The Earth: natural history: general interest Books
Indiana University Press Across the Ussuri Kray
Book SynopsisTrade Review[This] translation makes it easy to see why Arsenyev maintains a fan base among Russian readers: his travelogue is both romantic and closely observed, and he is an appealing narrator, courageous but more than willing to admit faults and share credit. * The New Yorker *Excellent and accessible . . . Slaght follows in Arsenyev's snowy, muddy footsteps — preserving, but also teaching others to identify and appreciate what is unique. Thus the pleasure of reading his new translation lies in the details, which are abundant but never frivolous. * LA Review of Books *A translation that, in its fluency and readability, stands comparison with English-language classics of the genre. . . . Slaght has done Arsenyev proud. The smooth translation doesn't read like one: it is seamless and colloquial while remaining entirely in tune with the style of period in which it was written. * Asian Review of Books *Arsenyev's narrative in Jonathan Slaght's fine translation should inspire us all to treasure and protect these remarkable places. * Times Literary Supplement *Table of ContentsForeword: The Unknown Arsenyev / Ivan YegorchevPreface to the 1921 EditionTranslator's AcknowledgementsTranslator's IntroductionPart I: The 1902 Expedition1. The Glass Valley2. Meeting Dersu3. The Boar Hunt4. The Incident at a Korean Village5. The Lower Reaches of the Lefu6. The Blizzard at Lake Khanka7. Parting Ways with DersuPart II: The 1906 Expedition8. The 1906 Expedition—Preparations and Equipment9. At the Departure Site10. Up the Ussuri11. From Chzhumtayza to the Village Zagornaya12. The Route across the Mountains to the Village of Koksharovka13. The Fudzin River Valley14. Through the Taiga15. The Great Forest16. Across the Sikhote-Alin to the Sea17. The Villages of Fudin and Permskoye18. Saint Olga Bay19. Trip to the Sydagou River20. Adventure on the Arzamasovka River21. Saint Vladimir Bay22. The Tadusha River23. Dersu Uzala24. Amba25. The Li-Fudzin26. The Path along the Noto River27. An Accursed Place28. Return to the Sea29. Up the Tyutikhe River30. The Red Deer Rut31. The Bear Hunt32. From the Mutukhe River to Seokhobe33. An Encounter with the Khunkhuz34. Fire in the Forest35. The Winter Expedition36. To the Iman37. A Dangerous River Voyage38. Plight39. From Vagunbe to Parovoza40. The Final TripAppendix I: Historical and Current Names of Landmarks and SettlementsAppendix II: Biographical InformationBibliographyIndex of Plants and AnimalsIndex
£25.19
Indiana University Press Rising Tides
Book SynopsisGlobal climate change is undeniable. Over the next few decades, as sea levels rise, storms intensify, and drought and desertification run rampant, hundreds of millions of civilians will abandon their homes, cities, and even entire countries. What will happen to these massive numbers of environmental refugees? Where will they go, what rights will they have, and who will take care of them?Over 200 million people in Asian countries live on land that will be affected by rising seas. Picture Pakistan, India, and Chinaall nuclear powersskirmishing at their borders over access to shared rivers and farmable land with former coastal areas now submerged. Imagine tens of thousands of Pacific and Indian Ocean islanders cast adrift by waves that have drowned their nations, and more than 100,000 Caribbean islanders forced to leave submerged towns. Consider the complete abandonment of Miami Beach and other coastal communities up and down the Americas. At the same time, hundreds of millions will be deTrade ReviewA must read for policymakers and those in positions of power, especially the ones who remain in a state of denial about climate change and refuse to do enough to address the crisis. * The Hindu *"In Rising Tides, the authors sound the alarm, not only on behalf of millions of displaced souls, but also because, as they note, 'Every one of us is or could be a migrant.'" - * Hill Rag Magazine *This chilling and urgent call to action spares no detail in its mission to present the facts on a looming humanitarian disaster. Climate-change warning messages too often focus on the environment without going into specifics of how humans will be hurt by global warming. Rising Tides singlehandedly rectifies this issue. . . . Thanks to an equal reliance on current events and models, as well as the authors' thorough understanding of geopolitics, the case is beyond convincing. * Foreword Reviews *Table of ContentsPrefacePart 1Climate Refugees in the 21st CenturyIntroduction – Rising Tide: Climate Refugees in the 21st CenturyChapter 1: Seeking Shelter From the StormChapter 2: RefugeedomPart 2Pressure Points and Regional AnalysisChapter 3: What Happens When Your Country Drowns?Chapter 4: The Crisis Hits Home: Climate Refugees In The United StatesChapter 5: Latin America: Land Of Rain, Land Of ThirstChapter 6: Africa: Environmental Conflicts In A War-Torn LandChapter 7: Middle East: The Boiling Point Of Climate Change And National SecurityChapter 8: Asia: The Looming CrisisPart 3 Policy Implications and ConclusionsChapter 9: Current Affairs and Climate RefugeesChapter 10: The Shape Of Things To Come
£15.19
Indiana University Press Rising Tides
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA must read for policymakers and those in positions of power, especially the ones who remain in a state of denial about climate change and refuse to do enough to address the crisis. * The Hindu *"In Rising Tides, the authors sound the alarm, not only on behalf of millions of displaced souls, but also because, as they note, 'Every one of us is or could be a migrant.'" - * Hill Rag Magazine *This chilling and urgent call to action spares no detail in its mission to present the facts on a looming humanitarian disaster. Climate-change warning messages too often focus on the environment without going into specifics of how humans will be hurt by global warming. Rising Tides singlehandedly rectifies this issue. . . . Thanks to an equal reliance on current events and models, as well as the authors' thorough understanding of geopolitics, the case is beyond convincing. * Foreword Reviews *Table of ContentsPrefacePart 1Climate Refugees in the 21st CenturyIntroduction – Rising Tide: Climate Refugees in the 21st CenturyChapter 1: Seeking Shelter From the StormChapter 2: RefugeedomPart 2Pressure Points and Regional AnalysisChapter 3: What Happens When Your Country Drowns?Chapter 4: The Crisis Hits Home: Climate Refugees In The United StatesChapter 5: Latin America: Land Of Rain, Land Of ThirstChapter 6: Africa: Environmental Conflicts In A War-Torn LandChapter 7: Middle East: The Boiling Point Of Climate Change And National SecurityChapter 8: Asia: The Looming CrisisPart 3 Policy Implications and ConclusionsChapter 9: Current Affairs and Climate RefugeesChapter 10: The Shape Of Things To Come
£45.00
Indiana University Press Life through the Ages II
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewWhen it comes to modern palaeoartists, Mark Witton has become a leading light. Life through the Ages II is a beautiful palaeoart portfolio that pushes the envelope where realistic compositions and reconstructions are concerned. * The Inquistive Biologist *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroductionThe platesAppendixLiterature cited
£20.89
University of Notre Dame Press Engaging With Nature
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
£70.55
University of Texas Press Forests A Naturalists Guide to Woodland Trees
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
£21.59
University of Washington Press The Last Wilderness
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 *
£25.32
University of Washington Press Razor Clams
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
£21.00
University of Washington Press Anticipating Future Environments Climate Change
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 *
£31.38
University of Washington Press The Great Quake Debate The Crusader the Skeptic
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 *
£38.30
University of Washington Press Anticipating Future Environments
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 *
£110.48
University of Washington Press Homewaters
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 *
£33.36
University of Washington Press The Great Quake Debate
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 *
£21.00
University of Washington Press Homewaters A Human and Natural History of Puget
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 *
£21.00
University of Washington Press On Sacred Ground
Book SynopsisExplores writings about the Northwest, the area that extends from the Pacific Ocean to the Rocky Mountains, and from the forty-ninth parallel to the Siskiyou Mountains. This title shows that the important contribution of Northwest writers to American literature is their articulation of a more spiritual human relationship with landscape.Trade Review"Defining Pacific Northwest literature is akin to lassoing Sasquatch. Many attempt this distinctly regional feat; few ever succeed. [O'Connell] may be the most successful yet in analyzing the region's literature. . . . Impressive and insightful." * Seattle Post-Intelligencer *"On Sacred Ground is earnest, readable, and informative. . . . An invaluable book. Readers looking to connect with their region will appreciate its succinct survey of the history of literature, and its connection with the essence of out native or adopted home." * The Seattle Times *Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments 1. Early Native American Stories 2. Journals of Exploration and Settlement 3. Romantic Movement 4. Realistic Writing 5. The Northwest School 6. Contemporary Northwest Literature References Additional Sources Index
£110.48
University of Washington Press On Sacred Ground The Spirit of Place in Pacific
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Defining Pacific Northwest literature is akin to lassoing Sasquatch. Many attempt this distinctly regional feat; few ever succeed. [O'Connell] may be the most successful yet in analyzing the region's literature. . . . Impressive and insightful." * Seattle Post-Intelligencer *"On Sacred Ground is earnest, readable, and informative. . . . An invaluable book. Readers looking to connect with their region will appreciate its succinct survey of the history of literature, and its connection with the essence of out native or adopted home." * The Seattle Times *Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments 1. Early Native American Stories 2. Journals of Exploration and Settlement 3. Romantic Movement 4. Realistic Writing 5. The Northwest School 6. Contemporary Northwest Literature References Additional Sources Index
