At the Water's Edge: Muskoka's Boathouses (Art & Architecture) (Art & Architecture)

Book Description

Award-winning photographer John de Visser and lifestyles writer Judy Ross examine one of Muskoka's most striking features, its boathouses. Exteriors range from Victorian lavishness to Shaker simplicity. Some of these boathouses date back to the 1800s, some are Muskoka modern. Inside are inspired sitting rooms, bedrooms, baths, kitchens, and cherished collections of family memorabilia.

Customer Reviews:

Lapping water, polished antique wood boats, intimate and cozy........2007-05-06

You can not longer build and live so close to the water's edge but these beauties are grandfathered in on beautiful Muskoka and Rousseau, et. al. I thought of my boyhood days on a lake in Northern Minnesota. I remember smaller and less grand boathouses where the sundappled water reflected off the rafters inside. You were really one with the water. This book captures the essence of it all--I could almost smell the water, wood, paint, varnish, canvas, wet rattan and wicker--

My best christmasgift ever........2000-09-08

At the water's edge

Muskokaá Boathouses.

This book gives the reeder a chance of dreaming back to the early yaers of the 20th century and experiance how the riche and famuose people spent there weekends and holidays. If you are intrested in old houses, especially bothouses, and architect designs this book is a must.

This book is my best inspiration ever.

Peter Östlund Stockholm Sweden

At the Water's Edge Poster: Muskoka's Boathouses
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At the Water's Edge Poster: Muskoka's Boathouses
John de Visser , and Judy Ross
Manufacturer: Boston Mills Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: 1550461117

At the Water's Edge: Muskoka's Boathouses.
Average customer rating:
At the Water's Edge: Muskoka's Boathouses.
JOHN DE VISSER
Manufacturer: See notes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000RQU85Y

Book Description

''Anthony Hernandez's "Pictures for Rome" (1998-99), made while he was a fellow at the American Academy, make no reference to any iconic images of that historic city and its famous edifices. Instead, these elegantly disturbing color photographs examine what could be considered a series of unofficial urban monuments composed from the distressed architectural elements and detritus found inside abandoned buildings..."Pictures for Rome" are pictures of haunted places. Whether they chronicle the bones and viscera of an aborted commercial structure or never-finished hospital, a vacant housing complex or long-deserted schoolhouse, these images engage the ghostly relic of urban renewal, the failed construction projects and real estate disasters that conjure modernism's less glamorous side. And they remind us that even in Rome, the mother city, everything is disposable... "Pictures for Rome" are not, in other words, the same thing as pictures "of" Rome. These images do not describe a specific city at all; instead, they chart concealed landscapes that exist in a world apart from the vitality and velocity of today's consumerist metropolis...A deep undersea silence seems to engulf the modern ruins that Hernandez photographs... Blurring the line dividing past and present, they leave our temporal compass spinning wildly.''--Ralph Rugoff

Book Description

For one year, Alma Guillermoprieto lived in Manguiera, a village near Rio de Janeiro, to learn the ritual of samba--the sensuous song and dance marked by a rapturous beat--and to take part in Rio's renowned carnivale parade.

Customer Reviews:

An Essential Background Into Samba.......2003-05-02

If you are interested in learning the true roots of Samba and Brazilian Carnaval(and not just the obligatory blurbs that you see in guidebooks), then this book is an absolute must for you to read. Alma Guillermoprieto does a superb job describing the rich religious, historical, and socioeconomic roots of Brazilian Carnaval and Samba - both of which have become famous around the world, yet remain remarkably poorly understood.

Guillermoprieto writes in a very engaging, enjoyable style, which occassionally seems more like an engrossing novel than a non-fiction work. If you have ever been curious to learn more about Brazilian culture, this is the book to start with!

A Social History of Black Brazil.......2002-02-20

Guillermoprieto is both a skilled writer and a serious scholar. That combination makes this erudite, and exceedingly detailed study of the black underclass in Brazilian society both readable and engaging. She employs an inductive approach, using the culture surrounding the Samba and Carnival in Rio as a base for exploring the status of blacks in Brazilian society and the many contradictions and ironies in light of their prevailing influence in all levels of Brazilian culture.

The story is fascinating and the author admirable, because in order to learn and effectively represent the culture of the Samba and black Brazilian society (which she pretty effectively demonstrates are in many ways largely synonymous) she not only joined a Samba club in order to participate in Carnival, but also moved into the favelas of Rio.

