North America Books

I cannot be objective when it comes to the majesty and danger seen through the eyes of this man, Captain Ray McGrath. I live on the Great Lakes and cannot begin to have experienced, both good and bad, what these often mysterious lakes hold for those who are dependent on their "goodwill" for a living.
Captain McGrath not only signed some copies of his book, but also added illustrations that are not only charming, but understandable to the person of average intelligence (such as myself)more so than any actual "schematic" of a ship, which would have little meaning to those of us not engaged in the shipping/sailing life.
I recommend this book to those who have been on the lakes, those who are entertaining a career on the lakes and anyone, like me, who loved the "vicarious" life I led while turning each page.

My Father sailed the Great Lakes with Captain McGrath. Their careers paralleled for many years. Captain McGrath's account of his experiences was very informative and enlightening.

This book will appeal more to the great lakes enthusiast who has an interest in Great Lakes and the ships that traverse their waters. This book is a compilation of several stories that Capt. McGrath lived out during his long and fruitful carreer in the great lakes shipping industry. If you are interested in the shipping industry, the great lakes, and the history of those two things, this book is for you!

My father has worked on the Great Lakes for years, but as a Midwest Gal, my knowledge of the area and its history is limited. My dad handed me a copy of Captain McGrath's book over the Christmas holiday, and I had a difficult time putting it down. The stories are full of humor, irony, and much history. It's an enjoyable read for anyone, even if you aren't associated with the Lakes.

This book resurrects the long forgotten story of the first national sports event in the new United States. After the race, Sam Purdy was as famous as anyone in America. He was never again allowed to pay for a cab ride in New York and was buried with honor in the Churchyard at St. Paul's Chapel on Wall Street. His son, who went on to become California's first elected Lt. Governor, recounts the familiar story of the race years later in his biography. Although Mr. Eisenberg appears to take some liberties with the thoughts and emotions of the principals (and it would be nice to know how much is based on the record and how much is artistic license), it is a great story well told. The significance of the event in the America of 1823 is beyond doubt. The huge wagers and the systems of flags and riders to carry news of the outcome back to the City reflect the enormous public interest in the race. Although many have noted the rivalry in the North-South match races prefigured the Civil War, at the time the race caught the public's imagination not because of what it would lead to, but for the same reasons that national sporting events do today. John Eisenberg brings us back to the rail of the Union Course and captures all the excitement of the great race.

It is May 1823 and an early volley in the Civil War is about to be fired. Not through militant action, but rather in a Thoroughbred match race with the best runner of the North matching strides against a Southern challenger.

Author John Eisenberg brings to life what was more than just a race from the start, as 60,000 fans jammed into a New York race course to watch the best-of-three series - each race a grueling four miles - featuring Eclipse (North) against Henry (South). There is more riding on the race then hefty bets and prize money; the winner will bring a major public relations coup to the economic and social standards of one region.

Slavery is a primary focus, as it is the blood, sweat and tears of those in bondage who enrich the southern plantation owners, which gives them the financial resources for stables of Thoroughbred runners. It is also slave grooms and jockeys who are responsible for the racers, with the consequences oftentimes very severe if they don't bring home a winner.

Eisenberg weaves the story through the horse owners, jockeys & runners, the business interests which pushed hard for the race and the controversial early years of Thoroughbred racing in this nation. He does an outstanding job in explaining the nuances of racing and the historical dynamic of the times.

The book is a classic exploration in the storm clouds that form when sports meets politics and the consequences which no pundit could have predicted.

The Great Match Race is a pleasing combination of a compelling, little-known story in the hands of a gifted writer. John Eisenberg immerses the reader in the early 19th century, long before spectator sports were in vogue. This is truly a story where truth is more powerful than fiction. A Hollywood script writer would be hard pressed to come up with a better story. There are enough plot twists and suspense to keep most readers totally engaged. You don't have to be interested in horse racing to enjoy this book. Eisenberg said he used his author's license to fill in some of the blanks pertaining to the events surrounding the race. He has, however, seemingly done so with restraint, which I believe makes the book better. This book deserves more recognition than it has received.

