Wilson Books


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Wilson Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

Wilson
Leepike Ridge
Published in Paperback by Yearling (2008-07-22)
Author: N.D. Wilson
List price: $6.99
New price: $3.43
Used price: $3.49

Average review score:

Extremely well written, but not for the squeamish
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-09
There are an awful lot of dead bodies per capita in this book, and quite a bit of fairly mindless violence, but that said, it's a page-turner that is extremely well written. Unlike other reviewers I found nothing confusing about the elements of the plot, just found some of them unlikely in the extreme (both the ostensible pre-historic Chinese settlers of the Americas and the ostensible pre-historic Phoenician settlers just happen to have come upon and used the same underground and under-river storage caverns? Wouldn't proof of Phoenician settlers of North America alone have been enough??) This is clearly a read oriented more towards boys, but girls who like adventure stories will enjoy it too.

A Boy, a Cave, a Dog, Dead Bodies and it's a Mystery. . .What's Not to Love!!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-08
I have to agree with another review the cover of this book just hooked me. This came into the library where I work (5/6 grade) and I immediately snagged it. Read it in one night and have not seen the book on our shelves since!!! It has been out constantly since we put it in the collection. Our kids like it (mainly the boys and our teachers love it!!). There's action and creepiness. The scene in the cave was so vivid I could feel the cold damp and the spongy feel of the body as our hero, Tom, groped his way around in the pitch black. Excellent!!

A riveting adventure kids will relish.
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-04
N.D. Wilson's LEEPIKE RIDGE tells of a preteen who has always lived next to Leepike Ridge - but who finds himself lost beneath it when he escapes the man set to marry his mother and finds his escape raft has left him underground. His discoveries under the ridge - of a body, a dog and more - will answer questions and challenge his survival skills in a riveting adventure kids will relish.

One fantastic adventure!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-06
I read a review that made comparisons between this book and Louis Sachar's Holes. This kind of comparison always makes me skeptical. "We'll just see about that," I thought. I read it. I saw. And I get it now. This one is worthy of that comparison -- and then some. And this book will definitely appeal to fans of Holes.

Leepike Ridge is a book for every kid (and every grown kid) who played in refrigerator boxes, caught critters in the woods, and floated down creeks on homemade rafts. It's a fantastic story with a grand adventure, a heroic boy, bad guys that you love to hate, a loyal dog, and a hidden treasure. The fact that it's beautifully written with magical, transporting descriptions is gravy.

If you know and like a boy between the ages of, let's say 9 and 13, Leepike Ridge would make a fantastic gift!

An Ingenious, Creative and Fun Read
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-12
I really enjoyed this book, with it's mix of Homer's Illiad, Mark Twain and something else that was completely Nathan Wilson. If you have a young reluctant reader in your family, give them a copy of this & watch the magic happen. I can't wait to see what else Wilson comes up with!

Wilson
Bear Stays Up for Christmas
Published in Hardcover by Margaret K. McElderry (2008-10-07)
Author: Karma Wilson
List price: $9.99
New price: $9.99

Average review score:

Chrismas in July
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-23
We've been reading all the 'Bear' books lately and this one too as sort of our Christmas in July. In this story Bear's friends try to keep him up so he can celebrate Christmas. But Bear is sleepy, very, very sleepy.

Needs 6 stars!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-02
Wow, just adorable. Great gift idea. Great size book. I pull it out for Christmas and the kids LOVE it. It's such a sweet story of friendship. I love these sweet, wholesome stories. The illustrations are BEAUTIFUL as always with Karma's books. Even after we read it, the kids love to just look through it at the pictures and can read it to themselves that way. Really, I think each little home needs ALL the Bear books.

Enchanting
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-16
We have several Christmas books, and this is the favorite in our house. All of Bear's little woodland friends wake him up to join in all the Christmas Eve festivities. The story and illustrations are very simple, yet enchanting. I would love to climb in the pages and stay up for Christmas with Bear!

Bear Stays Up For Christmas
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-16
I purchased this book for my son after receiving the Bear Snores On as a gift. They are his absolute favorites. The pictures are beautiful and the words are lyrical and rhyming. I also like the way it subtly includes both the religious and secular sides of Christmas beneath the overall message of friendship and giving. He has MANY books, but wants me to read this one every night. It's so nice I din't mind.

