Park Books

This is such a helpful book, I'm almost sorry it was written! This is *the* definitive guide to renting public cabins in southcentral Alaska. As an Alaskan who appreciates the availability of inexpensive cabins -- especially when B&Bs and hotels are $... nightly -- I must say I hope too many travelers don't catch on. Excellent and informative.

Andromeda Romano-Lax's How To Rent A Public Cabin In Southcentral Alaska is recommended for the rugged wilderness traveler: it tells hikers, kayakers, anglers and more how to locate and rent such cabins for very little money. While often bare-bones and lacking amenities, these cabins provide shelter and portals to the wilderness.

Few people who live outside of Alaska know about Alaska's wonderful public use cabins available for rent. This book explains how to enjoy some of the best Alaska has to offer (very inexpensively, by the way). A great resource for vacationing in Alaska.

As a college student, I have to say that to find a good deal on textbooks is not easy. The book I purchased was a used textbook that was a lot cheaper here than if I were to have purchased it used at the campus bookstore. It was shipped very quickly. I am very happy. Thanks for saving me some money!

Similar to the review below, I find this book invaluable every time I teach COMS 101 or its equivalent. Not only does the book offer a wealth of information pertaining specifically to the study and field of Communication, but it offers a great deal of visceral information to supplement its core material interesting anecdotes and digressions. The supplemental material proves to be useful in *waking students up* to the lectures at hand.

I have read earlier books by Pearson--they were good, but this book is spectacular. As a classroom teacher, I appreciate the supplements that come with the book. My students responded very well to the first six chapters and to the public speaking chapters.

Well written and full of information, Hyde Park, Illinois, is a perfect book for anyone interested in History, Chicago, Urban development, or our American society. Difficult to put down and highly readable, I've been recommending it to all of my history-loving friends.

Hyde Park is an incredibly interesting neighborhood due to its history as a covenant community to deny African Americans residence, as the intellectual haven of the University of Chicago, and as an example of urban planning and subsidized housing. The author makes an academic analysis of the dynamics of history and urban planning readable for a layman, making this book a must-buy for neighborhood activists, city planners and those interested in the history of Chicago.

Hyde Park is one of the unique neighborhoods of our nation--it's where nuclear fission first happened, and where Mel Torme went to high school. Max Grinnell brings the history of this neighborhood to life with hundreds of well-chosen pictures, captioned with verve, and a few short essays on the development of the neighborhood. It would make a great Christmas gift for Hyde Park oldtimers, newcomers, and anyone interested in urban development in America.

If you're the kind of person who has ever picked this book up, you covet it. You know you do.

I've had this book for a year or two and can still wile away hours just flipping through. The illustrations are beautiful and if you don't find it here (and you're in Yosemite), you've probably misidentified it. Includes most invasive species even.

That said, if you're not an amateur botanist, you'll be sorely challenged to find much of anything in here. It is arranged taxonomically, so you can't look up flowers by things like color. If you can't use the dichotomous key, you'll end up doing a LOT of searching and often not a lot of finding. Often, if you can't get beyond whether or not the plant has superior or inferior ovaries, you literally hardly narrow the choices down at all.

Oh by the way, this book is probably at least 5 pounds and won't even fit in the average day pack. This is by no means a field guide!

We purchased this book in Yosemite and talked with Stephen Botti at length. He is a conscientious student, and now master, of Yosemite plants. Before our hike, we studied his book and were rewarded on the trail with plants he described. The book is full of color pictures; a nice reminder of what we saw in Yosemite this summer on those cold days back home in winter.

this long awaited nature book, although expensive, is worth every single penny. AS a long time lover of yosemite I thought I had fairly well explored its flora wonders---wrong. For the last two months I have consulted its index, made lists and notations, and dreamed about next spring.

The first time I read this book was when I also read for the first time Carrere's The Mustache - a fortunate accident as they both pose a question of identity. Tabucchi sets his tale in India in the form of an unnamed man trying to find a man, perhaps his brother, who has been missing for about a year. His search takes him to a brothel in Bombay, to a Bombay hospital, to the Theosophical Society in Madras, to the library of a religious order in Goa ... Along the way he encounters a dying Jain, a deformed saddhu/fortune teller, a former Philadelphia mailman, a photographer of human misery ... An interesting story, well written, with an unexpected ending. A movella well worth your time.

