The Sunflower Forest: Ecological Restoration and the New Communion with Nature

Book Description

Ecological restoration, the attempt to guide damaged ecosystems back to a previous, usually healthier or more natural, condition, is rapidly gaining recognition as one of the most promising approaches to conservation. In this book, William R. Jordan III, who coined the term "restoration ecology," and who is widely respected as an intellectual leader in the field, outlines a vision for a restoration-based environmentalism that has emerged from his work over twenty-five years.
Drawing on a provocative range of thinkers, from anthropologists Victor Turner, Roy Rappaport, and Mary Douglas to literary critics Frederick Turner, Leo Marx, and R.W.B. Lewis, Jordan explores the promise of restoration, both as a way of reversing environmental damage and as a context for negotiating our relationship with nature.
Exploring restoration not only as a technology but also as an experience and a performing art, Jordan claims that it is the indispensable key to conservation. At the same time, he argues, restoration is valuable because it provides a context for confronting the most troubling aspects of our relationship with nature. For this reason, it offers a way past the essentially sentimental idea of nature that environmental thinkers have taken for granted since the time of Emerson and Muir.

Customer Reviews:

Way more than eco-philosophy.......2006-08-26

Bill Jordan says restoration is the only approach to ecological stewardship that will last in the long run, which is the only run that counts. Restoration assumes a heavy human hand, exactly something that rubs the nature-as-sacred camp the wrong way. Jordan proposes a metaphor for guiding ecology: community. One reason both "liberal" and "conservative" politicians and activists scorn restoration ecology is because we hate community. We like having friends, but true community is very costly, an observation in line with scripture. True community goes against sinful nature, and requires society's full efforts to avoid disintegration.

Jordan lists four stages of a human's community involvement in life. These four struck me as very important for understanding life, but less important for building ecological principles:

1. I am not God. (Some people never figure this out)
2. Get a Job. (We all need to contribute to the world)
3. Giving Gifts. (Giving connects others to us)
4. Receiving Gifts. (Receiving connects us to others)

This one surprised me. How is receiving a greater communal than giving? It's a simple answer that is changing my life: receiving a gift binds us to someone else, while giving a gift only binds others to us. As long as we only give and never receive, no one has any claim on us and we retain absolute control over the relationship.

The Sunflower Forest is a science book that taught me more about community than many books ostensibly about community. It's also an insightful, if a little "out there" treatise on restoration ecology. The lessons are profound, but the policy recommendations - a debate within a narrow field of eco-philosophers - will date very quickly.

The Sunflower Forest.......2003-07-08

Ecological restoration has often been viewed as either a fringe hobby -- a few aficionados re-creating a patch of prairie on weekends -- or as a distraction from the vital and politically charged work of preserving more or less undisturbed landscapes. But William R. Jordan III argues that it's vital to the preservation of the Earth's ecosystems, and to ourselves. Jordan, founder of the journal Ecological Restoration, writes that restoration is "a way of achieving an ecologically close relationship with the rest of nature," as well as "a context for confronting the most troubling aspects of our relationship with our fellow creatures." The Sunflower Forest is an important book about a practice that is, in coming years, bound to become one of the most important ways we deal with our surroundings. Thanks to Jordan's wide-ranging intellect and compelling writing, it's also a great pleasure to read.

The Sunflower Forest: Ecological Restoration and the New Communion with Nature.(Book Review): An article from: Human Ecology

Average customer rating:

The Sunflower Forest: Ecological Restoration and the New Communion with Nature.(Book Review): An article from: Human Ecology
Kern Ewing
Manufacturer: Cornell University, Human Ecology
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Human Ecology, published by Cornell University, Human Ecology on February 1, 2005. The length of the article is 888 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: The Sunflower Forest: Ecological Restoration and the New Communion with Nature.(Book Review)
Author: Kern Ewing
Publication: Human Ecology (Refereed)
Date: February 1, 2005
Publisher: Cornell University, Human Ecology
Volume: 33 Issue: 1 Page: 141(3)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

Today's travelers are a sophisticated lot. Demanding and design savvy, they have been ill-served by a travel guide market saturated with text-heavy tomes, none of which has catered to the selective, style-conscious traveler—until now. A revolution in travel publishing, StyleCity is doing for the world's premier destinations what Hip Hotels has done for the world's top hotels.

