Exotic Books

Hi!
I just want to make you now that I'm satisfied because the service. I might buy more products later.

Your friend Marlene.

Simply put, I am still in awe over the amount of information in this book. This is a MUST have for any reptile Vet, and anyone who is serious about keeping or breeding reptiles. Do not let the cost put you off. The info inside is worth much, much, more than they ask.

Very comprehensive, much better than 1st edition. Recommend to anyone seeing reptiles in practice.

It is over a hundred dollars but put it off this is the book. You won't need any others.

This is the BEST reptile book i ever had the pleasure of owning! Brilliant pictures, easy to read text and very complete tables!
If you are a veterinary surgeon starting your experience on reptiles dont think twice... It was my case and i just loved it... this one lays next to Guilhermo Couto Small Animal Medicine and Theresa Fossum on my top 3 Veterinary Surgeons Bibles!

Todd's book is a great introduction to the topic of invasive species. The layperson can easily read through this book and not worry about dry scientific methodology getting in the way for the information Todd presents. Kim Todd writes a smooth account of various, some lesser known exotic species that have made a home for themselves in North America.

This is a powerful statement of the intentional to the inadvertent introduction of exotic species in America- history, biology, botany, sociobiology, anthropology and entomology all expertly woven together to produce and outstanding mural of cause and effect of our penchant for tinkering with Nature and it`s all too often deleterious side effects.

Kim Todd has joined the long list of other fine scientist who have learned to package their important observations in an accessible, fascinating, flowing, down to earth, easy to follow format- and she did all of this in her first book!

This book is well researched with fascinating and profound conclusions that culminate in a strong note of historically learned caution about the efficacy and advisability of "Tinkering with Eden"- indeed, it's not nice [or smart] to mess with Mother Nature!

Picture Laurel and Hardy in that famous line of consternation from Ollie, "Well, here's another fine mess you've gotten [us] into!", and to that we might add: Now look at what they're eating, whose bright idea [of species introduction] was this?

There are so many potent observations in this book that my copy is thoroughly marked-up. Starting just inside the front-cover flap is the gist of where the introduced species problems began: "When Europeans arrived in North America they saw on the one hand, a paradise, and on the other, a place that needed some work. Far from home and seeking to recreate the landscapes they'd left behind, or determined to improve on what they found, they introduced to their[?] new terrain an amazing array of exotics-plants and animals not native to this continent".

Some exotics were fairly benign and some were disturbingly ravenous as we see in chapter after chapter filled with examples exotic species-caused boondoggles and the desperate attempts to balance the damage with further introductions thereby creating a never ending vicious cycle.

On pigeons introduced by the French and left behind, there is: "They flew from Atlantic to Pacific as the Americans took the aftermath of their own revolution and built a nation with liberty, justice, and pigeons for all" (p 23)- all too true, unfortunately.

The beautiful front cover artwork is done by illustrator Claire Emery as are the fine line drawings throughout the book.

Tinkering with Eden: A Natural History of Exotics in America written by Kim Todd is a reading pleasure as the prose flow with a charm and delight. The book is written so well that each chapter feels like you've read a short story, but upon finishing the book you realize that everything you've reading the book all come together.

Ever since Europeans and others have been arriving in North America they've been bringing flora and fauna from where they came from and brought back flora and fauna from North America to their homelands. When this occurs, there can be some dire consequences, some native species are crowded out of their natural environments as the new species takes over with no natural predator... that is no checks and balances.

The author is a storyteller, as she brings us these tales and others she interjects humors along with the science making for a very enjoyable read. Reindeer, lamprey, gypsy moths, starlings mosquitoes and pigeons can all be traced to other locations, but are now part and parcel of the American landscape.

I've enjoyed reading this book as I know you will. The author's writing style is excellent and has won the Pen/Jerred Award, so I'm not alone when I say that this book is illuminating and entertaining and the author has a terrific storytelling technique. There are a few illustrations added to this book to give it just the right amount of detail.

All in all, this was a very profound read that is wonderfully written, indeed.

It's such a good feeling knowing how things happen. Kim Todd has written an engaging, interesting, well researched eye opener of a book. And, just imagine, we (so called evironmentalists and experts) haven't yet learned the lesson of not "Tinkering with Eden". Truly a must read.

Tinkering with Eden: A Natural History of Exotics in America written by Kim Todd is a reading pleasure as the prose flow with a charm and delight. The book is written so well that each chapter feels like you've read a short story, but upon finishing the book you realize that everything you've been reading in the book all comes together.

