United States Books

This books grabs you from the first page and takes the reader on a globe-trotting adventure into the world of counter-terrorism. The exploits of ex-CIA agent Jordan Sandor will leave you breathless as he races against time to prevent a world-wide terrorist plot.

Can't wait for the next one...this would make a terrific movie.

Jeffrey Stephens takes the reader on a ride with adventure and never lets you go. Great character development makes you want to know more about Jordan Sandor. I promise you'll love this one!

I LOVED this book! I bought it for an easy-read, thinking I would take my time going through it - well, guess what? I got so caught up in the plot I couldn't put it down. It had all the suspense and thrills of The Bourne Identity yet with even more twists and turns. Kudos to Mr. Stephens - I cannot believe this is his first book. This man obviously has a long career as an author ahead of him. Keep the intriguing plots coming Mr. Stephens - you've got me hooked!

Kudos to Jeffrey Stephens for his first published espionage novel! I was given the impression that this novel would be intriguing and similar to works of Follett and Clancy. After completing this book, I found myself wanting more similar to the way I feel after completing a Follett or Clancy story!
The characters were made real. I'm disappointed that Andrioli will no longer be part of Jordan Sandor's crew but was content when Traiman was finished! I found myself putting a face to each of the carefully crafted characters. Jordan wants what is best for his country and is content to be a quiet hero.
I'm looking forward to future Sandor selections. Please hurry up!

Anyone who enjoyed the fast-paced excitement of "The Da Vinci Code" will certainly love "The Portofino Deception" as well. Stephens does an excellent job of partnering the reader with protagonist Jordan Sandor in an adventure that spans the United States and Europe in a heroic effort to stop a terrorist plot that will wreak havoc on the global community. Jordan Sandor is the Jack Bauer of literature - for all "24" fans, this is a must read.

Paul's caring and poignant sharing of his journey across the continent and through the years with Faith in Action is one that will warm your heart and hopefully inspire you to look closely at your own community. I will guess that you won't look far to find your own Mary, Gracie, Harold or Eddie Mae. But stop and look farther. Find what it is you can do in your own community and with your own neighbors to help - with or without a Faith in Action project. Paul will tell you from his own experience as a Faith in Action volunteer for many years, that you will get so very much more than you give.

Thank you Paul for writing this important anthology once again proving what a small group of very committed people can do.

PROMISE TO MARY is a gem. With a narrative style that rings true, the very real characters are as complex and interesting as any in a work of fiction. The author's genuine, but realistic, empathy provides a welcome antidote to the "kumbaya"-tinged works common to the genre. It is enough to provide even the cynic with at least a modest insight into our shared humanity.

Promise to Mary is an evocative travel log, from the bayous of Louisiana to the beaches of Sitka, Alaska and many stops in between. Faith in Action is built on the simple concept of neighbors helping neighbors. Paul Jellinek provides an opportunity for the reader to peek behind the scenes where relationships can be life changing. No government grants, no grandiose plans, just modest folks who extend friendship as a way to provide kindness to those who need it most. We meet individuals who are luminous but largely unknown to others and learn about the healing power of friendship as each chapter unfolds. Thank you Paul for reminding us how simple acts of kindness are within everyone's reach.

What a great storyteller! And what stories worth telling!! The underlying truth of this book--demonstrated by the dedication of the program organizers and volunteers, as well as the profound needs of the people they serve--is how much we need "community." It shows more compellingly than any sermon or polemic or politician's platitudes how necessary it is that we serve each other. The author's road, as he traveled in New England, the South, and Alaska, visiting Faith in Action projects was full of bad weather, wrong turns, and logistical problems--a metaphor for the difficulties involved in organizing and maintaining a volunteer program in stormy financial times, recruiting and retaining volunteers who are pulled toward many other paths, and overcoming the challenges posed by the elderly and disabled clients themselves. Yet, in places across the country, it's being done! An inspiring read!

Paul Jellinek has managed in this easy read to capture the heart and soul of people who struggle every day with the challenge of living independently in their homes. Faith in Action, a national interfaith, volunteer, caregiving program, helps people with a ride to the doctor or a regular visit from a "friend." This book isn't about the program, however, it's about the people who make it such important work.

