Complete Idiot's Guide to SINGLE PARENTING (The Complete Idiot's Guide)

Book Description

You're no idiot, of course. You can change a tire, hang your own wallpaper, and even do your taxes every year. But when it comes to the ultimate do-it--yourself project--raising a family alone--you feel confused an overwhelmed. Help is on the way! The Complete Idiot's Guide to Single Parenting shows you how to raise a happy, thriving family and run a succesful household--solo. Feel confident about caring for your kids, succeeding at work, managing your money, and even maintaining good relations with your ex as both of you--and your children--move on with your lives. In this Complete Idiot's Guide, you get:

Customer Reviews:

A Great Guide for New Single Parents.......2000-04-30

This book has absolutely wonderful information for the new single parent like myself. Everything from dealing with your ex to temper tantrums to looking after yourself. A must have for every single parent!

Complete Idiot's Guide to SINGLE PARENTING (The Complete Idiot's Guide)

Average customer rating:

Complete Idiot's Guide to SINGLE PARENTING (The Complete Idiot's Guide)
Dulaney
Manufacturer: Alpha
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O95MFK

Average customer rating:

A great book about warfare & doctrine in the field

General Franks on leadership

I am a Military Buff & Really Wanted to Like This...

The best book I've read regarding the Gulf War.

Poorly written for such an important topic

Into The Storm: A Study in Command
Tom Clancy , and Frederick M Franks
Manufacturer: Berkley Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
General | United States | Military | History | Subjects | Books
Operation Desert Storm | United States | Military | History | Subjects | Books
Terrorism | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Every Man a Tiger: The Gulf War Air Campaign

Shadow Warriors: Inside the Special Forces

Special Forces: A Guided Tour of U.S. Army Special Forces

Armored Cav

Airborne

ASIN: 042521656X

Amazon.com

Tom Clancy's latest love-letter to the military-industrial complex focuses on the Army--and Fred Franks, a general who helped smash Iraq in the Gulf War. In this first volume of a series on the intricacies of military command, Clancy traces the organizational success story of the U.S. Army's rise from the slough of Vietnam to the heights of victory in the Persian Gulf. In 1972, the Army lacked proper discipline, training, weapons, and doctrine; all these would be overhauled in the next 15 years. For those readers keen on such nuts and bolts, the book will be fascinating. But the book truly sparkles when Franks tells his story. A "tanker" who lost a foot in the invasion of Cambodia, he is a man of great courage, thoughtfulness, and integrity. One cannot help but wince when a civilian tells him, "You and those boys did that for nothing." And for all the acronyms and military history, that is what this book is about: healing the wounds Vietnam inflicted. "But this time [the Gulf War], it was going to end differently. They all would see to that."

Book Description

In his brilliant, bestselling novels, Tom Clancy has explored the most dramatic military and security issues of our time. Now he takes readers deep into the operational art of war with this insightful look at one of America's most important military engagements in recent years: the Gulf War.

Never before has the art of maneuver warfare been explored so incisively and in such rich, provocative detail. Clancy and General Frederick M. Franks, Jr.-commander of the main force that broke the back of the Republican Guard-take us deep inside the war councils and command posts and up to the front lines. They give us a war that few people really knew-and that television never showed.

Customer Reviews:

A great book about warfare & doctrine in the field.......2007-10-02

I found this book interesting and entertaining at the same time. I just don't know the level of understanding that can be reached by any reader who is not familiar with the subjec. Most of the acronyms are not explained, and the different levels of the chain of command are not depicted with the proper clarity. Both the above issues are not critical for those familiar with warfare and doctrine, but could be a problem for casual readers.

General Franks on leadership.......2006-02-23

Good read. Also gave me a better understanding of Desert Storm and made a talk by Genereal Franks more enjoyable.

I am a Military Buff & Really Wanted to Like This..........2005-04-08

I like Tom Clancy, really; but this book was so boring that I found myself constantly falling asleep while trying to read it. It's a good and informative story, but seriously needs an editor.

This is the problem with Clancy's non-fiction work, in my opinion. Much too wordy, and not edited enough to seem as engaging as his original fiction. We've seen better books written in military and war time situations, but Clancy constantly gets sidetracked by the 'essay' approach to non-fiction.

The best book I've read regarding the Gulf War........2005-03-27

First of all, you should know that the parts of this book written by Gen. Franks are not literary masterpieces. But then again Franks is not an author, he's a soldier.

