The Falconer's Apprentice

Product Description

A Falconer's Guide to Training the Passage Red-tailed Hawk. A book for apprentice falconers wanting to know the basics of becoming a falconer. Shows a step-by-step approach to training your first wild caught hawk.

Customer Reviews:

Soar With the Falcons.......2006-12-31

There are fewer things more beautiful than a falcon in flight. This beautiful, majestic bird is the epitome of grace and speed.

This book is a good beginner's guide to catching, training and working with falcons and enjoying the world through their very keen and penetrating eyes.

Master Falconry: Training the Apprentice

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Master Falconry: Training the Apprentice

Manufacturer: Cabin Road Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0976739615

Product Description

A book for use by the master or general class falconer in training the apprentice. Includes material for training the apprentice in manning, equipment, feeding & general care, raptor health, falconry law, ethics, and history. Preprinted tests are provided to determine the apprentice's current knowledge and learning success. Log sheets for documentation of the apprenticeship and training in each area are located throughout. Also an excellent book for anyone considering entry into the sport of falconry and desiring more information.

Apprentice Falconry: Combination Handbook, Training Manual, Workbook

Average customer rating:

good book

Apprentice Falconry: Combination Handbook, Training Manual, Workbook

Manufacturer: Cabin Road Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0976739623

Product Description

The ideal primer for the apprentice falconer, this multipurpose book not only trains the apprentice, but provides record keeping for the apprenticeship, handbook information for the care of the raptor,and background/historical information. Included are chapters on the apprenticeship and its requirements, ecology, the birds used in falconry including pictures, language, equipment, the law, medical care of raptors, general care and feeding, and training the raptor to hunt. Also a great handbook for the general or master falconer.

Customer Reviews:

good book.......2005-11-15

its informative,not as informative as i thought it would be,but still a good book for an apprentice,has most of the basics in it

The Falconer's Apprentice: A Guide to Training the Passage Red-Tailed Hawk

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Must-have for any new falconer
A would-be Falconer's best written resource

The Falconer's Apprentice: A Guide to Training the Passage Red-Tailed Hawk
William C. Oakes
Manufacturer: Eaglewing Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Birdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1885054017

Customer Reviews:

Must-have for any new falconer.......2000-01-22

This was one of the first falconry books I read. It is simple and down-to-earth. At first glance it seemed a little TOO basic--no glossy photos, no complicated equipment patterns. It is simply a step-by-step guide to training your first hawk. Oakes never condescends to the reader while still breaking down the process--of training a wild-caught hawk--into easy-to understand parts. He also never loses sight of the big picture. The falconer is doing more than killing rabbits--he is a partner to his hawk. This is both privilege and responsibility.

A would-be Falconer's best written resource.......1997-09-05

This is probably the most down-to-Earth book I have ever read. This book is not for those who think of Falconry only as a Sport of Kings - for wealthy, bored people. It was the Sport of Kings and now is so much more. This book was written for apprentices, who willingly and lovingly embrace all the ups and downs of this sport. This book was written with Environmentalism and Conservation deeply in mind. Mr. Oakes speaks from experiences, many painful - many wonderful, and insists on teaching ethics, Ethics, and more ETHICS! I cannot imagine anyone truely dedicated to becoming a Falconer ignoring the wealth of information Mr. Oakes provides. His thoughts and guidence will definitely keep the apprentice from making the most common mistakes. Wonderful! Wonderful

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Walking The Wolds Way: Yorkshire on foot from Hull to Filey
David Clensy
Manufacturer: Lulu Enterprises, UK Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1430310197

Book Description

David Clensy had never walked further than his car door when he decided to take on the 80 miles of the Yorkshire Wolds Way. Join him as he steps out on the trek from Hull to Filey. Whether you're planning to walk the Way or just fancy a chuckle at someone else's misfortunes, you are sure to be engrossed in the journey.

Yorkshire Wolds Way (National Trail Guides)

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Yorkshire Wolds Way (National Trail Guides)
Roger Ratcliffe
Manufacturer: Aurum Press Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Walking | Hiking & Camping | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1854109863

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Ntg-Yorkshire Wolds Way
Roger Ratcliffe
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N6OT0I

Book Description

The Advanced Text series is designed for students taking advanced-level courses, including upper-level undergraduates and graduate students. Titles in this series will also be invaluable to researchers new to a field, and to established researchers as a basic reference text.