You will see yourself and the people you love in the stories he tells. The lines between volunteers and care recipient blur as the "helper" and the "helped" trade places. Expect some surprises along the way. I couldn't put it down once I learned about the promise that Paul made to Mary.

Attorney Lieber deserves high praise for his objective, informative presentation of the antitrust criminal case vs. Archer Daniels Midland, the agribusiness giant, that ADM, its powerful lawyers and Clinton's Justice Department did not want published. To his credit, he continued to pursue this case after most reporters backed off and swallowed the dizzying spin and disinformation that ADM's CEO Dwayne Andreas and his aggressive lawyers gave the media, crying crocodile tears as the "victim" of an allegedly deranged ADM executive, Mark Whitacre, who became the FBI's mole, and made hundreds of tapes incriminating ADM executives fixing prices in world markets with their competitors. Lieber correctly smelled the stench of a cover-up and adroitly guides readers to make their own
conclusions after compiling evidence, omissions from court records, and other factors that allow readers to infer that the judicial process was compromised by ADM's widespread political
influence before the trial even began. Although Dwayne Andreas,
the infamous political fixer and king of corporate welfare, got immunity in a highly secretive plea bargain to Justice in 1996,
after ADM agreed to pay a record fine of $100 million, his son
Michael was convicted and imprisoned with Terry Wilson for a
mere 3 years, and Dwayne (thanks to outraged and courageous ADM
shareholders) finally resigned. Tragically, Whitacre was
convicted, fined and sentenced to a harsh term of 9 years
because of ADM's swift retaliation against him as whistleblower, for exposing to the FBI the ... corporate culture of
ADM...(anything goes-but don't get caught-and here's your big
bonus (not reported on books)to keep silent, the unspoken words
being that an employee would be fired and crucified if they
blew the whistle.
Lieber's chilling comment (p. 322)should concern every citizen
or future whistleblower who believes in due process and our rule of law: "It was expected that ADM's attorneys would savage the
snitch. What was highly bizarre in the world of criminal law was the way the Justice Department joined in the frenzy to destroy Whitacre. This was an aberration...the perpetrator was a
politically wired corporation whose law firm- the president's law firm- had unbridled entree and influence at Justice. The
mole's lawyer had none."
Lieber makes a strong case that this American corporate history- "one of the most important antitrust cases of the century"- should be closely examined. Rightly so. Why was the court record sealed, why were key witnesses (e.g., Wayne Brasser) not deposed, who could have validated Whitacre's claims that the hidden bonuses were a quid pro quo for engaging in illegal price-fixing? The author's appendices are very helpful. ADM and Dwayne Andreas not only have lobbied for years to emasculate our antitrust laws (the "Magna Carta" of free enterprise) but know that the massive soft money donations to key politicians can grease not only the wheels of justice, but also ensure that ADM continues to get huge subsidies for ethanol and other favors from Agriculture Dept. (high fructose corn syrup,peanuts) that have cost taxpayers billions of dollars.
Rats in the Grain is highly recommended, and was a difficult book to write because of the case's complexity. James Lieber should be considered for a Pulitzer Prize.

I have not read this book, but it seems that the publisher's statement here at Amazon should include some mention of what this book can tell us that Kurt Eichenwald's exhaustive, prizewinning book, _The Informant_, does not. Eichenwald's book covers exactly the same material, and Eichenwald (the _New York Times_ reporter who covered the case) had the same access to Whitacre and other sources that Lieber had.

For obvious reasons, I would prefer not to give a "number-of-stars" rating to a book I haven't read. But Amazon demands it, so I've chosen a neutral "three."

Jim Liebert gets to the truth. Dwayne Andreas and others at ADM are not kind folks. Their ties with murderer/dictator Fidel Castro are real. Their contemptuous involvement with the illegal extraction of Elian Gonzalez from freedom and his subsequent delivery to slavery in Castro's communist prison is also very real. All in the name of appeasment to Castro. These people are stench and deserve to be imprisoned, if not worse. Thank you Mr. Liebert for telling the truth.

Lieber possesses a unique blend of talents to investigate the price fixing trial of the century.

The book chronicles ADM kingmaker Dwayne Andreas's rise to business and political power, charts the evolution of US antitrust law, and dissect's the testimony of key witnesses in the trial.

