Plants Books

Euell Gibbons was master forager, or at least among those that are also authors. His book is absolutely fascinating, and he makes the reader aware of a multitude of wild plants and animals that few have ever tasted, or even been aware of for that matter.

There are countless useful recommendations for the preparation of foraged foods, many of which would be unpalatable or even inedible without using the provided suggestions. His stories are great and he relates many tales from his days as a forager.

The problem I have with the book is that it is first and foremost a cookbook. It has drawings and descriptions of most, but not all, of the wild edibles he talks about. This is hardly a good method for identifying plants. On the back cover it even suggests you could live off the plants and animals described in the book. This is possible, but not likely, particularly if you cannot even properly identify the plants! And considering that there are numerous poisonous plants in any given locale, you had best not delve to deeply into the world of foraging without tagging along with an expert or at least having a detailed field guide.

Take the book for what it is - an excellent resource for preparing wild edibles and opening a whole new world for the outdoorsman.

Bret

I was always interested in survival and eating wild foods and I tried several (with indifferent results) during my boy scout days. Thus, it was that "Stalking the Wild Asparagus" was a revelation to me when I first encountered it as a young man. Somebody else in the world was interested in eating wild plants! Quite a few somebodies, it developed, because this book ran through a lot of printings and Euell Gibbons became a folk hero and TV star.

Gibbons identifies and discusses the culinary virtues of about 50 different wild plants and animals. Among the familiar plants he identifies are dandelions, cattails -- the "supermarket of the swamp" -- and daylilies. He tosses in a few animals worthy of pursuit and ingestion by the modern day hunter/gatherer: bluegills, turtles, frogs, and carp. One is immediately impressed that Gibbons knows what he is talking about. He tells you what you need to do with the plant or animal, gives you a recipe or two for its preparation, and adds a bit of personal experience and folklore about the plant. He even gives you menus for wild-food feasts.

There is something of the primeval in the attraction of children to gathering their own food, even if is only raspberries growing beside a road. For a few, such as Gibbons, it becomes a lifelong passion. His strength as a writer is infectious enthusiasm. I usually find nature writers to be preachy and sanctimonious. Gibbons isn't. He seems impervious to the thought that he might be considered as crazy as a loon (not one of the animals he proposes for eating). He can say with a perfectly straight face, "Let's go nutting."

"Stalking the Wild Asparagus" has found a permanent place on my bookshelf and due recognition as a nature classic.

Smallchief

Euell Gibbons (1911-1975) had an adventurous life to say the least. His first intro to wild foods was due to his family's poverty when they lived in New Mexico. At 12 years old, Gibbons went out in the surrounding country-side to forage for edibles to help feed his family and a life-long love of wild food got off to a pragmatic start. One of his first discoveries was wild asparagus, hence the book title namesake.

This book is lyrical, yet practical and covers a sizeable array of wild foods- location, preparation, uses, etc. Recipes are given all through the book as well as some medicinal use info. One of Gibbons' favorite plants was the Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale). He relates how the Dandelion has been one of humanities longest known and useful wild foods and medicines and laments the assault by lawn care chemical manufacturers in trying to demonize this beautiful, helpful gift from Nature.

Gibbons traveled the world lecturing on the benefits of wild foods and was often seen on popular talk shows along with becoming a pitch-man for Post Grape Nut Cereal commercials where he treated America to hilarious daily line: "...taste like wild hickory nuts!". Gibbon's came across like a modern-day cross between Mark Twain, Will Rogers and Henry David Thoreau.

Those familiar with Thoreau's recently published last manuscript, "Wild Fruits" will see the close resemblance to "Stalking the Wild Asparagus"- both now classics and useful guides to Nature's cornucopia of wild edible gifts.

Not only is this book full of recipes for wild plant dishes, but it includes wild animals as well. I like his attitude towards the things that many people won't touch - I mean this dude ate a bobcat and had a buddy there eating it with him. Where do you find these kind of people? I don't know anyone who would eat bobcat unless money was involved.

I have known this book for over 20 years. I has been almost a bible for my foraging. I used to borrow it from the library several times a year. Then the county libraby removed it from the shelf to make room for newer books. I was very dissappointed. I had to borrow the book from a library 2 counties away. I was delighted to discover that Amazon carried Stalking the Wild Asparagus. The book is a wonderful reference tool, personable, acurate, and has detailed illustrations.