Over the last decade, Sydney has come to epitomize the very best in New World style. Blessed by sunny weather and a natural harbor, the city's outdoor lifestyle and modern sensibility have made it Australasia's most fashionable destination. Grounded in continental worldliness and imbued with the best East-West fusion cuisine and the hottest architects and designers in the Pacific Rim, Sydney is a style traveler's paradise. StyleCity Sydney seeks out the chefs, creatives, and culture that make the city so special. 416 color illustrations and 8 maps.

Average customer rating:
The Limits of Independence: American Women 1760-1800 (Young Oxford History of Women in the United States , Vol 3)
Marylynn Salmon
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Colonial & Revolutionary | United States | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Nonfiction | Girls & Women | People & Places | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Young Oxford History of Women in the United States | History | Series | Teens | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Teen Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

An Unfinished Battle: American Women 1848-1865 (The Young Oxford History of Women in the United States, Vol 5)

Breaking New Ground: American Women 1800-1848 (Young Oxford History of Women in the United States , Vol 4)

The Colonial Mosaic: American Women 1600-1760 (Young Oxford History of Women in the United States Series ))

Laborers for Liberty: American Women 1865-1890 (Young Oxford History of Women in the United States , Vol 6)

Pushing the Limits: American Women 1940-1961 (Young Oxford History of Women in the United States , Vol 9)

ASIN: 0195124014

Book Description

The second half of the 18th century saw a handful of English colonies transform themselves into a nation. This process involved not only a revolution against the British crown but also the uniting of a diverse population; in addition to the English who made up the bulk of the population, Africans and continental Europeans joined in the creation of the new republic. Although tradition dictated that the independent male citizen was the most important actor in this drama, political leaders soon learned that the support of women was essential to the success of a republican form of government. Salmon demonstrates the new directions in women's lives, including reforms in education, that occurred during this era of experimentation. She also delineates the ways in which women's lives remained constrained by the racial and cultural assumptions of the age, for while white women's horizons expanded, Native American women and women of African descent suffered greatly. Educator Judith Sargent Murray, poet Phillis Wheatley, writer and educator Susanna Rowson (who wrote Charlotte Temple, the first American best-seller), and other women--both well-known and unsung--fill the pages of The Limits of Independence, which looks at women's lives during the time of the American Revolution.

The Limits of Independence : American Women, 1760-1800

Average customer rating:

The Limits of Independence : American Women, 1760-1800
Marylynn Salmon
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJY0FS

Book Description

"Provides the first comprehensive treatment of theoretical, algorithmic, and application aspects of domination in graphs-discussing fundamental results and major research accomplishments in an easy-to-understand style. Includes chapters on domination algorithms and NP-completeness as well as frameworks for domination."

Customer Reviews:

intricate extensions of graph theory.......2006-05-22

Many of the ideas discussed have been circulating for years. But confined to specialist journals, making it quite difficult for an outsider to come to grips with this subject. The authors have done the reader a favour, by providing a coherent conceptual framework.

The entire book is an advanced foray into graph theory. Dense with theorems. Chapters do have problem sets, which you might need to do. Basically, this monograph is pure maths. Though perhaps after reading the book, you will be able to find applications elsewhere? The first chapter, which acts as a motivator for the rest of the book, has examples drawn from such fields as social networks and land surveying.

A good prior background for this book is Knuth's volume that covers graphs, from his series "The Art of Computer Programming".

Book Description

“Please reject absolutely the crazy . . . suggestion that playwrights don’t have intentions . . . They do.”

In this intimate collection of writings by the author of Stuff Happens and Plenty, David Hare reveals a perspective as meticulously constructed as one of his dramas. In selections ranging from his beginnings as a politically charged upstart in the seventies through to his current position as one of the world’s most respected playwrights, Hare skillfully expands upon the prevailing themes of his astounding body of work. With a serious eye on social issues—tempered by a distinct irreverence—Hare dissects the role of entertainment in contemporary society, mapping, in the process, a dynamic new trajectory for post-millennium theater.

