Architectural Detailing: Function - Constructibility

Book Description

This edition of the industry standard on architectural detailing includes new sections covering analysis and modification of existing details and design of new details, both basic and advanced. Revised to address sustainability and to reflect the International Building Code®, Architectural Detailing continues to deliver reliable, insightful information on how to design details that will be water- and airtight, control the flows of heat and water vapor, adjust to all kinds of movement, age gracefully, be easy to construct, and still look good.

Conveniently organized by the three major concerns of the detailerfunction, constructibility, and aestheticsthis edition features:

Richly illustrated examples of detail design, case studies, and practical exercises.
New and revised patterns showing form, constructibility, and aesthetics.
Everything you need, whether a student or professional, to design details that work.

Order your copy today.

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant and indispensible.......2003-01-16

This book is the thinking person's "Graphic Standards" (no slight to that book intended). But in this case, instead of handing you details, it teaches you how to design your own details. It is not only a one-of-a-kind approach but incredibly well-done, well organized, and beautifully illustrated as well. It is a guide to knowing why details should be designed in particular ways. It explains, in depth, what to think about when designing at the level of the detail. And the three case studies in the back of the book are worth their weight in gold. This book truly makes the point that detailing is part of the process of design. Get it, and keep it.

Nice but nothing new.......2001-11-21

As much as I like the author's "Building Construction", this book is not recommended. It is based on the premise that many construction details share common principles: shed water by using sloping surfaces, for instance. After a few such groupings are described, it turns into a tips and tricks collection, e.g., do rough work before finish work. It's not a comprehensive reference by any means. On the contrary, it's shamefully padded with many nearly blank pages. Enjoyable reading, nice drawings, just not nearly enough material to justify the price.

Concise and to the point!.......2000-11-15

This book is the recipe to designing architectural details. The book is divided into many small but concise sections each dealing with different aspects e.g, controlling water leakage, accommodating movements, providing structural support, forgiving details, etc. In each of these sections various solutions and stategies to deal with these aspects are shown with simple easy to understand diagrams accompanied by a brief explanation. A chapter at the end is dedicated to developing and designing the architectural details through choosing and combining solutions disscussed in the sections with illustrated examples.

This book is the essence to "designing" or merely to "understanding" architectural details. The structure and simplicity of this book makes it almost like a dictionary of architectural details. This book is suitable for students, practicing architects, and those who are interested in the detailing of architecture. Note: in my opinion this book is of a reference nature and not recommended for leisure reading.

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Australian Journal of Politics and History, published by University of Queensland Press on March 1, 1999. The length of the article is 1030 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Richard Newton and English Caricature in the 1790s.(Review)
Author: Michael T. Davis
Publication: The Australian Journal of Politics and History (Refereed)
Date: March 1, 1999
Publisher: University of Queensland Press
Volume: 45 Issue: 1 Page: 132(1)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

Cartoon Book on Sailing

Customer Reviews:

Hilarious - Couldn't put it down for a second!.......1998-12-16

Chris Stoyan captures the essence of boating life with a hilarious series of cartoons, some bawdy, some off-the-wall but all based on his own experiences and humourous observation. If you're a boater in the Toronto area, you'll probably find a caricature of you or yours in here, or recognise a side-splitting moment in time you may have forgotten - or would rather forget! If you're a landlubber, you'll still be laughing your lungs out. A great christmas stocking filler both for the nautically inclined and the permanently landlocked.

Book Description

The book provides seven practical examples of how Danish companies implemented new information technology in order to transform their internal and external business processes. The purpose of the book is to share some of their concerns and hopes during this implementation process, with each case study reporting on the problems met by a particular company.

The seven case studies concern international Danish firms that have been through the marriage of complex process innovation concepts and their supporting networked IT. A common trait, echoed in each of the cases, is network-based interaction.

Three of the cases take as their departure point a company's marketing efforts and its utilization of the Internet for interaction with its customers. Three further cases take a more internal departure point - the use of ERP systems to transform business processes.

'Organizing for Networked Information Technologies' is the result of a project successfully integrating researchers from various disciplines: engineering, management, production, marketing and information systems.

Customer Reviews:

poor.......2005-11-03

I was disappointed with how dirty the book was. I had to remove a dead insect from one of the chapters.