£29.66
WW Norton & Co The Sound of the Sea Seashells and the Fate of
Book SynopsisA history of shells and the creatures that make them, revealing their outsized role in human affairs and what they have to tell us about the changing oceans.Trade Review"Will have you marveling at nature… Barnett’s account remarkably spirals out, appropriately, to become a much larger story about the sea, about global history and about environmental crises and preservation." -- 24 Books to Read this Summer - The New York Times Book Review"... Cynthia Barnett presents us with a glittering Wunderkammer for our age, a staggeringly varied history — scientific, cultural, philosophical and economic — of one of the most beloved and enduring natural objects on Earth: the seashell... “The Sound of the Sea” is a glorious history of shells and of those who have loved shells. It is a history of fascination and of shame. It stretches our capacity to absorb new knowledge. It is as complex, multichambered and beautiful as its subject, and if Barnett can awaken our sense of wonder, then perhaps there is hope for jump-starting our collective sense of responsibility toward the oceans and one another." -- Katherine Norbury - The Washington Post"“Seashells were money before coin, jewellery before gems, art before canvas,” says science writer Cynthia Barnett in her arresting meditation on shells and ocean history." -- Andrew Robinson reviews five of the week’s best science picks - Nature
£20.89
Princeton University Press Better Birding
Book SynopsisBetter Birding reveals the techniques expert birders use to identify a wide array of bird species in the field--quickly and easily. Featuring hundreds of stunning photos and composite plates throughout, this book simplifies identification by organizing the birds you see into groupings and offering strategies specifically tailored to each group. SkiTrade ReviewOne of Audubon's 12 Best Bird Books of 2015 One of The London Free Press' "Great flock of birding books 2015" "[A] serious, immensely informative book... The book is like an expertly guided tour--one that visits wetlands, open country, waterways, forests, shores, and other habitats from Alaska and the Pacific coast to Florida's Dry Tortugas and the Gulf Stream waters off Cape Hatteras, making clear, along the way, what members of each group have in common and how they differ, and, indeed, why each bird is."--BirdWatching Magazine "This book, written by George Armistead and Brian Sullivan, is a refreshed approach to species identification. While most field guides focus primarily on plumage, this approach is 'wide angled' and more holistic with habitat, behavior, and other contextual elements coming into play."--London Free Press "The book covers some water birds and hawks, wrens, flycatchers, swifts and more, but wisely confines itself to groups of birds involving relatively few species. Each section includes numerous photographs and in some cases composite photo illustrations for comparisons. The accounts also include distribution maps."--Tom Palmer, Lakeland Ledger "It comes as no surprise that Better Birding is unashamedly directed towards a North American audience. Yet because the book is devoted to better ID techniques of bird families shared across the Northern Hemisphere or vagrant species which show up on either side of the Atlantic Ocean, many of the chapters contain pages of undoubted interest to a UK audience... The authors should be congratulated in sticking to their chosen parameters and not falling into the trap of producing yet another full field guide to North American birds but instead focusing on/singling out a number of bird groups worthy of special mention."--Another Bird Blog "The first 27 pages of Better Birding should be required reading for students of Birding 101... The writing is clear, concise, and witty when it needs to be. The photographs couldn't be any better. In short, I can't think of a good reason not to have this book."--Kirby Adams, National Parks Traveler "An excellent book... Sullivan and Armistead are two of the best birders in the country, each advancing the ways we understand and enjoy birds... The introductory material ... is particularly strong... The book is richly illustrated with stunning photographs accompanied by concise and informative captions."--Christopher Wood, Program Leader for ebird at Cornell Lab of Ornithology "The writing is ... accessible but full of new observations about birds whose identification I haven't thought about thoroughly or critically enough in many cases... This latest addition to the arsenal combines not just the finer points of identification (many of these original or obscure) but also a fresh way to look at some really wonderful sets of birds... The approach is a holistic one, a very fresh and modern one, and it's the closest book I've seen that hints at how hardcore birders approach a day's birding in terms of hopes and expectations as well as identifications. In the end, it's the sharp photography that sells this book. Mouthwatering images."--Edward S. Brinkley, author of National Wildlife Federation Guide to Birds of North America "This book is extremely well conceptualized. As you read the text it becomes obvious it is written by two experts in the field, and the plates showing side-by-side comparisons of similar-looking species are brilliantly laid out. Since I am a raptor enthusiast, I read the accipiter section first, and was impressed with the level of detail geared towards field ID written in an easy to understand way!"--Jerry Liguori, author of Hawks from Every Angle and Hawks at a Distance "Better Birding ... fills a niche, presenting detailed discussions of bird groups that are not 'sexy' enough to have their own guides, often falling through the cracks of avian publishing, but which pose identification puzzles in the field for even the most experienced birders... The writing style is friendly, expansive, scientifically informed, and draws distinctive pictures of each species."--Donna Schulman, 10,000 Birds blog "Want to be a real birder but don't know how to sharpen your skills? This book will teach you how to identify birds with ease and speed. George Armistead and Brian Sullivan share expert techniques for ID-ing different groups of birds. The book also shows how habitat and behavior can be used as crucial tools for birding."--Emily Silber, Audubon.com "I'm hoping there's a sequel... The writing is clear, concise, and witty when it needs to be. The photographs couldn't be any better. In short, I can't think of a good reason not to have this book."--Kirby Adams, National Parks Traveler "The very readable text is dense and replete with species information and advice on what one can see by taking a wider perspective while birding... [T]his is a well-produced reference for the novice and expert birder alike."--Booklist "So will Better Birding actually help you to be a better birder? Yes, it certainly can. Intermediate birders, especially, will find it extremely useful. And anyone, experts included, should get it if it covers a group you'd like help with."--Birders Library blog "Crisp photography, with side-by-side composite comparisons of similar species accompany detailed, easy-to-read text. The hundreds of photos are nearly worth the price of the book on their own. Above all, Better Birding was a fun read. Engaging, text hits the mark of being specific, but not overly technical. Photos bring birds to life, and show salient identification points described in the text."--Carolina Bird Club Newsletter "Better Birding provides readers with the ability to confidently identify what they are see. Through clear descriptions and by presenting each bird with a history, learning about them through their life story makes the study enjoyable. Better Birding inspires us to make sound identification through the clarity of its descriptions and compelling profiles. This book makes keeping my resolution to be a better birder something I know I can do in the year ahead."--Constantly Explore blog "Providing a foundation to improve readers' birdwatching abilities, the authors furthermore explain why birding is cool. Recommended for all readers who wish to become better birders."--Library Journal "Before I go any further let me mention the gorgeous photographs in this book (e.g. check out the breeding plumage Pacific Loon on page 28. Wow!). As a person who loves to look at beautiful birds, I enjoy this element of the book greatly. If you do nothing else but read the Introduction to tile book, you will learn things to help you identify more birds."--William Saur, The Passionate Birder Blog "Aimed at advanced birders, the book offers new ways to think about identifying selected groups of species... This is a lovely book; it is profusely illustrated with color photographs, a number of which show various views of similar bird species in flight on two-page spreads."--Choice "The authors have written a book that provides a new avenue of exploration for the fine-tuning of our birding skills... A valuable addition to the library of the birder, ornithologist, and natural history student."--Howard O. Clark, Jr., Western North American Naturalist "I have read the volume with an appetite I can't quite satisfy. Tips and techniques to becoming a better birder abound as photos and text combine to paint clear pictures of what it takes to improve your birding skills. A great read full of great info!"--North Durham Nature Newsletter "This richly illustrated volume provides numerous insights into enhancing one's experience of birding... Any library with readers interested in birds and birding should certainly acquire this volume, priced incredibly low for a work full of color photography. Academic libraries supporting programs in zoology or ornithology should also consider it."--Mark Schumacher, ARBATable of ContentsAcknowledgments 8 Introduction 10 Wide-Angle Birding: Be the Bird, See the Bird 11 Becoming a "Good Birder": Understanding the Basics 12 Birding Mentors 26 Why Birding Is Cool 26 Waterbirds Loons 29 Swans 45 Mallard and Monochromatic "Mallards" 57 White Herons 69 Coastal Birds Eiders 83 Brachyramphus Murrelets 93 Pacific Cormorants 103 Seabirds Sulids: Northern Gannet and Boobies 115 Tropical Terns 129 Atlantic Gadflies 137 Large Shorebirds Curlews 149 Godwits 161 Skulkers Marsh Sparrows 175 Small Wrens (Troglodytes and Cistothorus) 187 Birds of Forest and Edge Accipiters 199 American Rosefinches 211 Aerial Insectivores Swifts 221 Night Birds Screech-Owls: An "Otus" and the Megascops 231 Nighthawks 241 Open-Country Birds Yellow-bellied Kingbirds 253 Black Corvids: Crows and Ravens 265 Pipits 281 Longspurs 293 Cowbirds 303 Index 312
