's most acclaimed cutting-edge architects.

Customer Reviews:

New Houses:36 of the World's Most Spectacular Home Designs .......2007-03-09

This book should not be bought.... I buy and study lots of books like this one and this books offers nothing and is poorly done.

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New Houses: 36 of the World's Most Spectacular Home Designs
Llorenc Bonet
Manufacturer: Collins Design
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OES8WY

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One of my best books

ENJOYED THE REDONE PAINTINGS

somewhat helpbut, but also annoying

The Watercolor Painter's Solution Book
Angela Gair
Manufacturer: North Light Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Watercolor Painting | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0891343970

Customer Reviews:

One of my best books.......2007-09-11

I use all my art books when I paint and this is one of the best. Yes, I am a professional artist, in that I get paid for my art. I think that people who think they can learn to paint from just one book will never be satisfied. It takes a lifetime to perfect any art and watercolor is one of the hardest. This book, along with books by Tony Couch can be the beginning of a serious collection of helpful reference books that you will get out every time you tackle a new painting. A good buy!

ENJOYED THE REDONE PAINTINGS.......2005-07-04

I AM A PROFESSIONAL ARTIST AND FOUND THE REDONE PAINTINGS VERY HEL[FUL FOR MY STUDENTS AND I CAN USE ALL THE ILLUSTRATIONS FOR MYSELF ALSO.

somewhat helpbut, but also annoying.......2003-06-15

Although the book provides some useful information about color, composition, and difficult subjects, the author's premise throughout the book--that if you follow her advice, you will make beautiful paintings--is misleading. The book shows "problem" paintings followed by "solution" paintings. Unfortunately, many of the "problem" painting are purposely painted to look they were done by a 12 year old, while the "solution" paintings are painted by talented artists. Simply following the author's advice will not change the problem paintings into works of art. It would have been helpful if the author HAD demonstrated just what it is that separates amatuerish paintings from good ones. Her book doesn't do that.

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THE WATERCOLOR PAINTER'S SOLUTION BOOK.
Angela. Gair
Manufacturer: North Light Books,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000RIY2FO

Customer Reviews:

Simply breathtaking..........2007-06-08

not much else needs to be said. This is my first Ansel Adams calendar, and I am very pleased with it.

One of my favorite calendars of all time.......2007-03-26

Getting this calendar as a gift was a blessing to me. Now, I know an artist that I simply adore - and have some of his art even though it is in calendar form.
This is an artist that I feel I can make connections with. Every picture brings a memory - even if I haven't lived in one of the pictures - the pictures bring happiness to me and that's what matters most.

Its hard to feel connected with things these days. With the fast pace of everything in this high tech world its nice to receive something and feel connected to it.

The pictures are warm and loving and fit well in every room.

Beautiful Calendar.......2007-03-08

The stark beauty of Ansel Adams' works never cease to amaze. The calendar itself is large, on heavy stock and features a spare design.

Incredible photographs.......2007-03-08

We have had the annual versions of this calendar for several years. The photographs are truly amazing and I love how the seasons pictured in the photos vary with the actual season. He was an amazing artist. Highly recommended.

a CALENDAR review?!.......2007-02-20

It's got 12 pages and about 30 or so nice, large squares per month (neat how that works) printed on nice, thick 'n shiny stock paper that's great for writing short 'note to self' stuff on and it has a small hole thru each page so you can hang it on the wall, brilliant! ...all kiddin' aside, Ansel Adams calendars are great because of his exceptionally detailed black and white photos. I'm not a big camera or photo buff, but I can spend several minutes gazing at the expansive shots he took with their razor sharp detail, all the more amazing considering it was done many decades ago, when you'd have to believe technology was much cruder. It's like a different work of art for your wall each month. I give it the highest recommendation possible, that you can bestow upon a calender.

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A little more of the Preacher side of Ennis.

Punisher As A Road-Runner Cartoon

Wolverine gets what he deserves

Best of both worlds...

Punisher and Wolverine plus much more!

