Fish Books

Children of the Dead End is as captivating to read as any more respected novel of development. There may be some problems with the formal structures of the novel in regards to the genre, but it is a wonderful read nonetheless. I truly enjoyed reading the book, and it was successful in eliciting my emotions. As a true-to-life account of the hardships that Irish Catholic families dealt with at the turn of the 20th Century, Children of the Dead End deserves to be canonized right along with anything that Joyce had written.

This story is truly autobiographical of my grandfather's early life and is very moving and effective. His early years in Donegal were difficult and fraught with the perils of poverty. Nevertheless, Grandpa overcame is lack of formal education and humble beginnings to be a successful author. His later years were no less difficult as he struggled for decades with the debilitation of MS, but he raised, with my grandmother, three amazingly strong and successful women. This autobiographical novel teaches us all abouth the indomitable strength of the human will and spirit.

This is one of the most memorable books I have ever read. The writer tells the story of growing up in Donegal and his exit to scotland in search of work. You are drawn into his life and the people he loved. There is an honesty in the writing that moves you to tears.

this book is the most moving book I have ever read. It tells the story of a young man making his way in life. Born in Donegal, Ireland working his way through Scotland and the USA. It will move you to tears and lead you to book after book from this very talented writer.

Having read Children of the Dead End for the first time I was taken over by it.It is a story of extraordinary main characters,humour and the bleak portrayal of life as a near slave,potatoe digger and the harsh life as a navvie. I was amazed at the life that the main character"Dermod" lived.He left home at the age of 12 without an education and he went to the hiring fair and worked to send money back home to his family.He has to face the harsh reality and he gambles his money and becomes a heavy drinker. He experiences life without a roof over his head. This story is said to be Patrick MacGills autobiography. Some of the Characters are fictonal while others are said to be true characters. Mac Gills descriptive power is Compelling and I never wanted to leave the book down. Children of the Dead End is an undiscovered classic of Irish litriture and it should be comended.

My grandson is THE pickiest eater I have ever experienced, and this book gave me insight on how to relate to it! Relax, children will eat when they are hungry!!!

Finally a book that really addresses the needs and wants of both parents and children. As a mother of four, I am finally able to help each one of my children develop their own eating styles that will enable them to have a healthy lifestyle. Thank you!

"I was constantly running after my 2 year old with food; that's how worried I was that he was too thin. Even though my doctor said not to worry, I always left the office wondering what to do, and how to stop worrying; this book saved me from becoming a nervous wreck and from creating more problems!"

I was being driven nuts by all my kids' different demands for meals! This book helped me figure out how to deal with all of their differences, and to stop fighting about it with my husband! Excellent guide !

There wasn't anything that I thought was revolutionary here, but since I tend to get really stressed when my son doesn't eat (especially since he's pretty slim) this book helped and continues to help me relax some about it. I understand that my pushing food on him is a bad tactic in the long run. So, I'm glad I have it. Two unique things: a focus on our own "food legacy" that for some may ring true but for me was just not really an issue (I didn't have overly involved parents pushing or preventing my food habits) and two-a stronger focus on OVEReaters (reasonable in this era of obesity but far from my area of concern).

It may give you some peace of mind.

Excellent book. Interesting read. Inspiring call to action.

I read a lot, but I almost never pin my husband down to read him sections of a book. When I was reading Totem Salmon, I couldn't help it. I kept saying, "Listen to this one." I owned a home in the Mattole River Watershed in the late 70's and early 80's. I was amazed at how well Freeman House captures the essence of the area and the people without caricaturing either. Over and over he writes a few sentences which really "get it right" in explaining the landscape, the weather or the people of the area. This is not an easy "how-to" book on bringing back the salmon, but it brings out why it is worth the effort for as long as it takes.

