The Travail of Nature : The Ambiguous Ecological Promise of Christian Theology(Theology and the Sciences)

The Travail of Nature : The Ambiguous Ecological Promise of Christian Theology(Theology and the Sciences)
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The Travail of Nature : The Ambiguous Ecological Promise of Christian Theology(Theology and the Sciences)
H., Paul Santmire , and Paul H. Santmire
Manufacturer: Augsburg Fortress Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Theology | Reference | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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Nature Reborn: The Ecological and Cosmic Promise of Christian Theology (Theology and the Sciences)

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ASIN: 0800618068

Book Description

What is meaningful about the experience of travelling abroad? What feeds the impulse to explore new horizons? In Being a Tourist, Harrison analyzes her conversations with a large group of upper-middle-class travellers. Why, she asks, do these people invest their resources -- financial, emotional, psychological, and physical -- in this activity? Harrison suggests that they are fuelled by several desires, including a search for intimacy and connection, an expression of personal aesthetic, an exploration of the understanding of "home," and a sensemaking strategy for a globalized world. She also reflects on the moral and political complexities of the travels of these people.

Being a Tourist draws on a wide range of social theory, going beyond current debates of authenticity and consumption. Engagingly and thoughtfully written, it will be required reading for those in anthropology, sociology, cultural studies, and, more generally, for anyone interested in tourism studies and travel writing.

Customer Reviews:

There's No Place Like Home.......2005-09-02

Being a Tourist is not like other works on tourism. It isn't about how tourists affect the places they visit or about how to market your products to tourists. It explores how travel affects the tourists themselves.

Why do people who have comfortable homes travel to places where the food is unfamiliar, the language is difficult, and the locals think they are odd? For many reasons, of course, including curiosity, status, and restlessness. Professor Harrison interviews several dozen Canadian travelers to find out why they go, where they go, what they do when they get there, what they bring back, and what they get out of the experience. She also discuses the difference between traveler and tourist, and sensibly decides there's no significant difference.

Being a Tourist is an academic work, but it is readable and interesting for a general reader, too, especially if you are a traveler. Or a tourist. Whatever.

Being a tourist: finding meaning in pleasure travel [A book review from: Tourism Management]

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Being a tourist: finding meaning in pleasure travel [A book review from: Tourism Management]
K. Meethan
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Elsevier | By Publisher | e-Docs | Formats | Books
ASIN: B000RR1KSM

Book Description

This digital document is a journal article from Tourism Management, published by Elsevier in 2005. 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:

Book Description

This unique resource details the theory, working methods, and applications of electron tomographic techniques for imaging asymmetric, noncrystalline biological specimens.

Electron Tomography: Three-dimensional Imaging With The Transmission Electron Microscope (the Language Of Science)

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Electron Tomography: Three-dimensional Imaging With The Transmission Electron Microscope (the Language Of Science)
Joachim Frank
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OSAVZW

Book Description

Paperback. Chromatography Today provides a comprehensive coverage of various separation methods: gas, liquid, thin-layer, and supercritical fluid-chromatography, and capillary electrophoresis. Particular attention is paid to the optimization of these techniques in terms of kinetic parameters and retention mechanisms. When these facts are understood, method selection and optimization becomes a more logical process. Sample preparation methods are treated fully as they frequently represent an integral part of the total analytical method. Also described are preparative-scale separations used for isolating significant amounts of product which are generally achieved under conditions that are not identical to those used for analytical separations. The most common hyphenated methods used for sample identification are discussed from the perspective of the information they yield and the requirements of common interfaces.

The scope and level of discus

High pressure liquid chromatography in coatings analysis.(Technology Today): An article from: JCT CoatingsTech
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High pressure liquid chromatography in coatings analysis.(Technology Today): An article from: JCT CoatingsTech
Francis V. Acholla
Manufacturer: Federation of Societies for Coatings Technology
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: B000ALUC16
Release Date: 2005-07-25

Book Description

This digital document is an article from JCT CoatingsTech, published by Federation of Societies for Coatings Technology on June 1, 2005. The length of the article is 3262 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: High pressure liquid chromatography in coatings analysis.(Technology Today)
Author: Francis V. Acholla
Publication: JCT CoatingsTech (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 1, 2005
Publisher: Federation of Societies for Coatings Technology
Volume: 2 Issue: 17 Page: 38(6)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

This work is based on the International Symposium on Comparison Methods and Stability Theory held in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It presents advances in comparison methods and stability theory in a wide range of nonlinear problems, covering a variety of topics such as ordinary, functional, impulsive, integro-, partial, and uncertain differential equations.

