F Books

As a war veteran myself, I have never found a more absorbing, accurate and sincere attempt to capture the true emotions of combatants, their loved ones, and all others involved in the major conflichts of the ninteenth, twentieth and twenty-first centuries. A must read for anyone interested in getting an unbiased glimpse into the thoughts of those who were affected by war.

I purchased this book recently and could not put it down.Who better to tell a story than the ones who lived it?The letters are not only from the soldiers who fought on either side of a conflict,but from the very people who lived through them.The accounts are graphic in many cases and I now have a better understanding of the horrible reality of it all.The historical quips help with the insight as to what was going on at the time of the letter.Its a great read by an outstanding author who has done so much for our troops.

BEHIND THE LINES is a powerful collection of fragments of thoughts that were initiated over the past two hundred plus years of war scars. Andrew Carroll continues his commitment to bring the reality of war to the forefront of our attention and I know no better manner for anti-war statements than the words found in this illuminating and horrifying book.

Carroll approaches war as a panacea - an evil that has been with us around the globe for centuries and just continues unabated. Many poets and writers are struggling to make the public cognizant of the horrors of war, but Carroll scans American involvement in wars from the Revolutionary War to the present and in doing so he demonstrates the madness that we must learn to stop.

Letters, documents, memos, soldiers' notes as well as civilians' responses fill these pages, some eloquent, some simply pitiful, and some stoic as well as some encouraging. The messages are not skewed in a way that makes Carroll seem like he is ranting. Rather he lets the words of the living and the dead speak truths far larger than fiction.

This is a beautifully conceived volume that for the sake of the survival of civilization belongs on the reading desks of everyone. Tough reading, this, but enormously informative and important. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, August 05

Andy Carroll's last book - War Letters - showed what war is like by reprinting letters of American combatants who had ac-tually fought those wars. (I should confess that one of my letters about Vietnam was reprinted in that book.)

Andy's new book - Behind The Lines - shows what war is like with reprints of letters from both combatants and non-combatants - civilian women and children. This book also in-cludes letters written by non-Americans as well as Americans.

Andy limited the letters to those from the wars in which America was involved. Thsee wars range from the Revolutionary War (there's a great letter from a Hessian soldier [Hessians were German soldiers "leased" to Great Britain to fight as mer-cenaries] giving his impressions of America and the poor fighting ability of the rebels), the Civil War, World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam (there's a good letter from a soldier asking his parents to forgive him for having killed a man in combat), Kosovo and Gulf Wars I and II.

While many letters deal with combat, other letters show the many faces of war. At times, war can be terrifying, funny, ab-surd, touching and hilarious. (You know you've been fighting too long when the same incident strikes you as both terrifying and hilarious.)

One letter was a love letter written by a California woman to a Swiss national. In fact, the letter was complete fabrication. The Swiss national actually was a German spy traveling in Great Britain during WWII. The letter was created to make his cover seem more believable.

One letter was from a brother who had enlisted in the Union army in the U.S. Civil War. He wrote to berate his brother for having enlisted in the Confederate army.

One letter was from a German wife to her husband's company commander. She requested that her husband be given a leave "because of our sexual relationship." She wanted her husband to come home so they can have sex. The commander's sym-pathetic reply is included in the book.

One letter writer came up with a list of "The Army's Ten Commandments," which should bring a smile to anyone who served in the Army. Commandment number four is, "Thou shall not laugh at second lieutenants."

One writer came up with a letter filled with multiple choice op-tions. By checking various options, he could either proclaim his undying love or write about an upcom-ing/imminent/current/recent military offensive.

Several letter writers tried to warn their families that they should prepare for a slight adjustment period when the men come home. One Vietnam writer warned, "If it should start raining, pay no attention to his joyous scream as he strips naked, grabs a bar of soap, and runs outdoors for a shower." (As a Vietnam veteran, I found that letter puzzling. Doesn't everybody shower that way?)

The book is divided into several themes that illustrate the dif-ferent faces of war: friendship; combat; laughing though the tears; civilians caught in the crossfire; and the aftermath of war.

