Hunter Books

This is a beautifully illustrated book that explains clearly the science behind the "demotion" of Pluto. It also inspires young minds to explore by highlighting the biography of the young Astronomer who made the discoveries that led to the reclassification. The inclusion of additional material, "Fun Facts," on some of the science discussed makes the book relavent to a wide-range of young listeners/readers. It is a great gift and, I confess, I can now convincingly include this topic in my own cocktail coversations.

I really enjoyed how The Planet Hunter gets at the human story behind the headlines. For many people, Pluto's demotion was a very confusing event that still can't be easily explained. By focusing on Mike Brown, the man who's research changed Pluto's status, this book does a good job of navigating readers through the uproar the events caused and captures the spirit of scientific discovery. The sidebars give additional helpful information to let readers delve into the science a little deeper. All in all, a great book for helping kids (and adults!) to understand what happened to Pluto.

The Planet Hunter is a great children's book for all of those children who bemoaned the loss of Pluto as a planet. The illustrations are charming. The story has good factual information presented in a manner that children can readily understand. I'm going to give it to my grandchildren who are interested in space.

In the wake of reading ORCHID FEVER, I looked for other books that dealt with the plant hunters -- particularly of the 19th century. What I found was this wonderful book that is even broader in scope, providing a fast paced review of highlights in mankind's never ending task of collecting, naming and growing plants. The author does not try to present only sensationalized material, and doesn't try to be "complete," but instead gives a wonderful and highly readable overview of the field. Highly recommended.

This exciting and in depth book contains excellent information on the many exploits of plant hunters around the world. It recites tales of both failures and successes. The author has a talent for weaving these incredible tales into stories you won't soon forget.

This book is in a way the "Laertus" of botanical explorers, full of information and gossip, descriptions of the historical periods in which the explorations took place, and the technologies and economics driving the field forward. All of this in a great, slightly sarcastic tone that makes it a real page turner.

One note: for the most part, the book only discusses the actual plants in passing...a bit of botanical background might be useful. On the other hand, I'm sure it would be just as good a read without the background knowledge, as the book is more about people than plants.

I love this book. It is a compilation of articles written by the best of the best in the business. The information is inspirational, insightful and pertinent. Though the last printing was in 1989 it never looses its relevance!

It is a real shame that this book was allowed to go out of print. A paperback version should be produced. It contains a myriad of approaches in training the hunter and the jumper, from some of the best trainers in the country, including Olympic level. Very little of this book is out of date, and there is nothing in print or out of print with as much information, clearly written and with photos, to compare. If you can get a copy, do it!

I have borrowed a copy of this book from the library, and after I simply looked at it, I knew I had to have a copy. It covers every aspect of hunters and jumpers and is more than an excellent reference. It is basically a must. Covering everything from lunging to drills, I highly recommend this book.

A rare story of a women truly in love her husband and partner in life. A man who had other girlfriends up until his 87th year and discussed them with his wife. Secure in her position with him, she was happy for him to have them - only golddiggers, nymphomaniacs and bores excepted. It is an inspiring love story for its apparent lack of anger or jealously on her part. No one made her laugh the way, he, Vyner did.

Briefly, Sylvia Brooke loved her husband, Vyner. Vyner had many girlfriends and discussed them with her. The only one's she did not want near him were golddiggers, nymphomaniancs or bores. The rest she was happy enough with. None ever displaced her as a key woman and friend in his life. He romanced up to the age of 87, apparently. Judging by her account of their life together, there is an almost incredible lack of anger or jealously on her part. And an acceptance of the man he was. A majority of women would have opted to depart from him and pine away for every. She did not take that road. They loved and laughed together.
For those who advocate more than one partner in life, such as those in the polyamory movement, there will be few life stories better than this to inspire them.This life story rings true and one would love to know more.
The Hon. Sylvia Lady Brooke came from the upper classes, economically or socially speaking. In human terms, also, she was a class apart and inspiring. There is, surely, a lesson here on how to deal with our need for human, emotional and sexual variety. This book is out of print. It should be reprinted.

this book is witty, witty, witty, beautiful language and insightful. I couldn't put it down.

The story with the superb sub-inter office story kept me wanting to read more and more. When I was done the only thing on my mind was when is the next Kylie Kendall mystery due out.......I hope soon.

Claire McNab once again treats the reader to a microcosm of Los Angeles through the eyes of intrepid P.I. trainee Kylie Kendall, who's still feeling her way 'round SoCal, bumping into unexpected situations, characters and traffic jams with a style all her own.

Placing much of the action at UCLA, "The Quokka Question" illuminates the chalkboard jungle politics of higher academia, with professors and their staff doing their intellectual best to outwit and outmaneuver each other. Whether its chalk outlining a lesson on the board, or chalk outlining a victim's body on the ground, it all makes for great intrigue and a rapid-fire read.