However, if you want to learn about the no BS day by day actions of VII Corps during the 4 day ground war... this is the book for you. I was a young Sergeant in 3rd Armored Division during Desert Storm and this book really brings back the images of the war better than any other book on the subject I've read (including "Crusade" and "It doesn't take a hero").

The General has painstakingly written most of the essential information that one must read in order to know what happened during the infamous "Hail Mary" (as Schwarzkopf likes to refer to it) from the point of view of the soldiers of VII corps.

Gen. Franks is a gentleman soldier who, above all else, is a consummate professional. You won't get the theatrics that were included in Schwarzkopf's book... all you get is the down and dirty facts of what VII Corps went through.

Apart from the info regarding Desert Storm, I also enjoyed the background information on Gen. Franks, his service in Vietnam and how he overcame a potential career killer (losing half of his leg to a grenade) and became a Lieutenant General in the U.S. Army (and a 4-Star before he retired).

However, memoirs like this aren't really written for the public. Rather, their written for students of the event so they can learn from the past. And, for that, this book deserves a spot on any military enthusiasts book shelf.

Oh, and Tom Clancy did a good job too!

Poorly written for such an important topic.......2004-09-30

The book is very dense and poorly written. I expected a clearer narrative from Clancy. The book is repetitive and could be much tighter. Franks complains about being criticized for the tempo of his forces during the war. While he may have been wrongly criticized, it seems to be eating him up and the book reads like a 700 page justification of his decisions. I think it really detracts from what could have been an expert level description of the ground war. I appreciate that Franks is describing the war from his perspective, but I would have preferred less of his emotions and more matter of fact information about how the war progressed and the battles fought. He uses much more ink describing how the criticism of him was incorrect than he does describing his corps elimination of the Iraqi divisions.

Into The Storm - A Study In Command, On The Ground In Iraq

Average customer rating:

Into The Storm - A Study In Command, On The Ground In Iraq
Tom with Franks, Fred, Jr., General (ret.) Clancy
Manufacturer: G. P. Putnam's Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000U0PL04

Average customer rating:

Into The Storm - A Study In Command, On The Ground In Iraq
Tom with Franks, Fred, Jr., General (ret.) Clancy
Manufacturer: Berkley Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K01M70

Average customer rating:

Into the Storm, a Study in Command
Tom Clancy
Manufacturer: G. P. Putnam's Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000WG0HO6

Into the Storm, Pt. 2: A Study in Command

Average customer rating:

Into the Storm, Pt. 2: A Study in Command

Manufacturer: Books on Tape, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: 0736637303

Product Description

Unabridged audiobook read by Michael Prichard, 18 cassettes, 1.5 hours per cassette, Part 1 and Part 2.

Average customer rating:

Into the Storm: A Study in Command
Tom; Franks, Genera Fred Clancy
Manufacturer: Berkley Pub Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000V27VJA

Into the Storm A Study in Command (Persian Gulf War)

Average customer rating:

Into the Storm A Study in Command (Persian Gulf War)
Tom w/General Fred Franks, Jr. (USA, Ret.) Clancy
Manufacturer: G.P. Putnam's Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IOH3DK

Average customer rating:

Into the Storm: A Study in Command
Tom; Franks, Frederick M. Clancy
Manufacturer: Putnam Pub Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NP1RTU

Average customer rating:

Into the Storm: A Study in Command
Jr., Tom & Gen. Fred Clancy & Franks
Manufacturer: Putnam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NQH16C

Average customer rating:

INTO THE STORM: A STUDY IN COMMAND.
Tom and Fred Franks, Jr. Clancy
Manufacturer: NY, Putnam, 1997. 531 pp., illus., maps. Fine copy of first edition, in dust jacket.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UE2EVO

Average customer rating:
Herman Boerhaave (1668-1738): Calvinist Chemist and Physician (Edita - History of Science and Scholarship in the Netherlands)
Rina Knoeff
Manufacturer: Edita-the Publishing House of the Royal
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 9069843420

Book Description

Herman Boerhaave, who held professorships in medicine, botany, and chemistry at the University of Leiden, is often considered the most important medical teacher after Galen. Known during his lifetime as "The Teacher of Europe," his reputation was purported to have reached all the way to China. Previously, historians of science and medicine have stressed the mechanical aspects of his teachings, but have neglected the principles behind them, many of which are alien to modern science. This book shows that Boerhaave's natural philosophy and methodology were rooted in his deep religious faith, and that Calvinism guided much of his scientific thought.