Ever since Europeans and others have been arriving in North America they've been bringing flora and fauna from where they came from and brought back flora and fauna from North America to their homelands. When this occurs, there can be some dire consequences, some native species are crowded out of their natural environments as the new species takes over with no natural predator... that is no checks and balances.

The author is a storyteller, as she brings us these tales and others she interjects humors along with the science making for a very enjoyable read. Reindeer, lamprey, gypsy moths, starlings mosquitoes and pigeons can all be traced to other locations, but are now part and parcel of the American landscape.

I've enjoyed reading this book as I know you will. The author's writing style is excellent and has won the Pen/Jerred Award, so I'm not alone when I say that this book is illuminating and entertaining and the author has a terrific storytelling technique. There are a few illustrations added to this book to give it just the right amount of detail.

All in all, this was a very profound read that is wonderfully written, indeed.

This illustrated compendium of the flora of the world's tropical zones has no comparison. It is a monument to methodology, and as complete as any encyclopedia on the subject, perhaps more so. Invaluable as a research resource.

Beautifully done book with hugh number of plants with a color photos and descriptions

I recently got the chance to look over a copy of this book , and although I didn't get a chance to read it extensively nor in depth, I got the feeling that this was and is, one book , that no plant loving individuals library, should be with out. It is with out a doubt , a must have if you can get your hands on a copy.

I own the 5th edition. I glanced through a few pages (after having spent hours on the Internet researching tropical plants for my personal tropical garden) and had to buy it right then and there! I did not want to chance not being able to find it again. It's the best! I can't foresee ever having to wonder what any other tropical plant looks like! I've found plants in this book that I could not identify on the web or through local nurseries. I was not able to put this book down for hours after it's purchase and continue to use it almost daily. Totally worth the $185 price! If I'd lost it on the way home from having just purchased it, I'd be right back trying to buy another!

This book is the ultimate,before software,computers and Wal-Mart salespersons... .a book of this magnitude was and is still the Bible of horticulture.Alfred Graf,travels the world to bring the reader an astounding volume of plants both rare and usual,not only color photos but origins as well,which happens to be the best indicator of how a plant will thrive.I've owned this book for over twenty years,even replacing it after it was stolen.What else can I say...oh yeah,...Chrisalidocarpus Lutescens.

If you ski or snowboard, you must buy this book! If you don't ski, but enjoy great travel stories told with wit and humor, you should still buy this book. Finkel is one of the best and funniest travel writers around.

Three thumbs up. Now I don't have to launch myself off a 40 meter ski jump or attempt a 60-degree couloir . . . Mr. Finkel has done it for me. But skiing is just the thread that weaves this collection of diverse stories together as the book touches on Iranian politics, ski development in China (or lack thereof), the war in Sarajevo, pre-Salt Lake City Olympic bribery, and countless others. Having said that, there's also enough enjoyable virgin pistes and well-carved turns (on skis, telemarks, and snowboards) to satisfy the most selfish powder pig.

If you have a passion for skiing and traveling, this is the book for you! It's an easy read - several short stories about the author's ski adventures in the U.S. and abroad. A very enjoyable book that's hard to put down...you just want to keep reading on to his next adventure.

Most ski writers are middle-aged-plus travel hacks more interested in the hotel than the hill. Not Finkel. Almost uniquely among widely-published ski journalists, he's more interested in descents than dinner, and it's fun to travel vicariously through his work.

Alpine Circus is essentially a compendium of columns originally published in SKIING magazine. All are interesting. Most are funny. One -- the piece on Sarajevo -- is intensely moving.

Four stars out of five. While very enjoyable, the book doesn't fully display Finkel's remarkable talent as a writer. Hopefully, future collections will. You'll see a lot more of his work... he's still a mere sprat.

A great collection of unforgettable skiing stories that takes you around the globe to some of the most remote areas of the world. After reading every authors stop, you feel as if you've been there also. Easy to read, funny, and worth reading again and again...

Gorgeously illustrated with color photographs and garden design plans, "The Exotic Garden" convincingly maintains that the luxurious foliage, texture and bloom of tropical plants will work in any garden, providing you can give the plants house room during winter.

