Dragons, Unicorns, and Sea Serpents: A Classic Study of the Evidence for their Existence

Book Description

A geologist from the age of Darwin examines the fossil records and myths from civilizations throughout the world to illustrate the origins of legendary monsters, showing how extinct creatures such as the woolly rhinoceros might be construed as a unicorn and flying reptiles interpreted as dragons. 93 black-and-white illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

Good book and well written.......2006-08-23

I was interested in this book when I came across it at a Bargain bookstore. I read that this guy lived at the time when Darwin was alive. I had to get this book when I looked through this book. I'm a creationist but nothing like this I really heard alot of. Charles Gould is pretty much trying to separate the mythologies with the reality. He does a good job in the book with showing that those myths could be explaining something that "really" existed and that this did "really" happen. I could go in to detail but this book is worth it to read it. It's a good book and is not a waste.

Book Description

To understand almost any part of the tropical rain forest's fabulously complex web of life, one must first learn to identify a bewildering array of plants. Alwyn Gentry's landmark book, completed just before his tragic death in 1993, is the only field guide to the nearly 250 families of woody plants in the most species-rich region of South America.

As a consummate field researcher, Gentry designed this guide to be not just comprehensive, but also easy to use in rigorous field conditions. Unlike many field guides, which rely for their identifications on flowers and fruits that are only present during certain seasons, Gentry's book focuses on characters such as bark, leaves, and odor that are present year-round. His guide is filled with clear illustrations, step-by-step keys to identification, and a wealth of previously unpublished data.

All biologists, wildlife managers, conservationists, and government officials concerned with the tropical rain forests will need and use this field guide.

Alwyn Gentry was one of the world's foremost experts on the biology of tropical plants. He was senior curator at the Missouri Botanical Garden, and was a member of Conservation International's interdisciplinary Rapid Assessment Program (RAP) team, which inventories the biodiversity of the most threatened tropical areas. From 1967 to 1993 he collected more than 80,000 plant specimens, many of them new to science.

Customer Reviews:

Best avaliable.......2005-07-27

The best avaliable guide to the wood plants of this region of South America that I am aware of.

Great for advanced amateurs -- or displaced professionals.......2000-02-09

I'm an amateur naturalist -- and had the plants of the Eastern US pretty well under control. All that went out the window when I moved to Nicaragua. This is the first broad, clear, complete guide to neo-tropical woody plants (and lots of the herbaceous plants as well) I've seen. Although it was written for Columbia, Ecuador, and Peru, it does well enough for Central America. Just leafing through the illustrations has given me the family, and often the genus, of lots of the plants I've seen in our cloud forests. The author has a very readable style, laced with an understated sense of humour that bubbles to the surface on several occasions. See the entry for Euphorbiaceae, for example.

The book is not, however, for the complete beginner. Unless you are thoroughly familiar with the arcane botanical terminology, you will need a botanical dictionary. "Plant Identification Terminology" by Harris is a good one.

Great for advanced amateurs -- or displaced professionals.......2000-02-09

Certainly the best book of its kind.......1998-09-05

This book is the only one to cover so extensively the flora of Colombia in such an accessible way. You won't regret this purchase. It certainly deserves five stars.

Book Description

With a critical, witty, and cosmopolitan viewpoint, this guide to South America’s largest country covers not only the renowned Rio de Janeiro and its famous Carnaval, but also areas virtually unknown to the English-speaking world, including Salvador, Pipa, Buzios, Minas Gerais, and Paraty. Those who are timid about journeying through this island of Portuguese and little English will find will quickly find themselves trying to samba, listening to Marisa Monte, mixing a caipirinha, and saying tudo bem by the end of the first chapter.

Book Description

Transgenic animal technologies and the ability to introduce functional genes into animals have revolutionized our ability to address complex biomedical and biological questions. This well-illustrated handbook covers the technical aspects of gene transfer from molecular methods to whole animal considerations for important laboratory and domestic animal species. It describes methodologies as employed by leading laboratories and is a key resource for researchers, as well as a tool for training technicians and students. This second edition incorporates updates on a variety of genetic engineering technologies ranging from microinjection and ES cell transfer to nuclear transfer in a broad range of animal modeling systems.

