Outdoors Books

This book provides an incredible example of an agency failing to follow its own mandate as well as ignoring the will of the public. For several decades, the National Park Service (NPS) not only allowed, but encouraged, loggers to cut down old-growth forest inside Olympic National Park. It also fought to reduce the boundaries of that park to increase the amount of timber available to the local logging industry. Even when found out, important people in the NPS remained determined to cut down the old-growth timber in the park wherever it thought local sawmills would benefit, and on any land that the NPS didn't want in the first place.

When I had first heard this story, it was presented as a couple of loose cannons getting away with tree murder. However, Lien's book provides so many smoking guns - - or should I say, "smoking chainsaws" - - that there is an obvious policy problem here.

Lien's ultimate explanation of this history remains somewhat unsatisfactory to me. He argues that the NPS has a weak management culture and unclear mandate (both true) and that it is also eager to compromise with anyone who makes demands on it - - including loggers looking for old-growth timber. I'm not sure that wimpy acquiescence is the dominant NPS norm, since it does resist certain types of demands, such as those of horse outfitters, hunters, and in some parks, mountaineers. The case of hunters is particularly interesting, since elk hunting in Yellowstone and Rocky Mountain, bison hunting in Yellowstone, and deer hunting in many eastern battlefield parks would solve a number of other policy problems, and there *is* public demand for such hunting. So, the NPS doesn't simply acquiesce to everybody, and that part of Lien's argument can't be right.

Lien grounds this story in a brief history of the U.S. Forest Service and the NPS, and how Pinchot's "conservation" eventually alienated preservationists such as John Muir and public opinion more generally. These chapters provide, at best, an unconventional history of the USFS and NPS in the Progressive era. I think Lien overstates the preservationist element of public opinion, and is too eager to see preservationism even among the elites of the Theodore Roosevelt era.

Criticisms aside, this is one of the most remarkable national park histories out there.

A rare and wonderful animal(not extinct after all), that holds secrets to cures, anti-venoms and facts behind unsolved mysteries has reappeared! Not long ago I encountered and purchased "Olympic Battleground" at a rare book store. It was out of print. No longer. It took but the first few pages to have me swallowing bile and bouncing hard objects off walls. So inflaming was the tale that it awakened an activism in me I had not felt since the Viet Nam War days. I sought out and interviewed the author who assured me that it had taken almost thirty years to write. Battleground is destined to become the definitive source in four areas: 1) It is a complete history of Olympic National Park(and indeed the founding of all National Parks),beginning in 1895 and now updated to today. Sound dull? Uh uh, not with the kind of intrigue, fraud, scheming and plotting that underlay the movements to keep the old growth timber OUT of the Park, ventures often aided and abetted by the very public servants whose jobs were to PROTECT it. It should be mentioned that the entire book is documented with painstaking primary sources. What happened and how it happened is inarguable; the barrels are smoking. WE BEEN ROBBED! Yo, to the tune of billions and billions of dollars of assets. 2) There is a treatise here of decades of activism. But for the lifelong battling of a core of three people;fighting against power and unrelenting greed, this book convinces us that there would not be one tree left standing. It is the definitive tale, the tangible proof of just how mighty is 'the power of the pen'. No advocate person or group should have a bookshelf without this book on it. 3) Were there any congressional investigative committees with the bajoongas to take on the timber companies,local politicians and even the Park Service itself, Mr. Lein's book would be the place to start. Inditements lie there in wait! 4) Fail not to hear the warning: ye who would protect and preserve our national Parks, wilderness areas, monuments and wildlife reserves. Pass over this book at peril to their future existence. Beware by learning how boundaries shift in the night and legal wording gets shuffled and forests vanish with the turn of a phrase and promise . The very words are in place in even the newest documents of our "roadless areas" and "forest reserves". For anyone with 'green' agendas, in fact, any kind of activist intentions, this book is an absolute must.