Comparison of several numerical methods for simulation of compressible shear layers (SuDoc NAS 1.60:3484)

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Comparison of several numerical methods for simulation of compressible shear layers (SuDoc NAS 1.60:3484)
Chris Kennedy
Manufacturer: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Langley Research Center National Technical Information Service, distributor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0001117PU

Ten Little Elephants: Pop-ups, Pull-tabs, and Elephant Escapades!
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My 11 month old's favorite book

Ten Little Elephants: Pop-ups, Pull-tabs, and Elephant Escapades!

Manufacturer: Flying Frog Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 1577554167

Product Description

There's endless fun counting with the elephants in this lively adaptation of a much-loved rhyme. Imaginative pop-ups, pull-tabs and eye-catching illustrations combine to create an irrestible book which children will adore.

Customer Reviews:

My 11 month old's favorite book.......2006-01-26

I received this book as a shower gift from a teacher that I teach with. Being a teacher, we have tons of books and I read to my son daily. This is his favorite book and the one he always wants me to read. Even when it is mixed up among other books he seems to always find it. He loves all the elephants that pop up and move about the pages. It has held up well for as much as we read and play with it.

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Early Escapades
Eudora Welty
Manufacturer: University Press of Mississippi
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Comic | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 157806774X

Book Description

Eudora Welty (1909-2001), in her writing and in her conversation, had a dazzling and ironic wit. Many friends remember the laughter she always provoked through her sense of the absurd. Early Escapades explores the initial manifestations of her comic and creative energy, from the word poems of her adolescence to the promising parodies and caricatures she wrote and drew as a young adult. Reading the pieces and looking at her cartoons, we can feel the comic energy that swirled through her later writing, and see the beginnings of her satiric force.

Welty's artwork includes pen-and-ink drawings as well as caricatures. The compilation also includes limericks, poems, essays, editorial pieces, and society notes written by the young Welty. The earliest example of her work here is a reproduction of a small handmade book she wrote and illustrated to entertain her brother Edward. Titled "The Glorious Apology," the book is a collage of parodied newspaper and magazine clippings that tell the rollicking story of one Fitzhugh Green, son of the "whispering saxophonist" Artimus H. Green.

Early Escapades offers a prelude to Welty's mature fiction where her sharp comic sensibilities focused on deeply rooted issues: the ambiguity of relationships, the complex struggles for power in families and communities, the duality of people's perceptions. Her comedic work is a trenchant commentary on the way we lead our lives. Whether through her writings or drawings, Welty created laughter from the painful condition of being human. Early Escapades shows how Welty's art, even in its nascent stages, embraced the world's marvels, chaos, and mystery with passionate sympathy.

Becoming Eudora.(Early Escapades)(Book review): An article from: The Mississippi Quarterly
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Becoming Eudora.(Early Escapades)(Book review): An article from: The Mississippi Quarterly
Michael Kreyling
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Classics | Comic | Contemporary | Literary
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ASIN: B000NO3BMW
Release Date: 2007-02-21

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Mississippi Quarterly, published by Thomson Gale on June 22, 2005. The length of the article is 1717 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: Becoming Eudora.(Early Escapades)(Book review)
Author: Michael Kreyling
Publication: The Mississippi Quarterly (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 22, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 58 Issue: 3-4 Page: 807(5)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Product Description

Without formal education or a missionary organization to back her, Gladys raised her own finances for the overland trip that would bring her to the country and people that God had etched so deeply on her heart.... China!
What follows is an amazing adventure of faith and determination. Gladys Aylward, a housemaid from England, dared to trust God in the face of dire and seeminly hopeless circumstances. Her life is one of the truly great missionary stories of our era.

Customer Reviews:

Determined Missionary.........2007-08-01

I love this book. It is down to earth and very clear for the younger children to understand. It gives a clear picture of Gladys' life. I definitely recommend this book to all young readers. The life of this missionary is exciting and leaves you feeling inspired!

Inspiring Story about a woman that wouldn't give up.......2007-06-14

I read this to my children a few weeks ago, and I found it incredibly moving. I am not one to get sentimental over books, but I found this story so inspiring and really incredible. The book begins with Gladys being told by the head of a missionary school that she would never make it on the mission field. She isn't cut out for missionary work. She is urged to go back to being a professional housekeeper. Instead, Gladys stubbornly chooses to pay her own way to China. God uses her in a mighty way, eventually bringing the mandarin (similar to a governor) to faith in Christ. I was so touched by how God was able to use her in spite of what others thought that it brought me to tears.

