Q Books

A convoluted plot in which the villain sells out to the Berserkers
while trying to make it appear that the Prince had. In which intelligent machines try to learn about politics and intrigue human style.
A Prince as Napoleon at Elba in exile does an Archaeological dig
where he thinks he has discovered damaged a Berserker
with an intact interstellar drive.
The assassination of the Empress is part of the overall plot to entrap
the prince even in exile...

The plot is simple. Men have been trying to defeat Berserkers for thousands of years. Has one man, in trying to escape from his enemies, found the control code? Can he, instead of just saving his life, use the Berserkers to bring himself back into power?

The problem I have with Fred Saberhagen's Berserker series is that the stories are so uneven. Some of them, like _Berserker Man_ and _Brother Assasin_, are very good; others, like _Berserker Blue Death_, are just dreadful. _Berserker Throne_ stands as one of the better entries in the series, and is a great place for those who have not read a Berserker book before and are looking for someplace to start.

The time is the distant future, and humanity's war with the Berserker machines still rages. When an assassination touches off a power struggle in the Empire of the Eight Worlds, Prince Harivarman, who has been unwillingly exiled to a space fortress known as the Templar Radiant, senses that his political enemies are moving against him and that his life is in imminent danger. He needs to escape his prison, but since he has no access to an interstellar spaceship and his Templar jailers seem unwilling to help him in his plight, things look desperate. Until, that is, he makes a surprising discovery: a Berserker war machine, damaged but still operable, hidden and forgotten in the Fortress's outer reaches. Then, most startlingly, he finds a way to control it. And so, a plan for escape begins to form. But can a human truly control a machine bent on destroying humanity, once it has been unleashed?

The novel is sort of a cross between a political thriller and space opera. Prince Harivarman is actually a pretty likable main character, even though he knows he is taking a big risk and perhaps jeopardizing the lives of everyone around him. The writing here is very well done; Saberhagen keeps the story tight and flowing, with few distractions, and as a result the book is actually something of a quick read. The only real minus (and its a small one) is that Saberhagen does spend an awful long time setting things up, but once the action starts and Harivarman's plan is set in motion, the book becomes a page turner that you will not want to put down. This one would make a great movie.

All in all, a very fun entry in the series.

This is an excellent book for pediatric residents and medical students in pediatric rotations. The book is organized by symptom e.g. abdominal pain, chronic cough, and it provides a comprehensive list of differential diagnosis, flow charts for diagnosis, as well as short discussions on most common diseases associated with that particular symptom. A must for pediatric rounds.

This is a good book for interns/first year residents
and sub-interns. It has a strong emphasis on patient
evaluation that will be useful for work on the wards
as well as in the ED. It's most handy when you're
trying to round out your differential diagnosis and
want some direction when working up a patient.
Several features that I found to be quite useful are
the cardiology lab for EKG's, the surgical glossary
and syndrome glossary for looking up eponyms. The
problem-based format is much more practical than a
systems or discipline based format and is easier to
use when on general ward rotations. One thing that I
would like to see would be a stronger emphasis on the
practical management of disease. While the Handbook
gives a good foundation in the concepts of management,
I would appreciate more of the nitty-gritty details in
patient care. However, the book is still a handbook
and the emphasis on diagnosis and evaluation is very
useful for interns and sub-I's who are still mastering
the art of differential diagnosis and the work-up of
various illnesses.

I used this in medical school (the first edition). The best book for students or sub-I's. more useful than Harriet at that level. Not much in way of management like Harriet, but definately has a niche of it's own. Buy this book. NIce charts, algorithms, differentials, pearls...i could go on. I recommend this more than any other pedi handbook for general pediatrics.

I found this book to be extremely informational and helpful. It isn't filled with a lot of quick weight loss hooey that so many other books contain.

I bought this book for a bargain (under 5 dollars) and wondered if I was wasting my money. Why was this book selling for so cheap when I couldn't even find a copy of the South Beach Diet on my local store bookshelves?

I was pleasantly surprised at how much sense this book made. And how much detailed information and explanations were given. I really think anyone could benefit (even people who are not overweight) and everyone should read it. It's like a primer for your health.

The only complaint I have is that so many statistics are thrown at you, and I'm not convinced they are all soundly presented. For example: Cancer deaths are increasing... Well maybe that is true, but are the rates increasing? I mean the population is growing exponentially, so even if the number of deaths are increasing, the rate could be decreasing.

But overall I rate this a must for all persons interested in their health and fitness.

