Specialized Books

This "pocket reference" is one of the best available and is inexpensive, too. I bought several copies to have them around at the various computers...but they keep turning up missing because everyone takes them back to their desks...this is the most often "lost" publication I've ever bought next to SSCs C Library Reference! I highly recommend this for all but the most guru vi-er...and a definite requirement for every aspiring vi learner. Oh yeah...be sure to tie a rope around it if you want to hang on to it at the office :)

Good growing information but lacks details. Not a complete guide but worth the price for sure. I got a few good ideas from this one, making it a worthy purchase. Another book for learning the most up to date hydroponic methods is my favorite, "Secrets to a Successful Greenhouse and Business".

It is a beginner's introduction to hydroponics. While it is an exceptionally good overview and a great place to begin studying the topic, it is by no means a canon on the topic. Grab this book, read it cover to cover, photocopy it's tables to tack to the wall in whatever area you do your plant working. It will give you a skeleton, but your flesh is earned via experience and communicating with other gardeners, especially in better hydroponics forums on the internet.

These forums, however, can be confusing without the background provided by books such as this.

What I was expecting was a guide on how I could start/build/create a hydroponic garden from scratch. What i got was a simpletons generic, vague something that really taught me nothing. I don't need the history of it, or the theories behind it. The title said 'simplified workbook' but it taught me nothing, I'm at square one which is "how do I build and start a hydroponic garden? What supplies and where do I get them?"

book recieved in a timely manner. Information is OK. Outdated information, lacks specifics. Need better clarification.

Hydroponics... presents an open and honest introduction to the subject of growing plants without soil, covering its long history (especially before it was called 'hydroponics' and before Western Europeans happened upon it), the basic principles underlying hydroponics and the more common methods of the field from the simple to the complex. It also includes a chapter on troubleshooting, provides copious resources in the form of a book list for further reading and suppliers to hydroponic growers (from backyard gardeners to commercial growers), and is an all-around accessible text for both beginning non-gardeners and to gardeners of all ability ranges. It also lays out the need for and benefits derived from hydroponics without embellishment, and presents just a small amount of the technology's practical applications and tremendous (and proven) potential.

However, based on this text alone, the reader has no real idea just how big the field of soil-less gardening has become. For example, a sizable amount of commercial tomato production in the United States is done hydroponically, and virtually all of the fresh lettuce in Japan is produced this way. Additionally, the technology has proven itself to be commercially viable for the production of a variety of specialty crops. After reading this book, I could easily think of five or six spin-offs for potential research.

Probably the best endorsement for the power and capability of this applied technology is the fact that more research is done in hydroponics by commercial growers and big multinationals than is done by (and this is in the United States context) both universities and the USDA. As an aside, although not originally intended as an application, more than a few enterprising individuals have co-opted its utilization, and advanced its development in order to cultivate, produce and distribute cannabis!

This in turn may or may not explain the reticence of the United States government, through the USDA, to fund research into improved hydroponic methods. However, a more reasonable possibility may be that the technology is first a proven concept and second is very highly developed. Still, there is considerable room for creative thinking, improvement, improvisation and innovation, as many an enterprising law-breaker has demonstrated.

On the other hand, foreign governments in arid regions of the world, such as Israel, the greater Middle East and the North African region, have invested heavily in hydroponics research as a means to simultaneously produce food for domestic requirements and to conserve scarce water resources. Israel in particular is very aggressive in its attempts to use hydroponics as a basis for export-led agricultural production.

Considering how long this book has been on the market (some 27 years), and how bad the situation in the world is with regard to hunger and food insecurity, and environmental degradation, I have to wonder aloud why environmental types like Lester Brown, Helen Caldicott and environmental groups such as the Worldwatch Institute, Sierra Club and Greenpeace have not bothered to champion this technology. Given all of the benefits of the technology, and the number of greedy corporate fingers using it to rake in beaucoup bucks, you have to wonder exactly where the priorities of many of the so-called 'eco-advocacy' groups lay, as they should be grinning from ear to ear over this water conserving (and in many cases water recycling), decreased energy, pesticide and fertilizer utilizing technology.

