Geography Books

Easy to understand. It is essential to a researcher. It would have been rated as an excellent book if it includes the Matlab programming and Erdas rather than any other software like MIPS.

Matlab based programs would have been more beneficial because many of them use matlab only.

I checked the book out from my library to read for my thesis, but the book is so good that I want to add it to my own collection. I have used it so much, that I'll need my own copy! The CD that comes with the book is also very good. The programs run very quickly on today's fast PC's. It's a great tool.

I bought it just looking at the table of contents at ... website, and I got exactly what I was looking for !! A complete book on image processing/interpretation for remote-sensing imageries. There is even a concise introduction on remote-sensing principles. The book is concisely detailed and have clear how-to-do theoretical/mathematical explanations(often lacking in others) on every topic. And the best point, every section/method is referred to key publicatons for anyone interested in in-depth study of a topic !!!

THE CONQUEST OF NATURE: WATER, LANDSCAPE, AND THE MAKING OF MODERN GERMANY is a recommended pick for any library strong in modern Western history in general and German history and culture in particular. Both college-level and general-interest lending collections will appreciate the fine reproductions of paintings, maps and photos which go into a survey linking culture, politic and environmental issues in German history to modern times. It's a key component of any comprehensive collection on German issues and background.

In this masterful and original account the author takes the reader on a virtual tour de force examination of the way in which nature was changed, conquered, preserved, destroyed and manipulated in Germany between the time of Fredrick the Great and the present. The author notes that to "write about the shaping of the modern German landscape is to write about how modern Germany itself was shaped." It begins with the tale of the draining of the Oderburch, a great swamp on the river Oder from Oderberg to Lebus. This swamp along with others was progressively drained and settled in the 18th century. Colonists were brought in and the wolves were hunted to extinction. This was a frontier like any other and the author compares it to other conquests of nature in the New World and South Africa. It was a "conquest from barbarism". This use of science and technology to tame the wild beast of nature is as old as man itself but found a special expression in Germany.

The next section of the book examines the taming of the Rhine river and the harnessing of it to agriculture and the state. The book takes the reader on a wonderful journey alongside the German engineers and statesmen and visionaries who tried the utmost to control flooding and build ports and canals such as Wilhelmshaven. Land reclamation followed. Once again people had to settle and colonize the new areas. The same was being done across Europe, for instance South of Rome where in the 1920s and 1930s colonists would be set to colonizing the Malarial swamps.

But where once colonizing and reclamation were peaceful pursuits they eventually turned sinister with the advent of Nazism and the decision to reclaim the East for German settlers. The idea was that the `barbaric' Slavic peoples could be harnessed as well or removed from the swamps they were `indigenous' to. Propaganda saw them as growing out of the swamps themselves. The `dead space' of the Pripet marshes. Everywhere German `model villages' were designed to replace the `natural' villages that seethed with disease and closed spaces in the `east'.

A brilliant book that weaves together so many topics and is hard to put down, the subject seems staid, but is fascinating.

Seth J. Frantzman

There are many fine environmental histories of North America but seemingly very few of Europe. Following a brief description of how the end of the Ice Age produced the sodden, water-filled plains of central and northern Germany, this book explores how man created the modern German landscape by straightening the Rhine River and "reclaiming" the southern coast of the North Sea and other watery regions. The maps are useful. Great stuff, I wish there were more books on the transformation of the European environment over the past 12,000 years.

This is quite a book.

There are a number of books on how the he U.S. Army Corp of Engineers has modified rivers like the Mississippi in the United States (with more or less success, witness Katrina). This is the first one I've seen on what was done in Northern Europe. The projects in Germany were monumental in scale, taking some 250 years to accomplish. This is part of what made Germany into a nation.

It is quite interesting as it talks not only about what was done but about other aspects such as the health, econonic, cultural, and political aspects. The Nazi's for instance looked at the work done as proof of the natural superiority of the German people.

With all of the success of the projects, the book at the end turns to the problems the efforts have caused: flooding, fish habitat destroyed. In essence all of the problems we are having with these same areas in the United States.