As a Vietnam Infantry pointman and squad leader, I view a book about war differently from most people. Andy's book showed me a side of war I had never considered - its impact on non-combatants - who could neither run away (what any sane person does when people are trying to kill him) nor fight (if you're going to die anyway, why not die fighting?).

The book also showed me what I already knew from my own experience: that war changes forever those touched by it.

One Vietnam veteran was haunted by the fact that several of his comrades had died rescuing him after he was seriously wounded. So decades after the end of the Vietnam war, he left a letter at the Vietnam Memorial thanking those men for their sacrifice. That letter is included in the book.

Don't buy this book if you are looking for stories about triumphant soldiers marching in victory parades in front of cheering, grateful crowds. That's not the side of war that Andy wanted to show. Instead, the book shows the side of war that doesn't make the 5:00 TV news.

You will need to read this book in small doses because the emotional impact of the letters can be overwhelming. In Los Angeles I attended a reading of selected letters from the book. One of the speakers read a letter he had written as a Jewish teenager while riding in a sealed railway car on his way to a German concentration camp. The letter told his sister how much he loved her. He pushed the finished letter through a hole in the side of the railway car and hoped that a kind peasant would find and mail it to his sister. One did.

This is a great book!! I really enjoyed reading it, and found myself unable to put it down. The book gives readers a better understanding of what soldiers and their families go through. After reading this book, I believe I have a better appreciation for our Veterans and our troops serving our country. Definately a recommended book in my opinion.

This book, as it was written, is a masterpiece of natural history. It is a contribution to humanistic biology that has style and description that is uncrippled by the invidious academic flatulence of the professional "scientist". It makes no pretensions. It was written by a man fascinated by the tidal seashore and the animals found therein. Read it and read it well.
Then read "Beyond the Outer Shores" by Eric Enno Tamm an unconventional biography of Ricketts that does full justice to the man and the myths.
Having gone through these impressive volumes I hope you will join me in despising Stanford University Press for what they did to Ricketts before his death and for allowing David Phillips to desecrate his memory in Edition Five.

This is probably THE serious book to have if one is going to immerse oneself in the California intertidal. Originally produced by Ed Ricketts (of Steinbeck/Cannery Row/Log From The Sea Of Cortez fame) the book has been upgraded, revised, re-edited by a plethora of "co-authors" since Ricketts' untimely death. It still retains much of Ricketts' then-revolutionary Habitat focus, which will either work for you (it does for me) or annoy the hard-core systematists out there. This ISN'T a light book to lug into the field or a light book to read -if you are just day-tripping The UC Press has a number of smaller & more accessibly illustrated field guides that I would reccomend, But if you are seriously into mmarine Bio and have some time on your hands along the California Coastline, you owe it to yourself to get this book. Even here on the Coast of Maine and twenty years removed from the West I still fid myself referring to it...

This is a timeless classic, very readable as the author puts you in a place (rocky intertidal or a mudflat) and then describes the animals you will see. It is written with a wise eye and wry humor. The long lived sea anemone in Scotland that was done in after 80 some years by the "ineptitude of (we suspect) a botanist".
It is more specific to central California, but still useful in Southern Calif and the northern coast as well.

This is an amazing book. It was a landmark in its time, and is still useful today.

I can't believe that someone else has not reviewed this excellent guide to the intertidal biota of the Pacific Coast. This book has set the standard for reference guides to marine life along the Pacific Coast, as well as other locations. It is much more than a field guide -- though it also serves that role. This book describes the intertidal zonation patterns of the Pacific Coast as well as the ecology and aspects of the natural history of the organisms that live there. The book contains good taxonomic references as well. This is the book that many of the country's marine scientists cut their professional teeth on. If you are interested in marine biology, the diversity of life, or the ecology of nearshore habitats, this book is definitely for you. The main strength of the book is the logical organization by type of habitat and vertical elevation on the intertidal zone. The main challenge of a book like this is to remain up to date, which the publisher has managed by producing revised editions on regular basis. This book is a must for any field or arm chair marine naturalist!

