Best of
Geography

1990

The Great Kapok Tree


Lynne Cherry - 1990
    One day, a man exhausts himself trying to chop down a giant kapok tree. While he sleeps, the forest’s residents, including a child from the Yanomamo tribe, whisper in his ear about the importance of trees and how "all living things depend on one another" . . . and it works. Cherry’s lovingly rendered colored pencil and watercolor drawings of all the "wondrous and rare animals" evoke the lush rain forests, as well as stunning world maps bordered by tree porcupines, emerald tree boas, and dozens more fascinating creatures.Awards: IRA Teacher’s Choice (1991), ABA’s Pick of the Lists, Reading Rainbow Review Book, NSTA-CBC Outstanding Trade Book for Children

City of Quartz: Excavating the Future in Los Angeles


Mike Davis - 1990
    Mike Davis shows us where the city's money comes from and who controls it while also exposing the brutal ongoing struggle between L.A.'s haves and have-nots.

The Times Atlas of the World


The Times - 1990
    As Lord Shackleton, former president of the Royal Geographical Society, said of an earlier edition, it is "the finest reference atlas ever published." Now, The Times Atlas of the World, Tenth Comprehensive Edition, the first completely revised edition since The Times Atlas of the World debuted in 1967, establishes an even higher standard among all reference atlases, and a new benchmark in its own unparalleled tradition. The Tenth Comprehensive Edition opens with stunning satellite images of the continents and the oceans as they appear from space. This preliminary section continues with a series of graphics, photographs, maps, tables, and charts reviewing the cosmos, the natural world, and humanity's interaction with our home planet. Next is a comparative list of Earth's physical features, from rivers to mountains to islands to deserts, and a complete statistical guide to the states and territories of the world. This opening section concludes with a fascinating chronicle on the evolution of world mapping, beginning with our first attempt to map the world more than a thousand years ago. The central section of The Tenth Comprehensive Edition, with 248 pages of breathtakingly detailed reference maps, provides the most accurate and up-to-date visual presentation of geographical knowledge in any atlas today. Each map, drawn with generous scale and projection, has been entirely redesigned since the last edition, using the latest digital technology. While creating maps of optimum accuracy, these new methods also provide enhanced clarity and greater legibility than ever before, even for an atlas that was already legendary for the readability of its maps. In addition to recording the new states and republics created by political upheaval in this last decade before the millennium, The Tenth Comprehensive Edition includes a multitude of renamed towns and cities, along with many revised national borders. The revised and expanded index, covering more than 200,000 place names, is the largest index ever found in a single-volume atlas, virtually ensuring that any location a reader may be looking for will be included in the book. The index is also unique in scope, giving the name, description, regional and country locations, the map grid reference, page number, and latitude and longitude. No other atlas comes close to providing such an index, either in sheer numbers or in reference value.In the last three decades, The Times Atlas of the World has been in the vanguard of a revolution in the science of cartography, replacing maps formerly created on hand-etched copper plates with maps that are computer-generated. The Times Atlas of the World, Tenth Comprehensive Edition, represents the fullest flowering yet of this remarkable revolution in cartography. It is the finest atlas ever published, sure to be treasured by students, scholars, armchair travelers, global sightseers, and anyone seeking better understanding of our dynamic planet.

Rocks and Minerals


Chris Pellant - 1990
    Packed with photographs and details on characteristics, distinguishing features, and more, Smithsonian Handbooks: Rocks and Minerals makes identification easy.Designed for beginning and experienced collectors alike, this guide explains what rocks and minerals are, how they are classified, and how to start a collection. Look up different rocks and minerals, and find clear, annotated photography to pick out the key distinguishing features. Learn the differences between igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks, and reference the glossary for many more technical and scientific terms.Smithsonian Handbooks: Rocks and Minerals is filled with information about characteristics, colors, unique attributes, and more, making it one of the clearest identification guides for rock and mineral enthusiasts.