Guillermoprieto depicts the injustice of the blacks' fate in Brazil in a dispassionate, yet also very poignant and sympathetic manner. She allows the compelling facts to represent themselves without embellishing them with personal assessments, which makes her writing that much more powerful.

This is really a great book: a fascinating story about the complex organization and serious part of the Brazilian economy that the Samba and Carnival comprise, and a distinctive and holistic representation of black Brazilian society and the rest of that nation in its reflection.

samba.......2001-09-03

For an author whose first language is spanish, her skill in writing in english has to be commended -but she ain't Borges. Planning a research trip/adventure for a year in Rio, and then writting about her life there obviously demonstrates Guillermoprieto's ability to earn money by doing what she likes. Her style is journalistic and if you've never visited a third world country you can get a good idea from her observations of what living in one, as an average citizen, is like, eg. people accustomed to little prosperity evidently will go to great lengths for entertainment, and to achieve a feeling of importance. If you want to learn about samba, well- guillermoprieto is not omniscient. Conclusion: If you want to read something, you could do a lot worse than this book, but it's not a keeper. get it from the library.

Response to other reviews.......2000-05-25

This is a good book written by a journalist who consistently produces some of the most insightful work on Latin America in the U.S. print media. Writing from a journalist's perspective about her own experiences as a white Mexican living in Brazil it's a great read. I was captivated when I read it. Other reviewers are correct, there are better studis of all the subjects she covers, and as a Latin American historian, lusophile, and student of Capoeira I could find flaws to; here historical sections are simplistic, etc. But why bother? She did live there and join a Samba school, she freely admits her limitations, concerns, and desires, and she writes like a dream. That is hard to find and worth reading.

A fascinating account of Afro-Brazilian musical culture.......1999-10-30

Samba is a highly personal account by a journalist who takes us into the center of the carnival experience in Rio, seen from the point of view of a very poor neighborhood with a rich carnival tradition. Through this we learn worlds about Afro-Brazilian culture, the notion of "exotic" as often applied to the tropics, and about Ms. Guillermoprieto's fascinating way of understanding and relating, as a Mexican, to a powerful Latin tradition quite other than hers. While there are some problems of organization, this is a very informative book, but mostly I found it fun, and it made me want to be in Rio and to dance.

Carnival In Rio mini: Samba, Samba, Samba

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Carnival In Rio mini: Samba, Samba, Samba
Terry George
Manufacturer: edel CLASSICS GmbH
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | International | Styles | Music

General | Compilations | International | Styles | Music
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Carnival in Rio
Carnaval
Women at the Sambodromo, Carnival in Rio de Janeiro Brazil
Dance Today! Samba - Active Lifestyle Makeover
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ASIN: 3937406557
Release Date: 2005-11-07

Book Description

During Carnival, Rio de Janeiro shuts down business as usual and throws itself into the world's most famous party in honor of unbridled hedonism and the rhythm of Samba... If you can't experience the legendary Parade in Rio's Sambodrome or want to refresh memories of the excessive party atmosphere, Carnival in Rio is the book for you. Wonderful, sensuous photography paired with pure Samba allow you to be a part of the Brazilian lust for life and take you away to one of the hottest shows on earth. Music CDs: The grand diversity of Samba from Rio, featuring stars such as Dudu Tucci

Escolas De Samba: A Descriptive Account of The Carnival Guilds Of Rio De Janeiro

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Escolas De Samba: A Descriptive Account of The Carnival Guilds Of Rio De Janeiro
Luis D. Gardel
Manufacturer: Livraria Kosmos Editora
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KGMIDQ

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Carnival in Rio:Sambas & Music of Bra
Various Artists-Worl Cdlegc 399
Manufacturer: LEGACY INTERNATIONAL
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

General | Books on CD | Formats | Books
ASIN: 630487183X

Escolas De Samba: an Affectionate Descriptive Account of the Carnival Guilds of Rio De Janiero

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Escolas De Samba: an Affectionate Descriptive Account of the Carnival Guilds of Rio De Janiero

Manufacturer: Livraria Kosmos, Rio de Janiero
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000I9JGBC

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Escolas De Samba: an Affectionate Descriptive Account of the Carnival Guilds of Rio De Janiero
Luis D. Gardel
Manufacturer: Livraria Kosmos, Rio de Janiero
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000S5ZJG2

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Rio's Carnival Sambas
various artists
Manufacturer: EPM Musique
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KYRCHK

LET'S FACE IT,C.BROWN (Let's Face It, Charlie Brown)
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LET'S FACE IT,C.BROWN (Let's Face It, Charlie Brown)
Charles M. Schulz
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: 0449205479
Release Date: 1983-12-12