Briefly...as an environmentalist from both the non-profit, agency and barefoot,dreadlocked worlds I really appreciated this book. The author brings out the complexity and poetry of the technical, natural and spiritual mosaic involved in watershed work in the northwest (and eveywhere for that matter). For anyone who has ever (or even never) been through similar experiences that the author describes, it brings shivers up the spine with the descriptive imagery and his obvious intimacy with the Mattole. I highly recommend this book.

The book is a first-person account telling the story of a group of people who have dedicated themselves to rehabbing a river, a watershed, and saving some special strains of wild Pacific salmon stock. They decided to use salmon-hatchery technology (and other procedures) as a way to learn from the native salmon, rather than to introduce non-native species to their river. Freeman House is a truly impressive thinker and writer. His engaging intelligence is not just wide and deep, like a rockclimber his awareness gets into some unfamiliar and little-explored crevices of life - nature and human nature. House and his cohorts are questers who may ultimately discover something as important as did William Harvey or Sir Albert Howard. I'm tempted to call the book a riveting read, but the experience is warmer than that metaphor implies. It's hopeful. A strangely wise book.

From "Totem Salmon - Life Lessons from Another Species" by Freeman House -

"My straining senses slow down the sound so that each of its parts can be heard separately. A hiss, barely perceptible, as the fish muscles itself right out of its living medium; silence like a dozen monks pausing too long between the strophes of a chant as the creature arcs through the dangerous air; a crash as of a basketball going through a plate glass window as he or she returns to the velvet embrace of the water; and then a thousand tiny bells struck once only as the shards of water fall and the surface of the stream regains its viscous integrity."

"I flick on my headlamp and the whole backwater pool seems to leap toward me. The silver streak that crosses the enclosure in an instant is a flash of lightning within my skull, one which heals the wound that has separated me from this moment -- from any moment. The encounter is so perfectly complex, timeless, and reciprocal that it takes on an objective reality of its own. I am able to walk around it as if it were a block of carved stone. If my feelings could be reduced to a chemical formula, the experience would be a clear solution made up of equal parts of dumb wonder and clean exhilaration, colored through with a sense of abiding dread. I could write a book about it."

And here it is.

The Mattole River, where this story takes place, flows from the northwestern tip of California's Mendocino County, first a dozen miles northeast and then about sixty miles northwest through remote rural Humboldt County to its mouth at Petrolia. What keeps the river from reaching the Pacific Ocean any sooner is the King Range rising precipitously from the "Lost Coast", a stretch of beach frequented only by hikers and the occasional small plane.

Getting to the Mattole from the freeway is at least an hour's drive on winding country roads. This area, like much of Humboldt County, was logged in the fifties and sixties, and in the late sixties and seventies a substantial portion of it was sold to urban refugees, "reinhabitants". Over the next three decades, quite a few of them committed to the task of restoring the watershed to health. Two of these were David Simpson and Freeman House who together conceived and founded the Mattole Watershed Salmon Support Group. "Totem Salmon" tells the story of this work.

Salmon are an indicator species. Their health, as a population, closely tracks the health of the watershed to which they return. If you want to know how well a river valley is doing in the Pacific Northwest, look at the salmon runs, if there are any left. The principal enemy of the salmon is silt, produced by erosion usually from badly built roads and culverts, and from logging. Salmon need clean gravel in the streambed for eggs to survive and hatch. Well forested valleys with little erosion provide the best stream habitat for hatching and rearing salmon.

In 1950, before logging, it is recalled by the older Mattole valley residents, that, when they were running, "you could walk across the river on the backs of the salmon". In 1980, before restoration work began, the runs were down to perhaps 200 fish. More, those fish were the last wild salmon run in the state.

Looking back after reading the book, one could see the first phrase, "I am alone...", as a key to the work. Rooted in an explicit sense of self, spiraling out through sensory subtleties of immediate nature, to the larger cultural complexities, Mr. House melds what are usually seen as distinct worlds into a coherent portrait of a personal and multi-species reality. Like the salmon traversing the several worlds of ocean, river, air and creek, the personal, philosophical, cultural, historical, administrative, ecological, and cosmic threads are finely woven into a narrative yielding a shimmering presence of spirit and nature.

