Natural History Books

Book SynopsisA handbook for hikers on this scenic and challenging trailTrade ReviewPart travelogue, part history, part love letter to nature, Strange's book offers local lore of trees, wildflowers and animals, but also GPS information and elevation data. And all in a book you easily fit in you pack or satchel. April 2011 * Nuvo Green Guide *[A]n attractive and useful guide book ... Part travelogue, part history, part love letter to nature, Strange's book offers local lore of trees, wildflowers and animals, but also GPS information and elevation data. And all in a book you can easily fit in your pack or satchel.July, 2011 * Nuvo *Table of ContentsForeword by Marion T. JacksonAcknowledgmentsIntroductionPart 1. History and Perspectives 1. The Lion's Share of the Work 2. The Rough and Hard Labor 3. The End of an Era 4. Elements of the KnobstonePart 2. Hiking the Knobstone Trail 5. Journey Preparation 6. The Deam Lake State Recreation Area 7. Deam Lake to Jackson Road 8. Jackson Road to New Chapel 9. New Chapel to Leota 10. Leota to Elk Creek Lake 11. Elk Creek Lake to John Stuart Oxley Memorial 12. John Stuart Oxley Memorial to Spurgeon Hollow 13. Delaney Creek ParkPart 3. Reflection 14. Closing ContemplationPart 4. Supplementary Materials Directions to Parks and Trailheads Evolution of the Trail MapsBibliographyIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe story of expeditions into Africa in search of dinosaur bones.Trade ReviewThe volume will certainly be the standard reference on the history of Tendaguru from here on . . . I thoroughly enjoyed African Dinosaurs Unearthed and recommend it to anyone interested in the history of research on Mesozoic fauna. * The Palaeontological Association Newsletter *Table of ContentsPreliminary Table of Contents:Preface1. 1907: Fraas and Something Curious in the African Bush 2. 1908: Von Branca and a Matter of National Honour3. 1909: Janensch, Hennig, and a Cemetery of Giants4. 1909-1910: Geology in the Rain and Comets, Stegosaurs, and Iguanodonts5. 1911: Along the Railway and Expansion, Exhaustion, and Completion?6. 1911-1912: A Museum Overflows - The Recks find Iguanodonts, Pterosaurs, and a Fossilized Forest7. 1913-1918: Fresh Discoveries and a Bitter War8. 1919-1924: The British Museum in Tanganyika Territory9. 1924-1925: Cutler, Leakey, and a Difficult Start10. 1925: Berlin Builds Dinosaurs11. 1925: A Death in Africa12. 1925: Migeod - A New Recruit 13. 1925-1926: An Expedition Saved 14. 1926-1927: Berlin in Chaos and Parkinson Reviews Stratigraphy 15. 1927-1929: Kenyan Interlude, Geology at Tendaguru, and Desperate Finances 16. 1929: Migeod Returns 17. 1930: Migeod and Parrington, Tendaguru and Nyasaland 18. 1931-1939: Hennig Returns and Berlin's Museum Triumphs 19. 1939-1976: Destruction and Renewal 20. 1971-2001: Russell to Africa, Brachiosaurus to Tokyo, Berlin to Tendaguru21. A Significant Contribution NotesReferencesIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Ornithopods include Iguanodon, one of the first dinosaurs ever discovered and analyzed, and perhaps the best-documented group, the hadrosaurs or 'duckbilled dinosaurs.' The Ceratopsians include Triceratops, known for its distinctive three-horned skull and protective collar. This book collects information on these two groups of animals.Table of ContentsContributorsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsI. Beaked Dinosaurs: The Ornithopods1. Callovosaurus leedsi, the Earliest Dryosaurid Dinosaur (Ornithischia: Euornithopoda) from the Middle Jurassic of England José Ignacio Ruiz-Omeñaca, Xabier Pereda Suberbiola, and Peter M. Galton2. Teeth of Ornithischian Dinosaurs (Mostly Ornithopoda) from the Morrison Formation (Upper Jurassic) of the Western United States Peter M. Galton3. A Description of a New Ornithopod from the Lytle Member of the Purgatoire Formation (Lower Cretaceous) and a Reassessment of the Skull of Camptosaurus Kathleen Brill and Kenneth Carpenter4. Turning the Old into the New: A Separate Genus for the Gracile Iguanodont from the Wealden of England Gregory S. Paul5. A Possible New Basal Hadrosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation of Eastern Utah David Gilpin, Tony DiCroce, and Kenneth Carpenter6. Postcranial Osteology of the Hadrosaurid Dinosaur Brachylophosaurus canadensis from the Late Cretaceous of Montana Albert Prieto-Marquez7. "Leonardo," a Mummified Brachylophosaurus (Ornithischia: Hadrosauridae) from the Judith River Formation of Montana Nate L. Murphy, David Trexler, and Mark Thompson8. Discussion of Character Analysis of the Appendicular Anatomy in Campanian and Maastrichtian North American Hadrosaurids—Variation and Ontogeny Michael K. Brett-Surman and Jonathan R. Wagner9. Osteochondrosis in Late Cretaceous Hadrosauria: A Manifestation of Ontologic Failure Bruce Rothschild and Darren H. Tanke10. Deciphering Duckbills: A History in Nomenclature Benjamin S. CreislerII. Horned Dinosaurs: Ceratopsians11. Cranial Anatomy and Biogeography of the First Leptoceratops gracilis (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) Specimens from the Hell Creek Formation, Southeast Montana Christopher J. Ott12. Cranial Osteology and Phylogenetic Relationships of the Chasmosaurine Ceratopsid Torosaurus latus Andrew A. Farke13. Growth and Population Age Structure in the Horned Dinosaur Chasmosaurus Thomas M. Lehman14. Bone Resorption, Bone Lesions, and Extracranial Fenestrae in Ceratopsid Dinosaurs: A Preliminary Assessment Darren H. Tanke and Andrew A. Farke15. "Bison" alticornis and O. C. Marsh's Early Views on Ceratopsians Kenneth CarpenterIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisA conservationist history of IndianaTrade Review[This] book details natural habitats, man-made habitats, land use, soils, plants and wildlife. It covers everything from endangered species to invasive species and is a great reference for anyone interested in conserving Indiana's environment. * wbiw.com *Whitaker and Amlaner . . . along with 15 authorities on Indiana wildlife and ecology, provide contributions to this groundbreaking, well-illustrated volume on Indiana's eight wildlife habitats and its many ecological communities. . . . Highly recommended. * Choice *Table of ContentsContents Acknowledgments List of Acronyms Introduction Part I – A Statewide Overview: Land Use, Soils, Flora and Wildlife 1. Land Use and Human Impacts on Habitats 2. Soils 3. Vascular Plants and Vertebrate Wildlife Part II – Natural Habitats: Changes over Two Centuries 4. Forest Lands 5. Grasslands 6. Wetlands 7. Aquatic System 8. Barren Lands 9. Subterranean Systems Part III – Man-Made Habitats: Changes over Two Centuries 10. Agricultural Habitats 11. Developed Lands Part IV – Species Concerns: Declining Natives and Invading Exotics 12. Extirpated, Endangered, and Threatened Native Species 13. Exotic and Invasive Species 14. Species Scientifically Described from Indiana Conclusion: Summary and Research Needs Appendices General information Soils Plants Fishes Amphibians and Reptiles Birds Mammals Invertebrates Maps created by ASTERGlossary Literature Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisPenguins in their natural habitat, photographed in glorious full color.The extraordinary and adorable antics of penguins attract thousands of tourists every year to remote and icy locations. Penguins never fail to make people smile; wild penguins waddle up and inspect us as if we were just another kind of flightless creature walking on two legs. In this book, the vibrant world of penguins is shown in all its glory by David Tipling, who has trekked to beautiful and faraway locations to capture these birds in their natural habitats. Tipling's gorgeous full-color images catch moments rarely witnessed by humans. He shows us an Adélie penguin speeding through water at 25 mph; a line of King penguins in a snow squall; doting Emperor penguin parents with their fluffy chick; a young penguin nuzzling a camera's telescopic lens; a Rockhopper penguin hopping from rock to rock; a large social gathering of Chinstrap penguins; the striking plumage and courtship display of a mal

