The Prophet of Dry Hill: Lessons From a Life in Nature

Average customer rating:

An examination of a life well lived

a wonderful introduction to John Hay

Packing in much more detail about nature than any biography would have achieved

Pedestal People

Beautiful, Powerful, and Wise

The Prophet of Dry Hill: Lessons From a Life in Nature
David Gessner
Manufacturer: Beacon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Authors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Rural Life | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books
Massachusetts | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Return of the Osprey: A Season of Flight and Wonder

The Way to the Salt Marsh: A John Hay Reader

A Wild, Rank Place: One Year on Cape Cod

Soaring with Fidel: An Osprey Odyssey from Cape Cod to Cuba and Beyond

Sick of Nature

ASIN: 0807085685

Book Description

David Gessner had always known of John Hay. A nature writing legend, Hay was a hero to the younger writer. But it wasnÂ't until Gessner returned to his childhood home on Cape Cod that he befriended the older man. At first, Gessner thought he might write HayÂ's biography. But that idea gradually changed as the two talked and walked through the fifty acres surrounding HayÂ's house on Dry Hill. The book that resulted is a dramatic record of what the younger man learned from his elder. The Prophet of Dry Hill is the compelling story of two men and the year they spent together. But more than a book about friendship, itÂ's a lyrical primer on the importance of living a life connected to the wild. John Hay has lived deeply on one piece of land for sixty years. As a consequence, he has much to tell Gessner-and us-about the importance of creating a strong relationship with the land we live on. His words speak to our forgotten need for space and for reaching beyond ourselves to the world outside. Seeing is the great discipline that nature teaches, Hay proclaims. Nature, not psychology, is the path to our true selves. In our split-second world, a life like John HayÂ's-rooted, connected to nature-provides a radical counterpoint to our technology-filled indoor existences. Gessner learned much from this man on the hill. We too will be challenged and changed.

Customer Reviews:

An examination of a life well lived.......2007-09-07

If you like nature and have an introspective attitude, then this is a book for you. The author examines the life of a man who spent a life time "wedging down" into nature and communicating his insights to the rest of us through his writings and actions.

a wonderful introduction to John Hay.......2007-07-09

David Gessner does us all an immense service with this lovely description of his friendship with John Hay--the much-too-poorly-known dean of American nature writers. Gessner captures the spirt of this charming and visionary man at the end of his life. John Hay's dedication to place, family, and language, and his intense relationship with the natural world are an inspiration. Bravo!

Packing in much more detail about nature than any biography would have achieved.......2006-05-20

Author David Gessner had always known of John Hay, who was his hero; but he only befriended the older naturalist when he returned to his childhood home on Cape Cod. His thought of writing a biography of the naturalist changed when their conversations became a record of Hay's naturalist knowledge, and thus THE PROPHET OF DRY HILL: LESSONS FROM A LIFE IN NATURE isn't just a survey of Hay's life and personality but a treasured collection of his seasoned observations on nature itself, packing in much more detail about nature than any biography would have achieved. Highly recommended.

Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch

Pedestal People.......2006-02-13

I have always imagined a dinner party with only the list of "pedestal people" in my life attending. David Gessner would be on that list. While reading this amazing book, I felt like I had walked silently behind David and John Hay on the Cape that is also so close to my heart. What an amazing gift of writing from Gessner.

Beautiful, Powerful, and Wise.......2005-11-27

I've read almost everything David Gessner has written, and this slim book towers above his already impressive body of work. Gessner's portrait of naturalist John Hay is frank and warm, and depicts Hay as a philosopher from whom we all could learn some profound lessons. Hay's commitment to the natural world, and his insistence that we look to nature for the questions and answers in our lives, rather than probing the inner recesses of our psyches, stands as a much-needed corrective to the easy psychologizing of daytime television and self-help books. Hay finds meaning in our lives in the passing of the seasons, and this book can help us find meaning there too. Gessner mirrors Hay's outlook by searching for meaning through his depiction of Hay, and by letting Hay speak for himself throughout the book, rather than philosophizing about Hay or dissecting his published work. This book is really a brilliant achievement of nonfiction writing in any genre, though of course it will have special appeal to anyone interested in the natural world.