The book is a deeply enjoyable memoir of a long personal relationship with salmon. Along the way we see the history of the Euro-American relationship with this species, and that of the Native-American people who were here managing these watersheds long before. We learn of the state and federal administrative context of salmon management and the history of our, first, ignorance, and then, study of the anadromous species and their rivers. In clear and moving images, and with affection and humor, we see the people on the Mattole River who have joined hands for eighteen years to rescue this last wild run of salmon from extinction. Lastly we see the hopeful results and the tenuous circumstances of their work.

We might expect it to be a text for salmon restoration, and while the specifics are there they are widely scattered throughout the book. More attention is given to the wider question of how we got here, and how we can get through this to a more wholesome, rooted, and appreciative life in our particular place. If it is a text -- and Mr. House would say it is not -- it is a meta-instructional one, showing a way to become a people who will do the right thing for the watershed and thus for the salmon. The personal explorations in the book demonstrate by example the message beneath the text: by immersing ourselves in the reality of our local valley we can rescue both the health of our watersheds and our sense of ourselves. In the end, we see that they are the same journey; the salmon reflect to us our understanding of self and place.

The epilogue quotes Paul Schell, Mayor of Seattle, "Ironically, as we work to save the salmon, it may turn out that the salmon save us."

Vessel of the Fish is the compassionate story of a young woman's struggle to come to terms with grief, and her profound personal quest -- seeking truth among the legends and runes of an ancient city -- to find deeper understanding and purpose. Graced with elegant prose, a vivid sense of place, and intriguing insights into Celtic and Christian traditions, the novel is a tantalizing blend of mystery and mysticism. Read it, and you'll find yourself wanting to make your very own pilgrimage to England... to uncover the wonders of ancient Avalon, and the charms of modern Glastonbury.

"When something is true... you will know because it keeps coming back to you."

After devouring this magical story from start to finish, I can't get it out of my head. Although it is fiction, the truth contained within it will resonate in your heart and soul. I am certain that every reader will come away with their own interpretation, which is the beauty of the story. For me it came down to perseverence in releasing the ego and remembering to awaken to the "center" - the love and light of the true self. To "let yourself happen" is so seemingly difficult yet so completely liberating.

Read it if you want to wake up!

Thank you for sharing your mystical journey with us. The story was lyrically beautiful, intellectually engrossing and spiritually thought-provoking. I enjoyed it immensely.

"To question is never a mistake ... It is only through questions we receive answers."
Thank you for taking me on a spiritual journey. Thank you for asking the questions!

Can't wait for the next novel of Monika.

The further I got into Vessel of the Fish, I found myself reading ravenously. It is a most engaging book! For me, the story entailed personal stretching - recognizing possibilities, connecting old learnings, being amazed at it all. It clearly reflects serious research on the part of the author, and you feel sure that she is someone who "wonders" at what makes people tick. Vessel of the Fish opens a new door in my ongoing quest for adult faith formation. It reminds me that I need to think about what I believe and reminds me that learning and wondering are healthy, necessary parts of growth. Vessel of the Fish will both challenge and comfort you.

My 5 year old daughter was read this book in daycare and came home to tell me all about it. I got her her own copy and she never puts it down. This is a really great book, not too long and not too short, keeps her attention with great pictures too.

I bought this book sight unseen, from Amazon, based on 5 star reviews from 5 people and my 15 month old's love for ocean creatures. What a gem it turned out to be!

Firstly, the story is adorable, and it captures the imagination of a child. It's about a little boy who is exploring the deep blue sea in search of treasure, and he meets many ocean creatures along the way. When he emerges from the water, it turns out those animals were not real ocean creatures, but instead his bath toys, including the big (but not scary) smiling shark he meets before he decides to high tail it up the surface. The story is just as fun for parents as it is for their children, we get a fun glimpse into the eyes of a child playing pretend...