This Medicis Prize('89) winning book is an exploration of the frontiers of identity within very ancient India. It may all be a dream as the "Author's Note" which precedes this 100 page text describes the narrative as an "insomnia" and a "search for a shadow". You can make of that what you like but those evocative sentences only partially set the tone for Tabucchi's book is a playful series of encounters that his unnamed narrator-protaganist has with fellow travelers and interesting Indian characters along the way to finding a missing friend. The several encounters read like enquiries, but pleasant ones, and ones with philosophical as well as humorous overtones(in one encounter identity is compared to a suitcase). Some of the sequences are so strange you think it all must be a dream as when a female thief breaks into the narrators hotel room only to be invited to stay the night. Other meetings are full of a very engaging and speculation rich kind of conversation as in the meeting with the Hugo and Pessoa quoting eastern intellectual. If it is all a dream it is a very literate one. The last meeting takes place in the old Portugese port of Goa and there the narrator meets a lovely charming stranger to share a dinner with as he waits for a chance to spy a glimpse of his old searched for friend. But as they eat the narrator relates his "story' in a way that makes one suspect there was no one and nothing to search for after all(modern fiction indeed it is). But you are left after putting this book down with a feeling of having had several intriguing conversations and having met a lovely woman. Not at all a bad feeling. An insomnia well spent.

The traveller is someoene who is looking for a friend who got lost in India, but we realize very soon that he's actually looking for himself. A trip full of incredible encounters with people who are the soul of India, and places described in such a way that we could almost smell, hear and see what the author felt while he was there.

This book is a stellar overview of the latest in psychedelic theory. Rick Strassman gives an excellent summary of the current research and ideas behind DMT. One thing I was disappointed that he did not address: Strassman notes that both psilocin and DMT are nearly identical molecules. What significance does this have? I would have liked to see his musings on that topic.

Having this book is like getting your hands on the hottest underground philosophy book. It dares to link science and religion directly - not some wishy washy pseudo-theory, but hard evidence linking science and religion via psychedelics. It really is amazing how unknown this is to the average person - even those with a deep interest in these subjects. Yet here it is, brazenly laid out, for anyone with an inquisitive mind to pick up and learn.

I highly recommend this book if you want a cutting edge, no holds barred discussion on what psychedelics might mean to humanity. There is no waving dismissal of psychedelic users as "druggies" or scoffing at the notion there might be more to these substances than just "getting high". The authors are quite up front as to what is scientifically proven, and what is personal speculation. Nevertheless, imagination is set loose to roam free in this book, and the insights and hypotheses inside are scrumptious food for thought. The art is also quite nice and colorful.

5/5, Highly recommended!

Medical clinicians to literary scholars should read this book. Recently, many artists and philosophers have asserted that western culture has become mystically squalid. Today's society like the hero in the film "El Topo" bears the spirit of what was described by T.S. Elliot as an "inner wasteland". Dr. Strassman is enthusiastic about elevating and ecstatically enhancing the forsakened interior dominion of the human organism.
Many books, produced by metaphysical publishers are so inane that medically educated individuals find them to be offensive and appalling. Moreover, Dr. Strassman's work is very entertaining for a highly trained PhD consciousness as it integrates physics, biology, medicine, neuroscience and anthropology in a way, which is captivating the most erudite reader. This work is so interesting that it is difficult to stop experiencing it. It leaves the perceiver wanting more as the subjects of this text are of quintessential importance to the human psyche. This book should be the paradigm for texts concerned with mystical themes; as it is not delimiting, and all of its authors do not pejoratively misrepresent transcendent human themes.
These authors derogate the constriction and stultification associated with faith based religions. Dr. Strassman like William Blake purports that the body is an authentic temple of ecstasy and electrifying mystical genesis. It would seem that Jung would have appreciated this work; and its authors are once again commencing the challenging task of comprehending and activating the human collective unconscious. Today's neuroscience and faith-based theosophies prohibit the blossoming of human perception or what Dr. Strassman denotes as the mental eye or the pineal gland, which may endogenously secrete the sacred DMT molecule. There are many references throughout this text to the spontaneous activation of endogenous DMT as it may be involved in inducing altered states of consciousness. All these medical practitioners are purporting that the human animal is able to adroitly perceive sensations, which are not usually experienced by the five senses.
Dr. Strassman and Dr. Luna purport that sagacious utilization of the body's interior faculties can inordinately educate the human psyche to experience a kind of ubiquitous perception. The inner powers associated with the arcane Shaman are ruefully atrophied in today's delimited consciousness. Dr. Strassman and the other medically trained authors vehemently assert that any kind of authentic meta-biological genesis of the cryptic dimensions of the body can be readily evoked by the judicious participation with plant teachers like ayahuasca, magic mushrooms or peyote. The body's etheric education enables the constricted human essence to experience what the authors refer to as altered states of consciousness. Furthermore, it was asserted that our conventional social institutions only dessicate the edifying powers of the "body electric".
All of the authors of this text have undergone years of formal academic training; however, they are encouraging a kind of knowledge quite distinctive from the conceptual epistemology lauded by today's major universities. These authors seem to be suggesting that Maya or the CNS's rationicination is what engenders the stultification, which enfetters the human psyche. Plant teachers edify the human essence not the brain's inimical rational intellect, which constricts the body's euphoric energy dynamics.

