Pacific Books

That's right. I wrote the book about my father's four years in combat. He was in the "Forgotten Battalion," a unit of over 500 Marines of which only seventeen were left standing at the end. Tulagi and Guadalcanal thinned their ranks, many were cut down at Tarawa, Saipan-- more of the same, ditto Guam, then Iwo Jima decimated them further.

But this book is not just about combat; Stanley Holloway met a young woman in New Zealand and fell in love. The book includes letters written while he was slogging through island invasions and she was worried sick about him.

I've had a lot of people tell me they really enjoyed Pacific War Marine. One of my favorite responses came from a Vietnam veteran Marine. He wrote, "I have read many books of the Pacific Campaign and yours was so personal it made me feel like I was a part of the family... very hard to put down. Have read it twice... good detail. Most books of our 'Heroes' are written in documentary form and really do not tell the story."

There it is, shameless promotion of my own book.

This book really made the Pacific ordeal come alive. You feel like you're in the midst of the conflict, with the resultant fear and courage of the young men sent to defend their country. The love story between the principles brings it back to a personal level, reminding us that these young men sacrificed much.

I picked up Pacific War Marine by Clyde Holloway as a Father's Day gift for my father-in-law, a World War II veteran. Before I wrapped the book, I started reading it, and I couldn't put it down until I'd finished this engaging true story that is part personal experience, part history, and part love story. Written by the son of Marine who served in the Pacific during World War II, Pacific War Marine tells how one young Marine managed to stayed alive through endless missions in the Pacific and fell in love with a local beauty while on shore leave in New Zealand. Through actual letters and period photos, the reader is transported back to the 1940s. An excellent read--and a great gift for the veteran in your family.

This book was written by the son of a World War II marine. What really makes this book special is how the author(son), has incorporated the letters written by his father to his future wife. By using these letters he has given a more balanced view of what a "jarhead" had to go thru from both the Marines combat experience to the homefront war time reality. The use of many photos (including personal photos) and his father's wartime memories makes this more than your typical war book. He has captured his father's experiences and has successfully made them come alive for the reader.

A delightful book that turned out to be much more than I expected. My thought when I started reading it was that it was going to just be a guide book for the Vashon area. Although it includes all the useful information one would find in a guide book it mixes it in with stories and experiences that express the personality of the area. It was fun reading and learning through the experiences and adventures of Biffle. This is much better than most guide books where the author lists the launch points, directions etc in a monotone dry robotic fashion. A very easy read that has made me want to meet up with Biffle and experience the waters of Vashon Island. This book takes you along as Biffle paddles around Vashon Island in a series of day trips. The wildlife provide as much of the stories as do some of the characters he meets along the way. This book is entertaining even if you will never get the opportunity to paddle around Vashon.

Biffle French, former US Air Force supersonic jet pilot turned retired IBM Director lives up to his unusual name writing a Kayaking book that offers something for everyone. Hidden in the shallows of French's daily Kayaking forays lie a hidden introduction to the charting of Puget Sound by Captain Vancouver, Mr. Puget and Mr. Whitney and the history of Western expansion. He offers insight into the clear cutting of the Great Northwest Woods, of which Vashon was a part, to build cities in California in the late 1800's. Swimming between modern day paddle trips and historical narratives, French offers a smörgåsbord of information about navigation, aerodynamics, physics, topography, bird migration, tidal changes and the gravitational relationship of the Sun, Earth, and Moon. All this makes for an interesting read, however, the most entertaining aspect of the book lies in the humorous stories about the odd characters French meets along his journeys and his personal insights revealing his own eccentricities. It is a delightful book whether or not you are a kayaking enthusiast and if you are planning any Kayaking around Vashon Island, this is the book to read.

biffle has written a wonderfully entertaining kayaking guide that covers historical and personal experiences of paddling in and around the picturesque vashon island. written in a first person's pov, one has the feeling of being in the cockpit of a sea kayak on a glassy bucolic august Northwest afternoon. a must read.

