Washington Books

a very clear map of a very large area. printed on both sides, and made of tear-proof, waterproof tyvek. All trails that I was looking for were clearly marked. This 1:100,000 map is large enough to contain all necessary information to navigate the landscape, yet it's very light and packs well.

This map was perfect for my hike in the cascades. Waterproof and tear resistant. Trails were very clearly marked.

One of the most distinctive features of the United States Capitol is its collection of statues assembled from each state. "National Statuary Hall: Guidebook for a Walking Tour" helps to bring this collection alive -- to better share a sense of the history found in every corner of the building.

"National Statuary Hall: Guidebook for a Walking Tour" is both thoroughly researched and easy to use. Both the content and the layout of the book excellent in every regard. In the terms of layout, the design of the Capitol itself presents an author with difficulty. The arrangement of works of art can often be confusing. However in this guidebook, the collection is presented in a logical fashion - which lends itself easily to a `walking tour'. Each statue has a detailed description and biographical sketch of the individual, which helps a visitor understand the importance of the individuals represented in the collection.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone planning a visit to the Capitol, or to anyone simply interested in the `slice' of American history represented by the 96 statues found in the Statuary Hall Collection of the Capitol.

This is a wonderfully concise and entertaining guide to the statuary in the U.S. Capitol donated by the 50 states. Clear directions to all the statues and great backgrounds on why the states chose their subjects, on the subjects themselves and on the artists. Convenient to use and easy to carry. You will be most happy you have this book during your visit!

The 5 Star rating is due to the fact I live in the geographical area that this book is focused toward. (Pacific NW) It gives very clear descriptions and key indicators that help in determining which mushrooms are edible, as well as information regarding those that are not. It explains toxicity, advises about being careful with certain fungi, and informs greatly!
I do wish Margaret was still with us, but am pleased that the book was updated by her colleague.

The photography in this book is excellent. The book is keyed to the Pacific Northwest, so those who live in or visit the area will find it very easy to use. The descriptors are clear especially concerning edibility. The book fits nicely into a day pack for all you hikers out there. I would highly recomend this book, it is probably one of the best books out there!

Very amazing book, a lot of unanswered questions....which i like and dislike at the same time.

This is one of the best books I have read. I can not wait for Arriaga's other novels to be translated, his creativity and unique style have definately stuck a cord with me. The deception and emotion that surround the novel develop it into a story that will keep you thinking long after you finish it.

Paul Howard Takemoto made a very moving account of his parents treatment during WWII. He used interviews of both parents to tell their story. Interesting to read as well as an excellent account of America's treatment of the Japanese Americans during the war. I hope we learn from it.

The forced movement of thousands of Japanese-Americans from the West Coast of the United States to camps inside the country is not one of America's better moments. At a political level the arguments are still raging. A group of activists have succeeded in getting not only an official apology but a cash payment. On the other side, there are reports that the recently declassified Magic intercepts confirm that there was an active spy ring operating in the West Coast Ports. I frankly don't know.

This book, however, is not on the larger political aspects. It is on the personal issues of two people, the author's parents. They were stripped of their property, sent to camps, and generally deprived of the rights we expect as citizens. Their stories match those of several people I have known.

The stories of his father in the 442 Regimental Combat Team have particular meaning to me as I have met several veterans of the 442. All had been wounded in action.

This museum catalog is one of the best of any I have seen. I was fortunate enough to be involved in a living history demonstration when this exhibit came to Los Angeles in about 1991. The catalog covers the best and most significant pieces from the show (which I find rare among museum catalogs). It begins with comprehensive coverage of the history of the tribes of this region. Other chapters in the catalog are devoted to spirituality (both concepts and religious artifacts), clothing, jewelry, housing and other commonly used items. It has become one of my favorite pictoral reference books on Eurasia.

Vladimir Basilov's broad history of Central Asian nomadic cultures is a companion volume to a traveling exhibit of nomadic steppe art put together by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the Academy of Sciences of the USSR in 1990-1991. Basilov's book is not merely a catalog of the exhibit, but rather is designed to provide a background chronology of the cultures encompassed and thus grounding the viewer/reader in an understanding of the artifacts and the peoples who produced them.