The chapters on the trial delve into ADM's chief defense: its executives were white-hatted American heroes intent on destroying an "Asian" cartel. You will find the race baiting and "we-are-heroes" defense surreal, especially since audio and video tape caught the conspirators red-handed and potty-mouthed.

Lieber presents shocking evidence to build a solid case that the US Justice Department often subjugated itself to ADM's political power and well-connected attorneys in the prosecution of informant Mark Whitacre for fraud and tax evasion. For example, Whitacre still maintains the nearly $10 million of ADM money he stashed in Switzerland and the Cayman Islands was "off-the-books" bonuses given to him by Michael Andreas with the approval of ADM president James Randall. Lieber provides multi-layered facts that endorse Whitacre's story.

The book's final chapters contain even more revelations: alleged document shredding by ADM chairman Andreas after the June 1995 FBI raid; ADM's hiring prostitutes to help steal competitors' technology; the never investigated role of ADM president James Randall--or Chairman Andreas--in price fixing conspiracies; the Justice Department's refusal to release public documents, and other sordid facts of sex, lies and videotape.

As you will discover in reading this book, justice was plea bargined away and the wishes of the Andreas crime family boss Dwayne were granted, one of which was sending Whitacre to jail for 10 years.

Lieber is to be commended for this historical document which will explain to generations to come how corporate crime destoyed our country.

Rats in the Grain is a tale of corporate criminals from Asia, Europe, and the U.S. whose price fixing conspiracy was finally exposed by a government witness working undercover for the FBI for over two and half years. The FBI tapes and documents sow ADM was involved in fixing prices, technology theft, prostitution, systematic campaign voilations and the transfer of corporate funds without the proper signatures to senior executives' overseas bank accounts to avoid taxes. ADM paid a $100 million fine and was allowed to keep the USDA business worth $85 million, which was unprecededented for a corporation who pled guilty to a criminal felony. THe second conspiracy involved ADM, the Department of Justice and ADM's lawyers working together with the media to paint a picture of Mark Whitacre, the government witness, as the real criminal. Whitacre who worked undercover for the FBI was also receiving illegal bonuses. Records show ADM was aware of this, yet the government and ADM claimed that no one except those around Whitacre were involved. The FBI agents with whom Whitacre worked while recording the crimes at ADM turned their backs on him. All the departments of government in place to administer justice for the people were administering the wishes of ADM's chairman Dwayne Andreas. ADM and the Andreases have spent millions in donations over the years. Adding that to the millions spent on lawyers clearly showed that justice was for sale. Part IV of the book the cover-up is a real eye-opener. It tells of people who sold their souls aiding and abetting in the obstruction of justice which included sending the government witness to jail at the request of ADM. Lieber's book serves notice that all is not well in the heartland and conditions are even worse in Washington.

A ROAD WE DO NOT KNOW takes the reader on the June 1876 campaign against "hostile" tribes that ended, as every schoolboy should know, in the defeat of the 7th Cavalry at the battle of the Little Big Horn, a river also known as the Greasy Grass to the Sioux. Mr. Chiaventone's first novel is not a great work of literature but it holds up pretty well against a lot of other historical fiction. A ROAD is told from the perspective of captain and corporal, chief and warrior, indian and trooper, white and red. Wrapped in fiction, the author provides a plausible explanation for why and how the battle developed, a puzzle debated by historicans for over a hundred years. The novel explores General Custer's decision-making prior to the battle, when presented with information from his scouts, and during the battle, when pressed by overwhelming numbers of warriors. It makes for a fascinating read to be especially enjoyed by history buffs. Mr. Chiaventone also is able to get into the motivation and thinking of the Ogala, Hunkpapa, Cheyenne, Arapaho and other Indians engaged at the Greasy Grass, showing the reader how these native Americans viewed the world without dragging down the novel with unnecessary and distracting "spiritual" discourse. A ROAD is a realistic novel, describing the rigors of the campaign as well as the violence of battle. A side note is that some 7th Cavalry survivors of the Little Big Horn were later killed at Wounded Knee, where a total of 26 troopers were killed and 35 wounded. Highly recommended.