Rob Casey
Photographer & Kayak Guide
Ballard, Wa

"Paddling the Waters" takes you on several life enriching journeys within its pages. The best part is that the reader need have no knowledge of kayaking in order to partake. Mr. French has integrated science, folklore, humor and love of life into this charming narrative about life in the Pacific Northwest in the 21st century. There are wonderful adventures complete with dangerous encounters as well as beautiful descriptions of wildlife and natural phenomena. There is abundant humor and humility in Mr. French's weaving together the many elements of his life that have landed him on the water in his lime green NC17. The book offers a great depth of scientific knowledge and explanation including numerous maps, charts and graphs - enough to provide any navigator with all the tools one could need to set out successfully on the waters of Puget Sound or anywhere else for that matter. This book offers a complete package, a rich addition to anyone's library.

As to Churchwell's history of Palm Springs, here is what was said by Peter Wild, English Professor at the University of Arizona and author of numerous books on the Southwest. "Two of the most reliable [histories] . . . are Frank Bogert's oversized book . . . ;and my favorite . . . , Mary Jo Churchwell's heartfelt work giving us a generally accurate picture of how much was lost when the village was wrenched into a city."

Mary Jo Churchwell's history of Palm Springs touches on the familiar Palm Springs of old ....a Palm Springs populated by the beautiful people like Bob Hope and Gig Young, Lucy and Desi, and yes, the lovely Miss Dinah Shore. BUT, Churchwell's Palm Springs is so much more: The canyons, the desert wildflowers, corny street and condo names, and above all, the sunshine that just won't quit.

All I can say is WOW! I want all my friends to read it - very moving. This reads as if I'm chatting with an old friend that grew up in Palm Springs as I did. I remembered things I thought I had forgotten. Let's hear more from Mary Jo Churchwell!

If you've dismissed Palm Springs as a soulless wasteland fit only for golfers, gamblers and creaky celebrities, this book will change your mind. With Mary Jo Churchwell as your good-natured guide, you'll discover the things that truly make Palm Springs unique in the world. This is the first book to focus on the area's awesome natural wonders and its bold past populated with writers, eccentrics and explorers. Whether you're a visitor or a lifelong resident, this book will quadruple your enjoyment of this desert town.

If you've dismissed Palm Springs as a soulless wasteland fit only for golfers, gamblers and creaky celebrities, this book will change your mind. With Mary Jo Churchwell as your good-natured guide, you'll discover the things that truly make Palm Springs unique in the world. This is the first book to focus on the area's awesome natural wonders and its bold past populated with writers, eccentrics and explorers. Whether you're a visitor or a lifelong resident, this book will quadruple your enjoyment of this desert town.

I bought this as a gift for someone. However, I got to look through the book and the photography is beautiful!

I read about this book in a local newspaper and was dying to get my hands on it and I was not disappointed. I love palm trees and living in California (southern) we enjoy seeing many types. If you are looking for a reference book or field guide this is not it. It is a gem of a coffee table book that everyone who has sat on my couch has been tempted to thumb through.

While "Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs" does not contain the detailed information that experts and amateur enthusiasts would refer to for guidance or research, it is an esthetic jewel of a book whose magnificent photos render it the perfect "coffee table" item for palm lovers everywhere.

We really like this book. It has a lot of the different types of palm trees in it with beautiful pictures and good, dscriptive information.

Finally -- an all-inclusive source of information for favorite aunties (to stay that way) and god-parents too! Although I have no children, I have scads of nieces and nephews who visit from back east; plus my friends have children who sometimes like hanging out with me (and I with them). For years I have cut articles about "fun places to go" out of newspapers and magazines and stuffed them into drawers, until I have no drawers left. But no more! This fun and well-written guide has it all and is geared specifically to children and their grown-up buddies, not just vacationing families. I especially enjoy the photos taken by the author's children, which prove they really did enjoy these places. Not only do I recommend this guide to vacationing families, I also sing its praises for Southern California adults with young friends and relatives who visit often.

I have found this book to be totally enjoyable, humorous and was extremely helpful when we took our grandkids to visit friends and sightsee in the L.A. area. I have many friends who like to travel and I will certainly recommend this book as a real time saver while in L.A. Excellent!

This book provides all the basics -- sites, how to get there, prices, hours, amenities -- but it also rings true with an air of authenticity and experience. This is a real mom who went to these places with real kids and went through all the same things that everyone goes through -- standing in lines, eating good or bad concession food, trying to give the kids a fun day instead of just wearing them out. We've actually used and benefited from the info in the book and I recommend it wholeheartedly.

