Edward Fox Books

I'm not sure how reviews about Lew Welch got attached to this record, but this is Ed Dorn's Selected Poems. I am very sorry to see that it's out of print because this excellent selection and Etruscan Book's High West Rendezvous together make up the best sampling of Dorn's work I've read outside of Gunslinger. (Read Gunslinger too.) I dream of the day a complete Poems appears, but until then the best of the best can be rounded up in this Selected and High West Rendezvous (for his later work). Both are recommended without reservation.

Buy and enjoy the whole thing (Ring of Bone) instead. Lew Welch may have been less certain about this and that, most of his life, than this selection or refinement suggests. When a writer disappears suddenly, the entire remaining mess is often interesting. Selections reveal much about their editors, of course.

Lew Welch experimented with Life in These United States before choosing the Life of Poetry. Ring of Bone, collected and lightly/deftly edited and introduced by Donald Allen shortly after Lew's disappearance, reveals a man with more open eyes/ears and wider empathy than fellow (and dearly beloved) sons-of-witches who never wavered. Or never obviously wavered. Or never wavered all the way out of this world without a trace. The difference in tone and impact between this book and a later selection edited by Gary Snyder is profound. Amazon treats both as same for review purposes, but this is not so. Currently on back order, which is a bit frightening, since much of the less elegantly crafted or only semi-finalized writing included in this collection but absent from Selected Poems feels essential to me. Not just what Lew himself may have imagined, in the end, he should have written and released, but a wide smattering of what he did write, the bulk of the whole thing. In a clamshell.

This book was my first introduction to Lew Welch and I came out of it feeling as if I knew him. It includes poems, songs and even a couple drawings by him and in its own dizzying way documents Welch's search for his totem animal. Early in his life he feels he is Leo, a lion, but eventually accepts that he is a turkey buzzard. Full of nuances and silliness, I have to read it four more times to unravel his (then) contemporary and ancient allusions.

One example of his simple brilliance:

(included in a section in which he sums up his education, subject by subject)

BOTANY

Consider the Passion Flower:

Who'd ever think a plant would go to/ so much trouble

just to get f--ked/ by a Bee.

Edward Marston is the pseudonym of Keith Miles, a fairly prolific and extremely good writer of mainly Elizabethan and medieval mysteries. He has also written mysteries under his own name with both sporting and golf backgrounds. However it is primarily the books that take place earlier in history that I am interested in. He read modern history at Oxford and has had many jobs, including university lecturer, but fortunately for all his readers, he turned to the writing profession.

After reading the first book in the series, I avidly sought out all the other books by Edward Marston and not a single one has ever disappointed me. They are about a period of history that I love. His Elizabethan theatre series of books were wonderful and he has continued them through from 1988 to 2006. The Domesday series is also a great series and this is the second book in the series.

The Domesday series is about a period in England's history shortly after the Norman conquest , during the reign of William the Conqueror. It was King William himself who called for an `inventory' to assess taxes and survey landholdings. This inventory was called the Domesday book and was a tremendous undertaking, but one that brought stability to England. Edward Marston's Domesday novels are based upon actual entries in the Domesday Book.

Ralph Delchard, a Norman soldier and his friend and associate Gervase Bret are on business for King William I, better known as the Conqueror. They have been called to settle a dispute between the Church and the State and are guests of the Earl. Even before they have a chance to look into the dispute strange events begin to happen. Who, for instance killed the Earl's finest hawk? Who is the hooded figure in the forest, who can be seen from the castle, but disappears into thin air when anyone goes out to look for them? Finally, who is the well guarded prisoner in the castle dungeon.

This is a great series. The setting and characters combine to yield a wonderful sense of historic place -- 11th Century Britain. This entry is set along the Welsh border, and Hugh,the Earl of Chester, has a Welsh prince in his dungeon to ensure the peace.

The Welsh, however, seem to be on the war path again, as a Welsh arrow kills the Earl's prize hawk, and a second arrow kills his favorite huntsman.

Protagonist Ralph Delchard, a Norman lord assigned to settle land disputes on behalf of the King, arrives to sort out some alleged land-grabbing, and finds himself in the middle of a simmering border war. As usual, the supporting characters -- an assortment of clerics and noblemen -- lend the novel plenty of twists and turns. A fun read.

William the Conqueror sent his Royal Commissioners throughout England to determine who truly owned the lands and how much taxes should be collected on the estates. Ralph Delchard and Gervase Bret visit the King's nephew, the Earl of Chartier, Hugh d'Avranches, who rules his lands with an iron fist. Hugh has subdued the nearby Welsh, but has had problems with a stealth enemy attacking from nowhere.