The Punisher Vol. 3: Business as Usual
Garth Ennis , Steve Dillon , Darick Robertson , and Nelson
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
Marvel | Publishers | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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The Punisher Vol. 2: Army of One

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ASIN: 0785110143

Customer Reviews:

A little more of the Preacher side of Ennis........2005-11-30

Bisiness as Usual is the third volume in the Marvel Knights Punisher series. Nice work but not as good as the last 2 volumes of this series. Garth Ennis unleashes a little more of the Preacher side of him, especially in the story arc in which Frank Castle aka Punisher, teams-up with Wolverine, the plot is a bit more bizzare. But I think that Ennis just might be trying a little too hard on being bizzare, I think he should just let it flow, writing bizzare and amazing stories is in his blood.

This TPB consists of 4 story arcs, the first is about the Punisher taking on a mission to rescue a mob boss. Why? Even since this boss was kidnapped, the mob have been turning on itself, and the innocents that may be killed when the mobsters have their war is what made Frank take this mission. Then an insane journalist looking for "the exclusive" handcuffs himself to the Punisher to get a story on him. Next, the team-up of the Punisher and Wolverine fighting an army of midgets trying to take over the New York underworld. This story arc is a bit more bizzare than the previous Punisher stories written by Ennis. That bizzarness that you find in Ennis's works is usually what I like about him, but in Punisher, his bizzarness just doesn't work as well as it did for Preacher to me. Dark humor, violence, and a little bit of his trademark bizzarness is the best for Punisher, along with an interesting cast of supporting characters. The best book to find all these qualities is Welcome Back, Frank also written by Ennis, and pencilled by Steve Dillon. Anyways, the last story brings Frank to Garth Ennis's home in Belfast, Ireland, where Frank comes face to face with the terrorism and useless violence in Ireland.

The art for the most part is pretty good, although I'd like Steve Dillon to pencil all of the stories instead of just a couple. I think Dillon's style is the best for Punisher, there's just no one that can draw Punisher as well as he does.

So, the book is worth your money if you're a dedicated Ennis or Punisher fan, but if you're not, or if you are looking for work like the stuff from Welcome Back, Frank, you might not enjoy this too much.

Punisher As A Road-Runner Cartoon.......2005-08-15

Garth Ennis, the genius responsible for "Parents-Need-Guidance" books like "Preacher", "Hellblazer" and "Just A Pilgrim" is back and this time he's working on the book that he was born to write - Marvel Comics' "Punisher". He's responsible for bringing the character back to greatness with his "Welcome Back, Frank" arc and immediately Marvel put him on the regular series. The first story from the regular series is collected in the "Army of One" paperback and this book, "Business As Usual" is the second collection from that same run.

This story collects three stories:
[1] Punisher rescues Don Casino, a godfather, from South America so that he can call a meeting in New York with the other dons. That way, he can wipe them all out in the same place.
[2] An overzealous reporter handcuffs himself to the Punisher to get the "scoop" on him. Needless to say, the results ain't pretty!
[3] Punisher fights Wolverine and an army of "Mini-Mes"

Garth's "Punisher" is constantly frowned upon by the literati of the comics world for its ultra-violence. In my opinion, anybody who thinks that this book is too violent should get his/her brains examined! The violence in this book is akin to that of "Tom & Jerry" cartoons or "Road Runner". It's meant to be over-the-top and funny. My problem with Ennis' "Punisher" is not the violence. After all, you're reading a book called "Punisher" - not "Betty and Veronica"! My problem is that Ennis seemed to be a little too flippant in his writing at times. While the pacing, the attitude, the humour, the freakish characters, etc. are all top-notch, something is still missing from the title (especially for us old fogies who grew up with the Steven Grant version of the character). I think the angst is no longer there. And after a while, the mindless violence and toilet-humour can get a little tired. Fortunately, Ennis realized this also and gave us "BORN", which led to his far-superior "Punisher" run on Marvel MAX presently.

