Wildlife Books

Not really a scientific essay in my opinion, but a labor of love. A good read and something that will let you feel and fear for the future of this beautiful animal. Hats off to Mr. Maehr for taking the effort to relate his experiences... one of my favorite nature "books".... long live the panther

Dear readers,

Today morning before leaving for work i happen to watch National geographic channel wherein there was one hour programe on Florida panther. It's survival seems to be highly endangered due to the fact that their genetic poll being limited and in-breeding among the cats inevitable it gives a very tragic case of survival. I being an avid wildlife enthsiast from India hope that American people will defenitely do something for the survival of Florida panther.

Thanks

Fabulous guide to wildlife viewing areas in Florida. It led me to to many places not found in any other books. The directions are clear and concise, and the site descriptions are well-written. I spent an afternoon at one extraordinary, magical place where I was literally tripping over the local wildlife. As I was about to leave, the first person I had seen all day came up to me and asked me where I lived, since this was a place only the locals knew about. She was astounded that I was from out-of-town. Sure enough, the log book, which only showed a few visitors per day, had no one from out-of-state but me in it! I just hope that these areas remain as unspoiled as they are now. This book made my trip to Florida worthwhile!

When you are next lucky enough to find yourself in sections of the Florida peninsula still green and grassy or blue and wavy, you'll have a sharper chance of spotting limpkins, roseate spoonbills, plovers, manatees and alligators and hundreds of species more, even mice, with this perky pink guidebook in your backpack. Florida Wildlife Viewing Guide takes you to the most popular and also the least-known local, state and national preserves where you can make like a Florida (wild) native.

Bransilver & Richardson have created a masterpiece! They are to be commended for brilliantly portraying one of the most challenging natural ecosystems to study: Swamps. Their talent and dedication shines on every page! The wildlife shots are superb -- much more than just documentary renderings. All the flora and fauna here, large and small, are revealed in soulful essence. If this book alone isn't reason(s) to save the dazzling natural wealth of the Everglades and other threatened wetlands then Man is morally bankrupt. Bravo Bransilver and Richardson. You help us see with new eyes!!

This visually stunning book is a delight to the eyes and a splendour to the mind. The authors' wide experience and long hours in the swamps shows in the exquisite color photographs; their love of the place - a tropical jungle in our own United States - shines through. They manage to convey both through the pictures and through the educational and prosaic text the uniqueness, diversity and splendour of this wondrous ecosystem. This book is a must-read for children as well as for adults, for all people who want to know more - and we all should - about the importance of the Florida swamps. This book allows us to appreciate our own wilderness, both because of the beauty reflected in the photos and because of the vast amount of information explained in a down-to-earth manner. And while it is not a prescription book for saving the threatened swamps, it is a springboard from which the reader can try to do something to help save them. Their message: it is only when you know something that you can love it and only if you love it will you save it. You can almost feel the water slowly trickling by as you pass your eyes over the images, and hear the owls calling to each other. Truly splendid.

Throughout Martin Wallen's book, "Fox," the author demonstrates how the fox has long been viewed by humans as an ambiguous creature living on the boundaries of civilized society. Just as a fox evades capture in the hunting field through its wit and cleverness, the fox also escapes simple definition.

Each of the six chapters reads as an individual essay. The opening chapter deals with efforts to classify the fox over time, beginning with the philosopher Aristotle, who believed foxes to be literally made of earth. Many creatures throughout the world share the name and the general appearance of "fox" - from the Arctic fox to the South American culpeo to the African fennec - but vary greatly in behavior and habitat.
Another chapter explores the fox in legend and myth in both Western and Eastern cultures. In Western thought, the fox is often a malevolent being, both trickster and thief living on the edges of society. Wallen recounts the fox in Aesop's Fables, the Reynard legend from medieval France, and early Christian and medieval depictions of the fox as the devil in disguise. The legend of the kitsune, or spirit fox, migrated to medieval Japan from China, and kitsune possess the ability to shapeshift into human form, thus crossing the boundaries between man and animal and the spirit and material worlds. Subsequent chapters deal with the topics of foxhunting, the commercial fur industry, and the metaphor of the fox in twentieth-century cinema.

In his chapter on foxhunting, Wallen traces the evolution of the sport and the way it was portrayed in English art and literature. While eighteenth century depictions emphasized the violent death of the fox, emphasis shifted over time until the pageantry and rules of the sport became more important than the actual capture and death of the animal.

Martin Wallen's carefully-crafted book gives readers an appreciation of this mysterious animal that has excited human imagination.

An easy read filled with lots of interesting facts about foxes! For a Fox lover this is a must read.

I really enjoyed this book and the information provided on these beautiful animals. Very educational and the photographs are outstanding. It helped me to identify the gray foxes which live around my house.

i must say this book gives very good info. I would recommend anyone who is intrested in foxes they have info from the swift fox to red foxes etc...

