The Economic Impact of Tourism in the Islands of Asia and the Pacific (World Tourism Organization Conference Proceedings)

Book Description

Now back in print, the groundbreaking history of the rise and fall of labor movements in New York's Chinatown, updated with a new introduction. Focusing primarily on New York City's Chinatown in the 1930s and '40s, but looking back to the 1840's arrival of Chinese immigrants in America, Peter Kwong documents the turbulent history of Chinese labor in America in a groundbreaking book now available again. Kwong powerfully demonstrates how, excluded from craft unions and gradually driven into urban ghettos, the Chinese settled into a narrow range of jobs, where the merchant elite was able to control the workforce. But in the 1930s, as more industrial jobs became available, new organizations, aided by labor and leftist groups, arose to challenge the existing power structure. In the 1950s, though, as the political climate in the US changed, integration was halted and traditional associations reasserted their rule. Hailed as a "fascinating, pioneering study" by Library Journal when it was first published, this meticulous and elegant book provides crucial insight into the balance of forces in Chinatown, as well as the nature and extent of discrimination against the Chinese within the United States. This edition also includes a new introduction by the author about why a book written twenty years ago is still relevant today.

Book Description

Actual typos and misprints from church bulletins. The names have been changed to protect the guilty!

Customer Reviews:

A Sure Fire Hit.......2006-08-01

When you read the church bulletin or newsletter or listen to the announcements, how often do you hear a mistake or a blunder? When it appears in print, these typographical errors almost require a second look, then a smile. Or, when unintentional humor happens orally, it's all some people can do to keep from giggling out loud.

Since 1957, Derric Johnson has been involved in ministry, serving two churches as associate pastor, minister of music, minister to collegians and minister to singles. You will love the simple format of these books which include timeless quotes like, "Next Sunday is Easter, and Mrs. Anderson will come forward to lay an egg on the altar." Or notice the one letter difference between the word "singing" and "sinning" in this quote: "The choir invites any member of the congregation who enjoys sinning to join the choir."

These two volumes are divided according to where the blooper appeared. If it is written in a church bulletin, then it's in the book Did You Read That?

The second volume includes more than humor. Did You See That? includes more quips, quotes, and one-liners. This reviewer enjoyed the timeless quotes on different topics such as, "There are three things that grow more precious with age...old wood to burn, old books to read, and old friends to enjoy."

Or, "Parental wisdom is bringing up your children...so that someone else will like them besides you."

For a light moment and to lift the spirit of someone, these books are a sure-fire hit.

Did You Read That? / Did You See That? Quips, Quotes & One-liners 2-in-1 Book

Average customer rating:

Did You Read That? / Did You See That? Quips, Quotes & One-liners 2-in-1 Book

Manufacturer: Thomas Nelson, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0739410016

Product Description

As the old saying goes, "First you have to get their attention!" Clever, inspired sayings suitable for church signs, bulletins, sermons, newsletters and more. Thought-provoking sayings designed to attract attention. Make a great first impression, while leaving a quick but lasting message. A new saying each week: Over 3 year's worth!!!

William, I read your book!: (God, did you really say that?)

Average customer rating:

William, I read your book!: (God, did you really say that?)
Bill Farrar
Manufacturer: ACW Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Book Description

Innovative look at the Beatles' life and legacy that's packed with strange-but-true facts, from fab anecdotes on legendary radio and TV appearances, to what you can hear if you listen really closely to their often surreal lyrics. Accesible and original, Beatles urban myths are shattered and the world of John, Paul, George, Ringo - and their music - is revealed in a fresh light.

Book Description

This book intervenes in debates over the significance of Diana, Princess of Wales, by offering a critical account of her status as a media icon from 1981 to the present. It outlines the historical development of representations of Diana, analyzing the ways in which she has been understood via discourses of gender, sexuality, race, economic class, the royal, national identity, and the human. The book goes on to assess the issues at stake in debates over the "meaning" of Diana, such as the gender politics of cultural icon-making and deconstruction, and conflicting notions of cultural value.

