The Great Rocky Mountain Nature Factbook: A Guide to the Region's Remarkable Animals, Plants & Natural Features

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The Great Rocky Mountain Nature Factbook: A Guide to the Region's Remarkable Animals, Plants & Natural Features
Susan Ewing
Manufacturer: West Wind Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books
Natural History | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books
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Rocky Mountain Tree Finder a Manual for Identifying Rocky Mountain Trees (Finder)

ASIN: 0882405152

Book Description

Delve into this quick but in-depth nature guide, and discover everything you didn't know about the Rockies, from mountain bluebirds to rubber boas.

Book Description

This is the first detailed analysis of the complex and rich vegetation of the mountainous Korean peninsula, which ranges from arctic-alpine to subtropical in character, and in which more than 4500 vascular-plant species have been recorded, including many endemics. It covers both the north and south of the peninsula and, using both past and present records, identifies eight major biogeographic regions. It pays due attention to vegetation history, tracing this back to Miocene times and noting the effects of Pleistocene climatic fluctuations. More recently, detailed climatic variations from 50 B.C. are recorded, along with man's influence on vegetation patterns. Special mention is made of the present arctic-alpine communities, their structural and floristic characteristics, their origins, and their vulnerability to current global warming. Throughout the relationships between Korean vegetation communities and those present in adjacent East Asia are emphasized along with those key features which make Korean communities distinctly unique.

Book Description

Whether you're just visiting or a local looking for something new to do, City Smart: Berkeley and Oakland will help you enjoy the best that these East Bay communities have to offer. Bay Area resident John Weil has collected "city favorites" lists from area residents, so you'll get the inside scoop on the real deals, the best sights, and the hippest hotspots - including a list of the top ten places to eat selected by Alice Waters, owner/founder of the renowned Chez Panisse Restaurant. In addition to essential information on dining and accommodations, everything from gospel churches to flea markets and swap meets is detailed in this engaging guide.

Customer Reviews:

Spectacular Book!.......2001-05-13

Extremely useful. Well written guide by someone who clearly knows and loves the area. Lots of excellent "insider" tips and recommendations. A "must have" for anyone living or visiting Berkeley, Oakland, and the surrounding areas!

Book Description

Life's Work is a study of the shifting spaces and material practices of social reproduction in the global era. The volume blurs the heavily drawn boundaries between production and reproduction, showing through case studies of migration, education and domesticity how the practices of everyday life challenge these categorical distinctions. In particular, the authors focus on the actual spaces in which social reproduction occurs, addressing how these spaces are directly implicated in changing conceptions of subjectivity, national identity and modernity, as well as how they are inextricably linked to economic production in both theoretical and practical terms.

Book Description

The geometric and algebraic aspects of two-dimensional homotopy theory are both important areas of current research. Basic work on two-dimensional homotopy theory dates back to Reidemeister and Whitehead. The contributors to this book consider the current state of research beginning with introductory chapters on low-dimensional topology and covering crossmodules, Peiffer-Reid identities, and concretely discussing P2 theory. The chapters have been skillfully woven together to form a coherent picture, and the geometric nature of the subject is illustrated by over 100 diagrams. The final chapters round off neatly with a look at the present status of the conjectures of Zeeman, Whitehead and Andrews-Curtis.

Two-Dimensional Homotopy and Combinatorial Group Theory

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Two-Dimensional Homotopy and Combinatorial Group Theory
Cynthia Hog-Angeloni
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N7GHES

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In memory of uncle Walter.......2004-09-15

Uncle Walter was an Army B-24 pilot in the Pacific, shot down and killed over Truk Island in 1944, eight years before I was born. I grew up hearing about him and when I was only around 10 I saw a paperback book with a crashing B-24 on the cover and bought it. It turned out to be one of the best most engaging books I have ever read and I read a lot. I read it so much as a child that to this day I have it memorized in my mind. My old paperback is so delicate that for years I have hesitated to read it and have tried to by a new copy only to hear that it was out of print. To be able to find it just now is like finding an old childhood friend. I can't believe it. This is a wonderful book. Buy it. Here I come again "Ivy'.