I've come to the conclusion that any book by these authors is worth reading -- every book I've read of theirs is excellent.

This story is remarkable.......2005-11-13

Gladys is my heroe. I was spellbound by not only her difficulties but her tenacity to stay the course when circumstances said to throw in the towel. I've never had a book grab my heart like this one. I immediately bought two other versions of her story and the movie, 'Inn of the Sixth Happiness' based on her story. Lord help me to be as focused as Gladys was.

Truly the Adventure of a Lifetime.......2004-05-11

It is incredible to think that a single young lady could accomplish so much in such a short lifetime. Only someone sold out to God could be used in wonderful ways like this. Thank the Lord that people like Gladys Aylward do answer the call to spend their lives serving Him. She gave up all of the normal comforts of western life and totally followed God's will. She even sacrificed the hope of a husband and family, but God gave her a bigger family than she could have ever imagined! She dared to head off into the unknown with nothing but her faith in God. It proved to be more than enough and God blessed her with spiritual fruit beyond our understanding. You must read this book! It is so well done and inspiring! It would be great for the whole family. I pray He will call out many more people like Gladys Aylward into the dark corners of the world.

A fantastic and inspirational story for students of all ages.......2003-08-31

This biography of Gladys Aylward takes as resources all of the other biographies. It is written at a level so that children 9 and up can enjoy and benefit from. Gladys' life shows how God can do great things through a submitted and willing servant. Gladys started life as a servant for wealthy families, but God had other plans for her. While at a revival meeting, she became convinced that he was leading her to China. Even though she knew no Chinese, had no contacts in China and flunked out of China mission school, Gladys saved up her money and bought a one-way ticket to China. The adventures and close escapes she had keep you glued to the pages, all the while glorifying God and all that He did for the Chinese people through His humble servant. Well recommended for home-schools.

Book Description

This is the story of the U.S. Navy SEAL Team One in Vietnam as told by twenty of the elite Navy commandos who fought there from 1962 to 1972. Here for the first time, these unorthodox and sometimes iconoclastic special warriors talk about the missions that are left out of the official histories and existing accounts. Extraordinarily gripping and personal, these narratives reveal what really happened on those covert forays. Dennis Cummings has succeeded in coaxing the SEALs to reveal what made them tick, why they volunteered for such dangerous work and returned for multiple tours in the unpopular war, how they pooled their special talents and motivations, and finally how they overcame fear, frustration, and personal losses. A counter to the uncorroborated barroom braggadocio common to other accounts, Cummings's achievement gives the best picture available of what it really meant to wear the distinctive SEAL trident insignia.

Customer Reviews:

DONT BE FOOLED BY THE COVER.......2001-11-16

This book is about seal team one during the vietnam war.
Each chapter is about a different member of seal team 1.
The chapters arent connected to each other and this isnt really a story, but a book of stories from seal team 1 members.
You will feel how the war was in their eyes.

THE MEN BEHIND THE TRIDENT.......2001-08-18

I THOUGHT IT WAS GREAT. I THINK THAT THE STORIE REALLY BRINGS OUT THE SEAL MISSIONS THAT HAPPENED IN VIETNAM. AS A READER OF VIETNAM WAR BOOKS THIS WAS ONE OF MY FAVORITES. THIS BOOK WILL NOT BE PUT AWAY ON THE BOOK RACK.

Disappointing.......2000-08-23

Evocative cover, but fails to deliver inside. Author is obviously not a SEAL, perhaps even a rabid wannabe. Stories are raw and disconnected, at least in part because they are uncorroborated oral histories. When finished, the reader is left with more questions about the Teams than when he started.

Great stories told about SEALs in 'Nam.......1999-07-11

I think this book had some very interesting stories and some neat facts. One of my favorite parts is when the SEALs are on a ambush in the water and a crayfish comes up bites this guys kneecap and he starts screaming his lungs out.

"Good".......1999-04-15

Former U.S. Navy SEALs (from SEAL Team One) tell you their stories and some of the things they remembered while in Vietnam. Provides a bit of insight into the kind of operations they ran while in Vietnam. It is interesting, and is an easy-read... not bad at all.