Functional and Molecular Glycobiology explains the chemistry of carbohydrates, and the biosynthesis and diversity of different types of glycans. It looks at the functional role of glycoconjugate compounds in normal cellular processes, in both disease and development. The book also describes how these compounds can be studied, analyzed and manipulated for use in biotechnology. Functional and Molecular Glycobiology is a unique introduction to the field bridging the gap between introductory books and current research.

Book Description

This digital document is a journal article from Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part C, published by Elsevier in 2006. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
The distribution and concentration of selected elements by PIXE method and DNA damage using comet assay in brains of 1st instars of grasshoppers Chorthippus brunneus from unpolluted (Pilica) and polluted (Olkusz) site, additionally exposed to various doses of zinc during diapause or after hatching, were measured. We tried to assess the degree of possible pre-adaptation of the insects to heavy metals and evaluate the utility of these parameters in estimation of insect exposure to industrial pollutants. Additionally, the mechanism of zinc toxicity for grasshopper brains was discussed. We observed the correlation between experimental zinc dose, zinc contents in the brain and DNA damage in neuroblasts, but only in groups exposed to lower zinc concentration. For higher zinc concentration the amount of the metal in brain and DNA damage remained at the control level. Some site-related differences in DNA damage between grasshoppers from Pilica and Olkusz were observed during short-term exposure (after hatching). Significant increase in the calcium contents in the brain, proportional to zinc concentration in sand, was also observed, especially in the offsprings from Olkusz. The results may be the basis for further searching for molecular mechanisms of defense against heavy metals in insects living in polluted habitats.

Fractographic and microstructural analysis of fatigue specimens of A302 grade B steel tested in air at room temperature (NRL memorandum report)

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Fractographic and microstructural analysis of fatigue specimens of A302 grade B steel tested in air at room temperature (NRL memorandum report)
G Gabetta
Manufacturer: Available from U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Microanalysis of TMI-2 core debris samples (EPRI)

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Microanalysis of TMI-2 core debris samples (EPRI)
G. O Hayner
Manufacturer: The Institute
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Book Description

Aphra Behn (1640-89) was both successful and controversial in her own lifetime; her achievements are now recognized less equivocally and her plays, often revived, demonstrate wit, compassion and remarkable range. This edtion brings together her most important comedies in a single volume: The
Rover, her best-known play; The Feigned Courtesans, a lively comedy of intrigue; The Lucky Chance, a comedy with a bitter edge, which takes a satirical look at marriage customs; and the dazzling and popular farce, The Emperor of the Moon. All the plays have been newly edited and are presented with
modernized spelling and punctuation.

Customer Reviews:

Great text, frustrating format........2005-10-26

The text is fabulous. Providing access to an underappreciated female writer is desperately needed. The modernized spelling is wonderfully accessible. But using endnotes rather than footnotes to explain all unusual words, references, etc. is unbelievably frustrating. And not even endnotes after each play - endnotes at the end of the book! I am dizzy from flipping back and forth several times each page to the end of the book.

Well-laid out text, excellent foreward.......1999-11-16

Recently introduced to the works of Aphra Behn, I found this collection to be an excellently laid out edition of some of her plays. The print is friendly to the eye (many collections of Restoration drama are not) and easy to read. I can only speak for "The Rover", as I have not had the time to read the rest of the plays. However, I found the notes and the forewards to the plays to be informative and easy to follow. It must be said that the notes were contained in the back of the book, as opposed to the bottom of the page; that was a bit of an irritant, especially when reading a crucial scene. On the whole however, I give this book a thumbs up!

