Park University Books

Sorry I did not get back with you sooner. Thanks for the fast delivery of this book. And thanks for sending it in such good shape

EXCELLENT book!!!!!!! Anyone who is or is going to be working with individuals with disabilities should read and have a copy of this book!!!!

This book explains very clearly the nature and history of disability and the laws regarding persons with disabilities. It also discusses societal attitudes toward disability and the rehabilitation process for this group of people. It is essential reading for any professional who comes in contact with persons with disabilities. Since the disabled are becoming more and more visable in today's society, I would recomend that anyone who works in a public agency read this book to have a better understanding of what it means to be disabled. The book is very clearly written and easily understood.

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.

Herring's book is in inquisitive and thorough examination of the literature regarding America's national parks. His work analyzes the literature of writers who saw the good, the bad, and the ugly concerning national parks. While some writers saw parks as a necessity, others saw them as something to be feared and loathed. What was to initially preserve and inspire became nothing more than Disneyland.

In speaking with the author, who taught a few classes I took, he told me that this work would normally be reviewed in literary journals and digests, not in commercial circles, which is understandable. Works about literature have a far more limited readership range than literature itself. But hey, I purchased the book immediately when it was released and after reading it, thought I would provide my $0.02. I was curious to see his work. He spoke about Yellowstone on occasion, and had an interesting approach to teaching-- making pop culture references to literature and so forth. This book nevertheless reveals those very qualities in print.

Anyway, if you want some articulate, well-thought insight into the works of authors who wrote about national parks, _Lines On The Land_ is where you should go.

This book really would go better in the "nature essay" section of the bookstore than "literary criticism" (who reads that, really?). The best parts of the book are the sections where Herring talks about living in Yellowstone National Park. They make you want to head off to Wyoming, like, right now. Highly recommended.

Scott Herring writes beautifully about the asthetics and quinessential qualities of the national parks. He traces the historical background of national parks while at the same time, speaks of the great writers of our time and their contributions to both national parks and the beauty of nature.

"Lines on the Land" is a book that demonstrates the importance of national parks to the American Heritage. A collection of historical accounts, literature,poetry as well as personal insights, this book is for the scholar, the climber, and the nature lover within all people. Herring gives great insight on the importance of the land in relation to the American people.

Big Bend National Park, which is located in southwest Texas along the Mexican border, contains more than 800,000 acres (which is larger than the state of Rhode Island). Due to its unique location, this park is sometimes referred to as three parks in one because it includes mountain, desert, and river environments. A short drive can take you from the Rio Grande River and its canyons, to a mile high mountain basin or the Chihuahuan desert. As a result, plant life within Big Bend National Park is highly diverse.

While book does contain a lot of information on the many of the common plants found in the park, the book primary focus is to provide information on those plants that are often overlooked by other guidebooks. Each of the hundreds of plants featured in the book has at least one high resolution photograph that accompanies the text that allows the reader/adventurer to easily identify the plant and its flowers.

Finally, unlike many guide books which fit into the back of your pocket, the book is a standard sized book, which allows for large sized pictures to be included.

Devoted to the plants of Big Bend National Park this book also captures the stark beauty of the park. After brief sections on the preface, acknowledgement and design of the book, the book opens by explaining the environment in the short chapter headed, "Big Bend, The Land of Extremes." Along with rainfall rate, temperature extremes, elevation changes of thousands of feet, and other facts of interest the author also writes of the ecological diversity and the human influence on the park from the earliest hunters to modern time as well as the history of park itself.

That is followed by a brief section on how plants are named and a section on plants helpfully organized under the various family names. Page numbers are also noted for the family plant names making it easier for readers to find the pages grouped together for a certain family plant name.

Page 35 begins the actual heart if the book with a plant name, a close up color photograph and an easy to read and understand text on the plant. The text for each plant covers a description of the plant, where it is found, and some interesting history on the plant such as its reputation for inflicting damage on people and car tires (Lechuguilla), what the Aztecs used it for (Havard Agave) and other interesting information.