I loved this book! I could tell by the cover picture I would enjoy it. I'm a fiesty female who believes all women are beautiful and powerful, and that it's time we stop letting men tell us different. This book makes you appreciate yourself and reminds you to surround yourself with others that do to, male or female. One of my favorite quotes went something like "nobody can make you feel insecure without your permission!" How true, don't give someone, anyone the power to make you feel less than you are! Just a joy to read and the animal pictures are beautiful and sweet. This book is great for inspiring confidence in any woman, and maybe even for our men to read to remind them how lucky they are to have us! *smile*

Willow Creek Press' little inspirational book is for the independent modern woman who needs some fun words of empowerment paired with fun animal photos. Free, Fearless Female isn't just another tired book of inspirational sayings: the comedy pairing of funny animal photos and quotes from notable women gives it a fun flavor missing from competitiors.

Chasing northern leopard frogs and spring peepers is a worthy pastime for kids. I discovered this when I was six at a lake in southwestern Michigan when I brought home an unexpected new pet from a duck pond. "Frogs: A Wildlife Handbook" is a great guide for moms and dads to help sort through what Junior brings home from his adventures.

This handbook provides the Latin name, a description, habitat, size and vocal call of each listed frog. There's a watercolor illustration of the frog, and a map of what range that frog has. You can know for sure if your find is truly a leopard frog.

More than a mere species descriptor, we read about the anatomy of frog types. Excellent diagrams of their skeletal structure, of how their tongues grab insects in mid-air, and of a tadpole metamorphosis are all highlights.

Predators and disease have their own chapters, and are worth reading. This helps put science (for nonscientists) behind the news about environmental concerns, as well as direct landowners through what's going on in their ponds.

On the fun side, we get a list of other languages' terms for 'frog'. In Hungary, you'll learn it is 'béka,' in Gaelic, 'losgann,' and in Hmong, a frog is called 'hma'.

I've read dozens of frog books for grown-ups and children, and am pleased to have read this one. While a six year-old might be overwhelmed with this one, he'll enjoy the pictures and grow into it. Everyone else will find it a useful guide for knowing one frog from another.

Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com

Kim Long's handbook on frogs is exactly what you need if you're looking for any type of information on frogs. I've read a lot about frogs before this book, but nothing has given such a broad variety of topics in such a straight-forward fashion. I've learned so much about this fascinating species from these pages. Trust me, you can't go wrong with this great book!

Gibbs and Hunter have produced a fine text to serve as an introduction to conservation biology. The text is full of examples, case studies, and pictures. However, the pages are full of text, and in 500 pages, the reader can learn a tremendous amount about the field.

Malcom Hunter provides a wonderful resource for students. He brings years of experience in the academic world to create a useful and enjoyable text. His book provides broad coverage of the major topics of applied conservation including chapters on diversity, threats to biodiversity, the maintenance of biodiversity, and the human factors of conservation work. Throughout the text Dr. Hunter provides insightful illustrations and examples carefully spanning taxonomic lines and global location including several in depth case studies. This text accurately depicts the various complications and perspectives in this increasingly broad and necessary field. From the introduction through the last chapter Hunter keeps the text accessible only rarely becoming arduous to the reader's patience. Hunter leaves out the over glorified (and extremely costly) full glossy pictures that have become commonplace in modern texts making this a great buy for students. The discussion questions provided at the end of each chapter are great and his suggestions for other readings provide excellent options for students seeking to go even further into topics of interest.

For anyone who wishes to understand the process of news gathering, this book is the best available. I use it in all my international news classes at Scripps School of Journalism. Rosenblum extracts from his lifetime of journalism a clear, logical and comprehensive explanation of how the story you read got there, and what influences affected its selection and presentation at every stage of the process. It's also a fascinating and exciting read, by one of the world's most prolific and professional journalists. He introduces you to individual correspondents, both as individuals and as types. He explains how geography, economics and sheer prejudice can determine what you learn about the world. He tells great bar stories -- the kind of thing journalists tell each other over a beer. And he does it all with skill and style. Worth reading by anyone -- a must for anyone interested in news.

A great book. Even though it focuses primarily on american media, it's lesson can be applied in all parts of the world: We need to start making demands on the media, instead of letting it dictate what we need to know. An eye-opener.

Along with "Rainforest", "Jungles", "The Smaller Majority", "Amazon" and other fascinating books, this one deserves more than five stars. The title is pretty eloquent in regards to the survival of the species. It is full of breathtaking pictures from around the world. A book that belongs in the personal library of every family, it's not only intended for nature lovers or conservationists. Nature is such a precious thing and we humans are screwing around with the environment. Get this book now and support the WWF in their effort to promote wildlife on the planet before it is too late, otherwise, the only place where your children will be able to find so many fascinating (and probably extinct) animals is going to be on the pages of this book. This is money well spent!!!

This book would make a great gift for yourself or anyone with an interest in helping to protect the most important ecosystems that remain on the planet. Outstanding photography will inspire the reader to learn more about the critical habitats identified by WWF and others as the Global 200. I have reviewed numerous large format books like this over the years and give this one my highest recommendation. Amazon is offering it at a great price and I plan to buy extra copies to give to my representatives in Washington. Everyone who can make a difference in helping to protect our world needs a copy of this book. By Rick LoBello, www.iloveparks.com