The Architecture of Deconstruction: Derrida's Haunt

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A ghost dance with a conspiracy theorist

A ghost dance with a conspiracy theorist

The Architecture of Deconstruction: Derrida's Haunt
Mark Wigley
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Criticism | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Urban & Land Use Planning | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
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Chora l Works

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ASIN: 0262731142

Book Description

Nowhere, Mark Wigley asserts, are the stakes higher for deconstruction than in architecture -- architecture is the Achilles' heel of deconstructive discourse, the point of vulnerability upon which all of its arguments depend.

By locating the architecture already hidden within deconstructive discourse, Wigley opens up more radical possibilities for both architecture and deconstruction. He tracks the tacit argument about architecture embedded within Jacques Derrida's discourse, a curious line of argument that passes through each of the philosopher's texts, provocatively turning Derrida's reading strategy back on his texts to expose the architectural dimension of their central notions like law, economy, writing, place, domestication, translation, spacing, laughter, and dance.

Customer Reviews:

A ghost dance with a conspiracy theorist.......1999-01-25

Originally written as a PhD thesis in 1986, this book should have been published sooner than it was (1993) because it forewarns just where Jacques Derrida's elusive philosophy was taking us - to a ghost dance, specifically to Derrida's latest ill-fated attempt to prove the ethico-political relevance of his Deconstruction in his book, Specters of Marx, 1993. The Architecture of Deconstruction focuses on Derrida's essays on Husserl (Introduction to the Origin of Geometry) and on Abraham and Torok (Fors) rather than Derrida's essays on architecture (there are enough now to full a book, many concerning Plato's intriguing use of the word Chora, but in '86 there was only one published) in order, writes Wigley, "to think the covert architectural economy of his (Derrida's) work", thus, a poverty of resource is disguised as a guiding principle. Wigley had ample opportunity to correct this before publishing but he chose not to. The core of Wigley's thesis is that there exists an unspoken contract between architecture and philosophy. The former lends itself to the latter as a cluster of metaphors for stability (spatially systematised concepts inside built on solid foundations outside) and in return architectural discourse is granted the authority and respectability of higher learning that only philosophy can give. And like all good conspiracy theories this is a self-fulfilling prophesy: someone will inevitably contradict you, thereby proving the conspiracy is operative by attempting to cover it up. If anything, this book proves that conspiracy theories do indeed work, but when Deconstruction dances, its partner will always be a ghost.

A ghost dance with a conspiracy theorist.......1999-01-25

Originally written as a PhD thesis in 1986, this book should have been published sooner than it was (1993) because it forewarns just were Jacques Derrida's elusive philosophy was taking us - to a ghost dance, specifically to Derrida's latest ill-fated attempt to prove the ethico-political relevance of his Deconstruction in his book, Specters of Marx, 1993. The Architecture of Deconstruction focuses on Derrida's essays on Husserl (Introduction to the Origin of Geometry) and on Abraham and Torok (Fors) rather than Derrida's essays on architecture (there are enough now to full a book, many concerning Plato's intriguing use of the word Chora, but in '86 there was only one published) in order, writes Wigley, "to think the covert architectural economy of his (Derrida's) work", thus, a poverty of resource is disguised as a guiding principle. Wigley had ample opportunity to correct this before publishing but he chose not to. The core of Wigley's thesis is that there exists an unspoken contract between architecture and philosophy. The former lends itself to the latter as a cluster of metaphors for stability (spatially systematised concepts inside built on solid foundations outside) and in return architectural discourse is granted the authority and respectability of higher learning that only philosophy can give. And like all good conspiracy theories this is a self-fulfilling prophesy: someone will inevitably contradict you, thereby proving the conspiracy is operative by attempting to cover it up. If anything, this book proves that conspiracy theories do indeed work, but when Deconstruction dances, its partner will always be a ghost.

The Architecture of Deconstruction - Derrida's Haunt

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The Architecture of Deconstruction - Derrida's Haunt
Mark WIGLEY
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OQ5050

Amazon.com

The corner drugstore used to be a prescription for happiness in America. Sweethearts met at the soda fountain after school, kids picked out penny candy, and when you needed a certain medicine refilled, it was a friend and neighbor who did the work. But with the arrival of shopping malls and national discount chains, the Main Street drugstore has almost disappeared from the American landscape.