This is a terrific book, it has all you want; excellent horseracing history, create characters, fast-pace, edge of your seat urgency, and great historical background. These two horses ran the equivalent of NINE Kentucky Derbies in ONE AFTERNOON! It's really unbelievable, when you consider how pampered the breeding industry has made our thoroughbreds now. I bought five copies of this- will give it to horse fans, history fans, AND my Dad for Father's Day!

The book arrived as promised in like new condition. I am very pleased with the delivery and the sale process.

This book's central thesis is that Classical Maya civilization collapsed as a result of a drought in Mesoamerica extending throughout the 9th century AD. This particular drought was the local manifestation of Northern Hemisphere weather patterns that the author asserts have been repeated frequently over shorter time periods for thousands of years, even into this century, and which nearly always produce drought in Mesoamerica.

Once you accept the author's evidence for Mesoamerican droughts and their regularity, that evidence provides a parsimonious explanation for the end of Classical Maya civilization. After reading this book, I think many people will accept the evidence and the explanation.

More complex hypotheses, including overpopulation, warfare between Mayan city-states, external invasion, disease, over centralization, exhaustion of a stable environment, and peasant revolt are not needed to explain the collapse. This does not mean that such factors, if they existed, did not influence the course of the collapse, just that the collapse would have happened because of the drought whether or not other factors existed.

To support his thesis, which is clearly stated clearly at the beginning of the book, Dr. Gill takes the reader on a tour of a multitude of scientific disciplines. Each discipline studied adds information about the importance, frequency, possible causes and consequences of drought in Mesoamerican and on civilization and population trends throughout the world. Any one of these tours alone is worth the price of the book, since they are extremely well written and provide the foundation for further study on each topic covered.

In a chapter titled "Geology, Hydrology, and Water," the author describes the geology and hydrology of the Yucatan and the Maya highlands and the major drainage basins, and provides an extensive discussion of the water supply problem and how it was managed in the pre-Columbian period. The basic geology is the standard stuff: seasonal rainfall, permeable limestone, karstic drainage, deep underground fresh water usually inaccessible, except in the north through cenotes and along the east cost from freshwater lakes or lagoons. But, this chapter also explained how the Maya adapted to this environment. For example, the author describes natural surface depressions used as water reservoirs and known as aquadas. The Maya paved many of these small depressions and some were provided with chultunes, bell shaped chambers excavated below the aquada bottom to capture additional water when the aquada was filled. (A single chultun could hold 30,000 liters of water, enough to comfortably supply drinking and cooking water for twenty-five people for one year).

In fact, Mayan city-states and even smaller settlements were designed with water management a primary consideration, with central reservoirs, residential reservoirs, canals, and the terrain and pavement of the city itself all engineered to facilitate the collection and storage of water during the wet season. This was important, because, as explained in a chapter on "Paleoclimatology," small-scale (relative to the great final calamity) droughts were endemic to the Maya area as shown both by Maya water management strategies and more recent evidence from sediment recovered from the bottom of lakes. Records during the Spanish colonial period point to further famines on a regular basis after the conquest. In fact, during the colonial period, population looses from drought in the Yucatan ranged up to 30 or 40%.

In another chapter titled "Volcanoes and Weather" Dr. Gill argues that there is a strong correlation between the eruptions of large volcanoes around the world, and the worldwide weather patterns that lead to drought in Mesoamerica. This particular chapter not only provided evidence to support this correlation, but evidence that the volcanoes may have been a forcing mechanism for those weather patterns. Volcanoes and weather are a topic of some interest to me, and until I read this book, I had trouble finding a good introduction to the study of volcanoes, and to the relationship between volcanoes and weather. Now I have.