The office crew of Kendall & Creeling is back with just as much individual quirky humor as ever. (Sitcom writers take note: This is an office with marvelously-drawn individuals who would be a delight to visit every week!) There's more of freeze-dried Fran (per McNab, "the pocketsize warrior queen,") the receptionist hotline starring the ever-toothy Melodie, as well as all the others, too numerous to name. And of course, the snooty cat so convinced of her own star power that she pulls off the moniker of "Julia Roberts" with a poise that just might make the original Ms. Roberts a bit envious. Continuing to befuddle and bewitch Kylie is the enigmatic, beautiful Ariana who can concurrently tie Kylie's tongue and tug at her heartstrings without so much as lifting one gorgeous finger.

Between skewering university life, call-in sex radio shows and equity waiver theatrical wannabes, this latest in the Kylie Kendall series is sheer delight from cover to cover. As the waiter/actor in any upscale L.A. eatery would say upon delivering an artfully-arranged platter of lunch, "Enjoy!

Claire McNab has written another brilliant, and brilliantly funny, Kylie Kendall mystery. They're getting better and better! The plot is good, the characters well delineated, the situations delightful, and, in short, this is her best yet!

Particularly good is all the office byplay. There is a wealth of character and detail here, and it is delicious.

McNab has come into her own. Always a fine writer, her books are improving steadily.

Of course, a major question is "What is the Quokka Question?"

Read the book and you MAY find out!

Any interested in the architectural heritage and culture of American neighborhoods must look at RANCHES, ROWHOUSES & RAILROAD FLATS: AMERICAN HOMES: HOW THEY SHAPE OUR LANDSCAPES AND NEIGHBORHOODS. It lacks glitzy color photos but provides a wonderful blend of black and white line drawings and insights into how American housing forms evolved and influenced their neighborhood's development. Three forms of housing -freestanding homes, attached houses, and apartments - are the focus here, with registered architect Hunter's background in housing design and construction lending to a history of the practical impact of each form on land use, local economics, and local culture.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Much as John MacPhee has offered a new way of appreciating canoes, Alaska, and U.S. geology, Christine Hunter offers a new way of appreciating U.S. dwellings. He deals with our natural environment; she deals with our man-made environment. Combining description with evaluation, she provides a compact review of the evolution of housing since colonial times, seen through the eyes of a trained architect employing a social scientist¹s critical detachment. Her study will be useful for a wide variety of general readers as well as those in the fields of history, city planning, design, and government. The book is easy to read, with dozens of clear sketches showing the changing forms and anatomy of houses and rooms under discussion. Technical detail is relieved by occasional gentle humor. After a chapter on fundamental requirements for human dwellings (³what we all need to survive²), she tells how minimum standards for urban and rural housing have evolved as the population grew and spread across the continent, taking advantage of abundant resources and new technology, while confronting political and economic complications. A central chapter spells out the necessary components of a modern dwelling (plumbing, lighting, heating, connections with the world outside, etc.), giving these familiar aspects of our surroundings a fresh and revealing specificity. Three chapters discuss freestanding houses, attached houses, and apartments. An incisive final chapter on neighborhoods comments on the problems and prospects surrounding our homes today.

Much as John MacPhee has offered a new way of appreciating canoes, Alaska, and U.S. geology, Christine Hunter offers a new way of appreciating U.S. dwellings. He deals with our natural environment; she deals with our man-made environment. Combining description with evaluation, she provides a compact review of the evolution of housing since colonial times, seen through the eyes of a trained architect employing a social scientist¹s critical detachment. Her study will be useful for a wide variety of general readers as well as those in the fields of history, city planning, design, and government. The book is easy to read, with dozens of clear sketches showing the changing forms and anatomy of houses and rooms under discussion. Technical detail is relieved by occasional gentle humor. After a chapter on fundamental requirements for human dwellings (³what we all need to survive²), she tells how minimum standards for urban and rural housing have evolved as the population grew and spread across the continent, taking advantage of abundant resources and new technology, while confronting political and economic complications. A central chapter spells out the necessary components of a modern dwelling (plumbing, lighting, heating, connections with the world outside, etc.), giving these familiar aspects of our surroundings a fresh and revealing specificity. Three chapters discuss freestanding houses, attached houses, and apartments. An incisive final chapter on neighborhoods comments on the problems and prospects surrounding our homes today.