Billy Running Dog is an authentic and corrosive vision of hell. Alternately funny and tragic, it speaks to and for the forgotten and ignored; the humans that society feels most compfortable consigning to the trash heap. PETER COYOTE, Actor/Author

A powerful portrait of aspects of life that need examining. Highly recommended. VVA Veteran..Marc Leepson.

Wholly original and provocative. The characters are stikingly vivid and their images stay with the reader long after the book has ended. The Associated Press.

...a fascinating and intriguing story. Baffling and enlightening. It combines humor and insight, brilliant writing and a series of mysteries that absorbed me until the last page. I couldn't put it down and am glad I didn't. David Dellinger, member of "Chicago Seven"

I would ask that all my supporters make an effort to read my brother James Rayle's book Billy Running Dog.

In this well written, fast paced and content rich book, Shultz points out the importance of a good board. She makes anyone involved in corporate life aware that a board is a powerful capital asset. Proper selection is the key to success. The book describes in detail how to avoid the major pitfalls in the process. The work is based on in-depth interviews with many CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, Startups and Pre-IPOs, from whom she gleans fascinating information. The Board Book will reward those looking to maximize opportunities

The first, last, and only book you will ever need about boards. It's full of anecdotes, basic information and a variety of check lists to help any chairperson or board member function expertly.

Shultz's work has been a great help to me as a new board chair.
The many examples with analysis are an effective method for helping me understand the whats and the whys of board selection and roles.
She does not seem to be afraid to refere to actual examples of poor practices.
This book is not for you if you are not open to the notion of a truly independent board.
The checklists and appendecies are also very useful for reviewing board performance and/or setting-up a board.
I highly recommend this work if you are a board member, contemplating being a board member, or are creating a board.
My interests are primarily in the privatly held company boards. The majority of examples are for publicly traded companies, however the principles seem to transend the "type of organization " issue.

Joe McMullen

In this well written, fast paced and content rich book, Shultz points out the importance of a good board. She makes anyone involved in corporate life aware that a board is a powerful capital asset. Proper selection is the key to success. The book describes in detail how to avoid the major pitfalls in the process. The work is based on in-depth interviews with many CEOs from Fortune 500s, to Startups and Pre-IPOs, from whom she gleans fascinating information. The Board Book will reward those looking to maximize opportunities

As one who serves on several Boards of Directors and also one who reads a fair amount of corporate governance material, I found Susan Shultz's THE BOARD BOOK strongly on point. Sitting and "considering" directors as well as new and experienced CEO's will all benefit from reading the book.

Besides being based on lots of her own personal experience and research, Shultz's approach to making the book highly anecdotal lends a real-world tone to what is sometimes a legalistic approach to writing about the duties and practices of both CEO's and Boards.

I suggest that time would be well spent reading this book.

I never thought that I would try using something like this workbook, but I'm glad that I purchased it. It's an easy book to read and understand and the exercises have been very helpful so far. It isn't for JUST people with weight issues, but people who are dissatisfied with their facial features, thinning hair, height, etc. Highly recommended for anyone with problems with any physical features.

This is really a great book. If you don't like the way you look,have self-esteem issues, fears, or depression (all these may be caused by a poor body image), read this book.

Thomas Cash teaches you step by step how to overcome this crippling illusion and discover the beautiful person you are meant to be.

I would highly recommend this book.

I have found this workbook to be very thorough in professionally addressing the issues of body image for a variety of people. It provides a positive reference tool to those who seek greater self-confidence, self-awareness, and self-esteem.

I found this book to be one of the most helpful books I've read on overcoming body image issues. Everyone has body image issues to some extent. Others, like me, could have received many advanced degrees and done great things in the world had they successfully channeled bad body thoughts into something productive; like accepting oneself and learning to honor the body (and genetics) given to you. This book walks readers through a number of exercises designed to help first return to the core reasons (and identify humiliating public experiences) leading to a negative body image. The book then goes on to help the reader come to grips with their own expectations and realities surrounding their body image. My nutritionist is now "prescribing" this book to all of her patients. I highly recommend this book to anyone who struggles with never feeling fully comfortable in the skin you're in.