Secondly, the illustrations are wonderful. They are simple, not busy, and each page features a different animal that he meets along the way. My daughter loves to point to each animal as I read its name, especially toward the end when he says goodbye individually to each of them

Thirdly, this is a perfect story for a toddler or an emergent young reader. The story is full of repetition and rhyme. which holds their attention, and for us, it's a nice break from board books. It doesn't have an overwhelming number of words on a page.

When I ask my 15 month old to select a book for me to read to her, she goes for this one, several times each day. She chooses it out of her library of 60+ books. Buy it - it's a winner!

Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book, I teach pre-school and my kids love this book and beg for me to read it again and again. If you try it you will love it, looking for more books like this one!

This book is fantastic! I have been reading it to my baby since he was a couple of months old. He is now nine months and picking it up on his own and "asking" to have it read. When I open it and start with "Way down deep in the deep blue sea..." he shrieks with delight! This book and Way Up High in a Tall Green Tree get read over and over in my house!!

This is an adorable picture book. The rhyme is skillfully written to hold the attention of the most wiggly of small children. They'll swim under the water meeting all kinds of sea creatures and be surprised at the end. The art, inspired by the text is fun and colorful. The illustrator nailed it! Children will read this over and over. Jan Peck has now, another excellent picturebook to her credit.

I thought the original was great.. this is even better. The art work is stunning and Audrey Wood tells a great tale. We have been reading this book every night for 3 months! LOL
It is aboutthe root children (who are really flowers) and the jaunt into the world thru spring, summer and fall.. then back into the ground for the spring.
As a Pagan I found this a lovely story about the seasons, Mother Earth, and the beauty of nature!

Heather mama to 5

This book has beautiful depictions of seasonal characters (Cousin Summer, Aunt Spring, etc.) The story is magical in it's description of the changing seasons. It would make a very nice gift, as well as a special addition to your child's own library. Our 3-year-old adores the story and is mesmerized by the illustrations. Definitely one of her favorites!

Being very familiar and in love with the 1902 version of this book, I didn't know what to make of this new version, at first. But it grows on you! I especially like the way Mother Earth is portrayed, not as a Grandmotherly figure, but a beautiful woman maybe in her early thirties - an image of fertility and fruitfulness. The illustrations are lush and a bit overdone in places, but they represent the bounty of the seasons well. The introduction of Aunt Spring, Cousin Summer, Uncle Fall and Old Man Winter is different than the original, but not offensive or upsetting even to a die-hard fan, like me. The text is shorter and, for that reason, may appeal to younger children who can't sit through Sibylle von Olfers' word-ier original story. Overall, when I compare the two, the 1902 original has a certain charm that is hard to deny. Von Olfers' illustrations are simple and the text is straightforward, although a bit wordy. This new remake is beautifully done and has a different feel altogether: it's lush, full of life, color and movement. Audrey Wood has taken a risk to remake such a beloved classic, but I believe she made a good effort and successfully made it her own. I can't say it's better than the original, but I like it!

This is a beautiful book! The artwork in this book is among the best I've seen in a child's book. It's a wonderful version of a classic story & the words flow like poetry. It's a great starter book to introduce young children to the wheel of the year & the changing seasons.

The only flaw is the typeface is so artistic it is sometimes hard to read, just read slowly & savor each word.

You'll love this book, go ahead & buy 2 copies! You're going to want to share it with everyone you know!

This is a rare find for those with Earth based spirituality/religion. The illustrations are lush and detailed, and the story is a perfect introduction for children to the Wheel of the Year.

Wolly Wisdom is a great book that will educate you on the many veriations of the great fly we call the wooly bugger. This book will not only show how to tie this fly but will show the many ways to fish this very effective pattern. A great read!