Boerhaave and Great Britain;: Three lectures on Boerhaave with particular reference to his relations with Great Britain, (Analecta Boerhaaviana)

Average customer rating:

Boerhaave and Great Britain;: Three lectures on Boerhaave with particular reference to his relations with Great Britain, (Analecta Boerhaaviana)
Gerrit Arie Lindeboom
Manufacturer: Brill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Boerhaave's Aphorisms: Concerning the knowledge and cure of diseases (Classics of medicine library)

Average customer rating:

Boerhaave's Aphorisms: Concerning the knowledge and cure of diseases (Classics of medicine library)
Herman Boerhaave
Manufacturer: The Classics of Medicine Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Medicine | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B00070XDY8

Average customer rating:

Boerhaave's men at Leyden and after
Edgar Ashworth Underwood
Manufacturer: Edinburgh University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Medicine | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0852243049

Average customer rating:

HERMAN BOERHAAVE
G.A. Lindeboom
Manufacturer: Methuen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0416108806

Herman Boerhaave (1668-1738): Teacher of all Europe

Average customer rating:

Herman Boerhaave (1668-1738): Teacher of all Europe
Gerrit Arie Lindeboom
Manufacturer: s.n.]
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007JLRUG

Average customer rating:

Herman Boerhaave: The Man and His Work.

Manufacturer: Methuen, London
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0000COD4B

Katalog Der Wiedergefundenen Manuskripte und Briefwechsel von Herman Boerhaave

Average customer rating:

Katalog Der Wiedergefundenen Manuskripte und Briefwechsel von Herman Boerhaave
Ernst and Cohen-De Meester, W. A. T. Cohen
Manufacturer: N.V. Noord-Hollandsche Uitgevers Maatschappij, Amsterdam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HDTFII

Medicine and Society in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries, Their Influence On The Life of Herman Boerhaave

Average customer rating:

Medicine and Society in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries, Their Influence On The Life of Herman Boerhaave
William Donnellan
Manufacturer: UMI Research
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VE3GNI

The moral aspects of medical life, consisting of the 'Akesios' of Professor K.F.H. Marx

Average customer rating:

The moral aspects of medical life, consisting of the 'Akesios' of Professor K.F.H. Marx
K. F. H Marx
Manufacturer: J. Churchill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B00088KFPE

Book Description

This extraordinary book is the spiritual autobiography of a realized Master, Swami Muktananda. In it he describes his own journey to Self-realization. He reveals the process of transformation that he experienced under the guidance of his Guru, Bhagawan Nityananda, from his initiation in August 1947 to his final attainment of enlightenment nine years later. Imbued with the authority of Swami Muktananda's achievement, this intimate and powerful portrait of his life is a testimony to the power of his devotion. The story of Swami Muktananda's yoga journey on the Siddha Yoga path provides a guide to seekers who aspire to the same goal. The new edition contains many new photographs.

Customer Reviews:

Recommended reading for students of eastern philosophy........2000-04-04

In Play Of Consciousness: A Spiritual Autobiography, Swami Muktananda vividly and candidly describes his spiritual initiation which awakened the hidden power known as Kundalini Shakti and the astonishing process of inner transformation that followed. Muktananda reveals many mysteries describing the rigors of spiritual practice and the mystical, metaphysical alchemy of the awakened Kundalini. He offers inspiration for all those seeking the ultimate personal and metaphysical freedom that is spiritual enlightenment. Play Of Consciousness is recommended reading for students of eastern philosophies, yoga, metaphysical studies, and personal spiritual enlightenment.