Basilov, as editor and principal writer, begins with an introduction that describes the land and conditions that support a nomadic lifestyle in these steppe areas of Central Asia, with an overview of the chronology of Central Asia. The first chapter, written by Larisa R. Pavlinskaya, describes in detail the archaelogical findings on the Scythian and Sakaian cultures of the first millennium BC the next chapter, by Evgenii I. Lubo-Lesnichenko, is devoted to the Huns, linking them the Hsiung-nu who ravaged China's western borders up to the sixth century AD, and drawing on both Chinese and European primary sources to enhance this history. Each chapter builds on the information of the previous chapters, as in the next chapter on the Turkic peoples of the sixth to twelfth centuries, written by Sev'yan I. Vainshtein, who links the culture of Turkic tribes to those of the earlier Scythians and later Mongols, setting-up an understanding of the origins of Mongolian culture which then becomes the focus of the book. In this chapter also can be seen the multifaceted, multi-tribal nature of these cultures which the author shows by focusing both on distinctions between different tribes like the Uigher, Avar, and Oghuz as well as the similarities inherent in all such warrior-nomadic societies.

Basilov, whose personal interests seem to lie in the study of the Mongolian peoples, devotes over one-half of this book to the Mongols that arose as the predominant nomadic culture of Central Asian steppes from the twelfth century onwards. He draws heavily on anthropologic details as well as on Arabic and Chinese primary sources, and divides up his remaining chapters into specific areas of research: Mongol history, housing and household goods, clothing, weaponry, herds, music and religious practices. Each of these chapters is a study not only in the artifacts but in the people who use them and the how and why of that use.

Aside from the incredibly beautiful photos of these artifacts, which alone would makes this a worthwhile book, Basilov's text is clear and to the point providing an easily understood, but not simplistic, view of these nomadic cultures. By telling Mongolian history through the use of artifacts as well as documents, Basilov has given a more socialized than political look at the history of the Mongols entirely without making value judgments on this unique nomadic culture--a pitfall of many histories that take a less cultural approach.

As exemplified in song by Woodie Guthrie when he extolled the virtues of the great dams on the Columbia River and the subsequent development of irrigated agriculture, man's focus on the Columbia Plateau has been on how it can serve him. Now a new book has emerged that explores the geology, soils, flora and fauna of the region and its shrub-steppe ecosystems. This book serves as primer for all who would seek to understand these natural systems...a starting point for further exploration, both on the ground and in the regional libraries. The book is a gentle reminder of the natural richness of this region and the need to preserve the remaining habitat for future generations so that the land can continue to serve man, but in a different way, enriching our lives through the knowledge that soils derived from the harsh reality of volcanic eruption in conjunction with simple associations of grasses and shrubs can form the basis for a complex and enduring living system.

As exemplified in song by Woodie Guthrie when he extolled the virtues of the great dams on the Columbia River and the subsequent development of irrigated agriculture, man's focus on the Columbia Plateau has been on how it can serve him. Now a new book has emerged that explores the geology, soils, flora and fauna of the region and its shrub-steppe ecosystems. This book serves as primer for all who would seek to understand these natural systems...a starting point for further exploration, both on the ground and in the regional libraries. The book is a gentle reminder of the natural richness of this region and the need to preserve the remaining habitat for future generations so that the land can continue to serve man, but in a different way, enriching our lives through the knowledge that soils derived from the harsh reality of volcanic eruption in conjunction with simple associations of grasses and shrubs can form the basis for a complex and enduring living system.

Unlike any other food and wine book, NORTHWEST Food and Wine, is the most current book on the foods and wines of Washington State and Oregon. It is an easy-to-read interesting compilation of the latest in food and wine trends from the great Pacific Northwest.

I've been looking for a cookbook that has wine pairings with food that won't break my budget and yet complement my choice of wines. The recipes are simple and tasty. Many cookbooks in the market today tend to be needlessly complicated or just plain out of reach to the average consumer. The Taggerts did a wonderful job of making this subject accessible but not condescending. It is just right for the budding wine enthusiast who love to cook. I've liked it so much that I'm giving a copy to a friend.