One of the most complete books with pictures and diagrams and easy to understand directions.

This is an excellent book. I just started tying flys in January 07, mostly saltwater flys. This book gives good advice on how to ty these flies and how to fish them. The catalog of patterns for wooly worms and wolly buggers is the greatest strenghth of this book. The author has collected a voluminous amount of fly patterns with photographs as well as descriptions of the origins of the fly and where it works best. I'm traveling to the Ozarks next month to fish there for the first time and I found a fly - a Miller Wolly Worm - that originated there and is purported to work well. I highly recommend this book for tyers of all abilities.

Everyone uses them in some way or another. This book doesn't break new ground, but it does consolidate the experiences of years fishing into one handy reference. The book can be used to validate what you're doing or not doing. It will also show some new wrinkles about tying and fishing methods.

"Woolly Wisdom: How To Tie And Fish Woolly Worms, Woolly Buggers, And Their Fish-Catching Kin" by fly-fishing expert Gary Soucie is a superbly presented `how to' guide to creating a special class of versatile and popular fishing flies that are experienced proven at catching fishing. "Woolly Wisdom" provides an informed and profusely illustrated documentation on tying and fishing with some 400 of these diverse, handmade flies for both fresh water and salt water fish. Fun, informative, practical, and time-tested, "Woolly Wisdom" is confidently recommended for any aspiring fly-fisher from novice anglers to seasoned experts.

I can identify to the character, Alice Moxley, in the book Yankee Girl when it comes to making choices. For example, Alice moves to a new town and is struggling to make new friends; in fact it seems to her that nobody will give her the time of day. When she finds out that a new girl besides her is coming to her school, she is happy to know that someone else is going to need a friend too. But when she finds out the new girl is black, she has to choose between popularity and the decision that she knows is right.

I can definately tell the character Alice Moxley in the book Yankee Girl Is good at making extremely difficult choices. For example, Alice moves to a new town and is having trouble making new friends. Nobody will give her the time of day, or even say two words to her, and they are not they best words in the whole wide world. When she finds out that their is a new girl coming to her school, she is happy to know that someone else is going to need a friend also. But when she finds out the new girl is colored, she has to choose between being stuck up popular and rude, or being a good friend and doing what is right! I give this awesome book 5 stars!

I compliment Mary Ann Rodman for the excellent job she has done writing Yankee Girl. I remember these turbulent years, and am impressed with the accuracy reflected in this author's work.

Moving from the North to the Deep South, Ms. Rodman's young protagonist, Alice, is not prepared for the conflicting experiences she must come to terms with.

Though her parent's beliefs are deeply ingrained in Alice, her actions do not always reflect them. While her parents face their own challenges, Alice yearns for social acceptance from her southern classmates.

Mixing subtle humor with deadly serious social circumstances requires a careful hand. Mary Ann Rodman has done a fine job accomplishing this goal. I believe that upon finishing this entertaining page-turner readers of any age will leave the world of Yankee Girl better equipped to deal with life's inequities and more willing to help resolve them fairly.

Thank you, Mary Ann Rodman, for sharing your first hand knowledge of the time and place described in this book. I appreciate your use of authentic dialogue and not insulting the intelligence of your youthful (and not so yourthful readers) by resorting to the political correctness that is such a plague in our society today. I could feel the turmoil in Alice's mind and heart as she struggled with her conflicting desires to be accepted and popular and true to her own heart. You have a rare gift for characterization. I look forward to your future books.

Mary Ann Rodman hasn't forgotten what it's like to be eleven, when the longing to fit in sometimes conflicts with doing the right thing. Her re-creation of childhood is timeless, although the setting of the fifties rings true in subtly-woven-in details that anyone who lived through the era will recognize but that younger readers will not find intrusive.

