Specialized Books

What can be said? If you speak English and collect classic stamps of the world (from 1840 to 1940) then there is no question - you must have this volume. There is both a soft and hard cover version - since the prices are updated each year I like the soft cover because it's less expensive. One thing I would like to see is the inclusion of the years through 1945 and WWII. There is so muuch philatelic material covered during the war years it seems that it fits with the 'pre-modern' era. Still, though, it's a must have catalog.

Want to know how much your stamps are worth? Well, you might want to look up the catalog prices. But recent catalogs are expensive. And one needs several volumes to cover the whole world.

This catalog, however, has all the countries in the world in a single volume. And given that one's best stamps are generally from 1940 or earlier, it has plenty of information. It also has cover values for over 140 countries.

I have found the book to be easy to navigate through and to obtain stamp values. The information about stamps is very informative however I was not able to find information on Winnipeg tagging or phosphor tagged stamp issues. Overall, I think that it is a very good issue.

As a lifelong stamp collector specializing in older stamps world-wide, I appreciate having all countries covered from the beginning of stamps 1840 through 1940 in one book. To purchase all 7 or 8 volumes of the regular Scott catalogue would cost many hundreds of dollars. I had this same catalogue for 2000 but that was black & white, it is now in full color! Very Happy!

Unless you are looking for dry journalistic data, this is absolutely everything you could want to learn about these snakes. The information is both deep and broad. Given the scarcity of reader friendly material on Sea snakes, this book is exactly what was needed. Kudos

This book covers all the aspects of sea snakes that one could hope for. Chapters cover distribution, biodiversity, natural history, feeding, enemies, population and community ecology, adaptations, venom and their interactions with humans. Includes large reference list at the end of book so that more in-depth and specific readings can be sought easily. Includes many drawings and black and white photographs along with some colour plates. Well written and fascinating!

This book has awesome information for anyone wanting to grow all their own food and become self sufficient.

Also lots of tips for extending the season even if you only grow a few favorites.

Includes growing information on different vegetables, organized into short and long season heat-loving or cold-hardy. Also building instructions for their solar appliances and even the difficulties and learning from their decades of experience growing all their own food.

One of the best gardening books I have ever read! Excellent information on solar gardening & instructions on how to construct the garden cones, frames & pods. They provide practical information in an easy to understand format. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in gardening.

Because of its relatively few pages, this book is easy to overlook. However, I've got more money tied up in horticulture books than I'd like my wife to know, and I refer to this one most often.

This book, written by a nursery owner, combines his years of experience with beautiful photograhs of all the plants listed. I refer to it over and over again.

Now here is an interesting book sure to please those of us interested in fossils, particularly trilobites. Kenneth has crossed new boundaries in both poetry and science. This blend is sure to please those who are looking for something other than the traditional, and often dry, literature on fossils. Insightful, often humorous, and enjoyable. Kenneth, you really did open a new door!

The poems of K.C. Gass are sweet and sure, a melding of fact and fancy from the life of the author as paleontologist. His obvious love of art and life along with a clever imagination, shines throughout this slim volume. The language of paleontology evolves into the language of the heart as science and art become one in this ode to the trilobites!

Christopher Lloyd was a passionate gardener with much practical experience from running his own extensive gardens at Great Dixter, Sussex. This book with over thirty sections under six main headings covers almost every aspect of gardening in a fresh and questioning manner, often dispelling long held opinions.

In addition the book is illustrated with many of the author's own photographs (1973 edition). It also has a glossary and substantial index.

Christopher Lloyd's writing is outspoken, opinionated, witty, entertaining, authoritative, practical, informative, one could go on, but above all it is a sheer pleasure to read. Without doubt Christopher Lloyd was one of the greatest garden writers, and this book must rank among his best. This offering notwithstanding its age is an absolute gem; with so many shallow gardening books now being published writing such calibre only goes to highlight the dearth of able garden writers today.

Whether or not one enjoys a similar climate to Lloyds South of England garden, the thinking and principles behind his writing can only enlighten and benefit gardeners wherever they be.

THE WELL-TEMPERED GARDEN is a classic book, filled with all sorts of advice from one of Britain's leading garden experts--Christopher Lloyd. Lloyd is responsible for Great Dixter, one of the premier gardens in England. WELL-TEMPERED GARDEN was first published in 1973, and this version is the new and updated and somewhat expanded version.

Whether or not the inexperienced gardener can use this book is debatable. GARDEN contains tons of information, but the paperback contains no photographs. Unless you are an experienced gardener who can picture the plant varieties Lloyd discusses, I would think GARDEN would prove more confusing than not. I am an experienced gardener and I found many interesting tips.

