Curtis Books

When I became interested in Virginia's Eastern Shore, I soon discovered Curtis Badger's books. He made it sound so appealing, that I bought a house on Folly Creek, which he describes in several of his books. I also started taking graduate courses in natural history. I love the Shore and my home, but if he'd written this book a few years earlier, I'd probably have bought near him on Pungoteague Creek.

This short book is set on the Delmarva Peninsula (principally in Maryland) and in the Dismal Swamp, southwest of Norfolk. It's intended to be about wetlands, but the way Curtis Badger works is to start off on a trail and then wander where his curiosity leads him. Accompanying him is always interesting: He's a skilled writer with a careful eye and a discerning instinct.

The book opens with a natural history of wetlands but it follows with chapters on the economic history of a small village, Furnace Town, outside Snow Hill, Maryland; bird migration; the Dismal Swamp -- its history and legends; dragonflies and damselflies; and a description of the property he bought in Pungoteague. Every chapter is engaging, but the book reads like a collection of essays related by geography rather than a treatise that develops deeper understanding as it unfolds. After you've read the first chapter, you can read the others in any order you wish. Regardless of which order you read them, you'll want to visit the places he describes and meet the people he met.

The book was well designed by the University of Virginia Press, but with a glaring omission: a map of the area Badger describes. It will be of most interest to Delmarva residents. But if you're not a resident, and you read it, you might find yourself calling real estate agents like I did.

The book, The Nature of Vocabulary Acquisition, is a helpful guide to research on vocabulary. It explores what vocabulary and word meaning is, the best ways to gain greater vocabulary, and the broadest information regarding instruction of vocabulary. The differences in the field regarding the best instruction methodology are expressed in the text. The editors chose reading experts in the field of vocabulary and comprehension development to provide a well-rounded picture of the research of vocabulary acquisition.

As a teacher, I found the book to be quite helpful in guiding me toward sound vocabulary instruction in my classroom. Since teachers in all grades and of all subjects must help students develop vocabulary, I was looking for research that would help me find a successful way to go about teaching vocabulary to high school students. The book is honest in its approach to readers--there is not one best way. However, I was able, based upon the information given, to use what has been done and what seemingly has not worked to create my own plan for teaching vocabulary and comprehension strategies.

Another excellent book by Susan Curtis covering the use of Aromatherapy, the Bach Flower Essences, Herbs, and Homoeopathy. The Introductory chapter includes: a short lesson in herbology with gathering herbs, making infusions, decoctions, tinctures, compresses and poultices; a brief discussion of Classical Homoeopathy; the use of essential oils through massage, inhalations, compresses, baths, with some background in Aromatherapy; and information on how to use the flower essences and Resque Remedy. The major portion of this book is a Repertory of A-Z ailments (from abrasions to wrinkles) and references in each catagory for Aromatherapy, Bach Flowers, Herbal, and Homoeopathic remedies (first aid potencies only). A list of suppliers is included; as well as, contacts in the U.K. and U.S.A. for further information. Her Bibliography references some very qualified aromatherapists, herbalists, homoeopaths and Bach Flower authors. I had Neal's Yard Natural Remedies 24 hours when a relative called asking about chickenpox; I grabbed this book and was able to read to them 4 different methods of alternative care. I have always liked Susan Curtis' books, this is no exception. A great book for the beginner and those advanced in their knowledge of healthcare issues.

I was able to xerox this paper years ago at the Field Museum's library in Chicago. Allyn, at one time co-owner of the Chicago Whitesox, had a particular affection for his hometown museum, and he must have sent his museum's publicatons there as a result. Since the incorporation of the Allyn Museum of Entomology into the University of Florida, and the physical relocation of the collections from Sarasota to Gainesville, the surplus stock of Allyn Museum publications is at the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera. As you know, there is no substitute for this description of a new genus and species. Happy hunting.

This volume contains expository introductions to some of the most exciting research areas in algebraic combinatorics. Although most of the articles began life as a lecture at MSRI, the authors have done much more than publish transcripts of their talks; they have produced carefully written articles that contain much information that they could not present during the severe time constraints of the original combinatorics seminar. Anyone interested in entering one of the fields touched upon in this volume would be hard-pressed to find a better way to get started than to study the relevant article in this book.

Since the articles were written there have of course been advances; I will just mention that a number of Jim Propp's matchings problems have been solved, and that Mark Haiman has proved the n! conjecture.

