North America Books

This book isn't just about making bows. It has a great section on making bow strings from primative materials or modern ones. Includes design of stings, types, features. Great to learn to make a string for that bow you just made.

This book is written by several experts and is essentially a compilation of individual articles, each of which is outstanding in the detail of the direction given. However, for a person seeking to make a particular bow, all 3 books of the series are needed and there is not an orderly progression. Just count on buying all three, reading them all, making decisions based on what you've learned, and then picking chapters to help you as you go along.

Great book this has all of the details of making a good bow and more. I am very pleased with its content and recomend all three volumes.

This volume is very explicative and not lost any details of his points. All the volumes makes a great help, and even a single powerfull source of information, to anyone who want to make the finest traditional bows, i recomend !

If someone need to know all regarding archery and bow-making has to buy all these 3 volumes. Here you can find a huge quantity of informations and suggestions regarding it.
The books are also improved with a lot of imagines.
Andreas from Italy

I picked this book up for a little bit of light reading when I visited the Grand Canyon last week. It is a "teen" reader, but I found it really enjoyable. It's an easy read like a "Harry Potter" novel. It's a definite page turner.

I enjoyed the novel because it explores the questions to why the Native Americans who lived in the cliff dwellings of Walnut Canyon left and where they may have gone. Shortly after finishing this novel, I visited Mesa Verde National Park and explored the Balcony house. The ranger's talk explored many of the same theories that the book's story is based upon.

A few years ago my mom got me this book for my birthday, and I thought I'd try it out. It turned out to be the best book I have ever read, and I am not exagerating! I have read it every year since I got it, and I strongly suggest you read it, and realize what I'm talking about. The adventure and suspense is great, as well as the dialogue and strong characters you will want to meet. Take my word for it, once you pick it up, you'll never want to put it down!

The book I've read is called the "Walker of Time". The reading level is not too hard and not too easy. I would recommend this book to the people who like reading adventure books. As you read through this book, it gives you a good atmosphere and you will feel like you are in the story. This story is based on time travelling. The main character is called Walker or Wayma in Hopi language. Walker had to travel and confront dangerous situation. He had to travel to find out about the time travelling. As he travels through in the story, he finds new companies. Such as when Walker was blackout because of the thunderstorm and when he woke up the first thing he saw was this white American called Tag. After that he met flute maiden and more like white rabbit and the eagle. This story is like "Wizard Of Oz" because as he travel he met new friends.This book is kind of a gentle, flowing of ideas.After all, if you are a real adventure book reader, you should get a copy of "Walker of Time".

My dad bought this book for me a few years ago and I didn't think i would like it but i tried it out anyway. it was the best book ever. i lent it out to so many people that i never got it back but everyone who read it loved it.

I have just read a book called walker of time and it was amazing.
I would recommend it for people aged from 10 to 50.

It is about a Hopi indian boy called Walker who travels back in time 600 years. While he is travelling back in time a young white boy manages to get zapped back as well. Walker knows he's been sent back for a reason, but what??

It is half an adventure and half a sad story.

I honor the author Susanne Blake in her sharing her story of her paths beginning. She graciously allows the reader to travel with her down her path and share her experiences. I highly recommend this enlightened book to anyone who is awakening to thier path, who realizes coincendences are more then mere chance. I for one am waiting anxiously for her next book ! Love and Light Susanne..... hugs !

Susanne has enabled us to be an audience to a true story of healing, recovery and hope. "When Spirit Speaks" shows us that the life of miracles and peace are here for all of us.... if we only reach out and believe. As one of the characters in this book I know first hand that a Spirit-filled life is available to us all......

We all search for meaning and wholeness. In "When Spirit Speaks" Susanne Blake explains how we can find balance as we learn the lessons we need in order to become whole. Encouraging us to be ourselves and go forward without fear, Susanne's openness and honesty shine through as she describes her involvement in Native American beliefs and rituals. Through the telling or her personal story she enables us to focus on the truths of our own spiritual journey.