While the Earl hunts in his personal playground of Delamere Forest, an unknown assailant kills one of his falcons. Hugh retaliates by murdering two Saxon peasants. The next day, Hugh hunts again and another arrow lands near him. In both incidents, a Welsh arrow was used. Hugh believes the Welsh is trying to assassinate him. As the warrior Earl prepares for battle, Ralph and Gervase try to keep the peace.

Edward Marston is an author noted for his ability to entertain while educating his audience. Focusing on the era following Hastings, Mr. Marston provides varying perspective of life from the viewpoints of Saxons, Normans, and Welshmen. The protagonists stay in character as expected from two members of the ruling class, which adds to the eleventh century feel of the novel. As usual from Mr. Marston, the story line is filled with exciting action, but the plot of THE HAWKS OF DELAMERE (and the previous six chronicles) belong to the cast.

Harriet Klausner

Fortunately, I picked up Larson's "Summer for the Gods" and this book at the same time. Since there are so many characters in the trial, it was very useful to have a companion book to look at while going through Larson's sometimes dense prose. One does not have to look far in this book to see that the trial was one of the first examples of the prototypical "media circus" Overall, a very highly recommended companion piece for anybody interested in the trial.

When I was in high school I read L. Sprague de Camp's account of "The Great Monkey Trial," became enamored of H. L. Mencken, and was fascinated with Dudley Field Malone's speech in Dayton. My interest in the Scopes Trial was such that eventually I used it as my dissertation topic. Since that time I have continued to collect materials about the trial and have followed contemporary versions of the 1925 battle between science and religion with quite some interest. It is certainly nice to have such an extension collection of photographs from the trial, especially since I have not seen most of the 38 shots. For me the best of the "new" photographs is of Rabbi Herman Rosennasser delivering a mock class in biblical translation. Having heard of the rabbi's fascinating translation of Genesis from Hebrew into German and then into English to make its meaning compatible with the theory of evolution. Except for shots of the monkeys that were brought to Dayton, all of the photographs are full page shots covering all of the major players and the fun both inside and outside of the Rhea County Courthouse. There seems to have been a concerted effort not to include a lot of the traditional shots (e.g., Judge Raulston and the jury posing outside the courthouse).

The introduction by Edward Caudill, author of "Darwinian Myths: The Legends and Misues of a Theory" provides a 20-page of the drama in Dayton that covers the passage of the Butler Act, the ACLU's decision to intervene, the defense putting Bryan on trial and the legacy of the case. It is a concise coverage of the multi-faceted trial, certainly superior to the mostly erroneous treatments found in so many reference books that confuse the play/film "Inherit the Wind" with the actual trial. Jesse Fox Mayshark, a senior editor of a Knoxville weekly newspaper, provides an afterword "Seventy-five Years of Scopes" that provides some nice insights into what the trial has meant to the State of Tennessee. Since the volume is published by the University of Tennessee Press this is not particularly suprising, but it is a topic that has been pretty much dismissed in the past and I found it quite interesting.

What I really liked were the photo captions provided by Edward J. Larson, who won the 1998 Pulitizer prize for history for his book on the Scopes Trial, "Summer for the Gods." Whereas Caudill provides the groundwork for the photographs, Larson provides the detail work. Certainly it would be worth your while to have read Larson's book before you go through these photographs. The more you know about the Scopes Trial the more you will appreciate what you are seeing and reading in this photographic history.

Personally I would have liked to have seen portraits of my hero Malone and A. T. Stewart, the true head of the prosecution in Dayton, because the importance of those two men in the trial is always underplayed in the literature. The most glaring photographic ommissions of course would be the celebrated cross-examination of William Jennings Bryan by Clarence Darrow that took place on a platform on the courthouse lawn. I have seen a half-dozen photographs of this infamous confrontation and am surprised one is not included. But since the photos came from the collections of W.C. Robinson (he ran the drug store in Dayton where the plan for the trial was hatched) and Sue K. Hicks, I have to temper my disappointment. Overall this is certainly a first class presentation of a collection of photographs.

Lost in the many legendary treatments of the Scopes trial are the details of the local context. Every event of mythic proportions about ideas also involves ordinary people in real surroundings. This brief photographic history provides that background, while correcting many of the popular misconceptions about the trial. This book contains many worthwhile details of how the case came to occur in Dayton, Tennessee and the lasting effects on Tennessee. The legislature continued to toy with evolution as a subject, even in the 1990s.