Contents: Matroid bundles (L. Anderson); Combinatorial representation theory (H. Barcelo, A. Ram); An algorithmic theory of lattice points in polyhedra (A. Barvinok, J. E. Pommersheim); Some algebraic properties of the Schechtman-Varchenko bilinear forms (G. Denham, P. Hanlon); Combinatorial differential topology and geometry (R. Forman); Macdonald polynomials and geometry (M. Haiman); Enumeration of matchings: problems and progress (J. Propp); The generalized Baues problem (V. Reiner); Littlewoord-Richardson semigroups (A. Zelevinsky).

My new book is black with a picture of me
On the front and the back in the middle
The letters of the title shine in gold
With my name in foil as the fruit of my toil

The design is suggestive of riddle
And of the secrets those black covers hold
For adventurers whose curiosity
Would lead them astray from the commonday bland
To enigmas of my heart drawn by my hand

I would give everyone my book if I could
Hoping that somehow I might be understood
Something new for the few for those with a true
Heart open hand open mind to understand
An honest gift of love from me to you

+Steven Curtis Lance

I loved this book! :) I couldn't put it down! It was a great book with four romance love stories. They were all excellent. I really liked the fact that it included stories from the guy's point of view and not just from the girls. Everyone had made New Year's resolutions and they were all trying to follow them. I think that my favorite story was about Karina who always wanted to study and that was what all her New Year's resolutions were about, but her best friend Navajoa convinces her to have a good time. Karina falls for Borg(literally!), a hockey player. It's a really good book and i recommend it to everyone who likes romances and has a New Year's resolution for love!

In this collection of stories by Jean-Claude Dunyach, imagination full of hopeful wonder is the key. The 14 stories in this 279-page book, all science fiction, are driven by imagination powered by hopeful wonder. This is science fiction in its truest form where the possibilities are endless and the vision, or the visions in this case, of the future are not negative and involving the downfall of civilization. Instead, anything that can be dreamed is the limit and even those boundaries known to man are blown away by the concept of wonder and imagination allowed to flow free across time and space.

It simply isn't possible to cover every story in depth. I have chosen three, that for this reader, really made an impression on my mind. This is one of those books that means massively different things to different readers so your favorites would vary. And I suspect, years from now when I read this book again, my selections would change as well. That is the mark of truly great literature.

"Time, as it evaporates..." (Page 91) opens with a city where time as if it were a lake, floats above. The level is slowly receding and compressing downward on the citizens of the town. The city has survived the rip in time until now, but the pool is diminishing and their days are numbered with no escape. Or is there?

"Watch Me When I Sleep" (Page 152) on its simplest level, is about a young boy who, while he slept, accidentally swallowed a fairy. This story was included in the "2002 Year's Best Fantasy and Horror" for good reasons.

"Footprints In The Snow" (Page 185) details a group that makes an annual pilgrimage high above the tundra line in the mountains. As their numbers slowly shrink every year, they keep faith with their purpose.

While those are just three examples of the work in this book, there is a stunning variation in subject matter, perspective, and vision of the future. Each story, written in the Jules Verne style by a modern author, shows incredible use of imagination and hope. These are not the downer cataclysmic end of the world type stories so often found today masquerading as science fiction. This is how science fiction used to be.

This book, courtesy of Black Coat Press, is another wonderful example of a publisher crossing continents to bring little known authors, at least in America, to a new audience. Owned and operated by Jean-Marc and Randy Lofficier, Black Coat Press books seem to always be quality novels worth reading over and over again. Whether the book is from the Doctor Omega series (sure to interest fans of Dr. Who), the Holmes vs. Lupine series, or this book, the stories are complex with interesting and varied characters. Additionally, the cover art and illustrations as well as the books themselves in terms of the printing process are always top notch.

This book in particular is a definite must read for science fiction fans hungry for a read where wonder and the imagination are still acceptable. Not everything has to be a doom and gloom future and it is nice once again to read a work that sees the positives.

Book Facts:


The Night Orchid: Conan Doyle In Toulouse
By Jean-Claude Dunyach
Adapted In English By Sheryl Curtis, Jean-Louis Trudel, Dominique Bennett, and Ann Cale
Black Coat Press
www.blackcoatpress.com
2004
ISBN # 0-9740711-7-X
Large Trade Paperback
$20.95 US


Kevin R. Tipple© 2004

No Man Canyon was like a "Who Done It"... as good as any mystery I've ever read. You get so involved and attached to every character as Mr. Bales brings them to life for you. From beginning to end this was a book that you can't put down. Definately a "Five Star" book!

My daughter read it aloud to me twice. I could see that she was moved. This is an excellent book for youngsters who are trying to make sense of different opinions, who are exposed to several world-views. It's a story about inter-generational understanding. A special book for sensitive, searching young souls.