Washington Books

Claudia Wild's book is an indispensable guide to all of the best birding sites within a 200 mile radius of Washington, DC. It is a "must buy" for birders of all skill levels if you visit or live in DC, Maryland, or Virginia. She also covers Delaware, Cape May, NJ, and parts of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Her directions are easy to follow and her writing style will make you want to read about favorite birding areas again and again. Most important, this book will make it easy to find target birding species (in the appropriate season). This book is a solid 5 stars !!!

Claudia Wilds has done a wonderful job of presenting lots places, including little nooks and crannies to find birds in the greater D.C. area. Directions to locations are detailed and generally accurate, with lots of helpful information.

Well written, and easy to understand. A wonderful guide for exploring the world of birds.

This beautiful book tells the story of an amazing jewelry maker. Gorgeous photos show off her work, which incorporates found objects, fabrication, beads, and natural materials in imaginative, exciting ways. Truly inspiring work that transforms the ordinary into unnique art.

To Ramona, a domino is not merely a game piece. A domino can join other found objects in a necklace. This catalogue of 32 of Ramona's necklaces, appearing in a Bank of American gallery presentation from 18 November to 14 December 2001, are just plain fun. Of the 32 pieces, my favorite is an eye-catching necklace including cast silver, black and yellow African millefiore, and bauxite beads -- a stunner!

This is a great book, written not from a journalistic point of view nor from an official point of view, but from that of somebody who was a fire boss for over a decade on the Grand Canyon's North Rim fire crew. Written as fiction, although it is based on actual events with only the names changed. Edward Abbey, who worked in a fire tower on the North Rim for a couple of seasons, makes a thinly-disguised cameo appearance here as "Abner". Effectively captures the work, the culture, and the humor of forest firefighters in a way that no other book I've read has. If you're at all interested in the subject I'd recommend picking this up.

This book describes a seasonal firefighters job in 1977. This was before the advent of much of the specialized equipment used today. He also capture the essencial conflict between the resource/ranger staffs and real live firefighters. Reading this book I can feel the B2 unit digging into my back from my green canvas backpack.

John Kenneth Galbraith didn't respect the literary conventions of economics. He didn't express himself in math, he made sweeping generalizations about society (not always backed by strong evidence), and he freely drew on the insights of history, sociology, and politics, paying little heed to interdisciplinary boundaries. For that reason, many economists looked down their noses at him. And for that reason, his books are still in print and enjoyed by readers decades after they first appeared. Galbraith was more than an economist. He was a great social critic, a great debunker of cant, and a superb prose stylist. He was the Veblen of post-World War II America.

He was at the top of his powers when he wrote "The New Industrial State" in the 1960s. The book came as close as anything did to summarizing the Galbraithian "system." Parts of it are outdated, such as the assertion that financial markets have little influence on big corporations, or the strained argument that the American and Soviet economic systems were "converging." Other parts, however, are as relevant today as they were 40 years ago, such as the critique of advertising and consumerism, or the analysis of how our gigantic defense industry shapes policy and influences the Pentagon. In a time when the Federal Reserve is bailing out banks and scrambling to protect the economy from the miscalculations of the financial sector, it's good to be reminded that the private sector looks to government to keep the economy on a even keel, no matter what the official ideology of the private sector may be.

Most of all, "The New Industrial State" displayed Galbraith's genius for stepping back and asking big questions. These continue to haunt economics, even though textbook writers bury them in footnotes. Why DO we treat GDP is an adequate measure of social welfare? Why DO we choose to consume higher productivity in the form of goods rather than leisure? Why DOES our pedagogy emphasize "perfect competition" when the economy is dominated by big firms? Why DO we assume that workers and managers are motivated solely by pecuniary considerations? And on and on.

"The New Industrial State" is a trove of intellectual riches, expressed in masterful and witty prose. Every undergraduate economics student should read it. So should every educated citizen. It's a 20th century classic.

FROM THE PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION:

Is it possible to offer a single comprehensive view of modern economic life and of the changes that are shaping its future? Mr. Galbraith in this volume proves that it is. He begins with the world of advanced technology highly specialized manpower, and the five or six hundred giant corporations which bring these into use. He shows how these firms supply themselves with capital, how the men who comprise them are motivated, how organized intelligence has replaced ownership as the source of power in the modern enterprise. He shows how the market has declined as a guiding influence in economic life, to be replaced in substantial measure by planned decision as to what will be produced, at what prices and for whom.

Government in the industrial state, Mr. Galbraith makes clear can be understood only in light of the needs and goals of modern large-scale organization. And this profoundly shapes the prospect for trade unions, political parties, education and the larger culture itself. Only as we see the goals of the industrial system in a clear light will we avoid the danger of subordinating too much of life to their service. Only then will we exploit the opportunities inherent in well-being.

...

The publisher's description goes on to herald The New Industrial State as Galbraith's "most important book." The implicit comparison is with his earlier and immensely popular work, The Affluent Society. But the two books are quite closely related, as Galbraith mentions in the foreword: "I must again remind the reader that this book had its origins alongside The Affluent Society. It stands in relation to that book as a house to a window. This is the structure; the earlier book allowed the first glimpse inside."

And indeed, that is largely the truth. This book provides a framework for understanding Corporate America; its real and public purposes, its organization, history, strengths, and weaknesses. Surprisingly little of the book seems aged (of course the book exludes all mention of the last forty years, and the Soviet references seem a bit antiquated), and much of it, with minimal substitution (e.g. "War on Terror" for "Cold War" as the bogeyman for justifying the massive military outlays which feed the industrial system) is eerily applicable to the early 21st century.