Perfect gift for my first grandchild!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-07
This book has wonderful illustrations, and is written in a flowing manner that makes it great fun reading to my first grandson. I plan on getting the entire series for him! I want to make sure he knows there is more to life than sports!

Wilson
The Tao of Pug
Published in Hardcover by (2003-08-31)
Authors: Wilson the Pug, Nancy Levine, and Wilson
List price: $19.95
New price: $5.99
Used price: $4.45

Average review score:

Furry little Buddha
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-15
Whether you're a fan of pugs or not, this book is a crowd pleaser. The lovely black and white photographs are hilariously staged, with Wilson's expressively wrinkly face adding adorable character to every shot. The writing is simplistic enough to be enjoyed by a reader of any age, but still has moments of poignancy ("War is bad for pugs and other living things"). Real taoists can get a laugh out of looking at their religion from a dog's perspective, and everyone else can just admire the clever ideas and charming Wilson!

Totally Charming if you love Pugs
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-13
I'm a Pug fan, so I'll admit bias. The book is on my media room/bar coffee table and our guests have often been delighted with some of the opinions expressed by Wilson.

It's just a fun book.

Pugs!
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2006-01-07
I loved this book, and received it as a gift. I wish I could get my pugs to pose like that for pictures, how does she do it? I have purchased this book for other pug friends of mine, and they have simply adored it. I highly suggest this book as a gift to a pug person.

A Precious Charm to hug to you!
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2005-04-28
The Tao of Pug has great snapshots of pugs, and comically done by "Wilson the Pug", Nancy Levine's pug. 'Black and white isn't so bad', I always think to myself, looking at the pug photos. 'I believe it's just a nice, warm, way of showing pugs off.' The Tao of Pug will always be a family favorite!

Very Cute Book!!
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2005-09-28
This was great book. The pictures are awesome. It's a must for all pug lovers. I might be a little biased, though, I have a pug named wilson.

Wilson
Expiration Date
Published in Paperback by WaterBrook Press (2005-05-17)
Author: Eric Wilson
List price: $13.99
New price: $1.27
Used price: $0.94

Average review score:

An Enjoyable Read
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-08
Action, suspense, history, and spiritual warfare are combined here to make this a very enjoyable read.

Expiration Date features Clay Ryker who is experiencing major difficulties in all areas of his life: his marriage, business, parents, friends, and spirituality. The author does a good job of weaving together a story containing lots of twists and turns along with some spiritual truths.

This novel contains some characters from Eric Wilson's previous novel, 'Dark To Mortal Eyes'. It will keep the readers interested from start to finish.

Old But Not Expired.
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-31

A well-written and fascinating blend of supernatural, historical and gritty reality.

Clay Ryker is struggling with the baggage of lies believed and sin-scorched failures. I ached for him as he continued in his downward spiral of confusion.

But what is at the root of his confusion? And what would he do with this cursed gift he's been given?

Expiration Date blends intriguing history, life-like characters and a tight plot into a compelling read.

A Compelling Read!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-31
I liked Dark to Mortal Eyes; I loved Expiration Date. I am officially hooked on Eric Wilson's writing after reading this novel.

Expiration Date draws on the history of the Romanov family and the Bolshevik Revolution in a thrilling story about fate, free will, and divine intervention. The book tackles the question that everyone asks at some point: is the future written in stone, or is it determined by our choices - or is it perhaps a mixture of both?

When Clay Ryker discovers that he is suddenly able to foresee the day a person will die, he takes it upon himself to use his newfound knowledge to save lives - if that's possible. Unwittingly, he becomes mixed up in a battle for an ancient relic that may be a clue to the fabled treasure of Rasputin. In order to protect this relic and save the life of its finder, a young boy named Kenny, Clay must face the demons of his past that he has tried to hide for years.

Expiration Date is masterfully written, whether you're looking for philosophical insight or just a good read. May cause spinning thoughts, sleep loss, and shortage of breath.