Our favorite book by far! The texture of the pages, the incredible artwork, the uniqueness of the handwritten words, and most of all, the touching beauty of the story messages all lend themselves to this being an amazing book. Patience, hope, friendship, forgiveness, and working together give such important meaning to this story. I'm grateful it is a part of my kids' childhoods. Invaluable!

This book is terrific. My 5 and 3 year old children equally love it. They like the transformation of Cementland, they enjoy the little thieves and laugh at the ingredients that make up Frog Belly Rat Bone. My kids will repeat the Frog Belly Rat Bone chant as well. Great job!

I had heard of this book from a friend, and thank goodness I did. The book is not only fun for my almost 5 year old, but is fun for an adult too. The story line flows for easy reading with funny parts, and lessens to be learned. Take time to look at each drawing, every time you look you see something new. As a parent I always look for books with a good vocabulary and this book meets that and then some. I give Frog bell rat bone 5 Stars. It is truly one of the wondrous riches to our book collection.
Connie

Absolutely amazing in its story and creativity. My girls love this book. We ordered this for the local library so everyone could enjoy. My three year old has really bonded with frog belly and chants the funny saying. This is a simple but beautiful story.

I picked this up one day when I was wasting time at a book store purely because I thought it looked interesting. When I got it home I stuck it on the shelf and completly forgot about it. Then one day my three year old found it, and asked me to read it to him. That was about 3 months ago and we've read it almost every night. It's gotten to the point that I'll screw up the story just so my son can correct me. He's memorized every word.
The story is fun, in an odd way, and the illustrations are a welcome break from the sickingly saccharine illustrations most children's books are saturated with.
I wish Mr. Ering would publish another story soon, I'm getting tired of reading this book over and over...of course my son doesn't seem like he will ever tire of it.

Brendan tells his story & is very inspirational. He offers ideas and recipes. A good book to give to any one into sports. If Tiger Woods read this he'd win even more!

A truly inspiring read that won't end up on the bookshelf but remains handy every day!
I completely restructured my pantry and more so my thinking about what I put where my mouth is.
Supplements are just that, the true benefit comes from whole fruits and vegetables. I've been a lacto-ovo vegan for about 18 months and still going strong. My biggest challenge was the proper intake of protein. After reading Brendan's book I'm closer to an inner and outer nutritional balance than ever.
Astrid Kratzat, RN, 42, avid runner, Las Vegas, NV

First, let me comment on all the criticism that the author is selling his own product (Vega)... how can you complain when he gives you the recipe to make it?? The recipe "Nutrient-rich shake" is on page 87. You don't have to buy his product, you can make it yourself. Personally I did this for a while and found it too time-consuming (just as the author says). I ended up ordering his product, but have no regrets. I really like Vega and will continue to purchase it - it's expensive, but you can tell when you use it what high quality it is.

Now about the book... For such a short book, it's PACKED with information! This book deserves a lot of credit for providing such a complete picture of stress - what it is, where it comes from, how it affects your body, and how to deal with it. Stress is stress, regardless of the source. Although this book is mainly concerned with stress from physical exertion, the information will help with whatever kind of stress you have.

The recipe section in this book, though short, is excellent. Several of these recipes have become regulars in my diet and are committed to memory. One unique thing about the recipes is they show which nutrients each ingredient is adding. For example, a banana adds electrolytes, a half tbsp hemp oil adds Essential Fatty Acids, pumpkin seeds add iron and zinc, and so on. I really enjoy this feature; it helps me better understand the nutrition (rather than just following a recipe). It's probably my favorite part of the book, next to the information on stress.

I've read at least a dozen different raw food health books and they all have their merits, but I have to say that this book is unique. I am so glad to have it in my collection. I'm giving copies to some of my health-conscious friends for Christmas this year.

If you want to be a super athlete and stay healthy, or you want endless stamina, ever-increasing strength, and a healthy body, or you are vegan and want to lift weights or other intense workouts, then Brendan Brazier has designed a diet plan for you! If you are already vegan, have food sensitivities, and love whole foods but just haven't been able to put it together so everything works, then this diet plan is for you.

If any of these descriptions fits, then skip this book and go directly to Brendan's Thrive Diet. It incorporates most of the material here and adds recipes. The Thrive Diet

If you're not sure, go ahead and get this book to check it out first. Brendan is amazing!

I've been a struggling lacto-ovo vegetarian for 16 years. Busy career/life made me take the easy route...whatever you can lay your hands on to eat that was meat free. PU! This book helped me in my search for a better way to eat, especially on the run.