Book Description

The first English-language biography of one of Germany's top battlefield commanders-Hitler's favorite field marshal

Field Marshal Walther Model (1891-1945) was an extremely capable and aggressive German commander who rose through the ranks of the Wehrmacht's high command during World War II. His expertise in rebuilding broken fronts earned him the nickname of the "Fuhrer's Fireman," and throughout the war, Hitler relied on the rapidly promoted general to save his army in several desperate situations, despite the fact that Model was often quite blunt with his erratic Fuhrer. Model's greatest achievement was the restoration of stability along the eastern front in June 1944. In August he was sent to restore the deteriorating western front, where he re-established a strong defensive line along the West Wall in September. He was second-in-command at the Battle of the Bulge and was leading the German army when it collapsed at the end of the war. Rather than surrender, he shot himself in April 1945.

Although Model destroyed most of his personal papers just before he died, Stephen H. Newton draws on a wide variety of original German sources, including extensive Wehrmacht archival material, to tell the first and only authoritative story of the commander who was Hitler's favorite.

Customer Reviews:

The "Fireman".......2006-08-06

Much needed and overdue biography. FM Model served on both the Eastern and Western fronts and commanded all kinds and sizes of German Army units. Professor Newton gives a fair, balanced and thorough description of the man and the commander. This book is for both those who specialize in the German Army and those who will like a good biography.

A very informative read.......2006-07-05

This is a very interesting and informative account of Walther Model as a military commander.

There seems to be a paucity of material relating directly to Model (he destroyed his personal papers at the end of the war), and the author has done a very good job of piecing together this well-written narrative. There is not much in it about his personal life - a few lines about his upbringing, and the odd allusion to things like his drinking. He seems to have had only one period of leave, 3 months at the end of 1943. It does not gloss over his character, especially his treatment of his fellow officers and superiors, and suggests why they mostly disliked him, whilst the ordinary soldier may have felt somewhat differently. (When he left one of his commands he had been disliked so much that only one office escorted him away, and after Model had taken off in th eplane phoned to tell the others `Schweinfurt' - not a reference to the town, but `the pig has flow'!).

The book is really about his military career, from before WW1 to his suicide in 1945. I found the author to be fair in his opinions - praise where due, criticism where not, though there was no hindsight judgements. It made clear why Model was supreme in defence. There is quite a bit of information about some of the lesser know battles on the Eastern Front, for instance the defence of the Orel salient during the Kursk battle. The scale of the fighting, and casualties, is made apparent. His relationship to Hitler is explored, and suggests reasons why he was one of Hitler's favourite Generals in spite of - or perhaps because of - Model standing up to him. The half-truths of some of the postwar Generals' accounts is also made apparent. All in all a very informative read. The one major criticism I had was the lack of maps, so it was often hard to follow the battles. There is no map of Poland in 1939 for instance, so it is impossible to follow any of the fighting there. I always feel that in works of military history where possible every place name should figure on a map, and this book falls badly short in that respect. There also seem to be a few unnecessary digressions, for instance a longer than needed account of the German atrocities in WW1 and the reasons for them. However all in all a very informative account, and the author does well in trying to flesh out the details of Model's military career.

The dead have broad backs..........2006-04-18

This book offers 365 pages of reading material and a few photos sprinkled throughout. The only book available in english about Walther Model unfortunately. It offers a mere glimpse at one of the most extraordinary commanders in the annals of modern warfare.

Professor Newton has created a book out of thin air and it shows. Not meaning to belittle his herculean efforts in putting this book together from a maze of other individual accounts and offical records, for unfortunately Walther Model took all his knowledge to his grave and made sure nothing survived upon which an author could build an accurate picture of the man and the soldier. For this reason the book lacks cohesion and the one predominant task at hand seems to be the discrediting of one Walther Model. Professor Newton's evaluations seem prejudiced and if anything I am now more confused as refers to Model, the man and the soldier than before reading the book. R. Hinze's fine book, East Front Drama 1944 describes in full detail the impossible task Model had to tackle to rebuild a new and cohesive front after operation Bagrattion tore army group center up in mid 1944. The loss of 50 german divisions (most a mere shadow of their former selves) would have spelled total disaster for any commander. Model arrived well after disaster struck finding himself in the midst of a situation which if not checked would have spelled the end of the war in east. His daunting achievement alone of rebuilding the front should suffice to secure his place in the annals of warfare as one of it's most capable tacticians, yet professor Newton merely skims over this and other of Model's incredible military deeds while dwelling on his failures, specially at Kursk.

