Columbia Books

I spent a few weeks in the Pacific Northwest and bought this book as soon as I had arrived. (I love the Lone Pine guides- Plants of the Rocky Mountains, and Wildflowers of Tennessee the Ohio Valley and Southern Appalachians)
I loved using this book; it was worth every penny, even for a short period of time - I carried it with me everywhere. This is a wonderful reference for any level of plant or wildflower enthusiast. And the notes on historical uses and other interesting factoids give the flowers and plants a depth that they never had before! Buy this book!

The most comprehensive guide the plants of the rainy coastal forest of the Pacific Northwest. Good photos, range maps, and general info for most plants you'll find. I've stumped it a few times, but generally every plant I find hiking in the forest is in there somewhere. For the most part well organized. The book is high quality and has rounded corners for backpack use. Highly recommended.

I have several other plant identification books. This is the best one by far for my area (the central Oregon coast). The information beyond simple plant identification is exceptionally useful.

This book is awesome. I learned to love Biology from Mr. Brugman at Toutle Lake High School with Mr. Brugman and his required plant collection. Now I'm all grown up and homeschool my 3 kids with this book! My oldest boy uses it almost every day; searching outside and identifying plants. He is only 11 and has worn the binding of this book out! I've taped it all back together several times and now here I am at amazon to buy him a new one for his birthday! Very informative and easy to use book with lots of neat history facts about our areas shrubs and their uses in the past. Very colorful and beautiful pictures help with easy identification! Others wouldn't probably approve, but my little boy has done 3 of these collections for other high school sutudents who all received A's. (none from Toutle, of course LOL) This book has helped nurture my little boys' love of the outdoors and plants. Thanks again for the inspiring me to love Biology, Mr. Brugman. From ~ Robin (Berry) Hamm

This is by far the best native plant guide for the Northwest that I've encountered. My family has amassed quite a few guides for local plants, but none come close to containing the information that Pojar and MacKinnon have put in this book. Plants are listed according to families, using common family names, though there is a glossary for the scientific names in the List of Keys on p 6. The pictures are for the most part excellent. The Notes are fantastic and I love the tribal use section as I have a particular interest in ethnobotany. The introduction also includes a great breakdown of the NW tribes and their whereabouts and distinctions. This book is very easy to use, making it perfect for the hobbyist, yet I think the information is exact enough with good identification keys and illustrations that hardcore botanists would find it a useful addition to their references.

It's a touch heavy to go hiking with, though if I weren't such a slug I might take it anyway. I usually take photos of any unfamiliar plants I find and then cross-reference when I'm home.

There is a revised edition coming out Nov. 30th, 2004 and I can't wait to get my paws on it! My current copy is completely dog-eared. I just wish the editors and authors (you listening?) would consider a guide to the Northeast coast.

In the popular imagination, the word "ape" conjures a brutish image, evoking a bestial human past in which life contained little more than the ruthless struggle for dominance. Until relatively recently, our knowledge of our genetic cousins seemed to confirm this picture; most apes, including chimps, have strongly hierarchical societies characterized by male dominance and frequent power struggles. The bonobo, however, has shattered scientists' assumptions about primate behavior. This book provides a fascinating glimpse into the complex lives of these gentle apes.

If bonobos could chant slogans, they would probably be imploring us to "make love, not war." Physically, bonobos differ little from other chimps, except for their smaller size. Yet their social lives are remarkably different. Although males are larger and capably of physically dominating females, female bonobos enjoy dominance within a relaxed, relatively fluid hierarchy. Unlike chimps, which can be quite violent toward members of their own species, bonobos are adept at resolving conflicts. Mostly, they achieve this through sexual behavior that would make any fundamentalist preacher turn purple (including homosexuality). Both in the wild and in captivity, they display a level of emotional intelligence that is amazing to find in a nonhuman animal, which the book documents through striking, often humorous anecdotes.

De Waal offers an intriguing discussion of how the bonobo's unique society may have evolved. Interestingly, he postulates that females became promiscuous, bonded with other females, and developed nearly year-round displays of sexual receptivity in order to counter the male habit of infanticide that sometimes occurs in chimps. Since females banded together to defend each other (and each other's offspring), and since males had no way of telling which offspring was their own, infanticide apparently disappeared. Meanwhile, as a result of their bonding, females became dominant.

Lanting's photos are striking, most of all because of the humanlike quality that comes through in so many of them. There is an astonishing...moving, in fact...familiarity in their facial expressions, intelligent eyes, gestures, and postures.

It is deeply tragic that this species, like so many, is threatened with possible extinction. Even though we have much more to learn about bonobos, their behavior raises thought-provoking questions about "human nature" and where we come from. Perhaps the "ape within" has a capacity for not only violence and patriarchy, but for cooperation and female influence as well.

the spine on this book broke - i like to have my books stay in very good shape so this was disappointing

I was fortunate to see the two Frans' lecture in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park over a decade ago where they discussed their new book and showed slides of the bonobo apes. I found it all quite intriguing and purchased my autographed copy there.

The most fascinating part was that bonobos love sex. They have sexual encounters multiple times per day with many different partners (except mother/son) in all types of positions yet have the same amount of offspring as other apes. An amicable lot, compared to the aggressive chimpanzee, bonobos tend to have sex to rectify disputes as well as for the pure pleasure of it. The bonobos are a matriarchal group, taking their cues from the females versus typically the males. I thought it was interesting that we humans are now reevaluating whether it is indeed the aggressive, patriarchal chimpanzee that we evolved from or the sensual bonobo ape.

