North America Books

I know this book is out of print and hard to find, but if you can let Amazon.com search it out for you, it is worth the effort. Lopez is at his best form in telling these stories of the coyote trickster. Some of the stories can best be described as ribald versions of the Brer Fox and Brer Rabbit stories. However, these are fresh stories that will engage your imagination and tickle your funny bone. I once entertained a group of young men with these stories one evening around a campfire...young men who thought they were too old to be read to. They laughed and wouldn't let me stop reading until my throat was hoarse. Find a copy if you can!

Lopez heralds a message to our so-called "modern" Judeo-christian culture from the stone-age past: You can't separate the good from the bad. Coyote resembles nothing short of an agent of Bacchus, welding god-like powers of creation, with basal human desires and weaknesses.

In his anthology, Lopez has focused strictly on the Coyote of Native American lore, and thus has attempted to filter out most of the more modern interpretations and spin-offs, as well as removing any european influences. The observation that Lopez was not entirely successful in this effort shows the difficulty of such a task. The last story, "Coyote Finishes His Work", shows a distinctly "Euro-christian" influence. However, Lopez was at least successful enough to distinguish this piece from Bright's "Coyote Reader". Both are excellent works, and deserve your eye.

Of all the Coyote mythology collections I've read, this is the best. It features an assortment of styles from over 30 tribes, giving a broad sense of what the Coyote is. The author takes great pleasure in the introduction when he states that the greatest mistake is to generalize the Coyote, even to say he is a trickster is sometimes wrong. This book is just as if someone took all their favorite Coyote stories and put them in order (he starts the book at the creation of the Earth, and Man. Ending when "Coyote finishes his work.")

I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn about the Coyote.

For those people who are still trying to decide between evolution and intelligent design, here is yet another creation story to ponder (or add to the curriculum), this one involving Coyote, who "was not necessarily a coyote, nor even a creature of strict physical dimensions." The subtitle of this book is "Coyote Builds North America."

"Giving Birth to Thunder, Sleeping with his Daughter" is a magical read, like all of this author's books. It is mythology without the density of "The Golden Bough," but still with the serious purpose of teaching world views that may seem strange to non-Amerinds.

I needed to ponder the implications of these stories. I wondered if coyote creation myths were any more unbelievable than the invention of a CNN 'faith and values' correspondent, or the news of a televangelist encouraging his fellow Christians to assassinate a foreign head-of-state. Are they stranger to the human experience than mullahs issuing death fatwas against authors or encouraging followers to gang-rape young women?

Coyote steals, rapes and murders in these sixty-eight stories from forty-two different First Nation tribes. He is a Creator, dupe, loving husband, and lusty rogue; a sorcerous Rhett Butler with a brushy tail and extreme bipolar disorder. My favorite stories involve other clever creatures who dupe the Trickster into eating his own anus or tossing his eyeballs into a tree. It's always good to see a powerful bully with an uncertain temper taken down a notch or two.

Luckily Coyote is able to laugh at himself, unlike certain gods on the other side of the Atlantic.

While reading "Glory Land" I was taken on a wonderful trip to a wonderful place that I haven't been to in a long, long time. Thank you Lyn Cryderman for making me cry, laugh out loud, and seriously consider those who, during the course of my life, have been instrumental in helping me find my way to the cross. Praise the Lord.

Rarely has such a small book carried such a big surprise for me. GLORY LAND captures every Baby Boomer's heart IF they grew up churched. While the geography and names were different, Lyn Cryderman's story was my story, too. His memoirs served to reactivate my own memories of growing up in the turbulent, radical sixties as one of those "good kids" in church. The graphic recollections and honest, sometimes humorous admissions embrace the reader and then lead the reader to a heart-melting conclusion. GLORY LAND redeemed all the embarrassment, shame, and even the irritating feelings I had about my conservative, religious upbringing. GLORY LAND, while one person's story, becomes all the readers' stories. The author, then, stuns us with the gracious fact that we actually grew up in the Greatest Story of all--God's story. And the ending to that story...hey! it's awesome!