This was my first book on Wicca and it was very informative.
I have successfully grown many herbs with the help of this
book, Thank-you Gerina Dunwich. T. Shields

I always enjoy reading books by Gerina Dunwich. I hope she enjoys what she does, and doesn't write just for the money. The Wicca Garden is a great book, but Dunwich should have put more ways to use herbs in healing and perhaps spells and rituals involving herbs. I'm now actually somewhat surprised she didn't. Her chapter on growing herbs is good and I enjoyed her chapter on Herbs of the Enchanted World, all the folklore involving fairies was quite interesting and reminded me of a time centuries ago. This book, like many of Dunwich's, is a large list. Lists of everything. Don't get me wrong though, this books makes an excellent reference guide that I have referred to several times. Yes, if you are interested in herbs, please look for this book and hurry, it's out of print. Thanks. Bye.

Book of magickal herbs and plants - the subtitle tells all. And although my purpose is different (I want to plan and plant a garden is such a way that it magickally protects the house and enhances lives of its inhabitants), which this book did not entirely fulfil, it is informative and covers a lot in its not so large format. It covers some basics of planting, fertilizing etc in section on herb gardening, lists and describes properties of magickal herbs, has a section on plants associated with fairies / elementals, section onn green healing, mind altering plants, dangerous plants, herb omens and supersticions, divinatory herbs and a very useful glossary. I agree with one of previous reviewers that good info is somehow lost in the rest. Good book thou, happy to have it

I HIGHLY recommend this well-written and informative book to all Witches and anyone looking for information on the folklore and magickal application of herbs. The author, a practicing Witch, includes many areas of herbalism that many other books don't (such as mind-expanding plants, herbal poisons, and other such "taboo" subjects) and there is an excellent section devoted to the mandrake, "the most magickal of all plants and herbs." Gardening, healing, and divination are also covered in this modern Witch's book of enchanted herbs and plants, and a helpful glossary of herbalism terms is included at the back of the book.

This book does make a good addition to a reference library as there is a lot covered. A plus is plant associations for other pantheons besides Roman and Greek. However I didn't find it logically laid out and there are long paragraphs that would have better served the reader in grid format. I also found too much mythology and old wives tales mixed in with the really helpful bits. There are chapters dedicated to these topics so it could have been better organized. Still, there is enough useful information to make it worthwhile as long as you are willing to spend a little extra time looking for it.

This book is wonderful. Stunning photographs of all types of dogs in the neatest settings. Everyone I've shown it to (I bought it on my lunch hour at work) has loved it and walked away with a smile on their face. It's like a mini therapy session.

This was exactly the book I needed for research....I do dog portraits for pet lovers.

This is a lovely, feel-good book, that's just right for when you need reminding of the important things in life. Rachael Hale has the knack of sensitively capturing the beauty in every dog. A must for dog lovers.

Put a smile on my face. It is a wonderful book for dog lovers and maybe for those who arent. You will definately appreciate your 4 legged friend after looking at this. It will inspire you to capture more of your shared "great moments" with your pet by taking pictures to have for a lifetime.

We have given this delightful book to family members and friends and everyone has loved it. The photographs are wonderful! The author/photographer really captures her subjects very well. It is a great gift for anyone who loves dogs.

This book is the greatest reference book you can have. There are over 2000 roses described, each with pictures, with everyting you would need to know such as average height and width (and height range based on climate), blooming period, fragrance, any drawbacks the flower has or any disaes susceptibility, and other names the rose is known by.

This is the book to go to if you read about a rose or go to a website with no picture and need to look up the color and size characteristics.

This is THE rose encyclopedia!

It would be difficult to over praise this excellent encyclopedia. The photography is outstanding; the descriptions of roses intense yet easily understood, and the added features on various rose breeders and their histories are so helpful. The introduction directs the reader on how to use the book to best advantage. Yes, a marvelous book, this first edition of The American Rose Society.

I hesitate to call any reference book a "Bible", as the term is overused, but it may apply in this instance.
Excellent resource for experts and novices alike. A must have for the serious rosarian.

Without a doubt this is my favorite book on Roses. There are numerous wonderful books on Roses - but I NOW could not live without this book. Simply great information such as the size of the rose bloom, whether the particular rose is once-blooming or a repeat-bloomer, strengths and defects, year introduced, etc., such useful and interesting details. From me, a big "Thank You" to Charles and Brigid Quest-Ritson for writing and putting this book together!

though not our only guide,it is the first off the shelf when researching a new rose or history of favorites.living in california,we have to add a foot or two to heights,but otherwise this book is most accurate.this last volumne was purchased as a gift;we know it will be very appreciated.