To save space and my own energy, I am not going to discuss the chapter on "Thermohaline Circulation." Except, I will say that that I learned enough in that one chapter on North Atlantic deep water formation and three dimensional ocean circulation models for all of the world's oceans to help me understand an article on the subject recently published in the journal Nature. I will also skip lightly over the early chapter titled "Self-Organization" which discusses, among other things, the overall flow of energy in a civilization, and the important roll of exporting entropy to the environment by a civilization to reduce the potentially disruptive entropy in the civilization. I will also skip lightly over the chapter titled "Famine and the Individual" which describes how famine can rapidly lead to the complete collapse of social norms and the massive disruption of "normal" energy flows in any civilization.

Probably the most important or challenging single assertion Dr. Gill makes is changing the timing of the collapse of Chichen Itza. Traditionally dated around 1150 AD, and cited as an example of the ability of some Maya cities to survive the Classical collapse, the author re-dates this event to the 9th century based partly on re-interpretation of inscribed calendar dates attributed to the period after the collapse. This particular assertion is probably one of the most controversial in the book and is critical to the author's basic thesis. I suspect that it will be the focus of considerable argument. In support of this claim, the author provides a new interpretation of the relationship between Chichen Itza and the Toltecs, which itself is probably worth a fair amount of discussion.

I strongly recommend this book to just about anyone with an analytical mind. If you are interested in the general flow of Maya civilization this book has a lot to offer. If you are generally interested in the interplay between climate and civilization, this book also has a lot to offer. If you are just somewhat interested in topics such as global meteorology, volcanoes, tree-ring records in Europe and America, or the debate between uniformitariansm and neocatastrophism in the early study of geology, you will still find useful information that is readily accessible.

Dr. Gill has truly broken new ground with this startling theory on the demise of the Mayan Empire. Why no-one heretofore considered drought as the primary cause of the Mayan disappearance now seems remarkable. His premise debunks the previous and long-held concepts on the mysterious demise of these ancient people and literally re-writes a major chapter in the history of Mexico. Thank you, Dr. Gill for finally shedding light on this dark topic and providing a conclusive answer to what has long been a nebulous and even divisive black hole in the anthropologic annals of North America.

Although The Great Maya Droughts by Richardson Gill is a very impressive collection of information, it's not quite what I had expected. Given the title I had expected an archaeological account of recent finds and what they tell of the decline of Maya civilization. Instead the bulk of the book, eleven chapters of it, deals with a wide variety of scientific information having to do with a number of fields: physics, oceanography, complexity theory, meteorology, geology, hydrology, paleoclimatology, and volcanology among them. Not until the last two chapters of the book, and then mostly in summary form, does the author really discuss the archaeological data. For the average reader interested in the Maya and/or in general archaeology this might be a thirty dollar disappointment. Some of the material is rather complex, and although one might be able to work ones way through it on just the explanations the author gives of each topic, it would probably appeal more to those who already have at least some background in these areas. This having been said, though, I have to admit that I loved the book.

The author's primary goal is to introduce the theme of what he terms an energy failure as the cause of the Maya demise. To do this he approaches his topic as a physical scientist. Modern archaeology has come a long way since W. M. Flinders Petrie and A. Layard, and there is as much "hard" science involved in this discipline as digging in the sand. In fact with funds for excavations difficult to come by these days, there is probably far less digging in the sand going on now than there was in the past. Gill seems to be a model of the new archeologist/scientist. Steeped in what E. O. Wilson calls "consilience," the author calls upon data from a variety of fields to supply him with the building blocks he needs to reinforce his thesis.