I read this book shortly after spending several months on Washington's Olympic Peninsula and hiking in the Olympic Mountains of Olympic National Park in 1993. I own the first edition when it was published by Sierra Club Books. In my opinion Olympic Battleground is one of the most important works relative to the environemntal movement, on par with "Silent Spring" and "A Sand County Almanac," though it is relatively unknown.

Lien tells the story of the Olympic Peninsula and how it was systematically logged by people of European descent in the late 19th century, through the creation of ONP in 1937, and the management of ONP through the 1950s (when Lien was there as a seasonal ranger) and beyond. Tells the story of how one overzealous development minded ONP manager named Fred Overly enthusiastically allowed LOGGING in the park. And not just salvaging downed trees off trails and roads, but systematically cutting the largest old-growth Douglas-fir trees that could be found! Later talking to a ranger at ONP, I learned that Overly also coached the supervisor of Mount Rainier National Park on how to get the cut out of that park as well. There is correspondance on record of this happening.

Olympic Battleground demonstrates that we can never be complacent, that the only way we will be able to preserve our most significant natural areas is through eternal vigilance. Lien's book recounts that during WW II, "patriotic" timber barons attempted to log ONP to "aid the war effort." Thankfully that initiative was thwarted. Olympic Batleground should be read by everyone interested in preserving National Park land, National Forest land, federal Wilderness Areas, etc. We should know our history.

Mr. Lien's book is one of the most thoroughly researched works on the state of national parks in America. His experience working at Olympic National Park, and serving as a sort of intern with Mrs. Edge gives us a rare insight into many of the personalities that shaped - and continue to influence - the fate of OLYM. Mr. Lien's documentation is highly impressive. However, I'm concerned that his passion for the park - and his apparently wholesale mistrust of the National Park Service - has lead to some critical mistakes.
For example, Stephen Mather was chosen "on the personal whim" of Secretary Franklin Lane. Lane knew more about Mather than Lien claims. Mather should hardly be remembered as "Saint Stephen" as so many in the NPS are anxious to do, but to dismiss him as someone chosen so cavalierly as Lien suggests is a dangerous underestimation of the man.
Second, it is unfair of Lien to put former NPS Director Newton Drury in essentially the same category as Fred Overly. Drury's tenure was that of a caretaker, and though his legislative skills were nil and his administrative abilities only slightly better, his focus and his integrity are things for which we should all be grateful. Drury was an outsider and he fought the good ol' boys: Overly, Albright and Wirth, to bring some measure of scientific integrity and conservation ethic to a deeply troubled park service.
Lien's breadth of scholarship is impressive. Unfortunately, his passion - while inspiring and insightful at times - has clouded his interpretation of early NPS history, and of the role of Newton Drury, a devoted, if sometimes uninspiring, conservationist.

This book is a piece of America. Back to basics. Simple and well planned. When you want to touch base and realize the simplicity of a home you will look for this helpful and complete guide. Sandra is a real asset when it comes to easy living. Thanks for sharing.

ON THE PORCH: CREATING YOUR PLACE TO WATCH THE WORLD GO BY discusses the ambiance and design of the home porch with an eye to surveying how a porch added to a home can change its atmosphere. It's the first book on the market devoted to porches alone and covers an extensive range, from assessing different types of porches for different purposes to design, construction, and maintenance. Everything from furnishings to lighting is reviewed in this in-depth, well detailed guide perfect for any library strong in interior design or homeowner hints.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This book is very well written and gives good, practical advice which should be considered when you are planning to build or remodel a porch addition to your house. It gives types and styles to choose from.
Some of these are huge projects that I would need to mortage my house for or sell some property or inherit some money to do but I still enjoyed reading about them.
Definite read if you are planning a porch!

I picked up a copy of this book because my husband and I want to remodel our unused dark & uncomfortable back porch. We were able to get some great design ideas that will help us increase our entertaining space because we will actually be able to use our porch for summer parties. Also, great tips and ideas for furnishing the new space. Of all the design and remodeling books that I looked at, "On The Porch", was the best at answering my questions and offering ideas!