Serials Management in Australia and New Zealand: Profile of Excellence (Australian & New Zealand Journal of Serials Librarianship) (Australian & New Zealand Journal of Serials Librarianship)
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Serials Management in Australia and New Zealand: Profile of Excellence (Australian & New Zealand Journal of Serials Librarianship) (Australian & New Zealand Journal of Serials Librarianship)

Manufacturer: Haworth Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
MIS | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Library Management | Library & Information Science | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Library & Information Science | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1560244534

Book Description

If you're thinking about buying a home (whether it's your first or your last) you'll want to read this savvy, entertaining guide. You'll be reassured by the smart, friendly guidance that there is a way to make one of the biggest decisions in your life a lot easier. Discover hot homebuying tips, including: How to avoid hidden costs, how to find the best Internet resources to navigate through the mortgage maze, and how to negotiate the best offer.

Customer Reviews:

Good Information source.......2007-02-15

This is my first home purchase. I live in the expensive S.F. Bay Area. I found "Clueless about Buying a Home" informative, and easy to read. I think that it must be supplimented by additional information with regard to condo sales and rules. Worth every penny I spent...

If You're Clueless About Selling Your House and Want to Know More (If You're Clueless)

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If You're Clueless About Selling Your House and Want to Know More (If You're Clueless)
Bonnie Sparks
Manufacturer: Real Estate Education Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Buying & Selling Homes | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0793131197

Book Description

With the accumulated knowledge of two previous homeowning generations, twenty- and thirty-something readers can be more savvy about when to buy and sell a home. This book is filled with no-nonsense information readers need to know about selling a house, townhouse, or condo, from deciding if selling is the best decision to negotiating an offer and closing a deal. Even the most foreboding aspects of selling a house are demystified. Pull off a profitable sale by using the Internet to market, price, and list your house; by finding the best agent or broker (or selling it yourself!); and by negotiating contracts, closings, and agents' fees.

Child of Mine: Writers Talk About the First Year of Motherhood
Average customer rating:

One star is not low enough.

My Favorite Gift For First-Time Moms

Very helpful for new moms

Overwhelming gratitude

Excellent real-life stories

Child of Mine: Writers Talk About the First Year of Motherhood

Manufacturer: Hyperion Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Marriage & Family | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Culture | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Motherhood | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
General | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Mothers Who Think: Tales Of Real-life Parenthood

Mother Reader: Essential Writings on Motherhood

Literary Mama: Reading for the Maternally Inclined

Mother Shock: Loving Every (Other) Minute of It

The Mask of Motherhood: How Becoming a Mother Changes Our Lives and Why We Never Talk About It

Accessories:

Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers

ASIN: 0786862335

Amazon.com

Take away the pink glow of diaper commercials and what is motherhood in the '90s about, anyway? In this collection of original essays, thirty-five writers, including Naomi Wolf, Susan Cheever, and Mona Simpson, talk about their expectations and experiences of new motherhood. The writers range widely in age, race, and cultural background, and so does the tone of their essays--from heart-wrenching to thoughtful to laugh-out-loud hysterically funny. What they have in common is their strength of voice. This is an excellent choice for those interested in parenting issues, as well as those interested in good literary writing.

Book Description

Child of Mine is a book of original essays that reveal the many faces of motherhood, and which explore the amazing variety of feelings and changes that women go through in the first year of maternity.

The essays--by writers including Susan Cheever, Mona Simpson, Sarah Bird, Naomi Wolf, Meg Wolitzer, and many more--address a wide range of concerns, from changes in your marriage to delivery experiences to body image, to the mother/child bond, to ambivalence about breastfeeding. We see an African-American mother who's conflicted about hiring a Jamaican baby-sitter; we see an urban working mom who's delighted to be back to her job after maternity leave; we see a mother's nightmare journey through a year of her son's colic. And we see the adoption experience with all its ups and downs.

Covering an amazing breadth of experience, readers will recognize themselves as they discover that other mothers have felt the same emotions, cried the same tears, thrilled to similar milestones, and suffered the same indignities and heartaches in that challenging first year of motherhood.