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisSouvenirs of the planet: Ten (and a half) life forms, each of which explains a key aspect of life on Earth.If an alien visitor were to collect ten souvenir life forms to represent life on earth, which would they be? This is the thought-provoking premise of Marianne Taylor's The Story of Life in 10 and a Half Species. Each life forms explains a key aspect about life on Earth. From the sponge that seems to be a plant but is really an animal to the almost extinct soft-shelled turtle deemed extremely unique and therefore extremely precious, these examples reveal how life itself is arranged across time and space, and how humanity increasingly dominates that vision. Taylor, a prolific science writer, considers the chemistry of a green plant and ponders the possibility of life beyond our world; investigates the virus in an attempt to determine what a life form is; and wonders if the human—“a distinct and very dominant species with an inevitably biased view

Read more less

Book SynopsisHow to predict and calculate the positions of stars, planets, the sun, the moon, and satellites using a personal computer and high school mathematics.Our knowledge of the universe is expanding rapidly, as space probes launched decades ago begin to send information back to earth. There has never been a better time to learn about how planets, stars, and satellites move through the heavens. This book is for amateur astronomers who want to move beyond pictures of constellations in star guides and solve the mysteries of a starry night. It is a book for readers who have wondered, for example, where Saturn will appear in the night sky, when the sun will rise and set, or how long the space station will be over their location. In Celestial Calculations, J. L. Lawrence shows readers how to find the answers to these and other astronomy questions with only a personal computer and high school math. Using an easy-to-follow step-by-step approach, Lawrence explains what calculati

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisA richly illustrated exploration of the astonishing diversity in sexual characteristics and behaviors of plants from the fig-tree to the sacred lotus.Why do some plants flower while others do not? What happens during pollination? How can the Haleakalā silversword reproduce all alone? In Sexus Botanicus, artist and writer Joanne Anton sheds light on the fertilization process of plants and relates their origins and their spectacular diversity. While sexuality has long been a source of interest for us humans, we sometimes forget to consider its primordial role in evolution. Without sexuality and the genetic union it enables, life would not assume the biodiversity it displays. Sexus Botanicus introduces us to a wide range of extraordinary specimens, some very ancient and still with us, and some their descendants by millions of years: time-traveling plants (from the wedding of a mushroom and an alga 450 million years ago to the amorous mosses that help maint

Read more less

Book SynopsisA captivating history of NASA’s Space Transportation System—the space shuttle—chronicling the inevitable failures of a doomed design.In Dark Star, Matthew Hersch challenges the existing narrative of the most significant human space program of the last fifty years, NASA’s space shuttle. He begins with the origins of the space shuttle: a century-long effort to develop a low-cost, reusable, rocket-powered airplane to militarize and commercialize space travel, which Hersch explains was built the wrong way, at the wrong time, and for all the wrong reasons. Describing the unique circumstances that led to the space shuttle’s creation by the administration of President Richard Nixon in 1972 and its subsequent flights from 1981 through 2011, Hersch illustrates how the space shuttle was doomed from the start.While most historians have accepted the view that the space shuttle’s fatal accidents—including the 1986 Challenger

Read more less

Book SynopsisDo you speak to your cat? Do you feel your cat understands you and vice versa?Cat lovers across the globe know cats can speak. In this compelling new book, Susanne Schotz a professor at Sweden's Lund University shares insights into her long-standing cat communication research. Proving that cats not only speak to one another, but also to their human caretakers.This clever book teaches us how to better understand our cats by translating their sounds, recognising their meaning in different situations and giving practical tips to understand them better.Unlocking the cat code, this crash course in cat phonetics is the perfect gift for cat-lovers everywhere.

Read more less

Book SynopsisHistorians and cultural critics face special challenges when treating the nonhuman natural world in the medieval and early modern periods. Their most daunting problem is that in both the visual and written records of the time, nature seems to be both everywhere and nowhere. In the broadest sense, nature was everywhere, for it was vital to human survival. Agriculture, animal husbandry, medicine, and the patterns of human settlement all have their basis in natural settings. Humans also marked personal, community, and seasonal events by natural occurrences and built their cultural explanations around the workings of nature, which formed the unspoken backdrop for every historical event and document of the time. Yet in spite of the ubiquity of nature's continual presence in the physical surroundings and the artistic and literary cultures of these periods, overt discussion of nature is often hard to find. Until the sixteenth century, responses to nature were quite often recorded onTrade Review“As scholars of medieval and early modern Europe increasingly embrace environmental perspectives and animal studies, Engaging with Nature will be recognized as a landmark collection in the field. Taken together, the essays in this volume provide a synthetic overview of critical developments in the many disciplines that are now incorporating the approaches of natural and environmental studies. Each essay represents a substantial advance in scholarship and thought in its particular field. This is an essential collection for literary and cultural historians, and for historians of economy and society, art and ideas.” —Rita Copeland, University of Pennsylvania “Engaging with Nature vividly captures the breadth and depth of human interactions with the natural world in premodern Europe. Its multidisciplinary approach generates new questions about how Europeans understood and connected with nature and delves into issues that will interest the specialist and the general reader alike. The book challenges readers to rethink not just the history of human engagement with nature but also the many ways the past has influenced our modern conceptions of ecology and environment.” —James Masschaele, Rutgers University"This substantial collection of articles is far more than a response to current obsessions with climate change. It is a thought-provoking demonstration of the inter-disciplinary character of research on medieval history and culture. Students of medieval and early-modern society and economy, literature, philosophy, and art, will find much that is new in these essays, and much to provoke their own thinking about the vexed relationship of human societies with their natural surroundings." —Fredric Cheyette, Emeritus professor of history, Amherst College“Engaging with Nature is a deeply pleasurable volume to read. Using an incredible range of primary and secondary sources, the authors richly realize the methodological promise inherent in the emergent field of medieval and pre-modern studies on the history of nature.” —Kathleen Biddick, Temple University“Engaging with Nature is a collection of impeccable scholarship that will make a highly original contribution to the emergent field of medieval and pre-modern studies on the history of nature." —Claire Sponsler, University of Iowa“[Engaging with Nature] looks at how the relationship between people and their natural surroundings was thought about and portrayed before the advent of modern science.” —Book News“The seven essays comprising this collection grew out of a 2004-05 lecture series at Ohio State’s Center for medieval and Renaissance Studies. In their introduction, Hanawalt and Kiser make the case that medieval views of nature typically are not available to modern scholars as direct written expression, and that this requires an interdisciplinary interpretation of a broad range of sources on medieval life.” —Renaissance Quarterly“Engaging with Nature: Essays on the Natural World in Medieval and Early Modern Europe, edited by Barbara A. Hanawalt and Lisa J. Kiser, includes discussions of animals, of religion and nature, of hunting, of the collecting and representation of New World plants and animals, and of the rise of science.” —Studies in English Literature“. . . this unusually strong anthology will serve admirably for both private study and classroom use for any scholar willing to be inspired by critical animal theory or ecocriticism.” —Journal of English and Germanic Philology“The seven essays included in [this] volume confirm a growing resistance to rigidly constructed categories and assumed outcomes in the study of and writing about science. How various writers, artists, philosophers, and others position themselves in relation to these imperatives serves as a common consideration in these analyses.” —Modern Philology