The case itself was pretty much a put-up job. Dayton had been on the economic skids for years. The ACLU wanted a test case of the new Tennessee criminal statute barring the teaching of evolution. Whoever prosecuted someone under the law could make a few extra dollars for the local community with the expected publicity. The local leaders in Dayton asked the new teacher, John Scopes, if he would be willing to go along. He was, and the rest is history.

The photographs capture a sense of the town at the time, and the festival atmosphere. They are not particularly outstanding photographs, but do add a note of reality to something that is otherwise very abstract to many of us. The captions that go with them are quite extensive.

I enjoyed the introduction by Edward Caudill that filled in many gaps in my understanding of the trial's background.

I graded the book down one star for the considerable repetition among the introduction, the captions, and the afterword. With more editing, this could have been a more compact and vital volume.

Like many important events where ideas clash, the physical reality is less important than the judicial precedent of contesting the right of ideas to be expressed in a few society. If you had a photographic history of the Magna Carta, the document itself and its application would still be the main story. The same is true of the photographs around the Scopes trial. The publicity around the case had more significance than the trial itself. It served to rally both scientific thinkers and fundamental religionists to their respective causes.

How can public debate advance understanding and cooperation rather than division? That question seems to be the heritage of this famous trial. In today's world, abortion seems to be playing a similar dividing role. What is missing to create progress on such a powerfully troubling issue?

May you always find the words to frame better questions, that reveal new understanding for all!

A body is found by a pack of fox hounds belonging to the constable of Warwick Castle. The body is that of a former member of the constable's household and Sir Henry the constable swears to find the killer.
By chance the Domesday Commissioners Ralph Delchard and Gervase Bret, have been sent to the Warwick area to adjudicate on some land disputes. They believe that a man arrested by Sir Henry seem to be an unlikely suspect. They believe that Sir Henry has jumped to the wrong conclusion, but they have little time to save the life of the suspect.
Edward Marston has a complete mastery of his craft and his plots are well thought out and all the more believable for that. His books on medieval England are up there with the best.

While on a hunt with his hounds, local constable Henry Beaumont finds the crushed corpse of Martin Reynard. Outraged that the homicide occurred on his lands and to a former employee of his, Henry investigates the crime. Having no experience on murder cases, Henry ignores motive and opportunity to decide that only the blacksmith had the means i.e., the strength to perform this odious act. Henry places the big man in the dungeon.

William the Conqueror's Domesday commissioners Ralph Delchard and Gervase Bret head an entourage handling a local land dispute. When the King's team learn of Henry's rush to judgment, they feel the constable did not do an adequate investigation. They begin their own inquiries into what really happened to Martin.

THE FOXES OF WARWICK is a superb eleventh century mystery that brings the era to life as rarely seen in a novel though the period graces myriad of books. The story line is insightful, vividly descriptive, and contains a fabulous who-done-it with a rational twist of an ending. The characters are warm and feel real, making the age seem even more colorful for the audience. The Domesday series is one of the best medieval mystery collections on the market and author Edward Marston has written a tale worthy of award consideration.

Harriet Klausner

How important can archeology be today? Unbelievably crucial. In this part of the world it is the justification for worldview, religion, the meaning of life. It seems all of the parties involved come off are charlatans, awful human beings, and trying to justify their own criminality via archeology. This poor Dr Glock gets ineptly kmixed up in it and gets himself killed.
No matter how complex the issues of Palestine/Israel appear, they are clearly more complicated. And they are international, national, and LOCAL.
The book is clearly written and fun to read. Do not expect an answer.
I would have liked even more archeology.

The phenomenon that catalyzes - and paralyzes -- the Israeli-Palestinian conflict seems to be the riddle of our age. By reopening this 1992 murder investigation, journalist Fox reveals how much wider a puzzle it is. Why has this patch of earth attracted so much political, cultural, and religious investment?

Investigating the murder of Dr. Albert Glock, director of the Palestinian Institute of Archaeology, Fox uncovers the key role Biblical archaeology, an opportunistic subdiscipline founded on the idea that the Bible is a true chronicle of history, has played in Palestine's tumultuous history.

Since the age of the Holy Roman Emperor Constantine, the field has been replete with religious charlatans and swashbuckling adventurers, generals and statesmen, all mining Palestine for biblical wonders to advance their own causes. Fox calls this "negative cosmopolitanism", meaning the identification of many people with one place -- the region's most insoluble problem.