"When Spirit Speaks" is a joy to read and offers insight into how we too can draw on spiritual forces to help us with our lives.

Few accounts meld mystical and practical aspects of one woman's life as does this courageous journal. The author's journey through Christianity and Native American Spirituality reveals that these worlds do co-exist peacefully and beautifully. This is a freeing and self-affirming message to one denied cultural and racial knowledge and pride while living in the dominant society.

This is one of those books that I started reading years ago, and set aside - not because I didn't like it, but because I got distracted. It surfaced recently and I finished it in only a few days. The story in this book pulls no punches. The author portrays herself as a real, fallable woman on a path of connection with Spirit. The experiences and wisdom shared in this book came to me just at the time I most needed to read them. Spirit spoke to me through this book.

This very fine history of North America covers 10,000 or so years of exploration and settlement all in one volume. It is written in a clear, concise prose, and although it is loaded with facts and anecdotes it is never dry. Morgan starts out by describing the peopling of North America via the Bering land bridge. Then he moves into the stories of the European explorers and early settlers, and how they deal with the Native Americans. After many hardships and failures, the Spanish end up with permanent settlements in the south, the French in the north and the English on the Atlantic Coast. Morgan then describes the emergence of the Americans and how they eventually dominate the continent and displace Europeans and Native Americans alike.

I highly recommend this if you enjoy American history.

Beginning with the passage of people across the Bering Strait, Wilderness at Dawn : The Settling of the North American Continent takes us through the westward expansion of the United States. Carefull attention is given to the Spanish, French and British influences on the American way of life. An excellent and concise reference for anyone interested in North American History. Easy to read, and full of real life history

Breathtaking approach to a well known subject. History from the people's viewpoint. No dull dates, battles, generals, presidents; but living, breathing stories by and of the most unique and most common. Must also read Shovel of Stars, the sequel (also 10)

Ted Morgan's "Wilderness at Dawn" is one of the best of a crop of North American colonial histories published since 1990. Rather than a comprehensive history, it is a series of incidents that add up to a very readable whole. Morgan begins with pre-Columbian history and goes on to relate the experiences of the Spanish, French, Dutch, and various flavors of English colonies. One of my favorite stories is how the godly Pilgrims found themselves neighbors to a riotous colony led by one Thomas Morton. Before Miles Standish put their rivals out of business, Morton's drunken crew traded guns and booze to the Indians in exchange for beaver pelts and sexual favors. Anyone who believes history is boring has not read Ted Morgan's and other recent works about the American colonies. The last section of this book addresses the problems of post-Revolutionary War colonization, including chapters about the appalling dangers of trans-Appalachian settlement and about how the Old Northwest was surveyed.

Reading these first person accounts of day-to-day and moment-to-moment life in pre-Colonial America gave me such an appreciation for what our predecessors went through to make our country the great one it is today. This is the book our children should read in their American history classes. Exceptionally well-written, with a "you are there" feel to it. Makes me want to learn more about the young George Washington after reading about his escape from the center of the freezing river. Well-written, entertaining and informative. I'm lapsing into cliches, but this book is a MUST READ. Just brilliant. You'll admire the everyday people who built our country one day at a time, and never tire of reading about their adventures. I hated to see it end, so thank God there's a sequel!

If you buy this book because the title might indicate it is an overall look at the banjo, its playing, its musics, and its place in society, that is not what this book is or pretends to be.

This is a history of the physical development of the banjo and its construction and manufacture during the 19th Century. There are some small references to the different musics the instrument was used for, but not many. There is elaborate and detailed discussion of the main lines of construction of the banjos during this period. The authors also write well and thoroughly about the business dynamics of the chief producers
of the banjo during the 19th Century.

While this book is obviously the work of two of leading banjo collectors in the world and of interest to banjoists and instrument makers of all kinds, it is an important picture of America social and economic history as well. Someone interested in the rise and development of capitalist industry, fetishism of "the finer things in life" by the middle class, and how culture wars were waged in the 19th Century would profit from reading this book.