I thought I knew just about all I needed to know about dietary fat and its effect on American health. This book was a thoroughly enjoyable read because it gave me information that I had not previously encountered. It lacks a lot in helping you make healthful choices for non-labeled foods, however, because there is another book written by the same man with that sort of information in it. I have tried many of the recipes included and they are usually quite delicious. They aren't NO FAT usually, but they are certainly LOW FAT and absolutely delightful to eat. Most entres require some serious preparation time, but if you have the time these healthful recipes are worth the effort.

At a time when PC activists are seeking to destroy the careers of academics who dare to suggest that not all people are created equal, this book is a reminder of what is at stake. "Crime and Human Nature" is a fearless, compelling attempt to get to the heart of a subject that concerns everybody in modern society. The authors present the whole picture, theories, evidence, and controversies, with rigor and clarity. You will not find a better survey of the subject anywhere. The book should also be required reading for anybody who wants to learn how to construct an argument.

I read this book for a philosophy class in college. After having done more research, I realized how important this work really is. The prevailing theories and proposed solutions for the crime problem in the U.S. are not represented here. That is mostly likely because the views and statistics found in this book are not politically correct. However, I believe they have much more merit, as they are founded on common sense and realistic strategies.
People reading this book will understand how throwing money at problems is ineffective and wasteful. You will also understand a very basic principle that I believe is greatly misunderstood:

There is no such thing as effective rehabilitation. Rehabilitation is a myth.

That isn't to say that people in prison cannot benefit from time, patience, and education. The simple truth is that there is no known effective method for changing people's behavior. And I think the general population has been duped into believing there is.
In any case, give this book a read, and see if it doesn't challenge the way you view the world and the people in it.

