Greens Books

Wilderness is a necessary part of life if humans are to heal - and so are the animals which form it. Pinhook Swamp is a watershed and wildlife corridor linking different wildlife refuges in the South: Janisse Ray's Pinhook: Finding Wholeness In A Fragmented Land follows the swamp's need for restoration and the human concurrent need for wilderness, providing a blend of natural history and philosophy which is winning and thought-provoking.

Janisse Ray has now written two marvelous books about the natural world, our impact on it, and its on us. She writes in an engaging low-key style that draws you into her experiences. "Ecology of a Cracker Childhood" is about growing up in rural Georgia, and about longleaf pine forests. "Pinhook" talks about the wilderness being preserved by the creation of the Pogo wilderness area (Okeefenokee, Pinhook, Osceola). Light, easy, and long-lasting in its impact. I wish we could get more people committed to the subjects of Ms. Ray's efforts.
Bill Schwendler

Janisse Ray continues in her appealing and warm style to bring us to environmental concerns in the northern Florida-southern Georgia swamp lands. She takes us with her in visiting the land and people. Her deeply sensitive relationship with the land draws connections that the average reader would probably miss. This book is like spending time with a good friend.

Dearest Chase, I'd give you seven too if allowed. I must admit I checked out your book because of your defense of the wonderful Anne Rice, not that her extraordinary talent really requires any. Sometimes kindred spirits must offer support to one another. As for you, what a wordsmith! May you continue to write till that last breath!
Chrissy K. McVay - author

The depth of Chase Von's writings are his bridge. He is capable of seeing and touching a deminsion of space with his words truly most only wish they could capture. His poetry is written from the heart and therefore by passes the realms of logic. I think his writing and poetry is wonderfully fresh. It would be my hope that you could smell his ink well of writings and find the depth of his writing is his bridge. Thanks Chase Von.

Your Servant, Deremiah, *CPE

Hello and as the author of this book, of course I gave myself five stars:) (I'd of put seven which is my lucky number but it's not how they do their system here:) I just want to thank all those that have told me of its importance and its place in our world. My wife knows a woman that is home bound and I may take her up on her suggestion, (I spoke with her by phone) to make this also audio or place it on a CD. She told me there are many people that for a variety of reasons are unable to read but love to listen. Even Poets minds must at times get expanded:) I wish you all peace and will leave you with one brief saying that is in my book as well, and that I feel is a definite truth in life.
"True love is the bridge
That covers the gaps
Left by
Misunderstandings
And like wise
Understanding
Is the passage way
Through which
True love
Enters our lives"
By Chase von
tlp
God bless again and my well wishes to all people and my thanks and appreciation and gratitude to all those that continue to believe in me, those that have met me know it matters little to me whether your Pink, Blue or Green, for all hearts are the same color. And if love has a color, then perhaps someone out there can educate me on it.
God be with you all,
And may he also color your lives with love
What ever color that may be
Sincerely,
Chase von
tlp

Over the years, Sites' clients have turned to him for subtle
insights into power control technology. Many of our peculiar
projects are only successful due to Sites' tweeking. But Plasma at
Work is not only about tweeking this important technology. This book
gives the reader a big picture of the industry from an author
intimately familiar with its nuts and bolts.
I just happened to read this book concurrently with Alan
Greenspan's The Age of Turbulence. There Greenspan notes how difficult
it has been for us to sustain a rising level of productivity year
after year. It made me think that we do so at all only because
engineers like Sites take the time away from their more remunerative
professions to show us the way.
And Plasma at Work shows us the way with short, crisp
chapters on everything from metal cutting to radioactive waste
vitrification. The book ends with seven pages of plasma industry
contacts and industrial associations as testimony to Sites' decades of
work in this field.
It may seem funny to all you techies out there that Sites and
Greenspan now share the same bookshelf. But all great books
transcend their nominal purpose and find their way into the matrix
of science, industry, and art. With this book Sites aint just for
techies anymore. This "big picture" book needs to be in the hands
of the "big picture" people.

George Sites is the expert in this field, his book helps you through the complete Plasma process. He covers many of the applications of the Plasma Arc while explaining the differences between the types of Power Supplies that are used to control Plasma Arcs. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested and or studying about Plasma Arcs.

