The Glory of the English House: One Hundred Architectural Masterpieces

The Glory of the English House: One Hundred Architectural Masterpieces
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The Glory of the English House: One Hundred Architectural Masterpieces
Lionel Esher
Manufacturer: Bulfinch Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0821218514

The Glory of the English House: One Hundred Architectural Masterpieces
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The Glory of the English House: One Hundred Architectural Masterpieces
Lionel Esher
Manufacturer: Little Brown & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound
ASIN: B000MYR85O

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A sympathetic study of Coleridge's life and work. The development of the man, the poet, and the philosopher is recorded in the light of the strange hallucinations which governed Coleridge's actions and guided his genius._"A brillant account." N.Y. HERALD TRIBUNE

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Coleridge: the Sublime Somnambulist
John Charpentier
Manufacturer: Dodd, Mead and Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JV01BI

The detective and the somnambulist: The murderer and the fortune teller (His detective stories)

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The detective and the somnambulist: The murderer and the fortune teller (His detective stories)
Allan Pinkerton
Manufacturer: Belford
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B00087EK9W

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Mesmerists And Somnambulists - Pamphlet
Eliphas Levi
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1430406380

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THIS 10 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: History of Magic: Including a Clear, and Precise Exposition of its Procedure, Rites and Mysteries, by Eliphas Levi. To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 1564594041.

Revolution and other essays [Somnambulists; Dignity of Dollars; Goliah; Golden Poppy; Shrinkage of the Planet; House Beautiful; Gold Hunters of the North; Foma Gordyeeff; These Bones Shall Rise Again; etc]

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Revolution and other essays [Somnambulists; Dignity of Dollars; Goliah; Golden Poppy; Shrinkage of the Planet; House Beautiful; Gold Hunters of the North; Foma Gordyeeff; These Bones Shall Rise Again; etc]
Jack London
Manufacturer: Mills & Boon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KL43D4

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Somnambulist
Ralph Gibson
Manufacturer: Lustrum Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0912810092

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The Somnambulist
Jonathan Barnes
Manufacturer: William Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0061375381

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You will NOT sleep through this one!
through nightmares and dreamscapes
Original, Surprising, and Very Intense! I couldn't put it down...
A very entertaining read!
Bold, thoughtful, surprising choices; oh, and a little confession...

The Somnambulist
Kirk A Ryan
Manufacturer: iUniverse, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0595381367

Book Description

What if Nazi Germany had built the first atomic bomb? What if the Third Reich had emerged victorious from the ashes of World War II? When the ambitious Colonel Wexel of Hitler's SS starts channeling dark forces, the unspeakable nearly becomes reality.

Standing in the way of such a nightmare are a beautiful, young peasant girl named Annabelle and her protector, a middle-aged German army captain named Martin Schumann. But Annabelle is more than just a starving and traumatized Jewish refugee—she is a powerful witch on the verge of becoming…

The battle takes place on the frozen landscape of Russia's deep interior, where the occupying German army has brutalized a tiny village and a centuries-long drama is stuck on repeat. Annabelle and Schumann's nightmarish existence, meanwhile, plays out in a bewitching world of half-truths, surreal visions, and harrowing experiences. With the outcome of the war—and the fate of the world—hanging in the balance, Captain Schumann is forced to face the past that haunts him, and, in the process, he glimpses the face of evil itself.

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The battle takes place on the frozen landscape of Russia's deep interior, where the occupying German army has brutalized a tiny village and a centuries-long drama is stuck on repeat. Annabelle and Schumann's nightmarish existence, meanwhile, plays out in a bewitching world of half-truths, surreal visions, and harrowing experiences. With the outcome of the war-and the fate of the world-hanging in the balance, Captain Schumann is forced to face the past that haunts him, and, in the process, he glimpses the face of evil itself.