This book has become my "Bible" on orchards. The book is very well presented and although it focuses on another geographical area the information applies evenly for my area as well. It goes into more scientific detail than most orchard books, it is so well written however that it does not bog down.
I continue to use and re-read sections daily as I learn. What a great book. Permanent library status for me.

This is the most comprehensive book I have been able to find on Organic growing of fruit. Get the revised version, it is worth the money. I am in charge of a large community Garden's orchard and this book is a must have for what I do. I have applied the infromation over one season I found in this book and this will be the first year we will have a successful crop. John Cremati

I'm about halfway done reading it. It definitely has covered more than I knew I needed to know about apple growing! All the terms used in it are also defined, so that people (like me) who are new to orcharding can understand what is being described.

This is a great book. Indispensible for anyone attempting to grow organic apples. The one drawback is the book is somewhat disorganized and some information is hard to decipher. In any case, I constantly refer to this book in my organic orcharding. A must have for Organic Orcharding!

I LOVE this book.

I'm particularly impressed with the density of information: too many hobby farm/small farm books take a once-over-lightly approach, but this one is deep on detail. I also appreciate the discussion of seedling trees: typically I've seen them ignored or dismissed as irrelevant. The discussion of root stock is a help too; before this I've seen it only discussed in terms of it's limiting factor on size, but this also introduces issues of hardiness and climate appropriateness. The book is incredibly thorough while reminding the reader that there are no "cook books" to growing organic orchards, it's still an art and science that is being developed.

I spent the first few years of my life on an old-fashioned orchard and have never recovered. Now, after 30 big-city, corporate years the world is circling back to the kind of orchard I've always longed to have, and this book is filled with invaluable information on how to proceed. Next year I'm headed back to the country, this book in hand, to make a home and create a backyard cider orchard. I know it's hard work and the best of it may happen after I'm gone, but this book gives me the courage to begin and information to guide me as I figure it out.

I hope within 5 - 10 years I'll be toasting the author with my own apple cider!

So what the heck are "tax lien instruments" and why would you want to invest in them? That's what I asked myself when I picked up this book. By the time I was done reading, I not only had the answers I needed, I couldn't wait to get started!

As you'll learn in this complete how-to from Jamaine Burrell, there's enormous profit to be made in the little-known, but high-yield goldmines found in tax liens and deeds. IF you do it right. With these tax lien secrets, proven ideas, and hands-on hints compiled from thousands of hours spent talking to the tax lien pros, it's a can't miss. Yes! If you know what you're doing, you can take advantage of high tax lien returns, with little or no risk. And this book shows you how--from start to finish.

-- Robert Gardner

Tax lien investing is interesting. They are touted as a surefire winning ivestments and many "experts" offer training costing thousands of dollars to "train" you on how to invest in these "goldmines". Do yourself a favor, buy this book and avoid the seminars. You are going to learn by experience and this book will help you get started. The seminars are simply going to part you and your money. Tax liens are not as easy as they sound. You cannot simply go down to the courthouse and buy a 25% lien. Most people trying to get you into this game neglect to mention the fact that large companies will flood the market with lowball offers to obtain a majority of the better tax liens.

Tax lien and tax deed investing are complicated subjects, made even more complicated by the huge variations in laws from state to state. This book explains the different details with great clarity.

The book opens with general chapters that explain why the differences between tax liens and tax deeds, the things an investor must consider when planning such an investment, and guidelines that will help make the process more comfortable. For example, even an experienced investor may have little experience with auctions, which is the method most governments use to sell tax liens and deeds - "The Complete Guide" has tips on what to bring and do in those situations.

Also in the early chapters, Burrell uses real world examples to help explain points - showing, for example, the forms used to register for an auction in Los Angeles. Later, Burrell discusses subjects like foreclosing (the painful part for those of us without thick skin) and getting financing for a tax lien or tax deed investment.

However, the key parts of the book are the tables (I think there are about 20); Chapter 12, which has a comprehensive breakdown of the different state laws; and the exceptionally comprehensive, 60-page (you read that right!) glossary.

The Complete Guide to Investing in Real Estate Tax Liens & Deeds: How to Earn High Rates of Return - Safely
"By far the most through and comprensive of any book I have found anywhere on this subject of Investing in Tax Liens"! Has enabled me to make a considerable amount over the past few months with very little effort.