Mr. Sites has done it again. His easy-to-read; straightforward writing style offers the reader a very good understanding of how the various plasma processes work. More importantly, he differentiates the two basic plasma power supply designs (pulse width modulated and basic phase control) in a manner which gives the reader clear direction as to which power supply design may work best for his application. In this reader's opinion, taking the mystery out of power supply design choices makes this book well worth owning.

I am a Latin student studying for the AP Latin Lit Exam and I bought this book because it had every Catullus poem in English and in Latin. The translations are very close to the original latin, while also capturing the spirit of the poems. Peter Green is a great translator and there is a great glossary of places and names as well as copious notes on the poems themselves. Highly recommended!

I have enjoyed sharing the translation of Cat. 63 with my AP students, and the complete text of Cat. 64 (after they read the Ariadne episode in Latin). It's very easy to glance across the page at the Latin and get at least some sense of it; since what we're reading in translation is in addition to the AP syllabus, this seems appropriate. The translator's notes on 63 and 64 are also worth reading, in my opinion. Using this book has allowed me a better way to make my students at least somewhat familiar with the long poems of Catullus.

I got this book as a xmas gift from my mom. She picked it out from my wishlist. I've studied much Latin, but I completely skipped over Catullus as an undergrad. That's why, I put a Bilingual edition on my wish list rather than just an English translation. I wanted to get a real feel for the actual poetry.
I'm not very familiar with Catullus and I honestly thought that there would be more romantic love poems throughout the book. I think that it was a good thing that there were more 'vulgar' poems in the book because they left a strong impression and because they made those rare instances of romantic poetry stand out more brilliantly. Personally, my favorite poem was about Catullus thinking about his home. It really resonated with me because I have travelled so much.
I think that this is an excellent intermediate level Latin book and that if you haven't acquainted yourself with Catullus, this is the method to do so!
kittie

This is where it all began for Douglas Reeman - in more ways than one. Said to be semi-autobiographical, this first novel of many perfectly captures life and death in the Coastal Forces of the Royal Navy in World War Two. The progress of a young officer is charted through his violent introduction to life on a Motor Torpedo Boat and we follow him as he gains experience and deals with the triumphs and tragedies of war. Probably the best book ever written on the subject, it suffers only from some writing lapses and stylish quirks which do not really hamper the story. A critique could be made of the somewhat predictable formula which the author tends to apply to all his books; they all include a "hero who grows up", an "intimidating figure of authority", a "romantic interest to keep the readers happy", a "set of action set-pieces which escalate to a final confrontation" and of course a "group of B-list characters who will be killed off a predictable moments". Notwithstanding these issues, APFTS is certainly a worthwhile read

Douglas Reeman's "A Prayer for the Ship "covers the efforts of the motor torpedo boat crews of the Royal Navy during World War II. The book is written by a person who has lived in the environment of small boats powered by gasoline engines and high explosives carried on plywood hulls. We see that the crews are not profesional sailors but are,in almost every case, volunteer reservists who before the war were fashion photographers, delivery boys or bookies runners and who are now called upon to be professional Sailors. Clive Royce is a young, not dry behind the ears volunteer officer who is thrust into the no holds barred world of the Royal Navy's coastal forces. He is immediately faced with having to grow up quickly and acquire the skills required to lead men in battle. His experiences in this world of quick actiona and sudden death described and both humerous and sobering. His commanding officer is killed in a short sharp battle and while Clive brings the boat home, his skipper is replaced by a no-nonsense member of the long serving Royal Navy. Their styles soon lead to friction and unhappiness. There is a woman in Clive's life but their first meeting is under the most adverse of circumstnaces. Further meetings are hampered by time and distance but perseverance wins out. The daily routine of the crew is detailed in a highly readible and authoritative fashion, you can almost smell the gasoline fumes, fresh paint and gun-powder. Reeman also gives us a look into the human costs required to make the eventual victory possible, both in the dead and wounded, physically as well as emotionally. For a glimpse into the life of a little known part of the British Navy and the exceptional devotion to duty displayed by officers and men, this is the book to read. Paul Sayles (clarksayles@pol.net) San Rafael, CA

I don't mean to suggest that Douglas Reeman's writing hasn't improved over time, because it has. At the same time, the Reeman 'formula' has become more apparent as his titles pile up. This book, his first title, is still among my very favorite of his novels.