For the artistically inclined there are a number of beautiful plates of 19th Century Banjos as works of art. It is clear that the authors priviledge the decoration and physical beauty of the instruments as much as they do the instruments "playability."

This work is great in itself. I found it very readable and believe someone who did not know much about banjos would also find this readable.

If you are interested in the social and cultural history of the instrument to the present day, what you need is
That Half-Barbaric Twang: The Banjo in American Popular Culture Culture by Karen Linn.

If you are interested in the African origin of the instrument, its development from African playing styles, as well as the roots of contemporary "frailing" and clawhammer and much else about the musical tradition of the banjo, especially as used in traditional folk music try African Banjo Echoes in Appalachia: A Study of Folk Traditions by Cecelia Conway. Both books are available here on Amazon

At last, another important book has emerged to stand with the few other necessary references on early American 5-string banjos.

Unlike the two fine Tsumura books which are primarily photographic essays of considerable magnitude, Gura and Bollman's treatise combines a highly readable and informed history with a remarkable collection of rare antique photographs and ephemera plus 4 lengthy sections of recent photographs of exquisite instruments and banjo related objects. Any one of these three aspects would be sufficient reason to own the book.

The frequently startling and personal photographs impart a very human feeling as we progress through the story of the evolution of the banjo in American culture. Amazingly, they represent just a minor fraction of Jim Bollman's immense collection.

Special praise is due Peter Szego for his magnificent photographs of the wonderful early banjos from his own collection.

I find it hard to remain objective as I turn the pages and imagine what it must have been like to pose for one of those Dageurreotypes, rudely dressed, banjo in hand, daring the photographer to capture my soul. And again, when I turn to that favorite Boucher or Fairbanks banjo and long to feel and play it.

Well done, gentlemen, and thank you!

James Bollman's collection of banjos and banjo memorabilia is stunning and this volume may be the only way in which I would ever be able to view it in my home a photograph at a time. The history is a resource for historians and reenactors alike. The vintage photos are mostly ones I've never seen before. This collection has the most vintage photos of lady banjo players I have ever seen. The 1860's photo of a young woman playing the banjo on page 93 has enough detail for a reenactor to duplicate her dress and accessories as well as her banjo. The same is true of an 1895 photograph of a woman playing a Fairbanks Electric. The turn of the century all woman banjo band on page 10 is inspiring. It's great to know that there have always been lady banjo players and these photos give the lady reenactor a place to start when planning a period costume to go with a period banjo. There is a section of breath taking color plates in this book that allow you not only to see detail on some rare banjos, but also depict antique banjo clocks and memorabilia. I never knew such pieces existed until this book. A great book and a must have for anyone interested in vintage instruments and pickers.

As a banjo player of some twenty-five years experience, as well as a historic interpreter/performer of Early American music, all I can say is that this is the book that I've been waiting for! This well-researched, well-written, beautifully illustrated tome doesn't just give us an interesting history of the banjo; it offer us a fascinating view of the instrument's pivotal role in the birth of American "pop" music.

My favorite features of the book are the antique period photographs, as well as the many wonderful illustrations of authentic period instruments and ephemeria, primarily from the extensive personal collection of the book's authors and fellow collectors such as Peter Szego. The majority of the 19th century photos depicted belong to author Jim Bollman, whose home can best be described as a museum and shrine to the banjo. I'm also a collector of vintage photos of musicians and I can tell you there's no one more respected in the field than Jim. His name is constantly invoked with awe and reverence by both dealers and other collectors. I have to admit there were times at photo shows when I've had cause to harbor some unkindly thoughts towards Jim every time it had become that he had scored all the best photos. However, purchasing this book, which contains many of those incredible unattainable photos, more than makes up for that.

My only complaint about "America's Instrument..." is its failure to really explore the banjo's African roots other than to briefly quote Dena Epstein's pioneering work on the subject. Also, the authors are mistaken in their statements that the African ancestors of the banjo, such as the xalam, "lack the shortened string on the top of the fingerboard that is characteristic of later banjos." In fact, the xalam has three "chanterelles" (drone strings) of various lengths above the two long melody strings. A cursory look at the xalam illustrated in the book would reveal that.