A Wonderful Book.......2004-09-06

Many many years ago as a young man making my way across the US I had a long wait in Kansas City Airport for my flight. I walked down to a small shop in the airport and found this book in a garish cover, looking exactly like the sort of book that one is embarassed to be seen reading. But, having nothing else, I sat down and made a start. And I could not put it down. Over twenty five years later I still have that same battered paperback and like an old friend I take it up to read again every year or so.

If you know and love flying and aeroplanes and people who fly this book will speak to you. The night takeoff as an overloaded US Navy B-24 roars down a runway straining to become airborne with the end of that runway and the sea beyond coming closer and closer had the sweat starting to drip down my back. The author must have flying in his blood because no one else could have put me in the cockpit with the principal character, the co-pilot of this aircraft, as this book did.

But even if you don't love aviation there is much to enjoy here. It's not pro war nor is it anti war - it's about friends and the sense of 'belonging' that can arise amongst people bound together by difficult circumstances who work together to make the best of what they have in those circumstances. I daren't use the word comradeship, as perhaps too many will think that it urges some right wing agenda - nor do I suggest that it might be about the special relationship that can develop between men in adversity and a pride in overcoming that adversity together as this might suggest the same. But there may be those who understand what I am saying without seeing (or attempting to see) some broader significance.

I love this book and I always regret when I reach the end.

from a Short List of Best Books.......2003-11-14

I keep a short list of my favorite books of the 20th Century. Forbes' is one of the Top Five; not as a best War, or Anti-War, or even air or sea stories, but simply one of the best ever. Forbes writes in a very direct style that is easy to read and just sets out what it must have been like to go through the last year of the Air War in the Pacific, or any war. If you have a conclusion on what it must have been like, well he lets you draw it, and the feelings are always very strong. I read it again every other year and I do not lend out my hard copy. It stays put as part of my short list.

Best Military Fiction In The English Language.......2001-04-13

This outstanding work is all the more surprising because so few people have ever heard of it.

The cynical humour, dry wit, action descriptions and characterisations make it a stand out novel that sets it apart from other navy classics such as 'The Caine Mutiny' and 'The Cruel Sea'.

Many reviewers consider this an anti-war, anti US Navy story but I consider it neither. Set in the final year of WWII it is a snapshot of a few months of one pilots military career that draws together the stresses of a lifetime of combat missions. In it you can find just about every character you have ever met in life, in business or in the military and it is this observation and detailing of characters that make the book so intriguing. The descriptions of flying and air combat are clearly drawn from personal experience so the work should be seen as semi-autobiographical, and if this is so, which character does the author play?

Goodbye To Some is highly personal it that it is written in the first person and allows the reader to come into intimate contact with the emotions of the main character. The fears, the petty jealousies, the tragedies, the love of some characters and the bitter hatred of others, the Navy system, the war - it's all there - waiting to be soaked up and experienced. Perhaps it is this intimate writing style that makes American reveiwers so nervous - and in some ways it is un-American. There is no gung-ho, flag waving, ticker tape parades; there is just the dull, leaden burden of dozens of combat missions, each one taking the main character closer to his breaking point. And the narrative doesn't actually end, it just stops at a convenient point, without fanfare and without any real drama.

To find this novel republished in hardback as a naval classic is a real gift to military buffs worldwide - an absolute must-have for every armchair (and left hand chair) pilots library. As a personal note, I have two copies of this book, the first copy is the paperback edition that have read for thirty years!

This is a classic!.......2000-01-13

I've read a lot of memoirs and novels of WWII in the air. This is perhaps the most memorable of all I've read. What makes this book exceptional is the narrative voice--intelligent, cynical, funny and compelling. The story moves along nicely and the ending is heartbreaking to the reader though the sense one gets is that the narrator has seen so much that he is just numb to it all. I am so happy to see that this is back in print after years and years. If you are a WWII aviation buff you will enjoy this.