All of that said, this book is not for everyone. It is quite dense (especially the first third), and most of us will need a dictionary close at hand. This is a book which requires hard thinking and more than one reading. But if your purpose is to understand the type of economy we really live in, your efforts will be richly rewarded.

If you liked "Mushrooms of Northern California", then you'll love "Flora of Mount Rainier". Once again Mr. Biek provides with an interesting and well informed account of the beauty of the world we live in. A must for naturalists and anyone who appreciates the great outdoors.

A thorough exploration of the flora of Mount Rainier. Perfect for naturalists, hikers and anyone who points to a flower and wants an answer to the perennial " What is that?" Ideal for anyone who who loves the outdoors and is insatiably curious about the environment around them. Obviously well-researched. Great illustrations and photos.

This book was very well put together with wonderful pictures and clear explanations. It is interesting and informative.

Dating - in Geology at least- relies on an often stated presupposition: That whatever happended in the past happended slowly and at a constant rate. Well, things for dating are about to change as geologists take on board "catastrophic" events. One such "catastrophic" event is the Mount St Helens explosion which occurerd in the 80's. Geologists have now been able to carefully document the changes that occured with the eruption of Mount St Helens. What they found will fundamentally change the way we look at geological dating. In this book on the events following the eruption of Mount St Helens, the authors carefully show how a catastrophic event can cause sedimentation and erosion previously only assumed as possible over very long time periods. This is a must read for those interested in geological dating.

They'd been friends growing up on the small East Coast island of Harmony--Julia, Lauren and Cathryn, Amber and the others. Now one of them is dead, and Julia Lewis goes home for the first time in seven years.

Julia's grief makes this a bittersweet experience. But coming home is also a chance to revive old memories and reconnect with her circle of old friends. And to fall--hard--for a Boston journalist named Ben Grant who now owns the island's weekly paper.

Still, despite Julia's feelings for Ben, she can't accept his accusations about Amber's death--that it was murder, not suicide, and that Julia's friend, chief of police Charlie Slocum, ran a sloppy investigation.

With a charming smile and awkward questions, Ben's causing all kinds of complications in Harmony's little world. And in Julia's...

I've never been one to like romance, but this book caught my eye and I decided to read it. It was incrediable. The romance -- although clearly there was immensed in the plot so the characters weren't acting "gushy" all the time. It reminded me more of a murder mystery which just happened to have romance in it -- something i enjoy! I don't like romances that are all sexual all the time-- but Julia had the best of both. It was a book that kept you guessing until the end where Julia realizes something important about herself and life.

Why are some people courageous and others not? Just what is courage? Robinson addresses these questions in Part One with writing that is neither dry nor academic. This is not a textbook, it is an interesting read that explains a lot about the nature of courage and the way courage has shaped the history of America. In Part Two, Robinson presents seven compact biographies of Americans who have shaped American history: George Washington, David Crockett, Robert Gould Shaw, Crazy Horse, Matthew Henson, Rachel Carson, and Karen Silkwood.

While I appreciated the narrative style of "Founding Courage" and enjoyed it as an informative historical book, students will especially find it useful.

I have never been one for history books, but I have to tell you that if my history classes had books like this, I would have gotten straight A's. This book is truly fascinating not only because it highlights examples of courage in history, but it also leaves you considering your own character. The stories are inspiring and the book is very well-written. It does not read like a history textbook, yet I learned so much. It is amazing to think about the courage that people have inside of them, facing their fears fully knowing the potential consequences. This is a must read!

Very classic, humourous veiw of shakespeare

This book contains the four "best" comedies of Shakespeare, along with an excellent foreword by Joseph Papp. For each play, it contains a very well written introduction (one that is not only on the play, but links each of them together), Shakespeare's original source material (example: "A Merry Jest of a Shrewd and Curst Wife Lapped in Morel's Skin" for "the Taming of the Shrew"), and well commented textual notes. I found this collection particularly useful for an "upper-level" look at these four plays.

Fresh From The Valley: A Harvest Of Recipes From The Junior League Of Yakima is a splendidly organized and presented book of recipes that will grace family dining all year long. With recipes divided into Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter sections, Fresh From The Valley is enhanced with special sections on Washington Apples; Herbs and Spices; Wines and Cheeses; Sponsors; Contributors; and an Index. From Fresh Tomato and Sweet Onion Salsa; Spinach and Artichoke Dip in Bread Bowl; and Mexican Appetizer Cheese Cake; to Marinated Mushrooms; Eastern Washington Rack of Lamb; Hawaiian Chicken and Pears; and Hot Apple Tea; are a brief introductory sampling of what Fresh From The Valley has to offer the family chef!

Celebrate Highlands: Recipes And Remembrance combines recipe contribution from members of the Laurel Garden Club of Highlands, North Carolina with anecdotal memories and stories that make Celebrate Highlands a quite unique and very enthusiastically recommended cookbook. From Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms; Southwestern Bean Salad; and Exotic Chicken with Thai Sauce; to Lemon Ice Cream; Cheddar Chili Cheesecake; and Blue Cheese Torte with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Pesto; Celebrate Highlands offers a wonderfully diversified compilation of "kitchen friendly" recipes that even the most novice of family cooks can accomplish with confidence.