More than 250 pages later after a color picture of a beautiful Spanish dagger, the appendices begin. Appendix A is devoted to the status of the plants and how endangered they are in Texas. Appendix B is devoted to selected locations in the park such as Boot Canyon, Casa Grande, Panther Pass, and many others and the names of plants found at each location. Appendix C is devoted to the author's suggestions concerning photographing plants and necessary equipment. All of the pictures in the book were taken by the author and he explains how to achieve the quality photographs he does. Appendix D is a brief two page explanation of what sources were used for the names of the plants and why.


A glossary of terms, a list of sources for more information on the park, reference materials and an index brings this beautiful and easy to use book to a close. Designed for people who want to know what they are looking at in the park, this book is superbly done in text and photographs and is easy to understand. Not only does it depict many of the plants within the park, numerous photographs also capture the surrounding countryside and the beauty of the park. This is a must have for your next trip.


Kevin R. Tipple (copyright) 2008

Exceptional book for the southwest plant lover. Not an exhaustive study of all the plants in that area but a nice crisp focus on exceptional, interesting or the unusual ones. Photography is dead on the money. Highly recommended.

Knowing the history of the exploration of this magnificent park makes me even more anxious to visit this beautiful country. After reading this book, when I visit YSNP, I will focus on a time long ago, when all the modern conveniences were not there. It is a great book to have read to get some of the background knowledge of this area, before you go out and explore yourself!

Today, being lost in Yellowstone National Park is as simple as turning on the wrong road after you lost your complimentary map or you can not locate the restroom in the Old Faithful complex. For Truman Everts, being lost in Yellowstone was a struggle between life and death. Everts's account details his 1870 adventure in Yellowstone after finding himself separated from his travelling companions. The separation began Everts's thirty-seven day struggle for survival in a pre-developed Yellowstone in which Everts had to find what little food and shelter he could just to survive. Readers will find this account to be a real-life struggle for survival reminiscent of Jack London's fictional work. The editor, Lee Whittlesey, does a superb job of editing Everts's story by providing the reader with additional information and the historical background of the book. The work is also illustrated with many early day photographs of Yellowstone which provides an stunning visual account of early-day Yellowstone National Park. This book will be appreciated by anyone looking for an exciting true-life adventure story as well as historians of the American West. People who have been "lost" recently in Yellowstone will also appreciate the book, even if their modern-day adventure pales in comparison to Evert's

Besides being one of those - Why haven't I heard of this story before? - adventure stories, this book offers a great opportunity to further enhance the Yellowstone experience.

I read this book while staying in a ranch outside Yellowstone National Park. As luck would have it, our first day of "touring" the park via automobile closely paralleled Truman's path, and I managed to read this story aloud to the kids later that night, in front of a big cast iron stove, while Clark's Fork gurgled 30 feet from the door. I'm not sure if it was the story or the setting, but they were captivated! They were able to tie Truman's adventures in with many of the places we had been earlier that day, and it gave them an entirely different perspective of the park. In addition to bringing the book to life (again - what a story!), it contributed immensely to their appreciation of Truman's ordeal, the magnitude of the park and the wilderness that lies 100 yards off the main roads... Highly recommended.

In "The Paradox of Tarheel Politics", veteran reporter Rob Christensen, of the Raleigh News and Observer, provides a stellar addition to the pantheon of North Carolina political works.

This book is a must read for any politician, journalist, activist, observer or just plain interested party. Christensen deserves a medal for making the subject matter approachable to the layman. As an historical work, the book ranks among the most active and engaging stories in recent memory.

Perhaps a testament to the editors Christensen has had in his career, the prose is engaging and full of energy. There is hardly a weak spot in the entire book. Whether the reader is on vacation with hours on end or a casual nighttime bookworm reading a few pages a night, "The Paradox of Tarheel Politics" is sure to capture and hold their attention.

Read the full review at my personal website, or via this link:

[...]
Jeffrey Sykes
www.jeffreysykes.com

The most complete account of North Carolina political history I've ever found in one book. All the major players for the past century are here with lots of great stories. A great read.

The Paradox of Tar Heel Politics: The Personalities, Elections, and Events That Shaped Modern North CarolinaThis is a wonderful read by one of the best newspaper reporters in the State. I would highly recommend the book to anyone who has an interest in the history of modern day politics in North Carolina.