In Do Pharmacists Sell Farms?, author Vince Staten provides a folksy and funny account of the social history of pharmacies and their products, along with some sober and revealing lessons about marketing and business. What Staten, a freelance writer, did for hardware stores in a previous book, Did Monkeys Invent the Monkey Wrench?, he does for the corner drugstore in this book. Instead of zeroing in on hammers and nails, Staten takes an intriguing look at the evolution of the drugstore products we now take for granted, such as sanitary napkins and toothpaste. For example, did you know it was an accident that helped make Ivory soap so popular? One day, a Procter & Gamble worker goofed and mixed in too much air to a batch of the famous soap. Some mishap. The customers loved the way the soap popped up in their bath water--they wanted more of "the soap that floats," something that P & G was happy to supply.

In many ways, the corner drugstore grew up with America's increasingly consumer- and market-driven economy. But it has also become victim to the same forces, with the rise of McDonald's leading to the decline of the drugstore soda fountain. While the book is a funny valentine to corner drugstores, it isn't a "With Deepest Sympathy" card (yes, greeting cards are another item Staten describes). As he concludes, "This is the final chapter in this book. But it's only the first chapter in the saga of the corner drugstores, the opening act in a struggle to see if any semblance of drugstores as we knew them and loved them can survive." --Dan Ring

Book Description

Do you remember standing in front of the pharmacist, trying to work up the nerve to ask him for that last essential item for tonight's big date? Or maybe staring at the home-permanent display, wondering, "Should I or shouldn't I?" Do you recall where these and other high altars of onrushing adulthood were located? The corner drugstore.

No small town was complete without one. Along with the grocery and the hardware store, the corner drugstore was one of the essential institutions a town needed. Vince Staten has already written about the first two of these in Can You Trust a Tomato in January? and Did Monkeys Invent the Monkey Wrench? In Do Pharmacists Sell Farms? Staten takes on the third in an effort to explore and capture the heart of this American institution before it disappears.

Staten takes us back to a time when the corner drugstore was the place where mothers met in the morning to trade gossip, where businessmen met in the afternoon to lunch and cut deals, and where teenagers gathered after school for a soda and a smile. It was also the place where many people had what their doctor was doing to them explained so they could actually understand it. But just as the town square has lost its luster and been replaced by the mall, the corner drugstore has given way to the superstore.

Return with us to the days when the soda jerk ruled the social scene and True Confessions was the hot magazine at the newsstand. Here Staten will walk you one last time through those narrow, cluttered aisles and answer many of the questions that have plagued customers since time immemorial. What is this V7 that makes Vitalis so wonderful? How does Grecian Formula know what color my hair used to be? What ever happened to Preparations A-G? Did Trojans use Trojans?

With inimitable style and wit, Staten offers the stories behind the salves, nostrums, and patent medicines that you could once find on every corner, giving us the secret histories of all the people, places, and above all, things that made up this centerpiece of Americana. So whether you're reliving your own memories or wishing to experience the sights and smells of the corner drugstore for the first time. Do Pharmacists Sell Farms? Is the next best thing to sitting at the counter sipping an ice cream soda on a sunny summer afternoon.

Customer Reviews:

Not what I expected.......2005-05-23

Before I read this book, I thought it would be a nostalgic recollection of the drug stores of yesteryear, or a travelogue of the author's visits to some of the excellent examples of old time drug stores still remaining. It is partly nostalgic recollection, but I suspect that the only drug store the author visited while researching this book is his local drug store in Prospect, KY. Instead, the book's main purpose seems to be to describe the various products typically sold in drug stores, provide some historical information about each, and cite sales figures and market share for the products described in the book. Some of the historical information is facinating, but the sales and market share information is quite mundane. The most interesting part of that information is a glaring error made in Chapter 6. In describing the market for cold tablets, Staten says "The cold tablet category alone accounted for $2 billion in sales in 1996. Compare that to the gross national product of say, Greenland. I'll do it for you. The GNP of Greenland 1996 was $500 million. That means we have more colds than Greenland has country...Cold and allergy liquids were good for more than half a billion dollars in sales. That's nothing to sneeze at. Or maybe it is-that's half a billion. That still way more than Greenland." No, thanks, Mr. Staten, I'll pass on letting you do the comparision for me, since you don't know that half a billion and $500 million are the same thing!! Fact checking is obviously not Staten's forte. As he does in his most recent book, Kentucky Curiosities, Staten incorrectly states in this book that the sale of alcohol is illegal in Bourbon County, Kentucky. Ignorance also creeps into some of the opinions he expresses in the book. In his description of Tagamet HB 200, he says "Is heartburn a major national health concern? Well, not exactly. How many people do you know who have died from it? How many 2 a.m. TV commercials have you seen for the National Heartburn Foundation? Heartburn is an inconvenience. Which is not to say it isn't real or doesn't cause serious pain. But for most people, heartburn can be relieved by simply swallowing an antacid, say, a Rolaids or Tums tablet or a spoonful of Maalox or Di-Gel." Hey, Dr. Staten, where did you get your medical degree? As a person who has acid reflux disease and is the parent of a 12 year old who has a severe reflux from which she nearly died when she was eight months old, I can assure you that acid reflux, of which heartburn can be a symptom, is a serious medical condition. The author seems to suggest that heartburn is always due to overeating, and hence, the purpose of antacids is to allow a person to overeat without any consequences. Pure hogwash. As of this review, Staten has written 11 books. I am convinced that he is able to be such a prolific author because he skips a very important step: fact checking. Here's hoping he at least teaches fact checking to the students in his features writing classes at the University of Louisville.

Poor follow up to "Can you trust a tomato in January?".......2001-06-20

I was very dissapointed with this book. I suppose I expected a better, intelectual history of the corner drugstore, but what I read was a poor and sophmoric diatribe. Please do not waste your money. Mr Staten has written better. I suppose I will need to check his other work at the library before I purchase again. Also, do not be deceived, "Did Trojans use trojans" is the same nonesense in paperback form.

Amusing truths of the commong "drugstore".......1998-07-13

Enjoyable light reading, this book has many little known facts that will astound professionals as well as the general public. Vince Staten remembers well a slowly fading side of Pharmacy. Slightly superficial, but not meant to be anything but entertaining. All in all, excellent.

Do Pharmacists Sell Farms : A Trip Inside the Corner Drugstore

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Do Pharmacists Sell Farms : A Trip Inside the Corner Drugstore
Vince Staten
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OLSL7O

Average customer rating:

Excellent Publication

Excellent book for people in this field

The Definitive Work

Technical topic made easy to understand

Incoterms for Americans (Fully Revised for Incoterms 2000)
Frank Reynolds
Manufacturer: International Projects
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | International | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Sales & Selling | Marketing & Sales | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Incoterms 2000: ICC Official Rules for the Interpretation of Trade Terms

ICC Guide to Incoterms 2000

Export/Import Procedures and Documentation (Export/Import Procedures & Documentation)

A Short Course in International Trade Documentation

Uniform Customs & Practice for Documentary Credits (ICC Publication)

ASIN: 1886457069

Book Description

Incoterms for Americans describes the thirteen International Chamber of Commerce Incoterms terms of sale in clear American business English, with proforma invoice illustrations. Fully revised for Incoterms 2000, this book is written for U.S. exporters, importers, freight forwarders, Customs brokers, foreign trade bankers and their overseas counterparts who wish to do business with them.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Publication.......2007-05-18

Frank Reynolds has produced a comprehensive interpretation of the global language of international trade in a format that is easily understandable by Americans involved in international commerce. First published in 1936 by the Paris-based International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Incoterms 2000 are the latest revised set of 13 international commercial terms recognized as the standard trade terms of international business.

Used by importers/exporters, they define the roles, responsibilities and obligations of buyers/sellers in transactions involving the international movements of goods and help to eliminate misunderstandings as to the term of trade by which a particular transaction is being conducted. They help define the point at which the responsibilities, risks and obligations of the seller end and begin for the buyer and the required documents that must be generated for official and commercial purposes.

As some of the Incoterms, when defined, may be in conflict with similar terms of sale (such as EX Works, FOB) as used for domestic business and found in the official United States legal code - the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), the author thoroughly explains the difference and highlights the adjustments needed when considering similar Incoterms for international transactions.

The book clearly describes the meaning of each Incoterm, explains the buyer-seller responsibilities under each term and illustrates what a typical pro-forma invoice would reflect on a proposed export transaction. With each Incoterm described, it also offers an American perspective on best practices and recommendations from the author's numerous years of trade experience and his enviable position as the US delegate on the ICC drafting committee that revised the terms that resulted in Incoterms 2000.