Excellent book! Author Kathie Weir describes hundreds of enriching things for parents and children to do in the greater L.A. area. As a longtime resident of southern California, the author has visited most of these sites with her children, so her descriptions include a personal and honest touch; for example, in evaluating one museum, she writes, "Most of the under-twelve set will be happier elsewhere, but if you have one of those super-brainy, bored-with-everything, and a bit off-beat teens, this museum is IT." I liked her warm, down-to-earth writing style. Most of us---who think of famous amusement parks when we think of L.A.---are not aware of the area's wealth of museums, historical sites, wildlife preserves, train rides, gardens, annual events and much more. For instance, I was surprised to learn that Southeast Los Angeles has a Civil War Museum. The Union Army was stationed on the West Coast during the Civil War, and the Officer's Quarters of Drum Barracks now serves as a museum. The book lists many other places as intriguing as this. A Parent's Guide to Los Angeles is also very well organized. The author divides Los Angeles County into four areas, lists the sites by geographical section, and includes clear driving directions to each one. In fact, she devotes a whole chapter to tips on driving in L.A., offering helpful advice about coping with freeways and rush hours. Weir most definitely understands what it's like to travel with children, which gives her book even more credibility. She writes, "Parents never know what might strike a child's fancy" and confesses that when she took her children to see the great sights of Europe, the part they talked about the most afterwards was feeding the pigeons. How true this rings for anyone who has traveled with children! "An afternoon at a playground followed by hotdogs, cooked in the park's firepit can be a cherished memory for a kid," she advises. I was impressed with her attitude that sightseeing is a valuable form of education for children, but that "every family is different and every child has his or her own interests." This book provides a wide range of choices for any family's individual needs. I highly recommend this book.

Having a group of friends whom I hike with everyday we run out of places to go, well we did before I got this book. It's very comprehensive, including descriptions of each area, map of the area, facilities available and a bit of history. Even the appendix has useful information, with websites for many organizations that can provide addt'l info. I recommend this for anyone in the bay area who wants to explore our beautiful preserves.

This is an excellent book for anyone interested in hiking the hills on the Peninsula. It is very well organized and easy to use. Good for everyone from a casual hiker to serious outdoors enthusiasts.

The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District came into existence in 1972 as the result of an overwhelming vote in 1972 to preserve lands from rapid development. In 1976 the "open space" concept was extended into San Mateo county and in the nearly 30 years since the MROSD has come to manage almost 50,000 acres in an area where even small amounts of real estate command a huge premium. Divided among 24 separate "preserves" and managed for low impact recreation, MROSD lands protect much of the natural beauty of the bay area.

An accomplished hiking guide author, Weintraub's book does indeed list and describe one or more trails in each preserve. Distances covered range from short half-mile strolls in Foothill Open Space and Skyline Preserves to a 10+ mile jaunt through Purisima Creek Redwood Preserve. The vast majority of the hikes however are 5 miles or less and are more suitable for a contemplative walk than a strenuous workout. Accompanying the descriptions are some useful map sketches with mileage between key points carefully delineated.

The hikes, however, are not the centerpiece of the book. The real highlights are the local history selections. In addition to relating the history of MPOSD, Weintraub delves into the local history of each preserve. Old photos accompany Weintraub's descriptions of historical logging in the Purisima Creek area, wine making at Picchetti Ranch, and the former stables of Los Tracos Reserve. Better yet, Weintraub's talent as a professional photographer shows in the many beautiful plates and pictures that adorn this book and capture the beauty of the bay area. Finally, the book has numerous interesting sidebars that cover everything from wildlife in the area to the mechanics of trail building and maintenance.

Local history buffs and frequent hikers in the south bay area will certainly want to purchase this book. As a hiking guide it is a little limited. Unlike Weintraub's other guide books from Wilderness Press, this one is more narrowly focused. The reader is compensated by getting more wonderful prose and photos than the traditional guide book format allows. All factors considered, this is a wonderful book.

I really don't think this should have been written as a guidebook. The idea of including at least one hike from each preserve works well in a few cases, but is almost laughable in others. However, the history and background given on each preserve makes up for this poor guidebooksmanship.