I am about the same age as the author, grew up in the same denomination he did, experienced church much the same as he did, attended the same Christian college at the same time he was there, went to the same church across the street from the college, and know many of the same people he writes about. Yet until reading his book I have taken for granted how much that same background means to me. Even though a minister I have always had sort of a love-hate relationship with "the church." But while reading the last chapter--in my opinion the best in the book--I cried, and then upon finishing it, literally dropped to me knees and thanked God for the privilege of "a lifetime in church." Thanks, Lyn. See you in Glory Land!

Blending Heartland humor with tongue-in-church-cheek persiflage, "Glory Land" has solved a profound mystery for me. Each Sunday as our eight-year-old Preacher's Kid wiggles in a front row pew, I wonder if she sees church life differently than those of us who volunteered to come. Rather than remain pew bound, this child sinks to her knees with her back to her father. Using pew seat as writing desk, her stylus fills a magic silver slate. As my middle aged vibrato breaks in mid-hymnody, she looks up from her work and stares me down with a toothless grin. Then her eyes drop back down and she scribbles furiously. Thanks to Lyn Cryderman, I now know what she is doing. She is writing a book like "Glory Land."

Growing up in a similar pew, Cryderman had his sights set on all us church mice. His sacred diary is a warm and playful one. The mere mortals he describes make a congregation into a community and a church far more than mortar and bricks. Pastoral families can take heart that a PK can come away from childhood with an unquenchable passion to be part of a local family of faith. This is a great read for those who find Sunday morning worship the high point of their week.

Mr. Stachura has once again proved to have impeccable command over the English Language. I was particularly touched by his dedication and acknowledgement section (in the back of the book). I don't know how this one has remained #69,497 on the best seller list.

Mr. Stachura has once again proved to have impeccable command over the English Language. I was particularly touched by his dedication and acknowledgement section (in the back of the book). I don't know how this one has remained #69,497 on the best seller list.

This is the greatest read I have come across with respect to America's storied golf courses. Mr. Stachura has a wonderful command over the English language, and does a superb job of describing the rich history of these wonderful designs.

I would recommend this book for anyone serious about the game, in addition to all business travelers who get the opportunity to make a pilgrimage to any of these wonderful creations.

Mr. Stachura, I have two words for you: Gor geous. You are the most handsome author of golf courses that I have ever laid my eyes on. If you ever lose that wife of yours, please be sure to call me.

"... the most useful guidebook... a great reference." The Traveling Golfer

Northwest Airlines WorldTraveler Magazine: " Make sure you have a copy on hand. This tome is the only pre-trip guide you'll need to research not only golf courses, but nearby lodging, restaurants, and additional recreation - for after-golf or non-golfing spouses. The book covers more than 600 courses. The authors have rated the top 50, breaking those down into 38 large and 12 small resorts."

A guide written by golfers for golfers. Hundreds of resorts are described in this book, with details including fees, course profile (par, hazards, yardage), resident pro information, accommodations (with prices), dining options and equipment rentals. All establishments are open to the public.

"If you love golf, Golf Resorts is for you." Relax Magazine

Hands down, one of the best guidebooks I've had the pleasure to read cover to cover. I truely couldn't put it down. Thank you McRoberts'.

This guidebook sets the standard for other guidebook authors to follow. Clear, concise and accurate information at your fingertips! Good Dirt rocks!

The authors actually thought of everything in this book, aside from GPS points. It has it all, comedy, details and more details. I've read many guidebooks over the years and this one is definitely one of the best. From tons of rides in every ability level, to lodging, camping, eats and extra curricular activities. Don't think about, just buy this book and go to Sun Valley mountain biking!!