Book Description

Situated in north central China, Xi'an is among the great historic centers of the world-it is China's Luxor. Here the early tapestry of Chinese civilization was woven-the rise of the Zhou kingdom which introduced the "Mandate of Heaven," the Warring State of Qin which defeated and unified the country into the first empire from which "Qin" gave the West the concept of "China." Then, turning westward, through the golden ages of the Han and the Tang, Xi'an sparkled as the largest and most cosmopolitan city on earth. The gateway to the fabled Silk Road of yore, traders and travelers from the Levant, the Middle East, central Asia and beyond made their way to the bustling markets of this most open of ancient cities.

This comprehensive guidebook, highlighting the city and its environs, leads the reader on a journey through China's glorious ancient history, from the origin of the distinctive landscape of northern China and the early stirrings of Neolithic culture at sites like Banpo, through its rise to Imperial capital in the Qin, Han and Tang (among other periods), to its relative decline and vital modern role as administrative center and investment portal to China's vast northwest frontier.

Detailed information on the capital of 11 different dynastic periods
The world of legendary Chang'an explored
Highlights the major archaeological and historical sites of the Xi'an area, including the world-famous Terracotta Warriors and Horses excavation
Describes the geological background to the distinctive scenery of the Yellow River Basin and the North China Plain
Introduces the Chinese Communists' war-time HQ at Yan'an and newly opened archaeological sites elsewhere in Shaanxi province
96 color photographs
7 maps

Customer Reviews:

travel guide not history book.......2007-08-06

I purchased the book with the idea it was more of a history book and found out it was a travel book and not easy to follow. Great pictures and some good advice for travelers to china.

Book Description

Since its introduction in 1828, using Green's functions has become a fundamental mathematical technique for solving boundary value problems. Most treatments, however, focus on its theory and classical applications in physics rather than the practical means of finding Green's functions for applications in engineering and the sciences. Green's Functions with Applications systematically presents the various methods of deriving these useful functions. It leads readers through the process of developing Green's functions for ordinary and partial differential equations. In addition to exploring the classical problems involving the wave, heat, and Helmholtz equations, the book includes special sections on leaky modes, water waves, and absolute/convective instability. The author gives special attention to the numerical evaluation of Green's functions. By illustrating many of the functions in the text and problem sets, he helps readers develop an intuition about the behavior of Green's function in certain problems. He also considers the questions of the computational efficiency and possible methods for accelerating the process. With its wealth of examples and problems drawn from the literature, this book provides a treasure-trove of methods to construct and compute Green's functions. It is the most exhaustive source book of Green's functions yet available and the only one designed specifically for engineering and scientific applications.

Customer Reviews:

An End All to Green's Function Books? - A Start!.......2001-07-16

Green's Functions are heavily emphasized in graduate programs in engineering, applied math and physics. They're a useful way in solving many differential equation related problems in many fields. Unfortunately, for many (like me), the Green's Function (and it's uses) seemed restricted to 'textbook' problems. Not anymore.

I had to get this book for use at work. Even though Green Functions were introduced to me in graduate school, it was never a tool I got accustomed to. Because of the necessity (and now ease of use) of the Green's Functions, I had to learn to use it effectively. Now, with Duffy's book, I'm using as a tool in solving many E'nM and photonic problems.

Duffy's book on Green's Functions with Applications really develops the Green's Function mathematically based on physical and historical needs. At first, I thought the book might lead me into too 'mathematical' of a diversion than I cared for. Fortunately, this book balances mathematical rigor and practical use. Duffy further presses the uses of Green's Functions by introducing it into applications. These applications give a good run down on the concepts and techniques needed to apply it to other problems. Duffy book doesn't alienate the readers, and gives plenty of examples to allow the student to work out problems on their own.

Don't cut yourself short. Green's Functions are a useful tool, and Green's Functions with Applications by Dean G. Duffy is an effective way of learning to be fully competent with this tool (Green's Functions). A definite plus to self-learners and practicing professionals (and students).

Average customer rating:
Green's functions: introductory theory with applications, (The New university mathematics series)
G. F Roach
Manufacturer: Van Nostrand
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Mathematical Analysis | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books
Mathematics | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books | Applied | Chaos & Systems | Geometry & Topology | Mathematical Analysis | Mathematical Physics | Number Systems | Pure Mathematics | Transformations | Trigonometry
ASIN: 0442069596

Book Description

"Juan Rulfo's fifteen tales of rural folk prove him to be one of the master storytellers of modern Mexico.... Rulfo has an eye for the depths of the human soul, an ear for the 'still sad music of humanity,' and a gift for communicating what takes place internally and externally in man."