Preparing For The NYS Real Estate Salesperson Licencing Exam.......2001-12-17

This text on the material necessary to pass the New York State Real Estate Salespersons Exam does that and much more,
It is an up to date practicum on recent developments
in the real estate field in both downstate and upstate
markets.
Additionally, It is structured in two parts, saving those
who eventually sit for the Brokers exam the need to
aquire a second exam review text.

.
Finally,the book has a particularly detailed format
concerned with ever changing legal forms necessary
for salespersons to be conversant with attorneys who
are an intricant part of the realty world.

.

Average customer rating:

New York Real Estate for Salespersons by Marcia Darvin Spada

Passed my Real Estate Test the first time b/c of this book

New York Real Estate for Salespersons: Special Edition
Marcia Darvin Spada
Manufacturer: South-Western Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

New York Real Estate Sales Exam

New York Real Estate Exam Review

Cram for the Exam!: Your Guide to Passing the New York Real Estate Salesperson Exam

Modern Real Estate Practice in New York

New York Real Estate for Brokers

ASIN: 0324139675

Book Description

Using a workbook style that allows users to practice completing forms and taking exams, New York Real Estate for Salespersons matches content and chronology of the New York State required syllabus for real estate salesperson. Accurate and well-researched, it follows the NYS syllabus exactly -- including order of presentation, learning objectives, key terms, and outline of material. A host of interactive learning supplements not only help users learn, review, and retain required information, but also practice applying the concepts and taking the actual licensing exam.

Customer Reviews:

New York Real Estate for Salespersons by Marcia Darvin Spada.......2005-03-08

So easy to understand, very organized, and good exmas.

Passed my Real Estate Test the first time b/c of this book.......2005-03-07

This book is well written and easy to understand. The questions in the end of every chapter are phenomenal because some of them appeared on the NY state exam.

Cram for the Exam!: Your Guide to Passing the New York Real Estate Salesperson Exam

Average customer rating:

Cram for the Exam!: Your Guide to Passing the New York Real Estate Salesperson Exam
Marcia Darvin Spada
Manufacturer: South-Western Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Certification Central | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Test Prep Central | Reference | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0324200781

Guide for the New York Real Estate Salesperson

Average customer rating:

Guide for the New York Real Estate Salesperson

Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Civil Procedure | Procedures & Litigation | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Law | Subjects | Books

Private Law | Law | Subjects | Books

Guide to the New York Real Estate Salespersons' Course

Average customer rating:

Guide to the New York Real Estate Salespersons' Course
Norman Weinberg
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Law | Subjects | Books

Property | Business | Law | Subjects | Books

Private Law | Law | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0471826448

Modern Real Estate Practice in New York for Salespersons and Brokers (Modern Real Estate Practice in New York)

Average customer rating:

this book is pretty good
Excellent Book
Clear and thorough
This is the Standard Class Reference for NY DOS Class
Everything You Need To Know

Modern Real Estate Practice in New York for Salespersons and Brokers (Modern Real Estate Practice in New York)
Edith Lank
Manufacturer: Dearborn Financial Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0793104777

Customer Reviews:

this book is pretty good.......2006-02-02

my mother is dumb as bread and somehow she still understood this pook, its a miracle, i highly suggest it..

Excellent Book.......2005-08-07

I highly recommend this book for those of you who are taking Real Estate classes and also first time home buyers. Edith Lank gives a clear understanding of each chapter; there's also a practice exam after each chapter. This book is my bible for Real Estate!

Clear and thorough.......2005-07-19

I bought this book for a class I am taking at a local college, in preparation for the NYS R.E. Salesperson's License.

The author, Edith Lank, does an excellent job of explaining all the industry terminology and gives a clear and thorough treatment of the subject.

I recommend this book for anyone interested in learning the basics of real estate practice.

This is the Standard Class Reference for NY DOS Class.......2004-06-23

I am in the middle of New York's prerequisite course for the Dept. of State exam. In searching for an acceptable school I became aware that hands down all the schools I engaged used Edith Lank's Mod R E Practices in NY (8th ed.) as the classroom text.

As far as it's readability, it is indeed a textbook, and reads that way. Pertinent areas are of the text are in a light blue to punctuate their importance ( I think I would have used red myself). These areas have mostly coincided with what the teacher asks you to highlight as important Exam points. Also, there are questions at the end of each chapter to reinforce the points of the chapter. A reasonable amount of time is spent on basic math concepts (algebra and geometry) if you paid attention in High School you can glean this chapter. The general topics include:

Deeds
Mortgages
Basic Finance
Liens
Easements
Laws of Agency
Contracts
Closings
Estates and Interests

Some of the students in the class complained that it uses too much legalese and reads like a Law book. Although this is not a law book per se, it deals with laws and statutes, regulations, interpretations of law, etc. So it should be a little more legalese than other types of reading.