A good example is the Saratoga Gap OSP. Saratoga Gap has only one trail, with virtually no redeeming qualities except that it connects users of Long Ridge OSP and Upper Stevens Creek County Park to the plentiful parking at the summit of Hwy 9. The book recommends that hikers walk down the trail and enjoy the "feeling of seclusion" as cars whiz by 50 yards away on Hwy 35. Yet the section is redeemed by its archaeological and botanical notes. I was also interested to discover that the preserve contains wreckage from a 1959 plane crash, one which my local fire department responded to.

I recommend this book to anyone who uses these preserves, and wishes to know more about the stories behind them.

What a fantastic view into what it was like to be a poineer and what it was like during the formation of western Washington State. I'm from the east side of the state and enjoy our state history but to see an overall picture of what it was like by someone living through it was just a fantastic experience. Much more interesting that just learning "facts" about the history of Washington and the early settlers.

Great book - even if you're not interested in the state itself!

An excerpt from this amazing book:
"While adoring the various brilliant tints of (October foilage)we are reminded "that we all do fade like the leaf." A more perfect simile could hardly be given. For a time "we flourish like the green bay tree," and then comes adversity, trials and griefs that sear and beautify the soul, as the strong blasts and chilly frosts bring out the beautiful tints of the leaves, making "old age" as glorious as the autumn season of the year." p 81

scence Phoebe is my Great grandmother it gave me a background on my history alone! this is a great book!

"A Pioneer's Search for an Ideal Home" provides an outstanding window into the life and times of the American migration westward. Through the eyes of Phoebe Goodell Judson, one lives the trials of the Oregon trail, the challenges of pioneering, and a powerful perspective on the American mind during the last half of the 19th Century. 20 years old and 7 months pregnant, Phoebe begins the 7 month treck from Ohio to Vancouver, Washington. Through her diaries, she chronicles the life changing experiences of exploration and community building that did so much to shape the American culture. One only wishes that she had kept additional records and thoughts as the reader is left wishing that there was more. First person story-telling at it's best, be prepared to go looking for maps of Washington and the Oregon Trail.

Excellent, exciting story of what happened AFTER the Mutiny on the Bounty. The author, using original source material, did extraordinary detective work to draw conclusions from limited sources about how the mutineers ended up slaughtering one another, as well as a few sympathetic natives who escaped with them to the miniscule island of Pitcairn--not even on the map at that time. Only one of the original white men survived (having killed or watched the killing of all the others).

It's a sordid story of swapping "wives," drunkenness on home brew, murder, rape and the survival of the fittest--here the most devious and cunning. That did not include the famous Mr. Christian who was among the first to go. Gripping story and a good read.

Most readers would have a reasonably good knowledge of the events that took place on HMS Bounty in 1789 and they might even know the details of why the Bounty sailed and what happened to Bligh after he and those of the crew that didn't mutiny were set adrift in the Bounty's long boat. I would guess however that only a handful of people anywhere in the world would have an idea of what happened to the mutineers after they landed on Pitcairn and burnt their only means of escape-the Bounty herself. Trevor Lummis has done a tremendous job of research by stringing together all the odd bits of scattered information in order to present the whole bloody, sordid story of the events that ultimately left only one male alive on the island plus a number of Polynesian women who were part of the original group. What happened to the mutineers and the Polynesian men that went with them to Pitcairn is the subject of this book and what an extraordinary story it is! Hollywood missed it by building a movie around the mutiny-they should have filmed the story of the events after the mutiny. Anybody with even a miniscule curiosity about the incidents on Pitcairn owe it to themselves to savor this wonderfuly readable story.

Funnily enough the really interesting story of the Bounty begins after most movies have 'faded into the sunset' and the credits start to roll. This is what Lummis has picked up - and this book "Pitcairn Island, Life and Death in Eden" is the story of just that. What happened to the Bounty mutineers. It is an awful lot more interesting, bloodthirsty and downright fascinating than the story of the Bounty mutiny itself.

Lummis seems to have done his research too. He has tracked down all the accounts available, and compared them with one another. He clearly points out the strengths and weaknesses in each account and how he has reached his own conclusions about the actual story. In this way he makes his deductions, and the story far more transparent for us - and makes it all the more believable.