£25.20
Princeton University Press A Photographic Guide to Seashore Life in the
Book SynopsisThe tides of the North Atlantic are the world's highest, and they reveal a world of amazing seashore life - from jellies and sea anemones, to clams and crabs, to seaweeds and lichens. With some 300 color photographs and descriptions, this guide helps to identify Atlantic seashore life from Canada to Cape Cod.Trade Review"Biologist, writer, and photographer Sept has authored an excellent book that details various organisms inhabiting the northeastern coast of North America. The introduction, written in an easy-to-understand language, describes tides and their formation, various intertidal habitats including sand beaches, mud flats, rocky shores, intertidal zones, and microhabitats... Excellent black-and-white illustrations of common animals for identification add to the allure. This book will serve as a valuable guide to any person visiting a beach or students and scientists in the field looking to identify common organisms on the beach."--A.K. Volety, Choice "This is an elegantly simple and very nicely produced book that will be widely appreciated and used by shoreline ecologists and serious beach-combers interested in the fauna and flora of the Northern Atlantic coastline from Cape Cod to the Canadian Maritimes... This is a publication that all North Atlantic beachcombers will want to own."--Mark Bertness, Quarterly Review of Biology "For $20 this book is a great buy. Useful and useable, it will be an asset to any naturalist who wants to understand shore life in full."--Roy John, Canadian Field-NaturalistTable of ContentsINTRODUCTION 10 Understanding Tides 11 Understanding Intertidal Habitats 15 Sand Beaches 16 Mud Flats 16 Rocky Shores 16 Intertidal Zones 17 Micro-habitats 19 Harvesting Shellfish 19 Protecting Our Marine Resources 21 Observing Intertidal Life 21 A Note of Caution 21 The Scientific Classification of Living Things 22 Getting the Most out of This Guide 24 INTERTIDAL CREATURES KINGDOM Animalia Sponges PHYLUM Porifera 26 Sea Anemones, Jellies, and Allies PHYLUM Cnidaria 30 Comb Jellies PHYLUM Ctenophora 40 Marine Worms PHYLA Platyhelminthes, Nemertea, Annelida, and Echiura 43 Moss Animals PHYLUM Bryozoa 57 Molluscs PHYLUM Mollusca 60 Arthropods PHYLUM Arthropoda 110 Spiny-skinned Animals PHYLUM Echinodermata 128 Tunicates (Non-vertebrate Cordates) PHYLUM Chordata 138 Fishes (Vertebrate Cordates) PHYLUM Chordata 142 INTERTIDAL PLANTS & FUNGI KINGDOMS Plantae & Fungi Green Algae PHYLUM Chlorophyta 147 Brown Algae PHYLUM Ochrophyta 153 Red Algae PHYLUM Rhodophyta 163 Flowering Plants PHYLUM Anthophyta 173 Lichens PHYLUM Ascomycotina 177 SELECTED SITES FOR EXPLORATION 181 Map of the Atlantic Northeast 182 Nova Scotia 183 Prince Edward Island 186 New Brunswick 187 Newfoundland, and Labrador 190 Maine 191 New Hampshire 195 Massachusetts 196 SELECTED REFERENCES 200 GLOSSARY 202 ILLLUSTRATIONS FOR IDENTIFICATION 205 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 213 INDEX 214
£15.29
Princeton University Press A Mechanistic Approach to Plankton Ecology
Book SynopsisThe three main missions of any organism - growing, reproducing, and surviving - depend on encounters with food and mates, and on avoiding encounters with predators. This book offers a mechanistic approach to the study of ocean ecology by exploring biological interactions in plankton at the individual level.Trade Review"I found the ordering and summary of materials, especially those applying encounter theories directly, to be helpful in ordering my own thinking. The ideas will be broadly familiar to experts in the field, but Kiorboe's clean, direct presentations pull them together in a rewarding way; your study time will be well spent. For aspiring experts, this mechanistic approach is important to master, and working through this book will give you a great running start."--Charles B. Miller, Journal of Plankton Research "What could be deadly dull material is enlivened by evocative examples from Kiorboe's extensive observations of plankton... One cannot read this book without gaining a much fuller appreciation of how fluid motion influences life in the sea."--New Biological BooksTable of ContentsList of Illustrations ix List of Tables xiii Preface xv CHAPTER ONE: Introduction 1 1.1 Biological Oceanography--Marine Biology--Ocean Ecology 1 1.2 The Encounter Problem 4 1.3 This Book 8 CHAPTER TWO: Random Walk and Diffusion 10 2.1 Random Walk and Diffusion 10 2.2 Example: Bacterial Motility 14 2.3 Fick's First Law 17 2.4 Diffusion to or from a Sphere 18 2.5 Feeding on Solutes 20 2.6 Maximum and Optimum Cell Size 22 2.7 Diatoms: Large yet Small 24 2.8 Diffusion Feeding 26 2.9 Non- Steady- State Diffusion: Feeding in Nauplii 28 2.10 Bacteria Colonizing a Sphere 30 2.11 Effect of Shape 31 2.12 Flux from a Sphere (or a Point Source): Chemical Signals 32 CHAPTER THREE: Diffusion and Advection 35 3.1 Moving Fluids 35 3.2 Viscosity, Diffusivity, Re, and Pe 35 3.3 Flow around a Sinking Sphere 37 3.4 Mass Transport to a Sinking Sphere 39 3.5 Example: Oxygen Distribution around a Sinking Sphere 40 3.6 Examples: Osmotrophs, Diffusion Feeders, and Bacterial Colonization of Sinking Particles 43 3.7 Eff ect of Turbulence on Mass Transport: Re, Pe, and Sh for Turbulence 45 3.8 Marine Snow Solute Plumes: Small- Scale Heterogeneity 49 3.9 The Chemical Trail: Mate Finding in Copepods 50 CHAPTER FOUR: Particle Encounter by Advection 57 4.1 Direct Interception versus Remote Detection 57 4.2 Particle Encounter by Direct Interception: Flagellate Feeding 58 4.3 Bacteria Colonizing Particles Revisited: Comparison of Encounter Mechanisms 60 4.4 Direct Interception: Coagulation and Marine Snow Formation 60 4.5 Remote Prey Detection: Encountering Prey in Calm Water 67 4.6 Turbulence and Predator- Prey Encounter Rates 69 4.7 Example: Feeding of the Copepod Acartia tonsa in Turbulence 72 4.8 When Is Turbulence Important for Enhancing Predator-Prey Contact Rates? 74 4.9 On the Downhill Side: Negative Eff ects of Turbulence on Predator-Prey Interactions 75 4.10 Encounter Rates and Motility Patterns: Ballistic versus Diffusive Motility 77 CHAPTER FIVE: Hydromechanical Signals in the Plankton 83 5.1 Copepod Sensory Biology 83 5.2 Decomposition of a Fluid Signal: Deformation and Vorticity 85 5.3 Signal Strength: Prey Perceiving Predator 87 5.4 Signal Strength: Predator Perceiving Prey 88 5.5 To What Flow Components Does a Copepod Respond? 89 5.6 Sensitivity to Hydrodynamic Signals 91 5.7 Predator and Prey Reaction Distances: Generation of a Hydrodynamic Signal 91 5.8 Attack or Flee--the Dilemma of a Parasitic Copepod 95 5.9 Maximal Signals, Optimal Sensitivity, and the Role of Turbulence 96 5.10 The Evolutionary Arms Race 98 CHAPTER SIX: Zooplankton Feeding Rates and Bioenergetics 101 6.1 Functional Response in Ingestion Rate to Prey Concentration 101 6.2 Example: The Functional Response in Oithona davisae 104 6.3 Other Functional Responses 105 6.4 The Components of Predation: Prey Selection 107 6.5 Prey Switching 113 6.6 Bioenergetics: Conversion of Food to Growth and Reproduction 113 6.7 Specific Dynamic Action: Egg Production Effi ciency in a Copepod 115 6.8 Scaling of Feeding and Growth Rates 117 6.9 Feast and Famine in the Plankton 118 CHAPTER SEVEN: Population Dynamics and Interactions 122 7.1 From Individual to Population 122 7.2 The Dynamics of a Single Population: Phytoplankton Blooms 123 7.3 Phytoplankton Population Dynamics and Aggregate Formation 125 7.4 Phytoplankton Growth and Light Limitation 127 7.5 Scaling of Growth and Mortality Rates 128 7.6 Populations with Age Structure: Life Tables 130 7.7 Behavior and Population Dynamics: Critical Population Size and Allee Eff ects 133 7.8 Life- History Strategies 135 7.9 Interacting Populations 140 7.10 From Individual to Population 149 CHAPTER EIGHT: Structure and Function of Pelagic Food Webs 151 8.1 Two Pathways in Pelagic Food Webs 152 8.2 Light and Vertical Mixing: Conditions for Phytoplankton Development 154 8.3 Bud getary Constraints: Nutrient Input and Sinking Flux 155 8.4 Cell Size, Water-Column Structure, and Nutrient Availability: Empirical Evidence 158 8.5 Cell Size and Nutrient Uptake 161 8.6 Cell Size, Turbulence, and Sinking 162 8.7 Cell Size, Turbulence, and Light 164 8.8 Why Are Not All Phytoplankters Small? The Signifi cance of Predation 165 8.9 Hydrodynamic Control of Pelagic Food- Web Structure: Examples 166 8.10 Species Diversity: The Paradox of the Plankton 170 8.11 Fisheries and Trophic Effi ciency 173 8.12 Fertilizing the Ocean--Increasing the Fishery and Preventing Global Warming? 177 References 183 Index 205
£49.30
Princeton University Press Predicting the Unpredictable