Frans Lanting captured a photograph of two bonobos having missionary style intercourse, she on her back with her arms over her head and with the biggest grin on her face! A gorgeous book, gorgeous animals.

This is a great book with plenty of great photographs by Frans Lanting and a good deal of basic information on these least-known ape cousins of ours from Frans de Waal. Equally genetically and evolutionally related to us as chimpanzees, they are best known for their sexual behavior and their relatively peaceful lives compared to chimpanzees but de Waal warns that the differences are a matter of degree and there is great flexibility.

The differences between the species are interesting. Though in both species the females (normally) leave at puberty and the males always remain in their birth groups, bonobo females bond more and males bond less than in chimpanzees. But the more important difference is that in bonobos the most important and strongest relationship is that between mother and son. This is all-important and at the core of bonobo society and includes serious rivalry between mothers over their sons' dominance ranks - and the fights between the mothers can be viscious.

What most people immediately think of when the bonobo is mentioned is sex, sex, and more sex. This is often misinterpreted and tends to obscure what is really going on. De Waal says their social life is better understood as being peppered by brief moments of sexual activity, the majority of which does not involve intromission nor is it carried through to sexual climax. It is largely brief and casual and used to reduce conflict. And when it comes to full mating with receptive females, this is normally limited to the top two males who occupy, with the females, the center of a travelling party and from where adolescent and lower ranking males are excluded.

De Waal discusses the possibility that the extended female receptivity of the female bonobo - receptive for nearly half of her adult life compared to 5% for the chimpanzee female - may be the bonobo strategy for avoiding male infanticide. In some species one male will remain with one or more females and protect his young from harm from others. In other species females mate with many males, including proactively soliciting males when the females are not normally receptive because they are not fertile, and this 'paternity confusion' is seen as a stategy to counter male infanticide. Infanticide has been observed in increasing numbers of species but, as yet, not in bonobos. De Waal suggests that the particular relationships of bonobos, with the reduced male aggression towards and dominance over females, may be a successful anti male-infantide strategy.

Another suggestion de Waal makes is that, as chimpanzee females have food priority when they are sporting sexual swellings, the extended sexual swellings and receptivity of bonobo females may have extended their food priority. Bonobo females almost always have food priority over males.

Another important difference between bonobo and chimpanzee is the relations between goups. Though chimpanzee females, like bonobo females, move between groups to breed (using sexual swellings as 'passports'), chimpanzee males from different groups are very aggressive and sometimes kill. Though bonobo males are antagonistic towards outsider males and display aggressively, there can be contact between the females of the two groups that meet and sexual contact between males and females of the two groups. I have read elsewhere that this contact between females, who in some cases will be known to each other as females move between groups, may have been something similar to the way our early ancestors were able to overcome full-blown aggression between groups, the females acting as links between groups that would ultimately lead to potentially positive alliances and trading links.

Whether we'll ever learn enough about these apes before they become extinct is unlikely. And that is sad. Whether we are interested in other species for comparision with our own or simply in order to understanding their particular evolutionary stories, we need to convince greater numbers of people that other species are interesting and deserve our full respect and protection. This book contributes to this for the bonobo.

Although I love learning about animals just because I love learning about animals - this book brings many important issues to the forefront - issues which directly relate to humans and human culture. For that reason, I highly recommend this book to anyone who has any curiosity about human behavior - especially as it pertains to sex. While Dr. de Waal is careful to avoid generalizations and anthropomorphisms, you will have fun drawing your own conclusions!

Ian Hunter's self-titled solo debut is one of the best British rock albums to come from a glam-rocker in 1975. The former Mott The Hoople vocalist attempts to attack the whole rock & roll scenemaking machine, as well as anything honoring false gods, on this CD, and he succeeds magnificently, starting with the opening track, "Once Bitten Twice Shy." Even if the Bethany Hamilton shark attack hadn't happened, I'd still prefer Hunter's original version of this great song to Great White's (named after a man-eating shark) wimpy, Top-Ten-selling remake. Another song here, "It Ain't Easy When You Fall", which excoriates the dangers of excessive self-indulgence, is making me think twice about using wine to toast my grandfather on his 95th birthday, or my grandparents on their 75th wedding anniversary, as well as inspiring me to keep myself looking well in all ways for any number of pretty actresses. It's unfortunate that this cautionary recording wasn't a bigger hit here in the U.S.

Ian Hunter makes meat and potatoes rock'n'roll with more than usual head and heart. King of the midtempo rocker, he's turned in some mean ballads as well. The man who penned DIARY OF A ROCK STAR has always been his own best subject, so it stands to reason this deeply personal record would stand among his finest. It also rocks like a #&@*%$! Hunter swings from swagger to intropection while the great Mick Ronson backs him up with articulate arrangements and explosive guitar solos. Ronno's lead on "Lounge Lizard" is one of the nastiest slow burns ever, all drama, attitude and corrosive texture. The album's self reflective core peaks with the remarkably naked "It Ain't Easy When You Fall/Shades Off" before closing with the jubilant "I Get So Excited". When this record (back in '75, remember) came out it was Rolling Stone's album of the month. their headline nailed it: "Ian Hunter professes faith: Rock Saves".

Those who like their Hunter more personal than political should seek out his 2001 indie "comeback" RANT on Fuel Records. It's great.

And for those who like macho rockers dragged kicking and screaming into self awareness, you should check out Bob Mould, Richard Thompson and Graham Parker if you haven't already.

Ian Hunter's debut solo disk remains, 30 years after the fact, one the the finest albums released during the seventies. Fresh from the breakup of Mott the Hoople and alledgedly, a nervous breakdown, Hunter teamed with Mick Ronson to record some Hoople leftovers and some new tracks.