Wolverine gets what he deserves.......2004-11-14

The issues collected here are much better than the ones found in the previous volume, Army of One, as we see former Preacher and Hellblazer scribe Garth Ennis get a little bit more comfortable as he throws us some of the bizarre and insanely dark humor that he is known for. There's much to admire, from a reporter handcuffing himself to Frank to get a story, to Frank taking a trip to Ireland; but the real highlight is the two issue arc in which the overly too popular X-Men member Wolverine gets his claw popping arse handed to him. Darick Robertson (who struck gold with Ennis on the Fury and Born mini-series) supplies the pencils on those two issues, and his art is just plain awesome. The only problem with Business as Usual is the constraints of the PG+ rating don't allow Ennis to get into the over the top bloodbath that he writes so meticulously, but other than that, this is one of the best Marvel Knights Punisher volumes available.

Best of both worlds..........2004-08-24

This is the first book where you can tell Garth Ennis is feeling like his old self again and is confident enough to introduce the bizarre writing style that made him famous with Hellblazer and Preacher to the world of The Punisher. The storytelling is leaps and bounds above what was found in "Welcome Back, Frank" and "Army of One." From the offbeat tale of the reporter determined to get his story to the shockingly violent and absolutely hysterical crossover with Wolverine; this book fuses the two sides of Garth Ennis and has enough to please fans of his earlier work with fans of The Punisher. It really is the best of both worlds, but Garth is just gettin' started!

Punisher and Wolverine plus much more!.......2004-06-23

Covering Marvel Knights Punisher issues #13-18, Punisher: Business as Usual is one of the strongest offerings from the series of Punisher novels. Ennis is at the height of his scripting power on this series.

#13 and #14 chronicles Punisher on an unlikely mission of mercy to rescue a hostage in South America. For those of you that are rolling your eyes and groaning, this isn't a return to Punisher's War Journal days. This is a crazy Ennis thrill ride filled with twists, turns, and improbabilities.

#15 is the tale of a reporter willing to do whatever it takes to get the story, even if that's making a deal with the devil, or handcuffing himself to the Punisher to see what Frank does on a typical night. With Detective Soap's life in the balance, the Punisher must decide what is good and what is evil...

#16 and #17 are what this series if all about. The Mob, Wolverine, midgets, and a series of unfortunate events. I don't want to give too much away, but please, read these two issues at least a couple of times. The second time, pay attention to the facial expressions. Robertson does a brilliant job that has to be seen to be believed!

In #18 Ennis spotlights his home territory of Ireland, sending the Punisher across the pond. Here we see what `pointless' violence really is.

The bottom line is if you are a fan of Punisher, Wolverine, Ennis, or Robertson, then please take the time and money to get this book. You won't be sorry!

Book Description

Once described as the primary mover behind the Mexican Revolution, Ricardo Flores Magón was a liberal journalist working in Mexico in 1900. By 1910 and the Revolution, he was a radical anarchist in exile in the United States. Always a Rebel studies Magón's transformation during those crucial ten years, placing his changing ideas in the context of the liberal movement in Mexico, government suppression, the development of the Partido Liberal Mexicano in the United States, and thwarted attempts at revolution in 1906 and 1908.

Customer Reviews:

JOURNALIST & REVOLUTION.......2007-03-08

From the DJ: Often described as the primary mover behind the Mexican Revolution, Ricardo Flores Magon was a liberal journalist working in Mexico in 1900. By 1910 and the Revolution, he was a radical anarchist in exile in the U.S. This book studies Magon's transformation during those crucial ten years, placing his changing ideas in the context of the liberal movement in Mexico, government suppression, the development of the "Partido Liberal Mexicano" in the US, and thwarted attempts at revolution in 1906 and 1908. The first work to concentrate on Magon himself, this book makes clear the journalist's significance in Mexican history and explains modern Mexico's growing appreciation for him.

Ward Albro rules!.......1998-11-03

This study of Ricardo Magon is a fabulous addition to any library's collection on the Revolution. It is thoughtful, well-researched and entertaining.

Book Description

In her autobiography, Sophie Koulomzin, long honored as a pioneer in Orthodox religious education in America, tells of the many worlds in which she has lived and worked: childhood on family estates in Old Russia; the hardships of revolutionary Moscow; life in the Russian emigration in Western Europe and as a foreign student in America; the challenge of combining marriage and a family with service in the Church; making a new life in America after World War II; returning to Russia, this time as a tourist. She shares with us the experiences - and the wisdom - of a lifetime. In doing so, she gives us in microcosm the history of a fascinating generation.