Probably at least in part autobiographical, what Reeman's first swing may lack in technical polish (and it doesn't lack much), he makes up for in his ability to tell an exciting story. I got caught up in the lives and war of the men of the MTB squadron, and the efforts of Sub-Lieutenant Royce to prove himself and create a place for himself among the war-hardened officers and men.

For some reason, I've always been attracted to the idea of small-boat warfare. Give me a PT boat over a battleship any day. If you're like me, or are just interested in an exciting story of the men (and women) caught up in the war at sea, Reeman is always a great author to turn to. And this title is one of his best.

Rosalie's best friend, a gentle Morgan named Major, is bound to be sold. Rosalie's father went to fight in the Civil War, and her mother is left with three children and a farm to care for. When she cannot pay off the morgage, she goes to plan B. "We have to sell Major." Rosalie can't believe her ears, and tries her hardest to think up a plan to keep her horse. The 10-year-old that she is, it seems impossible...when she strikes up an idea. Will her plan work and will Major be able to stay?

Rosalie is determined to keep her family's horse, Major, from being sold. But how else can Rosalie's mother pay the mortgage on the family's Vermont farm with Rosalie's father away fighting in the Civil War? But then Rosalie comes up with the perfect plan to keep Major and stil be able to pay the mortgage.

Since this was my favorite Treasured Horses book I'll give it a 10. Anyways this was about Rosalie Goodman, a daughter of Vermont farmer. But it's 1864 and her father took his horse Captain, with him to the Vermont Calvary to fight for the Yankees. Rosalies family, her sister Mathilde and her brother Albert, and her mother have to raise the farm themselves. Luckily they have a little help from Ed, the farmhand. But soon Mrs. Goodman doesn't have enough for the farm's mortgage. She lets Ed go and now it the plan is for the children to stay home from school and work on the farm. But that still doesn't bring in money. So Mrs. Goodman can only think of one other thing. Sell Rosalie's precious horse, Major. Rosalie must find a plan or a compromise to keep her horse, and what about her father? Will he ever come home? Will they be able to keep their farm? Read and FIND OUT!

There are a lot of "Goddess" books floating around, but this is by far one of the best. The methodology and explanations are very open, yet in depth enough to be fulfilling; one does not feel trapped into the worship of a specificly named Goddess nor in abandoning God the Father. Kathy Jones does an excellent job of allowing the reader to come into their own relationship with Our Lady. Though "Avalon" is construed to be the land of the Goddess, her writing style easily allows the inner comparison of Avalon and Jerusalem, which greatly helps those of us so deeply embedded with the Christian tradition of loving Mary. Another phrase that allowed me to not feel any inner betrayal was: "Marry the God; embody thd Goddess". That offered me an inner freedom I've been searching high and low for. LOVE IT!

I have the honor of meeting Kathy and being bless by her at a womens retreat we had her come to. I have to say she is the embodyment of the Goddess on earth. Ive read all her books and I have to say I am never disapointed. This is a beutiful book and it was a wonderful read. I recomend it highly to anyone studying the ancient path.

My blessings to all who travel through the mist.
Chris Maher
A priestess of Avalon

I challenge anyone to read *Priestess of Avalon* and not dance away knowing that Kathy Jones is the real thing. The intricate, complex web of the*a*logy she describes in the book is something she and others in Glastonbury, UK, have obviously experienced directly. No one could just have imagined this elaborate and satisfying system; it had to grow out of direct experience. You can't just make this stuff up!

Although this book was written for all of us interested in Goddess, it's also a textbook for a three-year training program designed to help students self-initiate as priest/esses of the Goddess. The 90 initiates who've already completed the training did it in the town of Glastonbury, UK, but the program is now opening up as a correspondence course. Hence this 522-page text, packed with the information, knowledge and activities needed to complete the course. Even though correspondence trainees are still expected to make twice-yearly visits to Glastonbury, those unable to travel more often to the town will see in the correspondence course a Goddess-send.