This book is laid out well with concise and accurate information about many wonderful mountain bike trails. The rating system, general description and mile by mile directions are very good. The only reasons I don't give it five stars is that the trail names in the book don't always match the trail names on sign posts (we got lost). Maybe they've changed the signs since the book was published. Also, the grid indicating elevation gain is a bit misleading. You can't compare one ride to another using their grid system. We used this book for 4 different trails in Sun Valley and one near Stanely and really had fun. Believe them when they classify a couple rides as "abusive".

I work summers at a Boy Scout camp; apparently this is one of thsoe books that just sort of hang around such places, because it has been my goal to read it for quite some time now. Frankly, I was not all that sure what to expect based on the rather politically incorrect title.rnrnHowever, if one is able to forgive old-school titles, one will realize that this is a work that does nothing but praise the overall Native American culture. Indeed, I think Ernest Seton hates his own race.rnrnFull of quotes and observations from plenty of other respectables sources, Seton puts forth his views on Native American spirituality, society, and world view, all in thought-provoking praise. And Seton truly knows his subject and most assuredly points out discrepencies with the still-current view that Native Americans are stoic, ultra-noble beings. They are human still, and for that Seton loves the culture all the better.rnrnIt's a quick read and not exactly and indepth research, but it is an inspiring work regardless of whatever its topic. I loved it.

If any book is one to be read aloud, to be remembered, to be shared, to be passed down, it has to be this one. These are words not heard often enough and too often forgotten. It is marvelously simple and even more wonderful. It's small, the stories are nothing special, but when you read them they are.

Despite the annoyingly sterotypical title, this book describes the wonder of Native American life before it was destroyed by Europeans... Order of the Arrow members will especially enjoy it.

Alternate title?: "Pocket guide for mystics"

In this little volume, written generations ago by one of the founders of the much-maligned-lately Boy Scouts, we find great wisdom about our relationship with the earth and "God" (whatever you choose to call Him/Her/It.)

Seton was an intense and noted student of American Indians. The very un-PC title's use of Redman reflects his times. Occasionally inside there will be a moment of patronization, but for the most part it is volume that speaks of respect and honor.

In the forward are numerous endorsements by many, many faiths. Not the modern literary business endorsements, but leaders of major faiths way back then. From Quakers, Masons, Unitarians, Greek Orthodox, mainline Christian and Jew, the acclamation is universal. "But this is straight Judaism!" and similar.

Seton acknowledges the difficulty in summarizing the spiritual traditions of many tribes, cultures, and regions. But he does a good job.

If you have reached the stage in your spiritual growth where you find religion constricting, where you see the brotherhood/sisterhood in all of creation, where you embrace mystery instead of dogma, buy this book.

I first came across this book in 1990. I have read this book 4 times since then. The book is very easy to read and comprehend.

The saga of how Asians came across the land bridge following the mega fauna is very interesting. Based on speech and dental patterns, the history of at least two waves of people moving into North America and southward is unfolded.

Fagan explains how the evidence of the nomadic cultures was discovered and how this evidence shows how these people survived. From this discovery of Clovis points to group kills of now extinct species, Fagan tells a fasinating story of how the native Americans arrived here.

The extinction of the mega fauna, the land bridge, and ice age's impact on the peopling of North America are interwined into a good reading book.

I wish all anthropolgy books could read so smoothly!

Brian Fagan first published this book in 1987 and an undated version was published in 2004. You want the updated version as it summarizes new developments and changes in thought in an introductory chapter.

What has not changed is the eternal dispute about when man first arrived in the New World. The conservatives, among whom one could probably include Fagan, say less that 15,000 years ago. The dissenters say 20,000 to 50,000 years ago. In a book for the general reader Fagan undertakes a careful summary of the evidence. He looks at the spread of Homo sapiens from their place of origin in Africa to the rest of the world. He examines the archaelogical evidence for man in Siberia -- the jumping off place for the New World -- and in Beringia, the now vanished land that linked Siberia and Alaska during the last Ice Age. He evaluates migration scenarios for paleo-Indians from Beringia south to the Americas and the archaelogical evidence from a multitude of ancient sites. Along the way, he illustrates the relevance of things such shovel-shaped incisors and linguistic theories. A thoroughly fascinating presentation!

