Bates Books

This book is no longer avaiable from the publisher. They may have a new revision to this one in the works, but there is not a projected date for the new one to be available. Best advice is to contact the publisher, before planning any classes with this book.

I have been exceedingly pleased with the recipes I've tried.

When Pop Larkins suffers a mild heart attack, his doctor orders him to strict bed rest, no alcohol and a rigid diet. To ensure that his instructions are followed, he sends a martinet of a nurse to live in and to keep Ma and the kids away from Pop. To a man like Pop whose frequent starter drink of the day is equal quantities of champagne and brandy with a dash of bitters ( and a slice of orange), the doctor's orders are tantamount to a living death. An attempt to get around the ban on rich food and drink brings on another episode of such pain that even Pop finally resigns himself to the inevitable. Meanwhile, Primrose is pursuing the vicar, Mr.Candy with a vengeance, shattering his tranquility with potent doses of erotic poetry and her own erotic self. It's another very funny Larkins family story which is bound to bring a smile to the dourest face.

Love Match is first and foremost a fun read. Not your typical "women's lit," this novel combines romance and intrigue in a refreshing setting: a tennis tournament. Abbigail Arden, the main character and first-person narrator, charms her way through the pages of this book with wit, determination, and honesty. Her expressions are funny and unusual enough to make the reader laugh aloud. Perhaps more importantly, Abbie sets an example for anyone who has ever been apprehensive about taking a big step or making a change (and who hasn't?). This book is a perfect choice for taking your mind off of something, relaxing at the end of the day, passing the time while traveling, or just trying something new and different.

Natural history is the branch of biology that studies individual organisms and their social and environmental relationships. The main purpose of Marston Bates' "The Nature of Natural History" is to introduce and summarize the science of natural history for the non-biologist. The book provides an overview of the main issues that concern natural history, such as the scientific naming and classification of organisms; the history of life on Earth (with a discussion of the geological time-scale); the development of the individual organism; the environment; the behavior of individuals and populations; reproduction; biotic communities; biological geography; adaptations; and evolution. From my non-biologist's point of view this book does a fine job of describing the essentials of these topics, in plain, clear English.

However I have to qualify my recommendation. This book was published in 1950, so some of the material is dated. But since natural history is a subject that does not change quickly, most of the book is still accurate. Bates also makes the occasional statement about the nature of logic and science that I disagree with. For instance, that logical classification is somewhat arbitrary, or that science cannot discover "truth" and instead that scientific conclusions are inherently uncertain. I also think that the final chapters, in which Bates leaves natural history and starts discussing more philosophical topics, are weak. (I also happen to disagree with much of the material in these final chapters.) .

Despite these drawbacks I think this book is well worth reading if you want to discover what natural history is about.

in the ten years since this was published, there still hasn't been a book (that I know of) published that is better than this one at putting public lands management in an historic-then-contemporary context. it's also nice that it's an edited collection, b/c readers (i.e, students!) don't get lulled into complacent reading by single sytle or approach. highly recommended, though of course, needs to be supplemented with newer readings, particularly dealing with collaborative conservation and political ecology.

I haven't read Silverberg's original novel. This brief graphic novel must have compressed it quite a bit, to get it into this slim book. Perhaps something was lost in the process, but there's plenty left.

It's set in a far future on Earth, one Earth or another. Three travelers meet on the road and keep each other's company as they travel: and old man pursuing an old duty, a young and fairy-like woman, and a large, trollish young man. Their travels bring them to Rome, or something like it, and then ...

Well, any description of events would be a spoiler, so I'll let it unfold before you as it did for me. Since it's Silverberg, the worldly events really just set the stage for the human events anyway.

The visual adaptation is strong and painterly, but not the kind you're likely to remember a year from now. It carries the story well, though, and that was its job. A good story with good art - you could do a lot worse.

//wiredweird

When Mariette and Charley, the Larkin's eldest daughter and son-in-law decide to have their new baby son christened, Ma and Pop Larkin decide that it's time that all of their brood are christened and plan a huge party to follow the event. They ask Madame Duponte to be their baby son's godmother and that unsuspecting lady, their landlady from their trip to France, arrives in England for the first time, to fulfill this solemn religious ceremony. Still under the impression that Pop is some kind of English Mi'lord, her stay at the Larkin household is somewhat of a shock to her. The second Larkin daughter, Primrose, is maturing very quickly and promises to be even more of a beauty than Mariette and, then and there, decides that the Vicar, mousy little Mr.Candy, is the mate for her and pursues him with vigour. It's another delightful Larkin family romp which will amuse the many fans of H.E.Bates.

Psi Laws continues the tradition of the excellent Trinity Field Reports series: high quality in a small package at a very affordable price. Like all published Repots, Psi Laws is all-color and in-character. It can be roughly divided in two sessions: one talking about how authorities generally deal with each Aptitude, and another presenting cases in different countries that involved the use of psionic power. The previous two Trinity Field Reports (Extrasolar Colonies and Aliens) were nice, but most of the info found on them has eventually been covered by bigger sourcebooks. Not Psi Laws. The information here is extremely important for a serious Trinity campaign, and here's the only place you'll find it.

This is a good introduction to the topic of industrial minerals. Readers interested in more detail should see Bate's much more thorough, but not so profusely illustrated, "Geology of the Industrial Rocks and Minerals"