When Wilson and Herrnstein's "Crime and Human Nature" first appeared in 1985, it caused a major debate. American sociologists had generally ascribed crime to environmental factors, particularly poverty. Wilson and Herrnstein proposed that constitutional factors, coupled with poor parenting, were really the causes of crime. It was the first major examination of such factors since the early days of criminology. The authors proposed that the following constitutional factors predisposed an individual to crime:
1) Mesomorphic body type: There are three body types and mesomorphs are described as heavily built, either muscular or fat, and shorter than average. The authors don't even attempt to explain why this would predispose an individual to crime. But the statistics they use to back up this claim can't really be denied. Criminals are overwhelmingly mesomorphs with a slight emphasis to endomorphism (roundness) rather than ectomorphism (lean build). Stereotypes of criminals back up this claim: Think of the way famous mafiosos are built: John Gotti, Sammy Gravano, Tony Soprano, etc. Realizing that they can't explain why this affects crime, the authors simply state that it shows that constitutional factors matter; The other biological factors they describe are more straightforward.
2) Age: Criminals are predominantly young. Crime peaks from ages 16-25 and begins to descend downwards from thereon, although violent crime peaks from ages 24-28. Unlike body type, the authors seem to think they know why age causes crime, offering several possibilities. Young people have shorter time horizons, and are more interested in immediate gratification. Young people are less well off financially, have less dependents and so on. Few people would dispute age as a major factor in crime.
3) Sex: Men commit far more crimes than women, although the figures aren't completely clear as to how much more. An estimation of 90 percent seems likely. The question is why? Obviously men are more aggressive than women, but why do women commit crimes? The authors state that women commit crimes for the same reasons as men. As for why, all they can say is that for reasons both nature and nurture, men have different sex roles than women, and these affect crime.
4) Intelligence: Low intelligence, particularly the verbal component, seems to have a major impact on the criminal individual. The reasons are that those with low intelligence discount future events as being too far off to matter. They try and live for the moment. They may also be less able to grasp moral concepts.
5) Personality: Criminals differ on personality in nearly every study done on them. Criminals tend to be more aggressive, unafraid, assertive, impulsive and extroverted than others. They are also poorly socialized, meaning they display little regards for others feelings.
The authors are quick to note that constitutional factors are not only hereditary. They may also be affected by poor pre-natel care. Thus the genes alone don't dictate criminal behavior, but they do predispose an individual to crime. If those traits are reinforced by certain environmental factors, then criminal behavior may result.
By far the most important developmental factor, according to the authors, is parental style. Inconsistent and random discipline prevents a child from knowing when to expect punishment. The rules are not made clear, and the child never internalizes them. Furthermore, a cold parent does not produce the necessary attachment with their child that is important in later development. The child never develops a desire to please the parent or obey the rules. This pattern continues into adulthood. As far as developmental and environmental factors go, this is really the only one the authors point to as having a major impact. Indeed, they spend the next few chapters explaining why other factors don't matter, including schools, neighborhoods, labor markets, and television violence. Delinquents are likely to flock together in the schoolyard: A few rotten boys don't spoil the others. Certain kinds of neighborhoods attract certain kinds of people, and they point to an ecological fallacy: Ascribing the characteristics of an individual to the group where he lives. Labor markets only marginally affect crime, and the reasons are not entire clear yet. One environmental factor they do point to are durgs, specifically alcohol and heroin (the book came out before the crack epidemic broke in 1985, or surely crack would been included). These alter a persons time horizons and lead to impulsive behavior, as well as the need for money to support the habit. It is not clear how constitutional factors affect people in predisposing them to use drugs though. Perhaps they share some of the above constitutional traits.
After setting forth their model of criminal behavior as a choice that people make based on biological factors coupled with inadequate parenting, it seems only logical to expect policy suggestions on how to reduce crime. But they offer few. One reason is that since the book was both controversial and revolutionary, they were first interested in seeing their theory of criminal behavior become accepted. Since being written, it has indeed gained widespread acceptance, although it doesn't explain white-collar crime, and doesn't seem to explain organized crime either. The authors would counter that organized crime results from the same factors that they lay out in their general model. And it seems a valid point in explaining organized crime, who's members share many characteristics with petty criminals.
What is missing from the book is causation. After establishing an elegant an encompassing theory of crime which looks at both biological and environmental factors, the authors need to fill in the blanks. Most notably, why do mesomorphs show more criminal tendencies? And why do some men become criminals, while most don't? And how does one explain why women commit crimes? There is something notably missing here: How does one explain aggression, and the link between muscularity and aggressiveness?
Since 1985 researchers have closed in on the answer. It seems that the male hormone testoserone is responsible for aggression. Men with low testoserone claim to be tired, and unenergetic. After receiving the hormone, they say they feel better. No studies have been, however, to give men with high levels of testoserone more of the hormone for fear of uncontrolled behavior. Nonetheless, the correlation seems clear. It seems that mesomorphs, youths, and men all have higher testoserone than their counterparts. This explains their aggressive behavior. But even those three factors together cannot explain crime. Low intelligence, bad temperament, and poor parenting must also be factored in. A young man with high testoserone and a well adjusted personality will be highly successful. Indeed, society needs energetic young men to fight its wars, fight fires, and police the streets, among other jobs. It is only aggression in tandem with the other factors that is a problem.
Finally, we must address how to reduce crime, based on the model described here. One solution has been eugenics. The neo-Eugenics movement loved this book, using it to claim that crime is genetic, and to reduce crime all we have to do is sterilize criminals. While there is much in this book to support that claim, there will still be individuals born with these genetic traits. And most of all, society finds that solution abhorrent and unethical. I believe there are better ways to deal with criminals. If criminals are aggressive, impulsive, short-sighted young men, one way to deal with them is to slow them down. The tranquilizing effect of drug treatments would slow their impulses, and make them think before they act. No such drug has been introduced, but it seems like one could be not to far in the offing. Treatment programs like those offered by Stanton Samenow which help criminals by making them think about their every action, and what it will lead to in the future, could be done in tandem with drug treatment. By doing these things, along with strict policing, we can reduce crime greatly in our society.

I ordered this book to brush up on my skills a bit so far so good. I think that this it is a great book. It breaks the details down so you can easliy understand what they are talking about I have ordered the workbook to go along with it.

I am taking the CMA exam this month and have my Associates Degree in the field. I borrowed this book ftom a student who started school before I did. The text book we had was not near as informative! This text has everything you need to know! I am purchasing it for my own reference because it was so helpful. I highly recommend this book to all Medical Assistants!

This book is excellent if you or anybody you know that is in the field or training to be a Medical Assistant. I am currently in the program at my local community college and love this textbook. Infact all my classmates call it "THE BIBLE" we use it so much and for everything. It teached you everything from how to send int insurance claim forms to putting on a pair of laytex gloves on!! I am definatly keeping this book when I am done with my program for further reference... ***** 5 stars !!!

This book is written in a way so that genetics is made practical and understandable. I like the way each disorder is discussed in context of the genetic anomaly. Even though it is dated and I would like to see an updated version, this book is still worth the purchase.

This textbook is at a very appropriate level for people who are new to the field of genetics. It gives a broad view of how medical genetics is related to health care professionals. I enjoyed reading it very much.

