Washington Books

Mountain in the Clouds: a search for the Wild Salmon
By Bruce Brown

This book touched me. I don't read much non-fiction, and what I do read is usually skills-based How-To stuff about carpentry or plumbing or growing mushrooms. This book though, being non-fiction affected me to a surprising degree, and I know exactly why: location, location, location.

A book like this can touch me precisely because it and I share a common experience. I've seen salmon jumping in the Dungeness; I've been to the campground on the Fork of that river. I've tasted wild Chinook and Chum and I can tell the difference. I've seen the stripes on a mating chum in its Redd, and smelled their dead bodies lining a stream channel in autumn. So, this is a book about my experience of Salmon as much as it was the author's - and because of that it was entirely poignant, touching upon the experiences of my life and things that were significant to me. That's what got me.

But if it weren't for that - I suspect that the compelling yet fact-filled tone of the author would have done it just as well. A pioneering novel in the genre of "ecological history," he strikes the delicate balance, so precarious that most of the time you're poised on the front of your seat expecting to find out that all the salmon are dead and you just haven't heard about it yet. Yet, woven in with these truthful accounts of the state of affairs of the plight of modern fish are settings if great beauty, people who are good folks, and experiences of such great meaning that reading through them you could swear afterward that that had happened to you too; rather than just having read it in a book. The author's gift here is very apparent, and his creation is artful, inspiring, education yet provocative and beautiful: if only because he is able to give an accurate portrait of something that I find to be one of the most gorgeous (and delicious) parts of nature in my neck of the woods.

If you haven't seen a salmon in Washington: this book will bring you here. If you have seen them, or have seen them your whole life: this book will bring you much, much more. There isn't anyone I know of who couldn't or shouldn't read this book - if only because it brings them a little closer to the Olympic peninsula and in doing so that much closer to me, and my heart, which was always here and probably always will be.

The book did make me want to go out and slap everyone involved in Washington Fisheries before 1985, slap the fisherman and the gill-netters, slap the moneyed lobbies and the trollers and the loggers and the dam-builders and the pulp mills. I'd slap the people too - just for not doing anything about it if they did know about it; and slap them twice if they didn't. I wouldn't slap the Indians - they got screwed over just as much as the salmon; and I wouldn't slap the salmon themselves - if the river dries up or they're eaten, how could you blame them for that?

The salmon don't depend on us; this book opened up the raw world of hatchery fish in a way I hadn't even been aware a controversy existed before. Being a scientist, I tested some of my own theories and found that they held up under scrutiny, so I can say: Yes, salmon hatcheries are bad for salmon. If you want to restore salmon, tear down every hatchery in existence right now. And its not even like they had nobody out there doing different things: the Canadians scrapped their hatcheries decades ago and have stronger runs because of it. Why do we have to keep doing the same wrong thing over and over again?

Part of me wants to think that its because our culture can't stand a freeloader: and if you're fishing the stream, and doing so keeps you from having to join the money-economy, that isn't tolerable. And anything that generates money is more important than everything that doesn't. Even though you can measure an industry based on the number of salmon it kills: to most people, that doesn't matter as much as the number of jobs it creates.

We're selling our souls to buy lipstick and blush - starving our hearts for the sake of fingernail polish. And in a week, all that pretty will be gone and we'll have to deal with the stark reality that our culture has just whored itself out for nothing, and nothing is exactly what we'll have left. Maybe this is how we're going to go, maybe this is our society's way of committing suicide. But why do we have to take the whole world with us?

"We're going to ride this bike until the wheels fall off."

... and they will; and the salmon will be a legend like the wolf or the grizzly bear or the mammoth, and eventually we'll forget them entirely, and never know that once there was a different way of being which wasn't toxic to the world or to ourselves.

... And yes, that emptiness in your heart day in and day out IS because something really is missing; and you won't find it in stuff, or other distractions, or even religion (which is to real meaning as fool's gold is to true wealth). But then again, who care's right? `till the wheels fall off indeed.

Dominic Ebacher
ebacherdom.blogspot.com
071101.1234

Experience wild salmon leaping up the wild rivers of the Northwest. In western Washington, salmon still return from the ocean to spawn deep within the Olympic Mountains. This book is a classic on conservation and wildlife. Pre-dating the current concern for salmonids as an endangered species, Brown engages the reader in the unique environment of the temperate rainforest of the Olympic Pennisula. He describes the people and the fish that are the central players in this life and death drama.

My husband bought this book and I just picked it up on a whim. The book spins a lovely web of the aesthetics of nature, the factual information about Mount St Helens and a personal reflection on one individual's place in the enormous cycle of nature. I enjoyed Colasurdo simple but elegant prose, her meticulous research, which I was glad to see gave credit to scientists and historians with every fact, and her personal insights and revelations.

I read this books during an absolutely insane Christmas season (I own a retail store so Christmas is always particularly draining) and it really helped me put everything in perspective.

This book was written by someone who grew up with her summers in the shadow of Mt. St. Helens who revisits the area years later, after the eruption. It was a very reflective, somewhat moody book, that I enjoyed reading. Good descriptions of the area as it struggled to recover from the incredible devastation.

I was honored to pick up this second volume of a sort of "trilogy." The thing that caught me about it right away was the way the turbulence of the 1960s comes across in this book. Immediately, you feel as if you're living in that time period and mingling with these characters. I think the prose in this book is flawless and it's the main reason we get to see so much into the time, places, and the character's lives. I have to admit, I was a little puzzled throughout the book with the warts and sofourth. I thought it was an intriguing part of the character and the story. I found that it's one of those books you read and then after you're finished, you know you like it but you can't put your finger on what it is you like about it. But a few weeks after you read it, the story and the characters are still in your head. That's what I found amazing about it.

where do i start? what a book! i had read vision quest in middle school and was blown away by the authors characters and the way he drew you deep into their lives and minds. well, that was nothing. mysterious ways is the best book i've ever read, hands down. the characters are wonderfully compelling, and davis' ability to put you in the middle of someplace you've never been is...almost scary. my visits to spokane, wa and other parts of the pacific northwest in davis' writing are almost more real to me than my own true memories. i've read this book 7 or more times, and i know i will read many more times before i'm done. if there was any justice, this book would have never gone out of print. if you ever happen to read this...thank you mr. davis. you've given me a wonderful gift.

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!

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.