Customer Reviews:

Remarkable.......2000-06-03

This intimate and and compelling journey through the life of a remarkable woman during and through several remarkable periods of time during the 20th century is a pleasure to read. The strength of character that is displayed in the author, as she guides herself and her family through the Russian Revolution, escape to Europe, World War II, and emigration to the United States, while maintaining stability in her family, preserving the Russian language and culture with her children and grandchildren, is inspiration to all.

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Many Worlds : A Russian Life
Sophie Koulomzin
Manufacturer: Saint Vladimir's Seminary Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000J4J9TK

Book Description

Of the many dramatic episodes of the American Revolution, perhaps none is more steeped in legend than the Valley Forge winter. Paintings show Continentals huddled around campfires and Washington kneeling in the frozen woods, praying for his army's deliverance. To this day schoolchildren are taught that Valley Forge was the "turning point of the Revolution"--the event that transformed a ragged group of soldiers into a fighting army. But was Valley Forge really the "crucible of victory" it has come to represent in American history? Now, two hundred and twenty-five years later, Wayne Bodle has written the first comprehensive history of the winter encampment of 1777-78.

The traditional account portrays Valley Forge in the 1770s as a desolate wilderness far removed from civilian society. Washington's army was forced to endure one of the coldest winters in memory with inadequate food and supplies, despite appeals to the Continental Congress. When the mild weather of spring finally arrived, the Prussian baron Friedrich von Steuben drilled the demoralized soldiers into a first-rate army that would go on to stunning victories at Monmouth and, eventually, at Yorktown.

Bodle presents a very different picture of Valley Forge--one that revises both popular and scholarly perceptions. Far from being set in a wilderness, the Continental Army's quarters were deliberately located in a settled area. And although there was a provisions crisis, Washington overstated the case in order to secure additional support. (A shrewd man, Washington mostly succeeded at keeping his army supplied with food, clothing, and munitions. Farmers from the interior provided food that ensured that the army didn't starve.) As for Steuben's role in training the soldiers, Bodle argues that it was not the decisive factor others have seen in the army's later victories.

The freshness of Bodle's approach is that he offers a complete picture of events both inside and outside the camp boundaries. We see what happens when two armies descend on a diverse and divided community. Anything but stoically passive, the Continentals were effective agents on their own behalf and were actively engaged with their civilian hosts and British foes. The Valley Forge Winter is an example of the "new military history" at its best--a history that puts war back into its social context.

Customer Reviews:

What happened next?.......2006-12-07

For just a short while there, history writing had taken too much upon itself. Some writers thought they were supposed to answer very large questions about human capacities, conditions, means, and methods. Most of us have shared the experience of re-reading introductory materials in certain theoretically acclaimed MEISTERWERKE, only to privately confess to a dirty little secret: we each suspect ourselves of being too ignorant to peer at the critical theory lavishly draped on the parading emperor. Some writers overreact in the opposite direction, knitting entire monographs out of gossamer arguments over axiomatic minutia. "Out of fashion" for a time, were those history books that might be kept on a shelf and retrieved again to support future research into such questions as "and what happened next?"

Wayne Bodle's _Valley Forge Winter: Civilians and Soldiers in War_ does not masquerade as a philosophy text. The overarching question falls logically from the book's title. "What happens when two armies descend on a diverse population in a divided community with complex and ambiguous historical experiences with war and peace?" Scholars of the American Revolution--professional and amateur alike--will want to own a copy and to keep it handy. But other people, especially those who write other kinds of history books, should take note as well. Bodle has chosen to write about one of the most sacred places and experiences in the American national imagination. Missing from his narration are the god like and therefore incredible caricatures of general officers and struggling statesmen. Instead we are treated to real people, on all sides of the various issues--all with believable motivations and understandable human frailties. What is heroic about these people is not their perfection, but their humanity. All books might be improved; this one could have provided clearer maps to offset the space savings afforded by the myth-endectomy.