But this book isn't just for priest/esses, it's for all of us. For Goddess lovers, Glastonbury, with its Goddess Temple (one of the industrialized world's first - if not the first), its annual Goddess festival (founded by Kathy Jones herself), and now its excellent training program, is like a beacon in the darkness. And this book to a great extent is about Glastonbury, the Isle of Avalon, and the magic that pervades both places.

The book is full of sample ceremonies, rituals, and scores of short training exercises: "Each morning as you wake in the liminal moments between sleep and wakefulness, listen for the Goddess's words of inspiration...." (166). At Imbolc, make a Bridie Doll and give her "a special place in your heart and mind." (142). And "design new Goddess games to play...." (222). Etc., etc.

In general, this is not a light book. It's laden with a goldmine of weighty concepts, ideas, insights and training materials. It's about learning to scry, and to create and conduct involved ceremonies, including but not limited to the most popular: those for marriage, baby-naming and funerals. It's about learning to walk through fire (literally) and about becoming skilled in the art of manifestation -- calling the archetypal priestess into your body - and learning to keep her there longer and longer. It's about mastering the art of personally embodying the Goddess.

Reading this book made me want to dig out Marion Zimmer Bradley's *Mists of Avalon* again and read it all the way through. After all, the magic Isle of Avalon and its priestesses and Goddesses are what Kathy Jones' *Priestess of Avalon* is all about. By submitting ourselves to her priest/ess training, one feels we might well learn abilities that in our wildest imaginations we've attributed only to ancient priestesses peopling iconic Goddess novels such as *Mists*.
_________________________________
~ Jeri Studebaker, author of Switching to Goddess: Humanity's Ticket to the Future

Primarily a photography book, PRIMATES offers an intimate and often humorous (but not condescendingly so) look into wild primate life. Even the brief text, by Barbara Sleeper, is first-rate, revealing details about each species not often encountered by lay people. This is not meant to be a comprehensive text, however, but a celebration of some of our closest relatives. The photography is at times stunning, capturing intelligence, emotion, innovation, and above all personality. If you love primates, or are even vaguely attracted to their study, this is a must-have book.

This book is suitable for all ages. I just loved Art Wolfe's photographs. With so much emphasis on "trendy" primate species like gorillas and chimpanzees, this book introduces readers to the dozens of primate species of which you may never have heard. Like the gibbons, the lesser and often forgotten apes - whose domestic lives are lived by the standards humans so often fail to meet (sexual equality, no color bars, paternal role in infant rearing, monogamy)! Plus tiny marmosets you can old in the palm of your hand. All these animals are there. I loved this book. It is not a comprehensive guide or identification manual like Noel Rowe's book which I also like. It is a pleasant and readable book! Shirley McGreal, Chairwoman, International Primate Protection League

Filled with excellent photographs by Art Wolfe, this book shows more than 100 species of monkeys, apes, and lemurs. Seperated by geographical location and family, each specie represented has a short and comprehensible synopsis accompanying one or more beautiful photos. A great introductory book to the world of primates, I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the field. Thomas R. Null, A Walk on the Wild Side: International Nature and Wildlife

Better than the Psionics Handbook or its revision, the Expanded Psionics Handbook, both published by Wizards of the Coast. Green Ronin looks at psychic phenomena as something beyond the bulky spell rules of the d20 system, and relates them instead to the stronger skills & feats rules--similar to the treatment of the Force in Wizards' original and revised Star Wars RPGs. Treating phenomena as skills allows psychic powers to operate alongside magic without competing for cinematic effect--and makes them easily convertable into any modern/horror or sci-fi setting. These are incredible rules for any gamer serious about psychic/psionic abilities.

One of the better company's to put out d20 stuff has always been Green Ronin Press. The Shaman's Handbook is one of the best alternate core class books on the market.

Those of us who have always been big psionics fans were pretty disappointed in the Psionics Handbook for v3.0. The new revised v3.5 is supposed to be better, but my confidence is low. Especially since picking up the Psychic's Handbook. Wow. Very nicely done. Psionics that aren't just a bad ripoff of magic. Very clean and relatively simple. Psionics end up being not quite as 'fireball' powerful as spellcasters but their versatility is increased and powers are much more subtle.