Lloyd is a plantsman, and he has a good deal to say about many of the plants generally found in gardens in the temporate regions of America as well as England, but his discussion is confined to examples of plants grown at Great Dixter (past and present, failures and successes). I struggled through the text, trying to read it like a 'book', and then decided it made a better reference work. If you're interested so-called 'tricks of the trade' regarding garden staples such as tulips, peonies, pansies, primulas, or climbers, shrubs, and roses, you can find the item of interest in the index, locate it in the text and read about it.

Lloyd shares his accumulated wisdom about a large assortement of plants, providing the sort of information one usually finds only in specialty books on particular plants, not in a general gardening book. For example, he says, "What is an azalea?" He then goes on to discuss azaleas in terms of their botanical classification (they are rhodendrons), notes that there are many kinds of azalea, and suggests that one sort or another may work better depending on what you are attempting to do.

Many of Lloyd's comments are better suited to the gardener in England (lots of stuff on roses). However, he also discusses plants of interest to Americans. For example, his text concerning Buddleias is quite relevant for gardeners in the mid-Atlantic region. Lloyd suggests Buddleias are in the top flight of second-rate shrubs. They grow fast but are sadly sketetal in winter. However, he suggests, they are indispensible. He then goes on to discuss the different kinds of buddleias you might want to grow. I don't think he quite says why they are indispensible, but anyone who knows their colloquial name 'butterfly bush' knows why.

My sense of Lloyd is that he is like an old maiden aunt or bachelor uncle, full of information that could save you a bit of work and heartbreak if only he would 'spill the beans'. For the most part I have little idea why he's sharing what he's sharing (he starts his sentences in the middle), but every other paragraph or so he drops a gem.

My brother, a botanist at a large research institution, gave me Mel Frank's book for my birthday. We call it The Bible. It is the first book and still the best book on the subject. It is clear, the pictures are great, follow the directions and you'll grow whatever you want. So far the weed is flourishing, nothing has exploded or turned to toxic sludge. Its way easier than cooking.

"Oldtimer" needs to chill. I am an actual adult, (41 years old, voting in elections and payng taxes.) I have used this book for years, and own other books by Mel Frank; I was recently given a new book my Mel Frank, illustrated by Linda kallan. Mel Frank works for me. He is clear and concise, he is the first word on the subject and is liberally quoted (and ripped off) in almost every other book on marijuana growing. I recommend Mel Frank to anyone interrested in the indoor growng of just about anything. My brother agrees.

This is one of the finest books I've read on the subject of Cannabis growing. It may be a bit outdated, but man has been cultivating cannabis for 8,000 years, and it's still grown the same way, only with a little technology applied. I've been reading this book & "Marijuana Grower's Insiders's Guide" also by Mel Franks, and between the two books, you won't a more knowledgeble person on the subject of Cannabis growing.

My uncle used to keep this old grow book in his drawer. This is the oldest of the modern grow guides if my memory serves me correct. I have read a few editions of this since. Not a bad grow manual but a little bit on the old side now.

The book is an excellent read for anyone who smokes marijuana, whether or not you're interested in growing it. The first two chapters provides an excellent history or Cannabis Sativa as well as a detailed account of the U.S. Government's attempts to undermine the drug. The rest of the book provides simple yet scientifically accurate information that is crucial for anyone looking to grow pot.

It is an excellent book.

In my honest opinion, this is the best how to garden book out there. Probably not for beginners, but for those who want more. It debunks the normal vegetable spacing on the seed packets, so you can get more that you can imagine......

while the idea of growing more vegetables is a noble (and highly marketable) title, the actual book didn't have much information that i didn't already read in 'square foot gardening' or 'four-season harvest'. a key difference is that an artificial soil mix isn't used, but rather using organic methods to improve existing soil - is that a new concept? while both books do a comparison of intensive methods, Jeavons recommends a hexagonal inter-planting pattern (similar to the spacing in chicken wire) to plant intensively, vs. the square foot method of rigidly planting only one kind of vegetable in each square. Jeavons also advocates the use companion plants whereever possible to increase yields and reduce pests. however, the sections devoted to double-digging and composting seem to make up a disproportionately large section of the book, and relatively little is said about what exactly increases yields except for treating the soil well (e.g., use good compost, raised beds, add organic matter, etc). for anyone interested in organic gardening, there isn't a lot of unique information in this book that couldn't be found on a good website.