Another great book!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-20
Expiration Date is the second book in the senses series and explores the sense of touch. It has an interesting premise, and is quite enjoyable to read. It extends some of the loose ends left from Dark to Mortal Eyes, but does not completely answer all the questions. The use of Russian history as the back drop to many of the character's motivations is quite intriguing. At times I felt like I was getting a very enjoyable history lesson about the Czars and Rasputin. My only complaint was the lead character Clay Ryker was written too well. He behaved and acted exactly as someone in his position should and does. However, for someone, like me, who has little patience for self-pity, he began to grate on my nerves just a little. Once Clay starts acting and thinking rather than sulking, he is very likable. This is a compliment to the author for writing a believable, human character. The issues that Clay faces are some that many people today deal with--divorce, failure, their past, poor decisions, family tension, etc. He's someone we can all relate too and sympathize with. The supernatural elements in the book are vivid and remind me a bit of This Present Darkness. I look forward to the third sense book and hope it is published soon.

Favorite Author
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-19
Eric Wilson has to be one of the best authors around today. This book is the second in a planned 5 part series. It is about Clay Rykker a man going through a divorce who moves back home and is given the ability to foresee the day someone will die. Clay tries to find out if this is a blessing or a curse while trying to save those whose expiration date he knows. It deals with the struggles that he is going through. This book has great character devolopment and you can so relate to what they are dealing with. It also has a great ending that leaves you wanting more of this series. It does bring back a couple of characters from Dark to Mortal Eyes which I would recommend reading first. Eric Wilson just keeps getting better with every book that he writes.

Wilson
New York Cookbook
Published in Hardcover by Workman Publishing (1992-10)
Author: Molly O'Neill
List price: $27.95
New price: $35.99
Used price: $1.67

Average review score:

Excellent all-around cookbook
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-28
This book was published the year I married....I received SIX copies as shower gifts! It was a sign....I was destined to use this cookbook forever. And, so far,that has been the case.
I have found very few recipes to disappoint and many to thrill. The steamed lobster with ginger and scallions is always amazing-especially with lobster fresh off the boat. Singer's stuffed lobster is excellent, though not for the squeemish as you need to kill the bugs before you cook them. Jerry Giorgio's stuffed mussels are also a crowd pleaser.
A friend recently cooked Chicken Adobo for our book club and everyone took the recipe home. Katherine Hepburn's Brownies are delicious and a perfect end to every picnic. And where else was I to look when assigned to make matzoh ball soup for my daughter's kindergarten class?
If you love to cook, you will love this cookbook.

Café au Lait Cheesecake with a Mocha Crust
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-02
Molly O'Neill's New York Cookbook is a celebration of the New York Food world. She is the food columnist for The New York Times Magazine and spent five years working on this amazing book. The first recipe I tried was "Katie's Café au Lait Cheesecake with a Mocha Crust." The ingredients looked delicious with cinnamon and chocolate wafers for the crust and a rum and coffee flavored filling. I made it for Easter and everyone was very impressed.

Since the author is a food columnist I knew she would be selecting winning recipes and so I felt confident enough to make the recipe for a big occasion without even trying it out at least one time for myself. I was very pleased with the results and can recommend the recipe to you for any occasion.

Whether you are interested in trying lots of new recipes or you just enjoy reading cookbooks, the New York Cookbook has so much to offer. Page after page of delicious information mingle with the even more delicious recipes. Some of the fun recipes include:

New York Penicillin - a chicken soup made by Aunt Marie Stacey. This stock/soup is then used in a variety of recipes and is very easy to make.

Irish Soda Bread - Make two loaves of bread in no time at all.

Simple Fresh Tomato Sauce - The perfect sauce for pasta made with fresh tomatoes, onions, garlic, oregano and a little brown sugar.

Shrimp Fried Rice
Shish Kebabs
Meat Loaf
Rosemary Chicken
Chicken Paprikas
Pan-Fried Sole
Yoko's Japanese Salad Dressing
Marrakesh Carrots

Some of the sweet treats include: "Coney Island Fudge" made with cream and semisweet chocolate, "Zoe Morsette's Oatmeal Macaroons," "Aunt Olga's Cardamom Cake," and "Katharine Hepburn's Brownies." If you love ice cream, you may want to try out the recipe for Hot Fudge Sauce and Butterscotch Sauce.

A few of the highlights in this book include:

Food Walks - Wander through food markets
A Few Essential Ingredients in Italian Cooking
Manhattan Clam Chowder
In Search of New York Steak
A Trip Down Menu Lane
Festivals

The New York Cookbook is an extremely well-researched feast that will satisfy the cerebral appetite as well as please your family and friends when you try out the delicious recipes. These recipes have been created by some of the best cooks in New York and you can use them with confidence, knowing you are making something wonderful for dinner or dessert. This cookbook was a wonderful gift from a friend who loves visiting New York and I already have plans to buy copies for friends and relatives. This is a highly collectible cookbook with recipes you will look forward to making year after year.