In brief: PC's buy Psychic Talent feats based on general catagories (Clairsentientce, Psychokinesis, Psychometabolism, Psychoportation, Telepathy, etc). These feats give the player access to certain skills. A couple of skills may be used untrained (ie: Psychic Sense) but mostly you have to put Ranks into them.

For example: The Psychokinesis Feat allows you to put ranks into the Photo-kinesis (Int) Skill (among many others). With it you can do many different things. 'With a succesful check, you can warp light around yourself, making your outline blurred and indistinct or even become invisible. Attacking does not negate the effects of this skill. You can create holograms'...etc, etc. Each ability requires you to make a skill check that has a certain DC. Invisibility in this case requires a DC 25 roll. Illumating an area like a torch is DC 5 (+5' per additional 10' radius).

Each use of a skill requires a certain amount of 'Strain', which is simply non-lethal damage you take when you use the skill. In the example above, the Strain cost is equal to the DC/5. Light is 1 Strain, Blur (20% miss chance) is DC 15 and costs 3 strain. Invisibility costs 5 Strain.

All the skills are based on either Int, Wis or Cha. No more Constitution or Dex based psionic abilities.

Of course there are other Feats that allow you to improve the things your skills can do. Psychic Healing (Wis), a Psychometabolism skill, allows you to heal HP or Ability damage. With the Cure Disease Feat you can now use your skill for that as well. Flight, which is a strenuous application of the Telekinesis (Int) skill can be improved seriously by taking the Flight Feat. The Apport Arrows Feat allows you to use your Apport skill to 'Deflect Arrows' by teleporting them away (works like the Deflect Arrows Feat).

And finally the Psychic Combat also looks much more 'psychic' than 'fireball'. I need to read more on that section.

Once again this company puts out a really well done book that I really want to use in my campaign. Can't ask for much more than that.

Rich

Sure its phychic and not psionic but there is little difference in the powers presented from 3.0 to this book. Compared to the psionic 3.0 this is hands down better. (Though I have not seen the 3.5 version yet) Note to all you wizard players out there, phychics arent the same. The power level is less by far but the system is cleanly intergrated into almost any campaign. Even though it reads like it is intended for fantasy, I really see this supplement having a staring role in a modern or sci-fi campaign. As GM in those genre's if you find them to be more powerful than you would like just restrict the number or percentage of skill points that can be spent on powers. Thats right the powers are skill based, but you need a feat(s) to gain access to them.
Very well done.

I purchased two of these books, one as a birthday gift to a friend and one for my Mom. Both were very impressed with the photos. I plan to read the book when I next visit my folks.

This book is really special. Ok I am a mate of Graham's which some might see as a bias - but this book is oustanding none the less. Osborne is a biologist (infact a botanist) by trade I believe. It simply doens't matter though, because clearly what he does best is take photos. *Very* good photos. I don't mean as in 'Oh, thats a nice photo' as my mum would say to me when from four packets of snaps I produced one relatively balanced composition. I mean as in drop-that-frying pan, walk-into-that lampost, draw droppingly good photographs. This guy has had three or four calanders of his work produced for goodness sake. The book, which, ok I admit, he gave me, is always on my coffee table, and I must confess, I have chopped up the calendars and made them into nice framed pictures.

Reasons to buy it:

i) it will enhance your life ii) it will take your breath away iii) it is pretty reasonably priced

reasons not to buy it..

i) you hate temporate rainforests...

This is, quite simply, the best set of pictures of North America's west-coast maritime forests that I have come across. These forests are interesting, beautiful, and abundantly alive; they are also very hard to photograph. Through the lens they can seem messy and disordered. The unaided human eye screens out extraneous clutter, but the camera eye does not. There is order there, of course, but it is a chaotic sort of order, with many levels of order-within-disorder. Some photographers strive for excessively neat, tidy compositions, which give an entirely misleading impression of these forests; Graham, on the other hand, conveys the rhythms within the disorder. Many of the pictures are texture-rich without a sharp focus of interest. It is a style well suited to the subject. The text by Wade Davis, what there is of it, is good, but this is most definitely a picture book first.