There are separate chapters for designing tropical gardens, borders and beds, planting and caring for containers, and the care tropicals require. Many of Iversen's ideas combine tropicals with temperate-zone plants, and he uses color, leaf texture and height throughout for striking effects.
The last 30-plus pages offer a glossary of 100 tropical plants. Each entry includes a color photo, the plant's origin, decorative interest (foliage or flowers), culture characteristics, height, propagation (cutting or seed, season, time to maturity), horticultural use and overwintering needs. Iversen also provides mail-order sources.
An attractive book with ideas to fit anyone's garden.

The has two main sections. The first section is about garden design and plant care, about 119 pages. It contains 11 pages on tropical environments and habitats. 22 pages on color, form, and texture. 48 pages on tropical borders and beds. 20 pages on containers. 18 pages on growing and propagation.

The second section is 33 pages. It contains an encyclopedia of 96 tropical, or exotic looking, plants. Each plant is described by common name, scientific name, country of origin, growing conditions, propagation tip, overwintering instructions, and a 2 inch photograph of the plant.

The book also contains 2 pages of common names indexed to family names, 4 page topic index, over 130 large full color photographs and dozens of drawings.

The first section about garden design and plant care is good, but not great. Much is the same old information that you can read in most every garden book. Nothing special.

Photography is awesome. Images cover a great variety of plants, design concepts, and unusual situations. Very interesting and informative captions follow each photograph.

The second section which is the tropical plant encyclopedia is great. Information is interesting and content is meaningful. Great layout of information with a photograph of each plant. Too bad this isn't the major concentration of the book - because this section is awesome!

Overall the book is a good general guide to designing with tropical plants. There are sections of great content, but they do not fill the book. Solid information for beginners, although nothing that could not be found in other texts.

Dr. Iversen's book is full of wonderful ideas on using tender perennials and annuals for an exotic look in stunning combinations. In addition, there is a guide on how to care for and overwinter these plants.

I had the pleasure of studying under Dr. Iverson at SUNY Farmingdale. This man knows his plant material and how to use it effectively in challenging landscapes and spaces. If you are a northern gardener looking for some new ideas instead of the same hum-drum gardens buy this book ! This man got me to learn the Latin for some 200 plants..trust me you will close the book and have learned something.

This book is a must-have. I had Dr. Iversen as a professor at SUNY-Farmingdale and reading this book is like sitting in one of his classes or lectures. It is very clearly written and eloquent, and very informative, explaining everything from the culture and history of tropical plants, designing gardens, to the care and planting of tropicals, with beautiful photography. The SUNY-Farmingdale tropical garden is a beautiful site to see on campus. I have my own tropical container garden with my banana trees and angel trumpets by my back door at my apartment during the warm weather and inside my apartment in the cool weather. This book is excellent and should be on everyone's bookshelf.

My boyfriend bought me this book because I love to travel. This book helps to to incorporate all of my treasures into my home. The illustrations are gorgeous and the countries represented are widely varied. I can't wait to get started on another project.

Exotic Style: Decorating Ideas From Around The World by freelance journalist Sara Bliss is an amazing, full-color photographic showcase of an incredible diversity of picturesque living atmospheres created from cultures and styles found around the world. The text addresses each new concept drawn from a different corner of the globe, and how it can be applied to create varied yet memorable results. There are design ideas, tips, and examples fro bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, outdoor rooms, patios and pools. Exotic Style is very highly recommended reading for interior designers of all experience levels ranging from the amateur do-it-yourselfer rearranging the look of their home or apartment, to the professional in search of inspiration for commissioned domestic interior designs.

I think that anyone who has the slightest interest in decorating the interior or outdoor spaces of their homes should read this book. It is full of interesting ideas on how to decorate with exotic furniture, textiles, wallpapers, lighting, table settings, etc. Lots of good instruction what to do, what not to do and where and how to shop for those exotic treasures.

Fabulous book on decorating - using global style. Richly illustrated with numerous, wonderful photos. Offers fresh ideas and many suggestions on indoor, outdoor, every area of the home, how to incorporate eye-catching global accents and color palettes, offers numerous ideas to update a room via a major or minor makeover. A wonderful, up-to-date sourcebook of global style.

This book has become a staple in my day to day life. Whenever I have a problem trying to figure out if something matches with the room then I just turn to this book and all the answers are right there in front of me. For anyone who has a house that they constantly decorate, I would definetly recommend this book. It is a must have and a must read. Sara Bliss has an amazing perspective on the world of design. The world will be seeing great things from this stunning author!!

For Mother's Day, I made many of these recipes for my Sri Lankan mother, and she LOVED everything!!! I highly recommend this book for people who are just learning how to cook Sri Lankan foods.

