North America Books

A must have for writers looking to explore the world of American Indians through Academia. This book makes a great place to start for any writers outside the world of the American Indian because it informs from the perspective necessary to invoke change in the poorly and mainly Euroview of the American experience. The essays are insightful and informative and I found the bibliographies at the ends of each chapter a gift that only research freaks like me could enjoy. Thanks for the direction and how about a Volume 2?

Professor Mihesuah does an excellent job, as writer and editor, promoting a new model for American Indian studies, one more cognizant that the scientific/historical assumptions of the academy are themselves culturally loaded against a just understanding and representation of American Indians. Personally, I think this is true of much modern culture as well; one reason academics have such a hard time figuring out what to do with (and how to talk about) rock and roll, for instance, is that it doesn't quite fit the categories western civilization has developed so far. This is a fine collection of essays, one that should be required reading for all PhD candidates in the humanities.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read. The book addressed the issue of disrespecting the oral tradition of American Indian cultures by writing about them. This is something that has concerned me, especially as I look into continuing my studies through a PhD program.

Aside from the excellent job Professor Mihesuah does (both as writer and editor) in presenting the case for creating a different model for understanding American Indian history and culture, the essays here offer a much needed balance to academic presumptions about the primacy of scientific (as it were) fact. Should be required reading for all Ph.D. candidates in the humanities.

I read this some time ago and still think this is one of the most fast paced, interesting and exciting books that I have read. I thought it ranked right in there with "The Da Vinci Code" as I couldn't put it down. Excellent story line, character development and vivid descriptions that place you in the midst of the story, scene and characters. It is a very "visual" book with descriptions so well written that you really feel like you are right there walking the paths with the characters. Along with native lore, there are some steamy sections so get out your fans too. Ron Howard, this would make for one dynamite movie!

I found this book a delight. The story was strong as were the characters, with excellent and compelling writing. It was fascinating to be caught up with the native American Indian way of life and quite an eye opener for a Brit like myself who normally only writes and reads thrillers. Well done Mr. George.

'A New Dawn' - Jake George defines what Native American culture is. It is not the same today as it was a thousand years ago - even a hundred years ago - where in Native American life, justice is served for an evil.

The saga continues from Jake George's book, 'Grandfather's Song'.

Using authentic Native words, 'A New Dawn', Jake George forges a successful alliance between the Above World and the Old World. Jake gives his Native voice to his People.

Character development is very strong. The relationship between Running Woman and Crying Woman holds a very special place in my own heart. Custom is true to the instructions given; how to survive in harsh climates, a sense of community, herbal medicine and doctoring and authentic Native tools of survival.

Jake incorporates a spellbinding transformation, a guise of human to animal and back to human shapeshifting through the characters Elder Fawn and Elk Caller.

Jake George has written a phenomenal account of a Native American adventure. 'A New Dawn' is rich in spiritual energy which reflects old-world Native values and survival ties with the land to restore peace to a troubled world.

'A New Dawn' makes its way into modern-day Indian communities to emerge a new generation to sustain cultural identity and respect for being Native American.

The name on this book, 'A New Dawn' in the absolute highest spiritual sense, is an educational gift on behalf of all Native American tribes.


~Sage Sweetwater, firebrand lesbian novelist, author of Blue Corn Woman, edited by Jake George

'A New Dawn' is a smooth transition from the novel 'Grandfather's Song' by Jake George. We plunge into the 'Old World' where the Lenape and other tribes have chosen to travel to in order to help return the balance between man and nature that has fallen apart in the 'Above World'. The tribes must struggle to adapt, for many have forgotten the old ways or long for the life they left behind.

There's an environmental and 'life lessons' theme pulsing through the novel, but it is far from being preachy. The interaction between the characters is fast-paced and extremely engaging. Those who have returned to the Old World do not have a completely peaceful existence. In fact, there are brutal murders and deep seeded problems that must be solved, many of them involving great sacrifice by some members of the tribe.