~The Rebecca Review

A Nifty New York Cookbook
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-10
As a native New Yorker, I consider this a classic ... wonderful anecdotes and recipes from a vast array of people who live in the city. Molly's affection for the city is evident (her brother, Paul, played for the Yankees), and her knowledge of both food and the city makes this cookbook a gem.

Good but some recipes are hit or miss
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2005-04-19
This book has the best spaghetti sauce recipe --my husband and I loved it--it was a way to bring NY cooking to Hawaii since there are not many good italian restaurants out here like in NY, which I miss. On the downside, not all recipes were good. For ex, I did not like the Madison Square burgers nor did I like the Pad Thai noodles (I tried recipes from Keo or Cooking light for Pad Thai which were better). I will try some more recipes from this book and hopefully will have better luck.

New York Cookbook: From Pelham Bay to Park Avenue, Firehouses to Four-Star Restaurants
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2005-08-02
Cooks Magazine recommended this cookbook as being very authentic. I bought it because of their review. They were absolutely right. The recipes are original/authentic New York complete with history and original photos. It's a great read even if you never make any of the recipes.
I highly recommend this book.

Wilson
For Love of Insects
Published in Hardcover by Belknap Press (2003-11-30)
Author: Thomas Eisner
List price: $35.00
New price: $26.94
Used price: $15.52

Average review score:

Outstanding from start to finish
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-25
This is the first "insect" book I've seen that is told as a story. As such, it can be used as a reference book; but is delightful when read cover-to-cover. It is a combination biography, natural science, and how-scientists-find-out book. The engaging writing, clear descriptions, fascinating photos, and exacting descriptions of scientific research are rarely found in one volume.

For lovers of chemistry and the natural world
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-23
It has been said that life is chemistry, and some says that chemistry is life. If you seek what molecules are behind the different defense systems in insects, this is the book. Excellent.

Jumping on the bandwagon
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-03
Let me put in my two cents' worth, as well. This is a fabulous book even for those who aren't into bugs. Eisner is a warm and wonderful writer who's enthusiasm for insects is infectious. It inspired me to a) raise some cockroaches to study their behavior (and thereby risk divorce), and b) search for spiders by flashlight (and thereby risk neighborly opprobrium).
Buy the book, kick up, relax, and enter the surprisingly fascinating world of insects and chemistry.

For Love of Insects
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-31
This is an excellent book to share the insect world as they protect themselves from their environments.

For the Love of Insects, Indeed!
Helpful Votes: 18 out of 19 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-02
Thomas Eisner is J. G. Schurman Professor of Chemical Ecology at Cornell University and his life long fascination of the insect world has blessed us with an extraordinary, in-depth knowledge of bugs and their awesome capabilities, esp., in chemical defenses which have led to the discovery of many helpful medicines, etc.

Eisner's many beautiful color photos and micro-photography turn this book into a coffee-table txt book on insect ecology and this is worth the price of admission on just that aspect alone.

The famous sociobiologist/entomologist, friend and research collaborator of Eisner, E. O. Wilson, "Diversity of Life", et al., wrote the Foreword to this book and gives a good summation on the focus of this book: "The many behaviors he [Eisner] has discovered and explained, and their implementation by life around us, amazing in a variety and precision, are the worthy focus of this book." Well put.

After the Foreword is a great quote about insects in general: "What makes things baffling is their degree of complexity, not their sheer size... a star is simpler than an insect." From: [Martin Rees, "Exploring Our Universe and Others," Scientific American, December 1999]

In the Prologue, Eisner has given a great appraisal of the insect world in: "They have succeeded in one major respect where humans have failed. They are practitioners of sustainable development. Although they are the primary consumers of plants, they do not merely exploit plants. They also pollinate them, thereby providing a secure future, both for themselves and for their plant partners." Indeed, symbiosis, harmony...

...And, Eisner on his hopes for this fine book: "If this book contributes in any way toward bolstering the preservationist spirit, as I hope it might, it will have fulfilled it's purpose."