Contains a comprehensive collection of transgenic animal and gene transfer methods
Discusses background and introduction to techniques and animal systems
Teaches practical step-by-step protocols
New section on analysis

Customer Reviews:

Quite useful.......2006-10-17

This book contains important information regarding the production and characterization of transgenic animals. It is useful to those who are seeking a broad overview of transgenic animal technology and those who require specific technical details regarding setting up a gene targeting facility at their lab/institution. For me, I found the first few chapters regarding generating transgenic mice and their initial phenotyping exceptionally useful. I enjoyed learning about the established protocols regarding superovulation, oocyte harvesting and pronuclear injections (I had no idea how any of these things were done before reading this book). There are some crucial tips regarding determining the transgene copy number, number of integration sites, and transgene stability. Overall, this book is good to read for people who work with transgenic animals.

Book Description

Dieses erfolgreiche einführende Lehrbuch zeichnet sich durch eine exakte und anschauliche Darstellung aus. Der Lehrstoff ist klar gegliedert und gut strukturiert. Auf mathematisch formale Beweise wird weitgehend verzichtet, die Herleitung wichtiger Zusammenhänge wird jedoch dargestellt. Der Stoff wird durch eine Fülle von Beispielen und Abbildungen veranschaulicht, und zahlreiche Aufgaben mit Lösungen zu jedem Abschnitt erleichtern das Selbststudium.

Ein Buch für Studierende an Technischen Universitäten und Fachhochschulen.

Book Description

In this enchanting retelling of Greek myth, Jean-Pierre Vernant combines his deep knowledge of the subject with an original storytelling style. Beginning with the creation of Earth out of Chaos, Vernant continues with the castration of Uranus, the war between the Titans and the Olympian gods, the wily ruses of Prometheus and Zeus, and the creation of Pandora, the first woman. His narrative takes readers from the Trojan War to the voyage of Odysseus, from the story of Dionysus to the terrible destiny of Oedipus, to Perseus's confrontation with the Gorgons.

Jean-Pierre Vernant has devoted himself to the study of Greek mythology. In recounting these tales, he unravels for us their multiple meanings and brings to life the beloved figures of legend whose narratives lie at the origin of our civilization.

Customer Reviews:

Poetic account of the myths.......2004-05-07

I almost didn't buy this book because of the low customer reviews, but then I used the "look inside" feature and liked what I saw. I did order the book and I'm very glad I did. I teach creative writing at the college level and will recommend this book to my students. I find the tellings to be very clear and also very poetic. As a writer, I turn to myths to help me find my own stories--this book, I know, will pull many stories out of my unconscious, where they now are hidden "in the depths of the Earth; the void." I also find the author's introduction informative and useful in explaining why myths are important. I love this book.

The only book of its kind for children and Greek mythology.......2003-07-11

What the previous reviewer seems to have misunderstood is Vernant's point: that this is a book of stories to be told to one's children. Thus, a dialogue naturally begins when the child asks a question like "who is that?" Vernant presupposes only one thing: that the adult who is reading the story will fill in the details regarding the Greek myths as he or she wishes, or is asked questions about. He presupposes that the adult is already familiar with the myths, and is introducing them for the first time to his or her child. A parent obviously cannot read Bulfinch's Mythology to a child, it would be ludicrous, and so Vernant has produced a book that can be read to children for the first time, and one which relies on the parent's knowledge to fill in whatever elements that he or she desires to, or is asked to say more about. In short, it is a book for children that presupposes that the adult knows his or her Greek mythology. There is quite simply no other book for children that introduces them to the world of Greek mythology. That it presumes that the parent reading it knows more than the child does and also more than what is in the book should not come as a shock. What Vernant accomplishes here for the first time is to give children their first access to what are otherwise very complicated stories, and to let us fill in the gaps as they come up.

Greek mythology stripped of all its drama and excitement.......2003-02-24

This slim book reduces Greek mythology to its barest essentials. Vernant starts with the creation stories; skims through the "clash of the titans," Prometheus and Pandora, the Trojan War, Odysseus, Dionysus, Oedipus; and ends quite abruptly with Perseus and Medusa--all in 180 sparse pages. Along the way, the author strips these stories of all their depth, drama, and momentum. Entire battle scenes and plot twists are reduced to single sentences. His effort to make Greek mythology simple is unforgivably simplistic; all the excitement is thoroughly excised. Vernant has managed to achieve something I would have thought impossible: he has made Greek mythology dreadfully boring.

It's never really quite clear for whom this book was written. Much of the writing (or at least its translation) reads like excerpts from an elementary school primer. Instead of proper transitional devices, sentences repeatedly begin with "So." "So now the war of the gods is over." "And so they sail on, the fleet much reduced." "So then: Athena and Hermes help the boy with the feat he must accomplish." One-dimensional answers follow condescending questions: "How does Prometheus do it? The way it is routinely done in Greek sacrifice." "Who is Helen? She is herself the fruit of the gods' intrusions into the human world." "What does the ingenious captain do? He has got himself some beeswax." Why does Vernant write like this? I haven't a clue.