I've read this book with great interest and excitement. I also comuunicated with the author by email several years ago, and consulted many "experts" on Custer after I read the book. Most of the stories we've heard about GAC are pure trash. GAC was a great hero in the Civil War, for which he has not been given near enough credit due to the despicable stories that have been told about him in the years since the Little Big Horn.

His dear wife, Libby, spent the rest of her life trying to correct the defaming and hostile stories written about him. Because most of his family died at the Little Big Horn, only his enemies, such as Benteen and Reno, were left to tell the story. They were both jealous of Custer, and all the evidence points to Reno as the biggest flaw in the campaign, as he and his troops turned and ran in the face of an assault. This is explained in several writings about this event.

Custer did what most any soldier would have done in his situation. This book explains some of that, so I will not repeat it here.

Suffice it to say, read the book with an open mind, forgetting all the "disinformation" you've heard about him.

Why wasn't this book made into a movie? Well, if it had been an anti-Custer, or anti-American book, it would have been The left-wing, socialist, anti-American pukes in Hollywood would have seen to it. But, it is a realistic story not indulging in mythology or hate-mongering against a true American hero in the Civil War. Custer's conflict with the Grant administration over treatment of the Indians is also a truth Hollywood would not want to tell. That would undermine their hate for him.

With "A Road We Do Not Know" Mr. Chiaventone takes us, on both banks of the Little Big Horn River, as close to what really happened there June 25, 1876 as anybody will ever get. Chiaventone achieves this partly through extensive historical research and partly through empathy for the men involved in the events, all of whom, Indians and cavalrymen, emerge from this story as real people: There are no Noble Savages in this book nor is Custer represented as a fool. Chivaentone understands the "fog of war" and how it can blind otherwise valiant and experienced commanders: Eighty-nine years after the Little Big Horn the 7th Cavalary got itself into a similar debacle at a place called the Ia Drang Valley in Viet-Nam, and in 1965 they had air support and artillery. The only quibble I have about this excellent novel is the large number of footnotes throughout. They do not belong in a novel because they distract from the flow of the story. Someone at Simon & Schuster needs to be reminded of that: put 'em in the narrative, in the mouths of the characters, or in an "Historical Note" at the end of the book, but NOT at the bottom of the page.

I gave this two stars but it is a matter of taste. I was looking for straight historical fiction. To enjoy this read you must really be an avid fan of military fiction. For people with this interest, this might be five stars. For my taste, the author dwelt too much on the details of the military custom and practice that he reconstructed for the circa 1870s Seventh Cavalry. This amounted to the first half of the book and I got bogged down in it. But this preoccupation with military details ran through the remainder of the book and I think had the effect of dampening the climax. It seemed like there was more militaria than characterization so it was hard for me to be personally drawn into the climax. But I realize that this is exactly what some people want. I also felt that the characterization of Custer was a little too charitable based on the history I have read. I am a Native American and I got the impression form this book that Custer was almost benevolent in attitude towards Indians -- just a little egotistical. That's a stretch.

Not since May 29, 1981, the day I finished The Killer Angels, have I been so overwhelmed by the ending of a military action novel as I was by this book. It is fiction only because it supplies lotsa dialogue for June 25, 1876--the day of Custer's Last Stand. This book presents all the events as very concentrated in time, whereas I before reading it had the impression the events were spread over several days. I am confident this book is pretty accurate as to what happened. This is a very poignant book, and made me feel I was with the people on that fateful day. Most worthwhile reading.

As I read this book I could almost feel the track clicking below the engine, hear the chuffing of the engine as it labored to pull the cars, listen to the lonesome sound of the whistle as the engineer arrived at the crossing and feel the power as the fireman put the coal to the firebox and the engineer pulled the Johnson bar. All in all a great read and a book that anyone interested in the steam era would read with relish.

One of the most compelling railroad books I've read - the narrative is compelling because of Orr's consistent, insightful commitment to doing his job well and discovering the most efficient way to get his train over the road. Of course hardcore railfans will enjoy this book, but I think students of industrial history and those interested in the way people go about their jobs (a la Studs Terkel/working) will get something out of this book as well.