As most people know the mutiny on the bounty as about the uprising of a group of sailors led by acting Lieutenant, Fletcher Christian against their captain, Bligh. Lummis discusses the mutiny and the events which lead up to it, putting it perspective of the times and the problems which Bligh had had to deal with before hand (especially through the incompetency of the admiralty in delaying his sailing to Tahiti in the first place.) There is also a brief history of the English encounters in Tahiti prior to the arrival of the Bounty.

The most interesting part is really what happened to the Bounty muntineers once they sailed away from the Bligh. Some went reluctantly and stayed in Tahiti when the Bounty returned there. However Christian and a few others knew that they would never be safe unless they stayed out of range of the long arm of the British Navy. They therefore found the most remote island possible - Pitcairn - and settled there.

Then followed almost 20 years in which there was no contact with the outside world, just a handful of bounty mutineers, 6 tahitian men and a handful of Tahitian women. At the end of those 20 years just one of the men was left, John Adams. His story of what happened to the other men was at first straightforward. However as more people visited the Island his story started to become more complicated and even contradicted itself. It seemed that there must have been at least one catastrophic massacre of some sort. Yet they were all living in this peaceful and ideal society.

Lummis gleans the truth of the fate of the men of Pitcairn through the various accounts Adam's gave, as well as accounts given by one of the women, Jenny, and one of the eldest sons after Adam's died. In fact it seemed that Adam's himself had triggered the entire debacle. This I found the most fascinating part of the book - the careful unravelling of various stories by comparing them with others, and with logical progression.

Lummis completes the book with the fate of the islanders up until recent years. The gradual deterioration of the island, the move to Norfolk and the return of some of them to Pitcairn.

This book is well worth reading if you enjoy the story of the mutineers. It is also an interesting insight into pre-European Pacific culture, and it proves to be a darn good mystery as well....

Imagine being stranded on a remote small South Pacific tropical island with 20 or so others, with no police, no laws to follow and no food, water or shelter other than that what you have built or can get by yourselves, no means to go anywhere else and little chance of being rescued (indeed being found would mean execution). Add to this the fact that your fellow castaways are a mixture of Europeans (all men) and Tahitians (men and women) and the fact that some of the Tahitians were taken to the island against their wishes. This is the position the Bounty mutineers found themselves in 1789 on Pitcairn island and what follows is a true life (adult) version of lord of the flies ending in the death of all but one of the original mutineers.

The authors style is to tell the story of the settlers of Pitcairn in mainly chronological order from the original mutiny through to settlement, the subsequent murders, rediscovery by the rest of the world, abandonment followed by resettlement o fhte island. The main body of the book is only 150 pages and written in clear and easy to read text - I personally finished it in a couple of days.

The most interesting part of the book is the mystery of what happened to most of the original settlers and why. The only male survivor of the originals who came to Pitcairn was an English sailor called John Adams. He eventually established a little stable community from the descendants and it is version of the events is the one most often told. He retold several different versions of events but always he paints himself as the good guy. On the other hand, the stories of some of the native women who the mutineers took with them differ from Adams'. The author uses logic, his own judgement and circumstantial evidence based on the reports to make his own conclusion. He also points out other possible scenarios for what happened, and at the end we are left with a true whodunit where the reader is left to make up their own mind.

There are few illustrations but the book has no large maps or family trees (of the islanders) which would have made things a little clearer as the story and characters involved is very complex. I personally book marked page 51, which gives the list of main characters and which I needed to refer back to as the book progressed.

This book was written in 1988, well before the recent rape and sex scandals, which have given a higher profile to the island in the last year or so. The book stops around the late 19th century and portrays the society they have created as very moral almost puritanical. Whether this was the reality or the society always has always had unacceptable sexual behaviour commonplace I guess is a matter for another book.

Absolutely fascinating book about the pioneers who went west, either for gold or a better life. Read most of it while camping in the Boundary Waters. Took author ten years of research. Was his doctoral dissertation. Pioneers were not as alone, nor Indians as bad, as history has made them. 1840 trip was much harder than 1860. Things really changed fast. One man drove 1500 turkeys west!