Student Bible Atlas


Tim Dowley - 1990
    Why is Jerusalem called "the city of David"? What are some fascinating biblical prophecies about this holy city? And how did Jerusalem play an important role in Jesus' life? This excellent introduction answers these questions and many more.An ideal resource for teachers and students, The Student Bible Guide to Jerusalem traces Jerusalem's 3,000-year history from the time of King David through the life of Jesus, and covers the medieval Crusades as well as modern events that have shaped the city.The Student Bible Guide to Jerusalem includes:- handy mini-sections on topics such as the building of the great Temple, the wisdom of King Solomon, and the first Easter after Jesus' resurrection- full-color photos, maps, and illustrations throughout, capturing the early days of Jerusalem to the present- a thorough index of key events, names, and places( from Abraham to Zechariah)

The Sun and the Serpent


Paul Broadhurst - 1990
    It literally maps the Michael and Mary ley lines (which originate in Cornwall in the South West of England) in the finest detail, and takes you on a journey through ancient history to present day. Not only will you discover where the ley lines criss-cross the English countryside but you will find out how the ancients used the ley lines to locate their sacred sites and activate their energies at key times of the year to promote fertility and harmony in the landscape and the people.

The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks


Katherine Paterson - 1990
    But the wild creature pines for his mate. When Yasuko, the kitchen maid, releases the bird against her lord's command, she and the one-eyed servant, Shozo, are sentenced to death. The grateful bird intends to return their kindness, but can he outsmart the cruel lord?Winner of the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award for Illustration, and a New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of the Year.

The Name of the Tree: A Bantu Folktale


Celia Barker Lottridge - 1990
    Full color.

National Audubon Society Pocket Guide to Familiar Butterflies Of North America


National Audubon Society - 1990
    This streamlined volume contains: a simple field guide identifying 80 of the most widespread butterflies in North America and a complete overview of observing butterflies, covering basic identifying field marks and practical tips for observing and distinguishing different butterflies.This pocket guide is packed with information; bright photographs capturing the butterflies perched with their wings spread and closed; specific descriptions of each species' important identifying characteristics, life cycle, habitat and range, line drawings depicting the basic butterfly anatomy, a description of major butterfly groups and a glossary of technical terms.When observing these beautifully fragile creatures, the National Audubon Society Guide to Familiar Butterflies of North America is an excellent and handy reference guide to take along during any nature walk.

French Cheeses: The Visual Guide to More Than 350 Cheeses from Every Region of France (Eyewitness Handbooks)


Tomoko Yamada - 1990
    A loving look at 350 of the finest French cheeses, offering tips on storage and accompanying wine suggestions.

Man on Earth: A Celebration of Mankind: Portraits of Human Culture in a Multitude of Environments


John Reader - 1990
    We successfully occupy every corner of the globe, from the tundra to the rain forest, from the high Andes to the blazing Kalahari. Nearly hairless, small of tooth and weak of limb, we human beings have nevertheless made ourselves at home everywhere.The reason, explains John Reader in this provocative study of human ecology, is that humans uniquely possess the most effective adaptive mechanism of all: culture. Moving into all kinds of environments, human beings have devised sets of beliefs, rules, and technologies specifically designed to ensure survival in the face of whatever obstacles the land, the weather, and that particular environment raise.This timely and important book provides heartening evidence of the resourcefulness with which human beings, everywhere and at all times, have responded to the challenges that have faced man on earth.

Out of the Earth: Civilization and the Life of the Soil


Daniel J. Hillel - 1990
    Out of the Earth is the culmination of the author's long career in conservation. This history of man's use and misuse of soil and water combines a description of the complex inner processes that form soil with a lyrical assertion of its powers and significance.

Footsore, Number Three: Walks and Hikes Around Puget Sound


Harvey Manning - 1990
    

One World


Michael Foreman - 1990
    They create their own tiny marine world in a bucket, and with its wildlife, shells, oil, and even a tin can, it is a microcosm of the larger world outside. With a series of stunning watercolors, Michael Foreman makes clear his underlying concern about pollution within the environment, particularly on the seashore. The book's impact derives not only from Foreman's masterly skill as an artist, but also from the strength of his commitment to its theme.

The History Of London In Maps


Felix Barker - 1990
    Every map is accompanied by contemporary scenes and views, so that the reader obtains an unravelled picture of the city in all its stages of development. The text and captions provide an anecdotal commentary, full of unexpected and unfamiliar details for those who already know and love the capital, and with a clear outline of London's history for those new to the city.