Making the landscape fit the map has served the modern state of Israel, Fox claims, yet soon enough he admits his bias, writing that he "took to rooting for the Palestinian underdog."

Regarding the Hague Convention's 1954 prohibition of excavation in occupied territories, the author gleefully reports Professor Glock's circumventions, while reminding us "all respectable archaeologists" refrained from excavating, "except the Israelis."

A well-written, compelling account of the politics and various agendas of two centuries of archaeology in Palestine and Israel, as well as as a troubling and eye-opening study of social, political, and crime issues in Israel and the Occupied Territories in the '90s.

All I have to say is-

I've read it, and it's good, but I recommend this book's original version- Palestine Twilight. For some reason, the title was changed when it came to America, and some elements were edited out.

Caveat Emptor.

The fascinating world of Albert Glock is wasted in this wretched display of "yellow" journalism. The first 25 pages tempt the reader with Glock's difficult and languid childhood. After chapter 3, the author loses perspective of his topic, instead providing us with a hackneyed description of Glock's revolutionary methods to find the Palestinian's common ancestors.

Part two of "Sacred" squanders what could have been a fascinating study into the mind of the radical archaeologist. Instead we are presented with Fox's opinionated and, at times, churlish investigation of Glock's murder.

If Fox remembered the Birzeit professor's suggestion that the "answer lies in the archaeology", than perhaps he would have foraged deeper into the cultural and intellectual historical influences that formed his eccentric archeological methods.

Edward Marston is the pseudonym of Keith Miles, a fairly prolific and extremely good writer of mainly Elizabethan and medieval mysteries. He has also written mysteries under his own name with both sporting and golf backgrounds. However it is primarily the books that take place earlier in history that I am interested in. He read modern history at Oxford and has had many jobs, including university lecturer, but fortunately for all his readers, he turned to the writing profession.

After reading the first book in the series, I avidly sought out all the other books by Edward Marston and not a single one has ever disappointed me. They are about a period of history that I love. His Elizabethan theatre series of books were wonderful and he has continued them through from 1988 to 2006. The Domesday series is also a great series and this is the second book in the series.

The Domesday series is about a period in England's history shortly after the Norman conquest , during the reign of William the Conqueror. It was King William himself who called for an `inventory' to assess taxes and survey landholdings. This inventory was called the Domesday book and was a tremendous undertaking, but one that brought stability to England. Edward Marston's Domesday novels are based upon actual entries in the Domesday Book.

Norman soldier Ralph Delchard and his friend and associate the lawyer Gervase Bret arrive in Canterbury to settle a land dispute between the archbishop and head of the abbey. Ralph is newly married to a beautiful Saxon bride, Golde and he hopes that he and his new wife can make a tour of the famous cathedral and surrounding countryside. But their honeymoon plans are cut short and Ralph's investigation into the land dispute is put in turmoil when Bertha a 17-year-old is found dead in a holly path. Death appears to be from a snakebite and the who of the town is distressed by the young girl's premature death. However before long Ralph and Gervase are looking for something far more dangerous than a mere snake.

I really enjoy the main characters in this series, but the stories are so similar that I can simply scan the book and get enough of the plot to have my fill. Gervase and Ralph make a great team.

"The Serpents of Harbledown" is Volume V of the Domesday Books, and author A.E. Marston continues his Ralph Delchard and Gervase Bret series in a convincing manner!

Ralph and Gervase are dispatched to Canterbury to help solve a dispute between the cathedral and St. Augustine's Abbey involving some land, not to mention liturgical authority. This complementary duo are royal officials commissioned by King William to see that justice is meted out and the issue settled. The entourage includes Ralph's new bride (Golde), Canon Hubert, Brother Simon (all whom we've met in previous episodes) and their military retainers. They are eager to dispense their judicial findings.

Alas, a young girl is found dead and at first she is assumed to have died from a poisonous snake, as the teeth marks are readily seen. However, we soon begin to suspect more than accidental death and, true to Marston's nature, we have a full-blown mysstery on our hands. It will take all the logical skill Gervase has, the military bearing of Ralph, and the religious observances of the Canon and Brother Simon to unravel this conundrum. Before its solution, however, we find that, indeed, a serpent has invaded the community, in the form of heresy, and the story takes on even greater meaning.