Read more less

Book SynopsisA guide, geared toward all levels of botanical knowledge, to identifying over 300 species of grasses found in four physiographic provinces within the Mid-Atlantic Region.Trade Review“For researchers and students of the region, this is a must-have text for any collection.”—L. Goode Choice“Wide species coverage makes this a most useful guide on a topic rarely covered. It is appropriate for amateur plant enthusiasts; professionals will also find it appealing. The numerous excellent illustrations and icons for key couplets are very helpful.”—Donna Ford-Werntz,curator of the West Virginia University HerbariumTable of ContentsContentsPreface AcknowledgmentsHow to Use This GuideGeneral SuggestionsDeciphering a Grass EntryParts of the GrassDisarticulation Roots and Rhizomes (Perennial versus Annual) Illustrated Characteristics of Grass PartsSome Unusual GrassesGeneral KeyGenera KeysAgrostisAiraAlopecurusAndropogonAnthoxanthum AristidaAvenaBrachyelytrum BrizaBromusCalamagrostis CalamovilfaCenchrusChasmanthiumCinnaCynosurusDanthoniaDeschampsiaDiarrhenaDichanthelium DigitariaEchinochloaElymus EragrostisFestuca and SchedonorusGlyceriaGymnopogonHolcusHordeumLeersiaLeptochloaLoliumMelicaMuhlenbergiaPanicumPaspalumPhalarisPiptatherumPoaPuccinelliaSaccharumSetaria SorghumSpartinaSphenopholisSporobolusUrochloaVulpiaZizaniaReferences Plant Index Photo Credits

Read more less

Book SynopsisAnalyzes the environmental and social complexities of Izaak Walton’s famous fishing treatise The Compleat Angler. Examines the complex portrayal of the natural world through an ecocritical lens and explores other neglected aspects of Walton’s writings, including his depictions of social hierarchy, gender, and sexuality.Trade Review“One of the earliest and most popular precursors of nature writing in English has at last received the critical attention it deserves. Marjorie Swann's book is arguably the most complete study of The Compleat Angler ever written—and a vital corrective to outdated New Historicist interpretations. It makes an invaluable contribution to Walton studies and early modern ecocriticism.”—Todd Andrew Borlik,author of Ecocriticism and Early Modern English Literature: Green Pastures

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book brings together in one volume both theory and a wealth of empirical data gathered by researchers from all the fields in which bark beetles are studied: ecology, evolutionary biology, population genetics, entomology, and forestry.

Read more less

Book SynopsisOne of the Big Bend’s most respected photographer-naturalists conducts a personal tour of the natural and human history of the region in words and photographs.Table of Contents List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Santa Elena Canyon 2. Mountain Trails Betsy Koch Clark: Dad and I Hike in the Chisos 3. Fort Davis and the Scenic Loop 4. Smuggling and Other Career Paths 5. Longhorns and Pronghorns 6. The Search for Early Man Betsy Koch Clark: Arranging the Snake 7. Desert Diversity Patricia Koch: My Hot Springs Flood Story 8. Working with Warnock Don Dhonau: The Single Blooming Flower 9. Presidio County 10. Wild and Scenic Río 11. Silence of the Desert Notes Annotated Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe first authoritative biography of one of the 20th century’s foremost ornithologists, whose 1934 Field Guide to the Birds was one of the two foundational books that launched the environmental movement.Trade ReviewA product of intense research, this deep study of a brilliant, influential man is highly recommended. -- Henry T. Armistead * Library Journal *Table of Contents Preface Acknowledgments Part One: Jamestown, New York (1908-1926) Part Two: New York City and Boston (1926-1934) Part Three: The Field Guide, First Edition (1934) Part Four: New York City (1934-1942) Part Five: Washington, D.C. (1942-1953) Part Six: Old Lyme, Connecticut (1954-1974) Part Seven: Old Lyme (1974-1980) Part Eight: Old Lyme (1980-1996) Notes Works Cited Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisEric Pianka recounts more than thirty years of adventures in reptile studies.Trade ReviewThis is a strange and interesting book by the well-known ecologist, Eric Pianka. As an episodic treatment of Pianka's early life and extensive fieldwork in Australia and Africa, it combines childhood experiences, travelogue, lizard biology, field anecdote, social commentary and the occasional rant.... As it turns out, Eric Pianka is the interesting story here, not the lizards he studies.... We are given tantalizing glimpses into what makes this field ecologist tick, and it is this that keeps us reading. * Quarterly Review of Biology *This book, with its mix of adventure, natural history, human interest, and social commentary, is likely to be enjoyed by a wide audience. Pianka’s talents as a scientist and writer are so evident that I can only hope that in the near future he extends his interests to the eastern tropical rain forest regions of the fascinating Australian continent, perhaps providing a sequel to The Lizard Man Speaks. * Bioscience *Table of Contents Preface 1. Beginnings 2. Traveling 3. Lizarding 4. Lizard Natural History 5. History 6. Lost 7. Bush Flies 8. Bush Fires 9. Australian Aborigines 10. Kalahari and Namib 11. Events and Afterthoughts References Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe first European-authored study of Arabian horses.Table of Contents Preface, by Stuart Cloete Acknowledgments Translator’s Introduction Preliminary Chapter. The horses of the Sahara—Sources of information—Guarantees of exactitude—Difficulty of obtaining information—Observations of the Emir Abd-el-Kader—Numerous treatises about horses written by Arabic sages. Chapter Two. Dealing with the origins of the Arabian horses—A singular letter written by the Emir Abd-el-Kader—Four great eras—God created the horse from the wind—The horse, according to the Koran, is the supreme blessing—The colors of horses according to the terrain in which they live—The moral attributes of horses. Chapter Three. The Barb or Barbary horse—Call a horse Arabian, Barb, Turk, or Persian, he is still the horse of the Orient—Letter from the Emir Abd-el-Kader—Letter from M. Ferdinand de Lesseps describing horseraces in Alexandria—Weights carried by horses in Africa. Chapter Four. The horses of the Sahara—Traditional love for horses as a religious duty—Proverbs—Popular verses—Observations of the Emir Abd-el-Kader—The horses of the Sahara are superior to those of the Tell. Chapter Five. The undoubted purity of blood of the Barbs of the Sahara—Families of Arabian horses—The perfection of the horse; the noble horse—Observations of the Emir Abd-el-Kader—Horses divided into two families: Arabian and foreign horses. Chapter Six. About stallions and mares—Mating—Gestation—Foaling—Care and feeding of the mare and foal—Observations of the Emir Abd-el-Kader—The foal takes after the sire—Strictness with regard to the purity of blood lines. Chapter Seven. The training of the colt—Very early training—Training after weaning—Exercise—Names given to horses—Observations of the Emir Abd-el-Kader. Chapter Eight. Feed—Camel’s and ewe’s milk—Dates—Feeding according to the season—Observations of the Emir Abd-el-Kader—Rest and fat are the enemies of the horse. Chapter Nine. Grooming, hygiene, and proportions—The choosing of feed and water—Methods of predetermining the height and qualities of a horse—Observations of the Emir Abd-el-Kader—Method of judging the size and future qualities of a horse. Chapter Ten. Colors—Attributes of certain colors—Splotches—Whorls or tufts—Favorite colors—Observations of the Emir Abd-el-Kader. Chapter Eleven. Selection and purchase of horses—Reasons for disqualification or elimination—Selling methods—The Arabic horse-dealer—Observations of the Emir Abd-el-Kader—Genealogical trees Poetic quotations and anecdotes. Chapter Twelve. Farriery—Master smith, their prerogatives, their tools—Cold shoeing—Drawbacks of European horseshoes. Chapter Thirteen. Tack—The Arabic saddle, et cetera—Superiority of Arabic tack. Chapter Fourteen. General principles of the Arabic horsemen—Frugality—Sobriety—Respect for a horse—The study of the nature of horses—Observations of the Emir Abd-el-Kader—Horseracing among the Arabs. Chapter Fifteen. Veterinary medicine among the Arabs—A word about the Arabic veterinary art—Veterinarian sages—Free services—Diseases of the horse—Observations of the Emir Abd-el-Kader. Chapter Sixteen. Gelding of the Arabian horse—Methods employed—Superstitions—Observations of the Emir Abed-el-Kader. Chapter Seventeen. The usefulness to be derived from the native horse—Notes on the Barb or Oriental horse—The use of the Arabian horse—Quotations from the Bible and the Koran. Chapter Eighteen. The Opinion of the Emir Abd-el-Kader with respect to the Arabian horse—The number of days an Arabian horse can journey—The distance covered in one day—An example of sobriety and endurance—Reasons for training horses from an early age—Why mares are more expensive—Pedigrees—Tribes which own famous horses—The homogeneity of Barbs and Arabians—Precepts for the care and feeding of the horse—Draft or work horses. Chapter Nineteen. The war horse—His conformation and attributes. Chapter Twenty. Letters to the author—Opinions of some of the leading horsemen in France—The deplorable conditions into which horse-breeding has fallen. Appendix Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe autobiography of a major twentieth century ornithologist.Table of Contents Preface The Beginnings Oregon Illinois Texas West Virginia Sheldrake Springs, New York West Virginia Again Pittsburgh World War I, Bethany, And Pittsburgh Again Labrador Pittsburgh Once More James Bay Florida Harrisburg The East Coast Of Hudson Bay Harrisburg Again The Far North Epilogue: Cornell University