The album kicks off with three undisputable hard rockers, ONCE BITTEN TWICE SHY (the most famous song from this set), WHO DO YOU LOVE and LOUNGE LIZARD. The ballad BOY is supposedly about former pal David Bowie, and depicts a tale a star who loses touch via fame and drugs. The heavy rocker THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH... marries a Lennonesque theme to a crunching rock tune. Ronson solos with a venegence on this one. The album winds down with a triolgy of songs, the poignant IT'S NOT EASY (WHEN YOU FALL), a poem, the touching autobiography SHADES OFF and finally another searing rocker, I GET SO EXCITED.

To me, this was the apex of Hunter's career. Though he had a number of notable albums with Mott the Hoople and a long successful solo career, nothing matches the power, emotions and consistancy of this record. It sounds as fresh in 2006 as it did in 1975!

I concur with all the other reviews. This is a below-the-radar masterpiece. If you like classic rock, you'll like this.
"3,000 Miles From Here" is not one of my favorites, but everything else is top-notch. "Once Bitten Twice Shy" is a classic and the collage of "It Ain't Easy When You Fall"/"Shades Off"/"I Get So Excited" is just amazing. I dare you to erase "I Get So Excited" from your brain. Later solo albums from Ian Hunter were spotty and not this consistent.

Ian Hunter by Ian Hunter and featuring Mick Ronson is one of the finest albums to come out of the seventies. Not only are the songs tight, spirited, and well played, but they seem to have stood the test of time. Listening to them now they sound as good as they did back in 1975 when I first bought the lp and wore it out. Though Hunter may not be a 70's rock and roll poetic genius like Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen or even Paul Simon, he can still write a genuinely captivating song, as can be heard with "Once Bitten, Twice Shy," "Lounge Lizard," or "Boy."

I absolutely love this album, and I would put it in my list of top ten albums from the seventies, which is a difficult task. I think what makes it so great is the combination of Ian Hunter's songwriting and vocals mixed with Mick Ronson's guitar and production work. Ronson is easily one of the most over looked talents from the seventies, and his work with Ian Hunter is simply devine rock and roll. By all means buy this album.

A classic is a work that rewards repeated re-reading. I am planning to repeat the graduate seminar I gave around this book not only because it is a revelation to students who have been schooled in standard economics but also because I myself realize I have more to gain from another run through it.

Another thing that keeps it fresh nearly 50 years after publication is the almost complete lack of topical material that could go stale. A peculiarity of the original edition is that the projected third volume had to be shortened into a single chapter because its total condemnation of government was too controversial for the publisher. That third volume was later published as "Power and Market: Government and the Economy." It is bound in with the original Man Economy & State in the Scholar's Edition, which somewhat confusingly still includes the original summary chapter.

This book assumes no background in economics, and takes the reader straight through from the most basic aspects of human action through the whole of economics without the artificial break between micro and macro that corrodes present-day economic thinking. Rothbard spins out long chains of reasoning, which although they are clearly presented, do require sustained attention. If you are willing to give it that attention, the book will repay you handsomely. Rothbard leads us to the standard laws of supply and demand, but grounds them in a way that standard textbooks miss. His treatment of monopoly is unique, arguing that very concept of a monopoly price is illegitimate because one the "competitive price" with which it is to be contrasted cannot be identified, and therefore one cannot distinguish a movement along a demand curve from a sub-competitive price toward the alleged competitive price from a movement upward from that price.

There is much more that is unique to Rothbard (and much that is consonant with standard economics), but I will just mention one more thing, a favorite of mine. That is his classification of violent behavior into (1) autistic intervention, e.g. forcing someone to salute a flag, (2) binary intervention, e.g. robbery or taxation, and (3) triangular intervention where the aggressor forces or prohibits exchanges between others, e.g. through price controls.

In the course of 1,000 pages or so Rothbard does slip occasionally. And he runs into the ditch in his attempt to discredit the concept of velocity and the equation of exchange. Nonetheless this is a masterful, enjoyable, and highly rewarding book.

This is Murray Rothbard's Magnum Opus, or maybe it isn't. He has had so many books that were great, it is really hard to tell which one is his best. Anyways, this is a treastise on economics and a very good one at that. Once you get past the initial setting up of the economy, Rothbard guides you onto several other important issues related to the economy and economics. This book, however, is not going to be taken up by diehard Marxians or socialists. This book is written by an Austrian economist, he isn't Austrian just from that school of thought, which canonically oppose most state intervention. In the case of Rothbard, you will see this grow into fruition, as Rothbard is somewhat of an anarchist. Anyways, this book guides you through many areas of economics that deal with a wide variety of problems such as public policy stances, unemployment, and the like. It is truly a great read, if you have the time.

This is simply the best treatise on economics that has been written upto date in the human history. Ludwig Von Mises 'Human Action' comes close but it is too dense for a layman.

This book: Man, Economy and State, written by Murray N. Rothbard can make an economist out of layman if he puts time and efforts into reading this book and understanding all its concepts. Murray Rothbard starts with the basic axiom that: Humans Act. He further states that Humans Act to relieve some sort of unease and approach a better state of satisfaction. Based on these two axioms he builds up the entire edifice of Economics using impeccable logic and superb reasoning.

I had read Carl Menger's 'Principles of Economics' before this and thus had a basic understanding of economics. But EVEN if you do not have that, do not worry. This book starts with very basic terms and explains the concepts of Supply and Demand, Interest Rates, Profit/Loss, Production Structure etc. in a clear and thorough manner.