STILL ECSTATIC AFTER ALL THESE YEARS.......2000-02-10

I first read this book in the `70's. It knocked my socks off. I recently recommended it to someone and thought, "Hmm. Maybe I should read it again." It blew my socks off again. Play of Consciousness is the spiritual autobiography of Sw. Muktananda, an Indian meditation master who died in 1982. In POC, he breaks Hindu tradition by talking about his experiences. He does this for one reason: To serve and guide his students. This is a handbook for meditators, in many ways a survival manual. Muktananda had many of the experiences recounted here -- some of which were terrifying-- without knowing what they were. Here, he lets his students know what to expect in advanced meditation. The book is written in sections. The book opens with a tightly written and comprehensive guide to Hinduism and kundalini yoga. Muktananda lays out the turf-- quoting many major Indian saints and scriptures. This alone is worth buying. The second part describes his spiritual experiences, his sadhana. If you ever thought that meditation was a passive, dopey thing popularized in California, this will change your mind. Muktananda's experiences were big. Explosive. Gorgeous. They read like sci-fi, but you have the sense of their utter authenticity. The final section explains what Muktananda wants from his students. How he sees the universe, and how a good yogi/yogini should live. This is a masterpiece in mystical writing. POC is not an easy read. First, it may induce culture shock. This is not a Western book. It was translated from Hindi or one of the Indian languages and written by an older man, a Hindu monk. The language sounds it-- flowery, exquisite, complex, and somewhat antiquated. Muktananda talks about gurus and disciples. The word "guru" has been maligned in the West. For thousands of years, Indian people have had gurus the way that we have accountants. "Guru" means "teacher", with the root meaning, "bringer of light, taker of darkness." The guru's function. POC is a hard read for another reason: Muktananda's experience roars through it. If you do not know what devotion and love are by the end of this book, there's no hope. His energy permeates POC. You may find yourself nodding off or falling into meditation. You may only be able to read a page to two at a time. That's fine. Just keep reading.

YOGIC CLASSIC.......2000-01-13

Orginally published and edited undr the title GURU in the 1970's , this work must be on any seeker into Eastern wisdom. this work plus Autoboigraphy of a Yogi, and the Gita are must reads. We are given a detailed look inot the world of Kashmir Shaivism and the potential of that mysterous force barely known to psycholiogists called Kundalini. The only danger in the presentation is that it may casue the reader to seek out a teacher to place full dependency upon and we have learned well from the past thirty years that this can be a great error as most teachers are subjected to human flaws such as rock star syndrome READ THIS BOOK

Play of Consciousness.......2000-01-13

Truly this is the greatest work of liter- ature of any kind I have ever been exposed to. The immense power of Swami Muktananda's state of realization seems to have infused each word with an amazing spiritual force, so that I can usually only read a paragraph or two before I have to put the book down and revel in the presence of his Shakti (spiritual energy). If I were to be left on a deserted island, I often reflect, I would only need this book with me to be completely happy for all time. This is not really a book, it is a doorway God has opened into the mystical realm of His Presence. I have heard of people reading it, and becoming immediately transformed beyond measure...

A profound, inspiring book........1999-03-03

A must read for anyone seeking spirituality. It changed my view on life and took my meditation to a new level. Startling secrets, which I have not seen anywhere else, were revealed.

Play of Consciousness: A Spiritual Autobiography

Average customer rating:

An unusual book about different states of consciousness...........
An Extraordinary Account
Odd book, but interesting in retrospect
Experience "knowing" God!
GREAT!

Play of Consciousness: A Spiritual Autobiography
Swami Muktananda
Manufacturer: Siddha Yoga Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Religious | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Mysticism | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Other Eastern Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0911307818

Book Description

This bes selling spiritual autobiography of Swami Muktananda tells the story of his journey to self-realization under the guidance of Bhagawan Nityananda, candidly describing his extraordinary experiences. Beginning with his spiritual initiation on August 15, 1947, and continuing through his enlightenment nine years later, this is a guide for seekers moving toward the same goal.

Customer Reviews:

An unusual book about different states of consciousness........... .......2005-11-05

This book is divided into two "sub-books"; 'the path of the siddhas' and the 'teachings of the siddhas'. Swami Muktananda's explanation of his meditation experiences forms the core of this book.

The way he reveals his different states of meditation experiences may be different from other saints who have reached the state of samadhi or bliss but I have no doubt that his experiences are authentic and he was not hallucinating. The point is that Muktanananda has already reached the highest states of consciousness or Nirvana during his meditations.

The reason why I gave this book a 4 star rating and not a 5 star rating is because Muktananda had failed to give a more detailed biography of his guru. If he had included a more comprehensive account of his guru, this book would deserve a perfect rating.

I would also like to recommend the "Autobiography of a Yogi" by Paramhansa Yogananda. This saint (who is also my guruji) had also attained the state of samamdhi.