At first I was a little skeptical of this type of approach, even though I know a fair amount about most of Dr. Gill's supporting subjects. By the time he got to a discussion of the shifting of the ecotomes in Europe during the Roman period (p. 16), I was totally hooked. I had just read a book covering the rise and fall of the Roman occupation in Gaul, and Gill's discussion of it in his work made perfect sense. With his treatment of human culture and its limitations in terms of thermodynamics and its evolution in terms of self organizing criticality, he had completely reeled me in. Like others, I had considered the decay of the Maya centers to be a "multifaceted" problem. Human culture and behavior being as complex as they are-or seem to be-a multidimensional answer to the problem seemed logical. As Gill presents it, however, there is nothing so logical-or so simple-as the destruction of the human animal by a lack of water. As he points out, a person can live for months without eating but only days without water.

The book is well worth the effort, even for those with limited knowledge of the included topics, as long as he/she has the desire to learn something new and isn't afraid of a little work. Furthermore, the bibliography is a mine of useful resources, both books and periodicals. Some are a little old, 1970-1980s, but many are more current. Of the books that I've read from the author's list: Per Bak's How Nature Works is fun, as is Sigurdsson's Melting the Earth. Jered Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel is wonderful, a "must read" sort of book. Both Decker and Decker's Volcanoes and Bullard's Volcanoes of the Earth, though a little old, are interesting and easy to read. Of the journals American Scientist, Archaeology, Nature, Science, and Scientific American should be readily available in most college and urban public libraries. Those like Geology, The Holocene, Hydrobiologia, Hydrology, the Journal of Human Evolution, Journal of Paleoceanography, and Quaternary Research may be available in some university libraries or in their individual department libraries.

For THOSE WRITING PAPERS on archaeology, history, meteorology/climatology, anthropology, ecology, etc. this book would make an instructive source for "how-to-do-it with science." It would make an excellent source of quotes in support of your own themes, a good source for bibliographical material, and a good bibliographical entry for your own paper.

Not an easy book to get through. Certainly not for those who just want an overview of the Maya. Definitely worth it for those with a desire to learn.

I loved this book! I live on the NY/VT border, so I spend a lot of time in southern Vermont, and it was so great to be reading about places that I have been to. It's really interesting to have a mental image of a place because you've been there, and then you learn that this place has a much darker past than you ever could have imagined, and the picture changes, but your interest increases. It's really cool. Citro's books are some of my favorites. He's a great author - I love his writing style.

Joseph Citro's collections of Vermont folklore have become as much a part of the Green Mountain State as sugaring and the Lake Champlain Monster. GREEN MOUNTAINS, DARK TALES continues this series of terrificly readable and enjoyable stories based on Vermont folklore and legend. Anyone who likes the state or just likes a good story would do well to pick up this book. It makes for addictive reading.

Yet again, I have been enthralled, scared and drawn in by Mr. Citro's tales about my home state. He even covered my home-town ghost in this installment, which thrilled me to no end. He is truly one of our master storytellers, and I highly recommend all of his work.

In the tradition of old-time Yankee yarn-spinners, Citro delivers something that's all too rare nowadays--a darn good story. Dozens of them, in fact. I got so wrapped up in the tale called "The House of the Feasting Dead" that I nearly went past my subway stop. This is a hair-raising tour "dark" side of Vermont, a place populated by ghosts, mystics, spiritualists and even a "stone-throwing devil."

I am a novice gardener in the PNW, but I am having considerable success thanks almost entirely due to this book. I have read it cover to cover several times, and whenever I have a question I look here first. Thus far, the suggestions I have implemented have been practical, affordable, and shown good results.

I found this book to be incredibly useful. I get tired of being told to wait until my soil thaws in the spring, and articles talking about those humid summer nights are definitely not by locals. Much of the advice that applies well to gardeners across the continent comes up pretty short around here. From soil fertility to choosing suitable varieties to planting schedules, Steve Solomon covers all the specifics that make Cascadia a unique growing climate.

He is realistically, thoughtfully organic. Most organic authorities seem to blindly promote anything that seems like a natural product, and shun anything that seems like a chemical. Steve realizes that blood meal comes from the meat industry and may not be in line with the goals of healthy gardening (Mad Cow, anyone?) although he chooses to take his chances. He suggests Roundup in a couple of sections and explains why it's not just another persistent harmful chemical.