Goodbye to Some : A Bitter War - Novel of Young Fliers in a South Pacific Hell

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Goodbye to Some : A Bitter War - Novel of Young Fliers in a South Pacific Hell
Gordon Forbes
Manufacturer: Panther
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KEWMFC

Goodbye to Some: A Novel (Classics of Naval Literature)

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Goodbye to Some: A Novel (Classics of Naval Literature)
Gordon Forbes
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MUD9X8

Book Description

Never before has any biographer had such close access to Fidel Castro as did Tad Szule. The outcome of a long, direct relationship, this riveting portrait reveals astonishing and exclusive information about Cuba, the revolution, and the notorious, larger-than-life leader who has ruled his country with an iron fist for more than forty years.

Only Tad Szule could bring Fidel to such vivid life--the loves and losses of the man, the devious tactics of the conspirator, the triumphs and defeats of the revolutionary leader who challenged an American president and brought the world to the brink of nuclear disaster.

From Jesuit schools to jungle hideouts and the Palace of the Revolution, here is Fidel...The Untold Story.

Never before has any biographer had such close access to Fidel Castro as did Tad Szulc. The outcome of a long, direct relationship, this riveting portrait reveals astonishing and exclusive information about Cuba, the revolution, and the notorious, larger-than-life leader who has ruled his country with an iron fist for more than forty years.

Only Tad Szulc could bring Fidel to such vivid life--the loves and losses of the man, the devious tactics of the conspirator, the triumphs and defeats of the revolutionary leader who challenged an American president and brought the world to the brink of nuclear disaster.

From Jesuit schools to jungle hideouts and the Palace of the Revolution, here is FIDEL...THE UNTOLD STORY.

Customer Reviews:

The most objective book I have read on Fidel Castro.......2006-01-22

As someone born and raised in revolutionary Cuba and now living in the US for some years, I have read a lot on these subjects .......and from both sides of the ideological and political divide. " Fidel: A Critical Portrait" is simply one of the best, considering the depth of his research and the objectivity of his analysis of not only Fidel Castro, but also of the Cuban history in the last 50 years. This book by Tad Szulc is ,in my opinion, a must for anyone interested in really understanding Cuba and the Cuban revolution as well as the historical background that allowed things to happen the way they have. Furthermore, this book sheds light in what forces might come in play once Fidel Castro dies and Cuba can have a brighter future and its rightful place in America.

A fascinating history.......2004-07-29

I have recently discovered a wonderful genre of historical reading: Cuban history! From Fidel Castro, and Jose Marti, to Che Guevara and Antonio Maceo, the history of the island is rich with characters whose stories are as good as any fictional action/adventure tale. I have read plenty of stories about Fidel, and this one is the most complete. There is little information on Fidel's life (up until publication) that cannot be found in this book. The writing is objective, and focuses on both the triumphs and failures of the Castro regime. It is not a quick read, it is very detailed, and I had to renew it from the library twice. Say what you will about Fidel politically, the man has lived a fascinating life, and has survived insurmountable odds and countless assassination attempts. With incredible resourcefulness and sheer determination, he managed to survive. No doubt he has left an impact that cannot be ignored and only time will tell if in history, he is truly absolved.

Mark McGinty is the author of "Elvis and the Blue Moon Conspiracy"

Not like "Che" by Jon Lee Anderson..........2004-05-01

I thought that the Che biography by Jon Lee Anderson was awesome. It seemed very fact oriented and neutral. Very inspirational... After finishing that, I wanted to continue learning about Cuba's recent history and wished for a book just like Anderson's, but on the topic of Fidel. Anderson mentions that "Fidel: A Critical Portrait" is THE biography on Fidel so I decided to go with it...

Well, compared to my experience with the Che book, this one was very disapointing... it has a very pessimistic tone. Perhaps Szulc is objective, however he sometimes chooses to focus on negative items, unnecessarily. The book begins and ends in negativity. Just read the last 2 pages and note the items that Szulc chooses to end the book on... problems in Cuba like alcoholism, infrastructural neglect, uninspired youth. Plenty of coutries suffer these issues; does this make Cuba stand out?