Just finished the book & I must say I am very impressed. Great read! Thank you to all the authors for this book!
Highly recommended!

In this thoughtfully crafted Christian genre tale of finding self and finding out a lot more, author Parks hits the mark. This description-laden book paints many portraits with words and leaves the reader with a real sense of what the author seems to be trying to convey; not everyone has it easy, but there is hope.
A troubled young woman caught in a dangerously complex triangle between her and her parents runs the gamut of emotions in The Island of Refuge and discovers more than she bargained for, for sure.
To spill the beans and report on every plotline would spoil the read, so suffice it to say that if you are in the mood for a wonderfully wordy, thought provoking mysteriously kind of romantic story you'd be foolish to pass up this book.Good job, Parks!

After reading "The Island of Refuge," I understand why so many reviewers have awarded it five stars. This is a story like "To Kill A Mocking Bird," a classic conflict of good versus evil in the guise of human weakness and deceit. The plot unravels a murder mystery, and the truth wreaks devastating results. There is everything here: abuse, moral corruption, twisted sanity, but most of all there are memorable characters who capture our hearts in their struggle to achieve human dignity and respect, and ultimately to find love. This is a story that reflects any age any time and would make an unforgettable movie worthy of an Oscar for the right cast.

As a child Tara Madison has been given her own island in Tampa Bay. Over the years the island is her refuge, a place to escape the tirades of her abusive father, and the sorrow of watching her invalid mother waist away. One night when Tara is a young woman, she heads out for her island in hopes of finding solitude. Instead she faces the unimaginable. It is the eve of WWII and intrique is everywhere, and has now invaded her private world. She discovers Tommy Bentley, an escaped convict hiding in her island hut. Instead of reporting Tommy to the authorities, Tara insists on helping him prove his innocence. While reading Island of Refuge, I was reminded of those 1940's Hemmingway novels made into movies such as Key Lago and To Have and Have Not that, to this day, glue you to your seat. Island of Refuge is a tightly woven suspense mystery. It keeps you questioning with every turn of the page. You suspect that the book is about uncovering Tommy's innocence, but it is much more than that. Tara discovers the truth that sets her free. I enjoyed this novel very much and highly recommend it.

I lived for a time, in the Village, during the 60`s, at times in a haze. Therefore I never got to know the Square and her glorious history,so this book gave me an insight to a wonderful place and the many historical events that took place there. It is well written, and the reader knows, the writer has a very close connection to the Village and the Square and Her people. G.F.St.J. Connecticut.

Folpe spent years going through archives and talking to locals to unearth a detailed history of Washington Square. Her research paid off. This is technically an academic book, but the prose is so engaging and lively that anyone who has even a remote interest in Washington Square will enjoy this.

This is a lively history of Washington Square Park from its beginnings to its present embodiment. It is also a pocket history of some of the notabale events in NYC itself. The book is written in a highly readable style and filled with pictures tracing the history of the park. A veritable who's who of NYC politicians and artists parade through the pages illustrating the central role played by the park during NYC's development.
Dr. Folpe thorough research illuminates the text without bogging down in acedemic trivia. This is a fascinating history for anyone who loves New York City or is curious as to how it became the art center of the country.
I would recommend this book as a most enjoyable and informative read.

This series of stories is the definition of possession. I remember watching the Exorcist as a child, being nightly afraid that my younger sister would suddenly become animated by an evil spirit, and these stories are the literary description of such an event. The narrative shifts and invades each character, almost violates, and all I ended up with was the name of that old band, the Meat Puppets. Some of the most inventive and thrilling contemporary prose I've read. I can't imagine anything more frightening. This must have been what it was like reading Poe when new. "She became the totem."?!!! Can't recommend more highly.

Fleur Jaeggy is a major surprise. Not so many writers have the ability to make you shiver as you read--Last Vanities was certainly written with a firm grip, placing the words carefully on the paper, as not to miss a chance to make the reader tremble. Forget about Mr. Amis-who-lives-in-London cynicism--Jaeggy's shortness is explicit and lucid, even arid, beyond any imaginable language juggles. Simply merciless.

These short stories reflect a very dark view of humanity but do so in a quiet, understated manner with such realistic characters that the reader is often taken by surprise. "No Destiny" explores the decisions of a reluctant mother, a mother who hates her child. The title story "Last Vanities" explores the aged through a couple nearing their golden annivesary. "A Wife" explores disapointment in a traditional farm family and the responsibility of an author in closing the story. "The Free House" is explores social services, "The Promise" explores a long-term non-traditional relationship ... in each context Jaeggy writes succinctly, controlling the readers response through carefully chosen words. This author is worthy of your reading time.

It's really good. I loved it from the start. I think that everyone shoud buy this book.

It's really good. I loved it from the start. I think that everyone shoud buy this book.

It's really good. I loved it from the start. I think that everyone shoud buy this book.