Customer Reviews:

You will NOT sleep through this one!.......2006-07-17

Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (7/06)

This is an excellent novel that offers an alternative history to WWII. In this story, the Third Reich has won the war. The main part of the story takes place in a small Russian village that is being occupied by a German army. Martin Schumann, a German army captain, still being affected by the death of his 8 year old daughter, ten years ago, is dealing with wondering if he is insane or the visions and apparitions that he is seeing are real. As time passes, he realizes that he is not crazy and that his men also are seeing visions of horrible things happening. There are men in the German army that are evil. Martin begins learning about what really has happened to this village in his visions. He also helps hide the presence of a Jewish girl, Annabelle, whose family was brutally murdered. He discovers that she has special powers that can help defeat the evil presence in the village. The battle is on. Martin discovers that he has to fight some of his own men. He also begins seeing the depth of Annabelle's powers.

A somnambulist is a sleepwalker. In this story, they are also people without faith who have spent their whole lives "asleep" not realizing that "the world that they see is the dream, and the Truth lies somewhere underneath." Martin feels that he was one of these people, until he encountered Annabelle. She woke him up to the reality of the world and helped him to see the ongoing fight between good and evil.

This is a great fiction novel, that makes you take your personal thoughts about how life appears to be, and compare them to how life might really be. Ryan is able to write in such a way that you are able to really see what is going on in the story. If it is cold, you feel cold. If there is an evil presence, you feel goose bumps. This makes it a really fun read. I would love to see it turned into a movie.

through nightmares and dreamscapes.......2006-07-11

As if the nightmares of war were not enough, "The Somnambulist" goes into something even worse. Author Kirk Ryan delves deeply into the horrors of war, internment camps, and evil regime, and then pushes further into the depths of the mind, the lure of power, the magic of vengeance.

Wehrmacht Captain Martin Schumann is only trying to survive his assignment but he can feel a presence, something calls to him in the peasant village nearby. Something is seeking revenge. Martin's dead daughter is haunting his dreams, in reality warning him of the danger that lurks. He finds that he has been sleepwalking, and in the midst of war and winter in Russia, this is definitely not a good thing. Perhaps, he is being led in his sleep by his daughter. But why then are others in his company experiencing similar things? There is a magical presence in the camp that will not let certain soldiers rest.

SS Colonel Wexel is trying to harness an evil power. His efforts to contain the opposing power, a young Russian witch hiding in the village, have thus far failed. She is being helped and he intends to put a stop to that. His rewards will be great, in his mind...the knowledge of the Atom Bomb would be in Nazi hands. The dragon has promised him this. What power can stop him? The witch is the latest in a series of eight Valkeries who have battled evil. Will she prevail and avenge the deaths of her family, of her country?

Kirk Ryan has written a powerful book, rich with vivid descriptions, deep characters, military detail and mystical lore. It is a trip into the minds of men and the struggle of good versus evil. The journey is sometimes confusing; through nightmares and dreamscapes, but in the end the plot is quite clear. This is an outstanding book, which history lovers as well as horror readers will enjoy.

Review by Heather Froeschl

Original, Surprising, and Very Intense! I couldn't put it down..........2006-06-18

The story opens with the narrator rolling into occupied Russia during the heady early days of Hitler's mad gamble to conquer the Soviet Union. Martin, the story's first-person narrator, has been reassigned to the Russion backwoods to supervise a platoon of recovering wounded who themselves are guarding a number of Red Army prisoners. Martin's camp lies outside a local village; he is instructed to make contact with its survivors and report about the village's production potential.

Martin's "war diary" quickly turns into a combination ghost-story-murder-mystery. His old nightmares return - even while he is awake - usually with very inopportune timing. Mattie, the ghost of Martin's beloved daughter, pays an unusual visit - to warn her living father of mounting danger, and to caution him against a fate worse than death. Martin has his written orders (which must be obeyed - the SS apparently has little patience with insubordnates in war zones), but with Mattie's guidance, Martin unlocks the mystery of a second, much more important directive - find Annabelle and save her from a madman who means to kill her.