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis lively history by the acclaimed author of Just Food and A Revolution in Eating follows the pecan from primordial Southern groves to the contemporary Chinese marketplace to reveal how a nut with a very limited natural range has become a global commodiTable of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Introduction: Cracking the Nut Chapter 1. The Native Americans' Nut Chapter 2. "Pekan Nuttrees": Europeans Encounter the Pecan Chapter 3. ". . . the Forest into an Orchard": Passive Cultivation on the Texas Frontier Chapter 4. Antoine's Graft: The Birth of the Improved Pecan, 1822–1900 Chapter 5. "To Make These Little Trees": The Culture of Pecan Improvement, 1900–1925 Chapter 6. "Pecans for the World": The Pecan Goes Industrial, 1920-1945 Chapter 7. "In Almost Any Recipe . . . Pecans May Be Used": American Consumers Embrace the Pecan, 1940-1960 Chapter 8. "China Wants Our Nuts": The Pecan Goes Global Epilogue. The Future of Pecans Notes Bibliographical Essay Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisForests explores the ecological, economic, and human influences on over thirty significant types of woodlands.Trade Review"This is a hands-on guidebook for non-professionals, written to give concerned citizens an understanding of the ecological basis for decision-making by foresters. It also suggests activities, separates scientific fact from myth, and provides 'a well-rounded and exciting introduction to future foresters.'" Journal of Forestry "Walker teaches his readers about the dynamics of forest life and how foresters use nature's processes for forest management. He covers the many different species of trees that grow in the U.S. and provides hands-on projects that encourage readers to experience and observe nature directly... His deep respect for forests can only help foster environmental awareness. A glossary, index, and bibliography make this a handy guide." ALA Booklist "A valuable hiker's companion or introduction for future foresters." Science NewsTable of Contents Preface 1. The Changing Forest: Seeds and Their Seedlings / On Roots / Ecological Succession / A Little Knowledge Is … The Needleleaf Trees 2. Westward Wood: Douglas-fir: Taxonomic “Confusion Worse Confounded,” / Reforest-and-Stay-Put / When Clearcutting Is Not Evil / On Imitating Nature / When Fire Is Not Evil / When Red Alder Is Not Evil / Ecological Associates 3. Dwarf and Giant: Longleaf Pine: The Grass Stage / Growing Straight and Tall / A Needle Blight / Predator Pests / Seed for the Sowing / The New Forest 4. Tall Timbers: Coast Redwood: Sequoias Are Not All Redwoods / Four Factors of Site / A Conifer That Sprouts / The Shortest Distance Is Up and Down / Wood of Redwood / Tribute to the Chief 5. Murky Bottom and Droughty Land: Loblolly Pine: Indian Influences / Virgin Forest and Second-Growth / Clearcutting Is Good Ecology / Phenology / Habitat / Uses of the Trees 6. Ancient Wonders: Bristlecone Pine: Trees of the Past / Trees for the Future 7. Redcedar Riddle: Eastern Redcedar: Cedar Sites / Measurements Follow Observations 8. Enduring Giants: Giant Sequoia: Sentinels of the Sierras / Sequoia, Chief Among Trees / Big Tree, Little Seed / A Riddle / Tall Trees, Tough Men / Climb and Climate / Ancient World, Old World, and New World Meet 9. Up from the Ashes: Sand, Pond, Pitch, Jack, and Lodgepole Pines: Tree for a Sandy Land / Tree for a Swampy Land / Tree for a Barren Land / Tree for a Desecrated Land / Tree for a Rocky Land / Trees for Many Lands 10. Mountain Heights to Low Bogs: Spruce and Fir Trees: Alike, Yet Different / Distinctions Between the Spruces / Flowers and Seeds / Spruce—Fir and Wildlife / Insect and Disease Attack / Uses of the Wood / Chemical Uses / Ecological Trends / Locales / Scandinavia’s Presentation to North America / Names and Their Derivations / Big Trees Among Them / The Muskeg Bog / Appalachian Balds 11. Trees on the Range: Junipers and Pinyon Pine: “A Worthy Purpose,” / “Be It Ever So Humble,” / “The Company One Keeps,” / Extending the Range / Holding the Line / A Nature Note 12. Swamp Dweller: Baldcypress: About the Old Forest / About the New Forest / Woodland Cathedral / Blue Elbow / Knees and Swollen Butts / A Wood Worth Growing 13. Timber for a King: Eastern White Pine: Where It Grows / A Southern Highland Situation / How It Grows / A Northern Highland Situation / White Birch Nurse Trees / A Nutritional Malady / A Barren Land Reclaimed / Chemical Tests as a Tool / Foliage Symptoms for Diagnosing Ailments / An Insect Malady / Sunshine, a Malady / A Pathological Malady / An Environmental Malady / And White Pine Blister Rust 14. From Monterey to the World: Monterey Pine: At Home and Abroad / Climate Preference / Soil Preferences / Discriminating Preferences / Chromosomal Preferences / Flowers and Seeds / Mycorrhizae—The Good-Guy Fungi / Some Pros and Cons / To the World 15. Woods of Longevity: White-Cedars and Junipers: Atlantic White-Cedar / Acid Swamps / Seeds and Seedlings / Regeneration / Wildlife in These Woods / Problems for Atlantic White-Cedar / Northern White-Cedar / Northern White-Cedar Wood / From Seed to Harvest / Landscapes’ Choice/Cedars of the Brakes, the Glades, and the Basin 16. Pioneer Plant for Paper Pulp: Virginia Pine: Where They Grow / How They Grow / Christmas Trees 17. Krummholz and Elfinwood: Subalpine Fir: Associates Among the Trees / Associates Among the Lesser Plants / Associates Among the Animals / Spire-Shaped and Prostrate Habit 18. Sandhills and Flatwoods: Slash Pine: Sandhills Sites / Flatwoods Forests / Extending the Range / Scientific Exploration The Broadleaf Trees 19. Lost Bonanza: American Chestnut: The Tree That Had Everything / A Threat That Became a Catastrophe / Salvage / What After Chestnut? / Toward a Future Chestnut 20. Oranges That Are Apples: Osage-Orange: An Old Tale / Oranges and Apples, the French and the Indians / Shelterbelts and Windbreaks / A Look at the Tree / A Drupe Fruit / Uses for the Wood 21. Cinderella Cellulose: Trembling Aspen: Bunyan’s Toothpicks / Coppice Reproduction / Single-Sex Trees / Fire Is Not Alone / Cinderella, Did We Say! 22. Living Riprap: Willows: Kin to Cottonwood / Willow Wood 23. Toxic Defense: Black Walnut: Allelopathy / Influence on Succession / Walnut Wood / Earlier Uses of the Tree / Walnut in Mythology / Appearance of a Noble Tree / Plantations / Silviculture 24. From Cotton to Cottonwood: Cottonwood: New Trees / Ecological Characteristics / Tolerance to Flooded Land / Tolerance to Arid Land / Soil Moisture Regulates Growth / Ecological Succession Begins / New Forests Not From Nature / Management Matters / Usefulness / Some Pests: Insects / Other Pests: Fungi / Still Other Pests / The Future 25. Species Proliferation: The Oaks: Casks and Pipes / Other Uses for White Oak Group Woods / Red Oak Group Wood and Its Uses / The Wood of Both Groups / Outward Appearances—Form / Leaves / Twigs / Flowers and Fruits / Spiral Arrangements / Taxonomists’ Fun and Games / Champion Trees / Problems for the Genus / How Foresters Regenerate Oaks / Biblical Beards 26. Tree Legume: Black Locust: How the Bacteria Work / Roots, a Tree’s Brain / Nitrogen Is Not a Mineral Fertilizer / Wood of Black Locust / Identifying Characteristics / Mesquite Story / Black Locust for Spoil Banks / Environmental Concern / Black Locust Problems / Final Note 27. Ship Timbers: Live Oak: What Kind of Tree Is Live Oak? / Ecological Relationships—Dunes / In the Forest / Farmland Competition / What Kind of Wood Does Live Oak Have? / The Live Oakers / Moving the Wood Pieces / Live Oak Trees and Politics / Live Oaks as Monuments 28. Stink-Bomb Tree: Ginkgo: Tree of Antiquity / A Matter of Mating / Leaf Spigots / Living Scissors 29. Forests to Fine Furniture: The Northern Hardwoods: Climax Vegetation / Where These Trees Grow / Seeds and Seedlings / Uses of the Wood / Injurious Aspects / Conflict Over Trees 30. Tropical Hardwoods: The Dipteroearps: Two Wings / Ecological Contemporaries / Reforestation Efforts / Natural Regeneration / Big Fire / Socioforestry / Exploitation and Government Edicts 31. Low-Mountain Shrubs: Chaparral: Fire and Development 32. Tree-Like Monocots: Bamboos and Palms: Bamboos / Synchrony, a Physiological Symphony / Palms / See How They Grow / Other Uses of Palm / Cabbage Palms / Royal Palm / Washington Palm / Canary Island Date Palm Problem / Roundup The Forest—Whose Woods These Are Forests for the Future Afterword Further Reading Glossary Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"Clamming fans can pique their interest with this volume, which details the science and history surrounding the species." * Alaska Dispatch News *"An entertaining account, and guide, to the real fun of digging your own food in the beach. . . . Berger’s book is an excellent testimony that gathering is still an enriching, fun and tasty pursuit. Long may it be so." -- Matthew L. Miller * Cool Green Science *Table of ContentsChapter One | Introductions Chapter Two | Lay of the Land: Long Beach and Ocean Shores Chapter Three | Sacred Treaties Chapter Four | Ecology and Anatomy Chapter Five | Past Abundances Chapter Six | The Era of NIX and Domoic Acid Chapter Seven | Pumping and Counting Chapter Eight | Licensed to Carry Chapter Nine | Eating Them, After All, Is the Point Chapter Ten | Will’s First Clam CODA Practical Matters and One Speculation Appendix One | Washington State Razor Clam Personal Use Regulations, 1929–2015 Appendix Two | Recreational Razor Clam License Information in Washington, 1982–1993 List of Recipes Notes Selected Bibliography Index Acknowledgments