The detailed descriptions in "Set Up Running" will have you smelling coal smoke. Even though I have been a rail fan for all of my 65 years, was an NYC-PC employee, and I'm a native of Pennsylvania, I learned something new on nearly every page and thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Although "Set Up Running" deals almost exclusively with operations on a PRR branch line, ferroequinologists (students of the iron horse) everywhere will love this book. It has the unique quality of making you wish it would go on forever.

When I read a book or article about railroads it is easy to tell when the writer is over his head. Not here. This book is authentic.

The time covers a great period of growth of steam locomotive development. PRR classes from the old class R through the M1a are run and evaluated. Which one is the engineer's favorite? You might be surprised.

The book is a labor of love. It is human as well as technological. Here you find the enthusiasm of the young man, the confidence of the mature man, and the feelings of being squeezed out of the retiring man. As I finished the book I sat and thought about the family for a long time.

Set Up Running is simply the VERY BEST railroad related book which I have EVER read! If you don't have it GET IT! PERIOD! (PS: I have NO financial interest in this book or any organization/company which sells it). I'm doing YOU a favor by rating this book and advising YOU to get it!)

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Some people may shy away from this book because they think its about basketball. Wrong -- it's about life, about a person who happens to play basketball.

I think every girl should read this book, because it deals with Cooper's issues with self-esteem and confidence, overcoming poverty, and her pursuit of excellence. I also think every mother should read it, because the book shows how effective a role model Cooper's mother was to her. Maybe mothers and daughters should read this book together, and have discussions about it.

This is not an overtly Christian book, but Cooper is a Christian and does not hide her faith. It is not really an evangelistic book, though one can say it is pre-evangelistic.

This autobiography is one of the best, if not the best, that I've read. It's amazing how Cynthia Cooper writes her own story to motivate and make readers have more confidence. She's a real example of a true athlete hero, someone that can be a role model to all. Thanks to her and her success in the WNBA, she's given Women's Basketball a new meaning. Her determination and motivation to become successful is admirable. This book is really an inspiration to those who lack self-esteem and self-confidence. I enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend it to anyone because is really interesting and inspirational. I'm proud of Cynthia Cooper because she's a real good representative of Women's basketball and a great example of determination and success. She also proved that with God's help, anything is possible.

Cynthia Cooper could be a role model for anyone. She knows how to play the game of life as well as basketball: when to hold, when to fold, and a whole lot more.
What impressed me most? Signed to play in Italy, Cynthia didn't hang around being homesick. She took the opportunity to learn and grow.
My favorite scenes:

(1) New to Italy, she'd never even heard of famous cathedrals that someone asked her about. Later, she could have discussed the architectural history and features -- in Italian.

(2) She asked Ford to give her a marketing internship -- and she felt right at home with the men. I use this example a lot when I talk to parents who are concerned that their daughters are more interested in sports than school.

(3) She takes us behind the scenes of the championship Comets.

Hard to put down, well-written, honest -- the perfect gift for any WNBA fan or any young woman looking to her future, in or out of basketball.

Cooper's book has made me relieze that nothing can turninto something. Also Cooper provides a positive role model for anyonewho wants to better themselves and improve their way of life. This is a book that can be enjoyed by all. There was problems growing up, college, overseas (work) love, and death of loved ones. This tells the reader that everyone faces problems at many different stages of life. Also how they could be overcome with the correct outlook. END

This book is about the story and life of a great know person and athletic. It has its good times and bad times. It tells you what happened in her life till the time she published the book. It tells you from her first time she touched a basketball until she became the leauges MVP. If you want to read a great story about a player and her good times and bad times this is the book you should read. It is for sure the best book I've read about a great person and a life she lived. You should get this book no doubt.

I am a collector of Shirley Temple Dolls, and I found this book most informative. I know exactly how much each of my dolls are worth, and if I am selling, I have an idea how much to sell them for. Great book.

An accurately informative read from an author that embodies the love of a little girl within its' pages.

Awesome and amazing! Need I say more! This book is fabulous as was Volume One! The pictures are incredible and the information is extremely helpful. This author did a fantastic job creating this price guide for all the Shirley fans in the world who just can't get enough! It has been quite a while since an author has done a new Shirley price guide and it was much needed. But this Author's version was much different than the other price guides as it shows everything and anything that is out there...old and new! Shows us Shirley fans that there is still a high demand for our loved Shirley and her memorbilia. Highly recommend! A++++++

I just loved both books on Shirley Temple!

