Gulf South Books

I love the colorful names of orchids (green adder's mouth, ghost orchid, gentian noddingcaps). This guide covers native and naturalized orchids in Florida plus introduced, escaped and waifs.
The detailed descriptions (1 page each) and multiple photos of each orchid were very helpful. The description gives the origin, details to identify the plant, the leaves, the flower, habitat, flowering period and a paragraph of additional information relating to the rarity of a plant. A map shows the counties where it might be found, plus a drawing of the plant is included.
It contains handy resources like a 9-page checklist,orchid statistics, a glossary, 16 pages clearing up confusion over misapplied names and synonyms, and a bibliography.

I had been hoping for a Florida orchid book for a long time to help me understand and identify native orchids. This book goes beyond my expectations. It is wonderfully thorough, with each species covered on two full pages. One page describes the distribution, identifying characteristics, habitat, flowering period, and has a Florida range map and plant illustration. The facing page has several photographs of the plant, showing growing habit, flower close-up, and different color forms. I particularly appreciate the range maps identifying all the Florida counties where the plant has been found. I was able to easily go through the book and make a list of all the species found in my area. The photos are very good and the variety of scales really helps. Reading this guide, it seems like there are orchids all around just waiting for the trained eye to notice them. A must have for your field guide collection.

The book is well done and put together. The only issues I noted are that the author does not give photogrpahic credit to several contributors. Least of which is Carlyle Luer. The author has used several copied photos right from Dr. Luers "Native Orchids of Florida" without permission or proper credit.

Some of the taxonomic changes and listing are not as accurate as they could be, but the overall work is complete and covers all known species to occur in Florida. One helpful note, future books should follow the Luer style for various stories and all photos should have dates taken and county listings.

The pictures and the information are wonderful. It's very interesting, especially being a new resident in Florida.

I just got a copy of this book last week and it is wonderful. The photos show dramatic and intimate views of the state's riches - from its natural resources to its varied architecture. Woven into the visual richness is a terrific narrative by a native son whose love of the state is clear but passionate. Everyone in my family has spent long sessions looking through the book remembering places we've been and others that we now must see.

Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (2/07)

"Gardenwalks in the Southeast: Beautiful Gardens from Washington, D.C., to the Gulf Coast" by Marina Harrison and Lucy D. Rosenfeld is a wonderfully descriptive guide to the best gardens in a fairly large area, namely the Southeast of USA. The authors begin with an interesting and quite lyrical preface, which is followed with a section on how to use the book and an essay about garden styles. Those opening sections will provide a lot of valuable information, particularly to those readers who might not be so familiar with all of the different garden styles and their history.

The following sections are divided by state and they encompass Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington D.C. .

Each of the sections opens with a map of the state with clearly marked locations of all the gardens described within. This is a valuable tool for someone who might want to plan a vacation around visiting several gardens, since it offers an easy overview of the locations in each of the states. Each section also contains the "Choosing an Outing in..." piece, where gardens are grouped by different themes; such as Topiary Gardens, Unusual Themes, Child-Pleasing Gardens, Art in the Garden, Aquatic Gardens, Garden Rooms, Romantic Gardens and many more. Since some of the states have a real abundance of gardens, those themes might help you narrow your selections down to those that truly interest you most.

Each of the individual gardens is described in at least a paragraph or two, while some of the more notable ones might merit as much as a couple of pages. The information includes the exact address, telephone number and a webpage address in case the garden has one. The descriptions end with information about entrance fees, if any; opening times and directions to the garden.

While I found the illustrations, which were created by Ted Enik and Carole Drong, extremely charming and delightful, I still wish for some colorful photos of the described locations. They would certainly add to the already great appeal of this nifty guide, "Gardenwalks in the Southeast," which I would wholeheartedly recommend to nature lovers, gardeners, walkers and anybody else who enjoys beauty in its many forms.

This travel guide covers the southeastern states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North & South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington D.C. Each state features listings for major botanical gardens, historic homes with gardens, arboretums, and nature centers. The profiles include a general description and facts about admission fees, directions, hours of operation, addresses and websites. No photographs but attractive line drawings are included. The book also includes introductory essays on various garden styles, such as formal, informal, Colonial, Walled, Conservatory, Topiary, Asian, and rock and water gardens.