It has certainly "edified" my preservationist spirit and will no doubt do the same for others!

Wilson
The Owl and the Pussycat
Published in Hardcover by Chronicle Books (2003-04)
Author: Edward Lear
List price: $15.95
New price: $10.55
Used price: $3.08

Average review score:

The Owl and the Pussycat
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-15
ISBN 0399231935 - A quick glance through the pages of the board book edition from G. P. Putnam's Sons didn't give me high hopes for this book, but I have - once again - been surprised by what can work in a board book!

The owl and the pussycat hop in a boat and head out to sea, where Owl proposes in song. They buy a ring from a pig and are married by a turkey... and that, you have to know, hardly tells the tale at all.

In few, very well-chosen, words, Lear's story can hardly be done justice in a simple recap. Jan Brett's illustrations are just slightly less difficult to put into words - the detail initially seemed to me to be a negative: young children tend to like simpler, less busy, illustrations. I think this is one time they will happily learn to love the busy-ness. The remarkable detail of everything, from Owl's feathers to the individual fronds on the palm trees, adds gorgeous depth to the book.

In addition, a second love story - told only in pictures - takes place, courtesy of Brett. Pussycat carries a yellow fish (we're going to call that one a girl) in a bowl onto the boat and the fish is seen on every page. Underwater, another yellow fish is seen "talking" to other underwater animals and each one he talks to joins him as he follows his trapped-in-a-bowl love, until Owl and Pussycat unknowingly have an underwater parade following them. Is everyone eventually with the one they love? Of course they are! Very well-worth picking up for your short person!!

Beautifully Illustrated Version of Classic Store
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-09
This is a beautifully illustrated version of _The Owl and the Pussycat_. My three-year-old son absolutely loves looking at the whimsical pictures of the fish and other sealife that are abundant in this book. The pictures are done with beautiful colors and have their own story.

The best illustrations James Marshall ever did
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-01
What a beautiful version of Edward Lear's poem. I've always been a James Marshall fan, but this book is absolute tops for his illustrations. The colors are glorious, the characters, as his always are, deftly and lovingly handled. I understand that it was his last work, and it's a shame that it is out of print. Buy it, save it, and pass it around.

No honey or money, but you'll find riches anyway
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-23
Jan Brett's Caribbean-inspired illustrations for the classic Edward Lear poem are teeming with life, and the effect is stunning. The colors, textures, and shapes are a visual treat. Each page also has a different pattern of "straw" border, adorned with a different tropical flower.

The pictures overflow with detail, to the point where there's even a sub-story (pardon the pun) involving two yellow fish.

I didn't give it the full 5 stars because the way the text is broken up across spreads makes it difficult to read the poem with any kind of flow, and because some of Brett's admittedly gorgeous illustrations could (and perhaps should) have had more of a connection to the text. For one notable example -- there's no pot of honey on the boat, and we never get a look at the money wrapped up in the five-pound note!

But there's no denying the beauty of the illustrations, and the Caribbean theme works surprisingly well. This is a great book for anyone -- for newcomers to the splendid silliness of the poem as well as for old fans of the poem who are looking for an edition with fabulous illustrations.

tropical children's book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-10
I have always liked Lear's rhymes, especially this one, but more than the rhyme, it's the illustrations in this version that I like. We live in Florida and all our sub-tropical and tropical flora and fauna is in this book, beautifully illustrated and very recognizable to my 3 year old daughter. Following along with the secondary story of the two damsel fish (I think they're damselfish, but if they're not, the fault is my fish identification skills, not Brett's illustration) is really fun for her too. A bit further south, but still full of recognizable plants for us Floridians, is another of Jan Brett's books, "The Umbrella."

Wilson
Journey to the Ants: A Story of Scientific Exploration
Published in Hardcover by Belknap Press (1994-08-05)
Authors: Bert Hölldobler and Edward O. Wilson
List price: $27.50
New price: $13.00
Used price: $4.18
Collectible price: $27.50

Average review score:

Journey of the Ants
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-14
I have to admit I did not expect to find this book as interesting as it turned out to be. I was only interested in identifying some species within my yard and discovered quite a bit about ants. This book won't make you an expert, but it has made me see ants from a whole new perspective, so much so that I have come to like them instead of disliking them. I can also see why it is possible to kill a colony so easily. Never knew that once the queen is gone, there is no colony. I think if ants had atom bombs they would have destroyed the earth by now - killing each other. I had no idea they were so aggressive towards one another. Anyway, great book to read.