Be that as it may, I highly recommend "America's Instrument...!"

If one were to collect instruments, art and ephemera to organize and document an exhibition about the banjo, a good place to start would be to review Gura's and Bollman's "America's Instrument: The Banjo in the Nineteenth Century." This impressive book actually seems like a comprehensive companion to a museum's exhibition which could have the same name, and I could envision such a treatise being a museum gift shop's best-seller.

James Bollman is recognized as one of our Nation's foremost banjo collectors, and his outstanding assortment of Victorian-era banjos and related paraphernalia is one of the finest in the world. He was very pivotal as a project consultant to the fine exhibition that took place in 1984 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology called "Ring the Banjar!: The Banjo in America from Folklore to Factory," curated by Robert Lloyd Webb. That exhibit's catalogue had some wonderful information, photographs and illustrations. After seeing it, I was personally inspired to research and write an article about "Banjos at the Smithsonian Institution" which subsequently appeared in Bluegrass Unlimited magazine (Vol. 27, No. 5, November, 1992).

Philip Gura, historian and Professor of English and American Studies at the University of North Carolina, is an expert in the history and culture of America's music industry. I found Gura's 2003 charming book, "C.F. Martin and His Guitars 1976-1873," to be well-researched, thoughtfully written, beautifully illustrated, and professionally executed.

In "America's Instrument: The Banjo in the Nineteenth Century," Gura and Bollman begin by documenting the banjo's evolution from the plantation to the stage. An interesting overview of the minstrel tradition and early performers is given. The authors show how the popularity of banjos increased, largely due to effective marketing. As the banjo made its way from the minstrel stage to Victorian parlors and concert halls, the physical development of the instrument was also affected. Part III of the book addresses "selling the banjo to all America," focusing on the efforts of Philadelphia's S.S. Stewart. It's interesting that Stewart's adoption of the "cause" of the banjo (nothing short of everything about it) set him apart from other makers. The book's fourth part, "manufacturing the real thing," delves into how the Boston banjo makers (Fairbanks, Cole) began to challenge Stewart's preeminence in the mid-1880s and eventually design and build the acknowledged standards of the banjo world.

Ragtime is given cursory treatment in this book. Another direction that banjo music took was into classical music, and the book could have devoted something to that incarnation of the instrument. I found it curious that this book makes no mention of Alfred A. Farland, "the progressive banjoist," who caused quite a stir in the banjo world in the mid-1890s when he played concertos, Beethoven sonatas, and even Rossini's "William Tell Overture" on the instrument. He was also known as the "Scientific Banjoist of Pittsburgh, Pa."

It also becomes quite apparent that the major banjo makers in the late 19th Century were located mainly in the urban north, and the great majority of major makers are discussed. However, this book should have at least acknowledged J.B. Schall, from Chicago, who built a large number of banjos about 1870-1907. Of a list of manufacturers of "classic" banjos in Akira Tsumura's "Banjos: The Tsumura Collection," most are addressed. Rettberg & Lange (New York 1897-1929) aren't mentioned, and only very brief mention is made of Weymann & Son (who made banjos in Philadelphia from 1864-1935) and Charles Bobzin (who operated in Detroit from 1892-1915).

While this book is beautifully laid out with over 250 illustrations, some of the very special banjos featured in the MIT exhibition, at the Smithsonian Institution, and in private collections such as Akira Tsumura's or David Vachon's, might have further enhanced Gura and Bollman's book. Some of the instruments are credited as from the collection of Peter Szego or Philip Gura, and the other uncredited photographs are apparently from the extensive collection of James Bollman. While the many full page color illustrations are definitely nice, perhaps the book could've added many more by placing two to four per page. Banjo afficinados typically enjoy such "eye candy," and photos speak a thousand words.