O. Max Gardner III

Race matters - that is not new. It always did and arguably always will. The question now is, knowing the rules of the game, how to play to even the playing field. Leland Saito's Race and Politics: Asian Americans, Latinos, and Whites in a Los Angeles Suburb is a piece about "contested" spaces - this one in suburban America and its players ethnic. Saito's incubator is Monterey Park. Nestled in the Los Angeles is the setting for this book about modern-day local politics that zeros-in on "Panethnicity" and confronts, in a very real way, inter-ethnic politics.

Saito's work transcends - for a lack of a better word - the academy. In this case, he lives the experience never really taking the story to an artificial setting such as planned interviews - he is "in" the scenario. Interdisciplinary in nature, Saito zeroes in on the ins and outs of the events in Monterey Park. One of the key departures of this "ethnic study" is that the minority in this local space are white. In the end demographics are important. Evolving racial and ethnic populations in America have led to the need to understand what the implications of these changes are. In the absence of white privilege - what happens? Saito uses the ethnographic fieldwork he did. Moreover, he utilized case studies as well as election information that was publicly available. This combination of methods allowed Saito to present Monterey Park as a rich, active, and ethnicly diverse space. From the interviews that he did do Saito brought to presence the Panethnic quality of Monterey Park. I will resist doing a chapter by chapter analysis but simply say that Saito draws up in 6 chapters the development of the community from a white dominated space to a multi-ethnic space that forces the people in the area to reinvent their politics - sometimes forming loose coalitions at other times going at it on their own.

The canvas is diverse - Asians, Latinos, and White - with varying degrees of divisions within each group. Saito does a spectacular job of collapsing even the most quotidian of information to show how ethnic negotiations is played out in this lived space. Americans based on common experiences with discrimination. Class becomes another complicating factor. With the need to negotiate consensus class, ethnicity converges in a political space in order to get basic needs as well as long terms goals met. Asians as well as Latinos are united by common experiences. All groups in the area - Whites included - a subject to of restrictive housing agreements, employment discrimination and racism - the pragmatic solution, coalitions. Much of the discussion, however, is really limited to Chinese and Japanese. In a more "instrumental" fashion, players in these "racialized" spaces understood that in order to get a critical mass it was in their collective as well as individual interest to come together. It could be argued that this piece is as much about personal realizations as it is about macro political moves. Engulfed in a sea of race, one finds the courage to deal with what cannot be changed but mobilized.

While one could read that Saito is suggesting that it is in the best interest of whites to develop fissures within the ethnic groups by setting one group the other, Saito is clear to show that whites are eager to be part of the landscape as it impacts them as well. The key then is to figure out how best to play in the field once we know the rules of the game.

Miguel Llora

I read Saito's book for a course he taught at UCSD in San Diego. I felt that from his book I was given not only a unique and fascinating sociological examination of the interworkings of perhaps the first Asian suburban neighborhood in America, but I was also enlightened to a relatively new notion of 'whiteness' and its effects on the American scene. This book may be read by high school students or academic scholars, the topics of which address some of the most controversial issues in contemporary society.

I came upon the book in an unusual way. I was having dinner with a group of educators and happened to meet the author. Over dinner he talked about some of the issues he came across in his research and I decided to pick up a copy a few days later. I read the book and it surprised me. It was interesting to me because I'm from Hawaii, and the experiences of Asian Americans there, I think, are different, and the text let me experience a major community outside my own. And while I don't see myself as politically driven, I found myself caught up in the alliances/divisions he sees forming in the San Gabriel Valley. As the text examines the theoretical aspects of the politicking in that community, it also presents detailed accounts of actual events that took place during the various stages of grassroots organizing. The depth of the cross-referencing is impressive, but what strikes me most are the insightful, sometimes very personal observations offered to the researcher by participants as events formed --observations that exist almost as sub-themes to the research. He sifts through then traces back lines of political theory through to actual events as residents began to change their community. A worthy read. It has caused me to look at my own community and makes me want to understand more about the forces and processes of change.