I never thought workbooks really work. I am on Step 6 in this book, and I am really beginning to notice a difference. I still have a negative body image, but I'm beginning to realize how much of my problem is related to my thoughts as opposed to my actual body. This book speaks to me on a very personal level, and has helped me realize that several people struggle with the same problem I do. I don't think I'll be totally cured by the time I finish the book, but I do think I'll improve my body image each day by practicing the steps in the book. It's a long process, but I truly believe this book will help me learn to love my looks!

I have very close ties and fond memories of rural California during the 1940's. Mr. Jeter was able to capture those memories and put them on paper - a rare gift. As well as enjoying the stories, I found his artwork delightful. I have recommended it to all my friends as: one of those books that makes you very sad when you are finished and realize that you have to leave this young man's adventures behind.

I read a chapter of this book every night before I go to sleep. It relaxes me and makes me smile. Author Bill Jeter's account of a happy boyhood takes me back to the summers that I spent in his neighborhood -- the California Sierra Mountains -- with my parents and relatives. Jeter writes from the viewpoint of a boy, in rich, descriptive language, and illustrates his adventures with delightful, pen-and-ink drawings. He has captured the high whistle of the winds, the pungent pine smell of forest air, the music of running brooks, and the unspoiled sweep of high meadow. His accounts of hiking, camping out, cleaning a rifle, hanging out at the general store, rafting on the nearby creek, and making his own rafts, backpacks, boomerangs, and kites, restore my faith in children's creativity and craftsmanship. I plan to read this book again and again. It makes me want all children to experience the beauty of growing up in nature, with parents who encourage them to do things for themselves.

Bill Jeter and I are old college friends and we shared may adventures as young adults.
The sincerity and truthfullness with which Bill recalls his boyhood was indeed refreshing and took me back to my youth many times. In talking with Bill he never refers to himself as a great writer, only a "creative rememberer." I believe that he only has the thought half right, he is a great writer

What a great glimpse into simpler times, before a TV in every house, before Game Boy, Nintendo and computers! A time when a kid used his imagination for entertainment. My 8 year old son had a great time reading this with me. We strongly recommend it for summertime reading!

Amazingly enjoyable book! I laughed and I cried as I followed Billy Jeter around in these true reminiscences of a young boys life in small town America. This author captures the essence of being a boy: making discoveries, a boy's imagination, creating adventure, innocent and hilarious mischief.

This was like reading about my own childhood. I could smell the smells, laugh at the laugh's, feel the "scardiness" of getting into trouble. The railroad adventure is a dream I always had, but never had the guts to do as a kid. I lived it finally, vicariously through Jeter's real life description.

His drawings give life to each story, and amazingly some of them look just like the stuff I was trying to create or play with as a kid. Except he did it a lot better.

Read this book if you want to re-live your life as a kid, or perhaps want to see what it should have been like. It has everything: nostalgia,memories, and a glimpse of a simpler and less ccyical time in life.

Brother Frank is the most caring, giving, loving, most wonderful person in the world. He is a perfect example of what the Lord can do in a life that most folks would say there is no hope for. I did not know Frank back in the day, but I know the man who the Lord shines through today. It is an honor and joy to call him friend.
The book is captivating and is one you will want to pass along to others to read.

I was 14 when I met brother Frank. He came to visit my congregation in 2000, and I remember sitting their in my seat crying as I listend to his testimony. Normally I would be bored out of my mind, but it was differnt, I cried...because I saw the love of God in this man. A man who has been through hell and back, and is living proof that a higher being does exist and that nothing is impossible. You can change your life around, if you just have faith. Later on that afternoon I got to go shake his hand, and he gave me hug and told me that he loved me and that God loved me to. He signed my book, his book actually, and gave it to me. I felt very honored! It is now three years later, I am seventeen...and unfortunatley I never got around to reading that book, until the other day. I had nothing else to read, so I was rummaging in boxes under my bed to find something good. It must have been the grace of God, because I suddenly pick up a dust covered book to find "Brother Frank". As I read the inscription something in me just tugged, I felt compelled to read it. In record time I finished the book in 2 days front to back, that's how much this book astounded me! It was wonderful! No book has made me ever feel so good about life, and shown even more signs that God is love. If you want to read a book that will touch your heart with both joy and sorrow than this is the book for you. I will never regret reading it, and will never regret believing in the power of my faith!