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Susan Hough's book about earthquake prediction reminds us that many respectable scientists and numerous nutcases have tried--and failed. Predicting the Unpredictable tells us what has been tested and abandoned and why. It follows the winding path taken by this potentially useful discipline in the past four decades, from the shadows to centre stage and back again... Famous moments in earthquake prediction are dissected for the reader through Hough's diligent research in obscure archives; history will thank her for these abandoned threads."--Roger Bilham, Nature "Hough's book, however, is not frustrating at all; it offers an enlightening, fair and insightful look at how one science has dealt with the intersection of an extremely hard problem with legitimate public demands for results. Those of us in other fields who read it may find ourselves profiting from the example someday."--Cosma Shalizi, American Scientist "In this forensic and engaging overview, Susan Hough presents a frank, entertaining and personal review of the history of ideas, practice, personalities and experience in the science of earthquake prediction. Although Hough is a respected scientist, she takes a journalist's viewpoint here, not shying away from legitimate criticism of those she regards as friends, and taking on the credulous at the edge of, or even beyond, the mainstream scientific."--Ian Main, Times Higher Education "Susan Hough is all about solid science, and her examples of accepted research that turned out to be dead wrong will resonate with readers suspicious of anybody who predicts the future."--Stephen Matchett, Australian "Earthquake prediction is on everybody's mind when reports of the horrific event make headlines. Why the failure to predict it, especially in this age of scientific and technological achievements? Hough tells readers why in this deeply interesting, enlightening, and entertaining book... The book skillfully weaves the influence of politics, economics, and psychology into this authentic, delightfully perceptive account of earthquake prediction science."--Choice "[T]his book can be enjoyed by anyone, but it will be enjoyed most by seismologists because it is a treasure of seismological lore, as well as a useful guide and moral support for those participating in what Susan calls the 'combat sport' of seismic prediction research."--F. A. Nava, Pure and Applied Geophysics "This book is sparkling, entertaining, and a good read and ... it is a rocking piece of literature. It keeps a delicate balance between the genuine scientific efforts and the difficulties, which scientists face in prediction science."--Afroz A. Shah, Geosciences JournalTable of Contents1. Ready to Rumble 1 2. Ready to Explode 12 3. Irregular Clocks 29 4. The Hayward Fault 39 5. Predicting the Unpredictable 47 6. The Road to Haicheng 58 7. Percolation 86 8. The Heyday 96 9. The Hangover 108 10. Highly Charged Debates 125 11. Reading the Tea Leaves 141 12. Accelerating Moment Release 150 13. On the Fringe 158 14. Complicity 171 15. Measles 191 16. We All Have Our Faults 196 17. The Bad One 206 18. Whither Earthquake Prediction? 222 Acknowledgments 231 Notes 233 General Index 255 Index of Earthquakes by Year 261 Preface to the Paperback Edition vii
£18.00
Princeton University Press The Lives of Octopuses and Their Relatives
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Beautifully written and illustrated."---Marc Bekoff, Psychology Today"This is a really excellent book. Please take the time to read it and get to know some of Planet Earth's most absorbing creatures. You'll be glad you did."---David Gascoigne, Travels with Birds"This book is a wonderful introduction to octopuses and their relations . . . . Great pleasure can be obtained by just opening at random, being amazed by whatever stunning cephalopod you find an image of, and learning about it."---Angela Colling, Ocean Challenge"The author has a compelling writing style, though you could buy this book only to look at the pictures, because the quality of underwater photography is impressive. . . . Staaf covers a lot of ground with a light touch, and this is a book I would happily read and revisit."---Steve Weinman, Divernet"This book covers a lot of ground but does so in an extremely accessible way. Whether you are searching for information about a specific species or just browsing, you will end up spending hours pouring over the images and the astonishing facts about these charismatic animals."---Nick and Caroline Robertson-Brown, Scubaverse"[Beautifully] illustrated. . . . A must read for anyone interested in the lives of these intelligent and diverse creatures."---L.T. Spencer, Choice"[An] entertaining and enlightening read."---Geoff Carpentier, North Durham Nature Newsletter
£27.00
Princeton University Press Lifes Engines
Book SynopsisTrade Review"A work full of surprises. . . . Immensely rewarding."---Tim Flannery, New York Review of Books"Entertaining, easy-to-read and historically rich."---Adrian Woolfson, Nature"Personal stories, hard facts, and illuminative illustrations each contribute to this engaging examination of our microbial overlords . . . Paul Falkowski's decades of study in various earth and life sciences fuel this excellent addition. . . . Falkowski effectively uses analogies to convey abstract and complicated ideas."---Rachel Jagareski, Foreword Reviews"Falkowski's loving examination sets out, life on this planet is organized by and for bacteria--the rest of us are just along for the ride."---Brian Bethune, Macleans"Falkowski brings a formidable breadth of scientific understanding to the task of explaining this, having worked as a biologist, an oceanographer and an astrobiologist. He moves easily between biological and earth sciences to help us understand the steps microscopic single-celled organisms took to make the planet habitable." * Cosmos *"[The] wonderful and awe-inspiring universe of the microbes, unseen creatures that have shaped the planet such that we may live in it, is engagingly presented by Paul Falkowski in a remarkable text entitled Life's Engines. . . . The book's success is its utter simplicity. It tells the story of the history of life on our planet from a very personal perspective. . . . I was so enthralled by this book from the get-go that I invite you to have a short taste of it."---Roberto Kolter, Cell"A pleasure to read, the book touches on virtually every topic covered in a college biology curriculum by seamlessly weaving concepts with personal anecdotes and analogies. Presenting scientific facts and the fascinating history of their discovery, Falkowski (Rutgers Univ.) intersperses evolutionary theory with biochemistry, ecology, microbiology, molecular biology, anatomy, and even anthropology and economics. He also presents a fact-based, nonpolitical vision for the future of biotechnology. . . . This reviewer came away inspired to learn more. Easily understood by anyone with a passing knowledge of science, this volume poses innumerable questions for further investigation." * Choice *"What is known about the hidden world of the microbes and their fundamental roles in sustaining planetary habitability is insightfully revealed by Paul Falkowski in this authoritative, comprehensive, and delightful book. The author is uniquely qualified, perhaps singularly so, to cover topics ranging over broad time and space scales with a scholarly, transdisciplinary perspective that ranges from fundamental physics and chemistry, to Earth and ocean sciences. I cannot think of any other scientist who would accept such a challenge. . . . He is a gifted scientist and writer, and legendary storyteller."---David M. Karl, Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography Bulletin"Not a microbial biologist, I approached this book with a bit of trepidation, imaging lengthy discussions of biochemistry. Instead, I was immediately engaged by Falkowski's conversational, fluid writing, personal anecdotes, and interesting choice of topics. . . . Life's Engines [is] easily accessible to the lay reader but engaging for the scientist as well." * American Biology Teacher *"An outstanding attempt to popularize the role of microbes, especially bacteria and archaea, in making multicellular eukaryotic life possible. . . . A superb introduction to the broader consequences of life and its study."---Elof Axel Carlson, Quarterly Review of Biology
£15.29
LUP - Voltaire Foundation Linnaeus natural history and the circulation of
Book SynopsisCarl Linnaeus's revolutionised plant nomenclature and classification in the 18th and 19th centuries. This book investigates different aspects of Linnaeus's work, from the technologies of accumulation of both specimen and knowledge, to the work of his many disciples and to his reception in Paris.Table of ContentsList of illustrations and tablesPrefaceNotes on naming conventionsList of abbreviationsIntroduction: de-centring and re-centring Linnaeus, Hanna Hodacs, Kenneth Nyberg and Stéphane Van Damme1. Notebooks, files and slips: Carl Linnaeus and his disciples at work, Isabelle Charmantier2. What is a botanical author? Pehr Osbeck’s travelogue and the culture of collaborative publishing in Linnaean botany, Bettina Dietz3. The price of Linnaean natural history: materiality, commerce and change, Hanna Hodacs4. In the name of Linnaeus: Paris as a disputed capital of natural knowledge (1730-1789), Stéphane Van Damme5. On the use and abuse of natural history: Linnaean science in Kant’s Königsberg, Jonas Gerlings6. The Edinburgh connection: Linnaean natural history, Scottish moral philosophy and the colonial implications of Enlightenment thought, Linda Andersson Burnett and Bruce Buchan7. Negotiating people, plants and empires: the fieldwork of Johann Gerhard König in South and South East Asia (1768-1785), Niklas Thode Jensen8. Lives of useful curiosity: the global legacy of Pehr Löfling in the long eighteenth century, Kenneth Nyberg and Manuel Lucena GiraldoSummariesBibliography of works citedIndex
£98.30
University of British Columbia Press Northscapes History Technology and the Making of
Book SynopsisNorthscapes examines concepts of North and the way in which different northern environments are shaped by the intersection of technology and human societies.Table of ContentsIntroduction Making the Action Visible, Making Environments in Northern Landscapes / Dolly Jørgensen and Sverker SörlinPart 1: Exploring the North1 “A Cruel Climate without Any Kind of Art”: European Natural History and the Northern Nature of the Other Pacific, 1740-1840 / Ryan Tucker Jones2 How Fossils Gave the First Hints of Climate Change: The Explorer A.E. Nordenskiöld’s Passion for Fossils and Northern Environmental History / Seija A. Niemi3 Technological Heroes: Images of the Arctic in the Age of Polar Aviation / Marionne CroninPart 2: Colonizing the North4 Mounds, Middens, and Social Landscapes: Viking-Norse Settlement of the North Atlantic, c. AD 850-1250 / Jane Harrison5 In Search of Instructive Models: The Russian State at a Crossroads to Conquering the North / Julia LajusPart 3: Working the North6 Traversal Technology Transfer: The Transfer of Agricultural Knowledge between Peripheries in the North / Jan Kunnas7 The Sheep, the Market, and the Soil: Environmental Destruction in the Icelandic Highlands, 1880-1910 / Anna Gudrún Thórhallsdóttir, Árni Daníel Júlíusson, and Helga Ögmundardóttir8 More Things on Heaven and Earth: Modernism and Reindeer in Chukotka and Alaska / Bathsheba Demuth9 A Touch of Frost: Gender, Class, Technology, and the Urban Environment in an Industrializing Nordic City / Simo LaakkonenPart 4: Imagining the North10 North Takes Place in Dawson City, Yukon, Canada / Lisa Cooke11 Iceland and the North: An Idea of Belonging and Being Apart / Unnur Birna KarlsdóttirEpilogue The Networked North: Thinking about the Past, Present, and Future of Environmental Histories of the North / Finn Arne JørgensenSelected BibliographyList of ContributorsIndex