There were a few typos in the main text as well as the Q/A sections. The book reads well enough to prompt me to purchase Lank's Test Prep guide as well, although I do not have it yet After taking the exam I will leave feedback as to the helpfulness of the exam Prep.

In general, I would recommend this book not only to those studying to be an agent, but for first time home buyers as well. The downstate region of NY (from Westchester down through Long Island) is different from the rest of the entire Unites States when it comes to Real Estate law and practices/customs. The information contained therein will help in knowing what your options are and who is working for/against you in the transaction. Or if you are just an information junkie, this is a great way to learn about the trade.

Everything You Need To Know.......2004-06-22

This is a great book although if you havent taken your Real Estate course yet you may want to wait because this book was provided for us when we took the class. This book teaches you about the laws, math, whos who, and who does what. At the end of each chapter there is a summary and questions and in the back of the book there is a test that will get you ready for the state test. The only thing this book does not do is that it doesnt really go over any skills or tips on selling real estate. Overall, its a must have book.

New York Real Estate for Salespersons Special Ed F/Re Ed Ctr

Average customer rating:

New York Real Estate for Salespersons Special Ed F/Re Ed Ctr
SPADA
Manufacturer: Thomson South-Western
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0324233558

Real estate review's New York guide to real estate licensing examination for salespersons

Average customer rating:

Real estate review's New York guide to real estate licensing examination for salespersons

Manufacturer: Warren, Gorham & Lamont
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Law | Subjects | Books

Private Law | Law | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0882624032

C&W's Jamie Katcher named Most Promising Salesperson.: An article from: Real Estate Weekly

Average customer rating:

C&W's Jamie Katcher named Most Promising Salesperson.: An article from: Real Estate Weekly
Gale Reference Team
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Real Estate Weekly, published by Thomson Gale on January 17, 2007. The length of the article is 444 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: C&W's Jamie Katcher named Most Promising Salesperson.
Author: Gale Reference Team
Publication: Real Estate Weekly (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 17, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 53 Issue: 23 Page: 10S(2)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

New York Real Estate for Salespersons, 2007, Custom Edition for New York Real Estate Institute

Average customer rating:

New York Real Estate for Salespersons, 2007, Custom Edition for New York Real Estate Institute
Marcia Darvin Spada
Manufacturer: Thomson/Delmar Learning
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Average customer rating:
Taming Monsters, Slaying Dragons: The Revolutionary Family Approach to Overcoming Childhood Fears and Anxiety
Joel Feiner , and Graham Yost
Manufacturer: Arbor House Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Obstetrics & Gynecology | Specialties | Medicine | Subjects | Books
General | Pediatrics | Specialties | Medicine | Subjects | Books
General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
Accessories:

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

Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer

ASIN: 0877959390

Book Description

The outbreak of the Korean conflict caught America (and the Marine Corps) unprepared. The Corps' salvation was the existence of its Organized Reserve (an organization rich in veterans of the fighting in World War II), the availability of modern equipment in storage and, as always, the bravery, initiative, and adaptability of individual Marines.

In this followup to his enormously successful Marine Tank Battles in the Pacific (Combined Publishing, 2000), Oscar Gilbert presents an equally exhaustive and detailed account of the little-known Marine tank engagements in Korea, supported by 48 photographs, eight original maps, and dozens of survivor interviews.

Marine Corps Tank Battles in Korea details every action, from the valiant defense at Pusan and the bitter battles of the Chosin Reservoir, to the grinding and bloody stalemate along the Jamestown Line. Many of these stories are presented here for the first time, such as the unique role played by tanks in the destruction of the illfated Task Force Drysdale, how Marine armor played a key role in the defense of Hagaru, and how a lone tank made it to Yudamni and then led the breakout across the high Toktong Pass.

Marine tankers--individually and as an organization--met every challenge posed by this vicious, protracted, and forgotten war. It is a story of bravery and fortitude you will never forget.