Start point book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-18
Apart from being a great book for all kind of reader, it was, for me (eight years ago!), a start point and it was probably the cause I focus my career nowadays in these small insects. It's quite nice for a child (then better with adult, not to read alone) or young people interested in natural sciences.

Wonderful!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-08
I loved this book. After reading it I spent the next night telling my wife all I'd managed to remember.

Truly a fascinating adventure to another world
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-18
Journey to the Ants is a shorter version of the authors' monumental The Ants (1990), a 732-page tome aimed at professional biologists with a lot of technical language and a clear encyclopedic intent. This book, as Holldobler and Wilson explain in the Preface, is of "a more manageable length, with less technical language and with an admitted and unavoidable bias toward those topics and species on which we have personally worked."

It is a terrific book, lavishly illustrated with many color plates, line drawings, black and white drawings, photos, etc. Especially wonderful are the color prints of paintings by John D. Dawson showing ants in various activities. His style reminds me a bit of M.C. Esher. Also notable are the many photos taken by Holldobler and Wilson during their many travels and studies. They are both renowned experts on ants around the world.

The text is both informative and entertaining. Wilson in particular is a world class science writer as well as a great scientist, and his clarity of expression and enthusiasm show through. The chapters examine and illustrate how ants live in their colonies, how they hunt prey, tend aphid "cattle," cultivate fungi, raid other ant colonies; how they fight and how they reproduce. Other chapters focus on particular species, like army ants or leaf cutter ants, or "strange" ants. Still other chapters show how ants communicate especially through pheromones and touch. There is some theory on ant origins (about 100-120 million years ago) and their evolution and present distribution. I was particularly interested in and appalled by both the way some ants are parasites and how they themselves are exploited by parasites. Our esteemed authors show how ants, for all their power and evolutionary success, can be the most naive victims of beetles, flies, butterfly larva, etc. simply because they can be fooled by smells that mimic those of the colony and/or because they can be given irresistible concoctions of food or what might be called "drugs" that make them passive and acceptive of insects that will eat their eggs and larva. They are also tricked into feeding strangers on the trail and alien larva in the colony nest!

I purposely first read a couple of other books on ants (The World of Ants: A Science-Fiction Universe (1970) by Remy Chauvin, and Ants (1977) by M.V. Brian), written by myrmecologists of an earlier generation so as to be able to better appreciate this famous work. But you need not do that. Journey to the Ants is eminently accessible to just about any literate person.

While reading I had some thoughts (as Wilson famously has had) on the differences and similarities between ant societies and human ones. Ants are not governed as we are (and as was once thought) in any way by a central authority. (They are influenced by the queen's pheromones and her behavior.) Instead ants are examples of "swarm intelligence," that is purposeful and coordinated behavior that arises from each individual doing what comes naturally to that individual. This sort of intelligence was just beginning to be appreciated when Holldobler and Wilson wrote this book. The phrase "swarm intelligence" does not appear anywhere in the book, and yet it is clear that our present understanding of how this intelligence works was gleaned in part from the work of biologists and ethologists like Holldobler and Wilson.

Ants are famous for doing human-like things that no other animals or few can do, such as gardening, tending herds, making war, and constructing elaborate living spaces. It is usually said that ants do it from pure instinct whereas we use our intelligence and the experience. Humans and ants cannot be defined independently of their respective cultures. What I wonder is, is it an artificiality to say that their intelligence, spread out as it is among the individuals and their genetic endowments, is fundamentally different from our own? Clearly ants are limited in what they can construct, what they can understand, and what tools they can make and use. I read somewhere that ants never developed fire because no ant could get close enough to a sustainable fire to tend it.

A striking conclusion is that perhaps the real difference between us comes from our ability to grow a million times bigger in size which allows us not only to tend fires, but to develop brains large enough to handle abstract thought such as in language, which further allows us to develop and share ideas, concepts, practices, and all the other aspects of our culture in a way that is impossible for ants, whose brain size is limited by their anatomy.