Customer Reviews:

One star is not low enough........2004-01-26

This book is quite possibly the worst expression of motherhood that I have ever run across. I am the mother of a 9 month old baby and have read more than my share of child rearing and motherhood books. These essays all seem to be geared towards the negative and selfish aspects of the writers lives. Pregnancy and childbirth are portrayed as predominantly negative experiences which will infringe on the otherwise productive lives of the "mothers" who wrote them. Fathers and doctors are shown as incompetent buffoons who are not necessary or even conducive to a good pregnancy/birthing experience. In fact, in many of the essays pregnancy is expressed as a weakness that the women finally succumb to, not as the precious gift that it is. As a woman and as a mother I was wholy offended and put off by this derogatory and negative view of pregnancy and children. I would whole heartedly not recommend this book for anyone, most especially for those who do not have practical experience with pregnancy and their own children.

My Favorite Gift For First-Time Moms.......2002-06-24

This is an absolutely wonderful collection of first-time-mother experiences, and I've given this book as a gift to many of my new-mom friends. I ordered this as part of a batch of mommy books from Amazon without thinking too much (impulse buy), but it quickly became my favorite...so much so that I bought a few extra copies as loaners and gifts so I'd always have my own on hand. Much to my delight, I found an essay by Sarah Bird, my favorite writer, but almost every story is meaningful and relevant. This group of writers brings you into the community of mothers, across age, race, and income. The introduction is also worth reading, because it explains how first time mothers really hunger to find out whether their experiences are unique and isolating, or universal. We want to read other accounts not so much to benchmark ourselves but to reassure ourselves that the sometimes overwhelming and exhilarating feelings of first-time motherhood are normal and shared.

Very helpful for new moms.......2002-02-05

I really liked - and appreciated - this book. Some essays were more easily for me to identify with, but all were so very helpful during my first month or two of being a mother. I'd recommend buying it and reading during your last 2 months of pregnancy, if you can.

Overwhelming gratitude.......2000-10-10

I SO wish I had found this book years ago. It is the freshest, most intelligent, and best-written book about what it's like to be new mother that I have ever read. Don't get the impression that this collection of essays is strictly for women who "did the career thing" before they had children. This is an honest and touching examination from some of the most articulate women around...of all ages and career levels. I have three sons (including 6-year-old twins) and although I was excited and felt "chosen" that I was blessed with such an honor, it was without question the scariest and most difficult thing I have ever done. Unfortunately there seems to be a whole culture of people who recoil at the gritty details of bearing and raising infants--you're supposed to have a positive attitude and a smile on your face at all times. Even the (sometimes) profound pain of labor has become a hackneyed Hollywood comedy staple, when you think about it. Sugar-coating the reality of what women go through physically and emotionally when they bear children is simply another form of the tremendous cultural pressure on women in this country. That this book enthralled me years after I had babies at home is an indication of how deep my feelings are to this day...as an independent person, I felt the loss of control over my life, our finances, and my dreams at my very core...even though pregnancy was a choice I had made. Reading this book was like finally being able to breathe after years of not being able to articulate what was happening to me. Every single essay in this book focuses on the extraordinary adventure motherhood is, and how it's an ongoing, joyful process that molds a mother in unexpected and wonderful ways. A great mood-lifter for anyone with a small infant at home. I can't give it enough of a recommendation.

Excellent real-life stories.......1999-07-20

I was searching for a book to give a friend who was curious about motherhood and I read this all the way through before giving it to her. Her comment was,"I don't know if this makes it easier or harder to make the decision to have a child!" I agree wholeheartedly - as the mother of a 2 year old the stories in this book are a synchonicity of awe, wonder, exhaustion, frustration and many of the other emotions that occur during the first year of parenthood. I am ordering another copy for a friend who has a five year old and is due to have a baby in August. I think this will be a great refresher...

Customer Reviews:

Great book........2006-12-25

It is immensely informative but well written so that it's easily absorbed. Great book.

Excellent Reference.......2003-07-01

This book sets a standard that would be hard to beat. The author knows his subject and the production is superb. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the field covered, and to others as an example of how a book should look.

Great book for the technically inclined.......2002-11-11

An excellent review of automatic weapons for the technically inclined. There is little or no operational history involved, but this book's detailed development histories of weapons and their ammunition is more comprehensive than anything I've seen since Johnson's books from the '40s. If you are into the details of automatic weapons and the ammunition they fire, you must have this book. If you are looking for operational military history of how these weapons were employed, this is not for you.