Now in an updated and expanded third edition, Chelle Koster Walton's The Sarasota, Sanibel Island & Naples Book: A Complete Guide appears has been informatative revised to reflect the many changes affecting the Florida region. Gulf Coast residents, 'snowbirds' and visitors will find Walton provides a bible of seasonal wonders and recommendations, from wilderness areas and accommodations complete with prices to parks, ice cream shops, and special tours. Many of these byways would be missed by visitors were it not for Walton's specifics, making this third edition of Sarasota, Sanibel Island & Naples Book a real winner.

Although this book is not on a par with my favorite DK books, it's one of the better that I have seen on this area of Florida. The author gives a good list of things to do, places to see, where to eat, and where to stay. It lacks the punch and polish of some of the travel books (...), but it gets the job done.

My star ratings:

One star - couldn't finish the book
Two stars - read the book, but did a lot of skipping or scanning. Wouldn't add the book to my permanent collection or search out other books by the author
Three stars - enjoyable read. Wouldn't add the book to my permanent collection. Would judge other books by the author individually.
Four stars - Liked the book. Would keep the book or would look for others by the same author.
Five start - One of my all time favorites. Will get a copy in hardback to keep and will actively search out others by the same author.

This is the second copy I have purchased - I have kayaked the Gulf Is for many years and this book is extremely well written and organized, in fact better than any other I have read for the Pacific Northwest. I wish the author would write for areas already covered in other books and show them how.

I'm using this book as part of a multi day adventure rowing through the Gulf Islands. This book discusses the currents, beaches and campsites along the way. In addition the charts its an essential part of the planning for this area. You'll be glad you got it before you went.

To Harper Collins Publisher (sent 10/27/07):

I would like to register my displeasure at having paid full price for one of your books and found it to be submental in its editing and writing. The book is the new paperback edition of Douglas Brinkley's "The Great Deluge." I have put it down at page 333 because I've been exhausted by its mistakes, redundancy and poor writing.
I bought the book because the review in the New York Time Book Review made the book sound interesting. Upon rereading the review (7/9/06) I see that reviewer David Oshinsky does not comment on the quality of the writing in the book except to say that Brinkley is "a prolific author, known for publishing at breakneck speed." It is also evident that he lacked an editor to slow him down.

Mistakes litter this book like hurricane debris. Page 167: "mideighties." Page 175: "Legolands." On page 198 there is a missing word in the last line of the first full paragraph. On page 55, within six lines in plain view of each other, Brinkley refers to New Orleans Fire Deputy Cynthia "Sylvain-Lear" as both "Sylvain-Lear" and "Sullivan-Lear." Which is it?

Redundancy abounds. Pages 73 and 74 feature four whole paragraphs that twice repeat verbatim information about the "seventeen-foot high flood wall" and the "veritable hurricane machine." On page 275 there is reference to a "bogus rumor."

And maybe I'm being too judgmental, but I would expect from Brinkley a better sentence than, "A good way to describe Hancock Medical Center was as a MASH unit stuck in a flood zone." For that one crappy sentence you should happily agree to refund my purchase price when I ask for it in a moment.

Did David Oshinsky also see the gaffes I see, here already in the paperback edition over a year after that review, and did he just ignore them? (In all, at least THREE New York Times reviewers had something to say about this book, and none noticed the mistakes.) How did these mistakes make it into the paperback edition? Did anyone actually read this book before publishing it?

Can I please have my money back? (I have my receipt: $17.95 at Borders Books.)

I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you!

(NO REPLY. Don't bother with this book.)

THIS BOOK LOOKS LIKE A FULL EXPLANATION OF KATRINA AND THE DEVASTATION IT REAPED ON NEW ORLEANS, AND SURROUNDING AREAS, A DEVASTATION WHICH UNHAPPILY, CONTINUES. I HOPE TO FIND SOME CLARIFICATIONS OF JUST WHAT WENT WRONG, BEFORE AND AFTER.

Every literate citizen of Louisiana should take the time to read Douglas Brinkley's book, "The Great Deluge" before any forthcoming election, (local or national), and ask the difficult questions of the prospective candidates how they would react in similar circumstances and what action they would take to preclude a similar event in the future. There is plenty of blame to go around for that disaster and Brinkley is not shy about directing it where it should be cast. An excellent and very written book. It's worth the time to read from cover to cover.The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast

Although some reviewers fault the author's apparent liberal political leanings, they should save their ire for the absolutely incomprehensible incompetence of FEMA, the government of Louisiana, and the city of New Orleans. Although one can easily fault the victims for staying behind when there was a clear hurricane danger approaching, the lack of help offered following the hurricane was inexcusable. It wasn't until I read this book that I learned that FEMA actually denied hundreds of requests for offered help from other agencies, private companies, and citizens, because their help did not conform to a "pre-approved" system of disaster relief.