Of particular interest especially to inexperienced American exporters, the author offers some very important caveats covering such areas as port customs, insurance considerations, potential confusions in regards to the difference between shipment and delivery terms, the use of appropriate terms that best fit particular transactions, compliance with US Export Control and Incoterm limitations. Although published in 1999, this edition is still up-to-date as the subject matter it addresses is still current as of the date of this review in 2007. Readers may, however, be mindful that the reference made in the publication to the Uniform Customs and Practices for Documentary Credit (UCP500) - the rules that govern letters of credit transactions - will be replaced by a revised set of rules (UCP600) on July 1, 2007.

Since the new UCP600 rules no longer provide for 'revocable' credits, it will no longer be necessary to stipulate in the payment term section of the pro-forma invoice that the letter of credit should be 'irrevocable' as reflected in those relevant sections in Incoterms for Americans. A minor editorial detail of omitting the currency in which costs are reflected in pro-forma invoices on pages 103, 104 and 110 should be French Francs, US Dollars and US Dollars respectively. The author would agree that such seemingly insignificant details of omission would create a discrepancy, delaying payment, in an invoice presented to a nominated bank for a letter of credit transaction.

As one with over 25 years of foreign trade experience, I would highly recommend this well written volume as a desk reference guide for any American foreign trader who desires a working knowledge, understanding and application of Incoterms 2000.

Excellent book for people in this field.......2007-01-19

I found this book to be full of information. Instead of giving a vague and general outline of the Incoterms (for example, just listing EXW as buyer pays all shipping), Reynolds go full bore into the subject with what if's scenarios, detailed look at each one and tells you how each contract is implemented and the limits of each term. He even put copies of pro formas for some of the incoterms!

Considering the fact that this book is more than half the price of the ICC book and tailored to Americans, I highly recommend it!

The Definitive Work.......2001-06-26

No sane person reads about INCO terms for fun, and if your work requires that you understand the details of international quotes & shipping then this is a required reference work. The author, who sat on the international drafting committee, is perhaps as knowledgable on this subject as any American. He also teaches an excellent seminar on the subject.

Technical topic made easy to understand.......2001-03-01

After I first read Mr. Reynold's predecessor book on Incoterms I felt I finally understood this technical topic. The new book, fully revised for Incoterms 2000, follows the same format. Each chapter is devoted to one of the 13 Incoterms so it can be easily digested. Each chapter contains an easy to read scenario of how the Incoterm may be used in a real international trade transaction and how it affects all other phases of the transaction including the ability or inability to collect payment.

The most valuable feature is the ending section of each chapter, entitled "American Perspective." It discusses how Americans should or should not use this particular term, or at least be aware of any caution flags.

Incoterms for Americans is a valuable commentary on an important topic.

Average customer rating:
Incoterms for Americans: Simplifies and answers questions about incoterms for U.S. foreign traders
Frank Reynolds
Manufacturer: International Projects
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Exports & Imports | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Law | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006F3AVU

Average customer rating:
Export trade terms under the revised American foreign trade definitions and Incoterms 1953
Norman Goldman
Manufacturer: Osgoode Hall Law School
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007JXJHA

Average customer rating:

MORE PARENTS SHOULD TAKE THIS APPROACH

Active Parenting Today: The Basics
Michael H. Popking
Manufacturer: Active Parenting Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
Accessories:

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

ASIN: 1880283069

Customer Reviews:

MORE PARENTS SHOULD TAKE THIS APPROACH.......2006-12-04

Excellent concepts on parenting your children and character development. This particular edition has outdated photos but the information remains the same. Building confidence encourages children to take risks which enhances self esteem which builds confidence and the circle continues....

There is also information about different styles of parenting and the end results of each. I highly recommend this book. For more information go to their site!

Amazon.com

Kelly Flinn might have been a fine pilot, but she's not much of a writer. That said, her book, Proud to Be, still manages to hold your interest and elicit your sympathy. Flinn, the first female bomber pilot in the United States Air Force, achieved a different sort of notoriety when she was forced to leave the service in the wake of an affair with a married enlisted man. In the civilian world, stories like Flinn's are a dime a dozen and, though painful for the parties involved, hardly the stuff of national controversy. In the military, however, sex is a hot-button issue. Already racked by the Tailhook scandal a few years ago (for which not a single male participant was punished), the Air Force whipped up a storm of controversy when it threatened Flinn with a court-martial for her adulterous behavior.