Sadly no pictures - I like to see what my finished product should look like. The book is a good price and well worth the o/seas shipping costs.

This was on my son's Christmas list, he received it, and he loves it.

This book is a must have cookbook for those craving for traditional Sri Lankan food. For someone like myself who was intimidated by traditional cooking, this book has made it simple. It has numerous Sinhala and Tamil recipes that are well described in step-by-step process. This book contains sample menus (wonderful idea), explanations on spices, utensils and measurements, which are of great help for a novice.

Traditional thosai, pittu, idly, yellow rice, dhal curry (parippu), cabbage mallum, kale mallum, crunchy carrot salad, spicy chicken curry and vara (fish), are all included in my meal rotation (delicious recipes). There are many more recipes to try out...and I am getting there!!!!. :)

Read the recipe till the end before beginning to cook. There are hints and alternatives that may save you time.

A must have book.

This book makes traditional recipes seem so simple. It gradually builds your confidence to attempt such recipes as hoppers, pittu and string hoppers. I would recommend it as the first and last book. You are able to invent your own recipes once you get the flavour and smell which this books teaches you to acquire so wonderfully!

Excellent topic and book. Covers the material very well. I was very suprised by the depth in the material.

I thought this book was just great...to sum it up. It was new and exciting. I've been to a few of the locations listed in this book and the pictures are exactly like I remember them. I actually got a chance to check out the dvd included and was amazed by the layout and objects that were listed on it. I have been a Bond fan since I was a kid and i have to say this is a must have for any Bond fan especially one that is living in Florida or interested in the movie series or locations.

WHAT A WONDERFUL BOOK AND BONUS CD.IF YOU PLAN TO GO TO THE FLORIDA KEYS AND ARE A JAMES BOND FAN THIS BOOK IS A MUST.I HIGHLY RECCOMEND IT.

This book is a must for any James Bond fan! It's also a great guide for anyone visiting the Florida Keys. This book is full of interesting facts, places to visit & things to do in Key West. We visited the Keys last year, but will have to go again, this time with our trusty 007 Exotic Location Book...it should be fun seeking out the locations where many famous James Bond scenes were filmed from "Licence To Kill." This book also has a fantastic Price Guide for hundreds of 007 Autographs, Posters, Props, Costumes & Collectibles. Imagine your surprise when you start looking up the price on some of your old 007 toys, old beer cans, records, etc., and find that some are worth literally hundreds of dollars!!! This book is a great buy that comes with a bonus DVD exclusively for the James Bond fan. Mr. Arnold's book is a fun, easy read, with great pictures and descriptions of both the locations and in the price guide section. Like I said, every single James Bond fan WORLDWIDE should have this book in their library of 007 collectibles!

Jim Arnold has expanded his "License To Kill: Exotic Vacation Key West" to a 160-page book format in trade softcover, a significant expansion from the soft wraps handbook he created in 2004.

Arnold, a Tampa-area Florida resident, knows Key West well and frequently travels there for their famous annual fests and celebrations. Some background and Key West history and travelogue is included before he plunges into film locations from the underrated License To Kill (1989 starring Timothy Dalton as James Bond and Carey Lowell as Pam Bouvier).

James Bond aficionados have good fortune, as there are hundreds of exterior locations still recognizable from the films worldwide. A Star Wars fan cannot board the bridge of the Millennium Falcon, but Bondians have places to go on every continent except Antarctica. Almost the first hour of License To Kill was shot around Key West, and more than a dozen James Bond locations are on Arnold's quick pick map of the big island, with all of them a short walking distance from the famous Mallory Square. Or take Arnold's advice to rent a comfortable golf cart in town and see another dozen or so locations he points out further a field on the Key.

Key West is one of the best Bond sites overall and has a large number of Bond movie and other film locations, which Arnold describes. License To Kill trivia and about 60 additional film locations are included from Miami and Key West to around Florida, making this book a good reference for a movie fan to use and enjoy on a trip to the Sunshine State.

Arnold added a photo and text directory guide to more than 200 James Bond collectibles, many of them in stock at his Reel Art props store. Arnold is a big fan of the series who replicates and duplicates many of the screen used items from 007's most famous adventures, and he has included a pictorial guide to his pieces along with many of the toys, games and nostalgia from the 60's onwards that will bring back "happy Bonding" for baby boomers on up.