Volume 2 has even more than volume 1 as far as pictures and memorabilia goes. I loved the pictures with the people she starred with in her movies ( it brought back fond memories from my childhood.
More people should be interested in Shirley, it is a great subject for children-even today!
We buy the videos for our grandkids.

This is a wonderful identification guide to collecting Shirley Temple items and dolls for the new or advanced collector.The large color photos and descriptions keep me coming back to the book for enjoyment and reference. Not only that, but the author has a refreshing way with words that give the book personality.A teacher one told me years ago " Books are our Friends".In this case its true. Again, I give the book Shirley Temple Identification And Price Guide by Suzanne Kraus-Mancuso 5 Stars!

It's a good idea to start early so when that time comes to go the the dentist, your toddler will be willing to sit there just long enough to complete the checkup. Dora rocks when it comes to getting kids to do things like say words, jump up and down, whatever. A must have.

We started reading it every day 2 weeks before her first dentist appointment. Great book! Worked like a charm!

My 3 yr old was already comfortable going to the dentist but this helps just before an appointment to let her know what will happen and to talk about any worries she has. Great bedtime reading.

I'm a school nurse always looking for entertaining ways to teach my elementary school children how to take good care of their teeth. Dora was a huge hit with the Pre-school children. They followed the book along eagerly page by page as I read it to the class and their excitement brought out my enthusiasm for teaching! Way to go Dora!

I bought this after taking my daughter to the dentist for the 1st time when she turned 2. She refused to open her mouth even to talk. She would only shake her head. After reading this weekly for 6 months, she couldn't wait to go to the dentist. She happily let the dental hygenist and the dentist look inside her mouth! Now if I could just get her potty trained!!

Delivery was immediate and product was in the condition as described. I would buy from this vendor again!

This is exactly the book I've been looking for! Objective, to-the-point facts on nutrition, vitamins, eating habits, and other topics such as preservatives, toxins, etc. I've seen too many "fad" nutritional books that are biased toward either vegan/vegetarian, low carb, low fat, high fat-low carb, etc. This book seems to be objective enough to allow the readers to decide on their own what diet path to take. This book, a good diet, and exercise can stand on their own and I feel this book can last a long time as a good reference book. Personally, I prefer a well-rounded diet (including some red meat), chicken, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts. I lean toward organic or natural foods. Should readers decide to focus on another particular diet, they can supplement this book with one that follows their philosophy. I highly recommend this book as a stand alone or as a starting point to other diets.

This is an awesome book for anyone interested in nutrition. Very indepth text book style reading but worth every miniute!

I use this book as a desk reference. As a wellness coach with a specialty in nutrition I refer to this book as well as others, like Paul Pitchford's Healing with Whole Foods and The New Optimum Nutrition Bible by Patrick Holford. I like the scientific and integrative nature of this book. When I quote information from this book I can say this is by an MD. This book is the most comprehensive among the other ones I use. I have yet to use it more to suggest any area of improvement. So far I am very happy with it.

My doctor recommended this book because he knows I like to treat health issues naturally when at all possible. A nice blend of sound nutritional science and natural health care. If you want to live fit and stay healthy as you age, check out this book. An excellent reference for treating specific health issues, but so much more. If you only reach for it when you are looking for a remedy for a particular health problem, you'll miss a lot. It's a great book - even better with Amazon's price!

A very nice book, with remarkable trees, however, from the cover I suppose I wrongly assumed they would be beautiful trees. Quite a lot of the book is spent on African trees of a very strange nature, and to my husband's suprise, very little was done on the banyan tree. I was looking forward to large, ancient trees myself. All in all, it is still a wonderful book, it just wasn't what we were expecting.