Certainly Flinn is not blameless in all this; she admits to her involvement with an enlisted man who was married to an enlisted woman, though Flinn is rather disingenuous when it comes to accepting responsibility for her actions. Nevertheless, the real story behind Kelly Flinn's run-in with the Air Force is less about sex than double standards in the military. Think what you will about Flinn, but her book raises some important and troubling questions about America's military establishment.

Book Description

An extraordinary young woman. An extraordinary controversy. This is Kelly Flinn's story--the one she couldn't tell when she was in uniform.

"I fell in love with the wrong man."--Kelly Flinn

She is the first woman to pilot a B-52, a charismatic twenty-six-year-old from a proper Georgia family who has always distinguished herself--as a fifteen- year-old at U.S. Space Camp and as a cadet at the U.S. Air Force Academy. There, she overcame considerable odds and earned a coveted position as a combat pilot. But nothing prepared Lieutenant Kelly Flinn for the controversy that erupted when the military began an investigation into her relationship with Marc Zigo, a man who lied to her about his marital status and then betrayed her to military authorities. Flinn was forced to resign amid charges of disobeying orders--charges she disputes in this poignant and powerful memoir.

This is the story of Flinn's love affair with flying . . . and the love affair that ended her trailblazing Air Force career. This is also the story of a determined young woman fighting for her rightful place in a military establishment run by men, many of whom are not yet ready to accept a female combat pilot. Flinn reveals examples of hypocrisy and sexism in the military that are, by any standard, infuriating. She rose higher and fell harder, but Kelly Flinn's story is universal, and it powerfully dramatizes the fault lines between our private and professional lives. With disarming candor, Flinn takes us inside her world. We feel her exhilaration as she soars through the sky and commands her own plane,and we share her horror as the love she dreamed of turns into a nightmare and she must battle the military's sex police behind closed doors. Kelly Flinn has been called "the Hester Prynne of our time," and her life has been depicted in the media as a combination of Top Gun and The Scarlet Letter.

In Proud to Be, she speaks in her own voice--determined, vulnerable, and all too human.

Customer Reviews:

I really enjoyed this book.......2007-07-31

This book kept my interest from beginning to end. I didn't want to put it down once I started reading it. I was surprised that there weren't more 5-star reviews. Maybe I could relate to her story a bit more because I'm a female who loves flying and I have a high regard for the United States Air Force.

Awesome Book.......2006-05-01

I really loved this book. She is very forthright about her life and what happened during her scandal. I'd recommend this book to anyone

Proud to be...an adultress.......2005-10-07

Wow. Never have I read such a whiny and immature book. It is so obvious this book was written to cash in on the noteriety of what at that time was current events. In fact, no one will probably ever read this review, because I doubt there is any interest left in this little girl. Let's get something straight. Kelly Flinn was not persecuted by the air force. She was warned - the air force was wrong for letting her get away with it the first time. The military doesn't use adultery regulations against women only, or disproportionately against women - if more women are prosecuted, perhaps more women are breaking the rule. But in my 12 years, the only people I've seen punished are men. This book is a disgusting attempt to cash in on 5 minutes of fame, and the agent who brought this scree to print should be fired and never allowed to work in the publishing industry again.

A tragic and troubling memoir.......2005-02-11

"Proud to Be" is a memoir by Kelly Flinn, a former United States Air Force officer who was the first woman to pilot a B-52 bomber. A sex scandal led to her 1997 resignation from the Air Force; she presents her side of the story in this book. While the story she tells is interesting, her approach to the material is quite troubling.

The book has a sleazy, self-serving tone. She constantly complains about the Air Force and tries to present herself as a victim, even while candidly admitting her violations of military rules governing sexual conduct. Typical quotes from the book are as follows: "I was a prime target for a predator" (p. 159); "I've [...] been singled out for shame in the media spotlight because I am a woman" (239). Of her married lover she writes, "But I just couldn't get him out of my mind" (168). Her constant whining becomes tiresome quickly.