Many people still don't want to believe this, but I think a lot of us know that if the hurricane had struck a wealthy, white community, the help would have arrived a lot sooner. The really sad part is that a lot of the neglect of the victims wasn't even obviously racist, it was just built-in to the fabric of life in the deep south. For example, the people who write disaster plans are government employees who own vehicles, and have credit cards. It honestly never occurred to a lot of these people running government programs that some families do not have access to a single vehicle, and own no credit cards, which makes it really difficult to evacuate prior to a hurricane, especially when nobody is willing to drive you to a safe place and put you up for the night. People can blame the victim all they want, but the government does have some obligation to protect its citizens from harm. I could go on, but suffice to say, Kanye West was right, when he spoke about the president and his concern for black people.

There are numerous factual errors, for example: Marconi canal... Chalmette bisected by the MRGO... London Ave canal flooded the 9th ward... 9th ward 20 blocks east of the 17th street canal... Mobile & D.C. in the same time zone... 17ft floodwall in Galveston built before the 1900 hurricane. Those are minor errors compared to misreporting, for instance, about events at Tulane and Charity hospitals.

It reads like an editorial and there is no attempt to disguise Brinkley's opinions. Perhaps it is interesting to those who do not know NOLA. To this lifelong resident, it is offensive that someone who has held himself out as having intimate knowledge of NOLA blunders so pitifully.

The accounts of individuals who participated in rescues were interesting.

In his rush to publish what in many ways is nothing more than a compilation of news reports, Brinkley's sloppiness led me to question the legitimacy of much that he wrote.

Breach of Faith is a more thoughtful account of the Katrina disaster. It was written by a reporter for the Times Picayune (the local newspaper for which I have no respect and therefore no interest in promoting one of its own).

I did not receive this product. One week after I ordered it I got an email stating that I would not receive this book & my account was refunded. Not sure what the deal is.

After an accident in a carriage factory while working as an inventor left him temporarily blinded, John Muir vowed that he would break the moorings of life in Indianapolis and embark for wilderness places to study plants. His intention, which he later acknowledged as foolhardy, was to find his way to a tributary of the Amazon and float down that great river. He never made it to South America. He was lucky enough to survive a bout with malaria and be diverted to California.

It's hard to imagine a much more dangerous undertaking than to set off alone soon after the Civli War to places unknown in the heart of the South. He was warned repeatedly by kind strangers and knew quite clearly of the dangers ahead: the guerilla bands of roving white bandits, displaced and desperate former slaves, a migration of rattlesnakes, the alligator-infested swamps, and the worst of all: catching malaria from mosquito bites (the thing that did catch up to him). It shows how single minded he was in his desire to study and learn about the natural world. As the blacksmith who took him in along the way characterized him: what a tough-minded man he needed to be in order to subordinate the dangers to what he wanted to do.

Some do get rather tired of reading Muir's descriptive passages, but for anyone with a love of plants, this book offers a very unique and special view of the native vegetation along the route that he took to Florida. The cultural observations are less common, but they are keen and say a lot about the times: the people and how simply they lived. Then, there are some amazing experiences such as the time he spent in the natural refuge of the St Bonaventure graveyard in Savannah waiting for a parcel from his brother to arrive. There's a prophecy by a friend along the way about the coming prevalence of electricity long before the light bulb was invented. And, there are Muir's observations that plants do have secret lives, unknown to man, who tends to blow himself up out of all proportion to the rest of Creation.

One of John Muir's earliest works, this book traces his travels from Indiana to Florida, continuing on to Cuba, and ending up in California. At times, it is fascinating stuff. As he left in 1867, just after the American Civil War, he encounters many suspicious Southerners, although most are cordial to him. Muir wrote this as a journal of discovery, I think, to document the different flora and fauna he encounters in a part of the country with which he was not familiar. But this book is just as interesting as a social study - in other words, what was life like in America in 1867? How did the people act? How did they treat him? What were his impressions? If you have ever wondered about what America was like 150 years ago, you will find some answers here.