Although Vernant came up with the idea for this book when he told Greek myths as bedtime stories to his grandson, this book can't possibly be intended for children or even adolescents: these skeletal stories would enchant no one, and there isn't enough background for those unfamiliar with Greek myths to make any sense of what remains. Furthermore, I can't imagine that children would understand his reference to "a 1968-style rebellion on Olympus" or that they would care how Professor Louis Gernet sees Dionysus as "the figure of the other" or how Marcel Detienne views him as "an epidemic god." At the same time, older readers looking for new insights into Greek mythology will surely be disappointed; Vernant's analysis never dips below the surface. On Pandora: "Woman combines the vileness of human life together with its divine aspect." On Achilles: "In the full flesh of combat, of youth, the manly strengths of bravura and energy and youthful grace intact will thus never know the decrepitude of old age." On Oedipus: "In any city where there are women and men, there is a necessary opposition and a necessary entanglement of combat and marriage." (As opposed to those many cities where there are only women or only men?)

The final insult to the reader is the book's 20-page appendix, which lists a motley assortment of Greek gods and heroes. The entries nearly always omit the importance of each character to the mythical tradition and focus overwhelmingly on family relations (which would more clearly and succintly served by a genealogical chart). Thus, Echion is "one of the five Spartoi; husband of Agave, father of Pentheus." Agave is "daughter of Cadmus and mother of Pentheus." Pentheus is "grandson of Cadmus on his mother's, Agave's side, and son of Echion." Are you dizzy yet?

In sum, readers interested in an introduction to Greek mythology would profit far more from Thomas Bulfinch's "The Age of Fable," Edith Hamilton's "Mythology," or, as a reference work, Robert Graves's "The Greek Myths."

Average customer rating:
The Universe, the Gods, and Men: Ancient Greek Myths Told by Jean-Pierre Vernant
Jean-Pierre Vernant
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OF5QBE

Book Description

The Cardinal's Hat is the fascinating story of how Ippolito d'Este, the second son of Lucretia Borgia, acquired the coveted cardinal's hat and became the Archbishop of Milan. Working with Ippolito's letters and ledgers, recently uncovered in an archive in Modena, Italy, Mary Hollingsworth has pieced together a fascinating and undeniably titillating tale of this Renaissance cardinal and his road to power and wealth in sixteenth century Europe.

Customer Reviews:

brilliant yet, occasionally, tedious.......2006-08-07

The beauty of this book is that it uses account books and letters to put together a
very detailed account of the life of an Italian noble churchman who aspired to be
(and near the end of the book becomes) a cardinal. And he's no ordinary cardinal --
he's a favorite of Francois I of France, a patron of Cellini, and the like.

The downside of the book is that every so often you feel as if you're reading an
annotated Visa bill. Long discussions of how much money was paid for different
items, where the best items came from, etc. Not everything is likely to be interesting.
In my case I enjoyed details of how clothing was made (and discovering that furs
were often recycled from one piece to another) but was bored by long discussion of
fees to bargemen and carters for hauling produce.

An Important Dusting of the D'Este Archives.......2006-01-11

One of the most admirable tasks of an art historian is to endure long hours, days, and weeks in cold, often musty, archives to produce an incomparable image based on documents. Since the two previous reviews elaborate on the central figures of the D'Este family, their history, roots, and struggle for power, let me guide the reader to the fine details of Mary Hollingsworth's transcriptions of the family ledgers.

We learn about all levels of the "famiglia," the group of servants around the young Cardinal Ippolito, from men who clothed and fed him, to those who emptied his chamber pots and cleaned his bedchambers, made his candles, embroidered his shirts, and looked after his ledger books. Fascinating is the author's account of crossing the Alps in wintertime, the management of Ippolito's large entourage, transport of huge travel chests and the Cardinal's four-poster bed, worries about miniscule details like the cold feet of his favorite dogs. We learn about the life of a prince who spared no money to buy his cardinal's hat and to promote the image of his noble family.

Try a good glass of Italian wine, fresh semolina bread, and the oil from the former D'Este lands while paging through the book. Great reading for scholars and general readers alike.