Diana A Cultural History Gender, Race, nation and the People's Princess

Average customer rating:

Diana A Cultural History Gender, Race, nation and the People's Princess
Davies Jude
Manufacturer: Palgrave
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UF0DBQ

Book Description

The Broadcast Journalism Handbook has everything you ever wanted to know about working in the television news business but were afraid to ask! Learn the ropes--and how to head off amateur errors--from the authors' vast experiences and dozens of interviews with news professionals. Complete with job-searching tips, helpful web sites, and real-life scenarios, this book covers many newsroom positions, from assignment editors to producers, reporters, and anchors. It gives you newsroom experience before you get the job.

Book Description

Create Virtual 3D LEGO Models Using LEGO Software Power Tools
LEGO Master Builders have created a powerful set of tools that are distributed as freeware to the LEGO community to assist LEGO fans in their building adventures. Until now, these tools have been difficult to find, and even more difficult to configure to work with one another. Here, in one book, readers will find steps for installing and using all of the most popular LEGO freeware applications. Also, all of the applications are consolidated into one simple-to-install program that allows readers to be up and running in minutes

Ø Wide market appeal. This book will appeal to the huge established consumer base of the LEGO community, as well as to children, parents, and teachers who may have been intimidated by the difficulties of bringing all of these applications under one roof.
Ø The only book of its kind to cover the wide variety of applications available. Some books in the past have touched on one or two of these LEGO applications, but none has covered them all in such detail.
Ø CD provides all of these freeware applications in one easy to install program. Included CD packs more than 8 applications into one easy-to-use format, making it easy for readers to have access to all of these applications in minutes and avoid the headaches of trying to download, install, configure, set up folder structures, and troubleshoot such a wide variety of loosely related freeware applications.
Ø Will coincide with the release of Lpub. This will be the first in-depth look at LPub, the new creation of Kevin Clague, which ties LDraw, MLCad, L3P, and POV-Ray together to allow users to easily create professional quality LEGO instructions for both the printed page and the web.

Customer Reviews:

Amazing!.......2003-04-18

I never knew the programs covered in this book existed! I saw it in B+N, ran home , ordered it on amazon and pulled my kids legos out of their playroom and got reacquainted with them. When the book came I put them away and haven't touched them since. This is amazing! You get to build anything your heart could desire with an unlimited number of legos right on your computer screen! My kids have stopped playing Halo on the x-box and build virtual legos most of the day using the powertools programs that come with the CD.
I'm trying to get them involved with some of the lego sites the book talks about--its incredible the lego world that exists online that I had no idea about.

Highly recommend this book to any parent who has a child under the age of 47!!!

Very good but -somewhat confusing in places.......2003-02-07

I've been a big fan of MLcad for a long time. I thought I knew everything there was to know about it but this book proved me wrong.

It has excellent, indepth coverage of what these people call the "LEGO softwarep ower tools" suite of programs, which are all available for free. I agree with an earlier reviewer that it is great to have all of this material in one place, on one CD (installing it is very simple, much more so than if you get them all off the web), with walk throughs and explanations for all of them, including how they work with one another. In fact, this leads to my only complaint. Sometimes the book gets TOO indepth in its look at these programs. At one point they show how to actually go into the model files and manipulate them, which is MUCH deeper than I've ever gone.
All in all it is a good book however--I'm looking forward to documenting my LEGO trains and buildings in ldraw/MLCad and creating instructions for them with lpub. Lpub alone makes this book worth it. It is one of those programs I never even considered until I found out what it can do (granted, there are some functions in other LEGO programs which are somewhat similar but they don't hold a candle to the possibilities lpub offers).
A friend of mine talked to one of the authors on the lugnet forums and said he seems like a nice guy who was very willing to share ideas and tips.

Very good book but went over my head a few times.

T.O.

Good to have all in one place.......2003-01-24

I wasn't sure if this book would be worth picking up as I already know how to use MLCad... First off-you should get it from Amazon.com and save yourself a bundle.
It is a boon to have all of these programs in one place. They install very easily and you dont have any problems getting them up and running. That is a very good thing, especially for LEGO fans who are new to this stuff.

Second-there is some new information in here, even for long time users of MLCad like me. LSynth is amazing--MLCad users will be very happy to be able to finally include all of those flexible elements into their model files. I haven't started fooling around with LPub yet but it looks very interesting--basically allows you to create instructions a-la the sets you get with a real LEGO kit.
All in all I'd recommend this book, especially to someone who is new to these programs. There is nothing in this book that you
can't find on the web...
and the other sites whre you can download these programs and their instructions, or poking around on the forums.
HOWEVER!!!!! It would take you days, if not weeks, to assemble all of the info that is between the covers of this book, which I think makes it very worth while.
Check it out!