Rodman creates three-dimensional characters with realistic problems and personalities. There are no easy answers as Alice Moxley, the book's heroine, struggles with big issues like integration, smaller issues like finding a date for the Class Day party, irritation with her parents who are so caught up in their worries and stresses that they forget that sixth grade is just as stressful as adult life.

Young readers who have to walk the narrow line between doing the right thing and fitting in with their peers, whether the issue is integration or any other problem, will find much to relate to in Alice.

Highly recommended.

I've got to say, this book is one of the few books that I was able to read cover to cover, without wanting to put it down. I was drawn into the world of a young man sentenced to life in prison at the young age of 15. From beginning to end, this book held my attention to see just how the author used his instincts and wit to get himself out of many questionable and potentially dangerous situations. Far from boring, you will read about the true life interactions between inmates of all races, statuses and ages, the good the bad and the frustrating. I must say I love the way in which Mr.Gagnon wrote this memoir. The dialogue was excellent and he leaves out no details. Whether my heart was pounding with anticipation, or I was laughing out loud at his many comical actions and pranks, I felt I always knew what the author was thinking at any given moment. Through the crime, the trials, the fights, the riot and much more, you will be glad you chose to read this book.

AN INTERESTING TRUE TAIL OF LIFE IN JAIL, SURVIVAL,AND CONQUEST.
KEPT ME READING TO FIND OUT WHAT AND HOW THIS YOUNG MAN WOULD DO NEXT.FUNNY,SOMBER,AND GRIPPING. GOOD READING

Robert J. Gagnon has written a self-published book that is one of the best studies of the internal realities of American prisons to appear before the public. The book is so rich in texture and flavor, so informative and enlightening, and at the same time so entertainingly interesting to read that it deserves to be revised and published by a major publishing house, giving it the chance for the PR and distribution it so justly deserves.

At age 15 author Robert Gagnon participated in a bank robbery to obtain money to support his drug and alcohol habit, a major mistake in the first place, made more consequential by the shooting of the bank manager. Even as a juvenile he was tried as an adult and sentenced to life imprisonment in Florida. It is this experience of moving from prison to prison from 1975 to 1985 when he was eventually paroled that serve as the diary or memoir of this stunning book. Written long after this life altering experience, Gagnon writes reflectively but with a keen sense of atmosphere and attention to detail that makes reading this book a mesmerizing experience. There is more to learn about the prison mentality from the perspectives of both inmates and law officers than other more famous novels about prison life.

Though we know very little about the current life of the author, we can only appreciate that this man has developed into a sensitive chronicler with writing skills that would suggest this is not a first book. Perhaps writing the book years after the experience has given him insight and philosophical musings not readily apparent in the mind of a fifteen year old felon, but the degree of sophistication with which he relates 053803:LIFE AT FIFTEEN has moments of rather profound insight into the tribal life system that pervades the prisons across the country. 'Few people like to admit it but man is an animal before he's a human being. Animals have only two reactions to attacks, fight and flee. What makes people human is the ability to reason. An animal in a trap will chew off its own paw to escape, whereas a human knows to wait and see if it can fool the trapper'. 'Humans...have been away from the jungle a little but too long. Very few of us could survive without the most basic of tools, in the very least a knife. Since we've killed off or restrained most of our natural enemies, our worst threat is each other. The rules of civilization have domesticated people by using the fear of discipline to stifle the instincts of the masses.' But in addition to these reflections, Gagnon describes in raw detail the day to day life of the prisoner - details that include not only some fairly horrific events but also include an odd, twisted humor and the overall obsession of surviving the life that each of these men endure. It is frank, it is informative, it is gory, and it is all true. The fifteen-year-old Robert comes across as a rather amazing survivor and as a lad with skills of adjustment and intuition far beyond his years - even in an adult prison.