From reading the cover you might think this is another get rich quick idea. After reading the book, however, you'll find a hype-free matter of fact approach. All the benefits and pitfalls (at least that I could think of) are covered. I went to a seminar where someone pitched an expensive package of services to help someone who wanted to invest in tax lien certificates. Instead I bought this book. It will answer your questions and help you decide if you want to proceed. What the book does not include are all the little details you'll need to actually execute a purchase. This varies a lot by state and would require the book to double in size. So, if you just want to know about these investments, I recommend this book. If you are ready to invest, you'll need more information.

This book clearly answers the critical questions: why do we maintain, what tasks should we actually do and when should we do them.

This is without a doubt the best reliability text around. No rubbish just straight to the point strategies based on sound engineering. Its a small book but is perfectly suited as a quick reference.

That the author has managed to cram so much into 200 odd pages is impressive and I will be using it as a reference for some time. What is very good about the book is the ease of read and the fact that there are a number of real life examples that make many of your points more relevant to the reader. There were a few instances where my own experiences where reflected in the text such as Reshnikovs conundrum and the RCA chapter. On the whole I think it is an impressive book that deals well with a much misunderstood subject.

On Page 230 of this book, Vee makes a series of profound statements which summarise the book and its approach.
He writes:
"There are many learned papers that address the application of reliability engineering theory to maintenance strategy discussions. Many of them use advanced mathematics to fine tune maintenance strategies. The authors have limited access to field data, and their recommendations are often abstract and difficult to apply. So these remain learned papers, which practitioners do not understand or cannot apply to real life situations".
He goes on to say later that "This chasm between the designers and maintainers on the one hand and the reliability engineers on the other is what we have to bridge"
I can not agree more with these statements.
While this book ventures into statistics and probability theory in some areas, it does so in a practical way and provides excellent guidance on such matters. Overall it is a practical book providing practical advice for people involved in maintenance and reliability management. It goes a long way to bridging the chasm that exists.
This is a very good text that has a place in any maintainer's library.