Murray Rothbard furthermore refutes the Socialist, Keynesian(gradual socialist) and neo-classical schools of economics. His elucidation of fallacies of Interventionist economics is so logical that one cannot help but laugh out loud on the stupidity of fools like John Keynes, Karl Marx and their disciples.

Also you will not see much mathematics in this book. Subjective valuations of goods/services by humans cannot be quantified. This seems pretty logical to most of us but many who call themselves "economists" simply miss this insight.

Read this book and you will have a far better understanding of how the world works. You will also understand economics better than most economics college professors and government-employed economists.

Because I made a lot of research in reviews, in order to take the right decision of buying this book or not, you will perhaps find it intersting to know that there are two editions of this text.

The one presented here 987 pages $35.00 as of writing
Another with additional text 1544 pages $31.50 as of writing

( Yes, the bigger is CHEAPER, and is also hardcover by the way )

To find the bigger version on this site, do a search in books for :
Man, Economy, and State with Power and Market Scholar's Edition
(or click on the autor's name at the top of the main page for this book, to find it somewhere in the obtained list)

This makes me wonder if there is not a pricing mistake here?

Well, anyway I suggest that you go for the cheaper 1544 pages for now.

(Amazon, feel free to remove this review in case of a price adjustment, please)

(I rate this book 5 stars, but I haven't read it yet. 5 stars seems to be the average for it anyway)

This is easily one of the three best defenses of the Free Market ever written. (The other two being Mises' "Human Action" and Reisman's "Capitalism" . "Power and Market" doesn't count because it must be read with MES.)

Rothbard's opus will teach you about the ethics of a free, nonviolent society, and how this society will prosper. It also does a good job of demolishing the concept interpersonal utility comparisons, which will be a great thorn in the side of those who advocate "welfare" spending. It also shows that, unlike most followers of Marx unquestioningly accept, the capitalist is productive.

Michael D. O'Brien is a masterful storyteller. He has compiled a stunning series, Children of the Last Days, of which Plague Journal is the second. I am now just beyond half way through Eclipse of the Sun, the third. I have two more to go, and by then perhaps he will have written some more. While I'm reviewing his work, I'd like to applaud his latest work : Island of the World. That was a "watershed" book for me.There are not words to convey the power and authority which which he strings words together. It is compelling fiction. Any one choosing to read Michael D. O'Brien's work will be in for a major treat as well as learning experience.

Michael O'Brien has a tendency to overwrite his books (one of his very few flaws as a writer). But in Plague Journal, he reined himself in (or finally got an editor who did) and the result is a book that is no less packed with plot tension, cultural criticism, and character development than his other tomes.

The middle book of a trilogy of books about the Delaney family (starting with Strangers and Sojourners and ending with Eclipse of the Sun), Plague Journal also fits within O'Brien's larger series, which he calls Children of the Last Days. The first of those is the explosive novel Father Elijah.

While Plague Journal is my personal favorite. I recommend reading it after Father Elijah and Strangers and Sojourners, since it needs the other two to provide its context in O'Brien's view of the Last Days.

And O'Brien's view is a bleak one. The government has become the tool of the antichrist, whether it knows it or not, and an honest journalist (even one who doesn't have a living faith in God) can't get an honest shake, but is hunted down.

Swift, sharp, and poigniant, O'Brien provides his readers with everything that Left Behind readers should have gotten but didn't and without all of the silly speculations. This is good literature that shapes the heart and the mind Christianly.

O'Brien's "Children of the Last Days" series shows what the apocalypse might be like through Catholic eyes. "Plague Journal" shows what an average man would go through when he sees the very land he loves slowly but surely choke off all joy and life in the name of an efficient government. The main character's actions and thoughts make you slow down and wonder what you'd do. Also, not all the characters automatically do the right thing. Each of their actions has a consequence, whether good or bad, and they have to put up with those consequences, which is more realistic. There's no flashy deux ex machina, but God works through the characters in a way that's somehow more majestic than simply suspending laws of nature to make sure the good guy wins. I highly recommend this book no matter what religion you follow. You will laugh, cry, and think.

The book was quite excellent. I was used to and enjoyed some of the mainstream thriller authors. I hope Michael O'Brien would continue on this excellent course. I wish more people would read this with a wide open mind.

As I'm sure most reviewers have said, be sure you read Strangers and Sojourners first; PJ is the second in the series. Also, it is good to read Father Elijah too; it occurs about the same time as PJ.

I read PJ in a week. It is one of the most moving books I've read, but I was reluctant to heed its message in the beginning. In this world of half-truths and deceptions where everyone is a partially educated philosopher and politician, PJ really does show the need to not believe everything we heard or read.

Should we be constantly paranoid? Not really. But a healthy skepticism is necessary.

With the backdrop of the emerging black middle-class in segregated Washington, D.C., during World War II, author Brad Snyder tells the compelling story of two baseball clubs and the push to integrate one professional league.

There is Homestead Grays founder Cum Posey, who is looking to relocate his franchise from Pittsburgh before the start of the 1940 season. And there is Clark Griffith, owner of the pathetic Washington Senators, who can briefly shuffle aside his racism for a business deal that will bring a new revenue stream to his bank account when the team is playing away from Griffith Stadium.

This initial tenuous partnership delivered a surprise to Griffith; the Grays exemplary play on the field found them outdrawing the cellar-dwelling Senators and galvanizing a new generation of baseball fans. That success - even with onerous stadium leases common when NLB teams played in facilities used by Major League Baseball clubs - helped propel the integration of MLB in 1947.