Great Book will enough the wonder hopefully they have it in the school systems or county systems

Trees are grouped by various, sensible categories that other books on trees might neglect: Giants: Gods, Goddesses, Grizzlies; Dwarfs: For Fear of Little Men, In Bondage; Methuselahs: The Living and the Dead, Shrines; Dreams: Prisoners, Aliens, Lovers and Dancers, Snakes and Ladders, Ghosts; and Trees in Peril: Do the Loggers always Win? and Ten Green Bottles. Pakenham's text is great fun to read, as can be viewed from those sectional titles, and individual tree titles such as "Tie up my feet, Darling, and I'll live forever" for the Bonsai tree that is the In Bondage section.

I suppose coffee table books really shouldn't be considered exceptional items to read - view, yes; read, not so much. This is an exception. Tolkien's Ents are invoked for a handful of trees, and rightly so; geography students who get a core borer stuck and (somehow) get permission to cut down what had possibly been the oldest tree in the world just to retrieve it are warned against; and, of course, it is mentioned that any fool can climb a gum tree. I've read this about six times this year, high time I count it officially.

beautiful book. Bought it as a gift for my brother.
I already have a copy for myself.

In fall 2006, Lansing's forestry department planted a tiny gingko biloba tree between the sidewalk and the street in front of my house.
It had four and a half branches, all oriented in one plane like the candlesticks in a menorah. You could barely roast a wiener with it.
I scrambled into the house for a book I had bought, by sheer coincidence, the previous day -- Thomas Pakenham's "Remarkable Trees of the World."
Yes! There, sprawling across pages 110 and 111, was a gingko nearly 1,000 years old, still living in Tokyo, measuring 30 feet in girth and 66 feet high.
Pakenham, a British historian with Irish wanderlust and a gentle sense of drama, has traveled the world to photograph and research the history and lore of 60 of the world's most remarkable trees.
This oversize book, just now out in paperback, is so relaxed and un-sensational you picture Pakenham walking from tree to tree, a Haydn string quartet playing in the background, not minding the continents and oceans in between. It's a follow-up to another book that's just as good: "Meetings With Remarkable Trees," in which Packenham confined his wanderings to the British Isles. The response to "Meetings" was so warm that Pakenham packed his bags and expanded his search to global proportions.
Pakenham's style is that of a curious, intelligent pilgrim. He pairs generous full-page or double-page images of his subjects with un-fussy, lightly conversational background information. He clearly respects local lore and legend, but doesn't go overboard with it, nor does he bog the text down in scientific details. The result is almost a set of personality profiles.
The images are spectacular -- given the subject matter, most of them can't help it -- but sensitively chosen and framed, with an eye toward the unique setting, mood and attributes of each tree.
It's a low-key approach, but if this book doesn't awaken your sense of awe, nothing can. That little stick of a gingko in my front yard, for example, belongs to a hyper-ancient species/order/family that predates dinosaurs. Its peculiar lineage (it's related to ferns) is betrayed by unique, fan-shaped leaves that have no central fold.
Of course, trees have their own agenda, and don't care whether they get into a coffee-table book or not (it's tempting to think they'd rather not, insofar as books are made of paper). But it was hard not to think of Pakenham's gargantuan gingko as a thundering encouragement for my little tree's stressed-out, brown-fringed leaves and spindly trunk.
For one thing, Japanese Buddhists believe the gingko, not the Bo tree of India, was the tree under which Buddha found enlightenment.
If lore doesn't thrill, Pakenham serves up history and science. For example, a gingko 800 yards from the epicenter of Hiroshima threw up new sprouts even after the atomic bomb hit.
But enough about gingkos. In this book, the reader will meet a panoply of the world's most amazing creatures: General Sherman, a mega-giant sequoia in California that weights 1,500 tons and is probably the largest living thing on Earth; ancient teapot-shaped African baobabs out of a Dr. Suess illustration; the leaning Italian cypress said to have been planted by St. Francis; wind-lashed cypresses clinging to the rocky California coast; great oaks with hollows where 20 people can sit down to a banquet; bristlecone pines now into their fifth millennium of existence.
Some of these magnificent trees are near roadsides or chained off in parks, all but ignored by passersby. The wonder of this book is that it tunes the mind to the low-frequency, centuries-long chords only these creatures can hear. Looking at trees that have lived the better part of a millennium make you wonder whether there will be a California -- the home of a disproportionate number of these giants -- or a Lansing in 1,000 years.
My bet's on Lansing, which is far less likely to slip into the ocean before my gingko grows up.