Since the inception of sensible maintenance work culture which had been a refined terminology of repair for years together and which used to be considered as unwanted event being a cost center, no effort was made by industrial bigwigs to reform the approach to a structured, value added universal maintenance management system as focus was somewhere on market capturing by monopolized products clubbed with less competitive business arena and cultural drawback towards open and free sharing of information. The importance to pay reformative attention to upgrade the maintenance practices was felt in the beginning of 1960 and since then evolution in maintenance concepts &practices have become continuous and multi-directional. In course of this, scoring excellence in maintenance practices have become a inherent part of organization's commitment and much efforts are exerted by professionals to curb & realize the maintenance expenditure in terms of enhanced reliability by adopting formalized tools and functional approaches, so that maintenance no longer remains as cost center as it had been earlier.
Unfortunately alike other management courses there is no formalized academic course exists on maintenance management, and continuous upgrade of maintenance management process grows based on sharing of information through different seminars conferences where knowledgeable & experienced maintenance professionals volunteer to educate the upcoming generation with the tips and key techniques to achieve excellence in maintenance performance.
Respected Mr. V.Narayan is one such experienced personality and his book on " Effective Maintenance Management, Risk & Reliability Strategies for optimizing performance" provides a excellent overall insight that is essential to form a value added, cost effective maintenance management system.
Among the content of book, the basic concept of functional system, the statistical approaches and mathematical insight to find out various inputs required to benchmark and optimize maintenance tasks, the concept and significance of various events/features associated with maintenance& overall reliability, the utilization process of various analytical decision making tools with area of applications, the inherent commitment associated with different strategic maintenance approaches, the technique to integrate safety and compliance to environmental regulation in maintenance philosophy are the most mentionable areas.
The definition of system says, " It is an organized grouping of man, machine tools, equipment, instrument, procedure etc. collectively set to accomplish any task".
This is very well explained in chapter 1&2 and attentive readers can grasp many important factual &practical learning points to enhance their teamwork and organizing capacity as well.
The chapter 3& 4 content mathematical approach and matrix to define and quantify various important statistics on failure rate, survival probability, and hazard rate, MTTF, MTBF, mean availability which are well described through various graphical representations. These are essential inputs for benchmarking and realize the areas of concern for improvement. Here the more elaboration with practical example on applicability or significance of all above statistical data in strategic /functional maintenance approach would have added more learning value for the readers.
It is needless to mention that proper design selection of equipment considering service maintenance & operational flexibility provides a trouble free cost effective life of any plant equipment system. In chapter 5 the key features in relation to above are appropriately explained and possess many learning points. Here I would like to share my experience on widely varying maintenance policies and practices in different process plants/ refining companies across the globe. In India most of the organizations treat having 100% redundancy of plant equipment system is a normal phenomenon, whereas most of the overseas companies don't follow the same concept. More over people are not enthusiastic to carry out tedious task of statistical analysis involving complex mathematics and instead look for fast track solutions and ready-made decisions, without going for in depth analysis. Hence formalized steps to build up a useful design selection plan would have appeared more digestible for such readers.
Risk is probability of occurrence, and risk is a inherent and unavoidable aspect in all phases of human life cycle. Hence well calculated risk can yield benefit and risk taken in haste or without proper evaluation posses great threat towards occurrence of failure/hazard /loss and eventually safety violation. The Chapter " facets of risk" and " process plant shut down" illustrate in depth facts and features of risk management corroborative to maintenance, process plant operation / formalized shut down and its documentation.
The " Escalation of Events" is effectively unveil cost of unreliability and dispel many hard facts, from which readers can tighten their belt to curb undue leniency, indifference and laxity to go for analysis based, formalized, teamwork oriented maintenance practices.
The overall reliability is forthcoming when there exits synchronized operation of reliable equipment by reliable skill with reliable work culture, the avenue for man-machine -man communication. The different matrix and combinations of above there resources with respective merits and demerits are also important content of above chapter.
In maintenance chapter all the concepts, applicable limitations of various maintenance strategies, reliability- maintenance relationship practical approaches of planning, scheduling all are well explained and is a source of substantial benefit for interested readers. The statistical approach to optimize maintenance is also interesting part of this chapter. Here practical maintenance KPIs and its measuring standards/procedures may become further expectation from the readers.
The practical approach to carry out root cause failure analysis with case study, benchmarking of reliability, more elaboration on merits and demerits of preventive & predictive maintenance with its selection criteria & application effectiveness would have been a added attraction for the readers.
Readers also may expect the more details on practical way to achieve reliability through an effective condition monitoring program which is a keen desire of present maintenance professionals as the concept of PM has become obsolete and only adopted if it emerges out be only option undergoing RCA.
The success of all efforts in relation to any activity is definite when supported by effective and appropriate documentation. Though the importance of documentation is mentioned in relevant chapter content, but a general guidance towards forming culture of good documentation practices would have been useful to readers.
Finally, to the best of my knowledge the book of " Effective Maintenance Management, Risk & Reliability Strategies for optimizing performance" By Mr. V.Narayan opens up a new horizon enriched with most effective & practical knowledge base for maintenance professionals, specially for Indian Industry and I strongly recommend that this book must be read sincerely by maintenance professionals followed by implementation of applicable concepts and benchmarking to gauge the benefit as a part of continuous improvement.
I dare furnishing this review comment with professional mindset and hope that all senior maintenance & reliability professionals including respected author will pardon me with educative advices ,in case my understanding on content of captioned book goes off the track.

Sourav Kumar Chatterjee
Senior Manager Reliability
HPCL Mumbai Refinery India

This is now one of the most beautiful books I now own. The photographs are extraordinary. I am a photographer myself and am blown away by the images that truly capture the essence of the elephant. I would have purchased this book in Australia but the $100.00 cost made it prohibitive. Imagine how thrilled I was to purchase it through Amazon for $32.00 including postage!!!! I will treasure this book for many years to come. Andrea.

This is a beautiful book on the life and personality of elephants. The photography is outstanding. I can certainly see why it took so long to photograph the elephants. It is a keepsake for those of us who love and understand this beautiful animal.

This is a magnificent book filled with rich photography. From the ground looking up you can see the majesty of the elephant. The group photos show
their need and love for one another.

My daughter is an artist. When she was very young, she saw her first elephant in the zoo. Her father asked her what she thought. "He makes me feel very deep," she said.

I am a sculptor and toy designer who wanted good photos for my work. This book will fill your eye and touch your heart.

With great sensitivity, compassion, passion, and courage, Steve Bloom has created a masterpiece of words and images about elephants and their habitats and caretakers. His aesthetic, poetic insight helps erase any boundaries between "us" and "them." So it is a look inward as well as outward. Bravo, Steve Bloom

I think that this book reveals both the deep and fun side of elephants. The picture of an elephant swimming shows off the grace and beauty. By using pictures of elephants in human cerimonies, Steve Bloom portrays an elephants life in a very beautiful way! :-)