Professor Newton spends an inordinately high number of pages at the beginning of the book trying to link Model to war crimes (war crimes as a whole are treated throughout the work as usual, the germans were criminals the allies represented a wholesome mixture of goodness), at this point the writing swerves in a totally different direction for too long and when he finally returns and tries to focus back on Model he does so without conviction basing his evaluation solely on the opinions of men who despised Model for his national socialist stance. There are no interviews of rank and file soldiers who served under Model who idolized him for the most part.

Like I once said, while an author has all the elements for judgment at his disposal and 20/20 hindsight, a soldier does not. Walther Model's field decisions must be judged out of the rationale that he was thrust into situations that were not of his own making, with very little knowledge about them and yet he was expected to find a viable solution for them. I dare say that 90% of the time he managed the impossible and snatched his armies from certain defeat. I fail to envision any allied commander endowed with Model's extraordinary abilities of organization and tactical leadership specially on the defensive, I must agree he was not a grand strategist like von Manstein, but who was? Had Walther Model lived and been interrogated by the allies I have no doubt his contributions would have set the standard for years to come, as is I think a deeper look at his individual campaigns should be made and the man judged accordingly by his achievements on this account, until this happens and he receives his just niche amongst the great commanders of all time, Walther Model will remain as enigmatic as the sphynx. A commander's uttermost obligation should always be to the rank and file, for it is the individual soldier who bears the brunt of his decisions for better or worse and in this respect no one can say Walther Model failed.

Finally a Biography of a Little Known German General.......2006-03-06

Exhaustive research gives us an intriguing account of one of Hitler's most trusted commanders

Walther Model was the German commander thrown by Adolph Hitler into so many of World War II's worst crises that contemporaries nicknamed him the `Fuhrer's fireman.'

The son of a music teacher, he sported a monocle and a field marshal's baton. He also stood up to Hitler in a way that hardly anyone else dared.

Newton dispels rumors and myths that discount Model's intellectual prowess and tactical acumen. Model's motivation was patriotism, but more likely he `internalized almost an eighteenth-century model of the professional soldier...one who served primarily for the glory of the fight...(with) single-minded focus on his own military success.'

Newton suggests that Model's suicide had less to do with honor than his inability to face his own future in defeat. Copious notes and bibliography show the extensive research the author did in both German and American archives and in German war diaries and memoirs. A treasure for history buffs!

Customer Reviews:

The Official Untold Stories of Gurkhas.............2000-03-29

This book about the valour is a very powerful and almost complete stories about the tales of gurkhas. The valour states all the 10 gurkha regiments and tell the events of everyone of them in the theatre of war.When i got down to read it i was so enthralled by the heroic tales and bravery of these courageous men that i skip my lunch and dinner. I was keen to finish the book and to look for the next title on gurkhas. It' s an excellent book overall. A must read for all those interested in military.

The Official Untold Stories of Gurkhas.............2000-03-29

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Valour A History of the Gurkhas
E.D. Smith
Manufacturer: Overlook Press, 1997
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1873376588

Average customer rating:

First half fails, second half outstanding

Academic flavor, but great for general reader

Brilliant but such a huge question unanswered!

Criminology with Psychology

Sound, insightful, useful

Why They Kill: The Discoveries of a Maverick Criminologist
Richard Rhodes
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Criminology | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Offenders | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Behavioral Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Creation of Dangerous Violent Criminals

Violent Criminal Acts and Actors Revisited

Deviant Behavior (8th Edition)

Passing: When People Can't Be Who They Are

The Haymarket tragedy

ASIN: 0375702482
Release Date: 2000-10-10

Amazon.com

In Why They Kill, Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Rhodes traces the life and career of criminologist Lonnie Athens, a man who took his own sad and squalid life and turned it on its head to make a groundbreaking career as a criminologist. Athens grew up in a violent, angry world. Rather than absorbing the sickness and violence around him, though, he studied it, and eventually developed a theory about how violent criminals are created. Rhodes's critical examination of Athens's work forces readers to consider how violent our society really is, how it became that way, and what might be done to change it. When applied to well-known criminals such as Michael Tyson and Lee Harvey Oswald, Athens's ideas become concrete and take on an urgent tone: it's easy to discuss theories and predictors in the abstract, but these stories are real, and they repeat themselves in our society at an alarming rate. Rhodes's approach to this disturbing subject stands apart from many other crime books in its intelligence, humanity, and empathy. These are not just descriptions of "scumbags" and their brutal crimes, but intensely personal stories that reveal how a culture of violence propagates itself. --Lisa Higgins

Book Description

Richard Rhodes, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb, brings his inimitable vision, exhaustive research, and mesmerizing prose to this timely book that dissects violence and offers new solutions to the age old problem of why people kill.

