Best of
Earth

2005

Edible Forest Gardens, Volume 1: Ecological Vision and Theory for Temperate Climate Permaculture


Dave Jacke - 2005
    Volume I lays out the vision of the forest garden and explains the basic ecological principles that make it work. In Volume II, Dave Jacke and Eric Toensmeier move on to practical considerations: concrete ways to design, establish, and maintain your own forest garden. Along the way they present case studies and examples, as well as tables, illustrations, and a uniquely valuable -plant matrix- that lists hundreds of the best edible and useful species.Taken together, the two volumes of Edible Forest Gardens offer an advanced course in ecological gardening--one that will forever change the way you look at plants and your environment.

Tending the Wild: Native American Knowledge and the Management of California's Natural Resources


M. Kat Anderson - 2005
    But as this groundbreaking book demonstrates, what Muir was really seeing when he admired the grand vistas of Yosemite and the gold and purple flowers carpeting the Central Valley were the fertile gardens of the Sierra Miwok and Valley Yokuts Indians, modified and made productive by centuries of harvesting, tilling, sowing, pruning, and burning. Marvelously detailed and beautifully written, Tending the Wild is an unparalleled examination of Native American knowledge and uses of California's natural resources that reshapes our understanding of native cultures and shows how we might begin to use their knowledge in our own conservation efforts.M. Kat Anderson presents a wealth of information on native land management practices gleaned in part from interviews and correspondence with Native Americans who recall what their grandparents told them about how and when areas were burned, which plants were eaten and which were used for basketry, and how plants were tended. The complex picture that emerges from this and other historical source material dispels the hunter-gatherer stereotype long perpetuated in anthropological and historical literature. We come to see California's indigenous people as active agents of environmental change and stewardship. Tending the Wild persuasively argues that this traditional ecological knowledge is essential if we are to successfully meet the challenge of living sustainably.

Edible Forest Gardens: 2 Volume Set


Dave Jacke - 2005
    Volume I lays out the vision of the forest garden and explains the basic ecological principles that make it work. In Volume II, Dave Jacke and Eric Toensmeier move on to practical considerations: concrete ways to design, establish, and maintain your own forest garden. Along the way they present case studies and examples, as well as tables, illustrations, and a uniquely valuable -plant matrix- that lists hundreds of the best edible and useful species.Taken together, the two volumes of Edible Forest Gardens offer an advanced course in ecological gardening-one that will forever change the way you look at plants and your environment.What is an edible forest garden? An edible forest garden is a perennial polyculture of multipurpose plants. Most plants regrow every year without replanting: perennials. Many species grow together: a polyculture. Each plant contributes to the success of the whole by fulfilling many functions: multipurpose. In other words, a forest garden is an edible ecosystem, a consciously designed community of mutually beneficial plants and animals intended for human food production. Edible forest gardens provide more than just a variety of foods. The seven F's apply here: food, fuel, fiber, fodder, fertilizer, and -farmaceuticals, - as well as fun. A beautiful, lush environment can be a conscious focus of your garden design, or a side benefit you enjoy

California Native Plants for the Garden


Carol Bornstein - 2005
    Authored by three of the state's leading native-plant horticulturists and illustrated with 450 color photos, this reference book also includes chapters on landscape design, installation, and maintenance. Detailed lists of recommended native plants for a variety of situations and appendices with information on places to see native plants and where to buy them are also provided.

Earth Mother


Ellen Jackson - 2005
    As she walks the land, swims the seas, and climbs the mountains, nurturing all of creation, she comes across Man, Frog, and Mosquito. They each give her thanks for nature's bounty, yet can't help but give her advice about making their lives better. Everybody’s got an opinion, it seems, and Earth Mother is amused when it becomes clear that the circle of life is not without a healthy dose of cosmic humor. Leo and Diane Dillon lend their formidable talents to Ellen Jackson's original folktale about the unexpected and sometimes humorous ways that life is interconnected.

Rock and Gem


Ronald Bonewitz - 2005
    Featuring over 450 specially commissioned photographs and information-rich text, this book illustrates each stone's unique characteristics and explains its relationship to humankind through the ages.

Atlanta Nights


Travis Tea - 2005
    But why settle for the merely regrettable? Atlanta Nights is a bad book written by experts. -- T. Nielsen Hayden Atlanta Nights is a book that could only have been produced by an author well-versed in believable storylines, set in conditions that exist today, with believable every-day characters. Accepted by a Traditional Publisher, it is certain to resonate with an audience. It fits their specialty like a glove. All proceeds from this book go to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Emergency Medical Fund.

Earth, My Likeness: Nature Poetry of Walt Whitman


Walt Whitman - 2005
    His poetry expresses an earthy sensuality that was out of sync with the expanding industrialization all around him. His love of wild nature and the sensual experiences of life are felt in his every poem. This carefully selected collection, alongside the beauty of Roderick MacIver's watercolor art, creates a grand tribute to this sensitive soul.

Magic That Works: Practical Training for the Children of Light


Frances Harrison - 2005
    Magic That Works presents practical magic techniques based on sources more than a thousand years old. The same tradition that gave us the Jinni in the Lamp and the Flying Carpet, gives you magic that works for our modern times. At last, you will be able to: . Quickly contact your holy guardian angel and unveil your destiny . Unleash Elemental forces to gain true self-mastery . Open spiritual gateways to alternate planes and discover new worlds . Channel the power of the ancient planets and shape your own reality . Create your own jinni lamp for ulimited wishes These are only a fraction of the many beneficial methods and techniques in Magic That Works. This book is a complete guide for solitary practitioners as well as newcomers to the tradition of the Magic Society of the White Flame. Whether you are a total beginner or an advanced Magus, this book will help catapult your magical development to whole new levels. You can start doing now what most people only dream about and make a difference in your life and the lives of your loved ones. If you are looking for authentic magic that is tested, effective, safe, totally in the Light, and produces tangible results then you should buy this book.

California’s Fading Wildflowers: Lost Legacy and Biological Invasions


Richard A. Minnich - 2005
    Yet today, invading plant species have devastated this nearly forgotten botanical heritage. In this lively, vividly detailed work, Richard A. Minnich synthesizes a unique and wide-ranging array of sources—from the historic accounts of those early explorers to the writings of early American botanists in the nineteenth century, newspaper accounts in the twentieth century, and modern ecological theory—to give the most comprehensive historical analysis available of the dramatic transformation of California's wildflower prairies. At the same time, his groundbreaking book challenges much current thinking on the subject, critically evaluating the hypothesis that perennial bunchgrasses were once a dominant feature of California's landscape and instead arguing that wildflowers filled this role. As he examines the changes in the state's landscape over the past three centuries, Minnich brings new perspectives to topics including restoration ecology, conservation, and fire management in a book that will change our of view of native California.

Great Planet Earth Search


Emma Helbrough - 2005
    Aimed at children aged 4 and over, this series helps children to develop reading, counting and identification skills.