I was deeply inspired and moved by Ana Maria Spagna's essays set in or around Stehekin and the North Cascades National Park in Washington State. I've had a cabin in this area for over 30 years, but even if that weren't so, I'd still love this book! It is honest, witty, succint, insightful and of course, well written. Think Pam Houston (Cowboys are My Weakness, or, in this case, cowgirls) meets Anne Lamott (Travelling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith) with a little Whitman, Thoreau, and Emerson thrown in. Each essay kept me moving on to the next one, there are 17 in all. Some are really personal, others lighthearted. It is also great reading for anyone who loves the outdoors and nature. The references to Walden are to many to mention.

I was assigned this book as part of a nature literature course. I did not care for the other books we had already read, so I thought I would dislike this one as well. But the opposite is true. The book is poignant, honest, evocative, funny. Unlike so many other nature novels out there, it is entirely unpretentious. Spagna does not pretend to be "better" than people with different viewpoints (as she holds a few herself), she is not afraid to laugh at herself and reveal her innermost thoughts. Really, this is not a nature novel per se. It is a book about finding oneself, about belonging, and about how wilderness was a catalyst for her own soul-searching quests. It can be taken at face value, but there are also many opportunities to explore deeper themes and symbolism. Highly recommended.

As President of the Ukrainian American Club of WA from 1993-1999 and as Co-Chair of the Ukrainian Studies Endowment Campaign at the University of Washington, I was intrigued by the article in the Seattle Times about the effort which led to the publication of Nuclear Legacy: Students of Two Atomic Cities.

The book is a stunning achievement at so many levels. Students and teachers managed to do interdisciplinary, integrative study. From local settings, they dealt with international and intercultural matters. Science and technology were given a human dimension. The universal significance of particular issues was underscored. Abstractions became particulars. People came together. In a society where youth and adults are lured by the trivial, these teachers and students dealt with fundamentals. They modeled for the nation what education at all levels should and can be.

In the process, they inspired hope. While it was natural in 1986 to speak of the Chornobyl explosion in apocalyptic categories that stressed catastrophe, the basic meaning of "apocalyptic" as a "revelation" was lost. Has something been disclosed about human beings and the world? What can we learn about ourselves and our relation to other selves and the environment in which and with which we must live? The book and all that preceded it answered a resounding "Yes!"

A thank you to the authors also for resisting the pressures against doing such work in Ukrainian. It is so much easier to capitulate to those who still insist on using Russian instead of the official language of the country.

This is simply an excellent book.

Sincerely

Eugene E. Lemcio, Ph.D. (206) 281-2208 elemcio@spu.edu

This fascinating book combines the fresh and frank opinions common to youth anywhere with the unique circumstances that faced these young people, who grew up in cities dominated by the nuclear industry in Richland, Washington and Slavutych, Ukraine (near Chornobyl). It turns out the book gives you an inside view of young people in two distinct national cultures, in spite of the shared nuclear culture. The Ukrainian children faced the most tragic of pasts, and you find pieces that pull at the heartstrings, like the girl who was learning a poem with her father when the Chornobyl disaster occurred. Now she feels for him and the pain he still suffers from the radiation he received. You notice the love of town and homeland among the Ukrainian youth that is expressed quite poetically. The American youth are more straightforward and reserved about their love of their community. They have clearly dug into the history of their area, with stories about the Indians, the farmers who were removed from their land by the Manhattan Project, the current scientific culture of the Richland area, and lighter pieces-like a sidebar about a local Spudnut Shop. The book gives a good background on nuclear and environmental issues that surround each community. One of the ironies is that the remaining wastes at Hanford and the Zone around the Chornobyl accident have resulted in land remaining or returning to natural habitat for animals-and these issues and the animals are described along with the stories about local people. Another shared theme is the effort of each economy to diversify. The book has some great color photos of the local areas and people and is beautifully designed and put together with English and Ukrainian text side by side on each page. There is something here for everybody, but the book will especially appeal to those with an interest in nuclear issues and students and teachers who may be considering similar projects. It's quite amazing what these students accomplished-a powerful and professional job at a remarkably young age.