At first, the setting and tone reminded me of F. Paul Wilson's 1980 masterpiece, The Keep. But Ryan's story is much more enjoyable because of Martin's painfully honest, microscopically perceptive, and oh yeah, witty, narrative. Because Martin is such a down-to-earth guy, a forty-something antihero that holds nothing back - including his own shortcomings - I had no trouble believing every word of his incredible story, right up to the FURIOUSLY intense climax.

Any reader out there who still chokes down Koontz's unimaginative stories over the past few years would absolutely love this book. Seriously - this airtight thriller is as good as the King ever was on his best day.

A very entertaining read!.......2006-06-12

I had the pleasure of reading Mr.Ryans' first novel several months ago. The book is an amazing and exciting mix of history, horror and fantasy. As a long time fan of authors like King and Koontz, I have a high level of expectation. Despite this, I found the story line absorbing, the fantasy fantastic and the horror bewitching! I am really looking forward to Mr. Ryans next effort and my own opportunity to be swept away to another place, time and dimension...
djp

Bold, thoughtful, surprising choices; oh, and a little confession..........2006-05-31

At the pinnacle of WW2 Germany's regular army (the Wehrmacht) swept through Russia, capturing over one million square kilometers and many more prisoners. At the same time certain unseen, malevolent forces, both human and non-, were mustering power in secret for the Third Reich. Inevitably, Hitler would develop the Atomic bomb first...unless the side of the angels can intervene in time.

Tangled somewhere in the middle of all this is Internment Camp 660, where Captain Schumann and his unit of 31 enlisted men are literally living their nightmares. Somehow, the separation between waking reality and the supernatural has grown thin there. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Schumann had been haunted for years by the memory of his departed daughter Mattie, and now it would seem that her ghost is actively guiding him through the surreal dreamscape of Loza's frozen forests. Somewhere out there is a portal through which evil is being channeled - and some answers.

The Somnambulist was a pleasant surprise for me, as I was expecting something more along the lines of straight horror; what we have here is more of a gothic/speculative historical. Indeed, the author's unusual attention to the details and mores of this time period is impressive, betraying much more than a passing interest or (typical of most other novelists I would suppose) cursory research for the feeling of authenticity. As the ironic hero of the tale, Schumann lends a perceptive, even painfully honest first person narrative throughout the events of his present and through flashbacks that reveal more pieces of the puzzle. There is also in the style and pacing a noticeable influence of Stephen King, one of my favorite authors in any genre that he has put his mind to. Good, solid plot structure with some nice twists, atmosphere, empathetic characters, and best of all, original ideas to mull over - that's a good story by any other name.

I've been agonizing over this review for a week after finishing the Somnambulist because there is the little matter of a revelation which I feel that I owe to the readers of these reviews. You see, Kirk A. Ryan is my own dear brother-in-law. I mention this only so as to avoid even the appearance of deception on my part.

(Now please don't dismiss this review out of hand because you assume that I must be biased. First, the only favor here was when I initially agreed to read The Somnambulist; the rest was purely my pleasure. Secondly, I have a deep personal loathing of shill reviews. As far as I'm concerned, "shiller" is another way of saying "liar" or even "prostitute", if paid. I don't do that. Thus, my "confession". ) Now then...

I recommend the Somnambulist for anybody who enjoys a fresh new perspective on history, mythology, and supernatural themes in their fiction reading. Bravo, well done; the bar has now been raised considerably higher for all first time novelists. When can we expect more?
-Andrea, aka Merribelle

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Somnambulist 9
Martha Grover
Manufacturer: UNSPECIFIED VENDOR
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VF8U24

Book Description

Goblins have always been one of the most popular creatures of fantasy games. Continuing the highly successful series of Slayer's Guides, this volume expands on goblins' society, psychology, habitat, tactics, and much more, making this a surefire hit.

Book Description

Technological capabiliety is driving what has become known as the Information Age.

