Oregon Books

Senator Morse is one of our country's great historical figures. Mr. Drukman conveys the fascinating history of a man who was at the center of the cold war and foresaw a great many of the tragedies that unfolded in american foreign policy during the 1960's- most notably Vietnam. He was an outstanding politician- they just don't make em like this anymore.

Drukman explores nearly every facet of this incredible leader. Further, he does so with clear, thoughtful writing which illuminates the fascinating figures in every chapter. After researching Wayne Morse for three years myself (for a documentary film), I can honestly say that he is the only politician I know of who never once strayed from principle or betrayed the public trust. Indeed he sought to save America from those who did.

I was a student and the University of Oregon in the 60's and had many opportunities to see Wayne Morse on campus and around town.

He was truly one of the twentieth century's great politicians.

It is sad to look back to the Vietnam era and realize he was (nearly) the lone voice of descent in the Government. All of those lost friends who died for no good reason.

Wayne Morse is the perfect example of the politican who approached issues from a common sense point of view instead of a partisan point of view. He was such a good labor negotiator because he approached each negotiation from a reasoned point of view. He knew when either labor or management was full of B.S. and he told them so.

This is also why he changed parties. Didn't have time for partisan politics when his party was not doing the right thing. The other great politician of the twentieth century who changed parties was Winston Churchill, who shared a balanced vision of the political world.

Hopefully we'll see another Wayne Morse one of these days, but not likley in the current enviornment

Two of my favorite activities, reading good books and hiking good trails, merge in this Oregon Coast hiking guide. Bonnie Henderson was raised in Portland, and lives in Eugene now. Not only does she know these trails, but she is also savvy to all the flora and fauna along the way. Her guide is organized by hikes along Oregon's North Coast, North-Central Coast, Central Coast, South-Central Coast, and South Coast, and also includes interesting information about, among other things, puffins (pp. 40-41), skunk cabbage (p. 51), bald eagles (p. 62), estuaries (p. 73) and silverspot butterflies (pp. 76-77).

I spent a week hiking many of the trails in this guide, including most of Henderson's own recommended favorites (pp. 26, 57, 96): Indian Beach to Ecola Point, Seaside Beach, Crescent Beach, Haystack Rock, Hug Point, and the Yachats 804 Trail. I especially liked the Cape Falcon and Cooks Ridge-Gwynn Creek loop trails. Rocky beaches. Loud waves. Waterfalls. Mossy trees. Old-growth forests. Foggy days. Muddy trails. The Oregon Coast is a hiker's heaven, and Henderson's wise, old trail guide contains some of heaven's best-kept secrets.

G. Merritt

Bonnie Henderson's hiking books are consistently good. This one highlights some lesser-known hikes along the Oregon Coast. My parents live on the coast, and many of these hikes were pleasant surprises to them. Difficulty is accurately noted. The author, an Oregon resident, really hikes all the trails in her books. This book would be a great gift for anyone living or travelling the Oregon Coast.

This is a courageous and beautiful book. Bette Husted traverses the inner territories of soul as fearlessly as she takes the reader across the physical landscape which shaped her life. I was moved by this author's ability to capture with such pathos and understatement, issues of great loss and learning.

I enjoyed this book very much. It is writing in a manner not commonly seen in the post modern era. The author has a capacity with the language that is lost on most modern readers. There is a lot of heart in this book and it shows in every page. If you like stories about exemplary everyday people you should read this book.

During an overnight stay in hospital I put this book to an unfair test. Not feeling to well I read the chapters out of sequence. For me every chapter was a justifiable interesting read. That is surely an exceptional test of a writer. This book is worth its shelf space for any lover of adventure and any follower of American history.

Laton McCartney is a descendant of Robert Stuart. He has from unpublished family letters and journals been able to make Stuart's place in history together with Astor's commercial interests come alive to the reader throughout the book. The fact that Stuart's undertaking was West to East where any support was infinitely more difficult and against a background of British colonial force and Indian hostility makes this even more remarkable.

Many of the men sent on these expeditions were not at the start explorers. In view of this what some of them achieved was incredible. The debt that the wagon trains owe to Robert Stuart for blazing The South Pass trail and enabling the opening up of the American west to them is immense and very undervalued in history.