The era is also seen through legendary sportswriters Sam Lacy & Wendell Smith, Buck Leonard - the greatest pro first baseman - and in the offices of MLB, especially the Senators.

Griffith - who certainly could have worked out some type of agreement with the Grays for players to bolster the Senators before the Dodgers signed Robinson - was only a pioneer in segregation, integrating his team seven years after Robinson's debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers and ultimately fleeing Washington, D.C., relocating his team to the whiter Minneapolis-St. Paul market.

With the success of Robinson came the slow disintegration of NLB - the league that was truly integrated on the field, in the stands and in the front offices - as MLB teams raided the club rosters for established stars and began scouting & signing younger players to contracts.

Snyder has brought this forgotten period beyond the shadows of the simplistic retelling of the past that plagues all levels American history.

Let me be clear, this is a great book, rather than just a very good one. In nine chapters, plus an introduction and conclusion, Washington, D.C., based attorney turned writer has told the powerful and sometimes provocative story of how the Homestead Grays moved to Washington, D.C., and set the stage for the breaking down of the color line in Major League Baseball (MLB). In this important book Brad Snyder moves beyond the singular actions of Branch Rickey's Brooklyn Dodgers and Jackie Robinson, which most people are familiar with, to explore the broader implications of race relations in baseball during the 1940s.

In telling this story, "Beyond the Shadow of the Senators" is filled with heroes and villains. The most significant hero is unquestionably Sam Lacy, a black writer with the "Washington Tribune," a weekly oriented toward D.C.'s large African American community, who consistently called for the desegregation of MLB. Also heroic are the great stars of the Negro Leagues, especially Buck Leonard, Satchel Paige, and Josh Gibson, all of whom came to Washington to play before large crowds in the nation's capital. They demonstrated through their exploits the quality of talent in the Negro leagues, especially when juxtaposed against the hapless play of the Washington Senators of the American League. The villains include Clark Griffith, the financially strapped owner of the Senators whose willingness to rent Griffith Stadium to the Grays proved lucrative, and Grays owner Cumberland Posey who shifted his team from the Pittsburgh area to Washington to cater to the large middle-class African American community in Washington. Both Griffith and Posey had every reason to keep the segregated system intact because of the money they made. Moreover, Griffith was a blatant racist who integrated reluctantly and eventually moved the Senators from Washington to Minneapolis-St. Paul because, as he said in 1978, "you've got good, hardworking white people here" (p. 289).

Ranging broadly from social history to baseball and back, Snyder captures the essence of the history of the Senators, the Grays, and wartime Washington's racial situation. It is a story of love and hate at the same time, as well as the quest for dignity of the minority population in a divided city. "Beyond the Shadow of the Senators" is a powerful book. Enjoy.

Brad is an excellent researcher and writer. This book is not only enjoyable but educational. I met Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe and Lester Lockett, two former Negro League players, a few years ago and their stories started my interest. Brad fed that interest beautifully. I look forward to Brad's next book on Curt Flood and the reserve clause. His attention to detail is consistent with his legal background.

Tim Moreland, PhD
Salisbury, NC

"Beyond the Shadow of the Senators'' is a must read for any serious student of baseball history. The author put a massive amount of research into this engaging account, of which I knew nothing even though I grew up in Washington not long after these events took place. This is an outstanding work in every regard. I have never met the author and I am not an African-American (not that anybody should care); I am just a fan of baseball and its history. If you are, too: Read this book.

This is a great, and true-to-life (i.e., "complex") story about the institution of 'Negro' League baseball and the various parties who profited and railed against it.

Key people that are introduced and brought to life are:
Buck Leonard, Satchel Paige, and Josh Gibson -- three of the greatest ballplayers who ever lived;
Clark Griffith -- the pioneering, penurious and controlling owner of the Washington Senators;
Sam Lacy -- the ahead-of-his-time, DC-native who tirelessly advocated for the integration of Major League Baseball; as well as
Cum(berland) Posey -- the shrewd owner of the Homestead Grays -- the dominant team of the loosely confederated Negro Leagues during the late 30's and 40's.

Tangential to this story are:
the decimation of the post 1933 Senators, mostly due to finances and an inadequate ballpark;
the relative prosperity of Washington DC during the years of the depression and WWII and the partial equality of African-American government workers that led to a vibrant culture and ability to spend on entertainment;
the move by Posey and his "partner" (many of the Negro League baseball teams were financed by numbers entreprenuers) to Washington from their Pittsburgh home and the welcome of their rental payments and gate pctgs. by Clark Griffith;
Judge Landis' death, the increasing awareness of America's incongruity in its fight for freedom and democracy in Europe while maintaining a virtual apartheid culture at home; and
the greed/opportunity of baseball owners to find the best talent at the lowest price which ultimately led to Rickey's "great experiment");

This book also fleshes out the background and conflict around Jackie Robinson, who was rightly judged to be a great man and the right vehicle for Rickey's efforst, and the shared opinions that he was a good, but not all-time great Negro baseball player. [Check out how well a 42-yr old Satchel Paige pitched for the World Championship Indians in 1948.]

The shifts in attitude between "separate but equal" and complete integration by the various parties reveal primarily self-interest. Judged by the standards of our time, I share many others' great respect for Sam Lacy and his tireless, moral advocacy and feel sorry for the Negro League baseball owners who were mostly left with nothing as they rarely had enforceable contracts that protected their relationship with their players.

Clark Griffith was an "innovator" in attracting inexpensive talent from Cuba. Many of these players represented themselves well on the ballfield but would only be acceptable if they were of "Spanish" descent.