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"This is a well-researched, richly detailed history of trout and trout fishing in the Mountain West that, as the author promises, 'overturns the biggest fish story ever told.'" -- John Gierach * Wall Street Journal *"Readable and thought-provoking. . . . The author does not sugarcoat the story of trout fishing in the West, and she deserves credit for being a voice for the native fish of all species that existed prior to human attempts to change nature’s plan and for documenting how the trout and angling opportunities we have in the Rocky Mountain West came to be." -- James Thull * Montana *"[A] remarkable book. Brown’s pithy, beautifully written prose conveys an important message: that anglers and managers need to stop imagining western lakes and rivers as wild places and start thinking about how the human history of Rocky Mountain trout has had a disastrous impact on ecologically significant native species that genteel recreationists too readily deemed ‘trash fish.’" -- Miles Powell * Western Historical Quarterly *"Trout Culture appealingly recounts the complex dance of environmental and social changes that led to the western icon. . . . A valuable, clear, and timely contribution. . . . Trout Culture is an excellent, engaging book that will appeal to scholars and general readers alike" -- Terence Young * Environmental History *"Engaging, perceptive, interpretive, meticulously researched and documented. . . . This careful delineation and assessment of the evolution of western trout culture will be valuable for those interested in the history of the American West as well as students of science and aquaculture." * Choice *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1. Headwaters 2. Trout Empire 3. Trout Culture 4. Trash Fish 5. Lunkers 6. Wild Trout Epilogue Notes Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"This collection of essays provides an evocative look into the somewhat exclusive climbing world. Stevenson’s prose is lively, and his references to other prominent climbers and climber-authors may serve as a jumping-off point for further research in the field." -- Lucy Hereford * Pacific Northwest Quarterly (PNQ) *Table of ContentsIntroduction Warnings against Myself 1. Speaking in Code: Conversations and Reflections on Climbing, Language, and the Religion of the French 2. The Purposes of Ascent: Episodes and Conversations on Adventure, Climbing, and What It All Might Mean; An Account of Twenty Years in the West 3. Climber as Writer: From the Armchair to the Tetons Last Dance of the Wu Li Master: A Distanced Appreciation of Terrance “Mugs” Stump Virga 4. Untethered in Yosemite: A Report from Paradise in the Last Summer of the Millennium 5. Short Walks with McInerney: Three Classic Pilgrimages 6. Superstitious: Mont Blanc, French Alps 7. Struck: Longs Peak, Rocky Mountains 8. In the Bugs: In the Canadian Rockies 9. Axe of Contrition 10. Byron Glacier, June 24, 2009 11. Eros on the Heights 12. The Tower and the Riddle 13. Lives of the Volcano Poets 14. Here Comes Ol’ Flattop 15. A Short Cultural History of the Ice Axe in the Twentieth Century 16. Three Dreams of Mountains, Late Fall 2004 17. Whillans, Haston, and Me: A Distanced Appreciation with a Couple Trip Reports, Contextualized 18. In the Very Big Ice House: Travels on the Harding Icefield List of Illustrations Acknowledgments

