Minnesota Books

Calvin has a writing style that is just simply inviting and keeps me reading onward...feeling the atmosphere. He has tons of facts throughout describing everything a person could want to know about canoeing and enjoying the waterways.

I discovered this book when I was living in San Francisco, and it convinced me to move back home to the Midwest. Le Sueur is an earthy, populist writer. This is a history of Minnesota, but its doesn't trouble itself with governors and generals. Le Sueur writes about Indians, farmers, cornhuskers, pioneers, the ordinary people who built the Midwest. And her descriptions of nature and weather are beautiful. She loved people, she loved her native country. If you're from the Midwest, buy this book. You'll either get homesick, or you'll be glad you never left home.

When I launched into my MS field work in northeastern Minnesota, I was completely unfamiliar with the Great Lakes-Saint Lawrence transitional forest ecosystem, and therefore not a little unprepared! Fortunate indeed that I stumbled onto this little treasure.

Like all Sierra Club Naturalist's Guides, "The North Woods" starts with geology and soils, then ventures into plants, animals, and ecosystem structure. Simple photographs and line drawings are provided for some of the most common and especially important plant and animal species. If you're looking for a conventional field guide, however, this ain't it. Instead, "The North Woods" is a guide to communities and ecosystems. An excellent investment, and next to Heinselmann's "Boundary Waters" one of my favorites. -William Adair, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Utah State University

"Northern Treasure: The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and Horticultural Research Center" tells the incredible story of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and Horticultural Research Center, famous for the origin of the 'Wealthy' and 'Honeycrisp' apples and many other beautiful flowers, plants, and trees.

Filled with lush color photographs of the Arboretum gardens in each of the dramatically contrasting four seasons Minnesota is famous for, "Northern Treasure" more than fulfills its mission to celebrate and chronicle the 50th anniversary of the Arboretum and the 100th anniversary of the Horticultural Research Center. Tribute is paid to past directors of the Center and Arboretum, and historical black and white photographs of the beginning fruit tree breeding farm are interwoven with the text. "Northern Treasures" is both a magnificent testimonial and a tasteful coffee table gift to any lover of nature's beauty. Perhaps its legacy is best appreciated in a world where restful scenic gardens are becoming rare experiences.

As an aside, I am descended from a neighbor of the original pioneer fruit breeder and founder, Peter Gideon. My great great grandfather was Henry Stubbs of Stubbs Bay, on Lake Minnetonka. I remember reading a radio play written by my uncle, Don Stubbs, that told the story of the beginning of the Wealthy apple as seen through the eyes of his pioneer Quaker neighbor farmer. I particularly enjoyed the early historical photographs and contributions of "Northern Treasure." It also should motivate residents and vacationers to visit the beautiful Arboretum and gardens, located 9 miles west of I-494 on Hwy. 5 in Chanhassen, Minnesota.

Nancy Lorraine
Reviewer

This excellent field guide is invaluable for those of us who live in the northern part of the Midwest. It covers the many types of habitats we enjoy here, and the plants, animals and birds found in them. The book is full of vivid pen and ink drawings showing samples of the variety of wildlife which abound here. It is extensive enough to provide throrough information, yet small enough to tuck into a backpack on a camping trip. It's a wonderful value and a fascinating read. Go for it!

Got this as a gift for my husband, but we both laughed our arses off!:)
Who knew Minnesota was so entertaining?! Quite a depature from Lake Wobegon!

I loved it. Very well written with accurate documentatio

This is a very special book for anyone interested in history, especially those who had ancestors who passed through Minnesota. It's a collection of stories collected by the Daughters of the Americal Revolution, who felt it was important to record the memories of those individuals who helped settle the state before it was too late. The stories are presented pretty much in the words of the storytellers with little editing. Reading them gives a person some perspective into the many aspects of frontier life and the types of people who formed our nation.

This is a very special book for anyone interested in history, especially those who had ancestors who passed through Minnesota. It's a collection of stories collected by the Daughters of the Americal Revolution, who felt it was important to record the memories of those individuals who helped settle the state before it was too late. It was originally published in the early 1900's, and this edition should be a reprint of it. The stories are presented pretty much in the words of the storytellers with little editing. Reading them gives a person some perspective into the many aspects of frontier life and the types of people who formed our nation.

On The Ballot In Louisiana: Running For President To Fight National Decay is the true story of an ordinary man from Minnesota who, without money or name recognition, dared to run for President. When The Domocratic National Committee removed him from the South Carolina ballot, he journeyed to Louisiana to campaign for five weeks, and garnered 3,161 votes for the state's 2004 Democratic primary, finishing fifth and beating two better-known candidates. Black-and-white photographs illustrate his story, which combines raw-guts determination with a humorous flair and perfectly captures the excitement of campaigning for president amid the Mardi Gras and bayou state. The message beneath the author's campaign, one of waking up and getting involved, resonates in the pages of this enjoyable tour de force of maverick politics.