The only irritation I have is that he clearly has a bigger garden than I do. I've got about 200 sq. ft. He talks in fractions of an acre. Sheesh.

This is a great resource for gardeners in the PacNW. My only caveat is that it's not geared towards beginners. If you're looking for something to help you get started you should probably get this and something else in conjunction. This'll help you tailor your garden to the unique conditions of the Northwest.

This is the bible for NW people and gardens....clay soil? Fertile valley soil? It helped me work on the best soil and is great for the unpredicatable NWest winter, spring and summer. Add this to your collection and be sure to read it !

I like this book very much. It has all the information I needed for planning a trip to some hot spots. Besides that it has beautiful color photos as well and therefore it is a pity that the paper is rather thin and the size rather small.
But OK, the book had to be a guide in the first place and therefore limited in size and weight, but the book is also nice to watch the pictures.

Fairly complete on where the location is how to get there. Is some-what complicated, although they also inform you exactly where to go (public parking on south side of street). There are two sections dealing with location: 'Directions' and 'Remarks'. The directions are complicated at best but, they make up with the remarks section. However, the directions are listed towards the begining of the article and remarks are towards the end. Should have had them next to each other.
Liked the fact that they give you what you are likely to see, when to see it, and how often you are likely to see the trains. Also, liked that they give you radio scanning codes, places to eat and things to do, close by.
HATED the fact that they could not make up their mind as to wether use page numbers or the 'hot spot' number. The 'hot spot' table of contents lists the spots according to alpha state and gives the page number. No indication as to what the 'hot spot' number is. Then you turn to the map page, and everything there is listed by 'hot spot' number, NO page numbers. So, you are left thumbing through the whole book anyways, trying to find the dang 'hot spot' number. Even then the 'hot spot' number is listed on the inside of the odd numbered pages so you can NOT see the 'hot spot' number. And like I said the table of contents lists only the page so there is NO WAY to associate the page to the 'hot spot' number. VERY DUMB. Map should have used page numbers.
Also, kinda small in size but, i guess that is so you can store the book in your glove box for traveling.

This is a great guide with complete information for the railfan. It includes items such as how many trains to expect at the site, what types of trains, radio frequency the railroad is using to communicate, etc. I bought three of these books, one for me, and one for each of my adult sons to use while traveling, so that they can show my grandsons all about trains.

I like this book very much. It has all the information I needed for planning a trip to some hot spots. Besides that it has beautiful color photos as well and therefore it is a pity that the paper is rather thin and the size rather small.
But OK, the book had to be a guide in the first place and therefore limited in size and weight, but the book is also nice to watch the pictures.

A Half-Life of Cardio-Pulmonary Function: Poems and Paintings
by Eric Gansworth

THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ. IT'S TENDER AND MOVING, OPEN, HONEST........IT ASTONISHED ME. AND I DON'T USUALLY "UNDERSTAND" POETRY -- SO THE FACT THAT I LOVED IT SO MUCH WAS AN ADDED TREAT.

A Half-Life of Cardio-Pulmonary Function: Poems and Paintings (Iroquois and Their Neighbors)Eric Gansworth is a son of the Niagara Peninsula, who cherishes the flow of rivers, streams, time, and the life blood of his recently deceased brother, his sisters and nieces. He augments his poetry, love poems to his environment and family, with paintings that likewise are inclined to flow. The painting on Page 45 shows cycles: the heartbeat stopped, and the rain that continually returns, the people, the writer, and the reciprocal flow of blood and air. In the set of three paintings on the front and back cover jacket he mediates between the Iroquois Life Sustainers, the Three Sisters, corn, beans, and squash, and the three women, likewise acknowledged as life sustainers in the culture reflected in the self-portrait, connected by strings of wampum. His poetry, like his novels of Tuscorora life, carve an ever-deeper groove in the genre of Native American literature. This publication, like his others, is capable of standing alone, but his entire body of work has a most satisfying current.