Consiglio il dvd a tutti gli amanti di calcio ed in particolare a tutti i fans di Giorgio Chinaglia! Lunga vita Long John!
Alfonso Rossetti, Roma,Italy.
Lazio's fan.

I've now seen the documentary and read the book, and this is a story that is both fascinating and familiar to sports fans. The film sort of centers around the dream of Steve Ross, president of what became Warner Communications and the Cosmos. It paints him as a selfless and daring pioneer who was desperate to make soccer big in this country. To an extent, he really was that. The book is less charitable to his behavior, painting him as a poor sport who brought Warner to its knees. Ross partied on the company's dime, looked like a playboy genius, fouled things up with a few bad decisions, and got out with an enormous bank account. Hey, wouldn't we all love to do that? Except it cost thousands of people at Warner and Atari their jobs. Many American soccer players' dreams of playing in their domestic pro league were crushed. I hope Major League Soccer executives read this as their bible, and don't let history repeat itself. In the end, you have to feel sorry for the fans and players, who hoped in vain their success would last forever. But those few good years were pretty sweet, and it was entertaining to learn what happened behind the scenes after years of wondering.

You'll be in tears by the third chapter and will likely cry the whole way through. The characters are so engaging you can't help it!

ESPN Classic has been playing the movie made of this book. The two complement each other perfectly.

The story is of the NY Cosmos, a star-laden team that flamed in the late 70s and early 80s. They routinely drew sellout crowds to Giants Stadium, led by such stars as Pele, Beckenbauer, Chinaglia, Alberto. Then a few years later, the team (and the league) disappeared. But what a ride, a hysterical story that is told quite well by Newsham. He interviewed many people (except Pele who reportedly wanted big $$$).

Book is weighed down by Newsham talking about what was happening in the country and world at the time.

But the story is so good. Even if you are NOT a soccer fan, and I am not, it is worth reading.

I ordered this book as a manual to teach basic orienteering from and it served me well. The exercises are best suited to middle school ages, but will work for all with some modifications.

This book is a MUST for anyone who dreams of wandering off the beaten path. It teaches the skills and techniques to ensure safe travel through the woods.
It also offers racing tips to improve your time and speed.

A good book to have if you like orienteering. I recommend it to my class and my cross-country team, too.

Good from begginer to medium/advanced, this book covers the basics of navigation as well as advanced techniques, such as handrailing. There are equipment and training chapters as well, in all a comprehensive book on a great sport.

This book is clear, concise and well-organized. It covers all the fundamentals of orienteering, and I think anyone that read it would have a good idea of what to expect on arriving at their first O event. Anyone who completed some of the exercises should have some confidence that he or she could complete at least an intermediate level O course (assuming reasonably good fitness). The book also includes very basic information on physical training (anyone who is a serious runner will not learn a lot from those sections, but trail running is different than road running, so don't skip those sections if you are strictly a road runner). The book also includes dozens of activities to teach various skills, and a good glossary. I highly recommend this book.

This is a lovely, paperback book and I recommend for those with young riders in their home or barn. Not too simple, and not too complex, the stories are entertaining and unique! Again, gorgous photos and a beatiful layout. A great gift idea for any young person who loves horses or American Indians.

Leadership through trust and respect is one of the many lessons the young reader will learn from this book. The simple tools and techniques for starting a line of communication with horses are presented in a wise and gentle manner. Indeed, the Native American philosophy of teaching horses coincides with their attitude toward all animals living on, in, or above Mother Earth, and that is responsibility for them and mutual respect among and between them. GaWaNi Pony Boy speaks of creating the right environment for understanding, and his thoughts, words, and deeds are relevant to everyday life. The book is artfully laid out and contains beautiful and decoratively captioned photographs. There are several Native American tales and sayings, such as, "...the reason Creator gave two-leggeds two ears and one mouth was so that we would listen twice as much as we talk." I found this book to be a most enjoyable learning experience and recommend it to adults and youngsters alike.