AN INCOMPARABLE VIEW OF DAILY LIFE IN RENAISSANCE ITALY.......2005-07-06

Few historical periods are as intriguing as the Renaissance; few families fascinate as much as the Borgias. However, we've not been privy to many firsthand accounts of daily life among the powerful in 16th century Italy. Now, thanks to a bit of luck and assiduous research, art historian Mary Hollingsworth presents a detailed picture of Ippolito d'Este, the second son of Lucretia Borgia who later became Archbishop of Milan.

In Modena, Italy, Hollingsworth came upon a treasure - over 2,00 letters and 200 account books pertaining to the days of Ippolito. The ledgers contain such minute details as the items in his wardrobe, what he ate. He wasn't timid about keeping a log of his women right along with his horses, dogs, falcons, peacocks, and a plethora of servants. Nor, was he embarrassed to note how much was spent on bribes and to whom he paid them. Thus, readers have the unparalleled experience of seeing courtly life on a daily basis, even to Ippolito's visit to the mistress of the King of France while she was in her bath.

Ippolito reached the ripe old age of 29 before he received the cardinal's red hat, which at that time was a guarantee of wealth and power. He was a man who enjoyed women thoroughly and often, gambled frequently, and spent time hunting rather than in prayer. Thus, his elevation to such a lofty position had naught to do with religiosity, much to do with politics.

Mary Hollingsworth has created an amazing view of everyday life among the rich and powerful in Renaissance Italy. Highly recommended.

- Gail Cooke

Accounting for an Up-and-Coming Cardinal.......2005-07-06

A boon for the historian of Renaissance Italy is that it was remarkably bureaucratic, and paper trails are all over the place. They do need finding, sorting, and placing in context. Mary Hollingsworth is such a historian, and was forced by weather to make a detour to Modena in 1999. As long as she was there, she started looking through the archives. A friend had already told her that the story of Ippolito d'Este would be worth looking up, and she started to do so. There were 2,000 of his letters, letters written to him, and 200 account books. She had found "a unique account of life in sixteenth-century Europe, a detailed record of how a Renaissance prince lived." Not just a Renaissance prince, but an archbishop who was a climber, aiming for a cardinal's hat and perhaps the papacy. In _The Cardinal's Hat: Money, Ambition, and Everyday Life in the Court of a Borgia Prince_ (Overlook Press), Hollingsworth has set out her findings in detail. Ippolito has, of course, been written about before, but mostly as an important patron of the arts; he built the magnificent Villa d'Este at Tivoli and he was a patron of the musician Palestrina. The life and career have otherwise been ignored, and Hollingsworth here corrects this void through the remarkable documents she found.

Ippolito d'Este was born in 1509 in Ferrara, the second son of Alfonso d'Este and Lucretia Borgia. The firstborn son was fated to be the Duke of Ferrara, and Ippolito was fated to enter the church. Ippolito was no more pious than his brother; their respective careers were merely a matter of birthright. Ippolito became Archbishop of Milan at age nine, and his family was thereupon interested in making him a cardinal. The means for acquiring the cardinal's hat was financial. The cardinalship was in fact purchased from the corrupt Pope Paul III by the Duke for his brother, although there were many complicated arguments made as all the parties involved attempted to improve their positions in the arrangements. Ippolito's candidacy was greatly improved by his friendship with Francis I of France, with whom he seems to have had a sincere friendship. The two men were interested in the sorts of things young men were interested in, hunting, tennis, gambling, and women. A great deal of Hollingsworth's research has been into account books, and many of the entries are for elaborate, strange, or funny items. Ippolito was a dandy, favoring bright colors, especially expensive reds, with elaborate shirts, doublets, coats, breeches, and hose. One inventory includes 611 shoelaces. Another lists fifteen pairs of gloves, and while gloves themselves were relatively cheap, glove-wearing was expensive, because they were perfumed with ambergris and musk. There are relatively few religious items inventoried, evidence that Ippolito liked his pleasures more than his religious duties. Even his rosaries were filled with musk and ambergris.

Much of Hollingsworth's narrative necessarily involves listing of such properties. This is not really a biography as so many of the details of Ippolito's life are not known, but it is a splendid examination of how rich people of the age spent their time and money. The idea of a cleric and his family spending in such a way might strike our own sensibilities even as immoral, but Ippolito was a man of his time. He seems not to have been any sort of tyrant, and he did some modest good in his patronage of artists. Given his own time and his own goals, he was successful. He very nearly missed getting to be Pope, and he would probably have been as good a one as there were in his times. He and his brother did successfully campaign to get him the cardinalship, and after all the expenditures to that end, Ippolito racked in lucrative titles, becoming titular Abbott or Archbishop of Italian or French branches that brought in money. Francis got what he needed, too, as Ippolito went to Rome as Cardinal-Protector of France. The magnificence described here in such detail proved to be a necessity for political power and a virtue for theological advancement.