Average customer rating:

Obedience, Struggle and Revolt
David Hare
Manufacturer: Faber & Faber
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000K7MNN0

Average customer rating:

very good book

Must read

An invitation to think, to reflect, to re-evaluate our inherited traditions

An Erudite Challenge

Essential book about the American Muslim Experience

Losing My Religion: A Call For Help
Jeffrey Lang
Manufacturer: amana
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Even Angels Ask: A Journey to Islam in America

Struggling to Surrender: Some Impressions of an American Convert to Islam

Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart

Believing as Ourselves

Islam Our Choice: Portraits of Modern American Muslim Women

ASIN: 1590080270

Book Description

Crucial to the vitality of any religious community is its ability to attract and engage descendants and converts. By this measure, notwithstanding the proliferation of mosques and Islamic organizations, the Muslim community in America is not doing at all well." This rather sober assessment motivates Dr. Lang to address, in this book, the alienation from the Mosque of the great majority of America's homegrown Muslims.

In Losing My Religion: A Call For Help, the author comes to terms with many of the queries put to him by Americans of Muslim parentage and converts to Islam since the publication of his book Even Angels Ask in 1997. Lang asserts that to effectively respond to the general malaise of American-born Muslims, the Islamic establishment in America needs to be willing to listen to the doubts and complaints of the disaffected. This entails engaging in open discussions on issues with which many in the Muslim community will be uncomfortable, but Lang avers that such open dialogue will be of more benefit to young American Muslims struggling with their faiths than the covert and uniformed discussions that often take place or no discussion at all. For this reason, Lang feels it is important and beneficial "to be candid and objective and not evade controversy, for to inadequately state the case for or against a specific position, especially when it challenges convention, only serves to fur! ther alienate the sceptical." In addition to examining questions of theodicy, hadith authenticity, and moot practices within the American Muslim community, the author includes many testimonials and inquiries that make this book informative.

Customer Reviews:

very good book.......2007-09-19

this is a very good book i bought 2 of these gave 1 to my uncle he enjoyed it very much. he thought it was a very interesting book he's not even a Muslim. i would buy it again. fast shipping too!!

Must read.......2007-03-05

Every Muslim living in the united states must read this book. and if you have kids you must read it now.

An invitation to think, to reflect, to re-evaluate our inherited traditions.......2006-12-13

Have you ever felt out of place in the Mosque? Ever feel you couldn't really express yourself freely in the Muslim community? Ever wonder about issues such as pre-destination versus free-will, or the purpose of life and suffering? Ever question whether the Prophet (s) REALLY said this or that hadith? Ever feel a conflict between the need to submit to God and the need to rationally explore Islam? Ever wonder why Imams and Scholars never really seem to answer difficult questions, but criticize those who ask or brush them aside?

If so, you are not alone, and could benefit from LOSING MY RELIGION: A CALL FOR HELP. Throughout the book, Lang, tackles such difficult questions and comments put forth to him by second generation Muslim Americans (and Canadians), converts, doubters, apostates, evangelists, and others. He uses the Qu'ran, the hadith, and numerous resources from both Muslim and Non-Muslim scholars of Islam, but most importantly, he also uses reason. What results is a rare book which squarely addresses issues facing the Muslim community, with a particular emphasis on current Mosque culture and the place of rationality in Muslim thought and discourse.

Its important to note at the outset that Lang is not some Muslim hack or discontent who wishes to change the religion to suit his desires. Reading the book, it is quite clear that he is a devout Muslim who takes his religion, including the rituals very seriously (he prays regularly, and very often in the Mosque). His compassion, love and concern for his family and his mother also shine through.

The book is divided into three sections: in the first part, Lang addresses his first experience with the Qu'ran, which led directly to his conversion. He describes the rational approach he took towards reading the holy book, which turned upside down his long held views about the purpose of life, the point of suffering, and of course, the existence of God. Lang emphasizes the incredible importance the Qu'ran gives to human intellect (the characteristic that makes us potentially greater than the angels), and the Qu'ran's repeated calls for us to think, to use our reason, and not just follow the 'customs of our forefathers.' Clearly, this is not the same message that is spread by Mosque culture, which has elevated the customs and thoughts of past generations to nearly divine levels.