Marston's fifth tale begins rather slowly, but with patience the reader will find that the narrative begins to jell and the desire to find out the solutions to all the problems compels one to complete the book. Marston seems to have some trouble with his dialogue, especially the passages involving Delchard and his new bride. These conversations borders readily on the stilted, as of course, even in 11th century England meaningful conversation between husband and wife would not be this formal! But that aside--and do push it aside--the book is worth reading through. Marston writes with a social conscience, especially as he deals with the leper issue, and, quite importantly, the relationship of the church with its dissident priests (who seem fully justified in their dissidence!). The author has also spent some time in the presentation of his characters, all the while trying to keep in mind that this is England just after the Norman conquest.

"The Serpents of Harbledown" ends another episode in the King's commissioners' efforts at demonstrating the king's justice, to Norman, Saxon, and Church member alike. Marston seems fully in command of his characters, his plot, and his themes.

(Billyjhobbs@tyler.net)

The Hungarian Who Walked To Heaven
Alexander Csoma De Koros 1784-1842
Edward Fox
Short Books 2001, $8.95/£4.99 p/b

This is a delightful short biography of an eccentric Hungarian scholar who became one of the fathers of Western studies of Tibetan culture. Educated at an austere Calvinist school until age 31, Csoma De Koros finally set out alone on a pilgrimage to the East, his mission: to discover the roots of the Hungarian people, whom he and others of the time theorized to be descended from Attila the Hun. Due to a Chinese decree restricting foreign entry to Tibet he was sadly never to reach Yarkand, where he hoped to find linguistic proof of the Cenral Asian origins of the Hungarian race. However on his way, via many adventures, misfortunes and disguises, he acquired around 14 languages, became one of the first Europeans to enter Ladakh, and compiled the first relatively reliable Tibetan-English dictionary. Supported and encouraged by the British vet and Superintendent of the East India Company's Stud, William Moorcroft, Csoma went on to study, with Lama Sangye Phuntsog in a remote monastery in Zanskar. For 16 months the two men studied the Tibetan language and vast canon in freezing conditions in a tiny 9 foot square cell. Csoma spent the last years of his life working for the Asiatic Society of Bengal in Calcutta, mastering Marathi, Bengali and Sanskrit, before dying of malaria on a final courageous attempt to travel across Tibet to Western China. A fascinating little book.
Padmakara

As a small person (4'10"), I have always had a fondness for small countries. As a geographer, I enjoy knowing about places most people have never heard of. And as a veteran armchair traveller... Well, this book could hardly miss with me. Edward Fox sets out to explore the mysteries of royalty by visiting a half-dozen small, non-European kingdoms and attempting to meet their respective kings, with varying success. Dressed in his official king-meeting costume of a blue Brooks Brothers suit and tie, Fox meets with royal responses that cover the spectrum: casual affability in Tonga, fierce hostility in Swaziland, democratic divinity on Java. Meeting King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV of Tonga was a snap. Fox simply made an appointment for an interview. He could also observe the King on His Majesty's daily royal bicycle ride cum motorcade. On the other hand, he spent weeks chasing after Sultan Qaboos of Oman as the King made tours and military inspections up and down his nation. Finally Fox gave up hope of an interview, contenting himself with a bow and a limp handshake in a receiving line. Fox met a fair number of Yourba kings, of whom there are roughly 700 in all of Nigeria. Having lost their temporal power to the central government, they are primarily leaders of traditional Yourba religion. Yet kings are usually chosen on the basis of wealth and professional background, not for their knowledge of and belief in these traditions. The Ataoja of Oshogbo was a well-educated, devout Muslim, and thus found himself caught in a serious spiritual dilemma. Besides his own religious duties, his daughter was required by tradition to be high priestess of Oshun, the Yourba Venus, and preside at the goddess's annual festival. Another Royal Annoyance was an Austrian sculptress and sincere devotee of the Yourba gods who, during her 40-year residence in Oshogbo has made the town the cultural capital of Yourba, turned Oshun's grove into a sculpture garden, and erected (if you'll pardon the expression) an ithyphallic statue on the palace grounds. Not the sort of decoration a pious Muslim usually wants to see in his front yard. A monarch's lot is not a happy one! Swaziland turned out to be downright hostile. On his request for an interview, Fox was told, "I have just been in England. I didn't see the Queen Mother. Do you think I could have seen the Queen Mother just like that?" The author's only sight of King Mswati II was at the performance of a long, boring public ritual ("Take your hands out of your pockets and stand still!" he was scolded after about two hours). But he did manage to meet Maja II, king of the Mamba clan, whose ancestor was given royal title and dignity by Mswati II's ancestor in 1819. Most Swazis don't know he exists, and the Mamba kingship is omitted from all official Swazi histories. Fox met Maja II at His Anonomyous Majesty's butcher shop, where they had a chat and a smoke, and Fox took a photo of the King posing beside his pickup truck. Fox's last royal pilgrimage was to the island of Java and Hamengkubuwono X, Sultan of Yogyakarta, whose kingship has become entirely spiritual. As a disciple hoping to be accepted by a guru, Fox knew his quest would require patience. He moved into a hotel where no one spoke English, took no tourist excursions, bought no souvenirs, and settled down to read "War and Peace" while waiting for his contacts to turn something up. Step by step, contact by contact, Fox closed in on his goal: a highly formal interview, with interpreter, in which the Sultan was as democratic as he could manage. He wasn't exactly Maja II with his pickup, but he went so far as to acknowledge and show interest in Fox's gift, which is more than the cycling Taufa'ahau of Tonga did. Our last glimpse of Hamengkubuwono X is of His Majesty enthusiastically playing soccer in the rain, and afterward handing out gifts of soccer balls and jerseys to his subjects and fellow-players.