Primary Colors: A Novel of Politics
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Primary Colors: A Novel of Politics
Anonymous , and Joe Klein
Manufacturer: Random House Trade Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Political | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0812976479
Release Date: 2006-10-17

Book Description

A brilliant and penetrating look behind the scenes of modern American politics, Primary Colors is a funny, wise, and dramatic story with characters and events that resemble some familiar, real-life figures. When a former congressional aide becomes part of the staff of the governor of a small Southern state, he watches in horror, admiration, and amazement, as the governor mixes calculation and sincerity in his not-so-above-board campaign for the presidency.

From the Hardcover edition.

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So what's new?
A profile in courage
Good.
Better character study than politics or novel
Cooking Pig Ain't Always 'Bout Barbecues

Primary Colors: A Novel of Politics
Anonymous
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

All the King's Men [2006 Movie Tie-In Edition]
The Manchurian Candidate
The Natural: The Misunderstood Presidency of Bill Clinton
The Running Mate
Fail Safe

ASIN: 0679448594
Release Date: 1996-01-16

Amazon.com

The famous -- or infamous -- roman a clef about the 1992 Clinton presidential campaign. You've read the hype; now read the book.

Primary Colors has its rich rewards as a savvy insider's look at life on the stump. But it travels far beyond mere gossip and expose and discovers a convincing world of its own, peopled by smart cookies, nutcases, and wheeler-dealers, whose public and private lives illuminate each other -- sometimes by casting dark shadows. This story spans the novelistic spectrum from bedroom farce to high moral drama, and it paints a picture of the political state of the nation so vivid and authentic that one finds in it the deepest kind of truth -- the kind of truth that only fiction can tell.

Book Description

Customer Reviews:

So what's new?.......2007-06-13

I found it boring and depressing. Politics as usual. This is nothing new ya know.

The people who have governed this country (heck!, the world) from the getgo have all been like this. It was just kept under wraps better. Too many leakers, climbers and journalists these days.

A profile in courage.......2007-02-07

You gotta love a political pundit like Joe Klein. He didn't even have the decency to attach his name to his book. Wow, that's courage. That's a backbone.

Let's see, Klein goes around slamming the Clinton presidency, anonymously. Thanks, Joe. America needs more brave souls like you.

Go back to writing your drivel in Time Magazine. Frankly I am surprised you have the courage to attach your name to your columns.

Good........2007-01-04

I never read the book. My sister needed it for school. She said the books was interesting.

Better character study than politics or novel.......2005-12-04

The concept of this book intrigued me: analysis of the first really postmodern president America had, a man who was known for scanning the polls before he had an opinion on any issue, and a candidate whose success was made possible by computer analysis of voter opinion. However, the work itself is quite tedious. There is not enough analysis of characters, and too many scenes explaining the political process. There is too much emphasis on the development of a plot that's tangential to the study of tehse characters, and there is not enough room given to them so that, in breathing, they might exhale what we can then diagnose. I didn't understand why so much emphasis was placed on the narrator, either, since his role was not central. While I read this book without political bias, I was not blown away by its quality as a read or a political novel, but the insight into a certain president's character, and how that made him a success, was intriguing. Not sure if I'd recommend it to anyone except historians at this point.

Cooking Pig Ain't Always 'Bout Barbecues.......2005-02-22

After starting the 1990s by publishing "Bonfire Of The Vanities," Tom Wolfe wrote an essay decrying the state of fiction, how too many authors wrote convoluted, esoteric novels designed to win elitist approval and be ignored by the masses: Why oh why can't some journalist swoop in and write a novel that's really about life and people we know, like the great Frenchman Zola had?

Joe Klein seemed to notice this, if "Primary Colors," the book he had published under the moniker "Anonymous," is any indication. This was a book taken so directly from life that it became a parlor game figuring out who was who. Sure, Jack Stanton was really our then-president, and his wife Susan was Hillary Clinton, but who was that crazy Libby woman supposed to be? Or the shadowy narrator, Henry Burton?

The buzz gave "Primary Colors" most of its popularity, but one wonders just how interested people are in the book now that Bill Clinton is retired. Probably not much, which is a shame, because "Primary Colors" deserves better than being a '90s time capsule.