I thoroughly enjoyed this sequel! The setting, characters and blend of Native American traditions simply flows along in a swift current of vigorous language. Jake George has a vision and an obvious love for the Lenape People that shines through in his writing. His tense action scenes and tight dialogue has an edgy quality that reminds me of some of my favorite westerns. The graphic torture scenes, erotica, and some harsh language, etc. cautions 'mature audiences only'. Adult readers new to Jake George novels will find their appetites craving more...

Chrissy K. McVay
Author of award winning novel 'Souls of the North Wind'

This book gives very concise and complete directions to the locations of the places listed. Not only was I able to find every location that I wanted to see and with little or no problem, but also there were good places to eat and other things to do along the way.The accuracy in the distances from the starting points to the destinations is so good that with care there is almost no chance of getting lost. Obviously the authors took great care to be accurate in their discriptions and directions and have written a book that is a real joy to use. I look forward to using other guides by the same authors as I know the will be correct in their information.

This is the best series of travel books about New England that I have found. It is easy to read with information I haven't found in other travel books. The New Hampshire book didn't disappoint. It is up to the standard I expect from this series.

This book gives very concise and complete directions to the locations of the places listed. Not only was I able to find every location that I wanted to see and with little or no problem, but also there were good places to eat and other things to do alone the way.The accuracy in the distances from the starting points to the destinations is so good that with care there is almost no chance of getting lost. Obviously the authors took great care to be accurate in their discriptions and directions and have written a book that is a real joy to use. I look forward to using other guides by the same authors as I know the will be correct in their information.

Spent a week in the White Mtns and used the book extensively. Most interesting was "discovering" the old Mineral Springs resort in Conway. Book was well written, concise maps and directions were very clear. This book, combined with a good road map and a general guidebook make touring NH very enjoyable.

This is a well written and very informative book about the survival of a tenacious people and about a part of the hidden history of the state of New Mexico. I would recommend it to any one interested in Jewish history, Sephardic Judaism, Crypto-Jews, Spanish culture and New Mexico history.

The written word with photos gives us some historic background of jews who came from Spain, because of being persecuted. While they gave up their jewish religion, we find out that many rituals were kept and practiced. Fasinating book.

The culmination of years of heartfelt, dedicated work by a fine artist, the photographs reveal the depth and complexity of this story with beauty and true humanity.

I'll admit I am biased but this book finally puts a real human face on this southwest phenomena. Haunting images of a living glimmer of an almost forgotten people. Cary Herz performs a mitzvah by remembering us and in a small way provides help along the road to redemption of this small remnant.

I was originally given an expected delivery time of 3-4 weeks. The book arrived in just over a week. It was packed well and arrived in pristine shape.
Overall - an excellent experience that I'll be willing to repeat.

5 stars for a beginner who has never kept an aquarium, 3 stars for everyone else. The first half of this book covers the basics, which was of no use to me. The second half of the book covers the fish, and is pure gold, I just wish there was more of it.

This is not a book to buy for the pictures, the photography is nothing to get excited about. Most of the pictures are small with poor color reproduction.

this book is a throw back in many ways. Much like the old Innes books , Schleser's book starts out with the fundamentals. Topics like why to keep natives, fish taxonomy, conservation issues, collecting information, aquarium keeping tips and such cover the first 8 chapters. I like that. It starts the reader off right with a good foundation. Instead of just dumping you into a glossy book of pretty pictures of fish , this book starts you off with the how's and the why's of native fish keeping. This old fashioned nuts and bolts approach gives the reader a better chance to become a conservation minded Aquarist instead of just a pet store consumer. For Conservation efforts to be a success it must reach the grassroots level. The average person must be able to apply in a practical way, learned conservation ethics. I like to apply my housewife from Dubuque Iowa test to any book about collecting and keeping fish. If a housewife (or hubby) can read this book and apply it to activities with their local youth group, school or their own children then this book is a success. Well following my Dubuque test , this book is winner.

After 8 chapters of the basics , chapter 9 is all about fish. It breaks the fish down into basic types and goes into excellent detail about suitable aquarium species within each genus. Almost 100 pages is spent highlighting North America's unique aquatic heritage. Beautiful and obscure fish like the banded pygmy sunfish, dollar sunfish, gulf darter , Flagfin shiner , Fundulus Chrysotus , brindeled madtom and scores of other unloved North American fishes get the exposure they deserve . Full color photo's , range maps and rearing information follow each species. If you are interested in Longear Sunfish for example (page 139) you get 2 pages of great information , 3 photo's of the various strains out there and the basic information to keep , rear and enjoy this temperate fish. That's the kind of stuff anyone interested in Native Fish wants needs and got's to have. Get this book it's a winner.