This book reads at first like a not very skillful journalistic whodunnit about the unsolved murder of an archaeologist during the final, more violent stages of the first Palestinian uprising (1987-1993)against the Israeli occupation (1967 to the present). As I read on, however, Fox's choice of archaeology as a prism through which to view the conflict became increasingly more revealing. In addition to exhibiting quite a good grasp of both Palestinian and Israeli everyday life, Fox also explains how archaeology has been used both by Christian colonial or orientalist projects and by the Zionist movement to justify their influence or rule over Israel-Palestine. Even the name, the Holy Land, transforms the region into a symbol connected more to its past and to its textual existence than to its living present. Whereas Christian pilgrims and biblical scholars were more interested in the Christian and biblical past of the area, Zionists, and, later, the Israeli administration, were anxious to expose as much archaeological evidence as possible for the ancient presence and continuous existence of Jewish communities in what is present-day Israel, as well as in the occupied Palestinian territories. Moslem and Arab heritage and remains, abundant in the region, have been consistently marginalised by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). Fox explains why it is that many of Israel's most famous archeologists were also generals. And it is no coincidence that the IAA official responsible for archaological excavations in the Occupied Territories is an acting army officer. When Palestinians decided not only to research and record the lives of Palestinians who had lived in the same region prior to the founding of the state of Israel (1948), but also to name that research 'archaeology', they were recognising and challenging a deeply ideologised field in Israel.
In postcolonial studies, archaeology has been used as a metaphor for the attempt to unearth, retrieve and partially regain the lost marks of a culture destroyed by colonialism. In this context, Palestine Twilight reads Palestinian resistance as an anti- or post-colonial project in more ways than one.
However, the book is not a propaganda text for the Palestinian cause. An extensive part of the book describes the mistrust fostered within Palestinian society during the uprising and the widening circles of murder based on accusations of collaboration, coupled with a tightening of conservative norms, expecially dangerous for young Palestinian women.
I learned alot from this book, and recommend it not so much for its literary merits as for its social and political insights.

On the whole, Ruppert & Fox have developed a very useful, easy to read field guide. Indeed, this is probably the best general purpose field guide for Southeast marine invertebrates available (it is also far better than the comparable Peterson guides). This guide is perfect for people who are just beginning to explore the marine environment, or for people who do not necessarily need to unequivically identify organisms to the species level. Overall, most hobby-level naturalists will find this an excellent addition to their libraries.

That said, however, no field guide is without flaws and this one has several. First, when you attempt to identify organisms, you find that taxa are arranged in a haphazard fashion. In a (poor) attempt to make ID's easy, the authors have forsaken the traditional taxonomic organization of phyla and have ordered them according to general morphological appearance. Second, with the descriptions provided, it is often very difficult to distinguish among con-geners. Finally, the authors have included lots "just so" natural history information. Although this certainly spices up the reading, many of the stories are unfounded. As an example: the authors claim that the Sargassum Sea Slug (Scyllaea pelagica) feeds on the floats of sargassum weed, which then provide the slug with buoyancy. This is not true. The "floats" inside Scyllaea are actually camoflaged hepatic organs.

Although these problems don't detract from the general usefulness of the guide, they are distracting, and at times misleading. Overall, though, this is an excellent resource and a must for all Atlantic (USA) marine naturalists.