Robert Hart's book on Forest Gardening is very inspiring, but more research is needed to start your garden. The list of suppliers in the Appendix is very helpful for those in North America, and the list of cultivars includes little known but very useful varieties. Overall, the book helps one understand the why of forest gardening but not the how to.

Perhaps the major problem I had with this book was my expectation that it might actually have something to do with forest gardening. What a silly thing for me to think - its only the title of the work after all.

This book was, if not entirely worthless, perhaps one of the more repugnant things I have read in a while. It is seldom that I can read a book and be so turned off that I can't get through the whole thing - and with this book, I didn't even get through half. "Forest Gardening," is a book that is much more of an inspirational nature, and doesn't have much to do with forest gardening at all (what I wanted). Instead, it is filled with anequdotes about how "primitive" people lived in harmony with their forests and how all of societies ills can be traced to a non-vegan diet.

In short, I came to this book looking for helpful information about forest gardening, and found instead a 233 pg. book of propaganda full of mistruths and out-right lies about the basic biology of the world.

Most of the misconceptions (If I can call them that) centered around biology itself and how individual organisms interact. The author warps facts, and I think deludes himself and possibly his readers, by explaining how everything that happens in an ecosystem is the will of Gaia, a non-real entity which comprises the "concious earth."

I am a died in the wool environmentalist. I practice permaculture, and I grow a very real forest garden. I also have a degree in biology - and all of these things made me object to the way this author defiled what otherwise would be a worthwhile topic by interjecting this deified view of ecology and making biological similarities (convergent evolution) seem like proof that Gaia was working to shape the earth. In this regard, he was as mistakes as creationists are, just on the other extreme and I found that particularly upsetting coming from a book that I had high hopes of actually learning something from.

My recommendation: leave this one on the shelf. If you find it in a free box somewhere, take it out and throw it away when you get home so it won't confuse anyone else. This book is propaganda and anequdote with almost no useful information and even less inspiration (unless you're willing to palate the boxfulls of propaganda the author tries to get you to swallow). Don't buy it. If you want something useful, try purchasing a book by Bill Mollison on Permaculture instead - that will help you get where you want to go much better than this dubious work and without the pseudo-science and mistruths.

The practice of "forest gardening", is an absolute must for anyone interested in sustainable agriculture and/or gardening. The book, however, presents only limited amount of information, that could have been easily written in half the space.

Since reading Robert Hart's classic book I have seen forest gardens sustaining life in Mexico, Fiji, Australia, South Africa and Britain. Around the world perennial 'home gardens' have been grown for millennia. Yet in temporate climates we seem to have forgotten how. This book has inspired me to increase the diversity and productivity of my own small garden in England, so far with good results. It is inspirational, but it is also practical. The Appendices offer suggestions for a variety of uses and climates. I would recommend as a companion volume, Patrick Whitefield's 'How to Grow a Forest Garden' for further details of the practicalities. But Hart's desciption of his own forest garden at Wenlock Edge stands alone and is an invaluable guide to practical sustainability.

If you have not yet read 'Forest Farming' by Douglas and Hart, then you may lack the background to fully appreciate this book. In 'Forest Farming' we are told that civilized man has marched across the face of the earth and left a desert in his footprints primarily because he has ploughed the hills with the loss of top soil. Crop-yielding trees offer the best medium for extending agriculture to hills, steep places, rocky places, and to the lands where rainfall is deficient. Every good Buddhist plants and sees the establishment of one tree at least every five years and this simple act multiplied six billion times would have a greater economic benefit for humankind than traditional development plans. The 'tool' with the greatest potentials for feeding men and animals, for regenerating the soil, for restoring water-systems, for controlling floods and droughts, for creating more benevolent micro-climates and more comfortable and stimulating living conditions for humanity, is the tree. Douglas and Hart point out that the deeper problem is ignorance as many crop-yielding trees and shrubs are currently ignored by farmers because agriculture in most parts of the world is geared to cereal growing and livestock rearing by conventional means, despite the fact that trees offer higher yields per acre. If the tree growing potentialities of city private gardens was fully recognized, suburban areas would not only have purer air and a more benevolent microclimate but a greater degree of self-sufficiency.