I enjoyed reading this book, very comprehensive and yet, very succint. This is a very useful resource for health professionals likc me. It helps me catch up with the new advances in the area of genetics. I highly recommend this book to health care professionals who need to learn or upgrade your knowlege in medical genetics.

What if you could be granted 3 wishes... The Bailey School Gang is convinced they can do just that after they find an old bottle wedged in a tree in the school yard. They uncork it, a horrible smell issues forth, and the next day a very tall bald man named Gene shows up riding a purple bicycle. When the kids wishes suddenly start coming true (or is merely just a coincidence??) they become convinced that Gene is really a genie!!

The Bailey School Kids is an addictive series. This is number 8 and already I'm working my way through the next 5 or 6, and I'm an adult! Less creepy-spooky than others in this series ("Werewolves Don't..." and "Aliens Don't..." are more spooky than this one), this book is nevertheless a lot of fun. Gene mysteriously appears and laughs a loud laugh every time one of the kids offhandedly wishes for something. Then, that wish comes true! While our buddy Eddie doesn't believe that Gene could be a magical creature (does Eddie EVER believe anything??), readers will be very hard pressed to explain that he's not when they find out what happens to the Kid's normally boring, work-driven teacher!

The "...Don't..." series (as I call them) are all quick reads that weigh in `round or under 100 pages. The story is easy to read and the plot catchy--what would YOU do if you wishes seemed to come true from a purple bicycle-riding genie? This makes "Genies Don't..." a good choice for beginning-to-intermediate readers or children/students who are normally reluctant to read. I wouldn't classify it as MY personal favorite, but I still enjoyed the book a good deal and would recommend it.

By the oak tree in the playground, there is a tiny bottle. Eddie toses the ball in the junkyard while melody wishes someone would clean the mess. And someone does. Lots of wishes are coming true in Bailey City. Maybe a genie has moved next door to Liza's house?

This story is about a group of kids who find a lamp. But after rubbing it things start changing! Amazing things happen! I highly recommend this book for you not just to read, but to EXPERIENCE the magic! I also think that it brings out the imagination in a kid. Especially a kid who is just starting to read chapter books. When I was just starting to read chapter books, I'd always wanted to read the Bailey School Kids books. Now I can't stop!

This book is great! It is easy to read and easy to apply in everyday life.

It explains in easy to understand terms the dynamics of relationships and the healing that needs to take place. It provides a roadmap to take the journey to healing.

This book made me think. Part of the time light bulbs were going off as I realized how simply how I felt was explained. And the other part of the time I was seeing how to make my own relationship work. Both my romantic relationship and my relationship with myself.

It's clear the authors have lived their work and it will work.

This book transcends all: age, gender, ethnicity, economics, politics and religion. This book fits all! WHY? I. It is easy to read. It presents short sections that the reader can follow easily. It is easy to stop and easy to get back into the next segment; most sections have titles encapsulating the main message. II. It is interesting, not monotonous in that there is an attractive balance of new material or teaching text, descriptive anecdotes or vignettes as well as clear examples that the reader can identify with. The one that touched me profoundly was the one about monarch butterflies. As parents we have all been there (if we paid attention to our children's feelings & experiences). III. The book flows: one concept links to the next. One of the greatest appeals for me is the stepping stones or the chapter reviews. This material is priceless since in a couple of pages, at the most, the authors present the essence of the material in a clear and concise fashion.

IV. These stepping-stones could inspire 1) fascinating art projects (like before & after enlightenment), 2) children's books, 3) week-end retreats, 4) the development of life's teaching tools and 5) can become a rich source of materials for people/families/classrooms/church groups or any other group to study, discuss, illustrate and basically absorb and apply to their personal daily life. V. One technique a day keeps the soul(and soul-mate)happy! VI. This is the type of book that can be read & re-read and always be pertinent. One can read the same line & view it differently the second/third time as one goes on with new experiences. VII. This book is a must in every one's personal home library.

Francell and Winter havecrystalized the wisdom andexperiences from their Heart Seminars. They lucidly describe how present-day overreactions are effects of feelings repressed in childhood.A new insight reveals thatthese old emotions are triggered not only becauseof stress, but especially because of the safe environment provided by the intimate relationship itself, by the security of being in love.The authors present anddescribe numerous techniques for couples to help and support each other, when personal, individual "stuff" is released by thesituations of their lives.Although written with anemphasis on men in committed relationships, the exercises work for women also.The book provides coupleswith tools to heal pastemotional wounds and thusdeepen their attachment toeach other. They learn newrelationship skills thatfew of us learned from ourfamilies or from earlysocial interactions.