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"In the Andrews Experimental Forest, ‘experimental’ is the domain of the scientist and writer alike. It is also the domain of the forest itself. . . . Forest Under Story seems keenly aware that the most important feature of language involves listening. When writers listen to the forest, when they press their ears against the bark of a hemlock or yew, the forest always speaks, however softly." -- Lawrence Lenhart * High Country News *"The publication of Forest Under Story represents a turning point in cross-disciplinary collaboration between scientists and writers. . . . Forest Under Story is very successful in its ability to inspire in the reader an ecological awareness of the temperate forests in Oregon and elsewhere." -- Erik F. Ringle * ISLE: Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment *"Forest Under Story demonstrates that a holistic survey of any forest includes not just data, charts and EIS, but also stories and reflections from the human heart." * Cascadia Weekly (2016 Gift Guide for Greenies) *Table of ContentsMaps Charles Goodrich | Entries into the Forest Part One | Research and Revelation 1. The Long Haul / Robert Michael Pyle 2. The Web / Alison Hawthorne Deming 3. Scope: Ten Small Essays / John R. Campbell 4. Ground Work: Natural History of the Andrews Forest Landscape 5. Threads / Vicki Graham 6. Interview with a Watershed / Robin Wall Kimmerer 7. One-Day Field Count / Michael G. Smith 8. Specimens Collected at the Clear-Cut / Alison Hawthorne Deming 9. Forest Duff: A Poetic Sampling / Kristin Berger 10. Pacific Dogwood / Jerry Martien 11. Riparian / Sandra Alcosser 12. Ground Word: Old Growth 13. Each Step an Entry / Linda Hogan 14. Cosymbionts, The Art of Science & from Drainage Basin, Lookout Creek / Vicki Graham 15. Log Decomposition / Joan Maloof 16. Decomposition and Memory / Aaron M. Ellison 17. Ground Word: Decomposition 18. In the Experimental Forest, & Notes for a Prose Poem: Scientific Questions One Could Ask 19. Among the Douglas-Firs / Joseph Bruchac 20. From “Where the Forests Breath” / Brian Turner 21. From “Varieties of Attentiveness” / Freeman House 22. Poetry-Science Gratitude Duet / Alison Hawthorne Deming and Frederick J. Swanson Part Two | Change and Continuity 1. Genesis: Primeval Rivers and Forests / Pattiann Rogers 2. Forests and People: a meandering reflection on changing relationships between forests and human culture / Bill Yake 3. From “Out of Time” / Scott Slovic 4. “Ten-Foot Gnarly Stick” and “Pondering” / James Bertoli 5. In the Palace of Rot / Thomas Lowe Fleischner 6. Ground Work: Disturbance 7. New Channel / Jeff Fearnside 8. Slough, Decay, and the Odor of Soil / Bill Yake 9. From “The Mountain Lion” / Tim Fox 10. Ground Work: Northern Spotted Owl 11. The Other Side of the Clear-Cut / Laird Christensen 12. Clear-Cut / Joan Maloof 13. Ground Work: Forest Practices 14. Hope Tour: Three Stops / Lori Anderson Moseman 15. Purity and Change: Reflections in an Old-Growth Forest / John Elder Part Three | Borrowing Others’ Eyes 1. Wild Ginger / Jane Hirshfield 2. This Day, Tomorrow, and the Next / Pattiann Rogers 3. Portrait: Parsing My Wife as Lookout Creek / Andrew C. Gottlieb 4. On Assignment in the H.J. Andrews, the Poet Thinks of Her Ovaries / Maya Jewell Zeller 5. Piles of Pale Green / Joseph Bruchac 6. Design / Jerry Martien 7. Listening to Water / Robin Wall Kimmerer 8. Ground Work: Water 9. For the Lobaria, Usnea, Witch’s Hair, Map Lichen, Ground Lichen, Shield Lichen / Jane Hirshfield 10. The Owl, Spotted / Alison Hawthorne Deming 11. From “Field Notes” / Thomas Lowe Fleischner 12. Return of the dead log people / Jerry Martien 13. Denizens of Decay / Tom A. Titus 14. Ground Work: Soundscape 15. Mind in the Forest / Scott Russell Sanders 16. Coda / Vicki Graham 17. Afterword: Advice to a Future Reader / Kathleen Dean Moore For Further Reading About the Editors About the Contributors Acknowledgments

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"With its lovely photos, it’s a book that visitors would be delighted to find in any vacation rental house along the coast." * Bulletin of the Native Plant Society of Oregon *"[W]ith its lovely photos, it’s a book that visitors would be delighted to find in any vacation rental house along the coast." * Kalmiopsis *

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"A surprise on every page, this rich history is necessary reading for understanding the Olympic Peninsula both as it was and is today." * Seattle Times *"Morgan turns his readers’ eyes to the mountains, the wild coastline and the early streets of Port Townsend and Port Angeles. His true tales are loaded with wit—and lush with moisture . . . [and McNulty] turns his introduction into a poetic venture into the emerald woods." * Peninsula Daily News *"Murray Morgan’s Last Wilderness is one of the classics of northwestern literature and popular history." * Pacific Northwest Quarterly *