In this book Hart develops the case for the urban dweller to adopt forest gardening to achieve economy of space and labor while producing fruit, nuts, root and perennial vegetables and herbs. He provides the guidelines required for temperate, tropical and sub-tropical climates. "Like the forest it is arranged in seven 'storeys', with the original apple and pear trees constituting the 'canopy' and the other plants occupying the lower tiers. Thus the garden has a well-defined vertical dimension as well as horizontal ones. Now that it has been established for several years, I can affirm that it requires minimal maintenance, as the plants - nearly all perennials - largely look after themselves and are very healthy. The main work involved is that of cutting back plants that try to encroach on others. The wide diversity of species ensures that any small invasions of pests never reach epidemic proportions, as they tend to do under monocultural conditions. The large number of aromatic herbs creates a deliciously fragrant atmosphere, and, I am convinced, contributes to the pest-and-disease-resistance of the other plants. As we eat the herbs and perennial vegetables daily in our salads, the garden makes a significant contribution to our diet throughout the growing season, from the first herbs and wild garlic in March to the last apples in November."

The author goes on to warn us that we must seek ordered diversity governed by the laws of plant symbiosis but the results can be that a half hectare can support a family of up to ten people. Java has the greatest concentration of forest gardens yet is one of the most densely populated rural areas of the world. Forest gardening is more than a system for supplying mankind's material needs; it is a way of life which addresses man's spiritual needs by its beauty and the wealth of wildlife it attracts. In the early chapters we follow the author's development as he wrestles with the problem, concluding that: "if one could devise an integrated system of land-use consisting mainly of perennial plants - fruit and nut tress and bushes together with perennial vegetables and herbs - as well as a diet based on this mix, the task of achieving self-sufficiency would be vastly simplified. This is how I discovered agroforestry."

There are plenty of good tips such as this one on potatoes. "The champion exponent of this technique, the aim of which is to grow a colossal crop of potatoes from a single seed, was a Sussex villager, Tom Cooke, known as the Ace of Spuds. This was his procedure: large seed potatoes, well supplied with eyes, were soaked in a solution of liquid seaweed and water for an hour a week for six months, starting in October. During the winter Tom prepared his plot, allowing eight-foot squares for each seed. The site was excavated one-foot deep and filled with wheat straw, to which dry seaweed fertilizer was added after the straw had weathered and was almost black. On top of this came a layer of manure and soil mixed with more seaweed. The tubers were planted at the end of March or early April and covered with a thin dressing of straw. Then, at fortnightly intervals, the growing plants were earthed up with layers of straw, seaweed and soil until they reached a height of some 3-4 feet, sending out numerous side-shoots liberally supplied with tubers. After a series of foliar feeds with liquid seaweed, the harvest was eventually reached: over half a ton of potatoes from just six seeds!"

If you are an avid gardener there will surely be something new in this book; if you simply want to make your garden more productive and did not know of the seven story concept, you will find this book helpful; if you have been overwhelmed by the work in the garden you should concentrate on perennials as Hart has done; if you have just a small plot this book will help you get the maximum production and help you to eat healthily; if you would like to attract more wildlife to your garden, read this book. It is difficult to imagine anyone not profiting from Hart's theoretical and practical research.

I have to ultimately agree with Plumbo's review, for the most part. For every subject covered in this book, it's as though we were given the first paragraph or two, at best, of what should have been multiple paragraph or even multiple page explanations. In my opinion, not a single subject is covered in enough detail. Not including index or glossary, this book is 152 pages long. Approximately 20-25% of the pages are photos or drawings. The photos and drawings are frequently useful, which some books can't claim, but obviously 120 pages of text is not going to cover enough. All criticism aside, if one is a non-military sniper or is involved in the training of the non-military sniper, there is just enough material in this book, some of it not found in others, to justify buying it. There are other books that aren't even worth buying. However, it should be one of many books you use.

Personally I am more interested in military sniping, but still Sniper/Counter Sniper gave a lot of good tips on the subject of long range shooting and especially in how to train yourself in the art of becoming a competent sniper.