In the second section Lang addresses hadith scholarship and criticism in detail. This I feel is the crown of the book, for, although there is currently some dialog about other issues (such as women's place in Islam, and particularly the Mosque), the issue of hadith scholarship remains absolutely untouched. Muslim scholars regularly claim that hadiths graded as 'authentic' are absolutely, without question, the words of the Prophet (s). I always thought such extraordinary claims simply defied logic. (Note, its one thing to say that classical hadith scholarship was ahead of its time, and that hadiths considered 'authentic' are likely the words of the Prophet (s), but it is another thing altogether to claim that these are his exact words, beyond the shadow of a doubt.) Lang's exploration of the issue makes is clear that there is much evidence to support those who question the extraordinary claims of classical hadith scholarship, and that it needs to be re-evaluated by scholars who are proficient in both the classical Islamic sciences as well as modern research methods.

In the third section, Lang explores the Mosque culture in detail. He explains that it is the antithesis of US culture, and not always in a good sense. In his exploration, he repeatedly finds that what the Mosque leadership presents as pristine Islam is really traditional Middle Eastern/Asian culture which is not supported by the Qu'ran, and often not by hadith. Lang claims that dissatisfaction with such cultural approaches has driven 80% of second generation and convert Muslims away from the Mosque (and thus the religion). He repeatedly emphasizes that Mosque leadership is in complete denial over this desertion (assuming that the deserters are all weak, and enticed by the 'evil West'): Mosque leaders are certainly not working towards any solutions.

It is important to note that Lang's main purpose in writing this book is not to provide all the answers. Rather, the book is a "call for help" - Lang wants to put the issues on the table, he wants stimulate real thought and real dialog. Indeed, the answers that Lang does offer (almost always with a caveat that these are his own positions, and not the position of 'Islam') are not always convincing. I for instance was not completely convinced by his explanation of suffering: He claims (as many do) that suffering is necessary for building of certain attributes, such as forgiveness, compassion, etc. While this is undoubtedly true, I still can't help but think that there is too much suffering in this world- and much more often than not, suffering breaks down people rather than builds them up. (Lang's own mother maybe an example here- a virtuous woman who after a life time of suffering succumbed to a mental break down and never quite recovered).

Another incomplete idea of Lang's is how one comes close to God, which he claims is by behaving as His Names suggest. Ie, since God is All-Forgiving, we should forgive. By doing so, we will experience God's forgiveness on a greater scale, and be more forgiving ourselves. In turn, we would experience more of God's forgiveness, and this will continue in a positive reinforcing cycle. However, Lang only emphasizes God's loving/merciful names in this discussion, and not harsher qualities, such as 'the abaser.' It is probably true that the more we abase others, the more God will abase us- however, this is hardly a way to get closer to God. Other issues that are not explained fully are issues such as inheritance, and women's status and role in marriage.

Another minor point is that the book is at times a bit repetitive, especially in the third section. Either Lang REALLY wants to get his points across as to why Mosque Culture has driven away non-immigrant Muslims, or he didn't have a very good editor.

One area Lang could have emphasized more are issues that ARE important to many non-immigrant Muslims, which are not addressed by Mosques at all: issues such as global warming and the environment, poverty in America and the world at large (and not just in one's narrow immigrant community, and not just for political causes for a select few Muslim countries) issues such as universal health care (or not), fair versus free trade, corporate malfeasance, organic and genetically modified foods, and so on.

I am greatly concerned about these issues affecting our world and ourselves, but have gotten no guidance on any of them from the Mosque whatsoever. However, I do feel that Islam, properly applied, could offer a great deal of guidance on all of them.

Interestingly, that brings me up to what I feel is perhaps Lang's most powerful point, although mentioned only briefly: Why did Islamic Civilization fall, and why do we remain so powerless? Many have answered this age-old question by stating that it's because we Muslims are not following this or that commandment of God. Lang agrees - but suggests a commandment that is not typically thought of, but on hindsight painfully obvious: Lang asserts that Islamic civilization fell, and that we continue to remain powerless, mainly because Muslims stopped following God's command to THINK!