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"Clamming fans can pique their interest with this volume, which details the science and history surrounding the species." * Alaska Dispatch News *"An entertaining account, and guide, to the real fun of digging your own food in the beach. . . . Berger’s book is an excellent testimony that gathering is still an enriching, fun and tasty pursuit. Long may it be so." -- Matthew L. Miller * Cool Green Science *Table of ContentsChapter One | Introductions Chapter Two | Lay of the Land: Long Beach and Ocean Shores Chapter Three | Sacred Treaties Chapter Four | Ecology and Anatomy Chapter Five | Past Abundances Chapter Six | The Era of NIX and Domoic Acid Chapter Seven | Pumping and Counting Chapter Eight | Licensed to Carry Chapter Nine | Eating Them, After All, Is the Point Chapter Ten | Will’s First Clam CODA Practical Matters and One Speculation Appendix One | Washington State Razor Clam Personal Use Regulations, 1929–2015 Appendix Two | Recreational Razor Clam License Information in Washington, 1982–1993 List of Recipes Notes Selected Bibliography Index Acknowledgments

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"Darren Speece’s important new book on the battles to save the northern California redwoods in the 1980s and 1990s is a significant contribution to our understanding of environmentalism. . . . It is also the finest book written on the history of American environmentalism in the last five years. . . . Speece paints a complex picture of a grassroots movement with a useful attention to both detail and clear writing that should spawn conversations among both historians and activist communities on the lessons to be learned from the redwoods. . . . Defending Giants is an outstanding contribution to the historiography of environmentalism." -- Erik Loomis * H-Environment *"This book explores—beautifully—an irony in modern American political protest that has to do with the settings and sites of grassroots protest against modern industrialization, globalization and de-skilling." * Nature Plants *"Eloquent, inspiring, eminently readable nonfiction with precious lessons for those fighting the ever-greater environmental destruction wrought by corporate greed. . . . A tale fully relevant to here and now." -- Robert James Parsons * Truthout *"[Speece’s book] is an important case study, soberly presented, that reflects thegrowing tensions. . . [and] delivers an important message to conservationists worldwide." * Conservation Biology *"Speece’s work on this local battle is an excellent contribution to the larger historiography of the environmental movement." -- James G. Lewis * Western Historical Quarterly *"[A] wonderfully written, extremely engaging story. Speece continually pushes his history in a variety of important directions. It is these broader connections, linking ecologies and economies, locals, lawyers, and loggers, and a relatively small forest in northern California to the nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., that make Defending Giants an important book." -- Neil M. Maher * American Historical Review *"A reminder of the power of the traditional approaches to historical research. . . . Books like Defending Giants remind the reader of the insight to be gained by focusing on specific historical actors. Indeed, environmental history is, at its heart, the interactions among people and nature, as this dramatic account of environmental politics reminds us." * Environmental Values *"Speece’s book is well argued, and he navigates a diverse body of sources with a skilled hand. . . . Apt and insightful, he tackles head-on the complexity of the Redwood Wars while making a strong case for their enduring significance." -- Daniel Rinn * Environment and History *Table of ContentsForeword / Paul S. Sutter Acknowledgments Abbreviations Maps Introduction 1. Deep Roots 2. The War Begins 3. Radicalization 4. Bursting Out 5. The Transformation Epilogue | Continuity and Vanguard Notes Selected Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"An unlikely love story about a reporter and a tree. . . . What makes Witness Tree such an irresistible read is Mapes’s love of language combined with a great talent at rendering nerdy information readable." * Los Angeles Review of Books *"A meticulously, beautifully layered portrayal of vulnerability and loss, renewal and hope, this extensively researched yet deeply personal book is a timely call to bear witness and to act in an age of climate-change denial." * Kirkus Reviews, starred review *"The intriguing, and more intimate, Witness Tree . . . portrays trees as ‘scribes, diarists, historians.’ They are ‘among our oldest journalists.’ A reporter herself . . . Mapes sets out to tell the story of climate change through one tree. But that is, marvelously, the least of it." * New York Times Book Review *

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"The writing is straightforward, making the book appropriate for all readers interested in restoration ecology, the impacts of culture on science, and ecological research in general." * Choice *"It reaches diverse audiences with its readability, careful and consistent statements and reminders of problem and intent, lack of jargon, and provides an essential awareness while presenting a widely applicable solution. What at first seem very basic concepts are applied and combined here brilliantly to form a powerful conceptual argument for thinking differently about ecological restoration in a changing climate." * Bulletin of the Pacific Circle *"[A]n engaging and informative investigation into the changing nature of environmental restoration under conditions of complexity and uncertainty." * Conservation and Society *"Accessibly written...Anticipating Future Environments offers readers a helpful theoretical and practical look at salmon restoration on the Columbia in light of climate change." * H-Net *

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"Hough presents a well-researched narrative...Interesting read, tracing the history of this seismic and scientific debate." * Choice *"Seismologist Susan Hough's account offers a revealing glimpse of the personalities and issues within America's geologic community in the early twentieth century. But it also can be read as a cautionary tale about science and society." * Natural History Magazine *"Hough's book...touches the history of a subfield of earth science that has been only rarely studied before: seismology." * H-Net *"This book is historical and biographical writing at its very best." * Environment and History *"The Great Quake Debate gives all readers—historians, scientists, and interested non-experts—excellent insights into the unfolding of scientific community and scientific investigations of earthquakes in the United States, a topic crucial to public and private life then, and still." * Pacific Historical Review *

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"The writing is straightforward, making the book appropriate for all readers interested in restoration ecology, the impacts of culture on science, and ecological research in general." * Choice *"It reaches diverse audiences with its readability, careful and consistent statements and reminders of problem and intent, lack of jargon, and provides an essential awareness while presenting a widely applicable solution. What at first seem very basic concepts are applied and combined here brilliantly to form a powerful conceptual argument for thinking differently about ecological restoration in a changing climate." * Bulletin of the Pacific Circle *"[A]n engaging and informative investigation into the changing nature of environmental restoration under conditions of complexity and uncertainty." * Conservation and Society *"Accessibly written...Anticipating Future Environments offers readers a helpful theoretical and practical look at salmon restoration on the Columbia in light of climate change." * H-Net *

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"This is an astonishing book... The insights and implications ofcontemporary social theory, especially queer theory, are accessible, resonant, and concrete throughout the events andexperiences the author describes." * Choice *

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"This is an astonishing book... The insights and implications ofcontemporary social theory, especially queer theory, are accessible, resonant, and concrete throughout the events andexperiences the author describes." * Choice *

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"An essential reference for birders west of the continental divide, particularly for intermediate and advanced observers." * Western Birds: The Quarterly Journal of Western Field Ornithologists *