I have always loved the Adirondacks, but after reading this astonishingly well-written book I have a new appreciation for this remarkable region. If you're a fellow Adirondacks-lover I HIGHLY recommend this book. Also, if you have time to read only one history of the Adirondacks, then this is the one to read.

This is truly fine work. The relatively new genre of environmental history has produced the usual amount of academic turgidity, but many of these young historyians clearly love the land that they write abot, and have the skills to make discussions of the history of human interacton with natural systems into literature. If you enjoy Terrie, you should also pick up Bullough's Pond by Diana Muir.

The book introduces concepts and ideas that you will have thought of before, but never had actually examined in real images and arguements.

Has some great historical facts and stories.

Tells New Yorkers about what has happened in their state.

This wasn't the most exciting history book I've ever read but it was an informative and concise history of the region. The region known as the Adirondacks is a huge tract of wilderness in northern New York that, as Terrie describes it, is "an unintended mix of private land, villages, and state-owned wilderness." In the opinion of this lifelong frequenter of "The Dacks," it is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Terrie thoroughly explains the conflicting intentions for the region that have plagued it since it was first explored and settled in the 18th century. The conflict was between those who recognized it's unique natural beauty and wanted to preserve it as such, and those who saw it as just another land to be exploited for it's natural resources. More recently, the struggle continues as everyday residents of the region battle the bureaucratic Adirondack Park Agency for the right to grow economically, something which has been consistently denied to them, due to the stringent restrictions on any kind of development. Originally published in 1997, it is a bit dated, but for any fellow Adirondack lovers, I would say it's definitely worth checking out.

Professor Walker's book is a solidly researched, comprehensive history of the environmental movement in the Bay Area. Written in a clear, accessible style, the book covers a century of landsaving, from the early days of the Sierra Club to the exciting years from 1965-75 when most of our environmental protection laws were passed, to the recent use of land trusts , conservation easements, and urban growth boundaries to safeguard the Bay Area's precious green heritage. This book will stand, along with John Hart's "Legacy" and Amy Meyer's "New Guardians for the Golden Gate" as the canonical texts in the environmental history of California for years to come.

THE COUNTRY IN THE CITY: THE GREENING OF THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA should be a 'most' for any San Francisco Bay Area or comprehensive California library, whether it be a college-level or public lending collection. Students of California history and geography alike will appreciate this story of how the Bay Area's greenbelt was planned into an urban environment - and how each piece of it was fought for. From environmental battles which spread out to affect urban policies across the country to the involvement of businesses and individuals like, THE COUNTRY IN THE CITY is packed with insights on how early conservation affects today's urban environment, making it a fine pick for any collection interested in urban planning, ecology, or Bay Area history alike.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This book really helped me understand the world I was born into--Berkeley in the late 1950s. As Richard Walker points out, that world reflected the work of countless Bay Area activists reaching back to John Muir. Many were civic-minded and dedicated women, and some started or built environmental organizations with national impact. This book describes it all: the people, the organizations, the issues, the victories (always temporary), the challenges, and the movement's shortcomings and unintended consequences.

Always attuned to class issues, Walker acknowledges that these movements were mostly led by upper-class folks and ultimately turned parts of the Bay Area (e.g., Marin) into lightly populated enclaves for the well off. Working families in the Bay Area have had great access to public parks and the coast, but activists so far have done little to impede the siting of toxic nastiness in low-income neighborhoods. Walker questions the link between efforts to slow or stop growth and the Bay Area's high housing prices, but he notes that the growth that has occurred--in the eastern part of Contra Costa County and the San Joaquin Valley, for example--isn't very smart and may be linked to the inner Bay Area's aversion to virtually any growth at all. At the end of the day, though, it's hard to resist Walker's conclusion that Bay Area residents have plenty to be thankful for. Highly recommended.

While this book was a bit academic and long on details, I found it a pleasant and easy read. I am a Bay Area resident and a NYC transplant and have marveled at the accessibility of the Bay Area's natural beauty and recreation.