Signing off-

Blacktron23

Good coverage of stuff I already know.......2003-01-17

i got this book because im a huge fan of the progrmas covered in the book. ill admit its thorough and easy to read and i gues its cool to have all these programs in one cd. The only thing new to me were lpub which i dont think ill ever use and lsynth which is very very cool and needs to be incorporated by ML into the next incarnation of mlcad.
would probably be excellent for a novice brickhead whod neverp layed with these programs before. ...

very useful book.......2003-01-17

I teach math and physics at the highschool level and am involved with our local lego robotics club. The kids and I have been in the habit of taking pictures of our finished creations before we disasemble them for reference. One of my students has been pushing us to start documenting the robots with Mlcad. I had just started to look into this when I ran across this book.
I highly recommend this book for those involved with lego robotics clubs like ours. Not only can we now save full color images of our models on our computers, we can also create full sets of instructions for building them using the programs included and described in this book. I have a feeling this will be extremely useful in our competitions, as we plan on documenting our robots in this manner and giving our competitors in the competitions the plans for our robots AFTER we have defeated their robots *smile*, as well as posting them to our club's website. The ability to manipulate our virtual robots on our computer screens in Mlcad after we have "built" them is neat and adds an element of "what if" to our building, but it can't compete with playing with the real bricks.
Great book. I highly recommend it.

Average customer rating:

wisdom in defeat and humility in victory

How Delta Came to Be

Excellent book.

Best 1st Person Spec.Ops. Account I have Read to Date

Excellent book.

Inside Delta Force: The Story of America's Elite Counterterrorist Unit
Eric Haney
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
General | United States | Military | History | Subjects | Books
Terrorism | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
International Security | Freedom & Security | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Delta Force: The Army's Elite Counterterrorist Unit

The Unit - The Complete First Season

Warrior Soul: The Memoir of a Navy Seal

Inside Delta Force

Killer Elite: The Inside Story of America's Most Secret Special Operations Team

ASIN: 0385339364
Release Date: 2005-08-30

Book Description

Now the inspiration for the CBS Television drama, "The Unit."

Delta Force. They are the U.S. Army's most elite top-secret strike force. They dominate the modern battlefield, but you won't hear about their heroics on CNN. No headlines can reveal their top-secret missions, and no book has ever taken readers inside—until now. Here, a founding member of Delta Force takes us behind the veil of secrecy and into the action-to reveal the never-before-told story of 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-D (Delta Force).

Inside Delta Forece
The Story of America's Elite Counterterrorist Unit

He is a master of espionage, trained to take on hijackers, terrorists, hostage takers, and enemy armies. He can deploy by parachute or arrive by commercial aircraft. Survive alone in hostile cities. Speak foreign languages fluently. Strike at enemy targets with stunning swiftness and extraordinary teamwork. He is the ultimate modern warrior: the Delta Force Operator.

In this dramatic behind-the-scenes chronicle, Eric Haney, one of the founding members of Delta Force, takes us inside this legendary counterterrorist unit. Here, for the first time, are details of the grueling selection process—designed to break the strongest of men—that singles out the best of the best: the Delta Force Operator.

With heart-stopping immediacy, Haney tells what it's really like to enter a hostage-held airplane. And from his days in Beirut, Haney tells an unforgettable tale of bodyguards and bombs, of a day-to-day life of madness and beauty, and of how he and a teammate are called on to kill two gunmen targeting U.S. Marines at the Beirut airport. As part of the team sent to rescue American hostages in Tehran, Haney offers a first-person description of that failed mission that is a chilling, compelling account of a bold maneuver undone by chance—and a few fatal mistakes.

From fighting guerrilla warfare in Honduras to rescuing missionaries in Sudan and leading the way onto the island of Grenada, Eric Haney captures the daring and discipline that distinguish the men of Delta Force. Inside Delta Force brings honor to these singular men while it puts us in the middle of action that is sudden, frightening, and nonstop around the world.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

wisdom in defeat and humility in victory.......2007-07-12

David Mamet, in my edition of this book, now more than three years old, long before 'The Unit' came along, writes at the beginning:

"The great military novels have about them an ineffable air of sadness. [They] seem, both in scenes of combat and in the scenes of rest, depictions of a life heightened to the plateau of regret, longing, and loss. The great military memoirs, similarly, are a record of loss and its transmutation into compassion. [...] in Eric Haney's Inside Delta Force, we are welcomed into the curious, moving and persuasive philosophy of the soldier trying to find wisdom in defeat and humility in victory."