£26.99
University of British Columbia Press Coping with Calamity
Book SynopsisThe Jianghan Plain in central China has been shaped by its relationship with water. Once a prolific rice-growing region that drew immigrants to its fertile paddy fields, it has, since the eighteenth century, become prone to devastating flooding and waterlogging. Jiayan Zhang consults early records of catastrophic water events and explores their role in shaping Jianghan society in the Qing and Republican periods. In a constantly shifting environment, the peasants of Jianghan were forced to adapt their farming methods; cooperate on complex projects like dike building; and even organize social structures, tenancy arrangements, and lifestyles around the pressure and uncertainty of their environment. The first environmental and socioeconomic history of the region, Coping with Calamity considers the Jianghan Plain's volatile environment, the constant challenges it presented to peasants, and their often ingenious and sophisticated responses.Table of ContentsIntroduction1 Changes in the Environment of the Jianghan Plain2 Water Calamities and the Management of the Dike Systems3 The Dike Systems and the Jianghan Economy4 Agriculture, Commercialization, and Environmental Adaptability5 Tenancy and Environment6 Fisheries and the Peasant Economy7 A Water-Rich Society: Socio-Economic Life in a Marshy KingdomConclusionAppendix: The Yield of Rice in the Jianghan Plain in the Qing and the RepublicGlossary; Notes; References; Index
£73.80
University of British Columbia Press Negotiating a River
Book SynopsisIt was a megaproject half a century in the making -- a technological and engineering marvel that stands as one of the most ambitious borderlands undertakings ever embarked upon by two countries. The planning and building of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project is one of the defining episodes in North American history.The project began with transnational negotiations that spanned two world wars and the formative years of the Cold War and included a failed attempt to construct an all-Canadian seaway, which was scuttled by US national security fears. Once an agreement was reached, the massive engineering and construction operation began, as did the efforts to move people and infrastructure away from the thousands of acres of land that would soon be flooded.Negotiating a River looks at the profound impacts of this megaproject, from the complex diplomatic negotiations, political manoeuvring, and environmental diplomacy to the implications on national identitieTable of ContentsForeword: National Dreams / Graeme WynnIntroduction: River to SeawayPart 1: Negotiating1 Accords and Discords2 Watershed Decisions3 Caught between Two FiresPart 2: Building4 Fluid Relations5 Lost Villages6 Flowing ForwardConclusion: To the Heart of the ContinentNotesBibliographyIndex
£28.49
University of British Columbia Press Islands Spirit Rising
Book SynopsisSet within the context of resource conflict and collaborative land-use planning on Haida Gwaii, this book examines how historic relations of domination and oppression can be transformed and more sustainable forms of land governance created.Trade ReviewTakeda provides a provocative and much needed explanation of the persistence of unsustainable forest practices in British Columbia … [Her] careful power analysis framework allows her to challenge established historical narratives by presenting a new and pressingly needed perspective on both collaborative ecosystem management and Indigenous land claims. -- James Davey, University of Victoria * BC Studies *Table of Contents1 Navigating Change on Haida Gwaii2 The Nature of Power3 Clash of Nature, Culture, and Economics4 War in the Woods: 1974-20015 Collaborative Planning in the Face of Conflict6 Actors and Interests7 State of the Land and Community8 Recommendations and the Widening Gap9 Uprising10 New Political LandscapeAppendix; Notes; References; Index
£61.50
Cornell University Press The Beaver
Book SynopsisBeavers can and do dramatically change the landscape. The beaver is a keystone speciestheir skills as foresters and engineers create and maintain ponds and wetlands that increase biodiversity, purify water, and prevent large-scale flooding. Biologists have long studied their daily and seasonal routines, family structures, and dispersal patterns. As human development encroaches into formerly wild areas, property owners and government authorities need new, nonlethal strategies for dealing with so-called nuisance beavers. At the same time, the complex behavior of beavers intrigues visitors at parks and other wildlife viewing sites because it is relatively easy to observe.In an up-to-date, exhaustively illustrated, and comprehensive book on beaver biology and management, Dietland Müller-Schwarze gathers a wealth of scientific knowledge about both the North American and Eurasian beaver species. The Beaver is designed to satisfy the curiosity and answer the questions of anyone withTrade ReviewAmong native North American mammals, none has had a more powerful influence on the history of North American than the beaver. Although the eclectic literature on the beaver is rich, it is scattered. This book is the first to provide a synthesis of that literature.... It discusses the biology of the beaver, its behavior, including building dams and canals, and population dynamics.... It is a major resource accessible to any interested reader. Illustrated with black-and-white photos and a colored photo insert, the book is a necessary addition to the shelves of wildlife, conservation ecology, natural history, and general libraries. Essential. * Choice *Anyone with an interest in observing the natural world would be hard pressed to come across evidence of beaver activity and not be filled with questions. What is the purpose of the elaborate dams that beavers build? How do beavers decide which trees to cut down? What effects do beavers have on other organisms' In this ambitious book, the authors attempt to answer these questions and more about the beaver.... It contains useful information for wildlife and land managers, mammalogists, ecologists, and anyone who has ever been curious about beavers and their effects on both landscapes and history. -- Justin Wright * Quarterly Review of Biology *Everybody in the wildlife field knows about beavers and how they modify their environment by building lodges and dams and by cutting trees for food. However, for most people, the knowledge of beaver ecology stops there, and until now, books on beaver ecology were either outdated or too popularized. Times have changed, and this book comes to the rescue of those who wish to gain much greater insights into beaver ecology and behavior without having to read piles of scientific literature.... This is helped further by 50 clear photographs of beavers and their environment.... Overall, this is a must-have book for the beaver enthusiast and wildlife manager, or even for the history buff wishing to better understand the animal that put North America on the map. * Journal of Mammalogy *This book takes a comprehensive look at the behavior, natural history, and ecology of the North American and Eurasian species of beaver.... For wild animal population managers, zoologists, and naturalists, this book presents practical advice regarding beaver management and shows how the species can be an important ally in the restoration efforts of the wetlands. An intriguing book that many will enjoy reading. Nicely done. * Northeastern Naturalist *Table of ContentsPreface IntroductionPart I: The Organism 1. Now and Then: The Species, Including Fossils 2. Form, Weight, and Special Adaptations 3. Diving and Thermoregulation: From Land Mammal to Semiaquatic Design and Function 4. Energy BudgetPart II: Behavior 5. Families as Social Units 6. Communication by Scent and Sound 7. Infrastructure: Dams, Lodges, Trails, and Canals 8. Beaver Time 9. Food SelectionPart III: Populations 10. Reproduction, Development, and Life Expectancy 11. Population Densities and Dynamics 12. Finding a Home: DispersalPart IV: Ecology 13. Where They Live and Why: Habitat Requirements 14. Mortality and Predators 15. Parasites and Diseases 16. Maker of Landscapes: Creating Habitat for Plants, Animals, and PeoplePart V: Beaver and People: Conservation, Use, and Management 17. "Here before Christ": Fur Trade, the "Beaver Republic" (Hudson's Bay Company), and Fur Trapping Today 18. Reintroductions and Other Transplants 19. "Nuisance Beavers" Claim Their Land 20. Needed: An Ecosystems Engineer for Habitat Restoration and Other Services 21. Living with Beavers: Conservation and Proactive ManagementIndex
£36.10
Johns Hopkins University Press Watermen Maryland Paperback Bookshelf
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewQuick, vivid reading which reeks with salty reality... Quite simply, this is the best book I've ever read about the daily life of Chesapeake Bay watermen. -- Earl Arnett Maryland Magazine Gives the reader a strong sense that the heroism of early America did not pass away sometime around 1875 but flourishes right now. -- Noel Perrin New York Times Book Review
£21.85
Johns Hopkins University Press Louis Agassiz
Book SynopsisTable of Contents1. The Formative Years 1807-18272. The Making of a Naturalist 1827-18323. From Switzerland to Boston 1832-18464. The American Welcome 1846-18505. Naturalist to America 1850-18576. Building a Museum 1857-18617. Agassiz, Darwin, and Transmutation 1859-18618. The Trials of a Public Man 1861-18669. The Past and the present 1866-1873Epilogue to the New Edition 1988NotesEssay on SourcesRcent SourcesIndex
£25.20
Johns Hopkins University Press The Height of Our Mountains Nature Writing from