My daughter received an autographed copy of this book from Brother Frank, as she served him often in a popular diner she is a waitress at. She knew I was an avid reader of fact - not fiction - and said "You won't be able to put this down...". How right! This book is impossible to put down. Brother Frank writes explicitly, graphically, tenderly and most important from the heart. I would consider it a privilege to meet the author one day and shake the man of this hand whose life has been turned around by the touch of our Creator. Inspiration and encouraging. Nothing is impossible! This book, Brother Frank's life, proves this fact beyond a shadow of a doubt.

This is a True Compelling account of One persons Triumph from the streets of Newark New Jersey with its drugs, thugs and Generational Curses that plauge every major city in this world today.And How his rise to the top took him to the bottom.And as you take this Journey You see that this in many ways could be you,For Today More then ever before we need Jesus!-God Bless You Brother Frank!

Brother Frank is a true account of the life of a very remarkable man. I had no idea who he was or where he came from when we met. He gave me a copy of the book and I read it cover to cover in short order. In this day and age, skepticism comes easily to most, myself included. But let no one doubt the truth, sincerity and faith found in the pages of Frank Minucci's book. What an inspiration! Be forwarned, however, the content is very graphic, violent at times, but the outcome is the most uplifting and faith-inspiring imaginable. I highly recommend Frank's story to all floundering mortals, like me, who need a kick-in-the-butt wake-up call from time to time

I can do no better than the hydrogeologist Syndnor in summarizing the utility of this introductory work. My only critique is that Mount needs to revise the chapter on climate and consider projected impacts on CA's surface water based on what we now know after 13 years of data collection.
Just as Knox needs to revise his primer Global Climate Change and California (1992).

California Rivers and Streams: the conflict between fluvial processes and land use, Dr. Jeffrey F. Mount, 1995, University of California Press, 359 pages

California geologists, engineers, environmental planners, and the general public will enjoy reading this comprehensive book on California rivers. The author is Dr. Jeffrey Mount, who holds the Roy J. Shlemon Chair of Geology at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Mount is the Director of the Center for Watershed Sciences at UC Davis. He has formerly served on the Reclamation Board within the California Resources Agency.

With a heightened sense of public concern about flooding, water supply, levee repair, fish habitat, and river restoration, this book on California rivers is the best general primer that is currently available. Although not designed as a textbook, California teachers may find it suitable for introductory courses because of its comprehensive scope and highly readable narrative.

The book is divided into two parts. Part 1, How Rivers Work, includes: Chapter 1, Introduction to the rivers of California; Chapter 2, Water in motion, Chapter 3, A river at work ¯ sediment entrainment, transport, and deposition; Chapter 4, The shape of a river; Chapter 5, Origins of river discharge; Chapter 6, Sediment supply; Chapter 7, River network and profile; Chapter 8, Climate and the rivers of California; Chapter 9, Tectonics and geology of California's rivers.

Part 2, Learning the Lessons: Land Use and the Rivers of California, includes: Chapter 10, Rivers of California ¯ the last 200 years; Chapter 11, Mining and the rivers of California; Chapter 12, Logging California's watersheds; Chapter 13, Food production and the rivers of California; Chapter 14, A primer on flood frequency ¯ how much and how often? Chapter 15, The urbanization of California's rivers; Chapter 16, The damming of California's rivers; and Chapter 17, The future ¯ changing climate, changing rivers.

Review by Robert H. Sydnor
California Certified Hydrogeologist #6
LM-AEG, LM-AAAS, LM-AGU, M-GSA, M-AGWA

This book will answer any questions you have and then answer all the questions you are too dense to think of. Anyone living in California should be forced to read this. River runners also benefit from this book that shows the correct fleuvial processes, unlike many kayaking/rafting books. Read it, get on the water and then fight for the rivers!

This is a subperb review of how rivers systems work and how man-made changes effect these systems. Perfect for the interested layperson interested in earth science. The second half of this book covers the major watersheds of California.