This book is really great. The author has included some out of the way places that are part of the Chattanooga Battles. He uses mainly primary resource material centered around the Official Records of the Civil War following the US Army War College style. This guide allows the reader to draw some conclusions on his or her own which makes it really a fun way to tour the battlefields. The maps are clear and concise. Definitely a must have book for Battlefield Trampers!

This is what historical touring literature is all about. The format in this book is fantastic for touring Civil War battlefields. Following the miliary style of the Staff Ride, the author lets the battle unfold for the reader in a truly unique way that must be experienced. This books covers a complex subject which is not easy to tour without a guide book. The Chattanooga Battlefield is a victim of urban sprawl but this book brings it to life anyway. I highly recommend this book. It is the best tour book on Chattanooga period. One warning though. This book requires some knowledge of the battle if the reader wants to fully experience the tour. Still, the novice will find it easily understandable and well written. The author's experience as a tour guide shines through. In short, if you want to tour the battlefields of Chattanooga, this book will serve you well at a bargain of a price. I cannot give it a higher recommendation!

As an avid battlefield tourist, I love nothing more than finding a great battlefield guidebook. In July 2004, I took a trip to Chickamauga and Chattanooga to tour the Civil War sites there. I bought this guidebook, as well as "Guide to the Battle of Chickamauga" written by the same author (also an excellent guidebook, by the way), and found them to be to be the best two I've ever used.

Mr. Spruill overlayed troop movements over topographic maps, making for an excellent set of maps. Mr. Spruill guides the tourist masterfully to the sites in and around Chattanooga, describing what happened at each stop very clearly. He provided plentiful first-person accounts throughout the book to give the tourist extra insight into what happened at each stop. Finally, he scattered through the text photos of commanders, old photos of the battlefield and city, and modern photos of several of the sites. Throughout, it makes for a great guidebook.

This guide really is only for those dedicated enough to travel to all the rather widely dispersed sites around Chattanooga and those who have the time. If you plan on spending several days at Chattanooga, buy this guidebook. It is well worth the money, and finding all those hidden sites associated with the Siege/Battle of Chattanooga is very rewarding.

With Paintbrush and Shovel is certainly a unique book. The beautiful paintings of wild flowers - 238 in all- really look more like high quality photography, they are so exquisitely detailed. The story that goes with the paintings tells an unknown story about work done by WPA women during the depression. One of the projects fostered by Roosevelt, the WPA gave work to unskilled African-American women and it was these women that cleaned up this willderness and brought the wild-flowers to Bessie Marshall to be reproduced in watercolor. The book is well-worth owning.

The wildflower paintings in this book are absolutely unbelievably beautifully detailed. When you see them you will not believe the artist could so accurately paint the tiny delicate features of each flower and could so accurately recreate the wonderful colors. If you like, forget about the wonderful story documenting the WPA project in the 1930s to create a wildflower park and document the flowers with paintings. But, if you are an artist or a wildflower lover or both you must check this out just for the wonderful paintings.

Additionally, the printers spared no expense. They used high quality paper and achieved exquisite reproduction of the paintings. I'm sure they were fearful they would be totally out classed if they did not.

This book provides a rare glimpes into the WPA projects especially designed by women. The book also illustrates the history of the park and chronicles the work of a diverse group of women who established a botanical preserve in a City Park during the 30's. The project, of national significance, was part of the WPA that provided work for African Americans and White Women during the depression. How intersting to read that the park provided an income for these deprived women, who created a wildflower/bird preserve for a small city. The beautiful botanical illustrations by B. Marshall are exquisite and the story to follow only enhances the charm of this well documented history.

"Adirondack Mammals" is a wonderful publication that goes into depth on the behaviors of the mammals that make the Adirondack Mountains their habitat. All the information you'll want to know about the animals of the park is in this book.

Adirondack Mammals is a thorough guide to the animals of the Adirondacks. If you would like to know what month a certain mammal gives birth to its young, or what a certain mammal eats, this is a great guide to have. There are 54 mammals included in all and they range from tiny mice to the moose. This guide is a necessity to people who live in , or plan on visiting the Adirondacks.