I love the SF Bay Area for its beauty and outdoors and I wanted to know how it happened and who to thank. Now I know.

Another book worth considering, which is much more specific to the creation of one area is New Guardians for the Golden Gate: How America Got a Great National Park

I purchased this to use while homeschooling my first grader. He is a good reader so he has been doing this study independently. This is one of the first things he wants to do everyday. He often does two lessons a day because it is so fun.

This is a good introduction to maps, including how to use map keys and compass directions to find locations on the map. A wide variety of maps are introduced, including fictional zoo maps, theme park maps, city maps, along with explanations of the globe, the world map, the seven continents, and various state maps.

After each map, there are a series of questions, two per day, Monday - Friday. At the end of the book are transparencies, for overhead projectors, for each map in the assignments.

My four year old loves this book. We do the full weeks questions in one sitting. We tear out the overheads and write on them with transparency markers, making our own tour routes and finding locations. It makes learning maps very fun.

This is a very nice book, and it is great for homeschooling.

In our home state of VA, mapping is required in kindergarten. Our regular homeschool curriculum does not include mapping or geography at the kindergarten level, so I use this handy resource for our mapping lessons. There are 36 weeks worth of lessons, each including a map and a couple of questions to answer about the map each day of the week. The questions are separated by day, but you can easily complete as many questions as necessary to fit into a one or two-day a week geography lesson.

The information within this book follows the SOLs fairly closely with definitions like "a map is a drawing of a place from above" and "you use a map to find places". The questions are short and should be relatively easy for young readers. Pre-readers (like my son) shouldn't have any trouble answering the questions if they have them and the answer choices read aloud. There are also transparencies that match each of the map pages included in each lesson.

I like the variety of the maps in this book. There are maps of rooms, communities, states, a zoo, a county fair, etc. There is even a treasure map! Lessons include using a map, understanding what a map is, understanding what a map key is, and using a map key. I like that the maps are visually appealing to youngsters without being too silly and they are easy to read.

This book includes information on national geography standards and a teacher page with advice for each lesson. There is also a simple glossary. The pages are perforated and you can give these to students individually without handing them the entire book. Of the very many educational workbooks I have purchased for our classroom, this one is definately the most usueful.

Even though this book is geared to the older elementary student, I used it to supplement my instruction for third graders. It has a wealth of strong information and contains clear and interesting illustrations.

At first glance this book looks like it is simply another children's book but once you open it the beautiful, full color photos speak for themselves! The book is 100% full color and shows a variety of men and women of different Plains tribal affiliations and their routines of daily life. Everything from styles of clothing to weapons, to men's and women's roles is covered in accurate, deatiled photography accompanied by brief commentary. Each subject is attired in meticulously replicated regalia done by the author who is a well known and respected Plains Indian authority. Another nice feature is the addition of a resource page listing historical sites of the Great Plains region. For such a small price tag this is one book that should be on every American history buff's bookshelf! You will not be disappointed!

A very well done, beautifully illustrated book for all ages, highly recommend it.

Michael Terry's "Daily Life in a Plains Indian Village, 1868" is a wonderful book that, although geared toward children and adolescents, provides a colorful overview of the ways of life of the Plains Indian peoples for all readers. The full color, large photograaphs on every page are incredible. Northern Palins replica makers and craftworkers will also find a wealth of close-up photos and descriptions of tools, weapons, and art to which they can refer in their work. If you wish you could see the Plains Indians in the full color splendor for which they are known then this is the book for you!

