To paraphrase Confucius, a healthy planet is made up of healthy nations that are simply healthy communities sharing common ground, and communities are gatherings of households. A measure of the health of the planet is economics--the health of its households. Any process of destruction or healing must begin at home. Berry speaks of the necessary coherence of the "Great Economy," as he argues for clarity in our lives, our conceptions, and our communications. To live is not to pass time, but to "spend "time. Whether as critic or as champion, Wendell Berry offers careful insights into our personal and national situation in a prose that is ringing and clear.

    Unsurpassed as a field guide for its authoritative information on collection and medicinal preparation. Focuses on the plant life of rocky and arid lands of the West, and includes detailed information on the preparation and use of these vital herbs.

    Going right up to the present day, and including both natural and man-made features, it demonstrates the sometimes subtle, sometimes radical ways in which people, flora, fauna, climate, soils, and other physical conditions have played a role in shaping the landscape. "...quirky and rewarding...full of answers to questions that others have not had the wit to ask."--Economist. "One thing is certain: no one would be wise to write further on our natural history...without thinking very hard about what is contained in these authoritative pages."--Country Life.

    As he wanders the land year upon year, Raymo gathers the revelations embedded in the geological and cultural history of this wild and ancient place. "When I called out for the Absolute, I was answered by the wind," Raymo writes. "If it was God's voice in the wind, then I heard it." In poetic prose grounded in a mind trained to discover fact, Honey from Stone enters the wonder of the material world in search of our deepest nature.

    Today recreational facilities dot the Catalinas’ peaks, while housing developments creep up their foothills. Charles Bowden and Jack W. Dykinga here convey the natural beauty of the Catalinas and warn readers that this unique wilderness could easily be lost through easy access and overuse.

    Presenting an evolutionary perspective on many areas of ecology, this book, includes new information on speciation, metapopulations, self-deceit, experimental ecology, modern comparative methods, null models, landscape ecology, macroecology, biodiversity and genetic engineering, equilibrium economics and other aspects of applied ecology.

    In over 20,000 entries this comprehensive dictionary provides information on every family and genus of seed-bearing plant (including gymnosperms) plus ferns and other pteridophytes, combining taxonomic details with invaluable information on English names and uses. In this new edition each entry has been updated to take into consideration the most recent literature and over 2,500 new entries have been added, ensuring that The Plant-Book continues to rank among the most practical and authoritative botanical texts available.

    Like the other volumes in this popular series, Tom Brown's Field Guide to the Forgotten Wilderness takes the reader on a fascinating journey into nature's mysteries and magic, and presents a treasure trove of knowledge, insight, and anecdotes. Tom Brown, Jr. shows readers how to open their eyes to the surprising abundance of natural beauty that can be found in the urban and suburban landscapes of backyards, local parks, highway medians, and even windowsill flower boxes.

    A fresh and engaging look at some serious modern problems: the failure of the family farm, the erosion of soil and the decline in farm yields, and the accelerating and irrevocable loss of biological and cultural information.

    Raven went searching for it - and found it all in the belly of a giant frog!

    The text is clearly written at a level the average person can understand and a large number of drawings illustrate well the various systems and cycles they discuss. One of my favorites is the four-page spread (58-61) showing how food gets from the farm to our tables. One suspects that if more people followed the book's Six Principles for Good Housekeeping (18), the world would be in much better shape.Readers must read critically, however. Several times I found the authors overstating their case. One wonders, for example, if more widespread paper recycling programs would really make this industry, "hugely profitable, and the scourge of paper litter would vanish." (90) I was simiarly skeptical of their discussion of the Borana tribe, a people who "live almost entirely on milk--with a little meat from time to time" but do not suffer from heart disease usually associated with a high fat diet. (70-1). These and similar exaggerations, perhaps made with best intentions, are dangerous ammunition for opponents who wish to discredit environmentalists.http://www.amazon.com/Blueprint-Green...

    Focusing on nature as inseparable from the deepest human experience, this book argues that scientific advances cannot substitute for the life of nature.

    A shell tells of its life as host to a hermit crab, as the prize piece in an old lady's shell collection, and as, in a new form, it returns to the sea.