Customer Reviews:

Winning With Information the Timmerman Way.......1999-12-22

WINNING THE INFORMATION GAME is 153 pages of insight into using information, feedback and communications to the betterment of you and your company. You find yourself agreeing with the author because he has the knack of telling a good story, and explaining the rationale behind his recommendations. In many cases he points out the pitfalls from doing it other ways - which should make a few re-think their modius operendi. I've read many of the books and references Tim Timmerman cites such as "Unleashing the Killer App..," "Real Work," "A Complaint is a Gift," and the Scott Adams' books, et. al. In my mind, they all belong in your library - after you've read them and put their knowledge into practice. Tim's book belongs right next to all the other great management and leadership books you already enjoy. His seven steps will help you take a giant leap by taking advantage of some very well thought out strategies and battle tested learning experiences. I strongly urge you read this book and put its lessons into practice.

Information Age and People.......1999-11-22

Timmerman's WINNING THE INFORMATION GAME is a refreshing look at what is happening with the onslaught of information technology and, more importantly, what needs to be done to master this seemingly unbridled monster. The seven steps to market domination provide an excellent map for executives traveling the information highway in a way that adds knowledge value, not just information or data. Each addresses a critical issue in the capabilities of technology and our ability as managers to know and use it. The book's emphasis is not so much on knowledge management as it is on effective knowledge use.

Timmerman points out the essential requirement that today's executives and managers need to be very savvy about information technology as a business lever. The emphasis in the book on the need for a mind-set change for business leaders as it pertains to information and knowledge management as part of their managerial tool kit is well-placed.

This book offers a different and, in my view, a much needed new approach to the integration of knowledge as it pertains to the customer and to a company's people. Timmerman has successfully joined the hard stuff of information technology with the soft stuff of managing (or more critically, leading) people.

The chapter on avoiding the information highway pitfalls is a must read for business executives. Clear and straightforward, it is a non-technical guide well thought out.

WINNING THE INFORMATION GAME needs to be on the desk of any executive who wants to enhance his or her effectiveness in the next century. I see the book's message as: information technology needs to be in the hands of the managers, not the technologists.

Book Description

Real estate activity across national boundaries (investment, development and asset management) is firmly established as a major component of global economic activity. International Real Estate provides the understanding of real estate strategies and transactions that cross national boundaries. International organizations lament the narrow perspective of professionals in the real estate field, which stems from training that takes a parochial rather than international view of the practices and processes of real estate markets.This book takes an explicitly international perspective to the decision-making process leading to final 'accept' or 'reject' investment decisions. It will be the first to adopt an institutional approach that directly addresses the problems of how to identify and avoid the main pitfalls of cross-border investment in real estate. The key to understanding international real estate comes from understanding the impact on investment and management decisions of differences in the formal and informal 'rules of the game'. The authors define the key feature of international real estate as the institutions that frame, facilitate or impede investment in land and buildings across national boundaries.

Transboundary Water Resources Management:: Institutional and Engineering Approaches (NATO ASI Series / Partnership Sub-Series/ 2. Environment)

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Transboundary Water Resources Management:: Institutional and Engineering Approaches (NATO ASI Series / Partnership Sub-Series/ 2. Environment)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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

Natural Resources | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Environmental Science | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 3540607145

Book Description

In a world facing a growing water crisis, conflicts regarding water sharing and environmental issues are expected to grow, especially in transboundary river basins, where 40% of the world's population lives.
This book represents one of the first attempts to bring together methodologies and analytical tools from socio-economic, international policy, engineering, and water management specialists dealing with transboundary water resources. The book is divided into three parts. Part I introduces state--of-the-art concepts in institutional policy and conflict analysis. Part II presents engineering approaches and models for transboundary water management and conflict resolution. Part III analyzes cases in international river basins and enclosed seas.

Amazon.com

Almost half of the 35 million Americans who live with chronic pain have not found a way to control their pain effectively. "Pain can be minimized, even when the cause of the pain cannot be removed," writes pain-management specialist (physiatrist) Emile Hiesiger, M.D. He describes an array of medicines and treatments that are available to treat pain effectively and efficiently. "There is no magic bullet," says Hiesiger, "but there is an arsenal of weapons, small and large, that can fight a successful war against chronic pain."