I have owned this book for years. I still read it when it is not possible to feel the wind in my hair for real. The breathtaking pictures, the lovely stories and the obvious connection GaWaNi has with Kola, his horse, all make this an outstanding book and mini escape for me. Thank you Mr. Pony Boy and Ms. Boiselle!

Nice pics but not a HUGE amount of substance. But, girls who love horses aren't looking for a lot of that anyway! They want pictures and romantic thoughts about being with horses. That's what they get!

Selecting 54 outdoor sculptures that are of personal and aesthetic interest, the author takes you on a guided tour of Manhattan starting from the Statue of Liberty in the south all the way north to El Cid by Anna Hyatt Huntington.

An easy read for all, each essay gives a brief introduction into the sculptures stylistic elements. It also compares them to how they could have been different and what that would have done to the artwork's meaning. The author also provides background information on the sculpture and its subject to further enhance our appreciation.

Of course when it comes right down to it, Durante shows us through sculpture great minds at work (artisan and innovator) who have accomplished much in their pursuit of values.

Manhattan's streets and parks are packed with historic monuments, and some fifty of them are included in OUTDOOR MONUMENTS OF MANHATTAN: A HISTORICAL GUIDE, which offers up background history, surveys of American sculptors, and analysis of each sculpture, its influences, and its history. A 'must' for any Manhattan resident or library seeking background information on the area's best outdoor monuments to use as either a take-along travel tote or a study.

As a native New Yorker, at one time or another I've passed by and gazed at every one of the 54 sculptures listed in this excellent book. What I learned was how great each one is. Several of my favorites are mentioned (Columbus, Washington, Hamilton) as are some less publicized gems, like Verrazzano and Dr. James Marion Sims. By breaking down the categories of About the Sculpture and About the Subject, one can learn so much about these outdoor gems in the city. Dr. Durante's style of writing is very clear and she gives a practical guide in "how to read a sculpture" with an objective basis.

Pick your style of heroism and you'll find it here. Whether it's celebrating a job well done (Washington in Union Square) or charging into the battle of a new project (El Cid up in Harlem) or refusing to submit to defeat in the face of death (Nathan Hale in City Hall Park) you are sure to be uplifted.

Every New Yorker should own this book, as it will give them a chance to fill their lives with inspiration by simply traveling to a location simply mapped out in the book. As for non-New Yorkers, this is yet another reason to come here and enjoy the greatness of this magnificent city.

Apart from Ayn Rand's own work in esthetics (The Romantic Manifesto---and several other articles outside of it) and Dr. Leonard Peikoff's Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand, Dr. Dianne Durante's Outdoor Monuments of Manhattan is the first published work to apply some of Miss Rand's revolutionary esthetics to works of art. This is a MAJOR achievement.

In order to shape a culture dominated by by a rational philosophy, the Objectivist ethics is THE most important idea to get into the culture. And a number of outstanding philosophers have each, independent of one another, done admirable work in this area.

The second most important idea essential to changing our culture is Miss Rand's esthetics. Dr. Durante opened the door to this with her criticism of the thoroughly reprehensible exhibition in New York's Central Park of Christo's Gates. She stood firm against invective. Now she is offering more details as she applies Miss Rand's esthetics to Outdoor Monuments of Manhattan.

Outdoor Monuments of Manhattan is a clever organization of facts and commentary. It is also a welcomed introduction to important ideas that offer the reader rational guidelines to better appreciate and understand art in general and the outdoor monuments of Manhattan in particular.

As he does in the pages of bike magazine, Rob writes to those that really ride. This book could be a vacation planner for the adventurous. If you own a mountain bike and love to take it places...this book is a must have. I can't finish a chapter without wanting to get out and ride.

As an avid mountain biker, I found this book to be inspiring and motivating, even if I will probably never ride half of the featured destinations (although I'm determined to try!). The writing is excellent, blending vivid descriptions of the terrain with a little history and geography, giving the reader a complete and appealing picture of each region. The pictures are beautiful and plentiful, and there are many resources listed for each trip including prices, difficulty ratings, bike shops, lodging, and additional information. Overall, an awesome book I'll probably read and refer to many, many times in the future.