—Houston Post

" The Burning Plain and Other Stories consists of fifteen pieces ranging from brief anecdotes, casual incidents that remind one of 'happenings' in pop art, to short stories. Many, indeed, are short-short stories in deceptively elemental language and narrative technique; yet all have a sharp impact on the reader.... With a few bare phrases the author conveys a feeling for the bleak, harsh surroundings in which his people live."

—Saturday Review

A major figure in the history of post-Revolutionary literature in Mexico, Juan Rulfo received international acclaim for his brilliant short novel Pedro Páramo (1955) and his collection of short stories El llano en llamas (1953), translated as a collection here in English for the first time. In the transition of Mexican fiction from direct statements of nationalism and social protest to a concentration on cosmopolitanism, the works of Rulfo hold a unique position. These stories of a rural people caught in the play of natural forces are not simply an interior examination of the phenomena of their world; they are written for the larger purpose of showing the actions of humans in broad terms of reality.

Customer Reviews:

MCLC students.......2007-01-24

The Burning Plain is about fifteen emotional stories. The stories give the reader a lot to think about. Many of these stories are short interesting stories that give the reader what to think about, action, sad parts, and contains nasty events when people are killed. We recommend the book to the readers because it is a very interesting book because the way many short stories are put into one book. The book will make the reader feel grossed out because in the ways some people are killed. All of these stories take place in a rural place. For, example Talpa takes place in a village as well as Luvina. In the story Macario the setting is in a house.

strange but captivating writing.......2006-01-06

Rulfo's style, like his stories, is sparse, quiet, and often harsh. He offers disturbing tales of miserable people in barren places; yet there is also a strange beauty to be found in his work. I can think of few, if any, examples of such perfect prose. The characters--though they suffer--seem close at hand and perfectly real, and he gives the most incredible descriptions of landscapes that I have ever read in my life. It is easy to see his connection to "magical realism"--it is largely in the way he sets the tone of the stories, and in those unbelievably vivid descriptions--but his work does not fall into that category. There is no escaping the terribly blunt reality he creates.

Whether you are interested in Latin American literature or not, if you are at all interested in prose, you should read this book.

give art a chance........2004-06-22

The Burning Plains is a compilation of short stories that Juan Rulfo published on diferent publications at different times. it's also at the moment, besides his masterpiece Pedro Paramo, the only material available.
The shorts stories are chilling, incledibly well written. It's superb, and the english translation more than acceptable.
To me the highlights of the book are "Talpa" and "they have given us the land" (the opener on the spanish version, but some reason is not on this english edition)but the whole book is amazing.
I bought this book for my girfriend as an exorsism from jennifer Wiener's "Good in Bed" I was worried about the translation but it didn't dissapoint me.
the ideal way to read The Burning Plain is in spanish, but since this book is not that surreal as pedro paramo is, this tranlation works just fine.
I hope this brief note helps you to choose a good book.

The perfect writing.......2001-02-02

One regrettable consequence of Garcia Marquez's fame is that Latin American literature has come to be identified exclusively with "magical realism". Everything has to be extraordinary, epic, full of tropical lust, palms, jaguars, people having sex in every corner, flying to the sky with a pineapple on their heads. But Latin America is a vast continent producing artist of universal stature, even if the rest of the world decides (to their disadvantage) to ignore all but the folkloric.

Well, Juan Rulfo is a master of the highest sort and this book is NOT magical realism, but pure, hard realism. He only wrote two books, this one and "Pedro Paramo", another masterpiece which I also don't count as magical realism, although some do, as well as a few lesser works. He didn't need to write much. His is a literature worked and reworked restlessly, until reaching perfection. Every single word fits perfectly with the rest. There are no digressions, no philosophy, no theories or grand landscapes. All his tales develop in Southern Jalisco, in a poor, dry, vast, sunburned and sad land. The prose is also dry, precise, economical and to the point. The characters are ignorant, miserable, but conscious and courageous. The titles say much: "It's because we are so poor" is one of them. However, you will not find self-pity or corny sad tales. Only bits of human misery perfectly narrated. By the way, this is the first review I write for Amazon in which I use the word "perfect". Probably it won't happen again, with one or two exceptions.