An Extraordinary Account.......2004-04-20

This book is extraordinary in that in gives a first-hand account of the journey of spiritual awakening and meditation that leads to Self-realization. Muktananda writes from both the perspectives of having been a disciple of an enlightened Master and as a Guru who has much to teach sincere aspirants on the inner path. His words carry the conviction of actual experience; this is not a theortical treatise on the ultimate meaning of life and human potential. It is rather a testament to what happens when the power of grace and the longing of a true seeker meet. The intention of this book is not to inspire a belief about the enlightened state of Muktananda; but rather to impart a description of essential truth to the reader which is meant to be verified by actual experience.

Odd book, but interesting in retrospect.......2004-03-04

This is a difficult, convoluted read... but it is more fascinating to read at this point, with Muktananda having been exposed as a false guru, to better see the development of and maintenance of the guru image, and how devotion can become a cult.

The inability of SYDA members to separate themselves from the unethical processes of this cult, even after Muktananda was revealed, has its root in the teachings as presented here. You can really see the motivations and methods employed from the very beginning. Truly fascinating in that respect.

A true guru will never create dependence in a student. That's the best guide to tell true from false. It is however very interesting to read this autobiography with active hindsight.

Experience "knowing" God!.......2003-01-17

I read many of Muktananda's books and this is an excellent introduction to anyone who craves the experience of "knowing" God. Although Muktananda has passed on, his personal account of the process of having a Guru as his guide was enlightening. It lead me to read "The One Minute Guide to Prosperity and Enlightenment" by Sri Siva, a modern day Siddha Guru who now travels around the world with a similar message for the sincere spiritual aspirant. Both authors emphasize the importance of having a Guru to safely guide the person through the process of "knowing" God. In the world today, there are many teachers, though few who have first-hand experience of "knowing" God in their lives. Both authors lead us to that "knowing" God state and the world around us is forever changed!

GREAT!.......2000-12-08

It is difficult to put into words what is contaned within this book, many who have read it, myself included, find it more of an experince, than just a read. A subject that can often be laborious to comprehend, Muktananda weaves into a colorful, amazing, stimulating and often unbelievably true tale. I found myself mesmerized and willing to set the book down only when I was so saturated with his energy that I would pass out. A deffinate recommend and a great gift to anyone who is on a spiritual path..

Average customer rating:
The road to Richmond;: The Civil War memoirs of Major Abner R. Small of the Sixteenth Maine Volunteers. Together with the diary which he kept when he was a prisoner of war
Abner Ralph Small
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Goodbye, Darkness: A Memoir of the Pacific War

Ordinary Courage: The Revolutionary War Adventures of Private Joseph Plumb Martin

A Rumor of War

ASIN: B00086K41Q

Book Description

Abner Small wrote one of the most honest, poignant, and moving memoirs to come out of the Civil War. He served as a non-commissioned officer in the Third Maine Infantry during the summer of 1861, experiencing battle for the first time at First Bull Run. As a recruiting officer, he helped to raise the Sixteenth Maine Infantry and served as its adjutant. The Sixteenth Maine gained fame for its heroic delaying action on July 1 at Gettysburg, where it lost 180 of its 200 men. It went on to serve in GrantÂ's Overland Campaign in Virginia. Small was an articulate observer of all this. He wrote his memoirs with a keen sense of the irony of life during wartime, and with a gift for expression. His descriptions of the dead at Gettysburg, his characterizations of famous men such as Major General Oliver Otis Howard, and his reflections on the emotions of men under fire are outstanding. Small was captured in the battle of Globe Tavern on August 18, 1864. His account of prison life at Libby, Salisbury, and Danville is gripping. Small was exchanged just in time to lead his regiment in the final days of the war. His book reveals more of the inner soldier than almost any other account written by a Union veteran.

Book Description

This best-selling textbook is unique because of its focus on the political side of bureaucracy. Designed to present bureaucracy as a political institution, this book provides coverage of the controls on bureaucracy and how bureaucracy makes policy.

Customer Reviews:

Politics and the Bureaucracy.......2006-11-14

The book gave an excellent introduction to the formation of the United States bureacracy. The chapters on public participation were valuable. The book was an interesting read and excellent for an overview of democracy from the postion of governing.

Brief introduction to policymaking.......2004-07-13

Meier's book skims over policymaking in the bureaucracy and focuses mainly on the federal bureaucracy. This slim volume has good examples but one would hope for more depth considering the book's hefty price. In addition, the author's liberal slant can be a bit distracting. However, it does present some interesting ideas for public policy students to consider.