Book Description

The Russian BMP infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) was one of the most significant innovations in infantry tactics in the latter half of the 20th century. Built in response to the threat of nuclear warfare, it was the world's first IFV, providing the infantry squad with unprecedented firepower, mobility and protection. With over 55,000 manufactured since 1966, the BMP is also numerically one of the most important armoured vehicles ever built. This richly illustrated book examines the development and design of the BMP, detailing its armaments, performance in combat and variants.

Customer Reviews:

Good things come in small packages-except Soviet IFVs.......2001-05-18

Zaloga has been writing about Soviet hardware for many years for many respectable publications. This New Vanguard series is very informative for a book its size, has a lot of detail & pictures that are helpful to modeler and collector as well.

Zaloga captures well why this series of vehicles has not fared well on the battle scene. Its light armor does not do what it is supposed to do-protect its crew. The BMP1 weapons do not do what it they are intended to do- defeat the enemy. Too many blind spots, restrictions on range, poor sights make the early varients of the BMP1 a piece of junk. In my years as a Tank Commander studying this weapon system, crawling around in it and watching it run at various army posts, we never feared it. The BMP2, was a little better, at least fielding a 30mm automatic cannon that would pose a threat to a Bradley. The BMP3 is a very aggressive (desperate?) attempt to mount something for everyone. 30mm cannon, 100mm cannon, missles, this baby's got it all. But the armor is still too light for its crew and too much in a small package? Time will tell on that.

No book this size can please every reader, but I would definately recommend this one to all as a great primer on the IFV produced in greater numbers than any other, the one first mass produced.

S. Zaloga is not the man to turn to, for an unbiased revew........1998-08-24

This book follows in the footsteps of other Zaloga titles, like "T-72", "Tank war-Central front", or just about anything else he has written. Paranoia of Russian weapons has seemed to be hunting Steven, as BMP is a clear reflection of that. The whole book is quite tilted in all aspects, from beginning to the end, he boasts of Western tank designs at the expense of Russian equipment. Illustrations are sharp, however no special variants are displayed in the drawings, just the standard BMP-1, 2, 3's). In other worlds, you want to have good illustrations of this vehicle for modeling purposes, then perhaps the books is what you need( even though frontal and rear color-plate drawings are scarce, 9 of 12 drawings are straight side-views ), however, if you want this book for educational purposes, my recommendation would be to look for a less biased source to get a fair evaluation. -david

Book Description

Since so few people appear knowledgeable about public affairs, one might question whether collective policy preferences revealed in opinion surveys accurately convey the distribution of voices and interests in a society. Scott Althaus' comprehensive analysis of the relationship between knowledge, representation, and political equality (in opinion surveys) leads to surprising answers. Knowledge does matter, and the way it is dispensed in society can cause collective preferences to reflect opinions disproportionately. Accordingly, the study can help survey researchers, journalists, politicians, and concerned citizens better appreciate the problems and potentials of the usage of opinion polls to represent the people's voice.

Amazon.com

David Brower, elder statesman of the ecology movement, reflects on his half-century of controversial environmental activism as former Sierra Club executive director and founder of Friends of the Earth and Earth Island Institute. Sparing no sacred cows - himself least of all - Brower outlines his plan to save our planet. Recalling past glories and stinging defeats - Glen Canyon Dam chief among them - Brower outlines his modest yet thoroughly plausible plan to rescue Mother Earth for the next generation. An intellectually moving and emotionally stirring book, Brower challenges readers to change their ways because, as he says, it's not too late to administer CPR for an ailing planet if we all work together to win the crucial battles for the Earth.

Book Description

Credited with galvanizing an entire generation of environmentalists in the 60's, David Brower, the highly respected "archdruid" of the modern environmental movement, recalls with wit and wisdom his 50 years of controversial activism and offers an inspired strategy for the next generation of "those who would save the Earth."

In this intelligent and engaging chronicle of his years as an agitator for the planet, Brower points out the irony that since the first Earth Day 25 years ago, we've lost one-seventh of the world's productive land to pollution, clearcutting, and pavement-and our population has doubled! From the politics of preserving the environment and how to use New York-style PR to save tigers and dolphins, to reengineering cities, the future of hypercars, and his vision for the Earth Corps, Brower takes us on a sweeping journey of what has been and what could be if we apply CPR (Conservation, Preservation, Restoration) to our wounded world.