If you happen to be a Bob Dylan fan, such as I am, you will recognize the reference in the title of this review. Some may find it strange to start out a review of one poets work by referencing the words of another, but anyone who knows the work of Eric Gansworth will understand why this is appropriate. It is especially appropriate because of the latest work by this prolific writer (proliferation being yet another tie that Gansworth has to Dylan). In his new book, "A Half-Life of Cardio-Pulmonary Function," Gansworth enters a new league of writers. Half Life is every bit as beautiful and profound as anything I have read by Billy Collins, Robert Frost or Bob Dylan.

Half-Life is a perfect book. The themes that Gansworth deals with throughout his body of work are themes that permeate much of the Native American literature of the last few decades. Whether you are reading Louise Erdrich's "Love Medicine" or Gansworth's "Smoke Dancing" you will find a common theme, the survival and adaptation of Native American culture in the midst of a pervasive American culture. As common as this theme is, however, its relevance has never been as well articulated as it has been here.

Native Americans have been battling to keep and remember their culture for years, but it has transformed into a new culture. It is a culture of both Cornhusk Dolls and Pink Floyd. To steal a metaphor from Gansworth, Native culture today has "emerged from the scraps left behind amid the harvest" of traditional Native American culture. Much of it is a memory. Think of the stereotypes that survived: rain dances, feathers, hatchets. It is as if the American culture has taken away what it thought was in someway useful. It commodified a culture it sought to destroy. But what the larger culture has left in the field, Gansworth has managed to weave into a series of poems that are not only profound, but fun to read! To steal another of his lines, "remember the husk is not a useless part of the body."

Take the case of his poem, "Loving That Land O' Lakes Girl." Gansworth is able take the iconographical use of an "Indian Woman" by Land O' Lakes butter and turn it into bitter sweet and humourous poem about loving this image. "She is the first lesson in love for many Indian boys," Gansworth begins, "all tanned hide and feathers, features straight out of Hollywood." He tells us how she "stares out at all from a burst of sunrise." But the poem moves on to reveal that you "fold her spine back, and back again without regard to the vertebrae you snap along the way" (87). This is a perfect subtle commentary on the commodification that I was writing about earlier. But Gansworth ends on a humorous note. "you leave an impression that stays until the next hot thing comes along. Is it any wonder Indian women have grown tough and strong with competition like that?" (88). It is a perfect double entendre. And this book of poems is teeming with such beauty.

Gansworth has included a blend of pop culture and traditional Native American culture. Interestingly, many of his music references are from the British Invasion. In a series of poems entitled for the hotel in front of which John Lennon was killed, "Dakota [I-IV]," Gansworth is able to pay homage to Lennon while also exploring the life of a relationship as it moves from the exciting moments of unity to the loneliness of decline and end, "knowing you will not see me on the dark side of the moon" (113). And as you can see by this last line, he is able to bring Pink Floyd in as well! In another great poem that exemplifies this "cross pollination" of cultures, he pays tribute to being "(Not) Born in the U.S.A."

It is truly impossible for me to write about all of the themes in a short review such as this is. Gansworth masters the theme I have already mentioned, but he does so in the pursuit of more universal themes such as love, grief, desire, aging. My favorite poem is a love poem. Prior to reading Half-Life my favorite love poem was Billy Collins, "Osso Buco," which no doubt is still a brilliant poem, but it has now been replaced by "Arrivals and Departures."

Much of the book deals with the death of his brother. Much of it deals with the anxiety and rebuilding of our lives following 9-11. Every image is concrete and works together with the themes of the book. He creates for us the memories as distinct as the photographs he speaks of. A moment in time is encapsulated perfectly in a phrase.