Dave Schelser has done it again. His "Native Fish" book covers just about everything the enthusiast could want to know. Schelser describes everything from setting up the aquarium, to collection, feeding, and disease. A worthy sequel to his book "Pirahna: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual," also published by Barron's. All 133 photographs are taken by Schelser himself, whether in the wild or in the lab. One would never guess there were so many small but amazingly attractive fish native to North America without reading this book. Bravo Dave!!

Great stuff. Good information - BUT, what has been of the most use to me is the maps - I've used it in many presentations...tremendous information, looking forward to the new addition.

This book gives a very good description of pinot in the USA. It cuts through all the stereotypes assoiciated with growing and making pinot noir, and gives warm-climate growers a second look.

Ever since the movie "Sideways," it's been easy to love pinot and to know why. Like the movie's characters, pinot noir (the grape) is unpredictable, occasionally brilliant, often bad and otherwise given to fits and starts of temperment and quirkiness. John Haeger's "North American Pinot Noir" is the backstory. From the grape's historic evolution (probably in Burgundy) to it's spread through North America's most marginal winelands, the pinot story on our continent is one of renegade artisinal winemakers living and dying with fickle vintages and improvised technology and, ultimately, winning the grudging respect of Burgundy's barons. This encyclopedic account starts with the plant, it's natural history (habits, pests, preferences and all) and progresses all the way through it's best products -- the wines themselves. The tasting notes are extensive and regrettably bounded in time, but they offer acclaim to some great vintages and some great vintners. As the book ages, the notes themselves will only serve to remind most of us of what we missed. But as a survey of pinot's great American terroirs and their beautiful fruits, the book confers rich knowlege and a deep sense of why this grape matters. The book is the University of Pinot Noir. For graduate school, find a place that you like -- Dundee HIlls or Santa Maria Bench -- and proceed to the advanced seminars they offer.

As a part-time wine instructor and wine enthusiast, I'm always looking for good resources to share as well as for my own use. This book is simply outstanding: the writing is clear, there is more information than you could ever possibly use, but you don't feel like you're drowning in irrelevant junk. Bravo!

This is a fantastic book on nature in North America. The pictures are large and glossy, and the pages are thick. Somehow they cover every animal in North America with a large picture, and some writing. It is written smoothly, however, and isn't like a catalogue. The information provided is not too much, nor too little. Just the perfect information. It is a large book. 14 inches in length, and 12 inches in width. So the pictures are huge, as is the text. A must have for nature lovers.

For an oversized visual approach packing in color photo close-ups of North American wildlife, David Jones' title can't be beat: it pairs delightful full-page color photos with natural history, descriptions of research studies and findings, and protection routines, creating a catalog of wildlife which draws readers in with fine color and completes the education task with plenty of facts. As suitable for high school holdings as for public libraries, NORTH AMERICAN WILDLIFE is simply gorgeous.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This is an amazing book. I could sit for hours and stare at the wonderful photography. It is a visual masterpiece!

This would be the kind of book you will want to read when you don't want to think too much about what you are reading. You just breeze through the pages admiring the photography and the occasional useful insight into the animal kingdom...and, believe me, there are a lot of pages. This is a big book and definitely an excellent read for anyone fascinated by nature and wildlife.

Already have an Atlas, topo CD set of Northeast, Garmin GPS Vista with topo/street maps. Once I found these Gazetteers, I bought one for every state in New England and New York. Each of the above provide different levels of information and alternative routes and access to various locations, often places with no direct road or trails. The gazatteers provide fast detail access to areas in question over the GPS or atlas and are invaluable to me while in the vehical. Although, the GPS is my lifeline away from the vehical, the gazatteers are large and not weather resistant.

You really cannot go wrong with the Atlas Gazetteer from Delorme. Especially if you are flying into Jackson, MS and planning to drive around half(literally) the state on all sorts of back roads trying to find streams, creeks, etc.