An Atlas of Roman Britain


Barri Jones - 1990
    The maps cover political and military history as well as the physical geography of Britain and the view Roman geographers had of it. Evidence for economic activity, including mining and pottery production, studies of life in town and country, and of religion, is given in the maps. Major monuments, such as Hadrian's Wall, feature on the larger scale maps and plans.

The Most Beautiful Villages of France


Dominique Reperant - 1990
    Complementing the selection of villages is a list of hotels and restaurants.

Hiroshima: Three Witnesses


Richard H. Minear - 1990
    . . . I'll tell you the real story--I swear I will.--from Little One by Toge SankichiThree Japanese authors of note--Hara Tamiki, Ota Yoko, and Toge Sankichi--survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima only to shoulder an appalling burden: bearing witness to ultimate horror. Between 1945 and 1952, in prose and in poetry, they published the premier first-person accounts of the atomic holocaust. Forty-five years have passed since August 6, 1945, yet this volume contains the first complete English translation of Hara's Summer Flowers, the first English translation of Ota's City of Corpses, and a new translation of Toge's Poems of the Atomic Bomb. No reader will emerge unchanged from reading these works. Different from each other in their politics, their writing, and their styles of life and death, Hara, Ota, and Toge were alike in feeling compelled to set down in writing what they experienced. Within forty-eight hours of August 6, before fleeing the city for shelter in the hills west of Hiroshima, Hara jotted down this note: Miraculously unhurt; must be Heaven's will that I survive and report what happened. Ota recorded her own remarks to her half-sister as they walked down a street littered with corpses: I'm looking with two sets of eyesthe eyes of a human being and the eyes of a writer. And the memorable words of Toge quoted above come from a poem addressed to a child whose father was killed in the South Pacific and whose mother died on August 6th--who would tell of that day? The works of these three authors convey as much of the real story as can be put into words.

Cajun Sketches, From The Prairies Of Southwest Louisiana


Lauren C. Post - 1990
    A selection of the author's rare photographs from the 1930s adds to this disarming portrait of Cajun life.

Community and the Politics of Place


Daniel Kemmis - 1990
    Today Americans are lamenting the erosion of his ideal. What happened in the intervening centuries? Daniel Kemmis argues that our loss of capacity for public life (which impedes our ability to resolve crucial issues) parallels our loss of a sense of place. A renewed sense of inhabitation, he maintains —of community rooted in place and of people dwelling in that place in a practiced way—can shape politics into a more cooperative and more humanly satisfying enterprise, producing better people, better communities, and better places.The author emphasizes the importance of place by analyzing problems and possibilities of public life in a particular place— those northern states whose settlement marked the end of the old frontier. National efforts to “keep citizens apart” by encouraging them to develop open country and rely upon impersonal, procedural methods for public problems have bred stalemate, frustration, and alienation. As alternatives he suggests how western patterns of inhabitation might engender a more cooperative, face-to-face practice of public life.Community and the Politics of Place also examines our ambivalence about the relationship between cities and rural areas and about the role of corporations in public life. The book offers new insight into the relationship between politics and economics and addresses the question of whether the nation-state is an appropriate entity for the practice of either discipline. The author draws upon the growing literature of civic republicanism for both a language and a vantage point from which to address problems in American public life, but he criticizes that literature for its failure to consider place.Though its focus on a single region lends concreteness to its discussions, Community and the Politics of Place promotes a better understanding of the quality of public life today in all regions of the United States.