Like another reviewer below, I had the good fortune of studying under Professor Bodle several years ago. I took four graduate courses and wish there had been more. So my responsibilities for full disclosure have been hereby discharged. But I have since used this book in teaching American History survey courses with excellent results. Interesting enough to keep grad students turning pages, VFW is a great introduction to scholarly writing for undergraduates as well.

What is History without Bias?.......2003-05-20

To tell you the truth, yes this book is tedious. If you are interested in History, especially on the American Revolution I think that Dr. Bodle discusses a very well presented arguement between the "Real Struggle" in the Revolution between Morristown and Valley Forge. The Author has a specialized knowledge about the Campaign in Pennsylvania. I have had him for 2 classes being Colonial America and American Revolution. He shows his in depth knowledge of the ideology of social, economical and political aspects of the struggle known as the American Revolution in this book. In short...If you want to learn a wider vision of the Revolution...you would like the ideas from this book. If you can not take the pressure then watch the history channel!

Try to stay awake as you read........2002-12-24

I was looking forward to reading this book before I opened the cover. Then I kept falling asleep as I tried to read the book. Does the author who is Assistant Professor of History at Indiana University of Pennsylvania serve coffee to his class to keep his students awake. True it is a fresh approach to the events of the winter camp at Valley Forge. But one I find hard to believe, due the the past scholarly writing and facts about the winter camp at Valley Forge. The author believes that the suffering of the American army was not as bad as we have be led to believe and that Washington overstated it to congress...

Valley Forge Winter Civilians and Soldiers in War.

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Valley Forge Winter Civilians and Soldiers in War.
Wayne. BODLE
Manufacturer: BODLE, Wayne. The Valley Forge Winter Civilians and Soldiers in War.University Park: Penna. State University Press, (2002).Map. xiii, 335pp. Fine in d/j.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000S8ZJ14

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The Valley Forge Winter: Civilians and Soldiers in War
Wayne Bodle
Manufacturer: Pennsylvania State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ORDSBW

Book Description

Sidney Pollard was a pioneering Labor historian who influenced the great luminaries in the field, E.P. Thompson and E.J. Hobsbawm. Almost single-handedly he pioneered the study of economic management in history and the understanding of economic processes by which regions are formed. His last work involved seminal research on the regional effect of the Industrial Revolution. As a Labour historian his contribution to the study of the marginalized in society was original and vital. His history was intimately connected with his personal life--from escape to Britain from Nazi-occupied Vienna on the Jewish kindertransporte to work in Britain and the USA, Israel and apartheid South Africa. Sidney Pollard's life and work is important for historians of Labour and a major contribution to historiography.Tauris Academic Studies

Sidney Pollard : A Life in History (International

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Sidney Pollard : A Life in History (International
David Renton
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan 01/31/2004
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N5SQMG

Amazon.com

Biruté Galdikas is one of Louis Leakey's "three angels": Jane Goodall dedicated her life to the study of chimpanzees; Dian Fossey, gorillas; and Galdikas, the orangutans of Borneo's rainforest. Dark Place's author, Linda Spalding, says that Goodall is usually described as the "good fairy" of the three, respected and adored by all. Fossey, she says, died a martyr and was even compared to Jesus Christ at her eulogy, despite being considered "mad, paranoid, alcoholic, delusional, enormously daring, and vastly insecure." The difficult path Galdikas followed in the shadow of these two has attracted similar scrutiny--and, more recently, controversy.

A Dark Place in the Jungle tells the story of Spalding's "follow" of Galdikas, her attempt to study the scientist as Leakey's angels studied the great apes, observing her at a distance and noting her behavior. She trails Galdikas in the States and travels to Borneo three times in pursuit of the naturalist in her element. Spalding's assessment of her is far from favorable or flattering: Galdikas is portrayed alternately as conflicted, abrupt, arrogant, deceitful, distant, and, ultimately, as having failed drastically in her mission to "save" the orangutan from the press of human greed and indifference in Borneo.