I found this book a bore to read at best. It is full of omissions and confusing charts that don't explain what they are showing. I also found it constantly trying to convince you of this political dogma and to join the society that supports this. There are much better books on intensive planting that actually explain a syetem to do it that this.

I am fairly new to vegetable gardening and had no clue how much to plant for my wife and I in a Fall/Winter Garden. The book contains many charts and diagrams, which show how many square feet of space to alot for each vegetable. I currently use a hybrid method with 4x4 square foot gardening instead of the large rectangles as suggested in the book since my garden is in my backyard and I do like to have some lawn. A square foot is a square foot, so it really doesn't matter shape/size. There is also some good general gardening advice in the first few chapters. It is a good reference book for the library.

The people who are disappointed with this book are the ones who bought it without understanding what it was. This book isn't a "gardening for the soul" book of fluff, nor is it a typical "how to get bigger tomatoes" text.

What this book is is a compendium of information on growing as much food as possible for real, live people to eat.
Yes, it delves into the science and discusses the big, scary numbers involved. For you 'visual types' who find yourselves having to use your fingers to complete a single digit multiplication problem, don't bother. If you want purpler plumbs or redder radishes, look elsewhere.

Assuming your IQ is above 100 and you're looking for a book to tech you some of the skills required to feed your family under all circumstances, I can hardly think of a better book than this one. It is exactly what it says.

If I had to put my family on a fertile island and give them one book on gardening, it would unquestionably be this one.

It explains the basic of close quarter battles but is lacking on details

Mr. Lonsdale has compiled some of the best CQB techniques being used on the street today. Many techniques are still in the classified realm. This book is a fine text book to use with any local police, or sheriffs. Lonsdale has compiled some of the best CQB techniques being used on the street today. Many techniques are still in the classified realm. This book is a fine text book to use with any local police, or sheriffs department in order to use as a class book for ramping up a special applications team.

He uses step by step pictures to help the reader in understanding some of the more difficult department in order to use as a class book for ramping up a special applications team.

He uses step by step pictures to help the reader in understanding some of the more complicated techniques. The book is written from an operator's point of view. Mr. Lonsdale's years of experience shine through in all of his writings.

The best thing in this book is the paper it is printed on; it's semi-glossy and heavy, giving some expectation of quality. The second best thing is that there is surprisingly little text, because some 1/3 of the pages are filled with photos. The fact that this is good news, tells something about the quality of the text.

To start with, the entire idea of presenting the "fighting secrets" of special operations forces in a 200-page book is somewhat absurd, especially considering that the author assumes that the reader does not know virtually nothing about the subject. The techniques presented here are unrealistic in the real world, to a large extent. And finally, the author speaks way too vaguely of the issues he presents, so that you really don't have a chance to learn anything.

The main part of the book concentrates on close combat. Significant amount of these pages is devoted to series of photographs. The photos are supposed to present several unarmed and armed close combat techniques, but they are so small and unclear that you are hard-pressed to figure out what they are depicting. But that's good, because you don't want to learn these techniques, anyway. One amusing thing caught my eye: The author stresses that it is imperative to train in full gear, and carry all the equipment you would be carrying in a real situatoin (that is true, but it is also self-evident). But in about half of the pictures, the guys are wearing karate uniforms!

The reason I bought this book was that I expected to find something on close-quarters shooting. Granted, about the last third of the book is devoted to the subject, but there really is not anything, exept for a total beginner. And for a beginner, there are far better books around.

One thing that especially annoyed me was that the author uses military jargon, apparently to get some credibility. That is the only justification for most of the jargon, as the book is filled with examples like "Any operation in the continental United States (CONUS), that ends in a shooting...", that being the only use of term CONUS in the text. The reason people use abbrevations is to save time and space with frequently used terms, which is not the case with examples like these.

I would recommend this book to a pre-adolescent boy, who wants to impress his pals by how much he knows about guns and real-life combat. If that description does not fit you, stay away from this book.

I found the book to be an accurate outline of the basic theory of CQB. It touches on all the major considerations without going into any one subject in-depth. If you are looking for a point of reference to get a serious study underway, then this is a good place to start.

It seems to be a book written in such a fashion as to promote the other books in the series, which sort of turned me off because there wasn't as much "meat on the bones" as there could have been. The book continually refers to other titles by the same author which cover the topics at greater length.

If you have a good knowledge base in CQB, I would recommend skipping this title and moving directly to the more focused titles from this author.

In depth study of individual CQB skills. Good info and training on firearms, but not detailed enough on CQB movements and searching skills .Best to be read with another STTU books in hand.