Utterly inconceivable now, but the norm for over 60 years (since Cap Anson helped institute the "gentleman's agreement" against employment of African Americans in the early 1880's) was to allow a Major or Minor League ballclup to employ pretty much anyone (Swedes, Germans, Irish, Italians, Jews, etc.) anyone, except African-Americans.

It has often been discussed that without Jackie Robinson (& the parts played by Branch Rickey, Roy Campanella, Pee Wee Reese, Ben Chapman, etc.) the 1954 "Brown vs. Board of Education" decision would not have happened as quickly.

This book provides a wonderful companion story to the integration of major league baseball which, in my opinion, is one of the most significant stories of 20th Century United States.

As someone who has had the privilege of volunteering with Comfort Zone Camp and who also experienced the death of a sibling during childhood, I am more than impressed with "You are not alone: Teens talk about life after the loss of a parent." Throughout the book, Lynne does an amazing job of conveying the stories that numerous teens have trusted her with. The book is amazingly honest and powerful. As always, I am impressed with the campers, volunteers, and everyone who is a part of Comfort Zone Camp.

This story takes place at the Comfort Zone Camp. Teens talk about how they miss each of their parents and how losing a parent can affect your whole life. They help each of the teens with their struggles. They all share each of them stories that remind them of their parents.
This is a heartwarming story! They explain how always remembering you parent help. I know how it feels because losing my dad was I very hard thing for me and this book help me through hard times because knowing that there are other kids and teens that they are going through the same thing I'm going through. And somehow that helps me!
I think anyone who had lost a parent should read this book because they will know that a lot of teens have feelings after a loss of their parents. And that every person should be heard.

I'm biased as a longtime volunteer at CZC who travels 13 hours from Toronto, Canada every year just to be a part of this wonderful place. I purchased the book and read it cover to cover in one morning, took me about 2 1/2 hours. I sat down and was compelled to write Lynne a very personal four page letter expressing everything that came to mind reading the book and how much she (and the camp) means to me. It was an awesome experience as much because alot of the names & stories are familiar to me and because I can relate personally to almost every chapter but truthfully it's because I found answers to questions I had been asking elsewhere in my life, even at my age (36). I'm also a survivor of childhood loss, losing my dad at the age of 12 years old. I Highly recommend this book as a resource for parents, caregivers & teens alike!

All other books that I've read about this subject EXPLAIN teen grief... but none that IDENTIFY with it. This book did that. Excellent!! *****

I was 20 years old when I lost my parents within 9 months of each other. Lynne's book as been a great help to me despite this happening to me and my siblings a long time ago. I am a big buddy at the Comfort Zone Camp and it's one of the most fulfilling things I have ever done. Now with Lynne's book all children can be reassured that in time they can heal and have a happy and healthy life. We are the proof of that.
Great job Lynne!

This is a great book for the naturalist, whether amateur or field biologist, for learning in the field. The pictures are clear, information not too wordy, but enough to help with any id issues. This is really great for figuring out the plant communities that are so vital to the health of our natural world

This is a staple for plant identification in the Northwest. As a plant biologist for the National Park service, this was the book we never went into the field without. Because of it's clear color photographs, thorough taxonomical descriptions, and wide array of species, it was the first we would consult, and then cross reference with other resources if we needed to. It's also quite durable!

There is no better field guide for the region. An incredibly good book. If throw 3 books into my pack before taking off into the woods for a few months -- this is going to be one of them.

In fact, while I'm at it ... this is one of the best field guides I've ever seen for any region. It's tied with the Peterson's Field Guide to Edible Plants of E. North America ... I love it. Delicious ...

You can't call yourself a naturalist - amateur, professional, or otherwise - until you have this guide. It is clear and concise, with good tools for identification and great secondary information on the plant it is addressing. The pictures and descriptions make identification at least down to the level of family or genus ridiculously easy, but in some families getting an ID down to species or sub-species level takes a more in-depth reference guide. The keys are clear and leave little room for ambiguity, and the sectioning of material follows a logical pattern related to both ecology and familial relationships - rather than the sometimes esoteric partitioning based on strict taxonomy. The book itself is practically indestructible - I have dropped it (by it I mean my first copy, the previous edition) into creeks, mud, dust, sand, swamps and marshes, and down mountains, and it has come out mostly intact. It is also the only fieldguide that I have owned that has successfully resisted mountain rodent appetites (specifically those dastardly yellow-pine chipmunks). Like many field guides these days it also does a fantastic job incorporating native plant use into the descriptions. The only con I see in this book is it doesn't address the mushrooms (even though it includes lichens, which are halfway there).

To sum up it up, buy this guide if you spend any decent amount of time around plants and wonder at all what some of them are. For a more specific and accurate identification guide for the especially diverse or hard-to-identify plant groups (like the grasses), get a guide or key with more specific attention to taxonomy and more in-depth descriptions. It's amazing already what this guide does with the space that it has.

I found this book valuable for identifying plants associated with the lichens I collect. It is easy to use, the photos are good and I really appreciate both the range maps and phisiographic map (on the inner back cover). Dana Ericson

I'm afraid I'm in the minority here, but I have to disagree about the final value of Dr. Hordes' treatise, "To The Ends of the Earth": a History of the Crypto-Jews of New Mexico".

Like the other reviewers, I congratulate Hordes on his scholarship, but in his effort to put the final dot on the 'i', he massively fell down.