It's a comment that reflects the spirit of the contents, and which ultimately translates into the very cool TV series based on the book. I also admit, quite without shame that the characters of 'Phantom Strike Team' in my novel 'Fontaine' were definitely inspired by this account, which I found fascinating and quite un-put-downable; much like Michael Durant's 'In The Company of Heroes'.

I have no idea how 'real' and 'true' the things depicted here are, because I have no real evidence to back up whatever I believe. However, I would like to think--possibly wishfully, but why not?--that Orwell's 'rough men [who] stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm' aren't just a bunch of thugs, who just like to shoot people, but that they are like those guys; that they are grounded and have a sense of purpose, and that Mamet's comments are on the mark.

Again, without evidence for the 'truth', whatever that may be, I cannot tell; but I choose to think that Haney has done more than just show them in the best light; that even in the harsh light of day, it all basically holds true.

How Delta Came to Be.......2007-07-09

I read a few other reviews of this book before buying it and find they were accurate. Haney tells about how Delta force came to be in interesting detail. The people that submit themselves to the Selection process really can only truly truly want the job. If you watch or have seen any episodes of "The Unit" you can see where story plot lines came from, but don't expect any detailed past mission stories.

Excellent book........2007-06-08

As usual, the same excellent quality and service that I have come to expect from Amazon. Book was great and recommend it to anyone thats interested in this type of stuff. Great compliment to "The Unit".

Best 1st Person Spec.Ops. Account I have Read to Date.......2007-05-19

I initially was drawn to this book after seeing it credited as the inspiration for CBS's drama "The Unit". (I'm a sucker for marketing, huh?) This book was to be the first in a long line of military non-fiction works that I read recently and for me it's still one of the best. Haney isn't the GREATEST writer in the world but his style works well for the subject matter at hand and thankfully lacks some of the irritating macho-ness that plagues many other ex-military authors. What made the book great for me was the fact that because Haney was a recruit in Delta as opposed to one of the organizers, there is a sense of mystery and the unknown as he chronicles his progress through Selection and his early days in the unit. I also read Charlie Beckwith's book on Delta and thought this was the better read. The only thing I didn't like about the book was that Haney retired so many years ago that you are left wanting to know more about current ops, but that's not a criticism of the book itself, simply a lament on my part. Overall I'd highly recommend this to anyone interested in learning more about what drives these incredible individuals.

Excellent book. .......2007-05-18

Great read. I spent 28 years in the Army, many of them at Bragg and retired in 2003. Mr Mercer's comments about what he believes are fact and fiction as it pertains to the contents of this book are inaccurate and I would recommend he go back and do his research correctly this time.

Inside Delta Force: The Story of America's Elite Counterterrorist Unit

Average customer rating:

Inside Delta Force: The Story of America's Elite Counterterrorist Unit
Eric Haney
Manufacturer: Delacorte Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000QYGWKW

Book Description

This authoritative book traces the history and doctrinal development of the Isma'ili movement from its origins to the present day, a period of twelve centuries. It is the first comprehensive synthesis of the scattered results of modern scholarship on the subject and it draws on numerous primary and secondary texts, and particularly a number of private Isma'ili manuscripts that have recently become available. All the major phases of Isma'ili history are covered. From the pre-Fatimid period, Dr. Daftary conducts a detailed investigation through the Fatimid "golden age" and the troubled Musta'li-Tayyibi period up to the spiritual and physical strengths of Mizari Isma'ilism in Syria and Iran before the onslaught of the Mongols. The last part of the book discusses the modern developments of Isma'ilism, particularly in Iran and on the Indian subcontinent. For all students of Islamic and Middle Eastern history this volume will serve as the most definitive account yet of the history of the Isma'ilis and their movement.

Customer Reviews:

This book establishs Daftary as synonymous with Isma'ilism.......2003-07-20

This is an unprecedented work of scholarly insight, a must have for anyone interested in Isma'ilism although you never really read this sort of work from cover to cover, it's useful to dip in, on every issue.