Tony Maloney, a history professor, on vacation in Carmel, CA, goes to sleep in a motel, has a dream about attending the Great Expedition in London in 1851, and when he wakes up, a magnificent collection of Victoriana is set up on display in the parking lot. A dream come true at first, but eventually the collection begins to take control of his life, and there is nothing he can do to get rid of it - not even dream another dream! He ends up committing suicide.

It's an interesting idea and Moore's broad humor is on display here. But it's pretty much a single idea and often while reading it, thought it might have worked better as a short story. Good, but Moore has done better work in other books.

In this dreamy, strange little tale, a relatively ordinary man struggles to escape his seductive but limiting fate.

Tony Maloney has a dream which comes true. Fabulous! But, like King Midas, he finds that this gift is not the ultimate joy he first thought. Tony wakes up to the reality of a precious collection of Victoriana - and cannot leave it. He fights to free himself from his precious burden, and finds that things are even worse than he thought. His abandonment of his treasure causes it to be damaged, and he cannot bear the pain of watching its deterioration.

Moore has taken an unlikely premise, and uses it to produce an oddly believable tale of inner torment. Maloney's inner sense of artistic integrity and his sense of the value of his treasure become the means of his punishment.

As in the other Moore novels I have read, the story seems to drive itself through its inner logic, and is simply a gripping, haunting story, independent of any moral message.

Similar to "Cold Heaven", the protagonist struggles against an unknowable greater power to assert free will. This is an excellent read.

....literally!
Anthony Maloney is assistant professor of history at McGill University. At twenty-nine years old he is already a specialist on everything Victorian. If there's anything to know about the Victorian era, Anthony knows it.
While attending a series of seminars in California, he decides to indulge in a few days of rest and relaxation before heading home to Montreal. One night, alone in his hotel room, Anthony has a profound dream about London England...
He suddenly awakes and when he looks out his window, finds that down below on the huge hotel parking lot, a complete exhibition of Victorian culture has appeared overnight.
He climbs out of the window and wanders among the endless aisles of Victoriana and is soon met by a man asking "Are you in charge of this?"
Without understanding why... he replies "Yes" and from that moment when Anthony claims ownership of The Great Victorian Collection, he will never be the same.

What follows is a truly realistic treatment of what would happen to someone who found themselves in this truly unrealistic situation.
A bewildered Anthony tries to process the fact that his "dream" brought this spectacle into existence, while everyone from the hotel manager, the law enforcement agencies, the press, television media, the surrounding community... descend upon him for an explanation of how he has done such a thing.
We're not talking about a few doilies and candle-snuffers here! There are gigantic working fountains... a locomotive... entire buildings that were not there the night before! Previously unknown collections within the collection... rolltop desks with handwritten letters locked within!
Of course, he does not have an answer. He only knows it's there. Everyone sees it. And he's responsible for it.
This collection consists of vivid replicas of existing Victoriana, and experts are called in to vouch for its authenticity. Most find that the stuff is so "good" that it is indistinguishable from the originals which are still located in their respective museums and locales around the world.
There seems to be no other explanation for how such a monstrous display has appeared here in Carmel-By-The-Sea (overnight, no less) than to conclude that Maloney DID in fact "dream" it into existence.
As such, he becomes a worldwide celebrity.
Many people believe his story, and many do not. The plot revolves around the way these supporters and detractors affect Maloney's psyche. It appears as though the previously unextraordinary and perfectly normal professor is now on the verge of going completely bonkers. And who can blame him?

The problem becomes the uncertainty that surrounds the perpetuity of the Collection. Will it slowly fade? Will it disappear overnight, as quickly, and inexplicably as it appeared? Is Maloney responsible (though his continued dreaming) to keep it in existence?
And what should be done with it if it does last forever? Should it become a Disneyland-like tourist attraction?

Maloney finds that if he tries to manipulate the Collection in his waking state, it begins to deteriorate. And the Collection becomes a nightmare to him. Can he turn over to the world what he has created? He attends to it with a jealous possessiveness, and finds that he cannot let go of it. Psychologically, the Collection imprisons him... creates unendurable insomnia, and other life-threatening perils.
Because of the initial scandal, and subsequent absence from the University, Maloney has long since lost his professorship... only to be offered it once again after he becomes an established celebrity.
Should he return to Montreal and try to re-establish a somewhat normal life... or stay with the Collection?