Customer Reviews:

Worth every penny!.......2003-12-30

I knew the basics of the Korean War, but that is about it. This book opened my eyes to the daily hardships suffered by the soldiers and marines who served in that "police action". Mr. Gilbert has written a fascinating book that details small unit armored action in Korea. He doesnt overwhelm you with tons of names you have to remember and most of the book is told in the veteran's own words with Mr. Gilbert adding the "bigger picture" so the reader can fully understand what is happening. There are few maps in the book, but they are extremely helpful when it comes to understanding where the armored units operated at. Overall a very well written book. My money was not wasted.

A Remarkable and Memorable Book.......2003-11-15

If judged by book sales, the Korean War indeed merits the moniker The Forgotten War. However, I suspect that Oscar Gilbert's new book may be one of those rare studies that break through and reach a wider audience than either its publisher or author supposed it might.

Were there really tank battles in Korea? You bet, and Gilbert's work details just about every one, from Lt. Granville G. Sweet's Thermopylae-style defense of a critical road cut at No Name Ridge through the operations at Inchon, Seoul, the frozen hell of the Chosin Reservoir, and the battles of the Jamestown line. He bases his book upon dozens of first firsthand account by the tankers themselves, who recall with vivid clarity their sacrifices and frustrations during their time on the peninsula.

At the beginning of the war, the seemingly invincible enemy tanks and masses of ruthless infantry swept everything before them. Every attempt to stop the invaders had met with disaster. Hastily formed forces like the U. S. Armys Task Force Smith resisted valiantly, but the infantry was overrun in desperate rearguard battles. The few American light tanks available were contemptuously swept aside by the heavier and much better Soviet-built T-34/85.

Gilbert skillfully explains how the Provisional Marine Brigade, a scratch force of new recruits and World War II veterans, was thrown into this bloody maelstrom around Pusan. The tank arm was equipped with the M26, and the Marines were determined to meet head-on and destroy the Communists and their feared armor fighting machine that had shocked the Germans when it appeared on the Eastern Front during WWII.

Much like Gilbert's earlier account of Marine tanks in the Pacific war, this book offers a unique and brutally honest oral history of the unheralded armor combat that swept the length and breadth of the Korean Peninsula. It is a accomplished and thorough blend of scholarship and storytelling that recounts every Marine tank engagement of the war. The author also offers insightful analysis of how tanks were employed on the battlefield, and includes a original account of the role armor played in the destruction of the ill-fated Task Force Drysdale.

Ultimately, Marine Corps Tank Battles in Korea is sweeping account laced with hardship, sacrifice, honor, and duty. The two long inserts of photos (most or all of which are apparently previously unpublished), together with the Epilogue of what became of the men who tell the tale, cap a study that deserves a wide audience and ample discussion.

I knew little about this aspect of the Korean War. Read this book and The forgotten War will never quite look the same again. And you certainly won't forget it.

A powerful and unflinchingly honest oral history.......2003-09-19

Authoritatively and capably written by Oscar Gilbert (a Marine artilleryman and an NCO instructor in the Marine Corps Reserve), Marine Corps Tank Battles In Korea is a powerful and unflinchingly honest oral history of the armored conflict of the Korean War. Insights as to how tanks were deployed on the battlefield, close studies of the war's major battles, anecdotal testimonies, black-and-white photographs, and much, much more fill the pages of this even-handed, in-depth, detailed, specialized, strongly recommended military history of the Korean War.

Average customer rating:

Bernd's "Beaver Bog" boggles!

Loved it!

Sometimes fascinating, sometimes mundane

A scientist's eye and a writer's eloquence

The Geese of Beaver Bog
Bernd Heinrich
Manufacturer: Ecco
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books
Ornithology | Zoology | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
General | Birdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Trees in My Forest

Mind of the Raven: Investigations and Adventures with Wolf-Birds (P.S.)

Winter World: The Ingenuity of Animal Survival

One Man's Owl: (Abridged Edition)

A Year in the Maine Woods

ASIN: 0060197455
Release Date: 2004-05-11

Book Description

In the summer of 1998, award-winning writer and biologist Bernd Heinrich found himself the unwitting -- but doting -- foster parent of an adorable gosling named Peep. Good-natured, spirited Peep drew Heinrich into her world -- one he found to be filled with as much color and drama as that of her human counterparts.

And so, with a scientist's training and a nature lover's boundless curiosity and enthusiasm, Heinrich set out to observe and understand the travails and triumphs of the Canada geese, or honkers, living in the beaver bog adjacent to his rural Vermont home. His presence in the bog, at all hours, in all weather, became as commonplace as that of the local beavers and birds. The resident geese learned that Heinrich could be trusted, enabling him to watch and record their daily routines from up close.