I agree with the sniper instructor. This book is excellent. It has many pictures and diagrams to show and explain the topics discussed in this book. Some topics include weapons, concealment, training, and scopes. The book gets down to the point with no BS and is easy to understand. Mark V. Lonsdale in my opinion is a great aurthor and his other books are just as good as this one. I would highly recommend this book to snipers and anyone interested in the art of sniper/counter sniper.

SNIPER COUNTER-SNIPER is better than ever. This book has been fully revised and up-dated for 2005 with new text, chapters, images and equipment.

There are quite a few other books on sniping that you need to buy before this one. I do not know about the background of the other reviewers but to call this a good book on sniping is BS. A very, very light introduction, maybe, but the book does not cover ANYTHING in detail. It is at best useful for a wanna-be sniper and maybe not even so: If you include so little details, but still manage to explain where to shoot a man in the head it is at best missguiding.
I am sure that mr. Lonesdale knows his stuff, but this book is lightweight.

when they say "mini," they're not kidding. the zen box that comes with this little book is pretty tiny - this, in turn, makes it hard to make truly zen-like patterns in the sand.

also, a word to the wise... don't leave the box too close to the edge of your desk, least some malicious co-worker knock it on the ground... this happened to me, and i was only able to recover about 50% of my sand...

but in the end, it is a good "conversation piece"

The mini Zen gardening kit it really a cute little kit. I've always wanted a Zen garden, but I'd never seriously considered getting one until I saw this one. The kit, with it's little box, a wooden rake, rocks, sand, and a small book is a lot more than I was expecting.

The Zen Garden included with the book is cute, and more functional that I thought it would be. While the garden is 2.5 inches by 3 inches, there's a surprising amount of sand included, which gives you a pretty full garden, and if you have cats like I do, you have enough sand to still be able to rake around the rocks after they've knocked a lot of it out. The rocks are dark and shiny, and actual rocks, not some kind of plastic blob molded to look like a rock, and the little rake is a miniature of the wooden rakes I've seen in larger Zen gardens.

The little book included in the kit is cute, and contains quite a bit of information on Zen gardens. There are a few pages of Chinese lettering included as separators between the chapters, and the lettering is a nice change from the pages of black text on white paper. I am a bit disappointed in the book though, when I finally opened it wide enough to comfortable, I could see the thread they used to bind the book. This concerns me a bit, I don't want to wreck the book by simply reading it.

This mini Zen Garden is definitely something for people interested in the gardens. It is a great way to have the beautiful garden on your desk or bedside or anything! Although the box is cardboard and they really aren't rocks, the Mini Zen Garden kit is something lovers of Zen and Gardens will enjoy!

I know the saying you get what you pay for but this is ridiculous. The "kit" comes w/ a small bag of sand and 3 miniature rock chips, they can't be considered rocks in my opinion. They're just too small, they get lost in the sand. The "tray" is nothing more than a cardboard box top! And the miniature rake is so small and delicate that it fell apart the first time I used it. The kit is reasonably priced I guess for what you get, but w/ ... s&h it is not even close to being worth [the price]. If I wouldn't lose money by sending it back I would. Don't waste your time and money w/ this one, you can make your own for about the same price by going to a garden shop and buying a bag of sand and gathering your own choice of rocks. The rakes are harder to come by so I made my own out of old wooden chopsticks and my homemade garden is much nicer than this ...

If you are a zen master, or just a stessed out person, Get the zen garden. It features a base, sand, a rake, book and rocks to calm down all of your nerves, Chinese style.

The authentic feel of this zen garden is great. It feels very authentic, with all real parts that will make you feel like a real gardener. A good travel product, although not for bumpy and jerk trips, because the sand would come out.(sand out= big mess.)

Other zen gardens are to big to take along. That's why this is a great product. Get it so you will be relaxed, home or away.

Overall a great product. Makes a great gift for a zen master who travels alot.

Good book, many different plants, but pictures could be larger. Good book for the price.

Not my favourite book of its kind on the market . some photos leave a lot to be desired in particular. On the otherhand a reasonable, brief, compendium of the usual tropical plants.
Sorry I don't think this is special or a "must have"

This book relies heavily on the pix for its value. In general terms this is fine - but the quality of some of these pix and the reproduction disappoints and leaves much to be desired.
Handy - but not my most favourite tropical plant book !