The book does have alot of information in it and valuable anecdotes, but be prepared to wade through plenty of passive jibes from Sculz regarding Fidel.

The book's introduction starts out with a sort of defense by Szulc which can be summarized as "Fidel said I could slam him... as long as I'm objective". That right there set off warning flags for me.

As far as being a "Critical Portrait" goes, it deserves 5 stars. But I imagine that there will be a few other readers that came to this via the Che book and I wanted to call attention to the very different style and to brace themselves for a different experience.

This is how every biography should be.......2004-03-11

This book contains all the ingredients a great biography should have: comprehensive research, an interesting character, balanced and insightful analysis, and very good writing. Tad Szulc deserves all the credit he can get for putting together a book that could be used in a class as an example of how to write a biography. To me, Fidel Castro was an obstinate idealist who wanted the best for his people and country before losing himself in wrong ideas and absolutism, but you can form your own (well informed) opinion after reading this extraordinary chronicle of his life.

Fidel Castro.......2003-05-14

A biography worth to read with Frei Beto: Fidel & the religion

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FIDEL : A CRITICAL PORTRAIT

Manufacturer: Avon Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HAYX9C

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Fidel. A Critical Portrait
Tad Szulc
Manufacturer: William Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NUM8P2

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Fidel: A Critical Portrait
Rh Value Publishing
Manufacturer: Random House Value Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0517677458
Release Date: 1988-09-21

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FIDEL: A CRITICAL PORTRAIT.
Rad. Szulc
Manufacturer: Hutchinson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Fidel : a critical portrait / Tad Szulc
Tad Szulc
Manufacturer: New York : Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VZ9DPM

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Fidel A Critical Portrait
Szulc Tad
Manufacturer: William Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UCYWAW

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Fidel Castro: A Critical Portrait
Tad Szulc
Manufacturer: William Morrow & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 5551656039

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Fidel, a Critical Portrait.
Tad. Szule
Manufacturer: William Morrow and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000RLQMJA

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Fidel: A Critical Portrait
Tad Szulc
Manufacturer: Avon Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000QCUTJ4

Customer Reviews:

Surprisingly bad, the worst in the Time-Life series.......2001-06-05

I've found the Time-Life series to be generally well done, presenting mostly introductory and basic material, but at least accurate. This volume is an exception. Despite conferring with Robertson, Jackson's main biographer, the author still repeats the myths about lemons, Jackson standing sole guard for his army, etc. etc. Overall the analysis seems light and the maps, which are very good in some other volumes, are too few. This book seems to me to only be worth reading for the illustrations. Skip it, and get Tanner's book instead.

Decoying the Yanks: Jackson's Valley Campaign (Time Life Civil War Series)

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Decoying the Yanks: Jackson's Valley Campaign (Time Life Civil War Series)
Champ; Time Life Books Clark
Manufacturer: Time Life Education
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000L5A770

THE CIVIL WAR DECOYING THE YANKS JACKSON'S VALLEY CAMPAIGN

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THE CIVIL WAR DECOYING THE YANKS JACKSON'S VALLEY CAMPAIGN

Manufacturer: Time-Life Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HZVN1S

The Civil War. Time-Life. Decoying the Yanks: Jackson's Valley Campaign

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The Civil War. Time-Life. Decoying the Yanks: Jackson's Valley Campaign
Time-Life
Manufacturer: Time-Life Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JID7NU

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The Civil War: Decoying the Yanks: Jackson's Valley Campaign
Champ Time-Life) Clark
Manufacturer: Time-Life
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000K5ONH6

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Decoying The yanks Jackson's Valley Campaign
Champ Clark
Manufacturer: Time-Life
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PRP3PU

Book Description

Kathleen Thelen explains the historical origins of important cross-national differences in four countries (Germany, Britain, the United States and Japan), and also provides a theory of institutional change over time. The latter is considered a frontier issue in institutionalist analysis, of which there are several varieties emerging from economics, political science, and sociology. Thelen's study contributes to the literature on the political economy of the developed democracies that focuses on different institutional arrangements defining distinctive models of capitalism.