Yes, there are problems with a self published book: despite a fine cover with a photograph of the confinement wall of the prison, the layout of the pages is cramped without the usual paragraph placement, the punctuation and spelling could benefit from an editor's hand, and the flow of the pages is often disrupted by illogical spacing. But the story is so very well written that this raw version of 053803:LIFE AT FIFTEEN could serve as a fine manuscript for a major publishing house to polish into what seems to be a surefire success on the wider market of bookstores and with PR in the right places. Robert J. Gagnon is a very fine author. Hopefully this book will flourish in a more refined format. It most assuredly deserves it. Grady Harp, July 08

Listed in the National Criminal Justice Referral Service Library as a study aid for its social and educational value. Currently on the reading list at multiple Florida High Schools for its appeal to students that do not normally like to read.

NCJRS abstract:

Written in the first person, the author begins his story just before he committed the crime of armed robbery with his accomplice, Zig. At the age of 15 years, Robert Gagnon, the author, walked into a savings and loan bank in Fort Lauderdale on December 19, 1975 and robbed the bank. As he left, the manager attacked him from behind and in the midst of the fight, Gagnon shot and critically injured the manager. After he and his partner were questioned by police, Gagnon took full responsibility for the crime, even adopting the media account of what had occurred, in an effort to save his partner who was an adult. Gagnon writes that he was convinced the State would only sentence him to 1 to 5 years imprisonment, but instead he was sentenced to spend the rest of his natural life in a Florida State prison with a minimum of 3 years before parole. His story of life in confinement begins. He mainly focuses on life with his fellow inmates and the lessons learned from some of the "old convicts." He tells of learning how to take care of himself in the midst of dangerous offenders and of eluding the many "tricks" of law enforcement and corrections officers. Gagnon explains that convicts have different types of personalities and are referred to as "hustlers, dealers, players, and racists," to name a few; everyone is placed in a category. He recalls a prison riot in 1982 and about the lost feeling he had after being released following nearly 10 years in institutional confinement.

I personally know the author and got to know him prior to knowing anything about his past or the contents of this book. He is a loyal and true friend who would literally give you the shirt off his back or the last dollar in his pocket. The book is written the exact way that Robert would tell you the story, adding some humor and leaving out not one detail regardless of its content. I received the book yesterday and haven't been able to put it down yet! It's a must read! I am a high special education reading teacher who is considering using this book in my class this year. My student's love easy to read, high interest, true stories. Buy the book, it's worth every penny!!!!

Great book fo native fishes written for the beginner and advanced hobbiest alike. Easy reading with many color photos.

I recently managed to buy a copy of this book and from what I have read so far it is a book that should be on the shelves of fishophiles everywhere, aquarist or not. The book covers a wide range of species, mostly darters and cyprinids and goes into good detail on how to keep and breed them. With native fish keeping resources being rare this book may very well be the best of it's kind. One feature I really liked was the chapter covering the laws and regulations of various states, something that many people are curious about when out collecting. About the only thing I didn't like was that it neglected to mention many of the larger species. Bullheads, perch, bass, trout and many others are not given a lot of attension if any at all. The author deems them either to large or to dificult to breed in captivity so he leave them out.

The book in its entirety is fairly good. The authors tried to cover a broad scope. This book may be useful for the breeder in that there is specific information on each species. Please note that you may need to combine the information in this text with information from other sources (print, web, etc.) to take complete care of your native fishes.

This comprehensive reference volume will appeal to both specialty and general-interest libraries: American Aquarium Fishes provides over 118 color and over 200 black and white photos of various species of aquarium fish, providing detailed discussions on where to find native fishes, how to collect and transport them around the globe, and regional rules of collecting. The depth and detail and the vivid photos are impressive.

It's about time that a talented group of aquarium hobbyist (who are also biologists I believe) got together to write a book that the layman can understand and appreciate. You will not find convuluted passages common in the scientific literature. Each species account is well written and contains the information that the hobbyist wants.

Goldstein, Harper, and Edwards are well known hobbyist and if there are any real experts in the field, it's these guys.

This is an all around great reference for the North American native fish hobbyist.