The author has no ideological axe to grind but the weight of the evidence he presents supports the conservative view of a Paleo-Indian arrival in the New World about 15,000 years ago and a rapid dispersal reaching as far south as Chile by 13,000 years ago. But the evidence is thin and dissenters will find theories more to their liking also evaluated by the author. My opinion hardly matters, but I stand among the conservatives, However, I have a nagging doubt. How did those people get to Chile so fast? Is the famous Monte Verde site there mis-dated? Does hope still exist for for those who believe paleo-Indians arrived in the Americas 20,000 years ago?

Unlike many archaeologists, the author doesn't get lost in fascination with pottery shards or chopper blades, but keeps his eye on the goal of presenting a comprehensible, reasonable, scientific, and interesting tale of how the Americas may have become populated.

Smallchief

Updating an older book on a broad and varied topic is a risky enterprise. If much work has been done in the ensuing years, a complete rewrite is usually in order. Too few results can fail to justify the reprise. Fagan's original effort on the peopling of the Western Hemisphere was an excellent survey. This edition is essentially that first account, with an explanatory chapter inserted at the beginning of the book. That technique has the advantage of warning the reader what to look for while going through the text. And while much new information has come into view, Fagan reminds us that the underlying questions about where "Native Americans" originated, and when, remain unanswered.

The human diaspora begins in Africa, some five million years ago according to Fagan - [recent finds emerged too late to appear here]. Unique among migratory species, Homo sapiens sapiens moved in but one direction. From our origins on the savannah, the author traces our path into north-eastern Asia. When conditions permitted, glacial ice having trapped enough water to reduce sea levels some 300 metres, these ancient Asians moved onto a lost continent now named "Berengia". This link between Asia and North America must retain evidence of human occupation, but retrieval from the sea bottom is difficult. Fagan describes the intense research into climatology, palynology and other fields to explain how the data has been accumulated over many years.

Hidden evidence provides opportunities for speculation and controversy and the studies of ancient Americans is rife with both. Fagan describes what research has revealed and reviews the suppositions drawn from the scattered and inconclusive evidence. Fagan examines the various theories of when humans entered the Americas and what dispersal paths they followed. He lists the dig sites with the opinions derived from the evidence, weighing the contending arguments with care and a considered detachment. Where dating is flawed or suspect, he resists ill-considered judgment, calling for further investigation. A few anomalous sites, such as Monte Verde in Chile and Meadowcroft in Pennsylvania receive extra attention. He's quick to praise diligent methods while readily disparaging hasty proclamations. The Pedra Furada site in Brazil, once extolled as "challenging ideas on the First Americas", is given a lengthy description, but is dismissed as poorly investigated and reported. As Fagan notes, tracing the movements of humanity in ancient times is a detective's work, with clues assessed only with extreme care.

Some points of contention the author passes over with summary evaluation. After his presentation of Paul Martin's thesis that the disappearance of large mammals was due to human predation, Fagan dismisses it. Climate shift, he states, changed the nature of plant life leaving these prey species bereft of fodder. Yet Tim Flannery, in two books published since the original edition of Great Journey, demonstrates that browsing and grazing species would have adapted to climate change. The timing of human occupation and megafauna extinction is too proximate to be ignored. The prime example of Maori hunting of moa species in New Zealand is symptomatic and well documented. Martin may have been wrong in details, but his basic thesis has withstood criticism.