I want another copy. The first copy I bought I gave to a friend who admired it. The photos are georgous and it is well organized for reference. Worth every penny.

In a Landscape Architect's office, we seem to need four or five resource books to adequately prepare a plant palette. This book comes as close to being perfect for use in South Florida and other similar temperate zones

Before reading this book I had no experience with topiary. After reading this book I felt like I knew a little. I found that the text focuses on the history of the use of topiary. There were some sections on what plants to use and there was a LONG section on creating different wire forms. The illustrations are all hand drawn while I would have prefered to see actual pictures of the plants. This book is probably better for someone who knows a little about gardening basics instead of someone like me who knows nothing.

Featuring interesting historical information, this book includes many backgrounds of formal gardens and topiary, offered as sidebars and archive drawings. There is extensive information on creating forms and shaping topiary. The illustrator's drawings echo the whimical sentiment of topiary, while the authors' offering of botanical information help the hobbyist understand the science of what they are doing. I cannot imagine anyone reading this book and not bursting with ideas to make their own gardens come to life.

As difficult as it is to find information on the art of topiary, this disapointing book gives a very vague picture. Perhaps the most frustrating thing about the book is the illustrations. It seems more like a comic strip than an information resource. For instance the 3 or 4 pages given to standards shows hand drawn renderings that look like my 5 year old drew them. It is interesting that they devoted so many pages to different types of wire shapes. It seems obvious to me that vines will grow on a rack shaped like a bird, and they will grow on a rack shaped like an elephant. I just didn't "get" showing us all the different shapes, and giving them all their own page. Good book for the novice, check it out at the library however, there isn't much reason to own it.

I found this book to be absolutely delightful, insightful, and a keeper. A real treasure of information and inspiration!

The writer's aim is to make you think of your garden as "a three dimensional space, filled with color, texture, and a dynamic form which you can walk through, look at and feel." She encourages the reader to consider the vertical dimension of a garden using both plants and man-made features.

Most of the book focusses on man-made structures and their use in different garden styles from formal to romantic, and urban, and they also include the potager garden.

The most useful aspect of the book is the detailed instructions for making vertical elements such as an obelisk and a gazebo. The photographs throughout are gorgeous, although they tend to feature gardens far larger, lusher and more ornate than most of us aspire to.

The section on plants points out the importance of understanding each plant's means of attachment before selecting it for a specific site. Some have tendrils, for example, which will twine around wood or wire. Some need sturdier supports and some plants will sucker onto a wall. Choose wisely!

There is not much new in this book , but the photography is beautiful and the instructions might help you add a new vertical structure without great expense.

Although I have enjoyed gardening for some time it never occurred to me to create a climbing garden. In "Climbing Gardens: Adding Height and Structure to Your Garden" author Joan Clifton provides solid advice on how to create such a garden. This is not just a rose trellis type of climbing garden, there are a myriad of forms a climbing garden can take and she illustrates and discusses several of them. The book is illustrated with beautiful photographs of garden trellises, walkways, arches, and other structures covered with flowering foliage. On a more practical aspect it contains some more practical ideas such as the photograph of an archway covered with fruiting squash plants. It even has a few pictures and ideas for one of my favorite vines - wisteria. With instructions on how to build structures such as an obelisk or a living arbor, the book is very complete and a recommended read for anyone looking to add a new dimension to their garden by adding height and other structure.

The writer's aim is to make you think of your garden as "a three dimensional space, filled with color, texture, and a dynamic form which you can walk through, look at and feel." She encourages the reader to consider the vertical dimension of a garden using both plants and man-made features.

Most of the book focusses on man-made structures and their use in different garden styles from formal to romantic, and urban, and they also include the potager garden.

The most useful aspect of the book is the detailed instructions for making vertical elements such as an obelisk and a gazebo. The photographs throughout are gorgeous, although they tend to feature gardens far larger, lusher and more ornate than most of us aspire to.

The section on plants points out the importance of understanding each plant's means of attachment before selecting it for a specific site. Some have tendrils, for example, which will twine around wood or wire. Some need sturdier supports and some plants will sucker onto a wall. Choose wisely!