This is an excellent book for learning the intricate details of the Oregon Trail crossings. Mr. Unruh has obviously done his research.

The Plains Across is a remarkable book, a nearly unrevised dissertation that is nevertheless a thoroughly readable synthesis of the overland migration to the American West, 1840-1860. It's a pity that Unruh never had the chance to further rework this manuscript after so diligently honing his craft during the eight years of research and writing it took to complete his dissertation.

The least interesting chapters come first: long, pedestrian surveys of public opinion about the Trans-Mississippi West. More compelling is the chapter on emigrant-Indian interaction, which Unruh proves was considerably less violent and more mutually beneficial than the later myth of unremitting conflict suggests. Unruh's discussion of emigrant-Mormon relations is too apologetic for Mormon behavior, but the chapter nevertheless explains well why overlanders and Saints often came into conflict.

To my mind, the best chapters are the final ones that chronicle the significant assistance that overlanders received from the West Coast. Not only did earlier emigrants extend aid for its public relations value in the struggle to increase local populations, there was also a remarkable amount of pure humanitarian assistance, sometimes granted at considerable personal sacrifice. The last chapter, "The Overlanders in Historical Perspective," is a fine summary of the emigrant experience.

The Plains Across is now more than twenty-five years old, but it is still the standard history of the Trans-Mississippi migration. As one of Unruh's friends wrote, "It is sorrowful beyond expression that this book must stand as a posthumous memorial to [the author], rather than as the beginning of an outstanding professional career."

An exceptional in-depth study of the Oregon/California Emigrant Trail. Each chapter is thoroughly researched and written very well, with excerpts from the overlanders' journals and diaries, along with references from various newspapers throughout the country. The reader is first introduced to the political and social ramifications from the news media of the pros and cons of overland travel to Oregon and California. Next, Unruh unravels the "whys" as to the emigrants' desire to pursue such an endeavor, risking loss of everything, including possibly life itself. We also get a feel for how the overlanders got along with each other; their relations with Indians; the battles of overcoming hunger, thirst, cold, etc. There is also mention of private entrepreneurs along the trail who were trading and selling goods at exorbitant prices; the "white Indians" who were white men masqueraded as Indians taking advantage of the emigrants; the Mormon influence throughout the Salt Lake area, along with the "Winter Mormons" who were average non-Mormon emigrants wishing to overwinter in Salt Lake but subjected to cruel and unjust treatments. Then the federal goverment comes into the picture by improving roads, establishing forts along the way and implementing troops to guide and protect the overlanders to safety. We read detailed descriptions of how west coast assistance was a major factor in helping settlers make that final push into either Oregon or California. The book is totally amazing! A definite page turner. Even if one is not into Western U.S. history, this book will make one look at the hardships, perils and sacrifices these people overcame to establish a new life for themselves, families, friends and relatives.

Mr. Behan's main theme in PLUNDERED PROMISE is how political and economic overshoot has led to the increasing plunder of public lands for private profit. His deeper look at how the growth of corporations, hyperconsumerism, and centralized oligarchical government has led to the plundering and degradation of US Federal lands frames our present Bush administration problems and he directs the reader to authors such as Cobb-Daly, Kemmis, Prugh, Yaffee, etc. for workable, practical solutions.

After a synoptic opening chapter, there are chapters on the first century of public land management, the rise of corporate capitalism at the start of the 20th century, the rise of professional management and 'sustained yield' at mid-century and finally, "The Economics and Politics of License: Corruption and Predatation, 1976 to the Present.

Behan's development of the concept of economic and political overshoot and how it effected public lands is of key importance to environmentalists. The history of the development of governmental subsidization of private use of public lands and the momentum of the growth economy in degrading forests, overgrazing grasslands, overfishing the commons, etc. is crucial. Revoking corporate charters and devolving government out of Washington to local 'neighbourhoods' are revolutionary tactics advocated to get the philistines out of the temple.

Good as Korten, Greider and Klein. Well worth your while.

Behan explains in fascinating detail many of the quirks -- mostly intentional -- that make our government behave today the way it does. The convoluted process that got George Bush elected is only a glimpse of the deep issues. He explains how it is virtually impossible, and has been since our foundation, to say we have rule by majority in our government. This is all explored from a foundation of federal land policy, but applies equally to the rest of our governmental operations. It was eye opening, and angering, to learn how we got where we are.