I am a hydrologist and a water lawyer practicing in Washington DC -- this is the book I give to clients and friends to explain how rivers work and what people do to them. It assumes an intelligent reader but no background is required to get the main points. While its title and focus is California, the lessons are applicable throughout the country. Great book.

You have to love Cam Jansen. When you're a kid, you read all of these stories about magic powers, mystery, and adventure. But everyone tells you magic can't exist. Cam Jansen manages to solve every case without the use of magic... she's a real girl. That's what makes her special and what makes you want to read more and more. She lives her life and has friends just like everyone else. Cam Jansen is a real kid superhero, and the thought that a person like her could actually exist... makes her the best kid detective ever! Kids can really associate themselves with Cam and her friends. Our family loves Cam Jansen!

You have to love Cam Jansen. When you're a kid, you read all of these stories about magic powers, mystery, and adventure. But everyone tells you magic can't exist. Cam Jansen manages to solve every case without the use of magic... she's a real girl. That's what makes her special and what makes you want to read more and more. She lives her life and has friends just like everyone else. Cam Jansen is a real kid superhero, and the thought that a person like her could actually exist... makes her the best kid detective ever! Kids can really associate themselves with Cam and her friends. Our family loves Cam Jansen!

You have to love Cam Jansen. When you're a kid, you read all of these stories about magic powers, mystery, and adventure. But everyone tells you magic can't exist. Cam Jansen manages to solve every case without the use of magic... she's a real girl. That's what makes her special and what makes you want to read more and more. Cam Jansen is a real kid superhero, and the thought that a person like her could actually exist... makes her the best kid detective ever! Our family loves Cam Jansen!

Here is what my 7-years old has to say about the book.
Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the U.F.O. by David A. Adler is a story about how Cam Jansen and her friend Eric Shelton solved mystery of U.F.O. In a cold afternoon before a junior photography contest Cam Jansen helped Eric to shoot photographs, which must be from real life, according to the contest rule. They came across Neptune, a missing kitten and saved her from the tree. Eric shot a picture of Neptune eating somebody's groceries. When they went to investigate a mysterious U.F.O. spotted by others, they discovered the U.F.O. was actually balloons hooked up to flashlights and creatures from outer space were staged by Bobby, Cindy and Steven to win a prize. But, in a rush, Bobby's car crashed his own camera and film (too bad!) while chasing Neptune. Finally, Neptune's photo won an honorable mention on TV!

If you are interested in mysteries, this book makes you feel you are in it. An excellent book for readers in second grade or older.

Cam Jansen has a incredible memory. One day Cam and her friend Eric Shelten thought they saw a U.F.O. Cam's real name is Jennifer. But when people discovered her memory, they started to call her Camera. But soon they shortened Camera and started to call her Cam. Whenever Cam tries to remember something, she always says click. I like the Cam Jansen books a lot.

(My review is on Thoreau's Cape Cod rather than this specific edition).

While some literary critics seem to slight this work by Thoreau, saying that it is not as "powerful" as his other works, etc., I personally find this one very enjoyable. Sure, it does not have as much "philosophizing" as other books by him, but it is full of humor and very fun to read. The part where he describes the old man spitting into the hearth is particularly hilarious. The part about him sleeping in a lighthouse is also very funny. It lets us experience the more jovial side of Thoreau. This is probably one of the easiest to read among Thoreau's books.

Published posthumously, this volume is surprisingly consistent and complete (unlike "The Maine Woods" which is chopped into three different parts), it gives one the feel of walking along the entire cape, although the materials are quarried from several different trips. One only wish Thoreau had lived longer and had seen the West, imagine him taking a trip in the Sierra! Oh, well, meanwhile, we still have this one to enjoy.

Thoreau visited Cape Cod in 1849, 1850, and 1853. These trips formed the basis for a series of essays, several of which Thoreau published in magazines. After Thoreau's death, the essays were gathered together and published as "Cape Cod" in 1865.