Hiesiger, who has been featured on several "best doctors" lists, is the kind of doctor we all search for: passionate and compassionate. He encourages you to complain, describe your pain, get your pain diagnosed, overcome any fear/dislike of medications, explore your options, and go beyond your HMO coverage when necessary. Some alternative treatments can help in conjunction with medication, he says, but expresses impatience with alternative treatments that do not control your pain in the long term. He describes an array of medications, how they work, their side effects, when they're the appropriate choice, and what to expect from them. Then he covers a variety of chronic-pain sites and conditions: headaches; muscles, bones, and joints; back; neuropathic (nerve damage); sports injuries; gynecologic; and cancer. For each, he explain causes of pain (with diagrams), diagnosis, and treatment options. Case studies bring the information home. If chronic pain causes physical and emotional agony for you or a loved one, this book is a must-read. --Joan Price

Book Description

Your pain is real -- and you can do something about it!

Chronic pain sufferers are often met by misdiagnosis, insufficient medical treatment, and just plain disbelief. Pain-management expert Dr. Emile Hiesiger says physical pain is both real and treatable. A noted neurologist at New York University School of Medicine, Dr. Hiesiger treats pain sufferers from all over the world and has become their champion in their fight to live without debilitating pain. Your Pain Is Real is the most complete, authoritative, and hopeful book on the subject of chronic pain relief ever published.

For the more than 35 million people who suffer from chronic pain, Your Pain Is Real offers revolutionary ways to relieve all types and degrees of painful conditions. Whether you suffer from headaches, neck aches, upper or lower-back aches, nerve pain, arthritis, rheumatism, osteoporosis, tendinitis, sports injuries, abdominal pain, gynecological problems, or even cancer, this invaluable resource offers breakthrough medical treatments, clear guidelines for seeking expert care, and the latest scientific findings on pain management.

So how do you find the appropriate care for chronic pain? Dr. Hiesiger offers numerous practical tips and suggestions, such as:Make sure your doctor believes that pain is personal and subjective and understands the full range of pain syndromes and their causes and treatments.Be certain that you obtain an accurate diagnosis, complete with high-quality images and studies if necessary.Know what you can do to prevent and alleviate pain; for instance, keep your weight down, exercise, eat right, and pay attention to your posture.Don't fear medication and, with the help of your physician, find the drug that works for you, from Tylenol to narcotics to antidepressant and antiseizure medications.

Pain can be minimized even when the causes of it cannot be eliminated. Your Pain Is Real is the essential medical, social, and financial resource on how to get not only proper treatment but excellent care.

Customer Reviews:

A Must Read!.......2004-05-17

Finally a book written by a real doctor with real advise and solutions, for real people who are in real pain! A great book that is good for both patients and doctors.

pain is real.... DUH???.......2001-08-14

you want to see pain. Try going down to first methodist on friday night and see the guys with testicular cancer.... thats pain.

Solid, realistic methods of dealing with chronic pain........2001-05-14

This book is one of the best I've read on a poorly understood condition. (Chronic pain) There are numerous coping methods and drug therapies available, as the book so clearly explains. It is crucial to have supportive medical help. This book leaves you with a sense of being a partner in your treatment rather than a passive patient. There is solid information on nearly every kind of pain and the treatments thereof. A very well written and researched work. The book is informative without being condescending. I have no qualms recomending this book to anyone. It addresses so many facets of pain so well. An invaluable resource.

Customer Reviews:

Dominator Flashback.......2000-01-21

I have always heard a great deal about the B-32 from my father who was a B-32 flight engineer during WW-II. But due to the low production numbers there is not that much out there on it. Getting this book for dad for christmas was a great gift. He enjoyed it very much and the accuracy of the information was right on. This book is a rare find and a great gift for those lookin for info on a little known aircraft.