Lonnie Athens was raised by a brutally domineering father. Defying all odds, Athens became a groundbreaking criminologist who turned his scholar's eye to the problem of why people become violent. After a decade of interviewing several hundred violent convicts--men and women of varied background and ethnicity, he discovered "violentization," the four-stage process by which almost any human being can evolve into someone who will assault, rape, or murder another human being. Why They Kill is a riveting biography of Athens and a judicious critique of his seminal work, as well as an unflinching investigation into the history of violence.

Customer Reviews:

First half fails, second half outstanding.......2006-12-24

The author's overall message is an astounding exploration of the criminal mind and how they become violent, and end up killing. The reviews and synopsis of the book are great... However, the first half of the book, about 170 pages, drag the reader along Lonnie Athens' (a criminologist) life. It tells of his schooling and how he made his studies. These 170 pages could have been boiled down to about 25. However, the second half of the book, where it takes an in depth look as some of Athens' findings about violentization are outstanding. I was dissapointed at first, but was engulfed by his message in the second half of the book. The book however explores what a college studnet would learn in any criminology or sociology 101 class. That in fact, violentization is what causes people to act the way they do. The author and Athens's just come at the fact in a slightly different manner and deter from the common conceptions of poverty, race, social class, etc and boil it down to simply being exposed to a violent upbringing. Worthwhile to read, but its not a medical breakthrough.

Academic flavor, but great for general reader.......2005-09-24

Rhodes' focus is on the work of Criminologist L. Athens... and his professional and personal struggles. Some of the most interesting writing is quoted verbatim from Athens' research--case studies & conversations w/ convicts themselves. Better than any crime novel... extremely scary.

Brilliant but such a huge question unanswered!.......2005-02-10

It is not clear why the state of completed violentization is consolidated to the degree of no return?! The author(s) claim that a cataclysmic experiences or long-term significant events lead to fragmentization. That should apply also to violent criminals otherwise the theory of transition through fragmentation is NOT a theory... I was very disappointed in the end of the book, almost like a European movie... it ends without a finish... and it would not matter much if it wasn't for the grave implications of acting on the idea that violent criminals are irreversibly violentized and that another "cataclysmic experience" "or significant series of events" would not open an opportunity for a transformation leading away from violence.

In other words... what is missing is the other half of the theory, the de-violentization theory. Are there ANY violent criminals who have managed to return to non-violence? Why are statistics being treated so harshly throughout the book yet they come handy in dealing with this important question?

Even if there were only a few, then what was the process of their de-violentization? Could it have been another "cataclysmic experience" or some other sequence of significant events? Was it some process of transformation, which would challenge the violent phantom community and violent "generalized other" and replaced them with their non-violent equivalents?

My question is... "Why is de-violentization impossible?" What is the evidence that such process DOES NOT exist? For if it didn't, all that we learn from this theory through the examples of veterans and so on, are irrelevant to building programs of rehabilitation and healing. If during their service veterans completed violentization, according to the conclusion of this book, they should all join the violent criminals in the brig! But for this to happen we must first prove that there is NOT ONE case available of a person who has completed violentization and who has managed to return to non-violence.

If the "tranformation through fragmentation" theory works one way, it should also work the opposite... otherwise the theory is not worthy of consideration for explaining the violentization process, and therefore this is not a theory to be taken seriously in providing clues on neither our correction nor our veteran rehabilitation programs.

The book in general is wonderfully written and there is nothing wrong with generating questions on a hot subject such as violence.