With this great book, Lang invites to do just that- to think, to reflect, to contemplate once again, as we are commanded by God. He invites us to re-evaluate inherited attitudes and traditions, and free our religion, as we free our minds, from our own shackles that bind us, and rise to meet our truly noble potential. It's the only way that Islam will regain relevance and remain vibrant in America, apart from a miracle from God.

An Erudite Challenge.......2006-09-05

This work by Dr. Lange is his most important yet. A very well-researched, dispassionate discourse that is absolutely vital to any American Muslim, whether convert or American-born.

Dr. Lange takes his correspondence with disenfranchised and disenheartened Muslims; North American converts, North American born, and Foreign born, and formulated responses to their concerns and doubts about Islam. The common thread in all of these many people is the corruption in the practice of Islam caused by centuries of cultural bias and parochial influence. The cause is well-known to so many Muslims not only in North America, but the world over.

Additionally, Dr. Lange is trying to resurrect the practice of reason, which was at one time the hallmark of the Religion, and now an unencouraged, forgotten practice, relegated to ancient history.

Unfortuately, the ruling parties at the North American Masjids(Mosques) are insistent on riveting their operations and customs solidly to cultural norms of the middle-East, which discourage thought and repress women, and have resulted in a massive absence of Muslims from North American Masjids.

Through excellent research and argument, Dr. Lange identifies the bones of contention between the disenfranchised and the Masjid elite, its deep-seated roots and causes. Although the cure for the disease has yet to be worked out, a problem recognized is a problem half-solved.

Sadly I fear this excellent work will be ignored by those who could benefit from it the most; the entrenched who are in possession of the Masjids. The change will come slow, if at all, and will take a great deal of courage. Dr. Lange is to be commended for his excellent work, which could very well serve as the linchpin for change and progress in North American Islam.

Essential book about the American Muslim Experience.......2006-02-08

This book addresses the issues of Second Generation American Muslims and American converts to Islam with a tip of the hat to their Canadian counterparts, as the issues described are largely the same in both countries. The book is laid out in three large chapters, the first contains elements of the author's conversion story with emphasis on his first contact with the Qur'an, the second contains the author's exploration of hadith scholarship (both traditional and contemporary), and the third addresses the tremendous cultural pressures that both born American Muslims and converts face in trying to adapt to mosque culture. Conversely, it explains their (our) conspicuous absence in proportionate numbers from the mosque. The author uses actual letters and emails from readers of his first and second books as examples and writing prompts for his responses. Throughout the book, Prof. Lang offers his no-nonsense insights to Islamic scholarship, Islamic history, Muslim cultures, and American culture. His observations are penetrating, and this book is a wakeup call for those who would prefer to ignore the issues and maintain the status quo.

As an American convert to Islam I found this book comforting, due to the challenges I have faced in adapting to my local Muslim community. I found, as many converts do, that while Islam itself is pretty straight forward, the cultural/political dimensions of many masjids in the US are positively Byzantine (pun intended). Prof. Lang does not have ready solutions for the problems he describes, but he does offer an essential approach -- dialogue. My only reservation about this book has nothing to do with its merits (5 stars), but rather I fear that the people who would benefit the most from it, such as mosque administrators and imams, will not read it.

If you have ever thought twice about attending a mosque due to cultural pressures, this is the book for you. If you are having trouble communicating with your parents or your children due to cultural barriers, this book is definitely for you too. Finally, if you are pained by the scarcity or absence of young Muslims and converts in your masjid, then look no further, this book will give you valuable counsel. Although it won't make the problems go away, it's good to know how prevalent these issues really are, and frank dialogue remains the only viable option for improving the state of affairs.