Great book, a mine of information.......2002-07-23

This book is a very well written history of large caliber automatic weapons. It gives a good coverage of the mechanisms and characteristics of the weapons, but it's real importance to me is it's well illustrated gallery of the rounds used in the weapons, complete with specifications of the rounds and the weapon and country using them, something that is rare to find in other works.In a library of over 1000 volumes on weaponry, this is one of the most used references I have.

its a hit.......2001-08-04

Very informative, easy to read text - not too dry or technical. Great photos & diagrams. Really helps to understand the auto loading mechanisms of many different weapons, their performance data, specifications. Glad to have this in my collection, definately recommend it.

Book Description

". . . a pioneer reconnaissance of the notion of colonial identity in the post-Columbian world."--B. W. Higman, The Journal of American History "It is these creoles, `colonials' as opposed to the `colonised,' who form the subjects of Canny and Pagden's intelligent new book. In its compact pages we watch the {colonials} attempting to work out `who' and just how `new/old' they were during centuries unhaunted by the spectre of nationalism."--Benedict Anderson, London Review of Books "The prolonged death throes of Europe's last overseas empires have stimulated a lively historical interest in the roots of decolonialization. The theme is taken up in this elegantly written and admirably edited volume in which Nicholas Canny and Anthony Pagden bring together a team of specialists to examine how, in the major Atlantic empires prior to the independence movements of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, colonies came to see themselves as possessing their own particular characteristics, and the bearing this had on those revolutions. . . . The editors and contributors are to be congratulated on this rich and rewarding book, essential reading for anyone interested in imperial history."--Geoffrey Scammell, The Times Higher Education Supplement

Purchasing Identity in the Atlantic World : Massachusetts Merchants, 1670 1780

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Purchasing Identity in the Atlantic World : Massachusetts Merchants, 1670 1780
Phyllis Whitman Hunter
Manufacturer: Cornell University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

History of Ideas | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0801438551

Colonial Identity in the Atlantic World, 1500-1800

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Colonial Identity in the Atlantic World, 1500-1800
Nicholas Canny
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MUFUSU

National Geographic Field Guide to Birds: The Carolinas (NG Field Guide to Birds)
Average customer rating:

a nice, easy-to-use, guide.

National Geographic Field Guide to Birds: The Carolinas (NG Field Guide to Birds)
Jonathan Alderfer
Manufacturer: National Geographic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books
Ornithology | Zoology | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
Birds | Field Guides | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
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North Carolina Bird Watching: A Year-Round Guide

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A Guide to the Snakes of North Carolina

ASIN: 079224186X
Release Date: 2005-10-04

Book Description

National Geographic Field Guide to Birds provides affordable, portable, reliable region-specific information, perfect for the novice or experienced birder. In each guide, an introduction by an expert birder from the region offers guidance on where to look for key birds. An opening section gives pointers on how to look for key birds and what to focus on when you spot them. Each guide features approximately 150 birds, grouped by family. Two indexes: one alphabetical and one color-coded help readers identify a bird quickly.

Each entry has a vivid photograph showing the bird in its native habitat. On the facing page, there is a list of bulleted points of field identification clues as well as behavioral and habitat information, and the best local places to find the bird. Special field notes give additional i.d. or behavioral information and detailed maps show the range of each bird's habitat. With comprehensive coverage of the region and valuable advice from experts, these user-friendly guides will quickly become favorite companions on the journey to lifelong birding.

North and South Carolina, a favorite among bird watchers, are homes to a wide variety of birds that live in the western mountainous terrain or the eastern shorelines.

Customer Reviews:

a nice, easy-to-use, guide........2006-12-17

This is a nice, simply guide to Carolina birds. A nice feature is the index by bird color (which also has little headshots of the birds) -- this makes it very easy to identify your backyard friends.

National Geographic Field Guide to Birds: Texas (NG Field Guide to Birds)

Average customer rating:

Excellent resource
national geographic field guide to birds: texas
Well below the "Geo Guide" standard

National Geographic Field Guide to Birds: Texas (NG Field Guide to Birds)
Jonathan Alderfer
Manufacturer: National Geographic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

Birds | Field Guides | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

General | Birdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Smithsonian Handbooks: Birds of Texas (Smithsonian Handbooks)
The Birds of Texas
A Field Guide to the Birds of Texas: and Adjacent States (Peterson Field Guides(R))
Birds of Texas Field Guide
Exploring the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail: Highlights of a Birding Mecca

ASIN: 0792241878
Release Date: 2005-10-04

Book Description

National Geographic Field Guide to Birds provides affordable, portable, reliable region-specific information, perfect for the novice or experienced birder. In each guide, an introduction by an expert birder from the region offers guidance on where to look for key birds. An opening section gives pointers on how to look for key birds and what to focus on when you spot them. Each guide features approximately 150 birds, grouped by family. Two indexes: one alphabetical and one color-coded help readers identify a bird quickly.