Politics and The Bureaucracy: Policymaking in the Fourth Branch of Government

Average customer rating:

Politics and The Bureaucracy: Policymaking in the Fourth Branch of Government
Kenneth J. Meier
Manufacturer: Wadsworth Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJBOZM

Book Description

This third edition includes a new essay on recent environmental issues and concerns, especially as they center on Yellowstone National Park.

Customer Reviews:

A very good but not definitive history of the national parks.......2006-08-20

This book provides a good history of the national parks. The first chapters on the history of the national park idea and the national park system are particularly interesting and well-written. Runte emphasizes "cultural nationalism" as an explanation for the park idea, the notion that American cultural identity could rest on our relationship with wilderness and scenery, and thus best be established in opposition to Europe, where culture is tied to human history.

Runte makes those claims well, but the first edition attracted the most attention for its "worthless lands" thesis, and this edition begins with a response to his critics. This is a very measured response, emphasizing clarification more than argumentation, but Runte stands his ground on the issues. His main claim is that a necessary condition for creation of a park before the 1930s was that the land be worthless or un-economic for primary products such as agriculture, grazing, mining or timber; many of the parks were recognized as valuable for tourism, which is why they were made parks. Properly circumscribed, the thesis gets the first decades right, though it starts to break down at about the time the Everglades NP was established. By the time of the New Deal and Civilian Conservation Corps, the worthless lands thesis is clearly no longer correct.

Like other histories of the national parks that I've read, this book emphasizes the trophy parks - - those with monumental scenery such as Yellowstone and Yosemite. Runte nods in the direction of the national recreation areas (like Lake Mead) and urban parks (like Golden Gate) more than most other authors, but he really only mentions them in passing. Many other parks, even beautiful ones, get ignored if they are not famous (Voyageurs, Big Bend, and Theodore Roosevelt, to name three). And what's up with Steamtown USA or Homestead National Monument of American, for crying out loud?

Like everyone else he ignores whole categories of national parks, some of which are visited more than the trophy parks - the historic sites in Washington, Philadelphia, New York and Boston; the battlefield parks; and the Blue Ridge Parkway, among others. Each of those units get 5-15 million visitors a year, while Yosemite and Yellowstone get about 4 million. Even so, I haven't yet found the history of the park system that gives these non-monumental parks justice.

Leaving these other parks out matters a *lot* for Runte's thesis. Golden Gate NRA sits on prime real estate in America's most crowded city, and is hardly "worthless" land. The historic sites on the eastern seaboard lie in the most valuable parts of Boston, New York and Philadelphia - not to mention the National Mall and other sites in Washington DC. Fredericksburg/Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Manassas, Murfreesboro, Chickamauga/Chattanooga and other battlefields are subject to strong development pressures and surrounded by suburban growth. Cuyahoga, Santa Monica Mountains, Cape Cod, and other parks would make attractive up-scale suburbs and second homes if they were not protected.

Clearly the "cultural" and "recreational" parks differ from the scenic and monumental parks, and they differ in precisely the ways most damaging to Runte's worthless lands thesis. Though Runte has given us a classic history of the parks as we have traditionally thought of them, we need a new approach to the history of the national park system as a whole. The literature has emphasized scenery, wildlife, geology and science but not culture and history. Though Runte begins with American cultural nationalism, he does not fit the cultural and historical parks into his vision of the system as a whole.

Excellent survey of National Park history.......2004-11-05

Almost a century and a half ago, Yosemite and Yellowstone gave birth to the National Park idea. Even in the 21st century the concept's definition is not concrete. Alfred Runte's important contribution to environmental history tells the story of the national park idea since its inception and its continued reinterpretation.

According to Runte, cultural nationalism sparked the National Park idea, not environmentalism. Americans enjoyed finding natural wonders that rivaled or even surpassed Europe's scenic beauty. At first national parks served as symbols of national pride and, in time, as areas of public recreation (14). As National Parks thoroughly discusses, economics, not altruism, have played a huge role in the designation and management of national parks. "Worthless" land - land which could not be utilized in the form of mining, farming or another pursuit - determined which landmarks the nation protected as well as how it would protect them (49). In principle, the nation believed in the contradictory statement, worthless land builds cultural nationalism. The early preservationist movement rested on what scenery lacked rather than what it contained (58).