The poem that best epitomizes the book, however, is "Cross PolliNation." The title alone is a masterpiece! Even more brilliant is that the poem has two columns that one can either read line to line straight across or one column at a time. That is the major theme of the work and it has never been so masterfully rendered. But that is to be expected in "Half-Life." Every word impacts. Surely, the half-life of "Half-Life" will be centuries or millennia. This is a book that needs to be read. One that should put Eric Gansworth on the short list for Pulitzer prize in poetry. After all, like Dylan, he knows his song well before he starts singing, which is best demonstrated in his last poem, "Learning to Speak."

One should also note that the book includes numerous of Gansworth's paintings as well, which add to the themes of this tremendous work of art.

The National Book Critics Circle has voted Eric Gansworth's A Half-Life of Cardio pulmonary Function to third place in the Spring 2008 "Good Reads" list in Poetry. The other four poets who's books made the list are; Grace Paley in first place, Frank Bidart in second, Marie Howe in fourth, and Robert Pinsky in fifth. This puts Gansworth's Half-Life in some very good company!

The National Book Critics Circle "Good Reads" list is a relatively new qualitative alternative to the familiar Best Sellers lists. To be voted to this list by the 800 member national association of professional book reviewers and critics pretty much says it all!

This book was actually recommended to me by several veteran fly fishermen. I am a relative novice to fly fishing, and I wanted a book that could help me to get to that next level of understanding . . . this is that book. The best thing about this book is that it covers the complete life cycle of aquatic insects in enough detail to make it very understandible. It also nicely ties in the appropriate flys and techniques to most effectively match these life stages.
The biggest surprise for me is that this book is more than just a reference . . . it is a very enjoyable read as well.

A beautiful reference book with great info for the fly fisherman. This book could serve as a college entomology reference, so complete is its information. It belongs in the collection of every fly fisherman. The book starts with an introduction to the Mayfly, which gives the neophyte a very detailed overview of the insects and their life cycles. From there, the book moves on to the general hatches for North America, covered in very useful chart form. These charts give times, sizes, imitation guides with names of flies to use. The book moves on to more detailed infomation about the various mayflies, including their characteristics and how to tie the flies that imitate them. The latter part of the book contains a lot of specific info about mayfly imitation and tying which will be helpful in all aspects of fly fishing.

I think if you could have but one book about insects important to fly fishing, this would be the one. It eliminates the guesswork and is simply a great book that I highly recommend.

Outstanding work on the Mayfly - the life cycle, location of specific hatches (and importance in the region), and even recommendations for flies to be used. There is a section of color photographs of nymphs, duns, and spinners of almost every species covered (noted if male or female) and tying instructions for some of the recommended flies. Bottom line, for the money, this is an excellent book you'll be thoroughly happy with. When you've read it though once you'll have a much better understanding of the subject and almost feel like a pro.

Caucci and Nastasi provide a detail study and examination of the mayfies of interest to trout flyfishermen in North America. Hatches can be read cover to cover and continue to be used as a reference for years to come. I reference this book at least weekly as I flyfish my way though life.

I saw this book in the bookstore and it's really interesteng. So mesmerizing that I couldn't put it down (thus being late to work). I realized just how much I had missed on my first visit to New Orleans. I plan on going again in Spring and I'm taking this book as a guide of sorts. Full of many great odditites of New Orleans.

If you're going to New Orleans largely because you're a fan of Anne Rice's Vampire and Mayfair Witches novels, then this is an essential.

I used it on my first trip to New Orleans. It includes self-guided tours of the French Quarter and Garden District that include Vampire Chronicle and Mayfair sites respectively without leaving out the must-see unrelated sites and experiences. The only caveat is that zoo fans should be aware that the Audobon is one of the best in the country.

Three types of sites are covered - those related to Anne Rice herself, those used in - or speculated to have inspired locations in - the books, and those where parts of "Interview" were filmed.