I will reference one of the final statements which made me shudder - "Few people, save a handful of historians, are aware of the rich & dynamic interplay among Muslims, Catholics and Separdic Jews on the Iberian Peninsula from the eighth through the fifteenth century." pg 281, "Conclusions". Maria Rosa Menocal would take extreme exception to that comment. Menocal's "The Ornament of the World"; How Muslims, Jews & Christians created a culture of tolerance in medieval Spain,2002:is only one of many academics who have written extensively on this topic.

But prior to that above heart stopping statement, I was becoming disturbed by Hordes' increasing tendency to prove out his thesis with repetitive & non-scientific criteria. Endogamy aside, DNA data would be the conclusive information to prove out the continuum of the Crypto-Jewish thread in Hordes' thesis. Jewishness is passed thru the female line, and mitrocondial information would conclusively settle the question."Indications of Crypto-Judaism in Genealogy" would have been better served containing such data. Hordes does reference that such data began to be collected in 1997; certainly, results would have been available by publication of this book to better support this sub-text.

In all, I found the majority of the book valuable, however I must point out what I found to be serious flaws in Hordes' summation of his research. I will await a more thorough treatment of this very interesting subject.

This book is line upon line fact upon fact just well researched and documented history, it is not a bunch of opinion nor speculation. If you know Dr. Hordes like I do you know that this is the kind of man and quality of work to be expected from him, I say this as a descendant of the crypto-Jews. Sincerly Perry Pena

More than 700 footnotes add up to an extraordinary story well worth the telling: quite a few "manitos" of Northern New Mexico were probably crypto-Jews who preserved parts of their own culture through centuries of isolation. So we discover that Hispanos and Hebrews are both part of Chicano history in the American Southwest.

Since these individuals covered their tracks well and most are long dead, the trail was cold and neglected. However, Dr. Hordes did not take the easy, glamorous and lucrative route to selling their extraordinary history. Instead, he and his colleagues spent years and years pouring over thousands of documents. As one who has looked at a little of this "paleography," let me testify that a person can go blind staring at that terrible, ancient, blotched and blotted handwriting. I appreciate such careful scholarship; it lays out all possible evidence without overreaching.

Thanks to this book, a vast number of dots have been laid out on the map of New Mexican history. While each by itself is not conclusive, when I connect the dots I see the fascinating faces of religious dissidents who courageously preserved their own beliefs in the face of enormous social pressure. They went "To the Ends of the Earth" to preserve their integrity. I find their story inspiring.

Thesis: Many of the Spanish settlers of New Mexico were either secretely practising Jews or recent converts. Through the ensuing centuries, some kept up tradition and practice of their Hebrew faith, in all or part.

I heard this hypothesis when I first moved to the Land of Enchantment in 1979. Most locals took it as likely. However, "studies" on the subject were mainly collections of anecdotes of familes that did not eat pork or that played with draedels in December but didn't know why.

Stanley Hordes has done scholarship a real service with his meticulous, well-documented, and systematic research, as presented in To The End of the Earth. Rather than rushing into anecdotes, he first gives a broad backdrop of the history of Judaism in Iberia and the political and religious upheavals there in the 13th through 16th centuries.

Having set the stage, Hordes then follows families of "new Christians" to Mexico. Through an examination of correspondence, records of the Holy Office (Inquisition) and other documents, he traces the likely practice of crypto-Judaism in Old Mexico.

Only then does he set forth north of the Rio Bravo to see the fate of some likely Jewish or formerly Jewish families, trace their practices, and scour for physical evidence among a group that was reticent to leave records of what was long an illegal practice.

Hordes wraps up nicely with not only the family stories but with DNA and blood protein studies. He falls short in actually finding evidence such as hidden synagogues or secret Torahs, but he certainly paints a compelling picture that many of the Hispano settlers of New Mexico were, at the very least, reluctant conversos.

This is an engrossing and well-referenced work for any serious scholar. While not light reading, it is also not too challenging for a non-anthropologist.

By all means, if the thesis is of interest to you, you should order this book.

A couple of years ago I went to a lecture that Dr. Stanley Hordes presented to the New Mexico Genealogy Society. He discussed his then upcoming book about crypto-Jews in New Mexico titled "To the End of the Earth." What intrigued me about Dr. Hordes lecture was that he found proof that the colony of Nuevo Leon, Nuevo Espana ( present day Mexico) probably was populated with crypto-Jews. This same colony en masse tried to illegally colonize New Mexico in 1591, and a few of these people were also part of the official New Mexico colony in 1598. Dr. Hordes' makes a very good argument that there were crypto-Jews in New Mexico during the first years of colonization and that their descendants continued practicing Judaism up until the present day.

A crypto-Jew is a person who converted or whose ancestors converted to Christianity yet still secretly practices Judaism. As with many other Christian countries, Jews were persecuted in Spain during the Middle Ages. In 1390 many Jews converted to Christianity after an especially devastating pogrom. In 1492, after King Fernando and Queen Isabel conquered the last vestige of Muslim Spain in Granada, the Christian monarchs officially expelled the Jews from Spain. All who stayed in Spain were required to convert to Catholicism. Many went to Portugal where they too were forced to convert.

The Spanish Inquisition persecuted many of these New Christians as apostates and heretics. Many were accused of going back to their old religion. In order to avoid prosecution many New Christians went to the New World. Dr. Hordes shows how one such colony from Portugal under the leadership of Luis de Carvajal y de la Cueva were almost definitely New Christians, and most likely crypto-Jews.