Harper's Magazine: The West


Harper's Magazine - 1990
    

Historical Atlas of Canada: Volume III: Addressing the Twentieth Century


Donald Kerr Jr. - 1990
    During the seven decades covered in this volume Canada would be transformed from a rural, agricultural society, almost exclusively British and French in background, to an urban, industrial nation with more cultural diversity. These developments are illustrated in the exceptionally vivid plates of the Historical Atlas of Canada, III: Addressing the Twentieth Century.The first part of the volume, the Great Transformation, covers developments from 1891 to 1929, the year the stock market crashed. In this period of economic and social change are charted, among other aspects, land and resource development, the growth of financial institutions, prairie agriculture and the grain-handling system, industrial growth, and changes in education, religion, and social structures. Individual plates include detailed studies of the formation of the United Church of Canada in 1925; the evolution of suburban neighbourhoods in Edmonton; the wave of strikes in 1919; Ukrainian settlement in southern Manitoba in 1901; the interlocking business interests of Toronto financiers in 1913; the formation of the National Hockey League and the rise of spectator sport; and the development of Montreal as a great industrial city.The second part of the volume. Crisis and Response, deals with the Depression, the Second World War, and the post-war boom. Here are charted shifts in the make-up and distribution of the population, a growing range of social services, and the emergence of a national economy. The plates in this section include graphic representations of drought on the Prairies in the 1930S; the routes of unemployed people riding the rails in search of work; the development of Ottawa as the nation's capital; the rise of retail trade; the strong growth in the uranium and petroleum industries; and the spread of television.With unsurpassed clarity, the Atlas presents the forces that have shaped Canadian society today. Anyone who wishes to understand contemporary Canada will find this volume richly rewarding.

Route 66: The Mother Road


Michael Wallis - 1990
    A love letter and a tribute, Route 66: The Mother Road takes us on an unforgettable journey through the secret corners and hidden towns of America's most famous and beloved highway.

Spain, Europe and the Wider World 1500-1800


J.H. Elliott - 1990
    H. Elliott published Spain and Its World, 1500�1700 some twenty years ago, one of many enthusiasts declared, �For anyone interested in the history of empire, of Europe and of Spain, here is a book to keep within reach, to read, to study and to enjoy" (Times Literary Supplement). Since then Elliott has continued to explore the history of Spain and the Hispanic world with originality and insight, producing some of the most influential work in the field. In this new volume he gathers writings that reflect his recent research and thinking on politics, art, culture, and ideas in Europe and the colonial worlds between 1500 and 1800. The volume includes fourteen essays, lectures, and articles of remarkable breadth and freshness, written with Elliott’s characteristic brio. It includes an unpublished lecture in honor of the late Hugh Trevor-Roper. Organized around three themes—early modern Europe, European overseas expansion, and the works and historical context of El Greco, Velázquez, Rubens, and Van Dyck—the book offers a rich survey of the themes at the heart of Elliott’s interests throughout a career distinguished by excellence and innovation.

States and Capitals Songs


Larry Troxel - 1990
    Paperback plus Audio CD, in jewel case (14 songs)

Kate Heads West


Pat Brisson - 1990
    In a series of letters to her relatives and friends, Kate describes her trip through Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona with her best friend, Lucy, and Lucy's parents.

The Voyages of Captain Cook


Jason Hook - 1990
    Describes the voyages of exploration made by the renowned eighteenth-century navigator.

The Fifty States Activity Book


Nancy E. Krulik - 1990
    Facts about all 50 states with exciting activities, puzzles, and crafts to do.

IJsland


Willem van Blijderveen - 1990
    

The Geographer's Art


Peter Haggett - 1990
    Ranging over every aspect of the subject, he considers the attractions, opportunities and responsibilities of life as a geographer and tries to answer some of the basic questions facing the discipline. The result is a highly individual look at geography and geographers, illustrated throughout from his own research and experience. Geography is immemorial and universal: it touches us in many ways, in many forms and frequently in a manner neither fully perceived nor understood. Today interest in geography is booming: both the need for greater geographic awareness and the geographer's vital role in understanding the processes and consequences of global and environmental change have received widespread recognition throughout the world. Yet the nature of the subject and the role of geographers remain little known to non-geographers and have yet to penetrate many hallowed academic and government halls. Just what do geographers do? What fires their imagination? Why are they so devoted to their subject? How can geography be used? Do we need more or less geographers, and how should they be educated? These and many other issues are addressed by Peter Haggett as he ranges over every aspect of the subject, theoretical and applied, physical and human, in order to explain the essence and importance of this multi-faceted subject. Few books can have conveyed so convincingly and so vividly the intellectual challenge of working in the field and the vital relevance of the discipline to contemporary human and environmental problems.