Hope Is the Thing with Feathers: A Personal Chronicle of Vanished Birds
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Wow.

The Lives and Demises of 6 Extinct North American Bird Species.

Excellent coverage of six amazing birds

A hidden gem - - beautiful poetic writing

A wonderful book - definitely required reading

Hope Is the Thing with Feathers: A Personal Chronicle of Vanished Birds
Christopher Cokinos
Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Water Supply | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
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The Grail Bird: The Rediscovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker

The Ghost with Trembling Wings: Science, Wishful Thinking and the Search for Lost Species

The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker

The Race to Save the Lord God Bird (The Boston Globe-Horn Book Award (Awards))

The Silent Sky: The Incredible Extinction of the Passenger Pigeon

ASIN: 0446677493

Amazon.com

In sifting through the ornithological records, Cokinos learned that another brightly colored bird once haunted the skies over eastern Kansas: the Carolina parakeet, long ago driven to extinction by hunting and habitat destruction. Hope Is the Thing with Feathers, a mournful and beautifully written book, offers a powerful meditation on the parakeet's fate, as well as that of other extinct species that lived in North America until the early years of the 20th century: the great auk, the Labrador duck, the heath hen, the passenger pigeon. In a rejoinder to Peter Matthiessen's Wildlife in America, Cokinos celebrates these ghost species, urging the protection of those that remain. "These days hope asks much from us," he allows, grimly observing the carnage that has gone before us. But hope remains, he adds, that some day endangered species will flourish once again. --Gregory McNamee

Book Description

A decade ago, new to the Flint Hills of eastern Kansas, poet, journalist, and amateur birder Christopher Cokinos spotted an unusual sight: a pair of green parrotlike birds in flight, chased by a hawk. Uncertain of what he had seen, he turned to his guidebooks and neighbors to discover, eventually, that he had likely spotted a couple of escaped pet conures, tropical birds that were likely to offer some lucky predator an exotic lunch. In sifting through the ornithological records, Cokinos learned that another brightly colored bird once haunted the skies over eastern Kansas: the Carolina parakeet, long ago driven to extinction by hunting and habitat destruction. Hope Is the Thing with Feathers, a mournful and beautifully written book, offers a powerful meditation on the parakeet's fate, as well as that of other extinct species that lived in North America until the early years of the 20th century: the great auk, the Labrador duck, the heath hen, the passenger pigeon. In a rejoinder to Peter Matthiessen's Wildlife in America, Cokinos celebrates these ghost species, urging the protection of those that remain. "These days hope asks much from us," he allows, grimly observing the carnage that has gone before us. But hope remains, he adds, that some day endangered species will flourish once again. --Gregory McNamee

Customer Reviews:

Wow........2006-04-06

Wow, this is an amazing book. I bought it last April, and was reading the section on the Ivory-Bill when I found out that it was rediscovered. But, this book is simply amazing. If only more people would read and be inspired by this book, then, maybe, there wouldn't be as much of a problem with the enviorment.

The Lives and Demises of 6 Extinct North American Bird Species........2005-11-24

"Hope is the Thing with Feathers" profiles 6 North American bird species that are now extinct: the Carolina Parakeet, Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, Heath Hen, Passenger Pigeon, Labrador Duck (Sand Shoal Duck), and the Great Auk. Most of these species became extinct -or were presumed to be extinct in the case of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker- in the early 20th century, although the Labrador Duck and Great Auk disappeared in the 19th century with less documentation. Author Christopher Cokinos takes the reader on his personal journey to learn about these birds and shares with us all that he finds. He discusses where these species were, what the birds ate, what is known of how they behaved, why they became extinct -which is not always clear, and the people who studied them. Of particular interest to me are the detailed accounts of the last living birds of these species, some of whom were closely observed.