Additionally, Muir has some fine moments of nature writing. Sometimes he delights in just stopping and observing: "I used to lie on my back for whole days beneath the ample arms of these great trees, listening to the winds..." He calls the birds he observes "feathered people from the woods and reedy isles." And despite being a God-fearing man, he disagrees with those who take a fundamentalist view of nature, ridiculing the claim that the world was made especially for man..."a presumption not supported by the facts," says Muir.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. At times there is a little too much discussion on botany for my tastes, but that was OK. Muir's journal is rich with interesting anecdotes. With this journey, the founder of the Sierra Club was well on his way to making his mark in the world.

Four stars.

John Muir (naturalist and founder of the Sierra Club) left his home in Indiana at age 29 and "rambled" 1,000 miles through the woods of the southern US ending in Florida in 1867/68. It was just 2 years after the end of the Civil War and he ran into "wild negros" and long-haired horse-riding ex-Confederate bandits who would "kill a man for $5". He passed through uninhabited stretches of burnt out fields and deserted farms and was often seen as a northern interluder mistrusted by his southern guests. He lived mostly on stale pieces of bread, almost dieing of starvation while camping in a graveyard outside of Savannah, GA. He caught malaria and was bed ridden for 3 months, cared for by a kind family in Florida.

This is a snapshot of the south right after the war and the contrast between Muir's beautiful nature writing and the devastation of war are just as striking today as they must have been for the many people who encountered this unusual walker in the woods. Muir's writing is under-stated - the book was published posthumously and is more a diary than a finished book, which gives it a truthfulness and matter of factness. Fundamentally a Romanticist world-view - the power of nature and mans relation to it - Muir delights in finding, sampling and discussing plants, animals and geography. The genre is best compared with Robert Louis Stevenson's Travels With a Donkey in the Cevennes and Thoreau's The Maine Woods.

The title sums up quite a bit of the review for me. Not only was he a brilliant naturalist and visionary, but he was a better than decent science and adventure writer. This book, thousand mile walk to the gulf, is from Muir's younger days when he basically dropped out and went exploring. He walked from Wisconsin to the gulf, shortly after the war, and literally slept wherever. Hedges, roadsides, the occasional house. His observations on reconstruction South are all the more insightful because they are unadulterated (is that a word?) by any agenda, and have the overpowering reality of truth.

While his time in the Sierras is what he is most famous for, and the mountains more rugged and inspiring, this pre-Jenkins "Walk Across America" is a tamer warm-up for reading his journals from Yosemite days. I highly recommend it myself, it gives a bit of botany and a lot of background on Muir himself.

Mr. Young's cruising guides continue to impress us as the most useful and comprehensive available, particularly when linked with his excellent web-site.

Claiborne Young is his usual, informative self in compiling this excellent guide to cruising the Western Florida Region. He provides ample information including photos, detailed descriptions, waypoints and specifics useful to both sailors and power boaters. I highly recommend this book to anyone planning to cruise the beautiful Western Florida waters.

CLaiborne, like all his books, does an outstanding job. There is little to guess at, and he takes no chances in describing areas. If he says it is shallow, it is shallow. If he says do not go there without risk taking, then heed his advice. It would be nice if this book covered all of west FLA, but you have to buy another to cover the upper part.

This much-needed guide provide a wealth of useful information for the cruising sailor. Written in an enthusiastic and readable style, the author invites the reader to explore the varied cruising grounds of Western Florida. Of great value in this coastline of difficult channels is the detailed information given for each approach, including low water depths in shoal channels. Another feature is a listing of the charts (by number) to cover each area. Photographs and non-navigational charts are also shown throughout the book. Altogether, an informative and useful guide.

We picked this up for a week-long sailing charter out of Tampa. There is way too much information in here and no really good maps. (Certainly not any larger maps.) We wanted to locate good anchorages for day-fun and overnights.... This caters mostly to people who are looking to dock at a marina. I found the book confusing and not well indexed.... I was hoping for a bareboat charterer's guide like we have found for the Virgin Islands -- This is not it.

Well written and illustrated. Plan to use it for the first time on a fishing trip to the Florida Keys in June. Will keep me legal with the Fl game and fish enforcement officers who patrol randomly and often. They expect each fisherman to know the rules of the legal size and creel limit of each type of fish. This will be in our fishing boat the whole time as a ready reference and will be studied prior to the trip and used as lunch and dinner conversation among the 3 fisherman who are making the trip together. I think it will prove to be worth much more than the price I paid for it.