Customer Reviews:

Fabulous Book!.......2002-04-28

This novel was great. It was innovative and original. Unlike a lot of environmental books, this one wasn't dull or scientific. Instead, it reached out at you with it's practicality and simplicity. Brower uses real life examples to make his ideas tangible to the reader. This book was well written and is a modern Must Read. Get Inspired!... Read this book.

The archdruid at his best.......2001-01-31

The Late David Brower takes us through the journey that was his life. With explicit detail, david brower shows us the world in his eyes. His deep passion to inspire everyone with CPR ( conservation preservation restoration) and respect for the environment in which we live in is truly written with heartfelt words, and continues to move me. Founder of Friends of the Earth and Earth Island Insitute, Browers Legacy will indeed never be forgotten. Being so involved in some of the most important national monuments to be made such as dinosaur national park, his spirit and love will forever shine through in his life work to both serve and protect mother nature in all of her natural glory. Told by Brower he takes you on the path of his life, both past and to the present, giving such details of an exciting and meaningful life, such as his times with the wonderfully talented photographer the late ansel adams, work with JFK, and much more! From start to finish this book is indeed a classic, and a wonderful tribute to the late archdruid himself.

A Minor Fault--Attention Publisher.......2000-11-28

I'm about 180 pages through the book and have been marking it up extensively for future reference. Brower does an excellent job of summarizing a lot of current and older but useful thinking on environmentalism. Each time I go back to my reading, I keep wanting to refer to earlier passages, so I look for an index. In fact that's why I'm writing this brief review. I hope that the publisher sees it and actually produces one for a future edition or printing. It would be very helpful, since I'm sure I'll want to come back to the book.

Over the last several months, I've hit upon the topic of saving the earth from another author, Daniel Quinn, the author of Ishmael. The goal is the same, but Quinn offers an alternative way of thinking that I find quite interesting. I'd like to ask both Brower and Quinn what they think of one anothers approaches, but, of course, that is now impossible in the case of Brower. If anyone knows whether they have ever met or read about one another, I'd be interested in knowing their reactions to the other's work. Since Quinn's approach is not an environmentalist's approach, I doubt that they have knowledge of one another. However, Quinn is pretty savy on all aspects of saving the earth.

I don't know if I specified it was OK to show my e-mail address, but here it is if someone wants to respond: mtn_view@sirius.com.

Outstanding.......1999-05-20

Although this is somewhat irrelevant to the book itself, I'm amazed that David Brower was able to write such an articulate, evocative ecological eye-opener at the age of 82...which is not to say I applied a lower set of standards to the judging of "Let the Mountains Talk, Let the Rivers run". Such a bias wouldn't be necessary for the book to be praised and revered by all environmentally-conscious readers who happen upon it; in this, the era of unfettered desecration and destruction of the Earth, the former president of the Sierra Club provides a much needed argument on behalf of all those who enjoy nature and, also, all those who merely want their descendants to be able to breathe . In the gentlemanly prose he maintains throughout the book, Brower explains the necessity of wildlife preservation, what the restoration of the planet would entail, and the political factors involved in the environmentalist movement; he recounts pass successes of the Sierra Club and other environmental groups, encounters with prominent individuals such as FDR and John Muir, and, when he was a boy, describing the beauty of the pristine bay area locale he grew up in to his blind mother. Aside from issuing an eloquent "call to arms to those who would save the Earth", Brower also seems to attempt to convert those who have not yet recognized how nature can enrich their lives tenfold; from dramatic descriptions of his mountaineering exploits to waxing poetic about

the simple enjoyment one derives from observing creatures in the wild, he tries valiantly to convey the euphoria one attains from cherishing and truly experiencing the wonders of the Earth to the unenlightened. All in all, a fantastic book that ranks as one of my all-time non-fiction favorites, and required reading for all the indolent armchair environmentalists like myself who desperately need a motivational boost to start working at saving the planet.

Average customer rating:
Let The Mountains Talk, Let The Rivers Run - A Call To Those Who Would Save The Earth
David R. with Chapple, Steve Brower
Manufacturer: Harper-san Francisco
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JZKGT6

Average customer rating:
Let the Mountains Talk, Let the Rivers Run : A Call to Those Who Would Save the Earth
Steve; Brower, David Chapple
Manufacturer: Harpercollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OF6GXQ

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