Thoreau's "Cape Cod" is different in tone in theme from his earlier books. The tone is leisurely and light. Instead of solitude or the wild woods, the picture that remains with me from this book is that of a long walk, or, as Thoreau puts it, a "ramble" through the sand and dunes of Cape Cod. The book is picturesque, full of humor and wry observation. Thoreau unforgettably describes the ocean, in its storms, vicissitudes, and moments of peace, the fish and the fishermen, the sands, birds, plants and lighthouses of Cape Cod, and the people. I have visited portions of the Masachusetts coast, but I have never been to Cape Cod. Thoreau took me there in his book.

The book is arranged into ten chapters. It opens with a description of the shipwreck of the St John on a rock off the Cape. Thoreau then describes a ride by coach across the Cape. But the heart of the book lies in the following chapters in which Thoreau with a companion walks the 30 mile beach from Nauset Harbor to Provincetown with many stops and diversions along the way. I felt the salt air and saw the fishermen and the sandy beach as I walked with Thoreau.

The most vivid characterization in the book is in the chapter "The Wellfleet Oysterman", as Thoreau describes a grizzled, taciturn, and ancient native of Cape Cod and his family who offer him hospitality for the night. Another memorable chapter involves the description of the Highland Lighthouse, no longer standing, and its keeper. The stops with the Oysterman and the Lighthouse punctuate Thoreau's long walks through the day over the beach and his meditiations about and descriptions of what he finds there.

Thoreaus walk ended at Provincetown, on the northernmost portion of Cape Cod, with its wood walkway, shanty houses, and ever-present scenes of fishermen, boats, and drying fish. Thoreau offers what I found an affectionate portrait of these hardy fishermen and their families. Following a description of what he found at Provincetown, Thoreau offers a great deal of historical background on the exploration of the Cape, from the Pilgrims reaching back to earlier French, Icelandic, and English explorers.

Thoreau's "Cape Cod" is a worthy companion to his books describing his experiences inland, on Walden Pond and on the rivers and woods of New England and Maine. It is beautifuly written with unforgettable descriptive passages. It made me want to get up and go from my life in the city, and over 150 years after Thoreau wrote, wander and walk for myself along the dunes and sands of Cape Cod.

This hardcover edition from Peninsula Press is unquestionably the best available edition of Thoreau's Cape Cod, for these reasons:

1) While all other editions are based on Thoreau's journal entries from only his first three visits to the Cape, this edition includes an epilogue compiling Thoreau's notes from his fourth and final visit, in which he traveled south to Chatham and Monomoy.

2) This is the only edition to translate the many, many Greek and Latin phrases Thoreau includes throughout the work, and it is also the only edition to provide illustrations, maps, and sidenotes in-text.

3) This is the only indexed edition ever created.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for fans of both Cape literature and Thoreau in general.

This book details the flora, fauna and people that Thoreau found in Cape Cod in the 1850s. Thoreau organizes the book around a single trip to Provincetown, although much of the material that he uses in the book came from various visits to the Cape, and to the ocean in general. He starts with a description of a shipwreck at Cohasset, then a stagecoach ride from Plymouth, then a walking trip with a companion along the outer shore to Provincetown. Along the way, he describes not only the plants and animals he encountered, but also the people who he met. The book finishes with a lengthy academic historical account of the discovery and mapping of the Cape.

I found this to be the most humorous of all Thoreau's work. The character sketches he provides in this book, sharpened with his trained eye for observation of natural phenomena, are legendary. The cultural description of the Cape and its environment is quite fascinating for those interested in the history of daily life in 19th century Massachusetts. As Thoreau describes the desolate, treeless desert that made up the far reaches of the Cape, one begins to comprehend what it meant for an economy to be based on wood and whale oil for fuels. Thoreau stresses how valued driftwood was for residents of the Cape, as one of their main sources of heating and cooking fuel. Doubtless, he would not recognize the Cape today with its lush new forests. Or its Wal-Marts--switching to an oil economy has brought mixed blessings for the Cape. For those who think Thoreau to be a humorless didactic philosopher, this book shows a very different aspect of Thoreau as a writer.

You will forget about the outside world when you read this; nothing but sand, wind, and water. Plus some natural history, local folklore, a few shipwreck tales. Typical Thoreau; he finds beauty, interest, detail in the wilderness. The desolate landscape will help to clear your mind. Highly recommended.