These flaws don't negate the exceptional worth of Fagan's achievement in this study. It's a powerful and informative narrative of Western Hemispheric archaeology, its practitioners and their results. Starting with early views of the first European invaders, he explains how improved scholarship, better technology and disciplined approaches have clarified the picture of Native American life. Fagan provides photographs and maps for additional support of the text. This remains a valuable book, easily read and understood. It has not been replaced and will keep its well-earned reputation. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

I enjoyed this very readable book. I first read it in 1988 and after doing so, actually went out and bought the thing. The author has some very nice theories as to the peopling of North America and is quite well able to back them up. The book is easy reading and logical. While not all may agree with the author's explanations, they do give food for thought. Recommend you add this one to your collection.

I cannot be objective when it comes to the majesty and danger seen through the eyes of this man, Captain Ray McGrath. I live on the Great Lakes and cannot begin to have experienced, both good and bad, what these often mysterious lakes hold for those who are dependent on their "goodwill" for a living.
Captain McGrath not only signed some copies of his book, but also added illustrations that are not only charming, but understandable to the person of average intelligence (such as myself)more so than any actual "schematic" of a ship, which would have little meaning to those of us not engaged in the shipping/sailing life.
I recommend this book to those who have been on the lakes, those who are entertaining a career on the lakes and anyone, like me, who loved the "vicarious" life I led while turning each page.

My Father sailed the Great Lakes with Captain McGrath. Their careers paralleled for many years. Captain McGrath's account of his experiences was very informative and enlightening.

This book will appeal more to the great lakes enthusiast who has an interest in Great Lakes and the ships that traverse their waters. This book is a compilation of several stories that Capt. McGrath lived out during his long and fruitful carreer in the great lakes shipping industry. If you are interested in the shipping industry, the great lakes, and the history of those two things, this book is for you!

My father has worked on the Great Lakes for years, but as a Midwest Gal, my knowledge of the area and its history is limited. My dad handed me a copy of Captain McGrath's book over the Christmas holiday, and I had a difficult time putting it down. The stories are full of humor, irony, and much history. It's an enjoyable read for anyone, even if you aren't associated with the Lakes.

The book arrived as promised in like new condition. I am very pleased with the delivery and the sale process.

This book's central thesis is that Classical Maya civilization collapsed as a result of a drought in Mesoamerica extending throughout the 9th century AD. This particular drought was the local manifestation of Northern Hemisphere weather patterns that the author asserts have been repeated frequently over shorter time periods for thousands of years, even into this century, and which nearly always produce drought in Mesoamerica.

Once you accept the author's evidence for Mesoamerican droughts and their regularity, that evidence provides a parsimonious explanation for the end of Classical Maya civilization. After reading this book, I think many people will accept the evidence and the explanation.

More complex hypotheses, including overpopulation, warfare between Mayan city-states, external invasion, disease, over centralization, exhaustion of a stable environment, and peasant revolt are not needed to explain the collapse. This does not mean that such factors, if they existed, did not influence the course of the collapse, just that the collapse would have happened because of the drought whether or not other factors existed.

To support his thesis, which is clearly stated clearly at the beginning of the book, Dr. Gill takes the reader on a tour of a multitude of scientific disciplines. Each discipline studied adds information about the importance, frequency, possible causes and consequences of drought in Mesoamerican and on civilization and population trends throughout the world. Any one of these tours alone is worth the price of the book, since they are extremely well written and provide the foundation for further study on each topic covered.

In a chapter titled "Geology, Hydrology, and Water," the author describes the geology and hydrology of the Yucatan and the Maya highlands and the major drainage basins, and provides an extensive discussion of the water supply problem and how it was managed in the pre-Columbian period. The basic geology is the standard stuff: seasonal rainfall, permeable limestone, karstic drainage, deep underground fresh water usually inaccessible, except in the north through cenotes and along the east cost from freshwater lakes or lagoons. But, this chapter also explained how the Maya adapted to this environment. For example, the author describes natural surface depressions used as water reservoirs and known as aquadas. The Maya paved many of these small depressions and some were provided with chultunes, bell shaped chambers excavated below the aquada bottom to capture additional water when the aquada was filled. (A single chultun could hold 30,000 liters of water, enough to comfortably supply drinking and cooking water for twenty-five people for one year).