Keep in mind that this book only covers the banjo in the 19th Century. There is a cursory link to the banjo in the 20th Century, and there's only minor mention of firms such as Gibson, Paramount, Bacon and Day, and Weymann. While the authors state that "the stories of these companies and their instruments are fairly well known and...belong to the history of the new century," I hope that Gura and Bollman will consider pulling all these tales together into a sequel that documents the banjo in the Twentieth Century. All in all, they've done a very fine job covering a hundred years of the instrument's early history in America. Banjo-players and others interested in the instrument's history should certainly add this book to their library. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

This is a great book!! It is well worth your money. If you are planning a vaction, then buy this book. It has theme parks from Disney to Universal Orlando, to Cedar Point, all of the Paramount Parks and many, many more!! The ultimate guide to rollercoasters is this book!!

I had gone to the conference with much knowledge about the subject. I was told about the book from there. Could I have obtained it, I would have been the top in the list of performers.

This book is a must for all amusement park fans. It gives all the information you would need to have a fun and exciting day at any park in the U.S. or Canada. Mr. O'Brien has done a masterful job of helping you plan your visit by giving the operating times as well as the best rides and shows. There is also a listing of all the roller coasters in the park. His vivid description of the park gives you the feeling of being there. I would recommend this guide book to anyone planing a trip to an amusement park in the future.

This is, truly, the bible of amusement park guides. I am always amazed at its thorough coverage of parks, both large and small, in the United States and Canada - is there an international edition in the works??? If so, put me on the list of buyers.

It's difficult to think of a park that isn't listed here - from the mainstream parks such as Disneyworld and Universal, to the tiny, neighborhood parks such as Weona and Nelly Bly, they're all here, and beautifully documented. Signature rides are listed for each park - from the big, modern coasters, to the rarer flats. As a huge fan of Flying Scooters and Lusse Auto Skooters (you fellow park nuts will know what I'm talking about, here), I love that such rides are included. Park histories are here, as well, for all of us preservationists.

Directions, websites, and further information are included for the parks, also, which greatly helps if one wishes to visit a park. Also, common-sense tips for park visitors are here, as well as little-known secrets that assist with getting around a park to the greatest efficiency.

I was fortunate enough to find this book while visiting Knoebels Grove (the best park in America, as far as I'm concerned), and couldn't put it down during the entire ride home. It's addictive, informative, and, well, a must-have. What with the summer practically here, run, don't walk, and get your copy NOW.

This book is just awesome...it reviews over 350 theme parks, amusement parks, and waterparks all over the U.S. and Canada, providing everything you'd want to know about every park...the great roller coasters and other thrill rides, costs, operation schedule, directions, special tips, insider facts and trivia, historical milestones, etc. Also gives phone numbers and website addresses for each park. The author is a life-long park expert and senior editor of a major park industry publication...he really seems to know his stuff, and he injects some fun and personality into the book. It's a great guide to use to plan your park trips and to carry with you for quick reference. It's also fun to to sit down and read through it because it gives so much interesting trivia on the parks. Just a fantastic, authoratative, fun, easy-to-use resource on parks.

I have had experience with many other oracles, including The I-Ching, Geomancy, Tarot, Scrying and the observation of patterns in the natural world.

The Ancestor's Path is an incredible divinatory method. When the Paths are explored with the proper state of mind, when you use the oracle with proper ceremony, it can reveal stunning insights into your state of conciousness.

I have made difficult decisions using the oracular method and have been surprised by its accuracy on more than one occasion.

I highly recommend this system to any person who seeks a Shamanic, tribal interperetation of reality.

The Ancestors' Path is a helpful and fun way to consult "the Oracle", also instructing and educating the player in understanding the world through the Native American "looking glass". The answers to questions about life or any concern at hand will have universal meaning with the lovely flavour of the ancient traditions of this land. I recommend this book and divination game as a splendid gift to give a family member or friend for the Holidays!