There is not much new in this book , but the photography is beautiful and the instructions might help you add a new vertical structure without great expense.

I was looking for a book to help me plan a very large pond, no fish, with water plants. After thoroughly reading this book, it left me with more questions than answers. For instance, with the type of pond I was considering, what are the criteria I need to keep in mind in determining whether or not I need to use a pump and filtration system? I really did not want to have to install one, but this book did not offer any real advice in helping me decide this very important aspect. If I choose not to install a circulating system, what is the best way to maintain my pond? How will I control algae growth? How do I choose the best plants and their placement? Some of the terms used were not easily identifiable by their context as to the meaning: what exactly is a coping? concrete haunch? The drainage section was vague and very confusing--there was so little information to go with.

Like the editorial review says, it is aimed at amateurs; however, amateurs will find they'll need to reference additional sources for some very basic information before initializing any pond project. "The Complete Pond Builder" was not as COMPLETE as I would have liked.

You will find, though, beautiful, inspiring pictures to help you decide how you would like your pond to look and images of the various stages of construction that may be involved in your project.

This book explains how to build ponds of different shapes and sizes. It contains some wonderful images of ponds and pools, and it details how to place specific types of plants at different layers of a pond. It includes a section on building bog gardens as well. I think it has slightly better construction detail than Swindells' The Master Book of the Water Garden. For example, in one section, it even explains where to apply different concrete mixes to specific parts of a pond. It also includes more examples of smaller ponds. However, it is not as comprehensive as Swindell's book, and it contains very little information about three additional areas that I think are rather important for pond-building: adding fish, designing for wildlife, and performing seasonal maintenance.

This is an excellent book for ideas on various types of ponds: preformed; lined; concrete; raised and semi-raised; etc. with pretty good details on constructing most styles.

The only reason I didn't give it a better rating, is because in trying to cover so many styles in limited space (144 pages total), it naturally could not offer the level of detail I was looking for when building my lined pond.

That said it was an excellent book, with great ideas and I strongly recommend it.

BTW, I completed my pond (2,500 gallons!) and it looks great!

Taschen publishes some of the best values around and this book was no exception.My only complaint is that we don't see more small private gardens in this volumn .This is a good introduction to Japanese style in the garden.

The author must know what he's writing about - he's a Professor! He has included lots of garden theory, which I have to assume is actually important to Japanese garden design. And, as you might expect, the pictures are glorious. But the correspondence between the text and the pics is awful. As I read the text, I had to leaf through the book forwards and backwards to find a relevant illustration. If the author describes a trend in garden design, is it too much to ask that he direct the reader, immediately, to a specific picture that illustrates his point? Shouldn't the text explain the pictures? or the pictures exemplify the text? Shouldn't the linkage between the two be strong and direct? Is this so difficult? I am disappointed in this book; there must be better ones.

"...our earth is both a living and conscious entity. . .when a human being becomes conscious of himself as part of the earth, and of the earth as part of the universe, so the universe itself thereby becomes conscious of itself. . . enlightenment. . .consciousness becoming aware of itself.

At this delicate moment... a flower opens in the "garden" of the universe."

Japanese Gardens is a 239 page historical visual spiritual odyssey through man's interpretation of nature in confined space. Chapter subheadings focus atmosphere: Gardens as mindscapes, Gardens as subsitutes for travel, Gardens of seclusion, Gardens of austerity, Gardens of joy.

Drawings, b/w and color photos illustrate the history and evolution of Japanese garden design.

The book Intimate Spaces by Joe Earle, exclusively color photographs of spiritual gardens, is a fine complement to Nitschke's book with it's comprehensive written text.

Video sources of garden inspiration can be seen in movie backgrounds: Shogun (5 disc 12 hour miniseries on DVD with extra disc explaining tea ceremony, geisha, samurai), Sayonara (tiny household garden, public garden spaces), The Last Samurai (community as garden, cherry blossom garden), Memoirs of a Geisha (cherry blossom garden).

Actual Japanese Gardens to visit: Japanese Garden San Francisco, Japanese Garden Portland Oregon, Hakone Garden (site of filming of Memoirs of Geisha) Saratoga Village (south of San Francisco) California.

Thoughtful quiet moving book.