Wilderness preservation was not the primary justification for national parks until the 1930s. Until then preservationists supported actions contrary to their primary aims. Preservationists encouraged tourism both to show a recognized use for the land as well as demonstrate that tourism might generate more revenue from the land than could be earned by exploiting its natural resources. Preservationists allied themselves with railroads and concessionaires that pushed for designation of parks to increase passenger traffic to each natural preserve and, in turn, income. The damming of the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite taught preservationists to rely as much on economic rationales for protection as on the standard emotional ones (83). Preservationists actually encouraged the development of more roads and trails in National Parks, fearing alternate uses such as reservoirs.

Runte opens his narrative by describing the sad state of Niagara Falls, which even as early as 1860 became commercialized with gatehouses and fences rimming the cascades as numerous curio hawkers annoyed each visitor. Niagara Falls became one of the first warnings against the negative outcome of encroachment upon national wonders and strong evidence in convincing Congress to designate Yellowstone a national park (9). The early intrusion of capitalists at Niagara Falls proved a harbinger of things to come. Contradictory to Niagara's warnings against decimation of natural beauty, national parks, by their mere designation, became attractions corporations pounced on to extract tourist dollars with little thought to consequences.

Runte's exhibits his smooth writing style. He expertly transitions from one chapter to the next. He organizes his narrative topically and generally follows a chronological order but backtracks on occasion, which sometimes proves confusing. The book misrepresents fact on a few occasions. For example, it insinuates that Zion National Park became a park in 1919 without national monument status first, when in reality Zion had been Mukuntaweap National Monument since 1909.

Runte's volume is by no means exhaustive, but distinguishes itself as an excellent survey of National Park history. Runte focuses on the national park idea, but never concretely defines it at no fault of his own because the national park idea is constantly being reshaped. The volume expertly illustrates the contradictions in the national park idea and the exploitation the idea has generated.

The Black experience in Natchez, 1720-1880: A special history study, Natchez National Historical Park, Mississippi

Average customer rating:

The Black experience in Natchez, 1720-1880: A special history study, Natchez National Historical Park, Mississippi
Ronald L. F Davis
Manufacturer: Eastern National
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Dark Journey: Black Mississippians in the Age of Jim Crow

ASIN: 188821337X

Tales of Canyonlands Cowboys (Western Experience.)

Average customer rating:

A must for lovers of the canyon lands

Tales of Canyonlands Cowboys (Western Experience.)

Manufacturer: Utah State Univ Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Customer Reviews:

A must for lovers of the canyon lands.......2005-10-01

This book is really fascinating.
To me.
It almost certainly wouldn't be to everyone, but to those who are borderline-obsessed with the history of southern Utah, this book is a must read.
Each chapter contains the reminiscings of a particular cowboy or cowgirl who grew up near Cataract Canyon, Canyonlands National Park, and upper Glen Canyon.
One features a woman who was once a little girl on her father's ranch, and who slips casually into a comment on her ghostly spirit protector that accompanies her everywhere. Another talks candidly about the environmental problems of southern Utah being very real...even if he did spend his whole lif ehating environmentalists. Some talk about Butch Cassidy, and others talk about grazing and overgrazing.
The book is worth your money just for the account of Ned Chaffin--King of the Cowboy Storytellers--and all the other accounts are very entertaining as well, and offer good insights into the place names of southern Utah, and the Anglo history of the area.

The Black experience in Natchez, 1720-1880 : Natchez, National Historical Park, Mississippi (SuDoc I 29.88/5:B 56)

Average customer rating:

The Black experience in Natchez, 1720-1880 : Natchez, National Historical Park, Mississippi (SuDoc I 29.88/5:B 56)
Ronald L.F. Davis
Manufacturer: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service, Denver Service Center
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

The National Park Service and the Afro-American experience, 1999: An independent assessment from the Black perspective

Average customer rating:

The National Park Service and the Afro-American experience, 1999: An independent assessment from the Black perspective
Richard E Miller
Manufacturer: Afro-American Institute for Historic Preservation and Community Development?]
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006R538Q

National parks without people?: The South American experience (Parques nacionales y conservacion ambiental)

Average customer rating:

National parks without people?: The South American experience (Parques nacionales y conservacion ambiental)

Manufacturer: IUCN - the World Conservation Union
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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

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

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 9978041036

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books