"Dear Alice" is a must read for anyone headed for China. It's a collection of hundreds of letters by English teachers from America, who arrived to discover China was a bit too different. Often in desperation, but usually with great wit and insight, they sought a shoulder to cry on. So they wrote barrel-fulls of letters to the person who sent them there; hence, Dear Alice .... Alice Renouf, the author, began sending teachers to China years ago and now runs a full-fledged human resources firm helping people who want to teach English in a truly different, challenging environment. Even the locals will tell you China is a crazy place -- a soviet-style bureaucracy trying to run a 3,000 year old society on a marathon of change. Some of the 1.2 runners are at 'start' and some in the 20th centruy. The route changes hourly, and the finishline is definitely "mei you." But if you want to know people who suffer awful frustration with courage, you're in the right place. The best part of the book is learning how many Americans overcome their initial shock, and why they don't flee to the nearest airport. The common strategy seems to be (1) Talk about it (2) Make friends with fellow suffers first, i.e. other Americans. This sounds a bit stand-offish considering you've gone all the way to China to meet Chinese, but it isn't, (3) Learn Chinese if you can, but failing that develop a busy schedule. China is truly ugly, but always interesting, so don't allow yourself an idle minute to examine your (usually) wretched physical surroundings, (4) Take enough money, or make enough. China isn't cheap, and a "mental holiday" in a place like China (dinner at a joint venture hotel) is many times costlier than in the US, (5) Travel and see the country. Make the experience count, and (6) Be prepared for the ultimate culture shock -- ending up where you may have started -- wiser and more tolerant perhaps, but believing your own culture makes considerably more sense.

First of all, I would like to mention that I had the opportunity to teach for one year in Xi'an, the ancient capital of China, and now the capital of Shaanxi province. I am thankful to Alice Renouf, the "Alice" of the title "Dear Alice", for making this dream come true. I went in 1992, if I remember correctly. Since I began reading this wonderful book, I have been unable to put it down. So many forgotten memories and subtle emotions came pouring into my consciousness. From the shock of the first weeks in China to standing in front of the classroom to the everday rush of life which I was part of, to eating in the nightmarket. Reading this book is a vivid and emotional experience. Second only to going to China oneself. Though, I feel it is a must read for anyone planning to go; either as teacher, student, tourist, businessman, politician. In fact, I feel it is not only important for those going to China, but also for anyone who intends to immerse themself in another culture. But even if you just want to read a good book, either while sitting on a warm and glistening sandy beach, with the waves lapping against the shore; or while sitting in your living room sipping a cup of coffee or tea; this is certainly a worthwhile, entertaining, and educational book. After all, it is about becoming sensitive to another culture, and discovering one's own, in the process. I highly recommend "Dear Alice". You will certainly enjoy it.

I just finished reading Dear Alice. I found it extremely helpful in preparing myself mentally for an upcoming trip to China. The letters were quite authentic and honest, often revealing small details about the enigma of life in China. While I can't assume that I'll have a similar experience to that of the writers, I feel comforted to know that others have dealt with China and survived. A great book if you're curious about this foreign culture and an especially illuminating book for those of you from the United States and who are interested in the ways Americans might react to "The land on the other side of the looking glass."

After buying _Dear Alice_ at the recent meeting of the Association for Asian Studies annual meeting in Washington, D.C., I read it with laughter and tears on the train back home. As someone who runs an exchange program for high school teachers between the U.S. and China, I found the letters, and the sentiments they expressed, extremely familiar.

The book will be a wonderful service for those planning to go to China to teach, and for those whose dreams take them only as far as the living room couch.

A must read.

Margot E. Landman
Director, U.S.-China Teachers
Exchange Program
American Council of Learned Societies

I know for a fact that Ben Feinberg has watched over one hundred hours of "I Dream of Jeanie."

But if that's not enough to convince you to buy his book, you might consider the actual subject matter. How do people in small places not overcome by the hegemony of time and space most people reading this website live with conceive of time and space? Feinberg looks at this, dealing with different categories of time and such from the perspective of the Sierra Mazteca. How do you get to Oaxaca de Juarez from Juatla? Where is the United States, and who are these weird tourists?

Read the book for the answers to these questions and more.

I've been interested in the Sierra Mazateca for years-- after spending time there, I read the handful of books written about it, yet felt that there was much more to be said. I was thrilled to discover that last year, someone finally wrote a well-researched ethnography about it. Feinberg's book is packed with fascinating observations and reflections on the way people in the Sierra Mazateca understand and talk about their lives, history, and "culture." I would recommend this book to anyone with a background in anthropology or a similar field who is interested in cultural identity negotiation and "indigenous-ness," Oaxaca, sacred mushrooms, and folklore about devils and caves.