In this way, Dark Place is a troublesome read. As a travelogue, the book is magnificent. Spalding is an observant, perceptive writer; her descriptions are lush, even lyrical, and often insightful, especially the meditations on motherhood and her reunion with her two young daughters, who travel to Borneo with her. Passing judgment on Galdikas's alleged guilt and Spalding's interactions with her is difficult, but Galdikas must certainly address the issues Spalding has raised. --Paul Hughes

Book Description

In A Dark Place in the Jungle, writer Linda Spalding travels to Borneo's threatened jungles on the trail of orangutan researcher Birute galdikas. What she finds is an unholy mix of foreign scientists, government workers, tourists, loggers, descendants of Dayak headhunters, Javanese gold miners, and half-tame orangutans.

Galdikas, along with Dian Fossey and Jane Goodall. Formed the famed trio of "angels" Louis Leakey encouraged to study great apes in the wild In 1971, she went into the jungle to study orangutans and decades later emerged with a rundown empire crumbling around her. Along the way, as poachers and timber barons slaughtered orangutans by the hundreds, Galdikas evolved into Ibu, the great mother of orphan orangutans, blurring the line between ape and human, tourist and scientist, Eden and everything else. To the orangutans, this was perhaps the cruelest blow of all.

Spalding's quest takes her from the offices of Galdika's foundation in Los Angeles to the crocodile-infested Sekonyer River in Borneo, where she confronts the sad, corrupting failure of a woman trying desperately to mother a species to survival; the dangers and temptations of ecotourism; and the arrogance of the human inclination to alter the things we set out to save.

Here is a book that shows us no paradise is safe from the machinations of man, and no one immune to temptation.

Customer Reviews:

A Serious Alternative to Sodium Pentathol.......2007-01-24

I agree with many of the negative comments in other reviews (poorly researched / author has no expertise or background in the area, etc.) I don't, however, fault her for writing negatively about Birute Galdikas; I don't much like what Galdikas has become, either. My main and simplest complaint about this book is that it is mind-bogglingly, blindingly BORING. That's difficult to achieve in a work that has orangutans in it, but, by God, the author achieved it!

Good Points Made Poorly.......2003-12-14

This book deserves credit for pointing out the mistakes made by Galdikas in Tanjung Puting National Park.
These include swarming a natural habitat with tamed apes that can never become wild again but pass on human diseases to the wild population and outcompete them for food in the area.
It also reveals how OFI "volunter-programs" and "study tours" were little more than overpriced package tours for naive animal lovers, simply aimed at making cash.
In that respect, it is a real eye-opener which is also very accessible to the general reader.
In fact the publication of this book has already caused OFI/Galdikas to address some of the issues publicized in it!
Thus the author has probably achieved more than the she had hoped for.

On the downside I found it somewhat poorly-researched.
It is obvious that Spalding knows very little about the culture, fauna, and conservation issues of Indonesia.
She seems also rather naive - all information obtained from Indonesians on her short trips to Borneo is taken at face-value.
The book is also quite unbalanced - Galdikas is put in an all negative light, ignoring the postive aspects of her long work in the area.
Finally, I also found the book too personal - Spalding speaks way too much about herself, which has bored me though may interest others...

For those with a serious interest in the issues raised in this book I recommend reading Our Vanishing Relative: The Status of Wild Orangutans at the Close of the Twentieth Century by H. D. Rijksen & E. Meijaard which is a professional summary of everything that has to do with the conservation of these great apes.

disappointing.......2001-07-20

I had high hopes for this book. When reading about Dian Fossey, the most controversial of Leakey's protegees, I found that the books "The Dark Romance of Dian Fossey" by Hayes and "Woman of the Mists" by Mowat were indispensible companions to Fossey's own "Gorillas of the Mist". These two books provided a balanced perspective of Fossey, by potraying her violence towards poachers and willingness to break laws, but stressing her intentions- to save the few hundred mountain gorillas that were left. "A Dark Place in the Jungle", unfortunately, falls short of offering any perspective on Birute Galdikas. In fact, Galdikas is put on the back burner to make room for the author's insights on conservation and motherhood. Not that Spalding's insights are bad, actually I think this book would have worked had she focused on "women's journeys" or something similar, and left Galdikas out of it, because a much of the book is an account of her own self-discovery in Indonesia, her relationship with her daughters, and what she learned from Riska, her Indonesian tour guide. But her haphazard attempts to "research" Galdikas are unforgivable. She has a few conversations with Galdikas's aquantiances, and her arguments against Galdikas can be summed up in three statements: Galdikas is lacking a research permit, Galdikas has orangutans in her home, and Galdikas was rude to her. I don't doubt the first two statements (Indonesia has a very different concept of rudeness, however, for example it is not rude to keep someone waiting for hours) but Spalding provides us only with evidence against Galdikas. There are no interviews with Galdikas' friends or relatives, and Spalding barely speaks to Galdikas herself (although she does try) and the whole case against Galdikas is very one-sided. What caused Galdikas to change from researcher to surrogate mother of baby orangutans? What motivates her to break the law? Spalding doesn't try to answer.