Criminology with Psychology.......2004-04-27

I've met more than a few criminologists at the University where I learned and taught psychology (and where, interestingly, Athens spent a good chunk of his early career), and I was always struck by how little psychology I found in the writings and the lectures of most criminologists. I don't mean complex theories of motivation or conversion or what have you; I mean simple notions of learning that we teach freshman students.

Criminologists seem to be able to generate complex hypothesis at the drop of a hat, but precious few of them are willing to step back and say, as Athens did, that brutal criminals act that way because they've been taught to be brutal. And astoundingly enough, when Athens did bring some simple psychology into criminology, he was thought a dangerous radical.

Reading of Rhodes' ideas I was put in mind of the books of the John Douglas, who built up FBI's Criminal Profiling division- another man who caused a revolution in crimonology by applying simple, well-known principles of learning.

Rhodes' biography of Lonnie Athens is interesting for a number of reasons; first the story of the man himself, second, the revolution he brought to the study of criminal behavior- a revolution that still hasn't quite taken hold everywhere- and last as a picture of a how change comes (or doesn't come) in well-established areas of academic study. Strongly recommended.

Sound, insightful, useful.......2003-08-24

I am a psychologist working in a maximum-security prison. This book introduced me to Athens' work. I am incorporating his ideas both into our treatment methods for offenders and our screening tools for parole and Community custody evaluations. Athens' work, described so well here, answers many questions, offers tools for distinguishing the truly dangerous criminal from the petty, and suggests avenues for research and treatment that will keep us all busy for the next 50 years. Well worth the trouble to read.

WHY THEY KILL: THE DISCOVERIES OF A MAVERICK CRIMINOLOGIST.(Review) (book review): An article from: First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life

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WHY THEY KILL: THE DISCOVERIES OF A MAVERICK CRIMINOLOGIST.(Review) (book review): An article from: First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life
John J. Jr. DiIulio
Manufacturer: Institute on Religion and Public Life
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life, published by Institute on Religion and Public Life on March 1, 2000. The length of the article is 1602 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: WHY THEY KILL: THE DISCOVERIES OF A MAVERICK CRIMINOLOGIST.(Review) (book review)
Author: John J. Jr. DiIulio
Publication: First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life (Refereed)
Date: March 1, 2000
Publisher: Institute on Religion and Public Life
Page: 84

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

WHY THEY KILL. The Discoveries of a Maverick Criminologist.

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WHY THEY KILL. The Discoveries of a Maverick Criminologist.
Richard. Rhodes
Manufacturer: Knopf,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MZC9G6

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Why They Kill : The Discoveries of a Maverick Criminologist
Richard Rhodes
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000LOKNPC

Book Description

Horses have been part of the American West since the first Spanish explorers brought their European-bred steeds onto the new continent. Soon thereafter, some of these animals, lost or abandoned by their owners or captured by indigenous peoples, became the foundation of the great herds of mustangs (from the Spanish mesteño, stray) that still roam the West. These feral horses are inextricably intertwined with the culture, economy, and mythology of the West, and the image of bands of mustangs running free has become a symbol of all that our culture considers the "real" West.

The current situation of the mustangs as vigorous competitors for the scanty resources of the West's drought-parched rangelands has put them at the center of passionate controversies about their purpose, place, and future on the open range. Photographer/oral historian Paula Morin has interviewed sixty-two people who know these horses best: ranchers, horse breeders and trainers, Native Americans, veterinarians, wild horse advocates, mustangers, range scientists, cowboy poets, western historians, wildlife experts, animal behaviorists, and agents of the federal Bureau of Land Management. The result is the most comprehensive, impartial examination yet of the history and impact of wild mustangs in the Great Basin.

Morin elicits from her interviewees a vast range of expertise, insight, and candid opinion about the nature of horses, ranching, and the western environment. Their comments will allow readers to understand and to form their own conclusions about the importance of mustangs to the culture of the West and about the ways that humans can best care for them while at the same time serving as responsible stewards of the land and the rest of its denizens. Honest Horses brings us the voices of authentic westerners, people who live intimately with horses and the land, who share their experiences and love of the mustangs, and who understand how precariously all life exists in the arid vastness of the Great Basin.

This is a book for all who love the West, its traditions, and its magnificent open spaces, for horse lovers of all persuasions, for anyone interested the daunting complexity of the environmental issues in which wild horses play such a central and contested role.