In the detecting team of Chicago cop Jeremy Ransom and Emily Charter's, Jeremy's elderly and beloved friend, there exists an unlikely yet beguiling pairing of the young and the not so young, the streetwise and the sweetly intuitive. Charters's razor-sharp mind flourished despite her limited fram of reference; Ransom is unusually erudite and proper for a city cop. Ransom does the bulk of the legwork; in this absorbing case, he's intent on unraveling the interlocking destinies of Laura Shay and Ben Harvey, the man whom Laura accused of rape nine years ago. Ben was convicted and imprisoned, but the results of a new DNA test have now set him free. Shortly after his release, Laura if found murdered and Ben, naturally, falls under suspicion. Ben has been traumatized by nearly a decade of incarceration, while Laura was known to be both promiscuous and a second-generation drunk, who mysteriously came into some money soon after Ben's conviction. After Laura's mother dies an untimely death, Ransom is convinced that finding the identity of the true rapist will lead him to the murderer. Charters doesn't have much of a presence in this fifth in the series (which follows Ransom for a Holiday, 1997) beyond noting an odd turn of phrase in Ben's first televised interview after his release. The mutual devotion between Ransom and Charters continues to be both chaste and charming, however, and contrasts dramatically with the tone of the plot, which features doings that are notably darker and tougher than thos ein earlier books in the series.

Ben Harvey just can't catch a break. Eight years ago, he was convicted of raping his Chicago schoolmate Laura Shay, largely on the strength of the scratches she left on his face when he saw her walking dazed and weeping down the street and tried to help her. Now that a DNA test unavailable during his trial has proved his innocence and sprung him from jail, shiftless, alcoholic Laura's been strangled, leaving Ben another legacy of trouble as detective Jeremy Ransom's prime suspect. Yet Ransom's honorary grandmother Emily Charters insists there's more to the case than a simple revenge killing. Why did Laura lie about her attacker's identity? Why did she try in vain to keep the rapist's child? Where did her downtrodden parents get the money to send her away to college, and why did she return home before finishing? And (the biggest question of all) if Ben Harvey didn't assault Laura, who did, and what's he been doing for the past eight years? Though the few suspects--Laura's amorous boss, her disdainful school friends, the rich kid she had a hopeless crush on--are so sketchy and briefly onstage that not even the rapist leaves much of an impression, the resolute focus on these few leading questions gives normally low-key Ransom (Ransom for a Holiday, 1997, etc.) his sharpest, most urgent case yet.

This is a practical book, in that it gives one step- by-step instructions on moving physically through surgery and recovery from breast cancer. In addition, it is clear that the author cares deeply about her patients, indeed all breast cancer patients, and wants to communicate to them ways to get past the shock of this illness, both physical and emotional. I would wish that every doctor would give it to every breast cancer patient before her treatment. Kudos to this compassionate, energetic author.

This is a practical book, in that it gives one step- by-step instructions on moving physically through surgery and recovery from breast cancer. In addition, it is clear that the author cares deeply about her patients, indeed all breast cancer patients, and wants to communicate to them ways to get past the shock of this illness, both physical and emotional. I would wish that every doctor would give it to every breast cancer patient before her treatment. Kudos to this compassionate, energetic author.

This book told me so much more than all of my doctors put together, and in a very concise, practical, and friendly way. I plan to give it to all of my friends with recent breast cancer and to give some copies to my surgeon to give to other patients.

"Lew," as he was known to me, Sgt Leptien, did an outstanding job puting this book together. Everything that was wrote was real, and accually gave me a few 'flashbacks' to somethings I once forgot. My family appriciates the book very much, since it was the best way for them to know what we did. Good Job Lew! Road Hunter 16

I thought this was a great book. It did a good job of making the experience real to the reader. You get a real sense of how things are over there for the soldiers and what they are going through.

Being in Iraq with James and being a part of one of the Roadhunter Teams, James does a very good job of telling how life in Iraq was for us. This book gives a first hand view of the good we encountered and the "pain in the butt" moments. It also shares the moments when we all wish we could be home with our loved ones.

Under the guise of a huge, phone directory size book, this one insinuates that it is a list of famous single songs and maybe some bios collected from library books. WRONG. It's fun! Prof. Dean teaches music, talks about his stars really crossing with 'THE REAL GUYS", his reminising about a youth seeking a place in the entertainment world, plus homey touches including his dog Snarf, his old cars, his family...Just open any page and start having a ball. I did and no-one paid me to say it! Yet!

This is the perfect book for any fan of any kind of Rock n Roll music. Heavy Metal, Classic Rock, or Light Easy Listening. It has every great artist from Elvis to Buddy Holly to Beatles to Metallica to The Doors to Black Sabbath to Chuck Berry to Linkin Park to Led Zeppelin to Jefferson Airplane and everything in between. Along with countless of facts about every artist and song, it shows the songs numbers and dates when they peaked on the charts. Also the book is filled with great photos. its a must have for any Rock fan. i thought i knew rock n roll until i purchased this book, i learned something new on every page .

Except I forgot to get around to reading it ^^;
A true source to every rockin' sound you can think of, or can't. Check this un-cyclopedia out! Written with true rock n' roll soul! ^_- ...I like to say Rockin'!!