Each entry has a vivid photograph showing the bird in its native habitat. On the facing page, there is a list of bulleted points of field identification clues as well as behavioral and habitat information, and the best local places to find the bird. Special field notes give additional i.d. or behavioral information and detailed maps show the range of each bird's habitat. With comprehensive coverage of the region and valuable advice from experts, these user-friendly guides will quickly become favorite companions on the journey to lifelong birding.

In Texas, birders will find the richest possible range of species in this ultimate migration ground that draws birds from around the world.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent resource.......2007-05-14

This book was just what I was looking for. It has great pictures, description of the female and territory map. It has been no end of value and has helped me identify all the birds that have come into my yard so far.

national geographic field guide to birds: texas.......2007-01-19

Left a lot of state birds out, and had those that were there in a strange order.

Well below the "Geo Guide" standard.......2006-04-20

This book is published by the organization which also produces the NA Bird field guide considered "best" by most avid birders, the National Geographic Field Guide (Geo guide for short). However it is absolutely NOTHING like said field guide! It is very small (6 inches by 4 inches) and consists entirely of full page color photographs on the left page, and brief descriptive text with a Texas-only range map on the right page. At the bottom of the text page are even more brief notes, usually about another similar bird, and often accompanied by a tiny painting of that bird (which appears to be taken directly from the Geo Guide).

The photographs are quite good, and really are the only saving grace of the entire book. They appear to be chosen for their artistic value more so than to illustrate field marks, however. The selection of species is extremely superficial - for example, the only species of oriole shown is Bullock's Oriole, despite the fact that in west Texas Scott's Oriole is routinely found, and for birders in the lower Rio Grande valley the target species is likely to be Altamira Oriole (not pictured), or, if coverage was as exceptional as I had hoped an NGS bird publication would be, even Audubon's or Black-vented Oriole - and one also wonders why Orchard Oriole, found throughout the state, is left out!

The book description here on Amazon is "generous" in its pronouncements. The "guidance on where to look for key birds" consists of a one-page, incredibly simplistic commentary on birding in Texas ("The Texas coast is well-known as a place for migrant birds to rest and feed on their way northward." "Other regions of the state include the High Plains where Lesser Prairie-Chickens still strut . . .") Turn the page and the most specific location data provided is a map of the entire state with numerous parks and refuges depicted. But it is left entirely up to you to figure out how to navigate to Anahuac NWR to look for those migrants (where's High Island?), and, since Lesser Prairie-Chicken isn't even included in the main text, how are you supposed to know that Muleshoe NWR might be a place to try to see them?

My greatest hope for this book was that it would give additional insight into the Texas specialities of ABA area birding, but even here it is basically incomplete. Plain Chachalaca, Least Grebe, White-tailed Hawk, Crested Caracara, Common Paraque, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Ringed Kingfisher, Great Kiskadee, Black-capped Vireo, Green Jay, Colima and Golden-cheeked Warbler, and Olive Sparrow are all here, but missing are a few regular species which make Texas birding so unique, such as Groove-billed Ani and White-collared Seedeater. Since only in south Texas can a Muscovy Duck be counted (as opposed to being labelled an escapee from you local park's pond), why not show a wild Muscovy instead of another photo of a wild Mallard? And what about every birder's favorite dump denizen, the Tamaulipas Crow?

Overall this book is not recommended, at any level of birding, for any use other than its collection of photographs. For a beginner in the field (or even in the backyard) it doesn't provide the necessary comparison images to differentiate even the most obvious field marks so as to allow identification. For the intermediate birder trying to locate target species in Texas, the guidance (or essential lack thereof) to places where the birds can be found is woeful. And for advanced birders - well, they really don't need something this small in size or detail.

Be aware that there are several other titles in this series, for other states, and I suspect that this review's basic criticisms hold for all of them. As for me, I'll hold on until November when the Fifth Edition of the REAL Geo Guide comes out!

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds: New Jersey (NG Field Guide to Birds)

Average customer rating:

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds: New Jersey (NG Field Guide to Birds)
Mel Baughman
Manufacturer: National Geographic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

Birds | Field Guides | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

General | Birdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Birds of New Jersey Field Guide (Field Guides)
New Jersey Birds
A Guide to Bird Finding in New Jersey
Birds And Birding at Cape May
The Shorebird Guide

ASIN: 0792238753
Release Date: 2005-07-01

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