Average customer rating:
Hannibal: A history of the art of war among the Carthaginians and Romans down to the Battle of Pydna, 168 B.C., with a detailed account of the Second Punic War
Theodore Ayrault Dodge
Manufacturer: Adamant Media Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Military & Spies | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Military | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Greece | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
Ancient | History | Historical Reproductions | Formats | Books
Similar Items:

Caesar: A History of the Art of War Among the Romans Down to the End of the Roman Empire, With a Detailed Account of the Campaigns of Caius Julius Caesar

Alexander: A History of the Origin and Growth of the Art of War from the Earliest Times to the Battle of Ipsus, 301 Bc, With a Detailed Account of the campaigns

ASIN: 1402194854
Release Date: 2001-10-03

Book Description

This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1891 edition by Houghton, Mifflin and Company, Boston and New York.

Leaders and Battles: The Art of Military Leadership

Average customer rating:

Leaders and Battles: The Art of Military Leadership
W.J. Wood
Manufacturer: Presidio Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books

History of Technology | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0891415602
Release Date: 1995-06-01

Book Description

In a time when leadership is confused with management, W.J. Wood reminds us that the true determinant of military leadership is on the battlefield. --Harry Summers, author of On Strategy

Average customer rating:

Leaders and Battles; the Art of Military Leadership
W. J. Wood
Manufacturer: Presidio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000M17816

Leaders & Battles: The Art of Military Leadership

Average customer rating:

Leaders & Battles: The Art of Military Leadership
W.J. Wood
Manufacturer: Presidio Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GWXR66

Book Description

Can there be a society that is not divided into oppressors and oppressed, or that refuses coercive state apparatuses? In this landmark text in anthropology and political science, Pierre Clastres offers examples of South American Indian groups that, though without hierarchical leadership, were both affluent and complex. In so doing, he refutes the usual negative definition of tribal society and poses its order as a radical critique of our own Western state of power.

Born in 1934, Pierre Clastres was educated at the Sorbonne. Through out the 1960s he lived with Indian groups in Paraguay and Venezuela. From 1971 to his death in 1979 he was a Director of Studies at the Ã‰cole Pratique des Hautes Ã‰tudes in Paris, where he held the chair of Religion and Societies of the South American Indians.

Customer Reviews:

Not For the Faint of Heart.......2005-12-10

Like all of Clastres' work, this is a highly academic, non-casual read. He dives headlong into his topic, with very little attempt to lay any kind of theoretical foundation for his examination of politics, power, and how the two are (or are not) exercised in primitive and "developed" cultures, so it helps to come to the table with a background in the subject. For those who bring that knowledge, this is a very rewarding read.

review of Society Against the State.......2003-09-05

For those interested in international law, a must.

An eye-opener.......2000-05-02

Although a work of anthropology, it helps if you have a background in philosophy, as Pierre Clastres clearly does. Using the "primitive" tribes of South America, Clastres raises fascinating questions about the nature of society. According to him, not all societies are constructed on a foundation of power-play. A sensitive reading of this book will force you to re-evaluate the society you're sitting in (and if you're reading this, it doesn't matter who you are: Clastres' has us pinned.)

Society against the state. essays in political anthropology

Average customer rating:

Society against the state. essays in political anthropology

Manufacturer: Blackwell Oxford
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HJRQSS

Average customer rating:

Society against the state. essays in political anthropology

Manufacturer: Blackwell Oxford
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000H5Y5CW

Book Description

Thousands of migratory birds' wings silhouetted against a setting sun; vivid monarch butterflies draped over forest grove branches as living leaves of autumn hue: the mass gatherings of animal species are a powerful and all-too-rare sight. Wildlife Spectacles captures here in brilliant full-color photographs the force and mystery of these exceptional assemblages that have inspired and fascinated us throughout history.

The volume features thirty-six chapters written by some of the world's most distinguished biodiversity scientists that engagingly explain the history, geographic distribution, and daily functions of various animal species, as well as the conservation efforts employed today to ensure their survival. The compelling core of the volume, however, lies in the wealth of beautiful and breathtaking images that documents these vast and magnificent gatherings and the raw power of the animals' daily fight for survival. From thousands of penguins congregating on a rocky Antarctic beach to the brutal attack of a wildebeest by a Nile crocodile, the visual sequences here are a moving testament to the dramatic wonder of the natural world.

Continuing the successful tradition of Megadiversity, Hotspots, and Wilderness, Wildlife Spectacles presents an accessible and visually stunning examination of critical conservation issues today.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books