I was surprised to learn that humans did try to protect most of these species at some point before they were wiped out. It was often a case of too little too late, but the disturbing thing is that legislation designed to protect the birds was sometimes passed with time to spare but was not adequately enforced. It isn't as if the extinctions took people by surprise. The greatest threat to the birds was loss of habitat, i.e. logging of old growth forests, but disease, politics and hunting played their parts. How extraordinary that the ubiquitous passenger pigeon, once the most populous bird in the world at a frightening 3-5 billion, up to 2 billion in a single flock, could be completely wiped out in about 50 years due to overhunting and loss of mast-producing forests. Even those familiar with the passenger pigeon's demise will find some new information here. Christopher Cokinos has dug up and verified the details of the shooting of the last wild passenger pigeon by Press Clay Southworth in 1900, including an account in Mr. Southworth's own written words.

I wish there were more photographs of the lovely Carolina Parakeet, but the 2 photos that are included are truly engaging. It's astonishing that this bright, affectionate, adorable parrot that could easily be bred in captivity was allowed to die out. If profit could not coax anyone to breed the birds for the pet trade, the degree of apathy is incomprehensible. I have often read that the Carolina Parakeet was hunted to extinction by farmers protecting their crops, but Cokinos takes issue with that claim, asserting that the major cause was habitat loss, but why the species died out entirely seems to be a mystery. "Hope Is the Thing with Feathers" is an evocative and informative chronicle of 6 North American bird species that are no more, some of which were quite common in their day. It must have been remarkable to look out the window and see a flock of shimmering green Carolina Parakeets in the trees -in the dead of winter, no less!

Excellent coverage of six amazing birds.......2004-12-25

In _Hope is the Thing with Feathers_ (the title is taken from a line in an Emily Dickinson poem), author Christopher Cokinos sought to relay some of the natural and human history of six vanished birds of North America.

The first bird he examined is the Carolina Parakeet, once a relatively common bird that ranged in noisy flocks across the eastern U.S., north to Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, and New York, south to the Gulf Coast states, west to Kansas, Nebraska, and eastern Colorado. This bird with a "luminous plumage of green, yellow and red" frequented wooded rivers and bottomlands. Once a delight to many Americans the birds unfortunately were persecuted as a threat to crops, for the caged bird industry, and for the demands of women's fashion. Cokinos suggested though that the main cause for its extinction was habitat destruction. Two related theories of extinction were that the thick bamboo canebrakes once common in the bird's range were mostly cleared out for farmland. In addition to providing food, the bamboo may have given a vital breeding stimulus to the bird (as like bamboo, the parakeets apparently did not breed each year). The second theory is that the bird may have been denied the hollow trees it required for roosting and nesting by the rapid spread across the continent by the European honeybee.

Next Cokinos had a lengthy section on the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, once known as the Lord God Bird (presumably because observers would blurt "Lord God!" when they spied the nearly two foot long bird with the two and a half foot wingspan). Once the second largest woodpecker in the world (Mexico's Imperial Woodpecker is larger) it ranged across bottomland forests and swamps in the South, west to eastern Texas, north to Missouri, southern Illinois, southern Indiana, and southern Ohio. Though hunted (later largely by collectors, shooting it in fact because they were going extinct), the bird appears to have perished due to habitat destruction. An extreme specialist, it occupied a niche "almost as slender as a feather;" it primarily fed upon beetle larvae from trees that had only been dead for two or three years. Though they also included seeds and fruits in their diets, they became extremely site dependent on places that yielded the larvae that they favored. Interesting coverage of the Brand-Cornell University-American Museum of Natural History Ornithological Expedition led by Arthur Allen that set out in 1935 on a 15,000 mile scientific expedition to record the sounds of wild birds using brand new technology - one of the places they visited was the Singer Tract in Louisiana where news came out that the last Ivory-bills were found; and the bitter (and lost) fight to save the Singer Tract from destruction by loggers.