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn intimate biography of place and an urgent call to conservationNot far from Seattle skyscrapers live 150-year-old clams, more than 250 species of fish, and underwater kelp forests as complex as any terrestrial ecosystem. For millennia, vibrant Coast Salish communities have lived beside these waters dense with nutrient-rich foods, with cultures intertwined through exchanges across the waterways. Transformed by settlement and resource extraction, Puget Sound and its future health now depend on a better understanding of the region's ecological complexities. Focusing on the area south of Port Townsend and between the Cascade and Olympic mountains, Williams uncovers human and natural histories in, on, and around the Sound. In conversations with archaeologists, biologists, and tribal authorities, Williams traces how generations of humans have interacted with such species as geoducks, salmon, orcas, rockfish, and herring. He sheds light on how warfare shaped development and how people havTrade Review"Homewaters is a sweeping exploration of how a place shapes lives. It begins with glaciers and volcanoes carving up Puget Sound, and examines early Native communities’ relationships with their environment, colonial exploitation of natural resources and efforts to better understand how keystone and emblematic species like salmon, orca, rockfish, herring, kelp and more are enduring the conditions of the Sound today." * Crosscut *"[A] highly readable and enjoyable account that connects seemingly disparate threads and weaves together a complex mix of science and humanities that’s greater than the sum of its parts – much like Puget Sound history itself." * MyNorthwest *"Opens readers’ eyes to the complexity of life in the Sound and the complexity of human history on and beside it." * Post Alley *"[A] fascinating exploration of how a place shapes the lives of the people and cultures that live along its shore from earliest times to the present day... Wonderful history and excellent read." * The Confluence *"David Williams has produced another engaging book covering the Pacific Northwest and how its past has shaped its present... Homewaters is an inspiring book, and we need more like it." * H-Net *"[A] captivating book about Puget Sound... David Williams has a clear, friendly style of writing, making the book an easy read for people of diverse backgrounds and experiences. He weaves together the history, geography, hydrology, ecology and anthropology of this unique waterbody, telling its story from ancient times to the present in a very personal and reflective way." * Western Historical Quarterly *

Read more less

Book Synopsis2022 Independent Publisher Book Award for Animals/Pets (Gold)Chickens are a lot more mainstream than veganism and a little bit like kombucha: super weird twenty years ago, now somewhat popular and made even more so by logos, brands, and hashtags. So begins Gina Warren's deep dive into the backyard chicken movement. Digging into its history and food politics, she provides a highly personal account of the movement's social and cultural motivations, the regulations it faces, and the ways that chicken owners build community. Weaving together interviews with urban agriculture advocates, entrepreneurs such as a $225 per hour chicken consultant, animal rights campaigners, and a fabulous cross-section of chicken enthusiasts, Warren sheds light on Americans' complex relationship with animalsas guardians, companions, and eatersand what it means to be a conscious eater. As Warren chronicles her own misadventures raising chickens, her pursuit of what's best for her own flock leads past chicken tTrade Review"A welcome addition to others about the backyard chicken movement." * Food Politics *"[An] entertaining, thoughtfully earnest book... a very accessible rendering of a topic that reflects larger issues in the US food production industry." * Choice *"Demonstrates thoughtful grappling with what it means to be an ethical eater in a capitalist society." * New Books Network *

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"[Ian McAllister] combines stunning photography of the natural world—lush underwater reefs, Kermode cubs feeding on salmon, spyhopping orcas, preening puffins—with stories from his explorations and perspectives from the indigenous people who have lived here for tens of thousands of years.The result is a convincing testament for a place on the planet largely untouched by the modern world, and a prayer to keep it that way." -- Christian Martin * Cascadia Weekly *"[A] jewel of conservation insight . . . Anyone who loves and honors the natural world and our place within it should reserve a place for this volume on their bookshelf." * American Book Review *

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"Hough presents a well-researched narrative...Interesting read, tracing the history of this seismic and scientific debate." * Choice *"Seismologist Susan Hough's account offers a revealing glimpse of the personalities and issues within America's geologic community in the early twentieth century. But it also can be read as a cautionary tale about science and society." * Natural History Magazine *"Hough's book...touches the history of a subfield of earth science that has been only rarely studied before: seismology." * H-Net *"This book is historical and biographical writing at its very best." * Environment and History *"The Great Quake Debate gives all readers—historians, scientists, and interested non-experts—excellent insights into the unfolding of scientific community and scientific investigations of earthquakes in the United States, a topic crucial to public and private life then, and still." * Pacific Historical Review *

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"Homewaters is a sweeping exploration of how a place shapes lives. It begins with glaciers and volcanoes carving up Puget Sound, and examines early Native communities’ relationships with their environment, colonial exploitation of natural resources and efforts to better understand how keystone and emblematic species like salmon, orca, rockfish, herring, kelp and more are enduring the conditions of the Sound today." * Crosscut *"[A] highly readable and enjoyable account that connects seemingly disparate threads and weaves together a complex mix of science and humanities that’s greater than the sum of its parts – much like Puget Sound history itself." * MyNorthwest *"Opens readers’ eyes to the complexity of life in the Sound and the complexity of human history on and beside it." * Post Alley *"[A] fascinating exploration of how a place shapes the lives of the people and cultures that live along its shore from earliest times to the present day... Wonderful history and excellent read." * The Confluence *"David Williams has produced another engaging book covering the Pacific Northwest and how its past has shaped its present... Homewaters is an inspiring book, and we need more like it." * H-Net *"[A] captivating book about Puget Sound... David Williams has a clear, friendly style of writing, making the book an easy read for people of diverse backgrounds and experiences. He weaves together the history, geography, hydrology, ecology and anthropology of this unique waterbody, telling its story from ancient times to the present in a very personal and reflective way." * Western Historical Quarterly *

Read more less

Book SynopsisTable of ContentsPreface Introduction: The Mule in the Coal Mine 1. Interspecies Anticapitalism in English and American Humanitarian Writings, ca. 1800–1850 Joshua Abram Kercsmar 2. Chicago’s 1872 Equine Influenza Epizootic and the Evolution of Urban Transit Technology Jennifer G. Marks 3. Cattle and Blizzards: Lessons from the Big Die-Up in 1880s Montana Susan Nance 4. Animal Photography and the “Elk Problem” in Modern Wyoming Vanessa Bateman 5. Animals, Infrastructure, and Empire: Insects and Birds as Biological Control Agents in Early Twentieth-Century Hawai‘i Jessica Wang 6. Captive Breeding and the Commodification of “Surplus” Animals at the Central Park Zoo, 1886–1974 Andrea Ringer 7. The Destructive Ecology of Human-Pig Relations in Iowa since 1950 Mary Trachsel 8. “The Next Meal for the Lions”: The US Occupation of the Baghdad Zoo, 2003–2004 John M. Kinder List of Contributors Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisTable of ContentsPreface Introduction: The Mule in the Coal Mine 1. Interspecies Anticapitalism in English and American Humanitarian Writings, ca. 1800–1850 Joshua Abram Kercsmar 2. Chicago’s 1872 Equine Influenza Epizootic and the Evolution of Urban Transit Technology Jennifer G. Marks 3. Cattle and Blizzards: Lessons from the Big Die-Up in 1880s Montana Susan Nance 4. Animal Photography and the “Elk Problem” in Modern Wyoming Vanessa Bateman 5. Animals, Infrastructure, and Empire: Insects and Birds as Biological Control Agents in Early Twentieth-Century Hawai‘i Jessica Wang 6. Captive Breeding and the Commodification of “Surplus” Animals at the Central Park Zoo, 1886–1974 Andrea Ringer 7. The Destructive Ecology of Human-Pig Relations in Iowa since 1950 Mary Trachsel 8. “The Next Meal for the Lions”: The US Occupation of the Baghdad Zoo, 2003–2004 John M. Kinder List of Contributors Index

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less