This book tries to be too much and fails on both counts. If Spalding wanted to write a personal story or a bunch of travel essays, she would have done a fine job had she left Galdikas out of it. If she wanted to write about Galdikas, then she should have stopped talking about herself, and dug deeper into her research. She's barely scratched the surface.

For those interested in Galdikas, I recommend you skip this book, read "Reflections of Eden" for her side of the story and the chapter on Borneo in Karesh's "Appointment at the Ends of the Earth" for a view from one of her critics. (Karesh, a wildlife vet, spells out what's wrong with Galdikas and her orgination more thoroughly in one chapter than Spalding does in 300 pages.) For a balanced account, the best you can do for now is "Walking With the Great Apes" by Sy Montgomery, which about Galdikas, as well as Fossey and Jane Goodall. A book devoted entirely to Galdikas which addresses critics' accusations and provides insight into her life and work has yet to be written.

Mean-spirited and poorly researched.......2000-08-19

Trust me, I love a good "Tell All" book. I've just finished reading some juicy little numbers about Truman Copote and Nancy Reagan...MEOW!

But "Dark Place" is neither compelling nor believable. It describes the researcher Birute Galdikas, who has spent years following orangutans in the jungle and is now considered the foremost researcher on these delightful hairy beasts. I was hoping for some really salacious details, but this book was more or less a yawn. I hear that Birute is now in the process of suing the author and has dozens of witnesses to discredit Spalding.

So do yourself a favor. If you want a great book about Orangutans and the research about them, buy "Reflections of Eden." If you want some well-written, brilliantly-researched cattiness, read "The Women of Camelot." But if you're looking for a combination of the two, well, the story has yet to be written.

This book exposes the myth of the angel scientist........1999-11-03

Eco-scam

Linda Spalding was supposed to write a biography. Her subject: Dr. Birute Galdikas, one of three women sent by famed scientist Louis Leakey to study apes in the jungle. While the first two "Leakey angels" - Dian Fossey and Jane Goodall - have been widely written about, the third, Galdikas, works in relative obscurity. But Spalding ran into a significant problem: Galdikas didn't wish to speak. The author trekked to the jungles of Indonesia anyway to chronicle the reluctant saint's work to save orangutans. What unfolds is an odd combination of investigative reporting, personal journey and mid-life crisis - not to mention a book well worth the read. The author discovers that Galdikas is anything but an angel. She's manipulative, power-hungry and is making a princely sum by charging eco-tourists to do work that's harmful to the apes. Spalding is at her best here, chronicling Indonesia's failure to save its natural resources and the strange phenomenon of eco-tourism, where zealous animal lovers are blinded by Galdikas' reputation. Equally interesting is Spalding's telling of the story. She's not an investigative reporter. She's a middle-aged empty-nester coming to grips with her daughters' adulthood and her own insignificance within the vast natural kingdom. Hence, the saga is delivered in an ambling, non-judgmental manner. It's as much about Spalding as it is her subject. One might argue that a true reporter could have put nastier screws to Galdikas. Yet Spalding's sharp eye and utter lack of conceit force you to keep reading. Her personal journey is nearly as compelling as the main subject. There are a few minor problems. Spalding laments of man's neglect of nature become repetitious, and Galdikas disappears from the narrative for sizable stretches. Yet "A Dark Place in the Jungle's" freshness and honesty more than compensate for these minor blemishes.

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