In fact, Mayan city-states and even smaller settlements were designed with water management a primary consideration, with central reservoirs, residential reservoirs, canals, and the terrain and pavement of the city itself all engineered to facilitate the collection and storage of water during the wet season. This was important, because, as explained in a chapter on "Paleoclimatology," small-scale (relative to the great final calamity) droughts were endemic to the Maya area as shown both by Maya water management strategies and more recent evidence from sediment recovered from the bottom of lakes. Records during the Spanish colonial period point to further famines on a regular basis after the conquest. In fact, during the colonial period, population looses from drought in the Yucatan ranged up to 30 or 40%.

In another chapter titled "Volcanoes and Weather" Dr. Gill argues that there is a strong correlation between the eruptions of large volcanoes around the world, and the worldwide weather patterns that lead to drought in Mesoamerica. This particular chapter not only provided evidence to support this correlation, but evidence that the volcanoes may have been a forcing mechanism for those weather patterns. Volcanoes and weather are a topic of some interest to me, and until I read this book, I had trouble finding a good introduction to the study of volcanoes, and to the relationship between volcanoes and weather. Now I have.

To save space and my own energy, I am not going to discuss the chapter on "Thermohaline Circulation." Except, I will say that that I learned enough in that one chapter on North Atlantic deep water formation and three dimensional ocean circulation models for all of the world's oceans to help me understand an article on the subject recently published in the journal Nature. I will also skip lightly over the early chapter titled "Self-Organization" which discusses, among other things, the overall flow of energy in a civilization, and the important roll of exporting entropy to the environment by a civilization to reduce the potentially disruptive entropy in the civilization. I will also skip lightly over the chapter titled "Famine and the Individual" which describes how famine can rapidly lead to the complete collapse of social norms and the massive disruption of "normal" energy flows in any civilization.

Probably the most important or challenging single assertion Dr. Gill makes is changing the timing of the collapse of Chichen Itza. Traditionally dated around 1150 AD, and cited as an example of the ability of some Maya cities to survive the Classical collapse, the author re-dates this event to the 9th century based partly on re-interpretation of inscribed calendar dates attributed to the period after the collapse. This particular assertion is probably one of the most controversial in the book and is critical to the author's basic thesis. I suspect that it will be the focus of considerable argument. In support of this claim, the author provides a new interpretation of the relationship between Chichen Itza and the Toltecs, which itself is probably worth a fair amount of discussion.

I strongly recommend this book to just about anyone with an analytical mind. If you are interested in the general flow of Maya civilization this book has a lot to offer. If you are generally interested in the interplay between climate and civilization, this book also has a lot to offer. If you are just somewhat interested in topics such as global meteorology, volcanoes, tree-ring records in Europe and America, or the debate between uniformitariansm and neocatastrophism in the early study of geology, you will still find useful information that is readily accessible.

Although The Great Maya Droughts by Richardson Gill is a very impressive collection of information, it's not quite what I had expected. Given the title I had expected an archaeological account of recent finds and what they tell of the decline of Maya civilization. Instead the bulk of the book, eleven chapters of it, deals with a wide variety of scientific information having to do with a number of fields: physics, oceanography, complexity theory, meteorology, geology, hydrology, paleoclimatology, and volcanology among them. Not until the last two chapters of the book, and then mostly in summary form, does the author really discuss the archaeological data. For the average reader interested in the Maya and/or in general archaeology this might be a thirty dollar disappointment. Some of the material is rather complex, and although one might be able to work ones way through it on just the explanations the author gives of each topic, it would probably appeal more to those who already have at least some background in these areas. This having been said, though, I have to admit that I loved the book.