A masterpice of short stories.......2000-12-07

ANGST. This is the best word to describe the human landscape that Rulfo has portrayed in this collection of short stories. A lanscape of extreme sorrow that blossoms over the arid plain, where poverty, opression and ignorance intermingle with faith to shape the tragedy of the post-revolutionary rural Mexico. A tragedy that has lived over 70 years and that may help explaining the nature of the mexican people, their doings and fears. But moreover its social meanings, Juan Rulfo, has created a masterpiece of storytelling, not only at the Latin-american level, but rather as an universal gift. This is not magic realism alà Garcia Marquez or Isabel Allende. This is bare boned reality, told with the beauty and the ease that just a master can reach, in which the words mix perfectly for creating short bursts of narrative, perfectly solved stories, that will fill the mind, the mouth and the eyes of the reader with the burnt sand of the plains, with the ashes of the dead, with the tears of the desperate. If you're ready to follow Tanilo's bloody footsteps toward Talpa, to hunt toads with Macario, or to fall under the spell of Niño Anacleto's preaching, or under the spell of misterious rural Mexico, dive into the pages of this collection of short stories, and compare it with any other you have already read, and you will understand why Rulfo never writed any further. Because he almost reached perfection.

Average customer rating:

The Burning Plain and Other Stories
Juan Rulfo
Manufacturer: U of Texas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I6YK2K

The Burning Plain : and other Stories (Texas Pan American Series)

Average customer rating:

The Burning Plain : and other Stories (Texas Pan American Series)
Juan Rulfo; Translator-George D. Schade
Manufacturer: University of Texas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OS53JQ

Average customer rating:

The Burning Plain and Other Stories
Juan Rulfo
Manufacturer: University of Texas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000WKVBVK

Average customer rating:

The Burning Plain And Other Stories -
Juan Rulfo -
Manufacturer: University Of Texas Press -
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000P2Y5MC

Average customer rating:

The Burning Plain and Other Stories

Manufacturer: Univ Texas
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GR0ML4

Average customer rating:

THE BURNING PLAIN AND OTHER STORIES
Juan Rulfo
Manufacturer: University of Texas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OS4XGA

Average customer rating:

Burning Plain and Other Stories
Juan Rulfo
Manufacturer: University of Texas
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000RAOUAE

Book Description

What resonated about Endtroducing when it was released in 1996, and what makes it still resonate today, is the way in which it loosens itself from the mooring of the known and sails off into an uncharted territory that seems to exist both in and out of time. Josh Davis is not only a master sampler and turntablist supreme, he is also a serious archeologist with a world-thirsty passion (what Cut Chemist refers to as Josh's "spidey sense") for seeking out, uncovering and then ripping apart the discarded graces of some other generation - that "pile of broken dreams" - and weaving them back together into a tapestry of chronic bleakness and beauty.

Over the course of several long conversations with Josh Davis (DJ Shadow), we learn about his early years in California, the friends and mentors who helped him along the way, his relationship with Mo'Wax and James Lavelle, and the genesis and creation of his widely acknowledged masterpiece, Endtroducing.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent series of Interviews.......2007-08-17

This book is essentially a long interview by Wilder with Josh Davis, and if you've seen Scratch, you know that Shadow can be very articulate. In essence, Wilder guides the story and gives it context, but is basically letting Shadow speak for himself. They go the whole nine yards: delving into Davis' childhood, how he discovered hiphop, how he started making his first mixes and tracks, who he met and when, and how he made the album in question. The focus is one Endtroducing... but you get the arc of his whole career up to Private Press. A very worthwhile read, in my opinion.

I supplemented my reading with the liner notes from the deluxe edition of Endtroducing... and also listened to the album and Preemptive Strike and all the b-sides. It's a fast read, you could finish in one sitting. Sold!

Any who would understand the man or his music needs ENDTRODUCING in their collection........2007-01-07

D.J. Shadow's 1996 album Endtroducing created a new sound sonic pop music was to follow for years, influencing electronica and reaching out to other forms. Music critic Eliot Wilder follows this change in ENDTRODUCING, which is basically one long interview with DJ Shadow via telephone during 2004. From DJ's passion for music to his involvement in mixing and interactions with some of the key electronica wizards of modern times, any who would understand the man or his music needs ENDTRODUCING in their collection.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Book Description

The Texas Revolution is remembered chiefly for the 13-day siege of the Alamo and its immortal heroes. This book describes the war and the preceding years that were marked by resentments and minor confrontations as the ambitions of Mexico's leaders clashed with the territorial determination of Texan settlers. When the war broke in October 1835, the invading Mexicans, under the leadership of the flamboyant President-General Santa Ana, fully expected to crush a ragged army of frontiersmen. Led by Sam Houston, the Texans rallied in defense of the new Lone Star state, defeated the Mexicans in a mere 18 minutes at the battle of San Jacinto and won their independence.