The history covers the development of Shiism...right through to Ismailism to the modern day...that's 1400yrs of development and history not too mention all the branchs and movemnets that split off and their current status.

I can't praise this book enough. One issue though is regarding the modern Bohra's (Mustalian Tayyibi's), I would recommend Jonah Blanks "Mullahs on the Mainframe" to understand them in the modern period; as Daftary used too much information from the Bohra reformers in regards to that branch of the Isma'ilis...however an excellent work all round. if you haven't dipped in here you are missing out.

Awesome !.......2000-01-13

The most detailed book on Isma'ilis - the best unbiased, factual and complete book on Isma'ilis out there.

The Isma'ilis: Their History and Doctrines

Average customer rating:

The Isma'ilis: Their History and Doctrines
Farhad Daftary
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Islamic | World | History | Subjects | Books

Shi'ism | Islam | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0521616360

Book Description

The Ismaâ€™ilis represent the second largest Shii Muslim community after the Twelvers, and are today scattered throughout more than twenty-five countries in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and North America. The second edition of this authoritative book traces the history and doctrinal development of the Ismaâ€™ilis from their origins in the formative period of Islam to the present day, a period of more than twelve centuries. All the major phases of Ismaâ€™ili history are covered, including the pre-Fatimid period, the Fatimid 'golden age', the Tayyibi-Mustali period and the history of the Nizari Ismaâ€™ilis of Persia and Syria before the Mongol invasions. The final part traces the history of the modern Ismaâ€™ilis, particularly the socio-economic progress of the Nizari communities. The new edition is a thorough revision and incorporates new material, an expanded bibliography and new illustrations. It will be invaluable reading for students of Islamic and Middle Eastern history.

Average customer rating:

The Isma'ilis: Their History and Doctrines

Manufacturer: munshiram manoharlal
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I1KUYW

Average customer rating:
Dangerous Diagnostics The Social Power of Biological Information
Dorothy and Laurence Tancredi Nelkin
Manufacturer: Basic Books, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J0O07U

Average customer rating:
Dangerous diagnostics: The social power of biological information
Dorothy Nelkin
Manufacturer: Basic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Culture | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Disorders Of Desire Pb (Health Society And Policy)

Choice and Coercion: Birth Control, Sterilization, and Abortion in Public Health and Welfare (Gender and American Culture)

The Mismeasure of Man

The DNA Mystique: The Gene As a Cultural Icon

Fast Food Nation

ASIN: 0465084141

Book Description

Dangerous Diagnostics is a powerful study of the pervasiveness of diagnostic testing and the potential it offers institutions to classify, categorize, and ultimately control individuals. Nelkin and Tancredi explore the ethical, social, and legal implications of cutting-edge technologies that can lead to new forms of discrimination in the name of standardized, objective measurements. They caution against the creation of an underclass deemed unemployable, untrainable, or uninsurable by such diagnostic tests.

Dangerous Diagnostics: The Social Power of Biological Information. (book reviews): An article from: The Hastings Center Report

Average customer rating:

Dangerous Diagnostics: The Social Power of Biological Information. (book reviews): An article from: The Hastings Center Report
Nancy G. Slack
Manufacturer: Hastings Center
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Science & Technology | Subjects | e-Docs | Formats | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Hastings Center Report, published by Hastings Center on January 1, 1991. The length of the article is 2385 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: Dangerous Diagnostics: The Social Power of Biological Information. (book reviews)
Author: Nancy G. Slack
Publication: The Hastings Center Report (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 1991
Publisher: Hastings Center
Volume: v21 Issue: n1 Page: p38(3)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Dangerous Diagnostics: The Social Power of Biological Information

Average customer rating:

Dangerous Diagnostics: The Social Power of Biological Information
Laurence R. Tancredi Dorothy Nelkin
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OP8TFY

Average customer rating:

Excellent Book on North American Wildlife

Works too hard on the "debunking"

bats aren't blind, they just don't see too well

Superior North American wildlife book

Warner Shedd offers a new pair of glasses

Owls Aren't Wise & Bats Aren't Blind: A Naturalist Debunks Our Favorite Fallacies About Wildlife
Warner Shedd
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Animals | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
Wildlife | Animals | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
General | Zoology | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
General | Zoology | Biological Sciences | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Why Moths Hate Thomas Edison: And Other Urgent Inquiries into the Odd Nature of Nature (Outside Books)