Book SynopsisAmple notes, beautiful illustrations and amps, and a lengthy bibliography make this book a lasting treasure.Trade ReviewA strong sense of place is evoked in this impressive anthology of nature writing from the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah Valley. Seventy selections drawn from four centuries of writing include excerpts from letters, travel journals, diaries, novels, speeches, government reports, and personal essays that explore the interaction between humans and the natural world. Library Journal All Virginia outdoor enthusiasts have visited the Blue Ridge, and all of them with a taste for reading will want to own The Height of Our Mountains. Old Dominion Sierran With its mixture of fiction, personal, and scientific writing, the book has something for everyone... From colonization to contemporary times, the list of writers represented (70 in all) is both impressive and surprising, including Jefferson's former slave Isaac, James Audobon, Walt Whitman, Willa Cather, Ellen Glasgow, and Annie Dillard. Blue Ridge Outdoors A model of regional nature-writing anthologies. Virginia Quarterly Review
£26.10
Johns Hopkins University Press Discovering the Chesapeake The History of an
Book SynopsisIn the next few thousand years, the ice may form again and the Bay will once more be the valley of the Susquehanna, unless, of course, human-induced changes in climate create some other currently unpredictable condition."-from the IntroductionTable of ContentsContents: Acknowledgments List of Contributors Introduction Chapter 1 The Chesapeake Ecosystem - Its Geological Heritage George W. Fisher and Jerry R. Schubel Chapter 2 Climate and Climate History in the Chesapeake Bay Region John E. Kutzbach and Thompson Webb III Chapter 3 Forests before and after the Colonial Encounter Grace S. Brush Chapter 4 Human Influences on the Physical Characteristics of the Chesapeake Bay Donald W. Pritchard and Jerry Schubel Chapter 5 A Long-Term History of Terrestrial Birds and Mammals in the Chesapeake-Susquehanna Watershed David W. Steadman Chapter 6 Living along the "Great Shellfish Bay" - The Relationship between Prehistoric Peoples and the Chesapeake Henry M. Miller Chapter 7 Human Biology of Populations in the Chesapeake Watershed Douglas H. Ubelaker and Philip D. Curtin Chapter 8 A Useful Arcadia - European Colonists as Biotic Factors in Chesapeake Forests Timothy Silver Chapter 9 Reconstructing the Colonial Environment of the Upper Chesapeake Watershed Robert D. Mitchell, Warren R. Hofstra, and Edward F. Connor Chapter 10 Human Influences on Aquatic Resources in the Chesapeake Bay Victor S. Kennedy and Kent Mountford Chapter 11 Land Use, Settlement Patterns, and the Impact of European Agriculture, 1620-1820 Lorena S. Walsh Chapter 12 Chesapeake Gardens and Botanical Frontiers Anne E. Yentsch and James L. Reveal Chapter 13 Genteel Erosion - The Ecological Consequences of Agrarian Reform in the Chesapeake, 1730-1840 Carville Earle and Ronald Hoffman Chapter 14 Farming, Disease, and Change in the Chesapeake Ecosystem G. Terry Sharrer Chapter 15 Bird Populations of the Chesapeake Bay Region 350 Years of Change James F. Lynch Commentary - Reading the Palimpsest William Cronon Index
£31.50
Johns Hopkins University Press Turtles The Animal Answer Guide The Animal Answer
Book SynopsisReaders who want answers to specific questions or just want to expand their knowledge about these unique and interesting animals will find the information they seek in this essential reference.Trade ReviewA good general introduction to turtle biology and ecology. -- Ian Paulsen Birdbooker Report 2009 The wide ranging questions are answered in a very readable style, with specific scientific explanations where necessary. -- Christine Tilley British Chelonia Group Newsletter 2010 Gibbons and Greene have done a masterful job of assembling questions of great interest to many readers and providing detailed, interesting, and informative answers... Highly recommended. Choice 2010Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Introducting TurtlesWhat are turtles?What is the difference between turtles, terrapins, and tortoises?How many kinds of turtles are there?Why are turtles important?Why should people care about turtles?Where do turtles live?What is the current classification of turtles?What characterizes the major groups of turtles?When did turtles first evolve?What is the oldest fossil turtle?What is the largest fossil turtle?2. Form and FunctionWhat are the largest and smallest living turtles?What is the metabolism of a turtle?Do turtles have teeth?Do turtles sleep?Can turtles see color?Do all turtles have hard shells?Can a turtle emerge from its shell?Can turtles run?Can all turtles swim?Do all aquatic turtles have flippers?Can turtles breathe under water?Can you tell whether a fossil turtle lived in the sea, in freshwater, or on land?3. Turtle ColorsWhy do so many turtles have yellow stripes on their neck?What causes the different shell and skin colors of turtles?What color are a turtle's eyes?Is there a reason for the patterns on the shell?Do a turtle's colors change as it grows?Do a turtle's colors change in different seasons?Is there much geographic variation within a single turtlespecies?4. Turtle BehaviorAre turtles social?Do turtles fight?Are snapping turtles the only ones that bite?How smart are turtles?Do turtles play?Do turtles talk?How do turtles avoid predators?5. Turtle EcologyWhere do turtles sleep?Do turtles migrate?How many turtle species live in rivers?How many turtle species live in lakes?How many turtle species live in the ocean?Which geographic regions have the most species of turtles?How do turtles survive in the desert?How do turtles survive the winter?How do turtles survive droughts?What is hibernation?Do all turtles bask?Do turtles have enemies?Do turtles get sick?How can you tell if a turtle is sick?Are turtles good for the environment?6. Reproduction and DevelopmentHow do turtles reproduce?Do all turtles lay eggs?Why do sea turtles lay so many eggs but box turtles lay only afew?How long do female turtles hold eggs in their body?Where do turtles lay their eggs?Does a turtle nest at the same time and in the same place every year?Do turtles nest only one time per year?How many eggs do turtles lay?Are all hatchlings in a turtle nest full siblings?How is the sex of a turtle determined?Do turtles care for their young?How fast do turtles grow?How can you tell the age of a turtle?How long do turtles live?7. Foods and FeedingWhat do turtles eat?Do turtles chew their food?How do turtles find food?Are any turtles scavengers?How do turtles eat hard-shelled animals?Do turtles store their food?8. Turtles and HumansDo turtles make good pets?How do you take care of a pet turtle?Are turtles dangerous?Do turtles feel pain?What should I do if I find an injured turtle?What should I do if I find a turtle crossing the road?What should I do if I find a turtle laying eggs?What should I do if I find a baby turtle?How can I see turtles in the wild?Should people feed turtles in lakes?9. Turtle Problems (from a human viewpoint)Are turtles pests?Do turtles reduce the number of fish in lakes and rivers?Do turtles kill ducks in ponds?Do turtles have diseases and are they contagious?Is it safe to eat turtles?What should I do if I get bitten by a turtle?10. Human Problems (from a turtle's viewpoint)Are any turtles endangered?Will turtles be affected by global warming?Are turtles affected by pollution?Why do people hunt and eat turtles?Are "tortoiseshell" items actually made from turtle shells?Why do so many turtles get hit by cars?Are boats dangerous for aquatic turtles?How are turtles affected by litter?What can an ordinary citizen do to help turtles?11. Turtles in Stories and LiteratureWhat roles do turtles play in religion and mythology?Are turtles depicted at all in the Christian religion?Did any early philosophers/naturalists mention turtles in their writings?What are the roles turtles have played in children's literature?What roles do turtles play in popular culture?What about turtles and math?What roles have turtles played in poetry and famoussayings?12. "Turtleology"Who studies turtles?Which species are best known?Which species are least known?How do scientists tell turtles apart?Appendix A: Scientific and Common Names of Living TurtlesAppendix B: Organizations and Societies for Turtle ConservationBibliographyIndex
£30.62
Johns Hopkins University Press Second Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Maryland
Book SynopsisFirst Place, Professional Reference Books, 25th Annual New York Book ShowDespite their small sizes, Maryland and Washington, DC, possess a vast range of environmentsfrom the high peaks of the Allegheny Ridges to the low marshes of the Chesapeake Bay. Home to 200 nesting bird species, these habitats are under constant threat from urban sprawl, changing farming practices, and the degradation of coastal wetlands. The Second Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Maryland and the District of Columbia documents the impact of these environmental changes on the region's bird population and discusses the recovery of the endangered Bald Eagle and the new confirmation of breeding by three speciesthe Common Merganser, the Ruddy Duck, and the Double-crested Cormorant.Species accounts, each with a stunning color photograph, provide detailed coverage of the habitats, biology, and relative abundance of mid-Atlantic nesting birds. Up-to-date maps reflect changes in their breeding ranges and distributions over the past two decades. Of perhaps greatest value are the comparative analyses with data from the first statewide survey conducted in the 1980s. Treasured by birdersand an invaluable reference for ornithologists, conservationists, and land use plannersthis book will significantly influence our understanding and management of avian species in the region for the next decade.Trade ReviewAn invaluable reference... This book will significantly influence our understanding and management of avian species in the region for the next decade. A must have for birders of the region! -- Ian Paulson Guardian 2011 This is likely to remain the gold-standard reference on Maryland's birds-at least until a third atlas appears in, say, 2030. -- Scott Weidensaul Maryland Yellowthroat 2011 My favorite new naturalist reads these days if the 2nd Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Maryland and the District of Columbia. -- Stephanie Mason Audubon Naturalist News 2011Table of ContentsForewordPrefaceAcknowledgmentsAcronyms and AbbreviationsIntroductionThe History of Grid-based Ornithological AtlasesProceduresCoverageThe EnvironmentRepresentative Maryland HabitatsResultsConservationUsing the Species AccountsSpecies AccountsAdditional Accounts of Potential Nesting BirdsAppendixesA. Safe Dates for Maryland and DC Breeding BirdsB. Total Species per Block, First and Second AtlasesC. Quarterblock ResultsD. Abundance DefinitionsE. Nonavian Fauna CitedF. Plants CitedReferencesIndex