Customer Reviews:

Texas war of independence 1835 - 1836.......2006-03-26

Book gave an excellent overview of probably a little known war. It was in a logical order and did not over complicate matters.

Book Description

This book looks at colonialism in its social, political and psychological context. The author suggests that the fundamental character of colonialism is not so much economic or technological domination, but cultural subservience of the indigenous people, and the cultural arrogance of the rulers. Nandy bases his thesis largely on a study of Gandhi and Kipling in colonial India. The book is in two parts: The Psychology of Colonialism: Sex, Age, and Ideology, and part two: The Uncolonized Mind: A Post-colonial View of India and the West.

Customer Reviews:

Very very interesting.......2007-08-13

This book cannot be read fast. I first heard of this philosopher on the French Cultural Radio in a program on Islam in India. If you know about Franz Fanon and other psycho-sociologists like Erik Fromm etc but you don't know about the consequences of colonization in the Sub-continent, this book is for you.

Book Description

The seemingly solitary life of the tiger, and the ferocious intensity of its attacks, are legendary. But sadly, the existence of this massive cat is threatened by human encroachment.

"The Way of the Tiger," written by India's foremost tiger specialist, presents scientific insights and information on the world's tiger species in a readable text that will appeal to a popular audience.

Customer Reviews:

Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright, You Have Filled Me With Delight!.......2005-07-27

THIS IS THE BEST TIGER BOOK I'VE EVER READ(so far)! The photos are classic, the information is great, and you can most certainly tell that the writers and photographers put a ton or two of effort into it. If you like tigers(like many do)I suggest you buy this book. Oh and tigers come only a couple of inches away from being tied on my love scale with my favorite animal, the lion, so it makes this book all the better! Anyway, I love it to pieces, and you will too! Get it while it's fresh, off this site, or in any book or nature store!

Great Intro to Tiger Conservation.......2004-08-29

Dr. Ullas Karanth is one of the most respected conservation biologists working to save the tiger from extinction in the wild. In this book, Dr. Karanth presents interesting information regarding the tiger's place in ancient culture, its biology, evolution and behavior. The book ends with the best discussion I have ever seen on the past and future of tiger conservation throughout the world, particularly in India and Nepal which contain most of the world's tigers in the wild.

The book is written with a view towards educating the INTELLIGENT layman about the main threats to tigers and the methods of tiger conservation. The text is not watered down for the benefit of those who merely wish to have a book that looks pretty; however, it is a pleasure to read, since Dr. Karanth's clarity of thought and writing are apparent throughout.

The author summarizes the research of other biologists (Drs. George Schaller, John Seidensticker, Mel Sunquist) and presents his own work on the monitoring of tigers and their prey. One learns how the densities of the tiger's ungulate prey species in a given area can be estimated. Since tiger numbers are positively correlated with the numbers of the cat's ungulate prey, this provides biologists with methods of estimating the number of tigers in a given area. For accurate counts, the author proposes the use of remote cameras to photograph tigers, which can be uniquely identified by their stripe markings. This "camera trapping" approach, as it is called, can be combined with powerful statistical methods to estimate the proportion of tigers in the population that were actually captured by the cameras, thus giving a total count of tigers in the sampled area.

Fascinating glimpses of tiger behavior are presented through the results of fieldwork in the Kanha and Nagarahole National Parks (India) and Chitwan National Park (Nepal) by the eminent scientists mentioned above. Much of what is known to science regarding tiger behavior and ecology is the result of these systematic studies. The methods and goals of modern field biology are carefully distinguished from the subjective impressions recorded by hunter-naturalists in the first half of the last century.

In an age when the media is choked with enormous amounts of misleading information, it is refreshing to find a book that gives sound scientific information in a clear and precise fashion. Dr. Karanth points out, for example, that while the much - publicized poaching of tigers for body parts is undoubtedly harmful, the poaching of the tiger's ungulate prey is likely to be equally, or more, disastrous. An especially attractive feature of the book is the pains the author takes to refute age-old and popular myths about tigers. For example, many people believe that white tigers are a separate race that need to be conserved (they are merely genetic mutants), or that keeping tigers in captivity by private citizens somehow contributes to tiger conservation (this is a colossal delusion).