With chapters on guided plantation, swamp and cemetary tours, as well as restaurants and hotels (the last including descriptions of ambviance that helped me considerably in my choice of hotel), you'll have everything you need to plan your trip and not miss anything like the Ursuline convent where Louis found Claudia and the Gardiner House that inspired the home that Lestat, Louis and Claudia shared.

Best of all, Ms. Dickinson wants us all to be careful out there in a city that can become ominous if you go too far off the beaten track sans tour group - especially at night. As she wittily reminds us, we're not all as indestructable as Lestat, and if an area - even one that contains an Anne Rice site - is unsafe, she doesn't hesitate to tell us so. Following her advice, you'll see everything you want to see and get home safe and sound.

I gave this to my wife as a gift before our recent trip to New Orleans, and she carried this book everywhere. While any book like this is a bit out-of-date as soon as it is published, it was still very useful for finding all the sites and giving us good background information. One important note though is that Anne Rice is selling off her doll collection and the orphanage, so there is no longer any tour. That was really a disappointment.

Last year, for Christmas 97 we had to go to New Orleans to see my father's family, I was having a a horrible time because of the weather. (We went the year before for Mardi Gras, the weather makes my hair go afro-y; it doesn't help to use your normal hair-care products.) We went to the French Quarter the day we were leaving and pow there was this cool book. I had to get it, I've read all of the Mayfair Witches books. I recommend it to anyone that's ever wondered about where their favorite characters lived.

I had a hard time finding this and so glad I finally did. Its fantastic, simply beautiful. Nerburn is in a league all his own. I keep his books by my bedside.

When I picked-up this book from our best-reader Friend, who gave us a chapter from SIMPLE TRUTHS, I expected it to be equally as simply written! Not simple in the ways of writing or organized! Since his Prologue, entitled "A CANTICLE OF ECHOES, Kent grasped my attention with his first quote from a - Pueblo saying, "We do not own the land. We belong to it. And by our sweat & breath shall she know us, and welcome us upon our return."

Kent begins: "We are children on this land a shadow on the still life of time.." Employing words as far more than commentary to his Pueblo saying. He measures words economically descibing past generations "whose arrival is scribed upon the line of history...(yet not adrift) on winds of story, or float upon the shrouds of myth!" I read in his brevity, layers of past, present & future!

From earlier pages he takes us back to BURIAL, "My home is over there. Now I remember it." - A Tewa song..."I am standing before a northern lake on a windswept point of land as a young Indian boy is lowered into the earth by his friends and family.

"It is a strange and lonely funeral-- they all are in their own way...In the Indians who made their home here-- like my young departed friend-- Something lives that invests this harsh land with spiritual values."

Kent never misses chances to relate the present back to the past history of his Northern Lands, even in his continued quoting of Indian Tribes: As in NATVITY: "What is life?...It is the breath of the buffalo in the winter time..." A Blackfeet death oration. After a gripping mysterious picture of a giant buffalo, Kent is at home with his short Essays based on, BLUE, JANUARY, URN, COPSE, GOOD FRIDAY, OFFERING, WIND. Poignant quotations are adopted from Sioux, Papago, Iroquois, Delaware & Crow Tribes. There are parallels between his essays based on tribal quotes and Haunting Reverence of Christian worship in all Nerburn's books... newly birthed from his majors of Religion and Art!

He refers to religion in MEMORY of TREES, "I see men but they look like trees, walking." Again in Solitudes: "The holy silence is God's voice." Golden treasures wait being discovered! Retired Chaplain Fred W Hood "Barbara377" (Fayetteville, GA United States)

I loved this book; it is about nature, spirituality and seeing things in a new way. The author helps one to see and feel what he is.....I have used many of his books as gifts...they are a forever treasure.

I found this book by accident. I liked the title and I love nature writing. But this isn't nature writing like anything I have ever read. This is some of the most beautiful poetry and storytelling I have ever read. It is the most spiritual nature writing I have ever read. This book took me to a place like prayer. Kent Nerburn is a genius.