Heated battles over territory, mysterious nest raids, jealousy over a lover's inattention, all are recounted here in an engaging, anecdotal narrative that sheds light on how geese live and why they behave as they do. Far from staid or predictable, the lives of geese are packed with adventure and full of surprises.

In THE GEESE OF BEAVER BOG, Heinrich takes his readers through mud, icy waters, and overgrown sedge hummocks into a seemingly impenetrable world. He does so with deft insight, respectful modesty, and infectious good humor. Illustrated throughout with Heinrich's trademark sketches and featuring beautiful four-color photographs, THE GEESE OF BEAVER BOG is part love story, part science experiment, and wholly delightful.

Customer Reviews:

Bernd's "Beaver Bog" boggles!.......2005-11-29

After a few chapters, the number of "5:30 AM" entries seem staggering. While i'm struggling to figure out which end is "up" on the coffee-maker, Heinrich is already out in the field. He's watching his subjects, talking to them and offering them handouts, and recording their behaviour in meticulous detail. The rewards, he demonstrates with enthusiasm, are many and fruitful. His descriptions are certainly a rewarding read - even if i have to have a nap before commenting on them.

Heinrich chose his home location well. The countryside of Vermont offers rich pickings for a naturalist and this one has taken full advantage of that situation. In this book, he ventures to a set of ponds created by beaver dams. Beaver and muskrat lodges make ideal nesting sites for geese. The two creatures don't disturb each other and the isolation keeps predators away from both. Heinrich expects geese and isn't disappointed. They arrive, take up station, fend off later visitors intent on occupying the same territory, mate and produce eggs. Heinrich dutifully records all the activity - sometimes with unexpected precision: "She slept four minutes".

At first, it all seems like another naturalist's jaunt into the woods. Interesting and enviable, but does it mean anything to us? Heinrich, however, is surprised by what he observes. Not the least unexpected is the book's opening - an adult goose pursuing his pick-up along a road at 60 kilometres an hour. There are other, more compelling mysteries. In an engaging account of "Pop" and "Jane" producing a flock of goslings, Heinrich discovers the entire mob has disappeared from the nest. He'd already tested the couple's attitude toward him by reaching under the incubating female to check the condition of her eggs [try it! i'll just watch from over here]. Tracking their likely path, he discovers a colony of geese and goslings some distance from their home ponds. Even more astonishing is the fact that the number of parents and goslings don't properly match. Some of the parents have left their offspring to the care of "gosling-sitters" and flown north. Why would geese abandon their young when other birds spend enormous amounts of time and energy supplying and teaching theirs?

Heinrich's answer is an excellent study in evolutionary strategies. He discusses different species and various environments. He unashamedly uses human metaphor to describe various survival strategies among different animals. Why not? That's due to the long history of animals developing methods for survival and reproduction. Many of these techniques will be similar in some conditions, different in others. All can be assessed in terms of success and the likely logic isn't difficult to impart. Heinrich can describe it better than many, carefully and clearly imparting his own reasoning. With a persistence many should envy, he made his observations in every circumstance possible. He recorded dutifully and brings those observations to us with great fervour. His concluding remarks about hunting and sustaining populations will be a jolt to idealogues. Yet his views are pertinent and perceptive. Read this for an informative account of our signallers of the seasons. While we still have them to watch passing overhead. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Loved it!.......2005-04-23

This is an intimate story of Heinrich's relationship with a hatchling Canada goose he raises who later voluntarily goes to the wild. She later returns to him and the marsh and he begins studying her and other pairs of geese. If you like geese or are interested in wild animal behaviour this is a must read. It is written in an emotional style that I just couldn't put down. He is such an expert at understanding animal behaviour. At the back of the book he discusses Conrad Lorenz' book: Year of the Greylag Goose which I had read years before.

Sometimes fascinating, sometimes mundane.......2005-04-11

As geese are currently no longer bothering to migrate in my neck of the woods, I looked forward to Heinrich's insights into the realm of my feathered neighbors. When I read A YEAR IN THE MAINE WOODS, I was intrigued by Heinrich's examinations of the natural world, but found myself occasionally bored by his writing style; and THE GEESE OF BEAVER BOG suffers from a similar fate. Heinrich has a tendency to focus on the mundane, details like the time and date are used over and over, appropriate perhaps for a journal, but tedious in this setting. His personal connection to the geese is endearing, and the examination of the behavior of nesting geese is often fascinating, but I still found my mind wandering as the general dryness of the descriptions just becomes a bit tedious. I think my biggest problem here is personal; I know that this writer knows so much and I wish he would share it in a manner that I could find compelling instead of just mildly interesting.