Customer Reviews:

The challenges surrounding the beauty of the West.......2007-10-15

More than a century has passed since the official closing of the American frontier, and yet our culture continues to harbor romanticized notions of the West. Included in that image is the idea that wild horses, like the deer and the antelope, still have free run of the range. But do they? And should they?

Oral historian and photographer Paula Morin has assembled 62 narratives from the individuals who are most familiar with the Great Basin area, home to the greatest number of our country's wild horses. This geographical region covers parts of Utah, Idaho, Oregon and California, with its largest portion sitting within Nevada's borders. In each of those states, the wild horse issue is a complex one, complete with firm stands being taken by environmentalists, animal lovers, scientists, ranchers, wranglers, politicians and government workers. We hear many of their voices and their viewpoints in this compendium.

Because the bond between humans and horses is a close and historic one, and because equines are such sizable animals, it's difficult to think of the wild horse as a non-native species to the western region. But as alien invaders often do, wild horses reproduce in such numbers that they wreak havoc on any ecosystem. Aside from the occasional mountain lion or coyote band attack, the horse has no natural predator. The Great Basin simultaneously offers an especially harsh and fragile habitat, with periodic dry seasons and soil that needs time to recover from any kind of disturbance. Anyone can predict the kinds of problems that will arise when too many large mammals are confined to such a delicate area.

Horse history, captivating stories and personal experiences abound as the interviewees speak. A variety of opinions are aired here. But the majority of the individuals agree on at least three points: (a) letting nature take its course isn't a practical or humane solution when hundreds of animals die slow and gruesome deaths; (b) folks outside the Great Basin region don't understand all the complexities of the issue and shouldn't be the primary decision-makers involved; and (c) yes, it's still nice to have the wild horses out on the land, running free.

One Amazon reviewer stated: "To me, wild country, while possibly requiring management and certainly requiring protection, need serve no human purpose. It is sufficient to itself." While I agree that we should preserve as many large portions of land as we can, that's not exactly the point of this book. The region in question has already been impacted by man, both directly and indirectly, by the accidental or deliberate introduction of wild horses. Once the habitat has been tampered with to such a drastic state, all options should be considered to restore its health. Limiting the number of wild horses on the land -- however that can be accomplished -- appears to be a logical remedy.

"Honest Horses" is valuable reading for all of us here in the United States, especially since other books about wild horses, especially those for children, never mention the questions and problems they present. For those of us who live "away," it's easy for us to pass judgment or to think of a possible solution. After reading this book it should be obvious that all the stakeholders must sit down and work out the problem to the best of their abilities. Unfortunately, every environmental challenge turns into a political one.

Honest Horses.......2007-06-01

This odd book isn't about the biology or behavior of mustangs or where to see them. Instead, it is a litany of more or less identical accounts, all of which stress the need to limit mustangs' numbers -- essentially by killing them -- before they overgraze the range and all starve to death.

If the commentators are correct that there are no natural limits on mustangs' population growth (why not reintroduce wolves? Too unpopular with ranchers?), then their arguments seem convincing. I am willing to believe that too many scrub horses are running wild in Nevada and their numbers need to be drastically reduced. However, the total lack in this book of any dissenting argument means my conviction will remain on hold. Every statement here tells the exact same story, and that in itself is something I find questionable.

I've also had enough of people referring to open range and wilderness as "the resource", as if it couldn't possibly manage itself without human interference and in fact had no purpose other than to serve human beings in whatever way; a viewpoint that seems unspeakably arrogant. To me, wild country, while possibly requiring management and certainly requiring protection, need serve no human purpose. It is sufficient to itself.

One-sided propaganda.......2006-11-30

With a title like this you would expect a fair, even-handed assessment of wild horses in their natural habitat. Instead, what we are served reads more like a government-sponsored justification for the already planned eradication of our wild horses. Not surprising, since a little research shows that government funding went to the author to "research" this work. One-sided and misleading, a disappointment.

Honest Horses.......2006-08-16

Honest Horses is a definitive book about wild horses in the high desert of the American West. It will open people's eyes. It will open their hearts, too!

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