Now I know what happened to BIKE magazine's soul. It has been reincarnated into something Da Vinci would be proud of. Okay, maybe I'm getting a little carried away with the hyperbole, but calling this a guide book certainly doesn't do it justice. In fact, if you are looking for just a guide book don't waste your money. Everybody and his brother makes a guide book, but no one has ever come closer to expressing what it means to ride than Rob Story has within these pages. Like the early years of BIKE magazine, this just makes you want to go out and explore the unpaved world.

While not a guide book, it has everything else to get you started on your own epic adventure. It lists the "must do" rides in any given area. In addition to rating the physical difficulties of the rides, a clever addition is rating the mental stress factors involved with the trips. Also appreciated is the non-bike related recommended reading of the area, along with trail guide books, and outfitting services. Again like the magazine, the photos are some of the best you'll see anywhere, regardless of the subject matter.

One of the great features is the diversity of the ride locations. There are a life times worth within, and they make you dream, drool, and connive of the ultimate exotic mountain biking vacation. While this may put some people off, the best part is that the majority of the rides are totally doable by anyone with a serious mountain biking habit.

....

Very well written and set out. While the material on US rides, ie Moab, can be found in much more detail elsewhere, the material on third world mountain bike treks is wonderful. Bhutan is a must for anyone's list of dream rides. The book is great starting point for great rides. You will of course need more detailed information, but this book shows you in a no nonsense way that mtb across the world is very doable, the costs and suggested tour companies and if you can do it on your own. A must get for mtb explorers.

Being a new mother of an energetic 6 month old boy, I want to be prepared for the time when my son might say, "I want to play (name your sport)" or "I want to quit (name your sport)." Instead of picking up a thick, comprehensive literature on youth sports medicine and psychology, I decided to start with this sensible, humorous guide. Because of its straight forward brevity, even a parent of an infant can finish it before s/he turns into a toddler. If that isn't quick enough, the comical illustrations depict the profound messages. The authors stress the importance of teaching children and sports moms the "Lessons in Life" through sports. I would love to see them write one for sports dads and coaches.

As a mother of a 9-year-old hockey player/fanatic, I picked up this book for the nutrition section for athletes. I enjoyed the easy-to-read style of the book, but felt that it was a better book for beginner athletes and their parents.

Being a parent means that we have to help our children make good choices in every area of their lives. This book covers the portion involved in the youth sports arena that can get very competitive and overrated. It gives hints for all age levels and offers very good advice for busy parents. Overall, I felt that this was a great book for parents entering into the sports scene. Other parents that have been involved with sports for many years will enjoy the book but will need to look elsewhere for more detail on their particular sport(s) of choice.

A fun, easy read. Enjoy!

Between them, the authors have five children who have given them 23 years experience in seven different sports. In addition, Phillips has a degree as a registered nurse and an M.A. in Health Administration. Stahl has a B.S. in Education and is a marketing consultant. They certainly are qualified to write this book--and it shows. They take up issues directly involved in the parent-child relationship and also issues such as injuries and coaches which pertain more to the sport but can obviously have an effect on a child. They review the role sports can have in a youngster's development, and also advise parents how to learn about specific sports to be able to understand what they require of a child and what a child is experiencing. Nutrition with regard to different sports is also discussed--a subject probably not given particular consideration by many parents. The co-authors have a down-to-earth style in dealing with the wide range of subjects of interest and concern to today's parents. An outstanding, authoritative, yet practical and readable book which understands the situation and concerns of parents in this area of their children and sports.