Next Cokinos examined the Heath Hen, an extinct subspecies of Greater Prairie Chicken. The bird once favored dry, brushy habitat with low trees as well as meadows from Maine to the Carolinas (though primarily from New Jersey up to Connecticut and Massachusetts). Once called by naturalists - along with its western cousin - the pinnated grouse owing to the dangling neck feathers on the males called pinnae - the bird perished on the American mainland by 1870 thanks to loss of habitat due to fire suppression and farming as well as relentless overhunting. The bird survived on the island of Martha's Vineyard and Cokinos covered at length the intense struggle as well as the political infighting over trying to save the bird there. Despite intense hunting of "vermin" (including feral cats, rats, owls, and hawks), planting of crops to feed the Heath Hen, and other efforts, through a run of bad luck the bird finally perished; the last of its kind apparently died in 1932 in the wild, known from close examination to have been an incredibly old male seven to nine years in age (average lifespan in the wild was one year). The author discussed efforts to reintroduce the Greater Prairie Chicken to Martha's Vineyard while highlighting the plight of the possibly doomed Attwater's Prairie-Chicken of Texas and Louisiana, which in 1999 has a total population of 146.

The Passenger Pigeon was the next subject. After impressing upon the reader just how astronomically abundant it once was (one early 1800s flock was estimated to have 2.2 billion birds and a nesting colony in Wisconsin as late as 1871 covered 850 square miles and had 135 million birds), Cokinos related how this bird was systematically destroyed by market hunters, for a time by the cruel trapshooting business (birds were collected to serve as live target practice), and due to habitat clearance (the birds were heavily reliant on the massive amount of mast (nuts) produced by oak, chestnut, and beech trees). The author went into a great deal of detail about the last known wild pigeon ("Buttons," so called because once mounted its eyes were in fact buttons for a time) and the last pigeon period ("Martha" from the Cincinnati Zoo).

A smaller chapter focuses on the Labrador Duck. A handsome sea duck also called the Skunk Duck and Pie or Pied Duck, this somewhat poorly known waterfowl had a large and odd-looking bill that aided the bird in its search for sand-buried shellfish. The range of the bird was the eastern seaboard though where it bred is still open to conjecture. Cokinos and others speculated that the bird - never common to start with - may have perished due to loss of shellfish due to overharvesting and sewage runoff and thanks to increased ice packs from the Little Ice Age (which lasted till the 1850s), which may have interfered with breeding sites and aided some predators.

Cokinos closed with a by comparison slim chapter on the Great Auk, an interesting chapter that could have been a bit longer. I was struck by the long human contact with them - their images have been found in 20,000 year old French cave art and bones in 4,000 old Newfoundland graves - with care they could have survived to today.

A hidden gem - - beautiful poetic writing.......2004-10-27

This is a great book.

It's a sad one in realizing the destruction of various bird species. The chronicles of various species during the late 19th/early 20th century are astonishing to read. It was incredible to read and learn of biologists determined to collect species before they vanished - rather than attempt to preserve them.

Particularly entertaining (in an ironic and sick sort of way) was the tale of the last man to shoot the last Passenger Pigeon. The author did an incredible amount of research and weaves a delightful short story worthy of the purchase of this book in itself.

The writing is simple yet incredibly deep; it brings home an important and moving message that can be understood by a variety of audiences - even those who may not be particularly interested in nature, birds or environmental causes. Poetic and beautifully wrapped up. The only troubling portion of the book is the outcome of the fate of these species - obviously not the fault of the author, who provides a hope of preserving "what we still have" - it is moving, nonetheless ...

A wonderful book!!!

A wonderful book - definitely required reading.......2002-11-07

Although it chronicles several chapters of bull-headed human stupidity, this book also documents the painstaking efforts of the many people who worked hard to save these vanished creatures, and offers some hope that the future need not repeat the past. At times sad, but also funny, and even joyful despite the material.

Hope is the Thing with Feathers: A Personal Chronicle of Vanished Birds

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Hope is the Thing with Feathers: A Personal Chronicle of Vanished Birds
Christopher Cokinos
Manufacturer: J.P. Tarcher/Putnam c2000
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000ONCYI4

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