The author's primary goal is to introduce the theme of what he terms an energy failure as the cause of the Maya demise. To do this he approaches his topic as a physical scientist. Modern archaeology has come a long way since W. M. Flinders Petrie and A. Layard, and there is as much "hard" science involved in this discipline as digging in the sand. In fact with funds for excavations difficult to come by these days, there is probably far less digging in the sand going on now than there was in the past. Gill seems to be a model of the new archeologist/scientist. Steeped in what E. O. Wilson calls "consilience," the author calls upon data from a variety of fields to supply him with the building blocks he needs to reinforce his thesis.

At first I was a little skeptical of this type of approach, even though I know a fair amount about most of Dr. Gill's supporting subjects. By the time he got to a discussion of the shifting of the ecotomes in Europe during the Roman period (p. 16), I was totally hooked. I had just read a book covering the rise and fall of the Roman occupation in Gaul, and Gill's discussion of it in his work made perfect sense. With his treatment of human culture and its limitations in terms of thermodynamics and its evolution in terms of self organizing criticality, he had completely reeled me in. Like others, I had considered the decay of the Maya centers to be a "multifaceted" problem. Human culture and behavior being as complex as they are-or seem to be-a multidimensional answer to the problem seemed logical. As Gill presents it, however, there is nothing so logical-or so simple-as the destruction of the human animal by a lack of water. As he points out, a person can live for months without eating but only days without water.

The book is well worth the effort, even for those with limited knowledge of the included topics, as long as he/she has the desire to learn something new and isn't afraid of a little work. Furthermore, the bibliography is a mine of useful resources, both books and periodicals. Some are a little old, 1970-1980s, but many are more current. Of the books that I've read from the author's list: Per Bak's How Nature Works is fun, as is Sigurdsson's Melting the Earth. Jered Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel is wonderful, a "must read" sort of book. Both Decker and Decker's Volcanoes and Bullard's Volcanoes of the Earth, though a little old, are interesting and easy to read. Of the journals American Scientist, Archaeology, Nature, Science, and Scientific American should be readily available in most college and urban public libraries. Those like Geology, The Holocene, Hydrobiologia, Hydrology, the Journal of Human Evolution, Journal of Paleoceanography, and Quaternary Research may be available in some university libraries or in their individual department libraries.

For THOSE WRITING PAPERS on archaeology, history, meteorology/climatology, anthropology, ecology, etc. this book would make an instructive source for "how-to-do-it with science." It would make an excellent source of quotes in support of your own themes, a good source for bibliographical material, and a good bibliographical entry for your own paper.

Not an easy book to get through. Certainly not for those who just want an overview of the Maya. Definitely worth it for those with a desire to learn.

Dr. Gill has truly broken new ground with this startling theory on the demise of the Mayan Empire. Why no-one heretofore considered drought as the primary cause of the Mayan disappearance now seems remarkable. His premise debunks the previous and long-held concepts on the mysterious demise of these ancient people and literally re-writes a major chapter in the history of Mexico. Thank you, Dr. Gill for finally shedding light on this dark topic and providing a conclusive answer to what has long been a nebulous and even divisive black hole in the anthropologic annals of North America.

After a recent bout with a little known plant toxin affecting my prized stallion, I searched through various horse/pasture guides and discovered that they were either incomplete, or didn't correctly list the true distribution of the weed/plant across the United States. Ultimately, I found this book and despite its price decided to give it a try. I have been delighted with the depth and breadth of information in this book, and it is particularly comforting to be able to read about ALL possible things that I need to look for in my pastures. If you own horses, or care for them on your property, do yourself a favor and get this book! Its also great to protect my dogs.

I was easily able to find any plant, and found the descriptions comprehensive, and comprehensible.

Excellent descriptions great pictures great therapies

Loved this book. The layouts of the poison plants are easy to understand. Gives you a clear color picture closeup and distance shots of the plants. A a US map for the habitat -- great description of its actual locations i.e. "moist conditions preferring the edges of receding reservoirs and ponds." Describes the toxins involved then gives you clinical signs diagnosis and treatment for the animal. You need this book in your barn!