Henry Berry

Book Reviewer

Editor/Publisher, The Small Press Book Review

If you are parent with a child who is ready for organized youth sports, you really should take the time to prepare yourself for what lies ahead. Whatever sport your child is considering, check out the new SportsMom book Parenting SportsMom Style-Real-Life Solutions for Surviving the Youth Sports Scene. This book can help you deal with the every day demands that SportsMoms everywhere must face. It will help you to use your child's sports experience to shape his or her character, values and relationship with you and with others. Especially significant is the chapter entitled "What You Should Expect From Your Child (and What Your Child Should Expect From You) which lists some of the more common complaints kids make, along with the life lessons that can be learned from these problems and how parents might help their child learn from the experience. As a long time youth coach, I found the advice given in chapter 8, The Coach and You, right on the mark. Parents and coaches both can benefit from the guidance offered in this chapter regarding a coach's authority, the importance of good coach/parent communications, the issue of kid's playing time and how parents should handle disagreements with the coach. I would suggest that SportsDads could also benefit from the information and advice these SportsMom offer. This book, as well as the SportsMom Manuals on Volley Ball, Soccer and Hockey also by SportsMoms Laurel Phillips and Barbara Stahl, can help make the world of kids' sports a far better and more enjoyable place. I hope that the world will read and benefit from their words of wisdom. ...

No park has been so exhaustively researched, photographed and documented as this 843 acre oasis. So in saying this book stands out, I'm really saying something. This history of this park is just fascinating and the photos are just wonderful, Mr. Rosenzweig does fine research and it shows, his love for the park is evident in his writing and it makes the book all the more enjoyable. Central Park is the heart of the city, and to understand New York you really need to understand the history of the park. A New York without a Central Park is just unimaginable. I highly recommend this book.

There are several good books about Central Park, but this book, along with Sara Cedar Miller's "Central Park, An American Masterpiece" are among the very best.

"The Park and the People: A History of Central Park" is an exhaustive study, without being exhausting. Generously peppered with wonderful illustrations, the book will entice people who had never visited the 800+ acre park to see it. And it will intrigue those people who use the park every day, to look at it with a more insightful eye. This beautiful park has now gotten a beautiful narrative to complement and compliment it. And take Amazon's advice and purchase Miller's book along with this one!

Rocco Dormarunno, author of The Five Points

"The Park and the People" is an exquisite work of scholarship. I've read much about the park but nothing approaches the depth of knowledge and insight contained in this extraordinary book. It's provocative, exciting, extremely well written, and downright readable. I learned something new on every page and simply could not put it down.

This is not just a wonderful study of the park itself but a wonderful route into the social world of 19th century new york....one of the points of the book is that the park's boundaries were never natural, however naturalistic the winning design, but were, in the broadest sense, political. What remains today in the park was always fought over and contested.

This is a gem of a book. The author does a wonderful job narrating an adventure story while providing valuable information about the geological and ecological background of this ever evolving part of Alaska. It made for an entertaining and informative read. Having had the pleasure to explore this part of the country by kayak myself, I enjoyed how this book's descriptions of the ocean and landscape captured the experience of exploring the Inside Passage.

I agree wholeheartedly with the other reviewers about this book! I loved the adventure story of kayaking through rough water and harsh weather for two months. The author really brings to life the forest, glaciers, mountains and wildlife of the Inside Passage. The information about the nature and history of the area separates this from a mere adventure story. It's really the story of the coast told through a gripping adventure. And the many sidebars that contain tips for sea kayakers are a great plus. I highly recommend this book!

This is a terrific book. The author does an impressive job of weaving together not only his personal story of his kayaking to Alaska, but also accounts of Vancouver's voyage, the explorations of John Muir, and a lot of natural history regarding the region. It's quite well-written and makes for a book that is very readable and often even riveting.

Wow. What a great read. This is a top-notch adventure story that inspired me like few others. The author and his companion really took on the challenges of the northwest coast and came back with a story of high seas, wildlife and terrible weather. The descriptions were so good I actually felt WET after some of the passages. But it is more than an adventure story. The author weaves in fascinating information about the nature and culture of the Inside Passage, providing an informative look at this fascinating place. I've been to the Inside Passage on three different trips and always learn something new. I think Passage to Alaska would be a great companion for anyone traveling the area or simply wishing to learn about one of the wildest places remaining in North America. And it's a great adventure story, too!