Carvajal was given permission by the King Philip II of Spain to found a colony in Nuevo Leon. The king gave specific instructions to officials not to question the ethnicity of the people in this colony. Dr. Hordes contends that these people were probably New Christians since at the time New Christians prohibited from going to the New World. The king's instructions would have made it easier for them to cross over to Mexico. As further proof Hordes notes that Carvajal's son was later prosecuted by the Inquisition. During the younger Carvajal's arrest Gaspar Castano de Sosa lead the entire colony to New Mexico. Hordes contends that he probably did this in order to escape being prosecuted himself as a judaizer. However Castano de Sosa was arrested anyway for trying to illegally colonize New Mexico.

Hordes uses church and government records to demonstrate the possibility that New Christians practiced Judaism throughout New Mexico history. His argument is strongest with the early years of the colony when Inquisition records documented investigations into possible judaizers. He also uses genealogy to show how certain assumed crypto-Jewish families intermarried within culture. However, his arguments are weaker when it comes to the present day. Although there is some proof that certain present day Hispano New Mexican families continue the practice of crypto-Judaism, there are questions as to whether certain evidence truly demonstrates this practice. Hordes does not completely dispel these questions, although he comes closer than others who have tried to prove this theory.

Dr. Hordes' book is well researched and was a fascinating read. Any person interested in Hispanic New Mexican history and genealogy should read this book. One then can make up his or her mind whether Dr. Hordes proves that crypto-Judaism indeed was practiced throughout New Mexico's history.

Reviewed by Elizabeth E. Gibson-Evans for RebeccasReads (5/08)

The theme of this book, "Trust in the Lord," by Deen Kemsley, is the journey to know Christ; it is the journey to know the deepest, best element of ourselves. If we embrace this divine element within us by genuinely believing in Christ, we experience the wonder of being born of God, and we discover that Christ's power to heal is deeper than our deepest pain.

As Christ transforms us, He instills in us the genuine concern for others and the desire to serve and sacrifice without regard for worldly praise or reward. If Christ were merely an effective teacher, He couldn't evoke such enduring praise -- this is a witness of the literal Son of God.

We may not always receive specific answers to the questions we pose, but if we listen carefully we will receive a deeper answer -- Christ is in the Eternity overhead; Christ is in the eyes and faces of our young children; Christ is in the tears and joy of these whom He transforms; and Christ is deep within our hearts. "God is there, He hears our prayers, and He loves us."

Often it's in the common bond of Christ that we most clearly perceive our common eternal inheritance. "As we step out of the mire and temptations of this world and begin to ascend the mount of the Lord unto the tabernacle of Eternity that is within our hearts, we will find the true Holy of Holies -- Jesus Christ Himself. No matter how far we may have strayed from Him over time. We will learn He has always been there on the look out waiting for us to return.

"Trust in the Lord" takes you through a true spiritual journey of what it means to truly depend on the Lord our Savior as He Himself trusted in His own Holy Father during His walk as one of us. You learn the way to handle loneliness. Discover answers to the many tough questions we all have or have had. But, most importantly you learn true faith and that no matter what "He hears us and He loves us!"

One of the first things I noticed about Deen Kemsley's Trust in the Lord is that I had initially misread the subtitle. Having mistakenly misread it as "Reflections on Jesus Christ", I was startled to find it actually read "Reflections of Jesus Christ". The distinction is not a minor one. In Kemsley's own spiritual sojourn, Christ is not just an abstract idea to be reflected upon but an active force in our lives that is reflected in the wonder of everyday things. The beauty of nature, the laugh of a child, the kind act of a stranger, all in some way reflect the love of Christ to a fallen world and give light to lead us back to Him.

Meditating upon the joys and disappointments of his own life, Kemsley points to the subtle ways in which God moves in all our lives that are often only noticed in retrospect. While there may not be an empirical demonstration of God's existence that would satisfy the doubts of skeptics, this is less a reason to abandon God than a reason to understand the limitations of our methodologies. God may not answer prayer in a loud roar nor the way we want but He does hear and He does answer. Moreover, He does love us.

The meditations cotained in Trust in the Lord are rich and one may find wisdon in reapeated readings that did not seem apparent at first glance. In this beautifully written and faith-filled little book we do indeed see the love of Christ reflected.

Deen Kemsley's writing resonates with uplifting encouragement, inspiring challenge, and amazing insight in is new book "Trust in the Lord." He captures the heart of Christ's own thoughts as he reflects and shares intimate experiences of his own spiritual journey.

Kemsley invites the reader to recognize the Savior at the cross to receive a fresh vision of who Jesus is. He draws from his own experiences and those of others as he speaks about the underlying foundation of the Christian faith as the undeserved, limitless miracle of the love of God demonstrated on the Cross of Calvary. He shows how this love produces joy in circumstances of tribulation, suffering, and persecution. These poignant illustrations draw the reader into an eager search for a fresh encounter with the Lord Jesus.

I experienced a personal call to revival, to recognize my own helplessness without the hope redemption provided through the cross. I am eager to sense the enrichment of God's presence in my life as he works to produce wholeness.

"Trust in the Lord" is for those hungry to contemplate and reflect on the sacrifice of Jesus and His great love, to see fullness replace emptiness and harmony replace loneliness. The book offers the readers freshness in purity as motivation for their actions in their search to fulfill their deepest, truest potential.

If you have even small doubts about the reality of a living Savior that knows you, loves you, and is aware of you, this book was written for you. It's a book that will most likely change your life. I am half way through my second reading and I feel like a new person. The book doesn't tell me how to run my life, but because of this book I can feel my Savior's direction. He really does care about me and my life. Thank you, Deen Kemsley, for sharing this important message. This is a book for everyone.
-Ardent Reader

Professor Kemsley's personal stories bring to life eternal truths in this book. I found that I could relate to several of his stories making it much more enjoyable. This book truly brings one closer to Christ.