His analysis is brilliant. If you are unsatisfied after reading through once, then I suggest you purchase another copy and read it over again.

I know for a fact that Ben Feinberg has eaten Armour(tm) Potted Meat Food Product.

The rather idiosyncratic section headings in this book are: The disappearance of pharonic Egypt; Travellers in ancient times; Crusaders, monks and sightseers on the banks of the Nile; Treasure hunters and thieves; The era of the scholars; Archaeolgists to the rescue; and Documents. It should be noted that the section on documents does not discuss papyrology or famous documents such as the Egyption mathematical leather roll (EMLR), The story of Sinuhe, or anything else of original documents! Having said that, the book as a whole is richly illustrated and is excellent value for money. Every oppportunity has been taken to reproduce colour photographs and black and white illustrations on the full gamut of subjects, not just confining the scope to the best known images. Most of the expected topics are covered: the Rosetta Stone, hieroglyphics, Tutankhamun, the pyramids, the early Egytologists, something of modern research. There is also a useful chronology at the back, and a few interesting technical articles, eg on the preservation of the mummy of Ramesses II, and gravimetric analysis of the Great Pyramid. Rekindles the interest if you have read one too many dry textual work on Egypt. Recommended.

This book is not really about Ancient Egypt. It is, as its title suggests, a book about the discovery of Egypt by modern Europeans and research on the civilization through the 1980s. In a lot of ways it reminds me of a National Geographic issue which isn't bad it just isn't highly technical or academic but geared toward a general audience. If it is judged with this audience in mind, it rates as an excellent book. For anyone more serious, it may be amusing and interesting and certainly a nice change in that it attempts to discuss fairly recent research.

This is a beautifully done book that includes many photographs and illustrations as well as documents pertaining to the history of Egypt as well as the history of Egyptology. Details the historic findings of tombs and relics, illustrations of what things looked like prior to the pillaging that abounded in earlier centuries. A joy to look at and to read and full of great information.

I'd like this book & i want it now

I took Prof. Boyer's Geography of Wine course last spring (this was one of the textbooks), and learned more than my parents or my sister (who worked in a wine cellar) knew about wine. They now look to me to order the wine when we're out to dinner! The book is highly informative and entertaining, and great for someone (or better yet, a group) that wants to get into wine without worrying about all of the "wine snobbery" that's out there--this book is def. the way to go.

I took Professor Boyer's "Geography of Wine" class which was an absolute blast! This book was just an extension of his uncanny personality. It has sparked a true passion for wine that I never knew existed. I actually own 2 copies of this book because I enjoyed it just that much. Such a simple introduction to wine, starting with what you're drinking out of and how come. All the way to a description of the wine you're drinking (as you're reading)by the grape itself. There are simple charts for you to fill out as you read with your own description of taste, color, smell, etc to compare with the notes that he has about the wine. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to get into the way of the vine or for the already more experienced drinkers out there to get a deeper understanding of wine and the world that revolves around it. I promise you that you won't be disappointed.

This book is perfect for any who just getting into wine, are a little curious, and those aficionados who are looking for some creative ways to enjoy their wines. It is written very down to earth and passionately, and has really helped me to learn a great deal about wine and appreciate it. I highly recommend this book to any who don't just want to drink wine, but experience it.

It seems ironic that most books about wine talk more about the wine itself than drinking it. As the title suggests, it doesn't beat around the vine. The book must be read with a glass of wine in hand, and some chapters require multiple bottles. This means, or should mean, reading it can become a group event. My drinking counterparts and I learned most of what we know about wine from the detailed drinking lessons, which can be done in most any order. If you are a rookie wine drinker and just want some basic knowledge, this is a perfect book. If you then want to delve further into the world of wine, all you need to do is keep reading. [and drinking]

A+