I wanted to get this atlas, especially to help us find places to go camping and hiking.. It's not always easy to find campgrounds or primitive campsites (since they're not always located in clearly identified campgrounds), so having these detailed maps is very useful for that. We recently used the atlas when we camped in the Catskill Mountains region, and I was glad we had these maps to help us out.

We have come to rely on the Gazetteer series for general navigation when an Internet connection is not available. My husband purchased the New York version for a business trip and found it to provide exactly the information he needed.

I had to travel to Oklahoma for a business trip, and as i often do i like to spend a extra day seeing some of the local sites. I took a side trip to Guthrie, and really had a slice of history wich was just what i was looking for. I would have never done this, if i had not read this book. So for me, it was a gem.

The charm of this book is the way the author describes the history and background of the state. It is more than just facts. Her descriptions of the state make one want to go to Oklahoma!

Oklahoma doesn't get much tourist attention, so a guidebook to the pleasures of traveling there is most welcome. This is far from a complete guide, but rather a potpourri of places to visit, eat, and stay.

The book divides Oklahoma into seven regions and covers the attractions of each region, especially in small towns and rural areas. Down-home, long-established restaurants and bed-and-breakfasts are well-described. Sidebars sprinkled liberally through the text provide a historical overview of Oklahoma, especially of its cowboy and Indian heritage.

There is no Grand Canyon or Yosemite in Oklahoma. The natural attractions are modest. For those from more congested states, the charm of Oklahoma is open empty country and friendly people, clear blue skies, and weather that is pretty good on the average -- but the weather in Oklahoma is rarely average. "The immensity of the plains can exhilarate or overwhelm travelers," says the author. That's about right. Oklahoma is a good place to take a random drive down a country road. Amidst the endless prairie, the oil wells, and the wheat fields, there's usually a valley oasis of woodland, a rocky mesa, one of Oklahoma's big man-made lakes, or an old town with a restaurant that features chicken-fried steak and mashed potatoes. This book will give you some ideas on places to go and things to do.

Smallchief

This is a well-written book and worthwhile for what it contains, but what it does not include is inexplicable. What about Ada, Queen City of the Chicksaw Nation? It's on the map in the book (as it should be) but no mention of it whatsover in the text. This lovely town is important to Oklahoma's history and worth a visit with its many historic buildings and turn-of-the-century downtown.

This is the wonderful result of one person's five-year dedication to the life of this fascinating bird. Not only is the photography superb, the text is heartfelt and poetic. The organization by region provides a coherent structure for traveling with cranes through their various habitats. A generous gift to all of us who otherwise would not be able to make this journey.

A geo-photographic tribute to America's elusive but elegant cranes, along with their widely diverse habitats. Part journal and part photography book, the author takes the reader on journeys to Alaska (including a breathtaking view of cranes flying past Mt. McKinley) to Florida, from the Central Valley of California to the agricultural plains of Wisconsin. Between, readers are treated to wildlife vistas in the Teton and Yellowstone National Park region, Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in the desert of New Mexico, and the Platte River, which flows through the High Plains of Central Nebraska. Not just a travel documentary, this is the first book of a remarkable young artist, who will dazzle and delight readers with a poetry of cranes as observed through the lens of his camera.

At once a coffee table photo celebration and a natural history, any avid birder should consider photographer Michael Forsberg's On Ancient Wings: The Sandhill Cranes Of North America to be essential reading. The photos alone - full-page color spreads which are gorgeous in their all-season crane portraits - are worth repeated looks, covering cranes in environments from Alaska to Cuba. Then, there's the discourse surveying the natural history and lives of cranes, revealing their interactions with people and their attempts to adapt to a changing natural world. A fine tribute marries natural history and visual display, inviting audiences from natural history students to casual readers to partake.

Michael Forsberg has put together an amazing collection of photos and is a good writer as well. On Ancient Wings shows that it doesn't matter if you've been a pro photographer for 35 years or ten, all that matters is the emotional impact of the photography. There's certain well-known wildlife photographers out there who talk talk talk about how good they think they are and then there's photographers who just are. Forsberg falls in the latter category.