I have learned so much of the spirituality of the First Nations Peoples. How they consulted, for instance, the Six Directions. So interesting and so unlike anything that we have in our culture. We have so much to learn from the ancient peoples of our world and this work is such a great step towards aquiring this knowledge. And the game is such a treat!
Thoroughly enjoying it! We are going to buy more for those on our x-mas list!

I love this divination system. It taught me so much about Native American spirituality. More than that, the readings I receive when I "throw" the dice, which are part of the system, impart to me a depth of wisdom that I have rarely received when using other systems. The answers truly cut to the heart of any matter. With the Ancestors' Path, you experience the profound sense that you are, indeed, speaking with elders or ancestors, and that they have your best interests at heart.

I have had experience with many other oracles, including The I-Ching, Geomancy, Tarot, Scrying and the observation of patterns in the natural world.

The Ancestor's Path is an incredible divinatory method. When the Paths are explored with the proper state of mind, when you use the oracle with proper ceremony, it can reveal stunning insights into your state of conciousness.

I have made difficult decisions using the oracular method and have been surprised by its accuracy on more than one occasion.

I highly recommend this system to any person who seeks a Shamanic, tribal interperetation of reality.

The mission of IHS to promote and ensure that the Native Americans/Alaska Natives receive the best possible health care available. The network of SOME Commission Corp and higher up management officials have at their disposal the IHS to abuse their positions and inflict harm on faithful IHS employees. Ii commend you Mr. Burns on your book. I as an Indian female IHS employee have felt the RATH of IHS and have filed EEO's MSPB,Whistleblow, Office of Special Counsel complaints and no protection is offered to complantants for reprisal. This insanity, misappropriation of funds, abuse of positions and harassment of any form needs to stop. Short of a congressional hearing no one, not even Donna Shalala, seem to care about the abuse within IHS. When all administrative channels are followed, and still nothing is done, What is next? If you want a best-seller write about the complantants who suffer and lose their livelihood and years of dedicated service to managers directors who abuse their positions. People are willing to give you their stories. The only Mission these directors/managers have at heart is their own, a mission of illegal tactics.

I am calling all American Indians especially women to come forward and contact Amazon Books to tell their stories of EEO violations and management's abuse of power. Without Amazon, Indian women would continue to suffer in silence. The book is real! How can the Indian Health Service mistreat Indian women. Shame on you Indian Health Service.

When I consider how the Public Health Service has treated Native women, I am so disgusted and outraged by the white male agenda of hatred that I could scream. To think that Native women were FORCED into sterilization! It is just so typical of the white male government. As a radical feminist woman of european descent, I am OUTRAGED by the way the Native population has been treated. Apparently our government thinks that their suffering is just some sort of big joke. Let's remember, then, that someday white males will need affirmative action!

This book needs much wider exposure. Finally the Native people and especially Native women have an advocate.

There are others, for example, the elderly Native population and young Native people who are also suffering, unfortunately, from IHS's inability to meet the health needs of the Native People.

The IHS Director continues to allow and tolerate inter-office romantic affairs especially those between married staff. I can name names of Headquarters and Area staff who have had affairs still ongoing or within the past 4 years that include: Area Directors, Executive Officers, and Division Directors (all males). My next review will contain the names and this time it is not fiction.

Richard Schwartz paints a picture of Berkeley in words that transports you back in time. Interesting and lively, the stories show life around the turn of the 20th century. Even for people who don't live in the Berkeley area, the characters and pictures are fascinating. A must-read for anyone who wants a sense of how life really was around 1900.

This book really gave me a different perspective on Berkeley, the geography and the people. The way the information was delivered brought the book to life and added depth. It is not in any way a "typical" history book. The vignettes about the people made the time period approachable and real. A must read for anyone who has ever been to or lived in Berkeley.

Just a few words to tell you how much I enjoyed "Berkeley 1900." I saw
pictures about a past I never knew existed. It gave me an appreciation of
Berkeley I never thought I would have. Prior to seeing the book, I thought
Berkeley was just a bunch of pinkos.
jake

This compilation of hundreds of newspaper articles shows a small town at a point in its evolution. Berkeley, California is now a well known city throughout the USA, but it started out from humble beginnings. Each article reveals something different about its people, its society and movements and norms of the day.