This book is worthwhile reading for anyone who proclaims a political opinion, or perhaps simply draws a breath. It is not an unbiased book, and you are unlikely to agree with every argument. I don't, but, after teaching forest policy and economics to university students for 25 years, I regret not having had the advantage of this book as a text. It would ideally complement a standard text in an undergraduate policy course, and it would serve well as core reading in a graduate seminar, supplemented by books on related topics. Several good choices, in fact, are cited in "Plundered Promise."

Behan is an engaging, provocative writer so his description of the evolution of land use policy in the United States is entertaining as well as instructive. He makes clear the process by which we have moved from the capitalistic ideal of individual private property ownership of all lands to one of reserving some lands to be held in common, and provides a logical defense for why we did it. The rationale, he notes, for maintaining such a "public good" has grown stronger with time. These public lands are a collective national treasure like no other in the world.

Behan then makes the case that we are hell-bent to squander this "promise" of the book's title. The great evil in this story is our unwitting, and presumably unwilling collaboration with modern (huge) corporations in a senseless, wasteful social party of conspicuous consumption. Modern corporations, many with global reach and stunning political and financial command, attempt to create demand for their massive and efficient production by devising market strategies to convince us to over consume; to acquire material goods as a measure of our social success and prosperity. The below-cost, ready access these giants have to our public lands treasure in order to supply their raw material needs, and for air, land and water sinks, requires consumers (all of us) to bear costs disproportionate to gains from such enterprise.

How have we been duped into this distorted market? Behan provides a fascinating and fresh perspective on the way America's founders contrived a unique constitional government that precludes majoritarian democracy. Political, legal and economic power has been concentrated among elites in Washington, D.C. Along the way, he notes, corporations were legally granted unique constitutional privileges. This argument deserves careful consideration. It is not the stuff of high school civics courses, or an uncritical recitation of the wisdom of free enterprise. It ties together the facts and the thesis of the book, and because it challenges the standard assumptions most Americans hold about their individual rights, prerogatives and powers, this argument alone makes the book required reading.

The way out of the jam, according to Behan, is for citizens to moderate their consumptive behavior, to resist the importuning of corporate advertisers, to pursue legal redress of corporate license, and to seize control of the political process at the local level. He offers specific examples of local or community level politics in practice, with attendant successes in resolving land use issues while protecting public land values. This resolution, while appropriate for many issues, and promising as an idealistic framework, seems less reassuring when one considers the complexities of international politics and global environmental issues. What can we do for a national energy policy, for example, wherein the real costs of our consumptive behavior, at whatever level, must be assessed globally and then allocated equitably among all of us? What can we do locally about issues that transcend national boundaries?

One optimistic notion that Behan suggests as a partial solution seems practical, and likely to work, and that is the power of Internet communication. This could facilitate the formation of "communities of interest" to address problems in ways that transcend normal geographical limits. Much needs to be done, and too much has been done badly, but the necessary dialogue has begun. Richard Behan's book, "Plundered Promise," is an essential component of that dialogue.

A lot of people might find Behan's book illuminating. Among them: anyone whose job moved overseas to a cheaper labor force; anyone who has looked from the window of a commercial airplane flying from Seattle to Los Angeles and marveled at the size of clearcuts on public forestland. Anyone who has wondered why the treasury doesn't receive fair value for the minerals extracted from publicly owned land, for the grazing rights, for the timber and for the water resource. Beyond the public land issues Behan addresses, the book is is an informative read for anyone who has wondered why there is no public agenda in the United States -- and, instead, a plethora of interest groups and PACs that shape the direction of legislation. As an aside, the book is a civics lesson for all of us who wonder why we find ourselves voting against the least-unappealing candidate in a two-way race instead of choosing enthusiastically from among outstanding candidates. Forestry professionals should read it in hopes of renewing the passion, optimism and zeal with which they began their careers. Behan is a scholar, and the work is carefully written and the cases he makes are well-documented. Yet there's sparkle in the prose. Even so the book isn't an easy read. The facts he presents are depressing, and the hopeful recommendations Behan makes at the end seem ever so far from being adopted. Or even considered in my lifetime.