New for this release, a bonus DVD was added, which includes an hour of footage from 2003's SpyFest convention in L.A., some of the Bond Collectors' Weekends and other fan events, and of course, footage from Arnold's personal tribute trips to see the Key West and Miami-area Bond sights.

This is one of the first ever books devoted to Bond movie locations and hopefully more will be on the way soon for fans to enjoy. - - Matt Sherman, BCW Productions

What a wonderful compilation of educational and heartwarming stories! I have four domestic housecats myself and have oftentimes wondered what similarities or differences they might share with their close cousins. NOW I KNOW! What strikes me the most throughout the material is the responsibilty displayed by the lucky folks who own or shall I say are owned by these wonderful cats. I find it compelling that such a special relationship can evolve from these wild cats. My domestics are only a cathair away from them evolutionary wise and it was refreshing to see the same feelings that I have for mine expressed through these admirable small exotic feline owners. Kudos and I truly hope to see more future material of this nature. Thanks for the valuable product!

I found this book to show the true dedication,experience and committment that responsible exotic cat private owners are willing to have to give their life to the exotic cat.Shows owning an exotic cat through proper channels can be done and is more than a rewarding lifetime partnership between the responsible private owner and the exotic cat.

This book is educational and enlightening. No amount of readings will make is dull and I loved the communication beween thse owners and their cats.
Lucky animals and lucky people to have found each other and lucky are we to get to look inside their lives.

This book is exceptional reading material, interesting, funny and informative! Once purchased, I could not put it down, until I read the whole thing through!
It showed me the world of exotic felines! It depicts the love, and the devotion these owners have, their dedication!!! It promotes Responsible Ownership, this is a definite must read.

After reading this book,I became aware that ,indeed,there are responsible private exotic cat owners in this country,willing to share their experiences,dedication to the exotic cat,knowledge and education they have requried.
Some stories are sad,some funny but overall,show that private ownership of an exotic cat is a lifetime committment and one to be taken seriously.

This is the most heart-warming and beautiful book! Tugs at your heart strings while filling you with love, joy, compassion, tenderness and respect. Your heart just opens right up as you feel for these magnificent creatures. I was afraid to read this book at first. Thought that it would hurt too much. I visited EFRC's website online, fell in love with each featured feline and then read their histories. My family visited the facility (Exotic Feline Rescue Center) last year and it was one of the most powerful, touching and profound experiences of my life. I bought the book there and read it in the car all the way home from Indiana to North Carolina!

The book is well written and the pictures are beautiful. Gift yourself this book.

I've been getting more aware of the plight of abandoned, neglected and abused big cats in the last year. It's an issue that deserves more attention and support. McCloud's photos prove a picture is worth a thousand words over and over. These big cats, being cats, are proud, dignified and graceful even in their captive plight. And they are the lucky ones! This book is a wonderful way of getting the message out. There are more of his photos you can link to from the ERFC website: www.exoticfelinerescuecenter.org too. Many of those beg for yet another book!
This book will bring you the mixed feelings of awe at the cats beauty and sorrow for what we humans have done to them.

The book does the Exotic Feline Rescue Center justice. Stephen has captured the animals through wonderful photography. My granddaughter loved the center and enjoys the book.

This is a wonderful overview of the Exotic Feline Rescue Center. Stephen McCloud has obviously fallen in love with the cats at the center and it shows. There are SO many animals that have fallen victim to the exotic pet trade...the Feline Rescue Center provides a safe haven for some of the lucky ones, that now call it home. This book provides an intimate look at some of the rescues living at the center and allows the reader to look at the cats on a more personal level. The exotic pet trade is a HUGE problem in our world today and only with the help of people like Mr. McCloud educating people through photographs and information on their plight, will more people get involved and raise the necessary funds to end the vicious cycle. Wild animals belong in the WILD, not behind bars or in canned hunts for trophies. The Exotic Feline Rescue Center provides as close to a natural environment that is able for these poor cats forced to live in captivity. Stephen McCloud does a wonderful job with stories backed up by fabulous pictures.

If you love big cats like I do this is the ultimate book. Filled with striking photographs and heart-wrenching-yet-uplifting stories, I was flooded with emotion as I read. Lots of emotions. This is not an easy read, especially when confronted with stories of people abusing these majectic animals or forcing them to travel en masse in the back of a Volkswagon van... but these lions, tigers, cheetahs, panthers and lynx have all been very fortunate to be part of this book. The photos are as beautiful as they are intimate and it's like the photographer has actually captured a tiny bit of each cat's personality. BUY THIS BOOK.