If you haven't read "Primary Colors," one thing you need to know about it is it's not a note-by-note recitation of the Clinton road to power. It takes some similar turns, and some prescient ones (Monica was not news when this came out in 1996), and in general Jack and Susan Stanton are recognizably Clintonesque, but there are some liberties taken that make the real First Couple seem like the saintly Carters by comparison. The plot takes some jaw-dropping turns, in a sort of shameless "Desperate Housewives"-way that makes for fun reading.

The other salient thing about the book is that it is a clever satire not of one specific administration but the whole way politics is done in our time, the way passion and practicality come together and threaten to do each other harm. One campaign leader cautions our narrator about getting TB, True Believerism, and "Primary Colors" sells its weary cynicism with sharp humor and pungent observation.

It has the feeling of reality, too. Klein has followed a lot of political campaigns, and invests his narrative with a sense of how things really play out when the candidates aren't in front of the cameras. One staff worker is unhorsed not by anything she says but what she doesn't say, a slight but noticeable pause when talking about another candidate's giving blood that reveals her knowledge about - and discomfort in - the candidate she's working for.

The novel isn't perfect. The main romance isn't really well-defined, there's too much Libby and not enough Richard Jemmons, the crazy cracker Carville stand-in. Klein throws a lot of balls in the air, and doesn't catch all of them, but I think the variety of ideas and atmospheres you get in the space of 500 pages has a lot to do with its readability, and the satisfying sense you have when you are done.

"Primary Colors" reminds me a lot of Tom Wolfe, vibrant, flashy, but well-thought out all the time. Waggish, too; Klein even uses "mau-mau" as a verb. Most important, it's entertainment at its highest level, and something worth remembering long after the rest of the circus has passed us by.

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Primary Colors A Novel of Politics
Anonymous
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O5WZ90

Average customer rating:

Primary Colors: A Novel of Politics
Anonymous
Manufacturer: Random House Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OFL8RA

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Primary Colors: A Novel of Politics

Manufacturer: Recorded Books, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: 0788706098

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Primary Colors: A Novel of Politics
Anonymous
Manufacturer: Random House Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NSFQ26

Average customer rating:

PRIMARY COLORS. A NOVEL OF POLITICS.

Manufacturer: Random House.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Journal
ASIN: B000FLABWG

Book Description

Packed with information that has only been published in scientific journals, if ever at all, this collection of biological facts challenges the misconceptions associated with Australia's most famous marsupial. Far from being a scavenging, ferocious oddity, an image perpetuated by the infamous cartoon character, the Tasmanian Devil is actually a treasured and valuable wildlife species facing extinction. By sharing the surprising, controversial, funny, and tragic history behind the world's largest marsupial carnivore, this new guidebook covers all aspects of the biology and the habitat of the Tasmanian Devil.

Customer Reviews:

Good overview of a fascinating animal .......2007-06-24

_Tasmanian Devil_ by David Owen and David Pemberton is a well-illustrated and researched overview of the natural and human history of the largest living marsupial carnivore.

After the introduction the first chapters of the book focus on the animal's natural history, the authors taking care to dispel popularly held myths about the animal. Devils are opportunistic feeders, eating live prey and carrion as well as invertebrates, fruit, and vegetation. A solitary hunter, they aren't fast enough to chase down wallabies or rabbits but do go after wombats (though some researchers have reported that they can chase prey at about 12 kilometers per hour for short bursts). They have tremendous jaw strength and powerful teeth that enable them to consume gristle, skin, and shatter bones (the equivalent of a dog four times their size or for their body mass more powerful than a tiger's).

Though usually solitary, devils feed communally on particularly large carcasses. Often described as being some sort of free-for-all with lots of screaming and apparent fighting, devils in fact have elaborate vocalizations and postures to maintain order and some speculate that just as the sight of daylight-circling vultures attracts other vultures the noises devils make may serve to alert other devils in the area to a large food source. The first arrival is the dominant feeder, making way for a challenger once it has gorged itself, the feeder defending only the amount of food it needs, not the entire carcass. Devils will generally seek to take what they can and hide with their share, consuming it in peace.

Though maligned by ranchers, the devils are the "great hygienists" of the Tasmanian bush. They consume dead and dying livestock and have been credited with breaking the sheep tapeworm cycle and keeping down blowfly populations.

Another social trait of devils is that of the communal latrine. Though most of the time devils are solitary animals, depending upon population size, dozens of devils will defecate in one area, "for reasons of communication barely understood, and further calling into question the "solitary" tag."