He is torn. His dream becomes a living nightmare.

There is so much more to the plot than I'm saying here in this review because I don't want to ruin anything for readers. There is the usual Moore romantic dalliance thrown in, and it's wonderful stuff.
The beauty of the book is the way Moore makes such an unrealistic situation seem like the most normal thing that could have happened. The way that Maloney and those around him react to the Collection seems very natural, very believable.
And all in all, the book reminds me why Moore is definitely one of my favorite writers of all time. This one is a real page-turner from start to finish.

This first volume in the Stokes Nature Guide series offers detailed descriptions of species-specific wild bird behavior. The twenty-five birds covered here include the Canada goose, the tree swallow, the mockingbird, the eastern kingbird, the common flicker, and the American gold finch. For an example of the kind of detail this book contains, one needs only to turn to the section of pigeons; it contains a chart showing which behaviors occur during which months, an illustrated section on visual and audio displays as well as their meanings, territory, courtship, nest-building and breeding, plumage, seasonal movement, and feeder behavior. This is not a field guide designed for identifying species, but is more of a course in animal behavior.

Stokes's passion for bird watching is contagious; you'll never regard any of these species in the same manner after reading this. No other book I've read has broken down bird behavior by species to such an engrossing degree. The social nature of starlings and their roosting parties contrasts with the solitary habits of the American kestrel. The playful acrobatics of the chickadee and its complex song contrast with the more mysterious behavior of the robin.

Because each volume of this series contains birds without regard to grouping (i.e. songbirds, or birds of prey, or aquatic birds), readers must first check with the table of contents to see whether a specific bird is included. Volume one contains: Canada goose, mallard, American kestrel, herring gull, pigeon, chimney swift, hairy woodpecker, eastern kingbird, tree swallow, blue jay, common crow, black-capped chickadee, house wren, mockingbird, gray catbird, American robin, starling, red-eyed vireo, common yellowthroat, house sparrow, red-winged blackbird, common grackle, American goldfinch, and song sparrow. Many of these species are so ubiquitous that readers might stifle a yawn at the thought of reading about them, but Stokes goes so deeply into their behavior that they cease to be ordinary. One of the most fascinating chapters is on the starling - that noisy, speckled bird that has taken over the northeast U.S. since its introduction.

Because I've encountered no other book about birds quite like this one, I give it five stars despite its seeming random selection of species.

The Stokes Guides to Bird Behavior are great little references for backyard bird-watching. You may have to wander a little further than your backyard to observe some of these species, but the birds in your neighborhood are probably in one of the three Stokes volumes. Each Stokes Guide to Bird Behavior features 25 common North American bird species. For each species, the authors explain visual displays, auditory displays, territory courtship, nest-building, breeding, plumage and seasonal movement, and provide a calendar so that you can clearly see when these behaviors occur. I wouldn't take any generalizations about bird behavior too seriously because many birds are very individual, and their behaviors and social customs vary accordingly. But these books will give you a good basis for understanding and predicting the behavior of your avian neighbors. You'll enjoy watching your little feathered friends all the more with the added understanding the Stokes Guides provide.

My one complaint about these books is that the bird species are not in any particular order, and neither are they indexed. If you look at the table of contents you will see that the species are not in alphabetical or any other order, and there is no sense to which birds are in which volume or where they are placed in the book. In other words, you have to read through the entire list of 25 species in the table of contents, in each book, to locate the species you want. I have no explanation for this, and I made an index for the books myself to save me from the frustration involved every time I want to look up a species. That is the reason I gave the book(s) 4 stars instead of 5.

In Volume One: Canada Goose, Mallard (duck), American Kestrel, Herring Gull, Pigeon, Chimney Swift, Common Flicker, Hairy Woodpecker, Eastern Kingbird, Tree Swallow, Blue Jay, Common Crow, Black-Capped Chickadee, House Wren, Mockingbird, Gray Catbird, American Robin, Starling, Red-Eyed Vireo, Common Yellowthroat (warbler), House Sparrow, Red-Winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, American Goldfinch, and Song Sparrow.

This book is part of a three volume set. Each volume covers 25 birds. The bird behaviors are described in detail and make fascinating reading. The illustrations are in black and white so this will not help you identify birds. Volume 2 contains more of the common backyard birds but if you want complete information you need to buy the set. The best books I've seen on bird behavior. Easy to read and covers all aspects of bird behavior.