£61.20
University of Nebraska Press The Missouri River Journals of John James Audubon
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Patterson's volume is a model of its kind: meticulous, patient scholarship with some carefully balanced but revealing conclusions of great general interest."—Jeremy Mynott, Times Literary Supplement"A commendable contribution to Audubon scholarship."—Gregory Nobles, Great Plains Quarterly“By far the liveliest and most extensive account of Audubon’s late-life trip on the Upper Missouri River.”—John Knott, professor emeritus of English at the University of Michigan and author of Imagining Wild America“With his discovery of a John James Audubon journal long believed to have been intentionally destroyed, Patterson provides new insight into the life of America’s iconic artist and naturalist. An exceptional book.”—William Benemann, author of Men in Eden: William Drummond Stewart and Same-Sex Desire in the Rocky Mountain Fur TradeTable of ContentsList of IllustrationsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsList of AbbreviationsEditorial PrinciplesPart I. Maria Rebecca Audubon, Her Grandfather’s 1843 Missouri River Journals, and the “Great Auk Speech”Part II. Audubon’s Missouri River Expedition of 1843His EminencePreparationsMinnie’s Land to St. Louis, March 11–28St. Louis, March 28–April 24St. Louis to the Yellowstone River and Fort Union, April 25–June 12Fort Union and the Prairies, June 13–August 15Fort Union to St. Louis, August 16–October 19St. Louis to Minnie’s Land, October 22–November 7Part III. The Three Forgotten Manuscript JournalsThe Beinecke Partial CopyThe Original Field Notebook and the Newberry Partial CopyPart IV. Audubon’s Conservation Ethic ReconsideredAudubon’s Hunting and Conservation Ethic as Represented in the BiographiesThe Lived EthicThe Written EthicEpiloguePart V. Other Materials from the 1843 ExpeditionThe 1843 Diary of John Graham BellThe 1843 Diary of Isaac SpragueAudubon’s “George Catlin” Powder Horn from the Missouri River ExpeditionAppendix: “The Pet Bear,” an Unpublished EpisodeWorks CitedIndex
£55.80
University of Nebraska Press The Battle for Paradise Surfing Tuna and One
Book SynopsisPavones, a town located on the southern tip of Costa Rica, is a haven for surfers, expatriates, and fishermen seeking a place to start over. In The Battle for Paradise, Jeremy Evans travels to Pavones to uncover the story of how this ragtag group stood up to a multinational company and how a shadowy figure from the town’s violent past became an unlikely hero.Trade Review"Don't miss this uplifting tale of fantastic surfing, saving the environment, and a greedy company's efforts to expand their business at all costs—all in our sleepy little southern town of Pavones."—Carol Blair Vaughn, Costa Rica Star"A valuable addition to surf historiography. . . . Enjoyable and well-told narrative."—Tolga Ozyurtcu, Sport in American History“Congratulations to Jeremy Evans for telling the truest story so far about Pavones, the iconic end-of-the-road place where human greed and conflict threatened to destroy exactly what brought people there.”—Drew Kampion, award-winning author and former editor of Surfer and Surfing magazines“Jeremy Evans tells the true story of surfers, tuna, drug lords, and jungle fever in the backwaters and blue bays of Costa Rica. For anyone who has traveled the surf coast of Central America, The Battle for Paradise is a must-read.”—Serge Dedina, executive director of Wildcoast and author of Wild Sea and Surfing the Border“The waves of Pavones rifle down a long left-hand point break, and for this reason they have become some of the most iconic waves in Costa Rica. However, as incredible as the waves are, the story behind the town is what will truly leave you gasping for air.”—Kyle Thiermann, professional surfer “Pavones, Costa Rica, lay in a bucolic slumber until an entrepreneurial American smuggler with a Napoleon complex paid cash for a county-sized chunk of its surf-swept coast and made himself king. Things spiraled out of control from there, subsiding into a tropical stew of escapists, surfers, squatters, greed, and long, clean lefts.”—Steve Pezman, publisher of the Surfer’s Journal Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. A Fish Story2. Killer Dana3. Paper Chase4. Geckos and Iguanas5. The Pavones Bus6. Red Road7. Danny Land8. Tuna Coast9. Law and Order10. The King’s Exit11. Jungle Invasion12. Pura Vida13. Judgment Day14. Saving Waves15. End of the RoadBibliography
£27.54
University of Nebraska Press Prairie Dog Empire
Book SynopsisTells the complex biological and environmental story of the western Great Plains under the black-tailed prairie dog's reign - and then under a brief but devastating century of human dominion. This book recounts how this terrain has in turn been transformed over the past century by the destruction of prairie dogs and their grassland habitats.Trade Review“Johnsgard is Foundation Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, highly respected in his field, and a formidable voice in what he hopes will be a larger discussion about land use and about the value of preserving ecosystems—including species that have long been regarded as pests. Agree or disagree with his conclusions, this informative and provocative book should be part of that discussion.”—Nebraska Life“Johnsgard presents a disturbing look at the serious ecological impacts from the destruction of prairie dogs and their grassland habitats.”—Wildlife Activist“A seasoned preservationist as well as a writer who does his own photographic and artistic illustration work, Johnsgard provides a book that should be on the shelf of every person interested in and concerned about the past history and future of life on the great plains.”—Glenn M. Busset, Manhattan Mercury"Given the controversy surrounding management of prairie dogs, it is surprising that such a volume has not been published previously. Leave it to that prolific guru of the great Plains, Paul Johnsgard, to pen a book directed at filling that void at such a crucial juncture. . . . Johnsgard's lucid style has the ability to bring this fascinating, important, and timely story to thousands of readers."—Richard P. Reading, Great Plains Research“Many scientists and historians have written about the natural history of the Great Plains, but few so compellingly as Paul Johnsgard.”—Annals of Iowa"Anyone with an interest in the ecology and history of the shortgrass prairie will become immersed in the pages of this engaging book."—Carolyn E. Grygiel, North Dakota HistoryTable of ContentsList of MapsList of IllustrationsList of TablesPreface1. The Western Shortgrass Prairie: A Brief History2. A Buffalo Nation: Its Death and Rebirth3. Prairie Dogs and the American West: Little Towns on the Prairie4. Ferrets, Badgers, Bobcats, and Coyotes: Coping with Dangerous Neighbors5. Free-loaders and Hangers-on: The Rewards and Dangers of City Life6. Other High Plains Wildlife: Born on the American Steppes7. The High Plains Raptors: Death Rides on Silent Wings8. The Varmint and Predator Wars: It’s Finally Almost Quiet on the Western Front9. Taming the Great American Desert: Hardscrabble Times at the Fringes of Nowhere10. The USFS, BLM, and BIA: How the West was Lost11. The Great Plains Grassland Ecosystem: Can It Be Saved?Appendix 1: A Guide to National Grasslands, Reservations, and Nature Preserves on the High PlainsAppendix 2: Scientific Names of Animals in the TextReferencesIndex
£16.14
University of Nebraska Press The Niobrara
Book SynopsisTrade Review“Johnsgard’s book is not a travel guide. It is the first comprehensive look at the geological, paleontological and natural history of the river valley, a reference book for people who want to know how the valley came into being and what makes it such a rare and beautiful place.”—Algis J. Laukaitis, Lincoln Journal Star“Paul Johnsgard’s The Niobrara is one of the very best books—if not the very best—he has written. . . . [It] displays the variety of Johnsgard’s talents. It combines graceful readability with his own sketches in a book overflowing with the evolutionary history of the remarkable Niobrara Valley.”—Harold Andersen, Omaha World-Herald“Johnsgard's book is the ultimate reference guide for an amateur natural scholar. . . . The Niobrara is perfectly suited as a source for research projects in high school, beginning college students, and those with a long-established, deep interest in the river.”—Nebraska Life“This is a natural history of Nebraska’s most beautiful river, by a master biologist who is very familiar with the scientific literature of the Niobrara and its valley and watershed.”—Francis Moul, Lincoln Journal Star
£17.99
University of Nebraska Press Exceptional Mountains A Cultural History of the