Flinn seems to relish making allegations about perverse and scandalous sex within the Air Force community. On the Air Force social scene in Minot, North Dakota she claims, "Everybody was sleeping with everybody" (148). She seems to imply that her adultery should be excused because of the alleged piggish behavior of others in Air Force circles.

Ultimately, Flinn's argument falls apart because she seems to want to have it both ways: it appears she wants the reader to see her as both a strong, capable warrior and as a pitiable, abused victim. The overall gossipy and narcissistic feel of the book is quite distasteful. Still, it's an intriguing narrative, and despite the book's flaws Flinn's story raises some serious issues that are worth pondering.

Amazon is giving incorrect information.......2004-09-26

Amazon's Editorial Review has incorrect information:

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Kelly Flinn might have been a fine pilot, but she's not much of a writer. That said, her book, Proud to Be, still manages to hold your interest and elicit your sympathy. Flinn, the first female bomber pilot in the United States Air Force, achieved a different sort of notoriety when she was forced to leave the service in the wake of an affair with a married enlisted man. In the civilian world, stories like Flinn's are a dime a dozen and, though painful for the parties involved, hardly the stuff of national controversy. In the military, however, sex is a hot-button issue. Already racked by the Tailhook scandal a few years ago (for which not a single male participant was punished), the Air Force whipped up a storm of controversy when it threatened Flinn with a court-martial for her adulterous behavior.

Certainly Flinn is not blameless in all this; she admits to her involvement with an enlisted man who was married to an enlisted woman, though Flinn is rather disingenuous when it comes to accepting responsibility for her actions. Nevertheless, the real story behind Kelly Flinn's run-in with the Air Force is less about sex than double standards in the military. Think what you will about Flinn, but her book raises some important and troubling questions about America's military establishment.

Amazon's review at the top is totally wrong.

Anyone who watched the news KNEW it was the NAVY who held Tailhook.

Book Description

This special edition of the award-winning Just Loons features a new introduction by David Evers, PhD, a leading researcher of loons, and an interpretive bound-in CD of the haunting calls for which loons are so admired and beloved. The audio CD runs approximately 25 minutes and contains various calls that are referenced on the CD jacket. Featuring stunning photography and insightful natural history text, Just Loons, with its new and extraordinary audio component, remains the ultimate guide to finding, watching, and understanding loons.

Customer Reviews:

A Haunting Call.......2004-09-27

Anyone who has heard the call of a loon on a lake at night is bound to be impressed by these birds. This book is full of pictures of loons, with some supporting discussion, and a CD of loon calls.

The book describes and defines loons, including how to find them, their family life, their calls, how to photograph them and loon conservation. The pictures in the book were taken by the late Bill Silliker, Jr., who was a famous wildlife photographer, and the book is clearly a vehicle for his work. Many of Silliker's pictures are first rate and quite striking, especially considering the difficulties of photographing a bird whose colors range from the brightest whites to dark, matte black. Sometimes, however, he shoots into the light when trying to record some element of loon behavior (not a deliberate silhouette) and these photographs are less successful. I must also confess that after 100 pages, even though I love loons, the pictures had developed a certain sameness.

The narrative provided was more of the "aren't loons great" type then being very useful. The book told me little more about loons then several pages in Kenn Kaufman's "Lives of North American Birds" or David Allen Sibley's "Guide to Bird Life and Behavior", although it did make clear to me that the reason loons nest on the water's edge is because they find it impossible to walk on land. Although the book notes that there are 5 species of loons in North America, it is devoted only to the common loon. Serious birders may well have to wait for the Oxford University Press to get to the loons in their series on Bird Families of the World for really detailed information.

I was particularly disappointed by the book's discussion of photographing loons. It's clear that most, if not all, of the pictures in this book were taken from a boat. Having done a little bit of avian photography from a kayak, I know that this type of photography requires some different techniques than shooting from terra firma. I would have liked to see some discussion of how to follow the bird photographer's rule about getting close to the ground when you are on water.

Although its clear that the CD of loon calls was an afterthought, (there is no reference to it in the text about the calls of loons,) listening to it is (pardon the pun) a hoot. While I doubt that anyone would ever mistake any loon call for the sound of another animal, filling your den with the call of these ancient birds is thrilling.

In summary, this looks like a good gift book for someone who likes loons and good pictures of them. It certainly is not a thorough reference book.

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