I was looking for a book that was more specific to places and techniques I could use for inshore fishing. This book didn't satisfy me for that application. It's not badly written, just not what I was hoping for.

This book helped improve my angling skills and helped me catch the fish I always wanted in and offshore.

Good information;however, would have been nice to have the pictures in color to better id the fish.

I have been fresh water fishing for 50+ years and am now retiring to Florida. I needed a quick start on Florida saltwater fishing and this proved to be invaluable. Very well organized to learn about all or only the species desired. I went on a back bay flats fishing outing and not only impressed the other fishermen on the boat with my knowledge of fish, technique and baits, but the guide as well. I am now ordering copies for friends who have been fishing Florida for several years because they wanted to know where they could get it. Worth more than the price.

I purchased the book hoping that it was a first person account of a Pacific WWII destroyer officer who was involved in much of the action prior to 1944. About 25% of the book is truly that and was exactly what I had hoped for. I really enjoyed his description of the people and organization and functioning of the USS Maurie. This and the physical descriptions of the power plants and related systems are also unique in my reading experience.

The Author,however, also attempts to interleave in the narrative a history of the surface actions in the South Pacicfic theater in 1942-1943. It appears that he liberally summarizes the Morrison hisory "Breaking the Bismark Barrier" without adding much if anything and deleting a lot. The presentation is certainly mechanical. Even the charts are cheap reproductions from the Morrision book.

For some reason the author does not describe his experinces with the destroyer from Pearl Harbor through Midway and etc. This to me would be much more interesting than a repeat of a book I have read several times and a lengthy discussion of the fallacies of the US torpedo program that thousands of authors have already covered ad nauseum. The torpedo problem was,though, a hugely important issue. What the author did add was that prior to the battle at Vella Gulf, he insisted that the Maurie's torpedo depth settings be set to mininum to compensate for faulty controls. This truly may have had a significant effect on the outcome of the battle.

This is the best account of destroyer actions in the Solomon Islands I have read; written from an authoritative viewpoint and filled with technical insights that could only have been furnished by someone who was there. If you find Roscoe enthralling but leaving you wishing for more detail, your book has arrived. Thank you, Capt. Crenshaw, for writing it.

In addition to his eye witness knowledge as Gunnery Officer and XO aboard USS MAURY(DD-401), CAPT Crenshaw is apparently an expert in Naval Science. The accurate technical detail excels that normally found in this type of book. "Snipes" and "Techs" will be impressed and entertained. The history is well researched and written with consummate skill, approaching that of John Lundstrom. I just wish he had written more.

South Pacific Destroyer is one of the best histories of the Solomon Islands Campaign and Pacific Destroyer Operations I have read. Russell Crenshaw's book starts off with the USS Maury alongside the crippled CA New Orleans moored against Florida Island. He walks us through the living and working compartments of the Maury, from the crews head to the bridge letting us feel the life of each compartment in the ship. By the end of the first 10 pages you have a feel for Destroyer life, and the conversations and concerns of the officers and crew.

From there the author walks us through the tactical situations faced by the Maury and other destroyers, and covers each major and most minor actions in the Guadalcanal Navel Campaign. Cruiser and destroyer movements and actions in each battle are explained from the viewpoint of the participants, so you have a combination of the actions of the battle along with the personal memories. Some books focus more on one or the other, but this one achieves what I thought was a very nice balance.

At the end of the book tables are included that show actual results achieved in the actions (ships hit, with major or minor damage) the contrast between actual damage to the Japanese ships vs. what had been observed is striking! There is also a discussion of the torpedo problems in the US Fleet, and one regarding the effectiveness of some of our guns. Very enlightening.

While much of the detailed tactical information presented here is available elsewhere, combined with the personal and human information contained an outstanding reading experience is provided!

The naval actions around the Solomon Islands were a series of hard-fought actions between two well-matched opponents. The Japanese ability to fight aggressively at night challenged the U.S. Navy. Eventually, increased tactical ability joined with an advantage in radar allowed the Americans to defeat the Japanese, but as Crenshaw shows, it was not easy. The pleasant surprise in this book is the emphasis the author (a former gunnery officer on the USS MAURY) puts on the effectiveness and use of weapons and fire control systems. His narrative flows, and shows the reader the many tasks destroyers were called upon to do. I don't get a real personal feel for Mr. Crenshaw, to me the biggest drawback of an otherwise-admirable work. Good set of maps! Recommended to those appreciating naval history, the Pacific Campaigns in WW2, and destroyers.