The terrible sea voyage with a brutal captain, being seen as fair game to be picked off or stolen from by Indian tribes, but helped by some, hunting or starving to near cannibalism, near death illness, gear and food being swept away in the rivers, just being in open country during the wrong season or having to build a winter retreat and hunker down - it's all there and much more to find.

My future resolution, to get a big contoured map and relive the endurance these iron men by tracing their tracks on the landscape. If you want to see the type of country these men came through by horse, on foot, by scratch built canoe and raft just look on the Internet and remember they were on their own.

The book does Robert Stuart justice in full measure. I will by buying another copy for my son and his children.

Robert Stuart was the first explorer to cross the entire continent of the United States from west to east. He discovered the southernly route across the Rockies through the South Pass and followed what would become the Oregon Trail twenty three years later after his crossing.

His contributions to the Astoria project also were covered in this volume. He was truly a contributor to the success of the establishment of the American clain to this country, althouth this did not happen until some year later after the fort had been abandoned to the British.

He, and the early Astorians certainly deserve the credit for this project of John Astor.
Norma Dart

John Reiger is a master in writing on the subject of environmental history. Very few in his field has put forth the time or energy he has taken to produce such fine written works concerning sportsmen and the environment. I have personally taken his classes and have always felt enlightened by them and sad to see them end. If you are concerned about the environment you should read not just this, but all of the books this man has written.

As a student at Ohio University, I have taken classes with Dr. Reiger for nearly two years. Taking History as a major along with English has afforded me the pleasure of receiving Dr. Reiger's views directly from the source. Naturally, I wanted to see what his book has to offer a student who has limited knowledge of conservation.

I was delighted to find that this work is extremely well written (not that I expected anything less from Dr. Reiger), and also written in such a way as to be easily followed by readers less interested in either history or English than I. A thorough perusal of this work will leave the reader with a fine understanding of the history of the conservation movement from a sportsman's perspective, perhaps the only 'real' form of conservation.

The only negative I can perceive is the amount of notes for each chapter. The astounding amount of side information is not an issue for my self, but for some less active readers it might cause problems.

This is a great book, a must see I recommend this book to everyone I truly enjoy reading this book. This book would be appreciated by both men and women

This book really captures you the minute you begin reading... It flows easly from one chapter to the next.. I stayed up until 1:30 in the am.. could not put it down until the last page.... good job

I really love Lone Pine field guides. Each book has its own style, but every Lone Pine guide I've read, including this one, has more than just identification tools - they actually teach you about the species they describe. That being said, the keys included in this book are very helpful - no matter how great the pictures, salamanders still confuse me. However, the key included makes it easy to identify a salamander (assuming you get more than a fleeting glance) or frog. Another hit for Lone Pine.

No scaley 'ol reptiles here! Just everything and more that you frog and salamander hobbyists want to know. Great quality color photos throughout, and book is organized so it is easily referred to again and again. I was especially impressed with the identification keys, photos and illustrations of egg, tadpole and juvenile (as well as adult) forms of most species.
Much of the information is applicable to the rest of the United States. This book just knocked my socks off--and I collect books on amphibians!

Good reference of some of the favorite multi-day bicycle tours in the Northwest.

While there are several multi-day trips in the guide, this book is targeted at the more serious recreational rider who is looking for day rides of 25 to 60 miles. It covers quite a large area, mostly in Washington State, with general and detailed descriptions of the routes, augmented by line maps. One nice feature is that it details the vertical profile of each ride so you can see what you're getting into when it comes to climbing hills at various milage points in the rides.

I've ridden about 1/3 of the routes and have found the rides well planned and accurately described. There is always a place to stop for a break near mid-way, and often alternatives to shorten or lengthen the trip. A great book to get you in touch with quiet roads or bike trails that you otherwise may never discover.

I love it i LOve it I LOVE IT ILOVEIT iLoVeIt IlOvEiT iiiiiiiiii lllloooovvvveeee iiiiiiiiiiitttttttttttttttttttttttttttt!!!

just to kinda let you know.

Ohhhhhhhh and its good to!

I've read three of Ms. Courtney's Palisade romances and really loved each one. I'll probably look for more. It really makes you want to cry when she finally accepts his proposal.

This book not only tells how and where to find books, but gives a great description of the many interests of the coast!!!

No one else has covered these little shops about the coast. He delightfully comments on the owners and the type of books you will find. Nice to have on the shelf for a book owner and shopper.