Customer Reviews:

Cutting Edge Institutionalism.......2006-02-12

How Institutions Evolve is widely considered one of the most important recent contributions to the institutionalist literature. It received the Woodrow Wilson award, the most prestigious book award of the American Political Science Association.

Thelen is concerned with the interplay between continuity and change in institutions. Focusing on vocational training, she demonstrates the persistence of country specific patterns of vocational training through periods of dramatic political change. In an extended treatment of the German case she demonstrates how, in spite of this continuity, the function of vocational training in Germany has dramatically changed over the years. While created against the opposition of organized labor at the end of the 19th century, it gradually changed into an importan pillar of union power in Germany's political economy.
Her argument is directed mainly against the 'punctuated equilibrium' approach to institutional change, which views institutions as stable until a major 'critical juncture' changes them entirely.

Though 'vocational training' may not strike most readers as the most exciting of subjects, Thelen's focused theoretical lense, as well as the historical depth of her treatment make this book a good, at times fascinating, read. It is sure to become required reading for all students and scholars of political institutions.

Book Description

The recent arrival of the two giant pandas Tian Tian and Mei Xiang at the Smithsonian's National Zoo has created an enormous outpouring of public support for the conservation of this endangered species. The first step in attempting to ensure a future for giant pandas is understanding both their history and their current relationship with people. Susan Lumpkin and John Seidensticker present a beautifully photographed, resonant natural history, sharing their personal experiences of working with giant pandas in the United States and China.

Customer Reviews:

awsome book.......2007-01-05

If you love Pandas , this is the book to get. It is very detailed and well worth you time. You won't regret it!

Excellent Panda Resource Book.......2005-10-22

What I really liked about this book is how it's completely accessible for all ages. It's not dumbed down for younger readers, yet it doesn't pander to more mature readers, either. It presents facts, figures and other related information in such a way that anybody could learn from this read.

This book is also one heck of a coffee table book, the perfect gift for anyone you might know who loves panda bears. The photographs are breath-taking, showcasing this beautiful creature in its natural habitat as well as in zoos. There are also some telling photos of pandas in their youngest form. All exquisite and mind-blowing in their individual beauty.

Status of Wildlife Conservation fieldwork in China.......2003-03-09

A beautiful cocktail table book full of beautiful photos of China and Pandas. The book's strengths lies in its accurate portrayal of giant panda conservation work in China, i.e. "muddy boots" conservationist work. The book surprisingly covers very little about the giant panda research at zoos and focuses mainly on conservation field work in China. The book also goes at length to describe the giant pandas genetic classification (genus) with respect to carnivora ( especially wrt raccoons and bears , see page 33-54 ). Most notable about the book is its assertion that there were originally two types of giant panda (a) tropical/warm climate giant panda ( Ailuropoda microta , extinct smaller version of the giant panda whose fossilized remains were found in caves at Lang Trang, Vietnam - see pages 51-54 ) and (b) a mountain/cold climate giant panda ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca, the modern giant panda ). The authors describes the giant panda as an ecological umbrella which is shared by people, other animals, and fauna. (p.93--153). While extensively referenced and researched, the book is not footnoted and lacks the rigorous presentation of data and analysis to be defined as a scientific work. Micheal Kiefer, Chris Catton and Schaller have provided better historical outline man's interaction with the giant pandas. The freshest part of this book is the coverage on the introduction of environmentally-sustainable/friendly human economies like the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR, see p. 153) and the conservation effort in China to gain the local support in China to protect wildlife and the environment.

The Ideal Panda Book for Library or Coffee Table.......2002-09-04

Finally, an up-to-date, photo-studded book on giant pandas by experts who know the subject inside and out. There's plenty of media attention on this unique endangered species but this book gives background, context, and depth lacking in most magazine and newspaper articles. If you want to settle in and take an armchair trip into the world of the elusive giant panda, get this book.

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Smithsonian Book of Giant Pandas
Susan & John Seidensticker Lumpkin
Manufacturer: The SMithsonian
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000P0RATY

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