Book SynopsisOffers a cultural history of the Pacific Northwest volcanoes and the environmental impact of outdoor recreation in this region. It probes the relationship betweenthese volcanoes and regional identity, particularly in the era of mass mountaineering and population growth in the Northwest.Trade Review"I heartily recommend Exceptional Mountains to anyone interested in how we interact with our wild places."—David Abrams, Quivering Pen"Outdoorspeople will likely find much in Exceptional Mountains that will help them rethink their outdoor experiences. Likewise, anyone interested in understanding regional American identity, park management, and changing uses of wilderness will find stories of interest."—Rachel S. Gross, H-Environment"Exceptional Mountains touches on many of the issues in the Northwest that also are confronting our national parks."—Kurt Repanshek, National Parks Traveler"As a call to action Weltzien's book is motivating and recommended reading for wilderness resource managers and users, especially climbers."—Jeff L. Smoot, Western American Literature"The book is strong in its examination of cultural attitudes and informative in its history of mass mountain sports. . . . Weltzien articulates well the attraction of the mountains and the threat that very attraction brings."—Judy Bentley, Pacific Historical Review“Part environmental humanities treatise and part memoir, Weltzien’s study illuminates the cultural meaning of mountain wilderness.”—Scott Slovic, coeditor of Literature and the Environment: A Reader on Nature and Culture “Open[s] up new approaches to mountain literature, where historical, environmental, commercial, and literary viewpoints make clearer why and how we have sanctified these high-altitude monuments. You won’t hike or look at these mountains again in the same way after reading this remarkable book.”—Bill Lang, author of Confederacy of Ambition: William Winlock Miller and the Making of Washington Territory“To live under the volcano with Weltzien is to hike, sometimes anxiously, through fields of sociology, tourism, urban planning, and ecology—then to pause to contemplate lava domes, landscape painting, and indoor climbing walls. A book to engage both climbers and watchers.”—Laurie Ricou, author of The Arbutus/Madrone Files: Reading the Pacific NorthwestTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction 1. The Legacy of Exceptionalism 2. Standard Routes, Standard Highways 3. Cities and Their Volcanoes 4. Green Consumerism and the Volcanoes 5. Wilderness and Volcanoes 6. Volcanoes and Crowds Epilogue Notes Bibliography Index
£28.80
University of Nebraska Press This River Beneath the Sky A Year on the Platte
Book SynopsisBlends memoir and nature writing, tracking the Platte River valley for one calendar year, ushering readers through its diverse and changing landscape and the plants, animals, and humans that call the ecosystem home.Trade Review“This articulate and compelling account of the history of crane country in Nebraska follows the seasons over a landscape that hosts in spring the planet’s greatest gathering of cranes. Doreen Pfost elegantly weaves together the story of these magnificent ambassadors for things wild and free in a part of our planet that humans have transformed in recent centuries, but where ancient wildlife spectacles still happen.”—George Archibald, cofounder of the International Crane Foundation “Doreen Pfost’s personal homage to Nebraska’s Platte River is a powerful collection of twelve essays encompassing a year, bounded by its spring crane migration. They reveal a Willa Cather–like affection for the place and its people and an Aldo Leopold–like capacity to describe its wildlife, especially the iconic sandhill cranes.”—Paul A. Johnsgard, author of Seasons of the Tallgrass Prairie: A Nebraska YearTable of ContentsAcknowledgments1. Swept Up in a Wind-Borne River: March and Early April2. Regarding the Aftermath: Late April3. Trails and Consequences: May4. Rooted in Sand: June5. Of Legendary Worth: July6. River Walkers: August and September7. Flickering Light on the Flyway: October and Early November8. Outside Home: Late November9. This Living Planet: December10. Teaching Ourselves to See: January11. Wonders Close to Home: February12. Swept Up, Still and Again: MarchBibliography
£14.24
Louisiana State University Press A Louisiana Coastal Atlas
Book SynopsisThrough a wide range of demographic, economic, social, and environmental data, A Louisiana Coastal Atlas shows cartographically how the inherent resilience of coastal communities manifests itself over time.
£54.40
University of Pennsylvania Press Describing Early America
Book SynopsisA study of William Bartram's "Travels", Thomas Jefferson's "Notes on the State of Virginia", and J Hector St John de Crevecoeur's "Letters from an American Farmer" that situates them within two important intellectual traditions: the literature of travel and the science of natural history.Trade Review"Regis offers a valuable and challenging revision of contemporary understanding of her subjects' literary purposes and the place of these texts in American literary history." * American Literature *"So much has been written about Thomas Jefferson's Notes on the State of Virginia, William Bartram's Travels, and St. John de Crèvecoeur's Letters from an American Farmer that one might suppose that nothing new could be said about them. Yet, drawing on modes of analysis supplied by writers as diverse as Edmund Burke, Arthur O. Lovejoy, Michel Foucault, and Clifford Geertz, Pamela Regis has constructed an interpretive context which views these well-known texts from a new perspective." * Times Higher Education Supplement *Table of ContentsPrologue: Recovering a Lost Paradigm 1. Natural History in Context 2. Description and Narration in Bartram's Travels 3. Jefferson and the Department of Man 4. Crèvecoeur's "Curious observations of the naturalist" 5. The Passing of Natural History and the Literature of Place
£21.59
Rutgers University Press The Raritan River Our Landscape Our Legacy
Book SynopsisOn the banks of the old Raritan, environmental expert Judy Shaw gives readers a tour of the remarkable river, a major waterway 90 miles long, with 2,000 miles of tributary streams and brooks that twists and turns from its source in Morris County, down to the Raritan Bay. It is the longest river that is completely within New Jersey, includes the state’s largest contiguous stretch of wildlife habitat, and runs through one of the most populated areas of the United States.The Raritan River shows New Jersey for what it is—home to some of the most beautiful scenery in the country. This lavishly illustrated book tells the story of an amazing region where protected environments coexist with land left in ruins by rampant industrialization and where the reckless pursuit of commerce scarred the lands along its banks. Shaw argues that as we work to protect this historically wooded and agricultural land from further development, we need to replace our outmodTrade Review"Judy Shaw focuses on the incredible array of dedicated individuals and organizations who work to restore the Queen of Rivers to its former grandeur. As someone who canoed the Raritan in my youth, and who has lived along its banks, I salute the unsung heroes featured here, as well as the vibrant partnerships that serve as a model for citizens everywhere who would save and enjoy their own rivers.” -- Michael Catania * Executive Director, Duke Farms *Table of ContentsForeword by Michael R. Greenberg Preface Acknowledgments Acronyms Artist Gallery I Introduction: The Tapestry of Our Connections Part One: Defining Our Place and Our Role Chapter 1 The Headwaters: The North Branch and the South Branch Chapter 2 The Central Region: The Millstone Watershed Chapter 3 The Main Stem and Raritan Bay Connecting Our Environment to Our World (Web Section) Part Two: Connecting Our Communities Chapter 4 Restoring and Protecting Our Landscape Chapter 5 Reconnecting with the River Chapter 6 Where Do We Go from Here? Artist Gallery II Appendix A: Photographers and Artists Appendix B: Municipalities in the Watershed by County Appendix C: Internet Resources Notes Sources Index
£27.90
University of Arizona Press Desert Solitaire
Book Synopsis
£32.21
University of Arizona Press The Lessening Stream
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£24.71
University of Georgia Press Gullies of My People An Excavation of Landscape
Book SynopsisWhile scouting sites for geology field trips, John Lane encountered gullies created between the Civil War and the 1930s contributed to by his mother’s tenant farming family. This brush with the poor farming practices of the past leads Lane into an exploration of his family’s complicated history and of the larger forces that have shaped the region.Trade ReviewIn his extraordinary book, Gullies of My People, John Lane—poet and naturalist—tells us: there is wonder in both discovering who you are and how you got there. This work is just that, an enlightening journey over and through the physical land an extended family traversed as well as the personal journey of one man with particular attention to the mother who raised him— his bedrock, despite the many hardships and losses along the way. The metaphorical connections are powerful and produce a compelling and resonant family portrait." - Jill McCorkle, author of Hieroglyphics"Gullies of My People is a lyrical work of ‘geo-autobiography’ that simultaneously, or rather in a pattern of layered stratigraphy, explores the author’s home place in the Piedmont region of South Carolina and his family history. Back and forth, back and forth, the narrative progresses from depictions of the land, particularly the overgrown and neglected—but deeply storied—gullies of the region, to ever deepening depictions of key members of Lane's family." - Scott Slovic, author of Ecoambiguity, Community, and Development: Toward a Politicized Ecocriticism"John Lane brilliantly uses the Piedmont South’s erosive past to cut through and make visible the accreted layers of his own family history. Gullies of My People is the kind of peopled nature writing this wounded region needs.” - Paul S. Sutter, author of Let Us Now Praise Famous Gullies: Providence Canyon and the Soils of the South
£26.19
Ohio University Press Gardening for Moths A Regional Guide
Book SynopsisLoaded with stunning color photographs, this practical guidebook, which encompasses the identification of moths, their caterpillars, and their vital roles in midwestern ecosystems, shows gardeners how to use native plants to attract these essential, but often overlooked and misunderstood, insects.Trade ReviewWe love our beautiful butterflies, but we could love our moths, too, if we fully appreciated their essential role in nature. Moths and their caterpillars transfer more energy from plants to other animals than any other herbivores. A landscape without moths is a landscape without birds and many other animals. In Gardening for Moths, Jim McCormac and Chelsea Gottfried tell us how to bring these wonderful creatures into our landscapes and into our lives. -- Doug Tallamy, author of Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native PlantsTable of ContentsIntroduction 1 Moths—History, Folklore, Importance, Conservation, Observation Recommended Moth Plants 37 Moth Profiles 129 Acknowledgments 243 Appendix 245 Recommended Host Plant Quick Reference Lists Glossary 249 Resources 253 Sources 255 Image Credits 257 Index 261
£26.09