I expecially enjoyed items such as these:

Chapter 18. Saloons and the Temparance Movement. "Scientists. . .reported that daily indulgence in beer would result in a mental state akin to criminal insanity. . ." Fascinating stuff.

Then dive into Chapter 19. Milk, the Problem. In a creamery's advertisement one can learn "Absolutely pure country milk and cream from healthy cows and fed in a well-ventilated and sanitary barn -- fed on only the best food obtainable."

Just slices of 100 year old life in Berkeley. . .

Some historians avoid the controversal events of history. Richard Schwartz's book paints a realistic view of of life in Berkeley, California at the turn of the century.

From articles condemning dairymen for not giving their milk cows the tuberculin test, to stories about organizations forming to discriminate against Asians in the city, Schwartz tells it all, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

A great portion of the book is devoted to "human interest" articles. There are stories that deal with fires, ferries, and the conflicts between horses and the new automobiles.

Richard's book is filled with interesting articles, artwork, newspaper ads, and photo's. It makes a great coffee table book, one that can be picked up anytime for a few minutes of exceptional reading.

This is a great addition to any home or collection. This book has the family, species(latin name),length, wingspan, plumage habitat, weight, nesting, and more for over 930 species of North American birds on over 1000 pages.

Just got home from B&N, where I saw this book -- I spent a LOT of time flipping through it ... talk about lust! I must have this book ... must must must. After this review I'll buy it now at [...]. I knew [...] would have it at a discount (no discount on it at B&N), plus this tome is very heavy ... and I already had a stack of books (seriously discounted) that I couldn't part with. I'm not even a serious birder, but I love birds and keep track of those that visit my Brooklyn patio (you'd be amazed at the variety!). Can't wait 'til it shows up ... this is truly a handsome book, chock full of terrific photos and info. Splurge and treat yourself!

If you love birds, you may want to add this book to your collection. Clearly it is not a field guide: too heavy and bulky. It does, however, contain a great deal of information that will help in the never ending quest to find and identify another bird. Each bird listed has a section on song, behavior, breeding habits, nesting, population, and conservation. Flight patterns, nest identification, and habitat are also described iconically. Good range maps are included. The "photos" will not help much in identifying birds, but a complementary guide such as Sibley's can fill in the gap nicely. Place this book on your coffee table, open it often to learn another tidbit about one of those birds you haven't yet seen, and I don't think it will be disappointing.

This book has more information than any other book I own. You will find birds listed here that you won't find elsewhere and the information offered is second to none. Considering the cost of this book, the value is tremendous. You will find common names, scientific names, very specific identification notes and interesting facts on all the birds listed. In the upper right hand corner of each page is a diagram showing the relative size of the bird to the size of this book and this is very helpful. You'll also find information on breeding, nesting and basic behavioral aspects of each listing. I personally recommend this book to any casual or enthusiastic birder.

Birds of North America written by Fred J. Alsop is one of the most complete books on birds of North America that I've seen.

The contents of this book is comprehensive and has a very well-written introduction and a how the book works section, this describes how the books pages are set-up for easy indentification of the birds you find in the wild. The guide to visual references helps again to further refine your classification and a identifing of the bird you've found.

There is an anatomy, topography, and variations sections; also a how to identify birds, birds in flight and by silhouette, but to further hone your indentifing of your birds, there is a behavior, abundance and distribution; classification and how to watch birds in the backyard, along with those in the field.

There is a very fine glossary and index with this book to get the birder to the species you've found. this book classifies birds by species... this I found is the best and fastest way to find and classify to birds you're looking for.

I highly recommend this book for those who really need a book for their birding experience. Along the outside margins of the pages, there is a place for a date, time and location on the page for you when you spot a bird species.

All in all, this is by far, one of the best bird book that I've seen. Excellent choice for a gift for the birder in your family or to get the children involved in what is around them while the are with you on walks through the woods.