Science: 100 Scientists Who Changed the World

King Of Fish: The Thousand-Year Run Of Salmon

100 Birds and How They Got Their Names

The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinction

ASIN: 0609807978
Release Date: 2001-07-31

Amazon.com

Ever pick up a toad only to have it soak your hand? Don't worry, it was the animal's emergency water storage (not urine!), dumped in a fight-or-flight panic. Think that new beaver clan will dent the trout population in your favorite fishing hole? They don't touch the stuff: beavers are strictly vegan. And go ahead, get close to that porcupine, because they can't fire quills like an AK-47. Want more? Warner Shedd, a native Vermonter, lifelong naturalist, former Forest Service honcho, and a retired executive for the National Wildlife Federation, dispels wildlife fallacies that have passed through generations of well-intended grandfathers and poorly informed folk tales. Shedd covers everything about most backyard critters--from gray squirrels to newts--and expands on some wilder species that we only think we understand.

But Shedd's refreshing anecdotes aren't entirely naysaying. In fact, he confirms many myths with a bit of explanatory elaboration. Take the raven's knack for mimicry, for example; it's entirely capable of uttering "nevermore" if it desires. And while bats aren't entirely blind, Shedd writes, they rely largely on echolocation to navigate, bouncing high-frequency shrieks off nearby objects, sometimes in the range of 115 kilohertz (a human's range goes to a mere 20 kHz).

While these details gives us some solid facts to gnash on, it's Shedd's personal anecdotes (much to the dismay of his resilient Labrador Heidi, who, while accompanying Shedd, has been jumped by muskrats and porcupines, among other things) that elevate his information to entertainment. Retelling stories from his boyhood in Vermont and from his professional work, he takes the reader on a ride through familiar territory: describing roadside carcasses, trash-ravaging raccoons, and clumsy coyotes, among other encounters. To keep us current, however, Shedd updates ongoing conservation efforts and opens an occasional window into his own personal opinions on wildlife management. We're left with a satisfying, inspiring handbook to some of North America's most familiar and erroneously understood creatures. --Lolly Merrell

Book Description

Have you ever seen a flying squirrel flapping through the air, watched a beaver carrying a load of mud on its tail, or ducked when a porcupine started throwing its quills? Probably not, says Warner Shedd, debunking these and many more popular myths about our animal friends in Owls Aren't Wise & Bats Aren't Blind. In this charming and eminently readable biology lesson, Warner Shedd, former regional executive for the National Wildlife Federation, offers scientific evidence that refutes many of the most tenacious and persevering folklore about wild animals. Full of humorous anecdotes and fascinating facts about more than thirty North American species, Owls Aren't Wise & Bats Aren't Blind is an entertaining dose of scientific reality for any nature enthusiast or armchair adventurer.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Book on North American Wildlife.......2005-03-07

You'd be hard pressed to find a book more packed with fascinating information that Warner Shedd's "Owls Aren't Wise And Bats Aren't Blind". Each chapter provides a concise description of the characteristics and habits of a particular animal (or family of animals), and, as the book's subtitle suggests, debunks some common myths about North American wildlife. Shedd's writing style is earnest and straightforward, and is perfectly suited for this type of book. Shedd deftly addresses controversial issues in a reasonable manner, and imparts a wealth of information about some common wildlife. A chapter on snakes would have been welcome, although I'm sure a discussion of the myths surrounding snakes would fill an entire book on it's own. This is an information packed book that has appeal for a wide age range.

Works too hard on the "debunking".......2004-07-20

The authors are too intent on "debunking". Sometimes they get facts wrong in their eagerness to debunk myths (e.g., one of their "myths" is "Polar bears are white". Which they are, at least approximately. The _hair_ of polar bears isn't white. It's transparent (think fiber optics). But polar bears themselves are not transparent. Crows can probably count, too - the brighter parrots can, and corvidae and psitacidae seem to be of roughly equivalent intelligence). And some of the myths seem to have been made up largely so they could be debunked.
Aside from that, it's not bad.

bats aren't blind, they just don't see too well.......2001-05-10

Warner Shedd reveals his wealth of knowledge about the outdoors in a style that is pure Vermonter. Although it seems as though at times he is refuting a so-called myth by re-stating the myth as fact, Shedd's enthusiasm for his subject and willingness to share personal anectdotes overcomes his sometimes pedantic style. The illustrations are a capable addition to the book, and anyone who comes to this well will go away knowing a bit more about their subject. My irrational exuberance is not all just because the author is my Mother's sister's husband! Good luck, Uncle Warner!