As another reviewer notes, Dr. Karanth's criticism of the concept of 'sustainable use' of tiger habitats by humans is interesting. This fashionable concept, so dear to social activists who know little and care less about tiger conservation, cannot be applied to tiger range countries like India. This is because the number of potential consumers of products from tiger habitats is out of all proportion to the available resource base. Sacrificing, on the altar of 'sustainable use', the few protected areas where breeding tigresses still thrive can only spell doom for the species.

Dr. Karanth ends the book on an optimistic note: given the tiger's history of survival under extremely adverse conditions, there is a hope for this magnificent King of Cats if rational action, based on sound science, is applied to tiger conservation. The deep sense of hopelessness about the fate of wild tigers that one often comes across in the media is useless at best and counter-productive at worst. The first thing that concerned people should do if their efforts are not to be downright harmful to the survival prospects of tigers is to get informed before intervening. This book is a splendid attempt to provide such information.

Biggest of all Cats.......2002-07-23

Of the making of coffee-table books about tigers there seems to be no end. Text traditionally hasn't mattered much; tigers are so alluring that most book buyers are content just to gaze at pictures of them.

The Way of the Tigers is different. Author K.Ullas Karanth is a Wildlife Conservation Society biologist and perhaps India's leading authority on tigers. Karanth explains what is- and is not true about these secretive big cats to which he has devoted the past 21 years. He outlines as well what will be asked of all of us if tigers are not to disappear from the wild.

The latest information is here, from tiger genetics to the little understood but indispensable role basic biology must play in the future if the success or failure of tiger management is to be assessed. The author has little patience with romantics who insist that tigers and a growing human population can harmoniously share the same shrinking forests. If tigers are to survive, he believes, the course is clear: "establishing protected reserves and buffering them with compatible land use; delinking tiger habitats from the forces of market-driven commerce; (and) enlisting sufficient public support for tigers both locally and globally to ensure these goals are met". Everyone, everywhere, he writes, can find a part to play in that effort.

Meanwhile he urges us to resist the pessimism that can be fatal to the cause. Things looked bad for the tiger in the 1970s, too, Karanth reminds us. But in India, at least, thanks to political will, private resolve, and the commitment of a handful of forest officials, the tiger's slide toward extinction was halted-even reversed for a time. "If wild tigers do not survive the twenty-first century", the author concludes, "it will largely be because we, the current crop of tiger conservationists, have lost this sense of purpose, clarity of thinking, and sense of hope. By failing to inspire the next generation....the present day doomsayers may be making self fulfilling prophesies".

The Way of the Tiger.......2002-07-18

"Is the tiger a lost cause, or is there some reason of hope?" K.Ullas Karanth, one of India's best known tiger specialists asks and then goes on to convincingly make a case for tiger conservation and why he believes that wild tigers can survive. A conservation Zoologist with the Wildlife Conservation Society, the author has studied wild tiger for over 15 years.

In The Way of the Tigers, the author emphasizes why scientific studies are essential for the process of tiger conservation. The book is informative and takes the reader into the world of tigers. Karanth discusses the rationale behind saving tigers and why the primary challenge before us today is to channel the human fascination for the tiger to positive conservation action.

Karanth looks at the methods and results of scientific work such as radio-tracking and other methods used to count wild tigers. He also explains the evolution of tigers, their distribution and how humans have interacted with tigers since prehistoric times. He gives you an overview of the natural habitats, prey species, and behavior and biological needs of tigers and also delves into how modern science has helped replace traditional myths on tigers. The book also discusses the reasons why tiger populations are in decline-the main socio-economic threats to the tiger - habitat destruction for agriculture, development projects, exploitation of forest produce and hunting and poaching.

The Way of the Tiger.......2002-07-17

He summarizes conservation movement in India and efforts made so far to save the tiger providing a compelling and optimistic raison d'etre on why he believes that the tiger can be saved. He states that "wild tigers can survive the 21st century if we can temper our compassion for the animal with knowledge and pragmatism". An interesting and enlightening book on the crucial issue of tiger conservation.

Average customer rating:
The Way of the Tiger ; Natural History and Conservation of the Endangered Big Cat
K. Ullas Karanth
Manufacturer: Universities Press (India) Pvt. Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 8173715564

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books