So, although ants were here long before we arrived, and although they probably will be here long after we are gone, it is impossible to say which life form is the more successful. We do have at present the capability, which ants do not, of enhancing our ability to survive through genetic engineering and the development of biologically friendly machines, and even the ability to migrate away from this earth so that our genes and ourselves are not in one basket, so to speak. Should a planet-sterilizing event hit the earth, we could be on Mars and still survive.

But then there is this insidious thought: perhaps the ants, like our resident microbes, will find a way to come with us!

Don't miss this book. You are in for a treat.

amazing
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-03
There is few to say that has not been said. It is very well written and the information is mind-boggling.

Wilson
Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists
Published in Paperback by St. Martin's Griffin (1999-12-03)
Authors: Sacha Jenkins, Elliott Wilson, Jeff Mao, Gabe Alvarez, Brent Rollins, Chairman Mao, and Gabriel Alvarez
List price: $24.95
New price: $13.99
Used price: $6.25

Average review score:

More hip hop facts than you could ever remember
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-26
Do you think you know hip hop? Give this book a try, and see just how little you actually know. Though the book is centered around the ranked lists format, there is far more to this book than just rapper rankings. Each themed chapter explores a different aspect of the music and artists, from the money, to the names, to the dancing, to the lyrics. This really is an examination of all aspects of hip hop culture.

Though this is an essential encyclopedia of hip hop factoids, it sure doesn't read like your typical reference book. The Ego Trip humor shines through, making this a book that's interesting, informative, and hilarious. Even after you've read it cover to cover, you'll still enjoy picking it up and flipping to a random page on occasion. I learned a lot about some of the old school hip hop I missed out on, and even more about the artists and songs I grew up with. You may not agree with some of the opinions expressed in this book, but you'll definitely be amazed at all the information.

A must have for hip hop heads!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-10
This highly debatable book of top/best/worst lists of hip hop culture is a must have for all hip hop heads! It makes a great conversational piece, and has opinions that run the gamut of old school and "new school" lists...

however... the opinions of the book ARE DATED...

This book was published in 1999, and so if you weren't into hip hop by then, then some of the lists will strike you oddly (I myself would ask what about Kanye? The Game? Lil Wayne? Bun B? Ludacris???... until I saw the publishing date, lol)

Awesome
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-13
Probably one of the best hip hop/rap books I've been able to find. They really go in depth with different genres and styles. The lists are amazing and you really must have a computer handy. You will find yourself looking up just about every song they list. Get ready to spend a fortune on itues as well as once you start to play the songs, you'll find that you just can't live without it. I bought one book for myself and one for a friend that works at an urban hip hop magazine in NY. He loves it as well.

best rap book for browsing...
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-25
this is a fantastic book! super informative and great trivia facts to stump your friends with. after all these years of owning it, i still go back to it to get a laugh or reminisce about the golden age of hiphop. a great book for any hip hop head.

Very informative...
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-19
Within this book is more information than any Hip Hop head or Rap music fan can handle. It Goes into forgotten beefs and incidents that have occured from 80 to 97. As well as a ton of other usefull information. I only have one problem... On page 236 "The House That Beef Built" #3 Goes on to say LL Cool J took out Kool Moe Dee in the infamous wax battle... But then on page 242 It states that during one of Kool Moe Dee's shows LL was in the crowd. Kool Moe Dee called him out but, LL refused. In my opinion that was a forfit. What do you think? Other than that... book is great!

Wilson
The Lottie Project
Published in Hardcover by Doubleday (1997-05-01)
Author: Jacqueline Wilson
List price:
Used price: $9.42

Average review score:

Lottie!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-04
Lottie's real name is Charlotte, but noone calls her that..... until this 'horrible' new teacher Mrs Beckworth arrives, and doesn't let her sit next to Lisa (who Lottie has saved the best place for), but makes poor Lottie sit next to that swot Jamie. Lottie hates Mrs Beckworth, and sends around humorous poems about trains and teases about Jamie. Lottie's teenage mum, Jo, is having problems with work but suddenly Mrs Beckworth gives the class a project. it is about the victorians and Lottie writes a diary about it. she buys Jamie, who comes her friend in the end, some postcards and everything but then Jo gets a nerdy man called Mark as a boyfriend because she babysits his son, Robin, who is small and shy and has a little stuffed robin toy that his mum made for him before she died. lottie lets him use her felt pens but he just draws a house and his mum and dad and himself. when Jo and Mark go on a love ride on a picnic where Robin is sick, Lottie sees them kissing and bullies poor robin until he runs away from home and then there is a search party because everyone is worried and he gets found and put in hospital and lottie makes him a cake and draws him pictures of birds. lottie suddenly feels bad and crys in her bathroom because she doesn't feel old and hates herself. she even needs the comfort of her old barbies, which are packed away in her drawer and she and jo used to dress them and drive them to posh parties to make them dance, and jo enjoyed this more than lottie! you should read these other books too:
Best Friends, Diamond girls, the bed and breakfast kid, sleepovers, the suitcase kid, the lottie project, clean break, the worry website, girls in love, girls out late, the dare game, the story of tracy beaker, vicky angel, cliffhanger, the illustrated mum and girls in tears, the cat mummy.
I have 56 jaqcueline wilson books because i am a major bookworm and book collector. i have read over 8 billion books in my 10 years of living, and so has my best friend.
so girls, get readin'!

Really cool great book!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-07-13
This is such a fantastic book! It's about Charlie who lives with her mum Jo in a flat. Her mean teacher, Miss Beckworth wants the class to do a school project on the Victorians.
"Boring!" she thinks at first, but gradually she likes it more
and more. She writes a project and wants to keep it private.
Her project is about Lottie and how she copes with her frustrating life. First she's an ordinary eleven year old girl
living with her family in a cottage but then she has to leave school and get a job as a nursery maid. The children she looks after are such naughty little monkeys and she doesn't lke this job.
Stupid snooty swotty boy Jamie Edwards is so annoying to Charlie. YOU'VE GOT TO READ IT IT'S SUCH A BRILL BOOK!!!!
Don't call this book stupid. Honestly, don't. If you think it's
stupid, read "Best Friends" or "Vicky Angel" or "Girls in tears". THEY'RE the stupid books. OK, so that's all I want to say.

lottie or charlie im so confused!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2004-12-20
charlies life is really changing. Her teacher is mean, makes her sit next to Jamie Edwards,and assigns a "dreary" projecton the "dreary" victorian period. So charlie decides to create a diary for her project, and creates Lottie, a Victorian nurserymaid, and history comes to life.

charlies mom is also causing trouble in her life. Charlie thinks she has a boyfriend, and that can't happen!!!!!

i loved this book and how Charlie brought Lottie to life.
i would recamend this book to anyone.

~tara~

Lottie Project-what a book!!!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2003-07-16
I have read many books from Jacqueline Wilson, and have admired her ability to express how kids feel, what they want. This is all true. Being a kid, i have lots of friends that match those in the story. This book, Lottie Project, is one of my favourite books she wrote. I know how it feels to be forced to write a project, but i have never wrote a project, that like Charlotte's, matches my own daily life.
In school, i have just learnt about the Victorians, and told my teacher, Miss Battram, about the book. She too admitts that it is a good book and should be added into the Victorian learning program for year 5 next year.
Everyone can see that Jacqueline Wilson has shown us how an 11year old girl's life can be similar to a maid in the Victorian times, and how they coped with it.
This book is really great for everyone to read, maybe single parents should take a peek in this book too as it will tell single parents how their child feels when they start dating someone else. then, they can talk it through with their child, so mistakes like in Lottie Project, that Charlotte Enright had to cope with, will not happen.
Furthermore, this book is very good to be used in Victorian sessions in school, seeing as the book is very funny, and still useful in teaching about a 11 year old girl's life in the Victorian times.
Rita Teo Bangkok Patana school, Thailand

A Wonderful Favorite!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2003-08-16
This is definitely one of my favorite books. I guess sixth graders will enjoy it most, but parents will also enjoy it too. Jacqueline Wilson really knows how to get into the world of 11-year-olds.

Charlie Enright has a lot of problems at school. Her new teacher is strict and mean. She assigns the sixth-graders a Victorian project right at the beginning of the year. Also, she makes Charlie sit next to Jamie Edwards, which Charlie isn't sure she likes or hates.

She also is having problems with her friends. They have abandoned the 'We Hate Boys Club' and are now very interested in boys and not paying much attention to her.

And her home lifes not that wonderful either. Her single mother has just lost her job, but she finds another one quickly. It turns out that she has fallen in love with her boss and Charlie has got to stop her. Somehow. Someway.

Will Charlie's problems ever end? Read this great book to find out!


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