Superior North American wildlife book.......2001-02-05

I didn't really think that owls were wise, but these things are relative. Owls are probably "wiser" than sparrows, but certainly not in the same IQ league as ravens and crows. And, although I didn't suppose that bats were completely blind (Shedd assures us that "most actually see quite well"), I knew they didn't depend on their eyes to catch prey. There is a lot of other "obvious" and generally well-known information here, but there is also a wealth of knowledge about thirty or so of the familiar animals of North America that I didn't know or even suspect. I didn't realize, for example, that there are "frequency modulation" (FM) bats as well as ones that use a "constant frequency" (CF), and a third group (CF-FM types) that use both methods of echolocation to zero in on prey. For another example, while I knew that grizzlies are bigger than black bears, I didn't know that Alaskan brown bears are the biggest bears of all, and are not just another name for grizzlies.

What makes this a superior book on the wildlife of North America is the wealth of experience that Shedd brings to the subject and his imminently readable style, combining lots of concrete fact with well-told anecdote. He does an especially good job of clearly defining each species. The chapter on bears is as vivid and memorable as a PBS special. The easy reading (and this is always the case) belies what I know was the very hard work that went into the construction of every sentence. Typical of Shedd's illustrative style (in the floral mode) is this description from page 68: "...a bat's flight is as unpredictable and indecipherable as the movements of a prestidigitator's hands."

Additionally there are a number of beautiful full-page black and white illustrations of the animals by Trudy Nicholson that delight the eye. She has the knack of not only accurate detail, as Shedd notes in the Acknowledgments, but of infusing the animals with a sense of an appropriate and pleasing emotional aspect.

Politically speaking, and every wildlife book in this day and age has its political position, this book steers a middle course. Shedd, himself a hunter and a conservationist, eschews both the tree-hugging sentimentality of the left and the purely commercial mentality of the right.

Attractive and popular, Owls Aren't Wise and Bats Aren't Blind, would make an ideal present for anyone interested in wildlife, from grandchildren to grandparents.

Warner Shedd offers a new pair of glasses.......2000-11-22

Warner Shedd's book has deepened my whole family's enjoyment of the animals in our midst. We have read it to the kids before bed and shared it with company. After reading a chapter I feel as refreshed as I would after a leisurely stroll through the woods.

I live surrounded by red squirrels, but it was not until I read Owls Aren't Wise & Bats Aren't Blind that I could really see them. Shedd articulated what my peripheral senses have been barraged with all these years, and brought these cute rascals into focus for the first time.

Likewise, my rodent-phobic mother has grown positively fond of the muskrat who visits her suburban yard (It better stay out of the house though.). Shedd helped her identify the animal and understand what a positive contribution it made to her environment.

My son recently found a dead porcupine in the woods. Shedd's book got us looking at its quills under the microscope and equipped us to make an educated guess about its demise.

Average customer rating:
The John A. Livingston Reader: The Fallacy of Wildlife Conservation and One Cosmic Instant: A Natural History of Human Arrogance
John Livingston
Manufacturer: McClelland & Stewart
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Conservation | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
Ecology | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
General | Conservation | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Rogue Primate: An Exploration of Human Domestication

The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in a More-Than-Human World

ASIN: 0771053266
Release Date: 2007-01-23

Book Description

Canada’s pioneering radical naturalist now back in print!

John A. Livingston is Canada’s Rachel Carson. His cogent, brilliant writing on the effects of man on nature has defined an entire generation of environmentalists and is required reading for anyone who wants to understand the underpinnings of today’s issues. Radical when first published in the early 1970s and 1980s, Livingston’s arguments that we must find new approaches to our perception of nature and our place within it or face the irreversibility of our destruction of nature now reads prophetically. The Reader brings two of Livingston’s poetic and provocative books back into print for a new generation of readers and features an appreciation by Graeme Gibson.

Average customer rating:

Fallacy of Wildlife Conservation
John A. Livingston
Manufacturer: Mcclelland & Stewart Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Wildlife | Conservation | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0771053355

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books