A scientist's eye and a writer's eloquence.......2004-05-31

The serendipitous adoption of a gosling sparked several years' close observation of her species as they nested in the bog near biologist Heinrich's Vermont home.

The bog itself, with its variety of teeming life, provides a rich background community, illuminated by Heinrich's breadth of knowledge, curiosity and eloquence. Heinrich's ever-present sense of wonder ("Winter World," "Mind of the Raven") animates his keen scientific eye, quickening a corresponding fascination in the reader.

His observations of geese, "peripheral to swamp watching," began in 1997 when a pair of Canada geese nested on a hummock in the beaver pond where Heinrich came every dawn, mostly to observe the beavers. Habituating himself to the pair, he expected to be able to enjoy a summer of observing their family life, but the day after the goslings hatched, the whole family disappeared, not to be seen again. The same thing happened the next year, and the next.

Meanwhile, in 1998, Heinrich's toddler son acquired a day-old Canada goose, Peep. In just a few short paragraphs Heinrich conveys the manic difficulties of raising goose and toddler together over a summer, and the regret and relief when Peep disappeared one day, presumably to join one of the migrating flocks overhead. It was two years before he saw her again - standing on his gravel driveway with her mate at dawn, after announcing her presence in a raucous flight around his house.

As Peep and her mate, dubbed Pop, showed signs of trying to nest (although Peep was a year younger than the usual nesting age) at the bog pond, Heinrich's enthusiasm for goose watching reached new heights. Often arriving before dawn, he observed the interactions between the resident pair and Peep and Pop as well as other geese that came to the bog looking to nest.

The fights were noisy, dramatic, and puzzling, since there was plenty of room and food for all. But the resident pair drove off all comers and Peep and Pop finally chose a less desirable area nearby. To Heinrich's delight, Peep laid some eggs and the pair settled in. But Peep was not as attentive as older mothers tend to be and her nest was attacked more than once, its eggs tossed out. Though Heinrich did not catch them in the act, he suspected the resident geese in the adjacent pond, as the eggs were not eaten.

While observing Peep and Pop's trials and tribulations as well as feeding and pair bonding behavior, and the dramas enacted between other geese, Heinrich also notes the inexplicable antics of the red-winged blackbirds, the forest-shaping habits of the beavers, and the baby-sitting behaviors of grackles, among many others. He relates the process of habituating the geese to his presence and how Peep's treatment of him differed from that of the wild geese.

Though none ever went so far as Peep and her reluctant mate who visited his yard daily whenever possible, Jane (the resident goose in the main pond) allowed him to examine her nest, even after the eggs had hatched.

Watching the geese over several years, Heinrich reports a number of curious and anomalous behaviors. The myth of the faithful goose explodes in a drama of faithlessness and opportunism any soap opera could be proud of, a drama that helps to explain some of the other puzzling anomalies he notes.

Like any scientist Heinrich reaches theoretical conclusions, but he saves them until the end, allowing the reader to puzzle things out independently. He also includes four appendices: a chronology of geese at the two beaver ponds; a summary of pioneering ethologist (animal behaviorist) Konrad Lorenz' work with the Greylag geese, which Heinrich read extensively after concluding his own observations; a discussion of the races and populations of Canada Geese, and a list of birds found around Beaver Bog. Naturally he also includes an extensive list of sources by topic.

An involving, engaging and vivid writer, Heinrich reminds us how intricate and amazing a place the world is, while illuminating a bit of its mystery.

Average customer rating:

Naturalist Bernd Heinrich and Geese

The Geese of Beaver Bog

Manufacturer: HarperCollin Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0965379760

Customer Reviews:

Naturalist Bernd Heinrich and Geese.......2006-10-25

This book is about Heinrich's family and a Canadian goose. Greater understanding and observations of "Peep", her fellow geese and other swamp denizens.

Average customer rating:

The Geese of Beaver Bog
Bernd Heinrich
Manufacturer: Ecco
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MBZGX8

Average customer rating:

The Geese of Beaver Bog
Bernd Heinrich
Manufacturer: Ecco
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OA5Z56

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