Interestingly, hyenas and ratels (or honey badgers), two species presented as examples of convergent evolution with devils, also use communal latrines. The authors go on to compare interesting examples of convergence with wolverines as well, looking at sense of smell, skull structure, markings (both devils and wolverines have white neck and throat patches), body posture, locomotion, and diet.

The evolution and fossil record of the Tasmanian devil are discussed also. The famous Riversleigh fossils site of northwestern Queensland has a species that is 15% larger than a modern devil with a 50% greater body mass. Scientists have speculated whether the modern devil is a dwarfed version of this species or if it coexisted with the larger extinct version. Some believe that several different-sized devils occupied a range of predator-scavenger niches. Devils apparently went extinct on the mainland as recently as 500 years ago for reasons unknown, though climatic issues and the introduction of the dingo are most often blamed.

The authors go into detail about the history of the study of these animals. The animal was known only to the island's 4000 indigenous inhabitants up until 1803, when Europeans started to settle what was then known as Van Diemen's Land. George Prideaux Harris was the first to scientifically describe the devil (in 1806). Other important figures are Louisa Anne Meredith who in late 19th century/early 20th century bred devils in her private zoo and helped the devils' public image tremendously and Professor Theodore Thomson Flynn, a pioneering 20th century mammalogist.

A chapter of course is spent on the history of the famous Warner Brothers cartoon character Taz. This "whirling, brown, slobbering creature" has vast international recognition, far beyond that of the real animal. Some have speculated that Warner Brothers studios had another Tasmanian in mind when they created the character, Errol Flynn (son of the aforementioned Dr. Flynn), who worked for the studio. Errol Flynn in his autobiography even titled the first chapter "Tasmanian Devil, 1909-1927". It would seem that that was merely coincidence as the authors provide the history of the development of the character (for all his fame only five Taz cartoons were made between 1954 and 1964 until his 1990 resurrection) and of the legal battles involving the character (Warner Brothers had trademarked the name Tasmanian Devil, a fact that has bothered and hampered many Tasmanians' use of their iconic animal in economic matters and in promoting tourism).

From the earliest days Europeans regarded the devil, along with the thylacine, as "stock-destroying vermin" and sought to trap, poison, and shoot them into extinction. Later researchers showed that neither species was to blame for livestock losses on the island (instead one could point at poor management and farming practices as well as packs of feral dogs), but "bush myths" proliferated that they would hunt sheep and even people (though in reality not preying upon healthy sheep and only consuming murder and suicide victims, the devils never having been known to kill anyone).

While enormous strides had been made in protecting devils from persecution, in 1996 Dutch wildlife photographer Christo Baars noted ghastly facial growths on devils he photographed and by 1998 researchers came to realize many areas were experiencing a serious decline in devils thanks to the spread of Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD), a virulent facial cancer that kills within five months of its manifestation. Poorly understood, some researchers believed it was a naturally occurring retrovirus, one that perhaps had caused devil population crashes in the past, perhaps triggered by pesticide or fertilizer chemicals or the rabbit-killing calicivirus, while others think it may have jumped species, perhaps from feral cats, to the devils. Attempts to save the devils have been complicated by political infighting over conservation and research funds, difficulty in diagnosis of the disease, and feral cats and foxes filing the emptying devil niche. Attempts to quarantine the devils to small islands have met with numerous obstacles as well.

Great book on a fascinating animal.......2006-08-09

This is one of the few books available about the Tasmanian devil that is not geared towards children. A fair, unbiased description of an often misunderstood animal, "Tasmanian Devil" tells the habits, myths, and cultural reactions to the animal behind the famous cartoon character.

Also addressed is the animal's vulnerable state, with a final chapter on the little understood disease currently ravaging the devil population and what is being done to save these animals from extinction.

A great read, though a tad short.......2006-02-11

This is a great, though all too brief book on the Tasmanian Devil. It is well written, giving anecdotes and highlights from scientific research on the little creatures' ecology and evolution. It also gives a chapter on devils in captivity, a great insight into those myths of devils being uncontrollable, voracious little predators that will bite the crap out of anything and everything. It tells of the persecution by man, which, unlike some books on persecuted animals, is told without being tedious.

It ends with some insight into the mystery surrounding the disease that is decimating wild populations.

I really was hopeing for more on the ecology of the animal, unfortunately there was not enough in this book. However, that merely highlights the lack of research that has actually been done, by amateurs or professionals.

Highly recommended to anyone interested in Australian animals, or anyone interested in animals fullstop.

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