Bilateral, symmetrical, it could with equal speed travel in opposite directions. For some years, he had been planning a book about places in the world where people have been engaged in all-out battles with nature, about (in the words of the book itself) "any struggle against natural forces--heroic or venal, rash or well advised--when human beings conscript themselves to fight against the earth, to take what is not given, to rout the destroying enemy, to surround the base of Mt. Olympus demanding and expecting the surrender of the gods." His interest had first been sparked when he went into the Atchafalaya--the largest river swamp in North America--and had learned that virtually all of its waters were metered and rationed by a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' project called Old River Control.In the natural cycles of the Mississippi's deltaic plain, the time had come for the Mississippi to change course, to shift its mouth more than a hundred miles and go down the Atchafalaya, one of its distributary branches. The United States could not afford that--for New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and all the industries that lie between would be cut off from river commerce with the rest of the nation. At a place called Old River, the Corps therefore had built a great fortress--part dam, part valve--to restrain the flow of the Atchafalaya and compel the Mississippi to stay where it is.In Iceland, in 1973, an island split open without warning and huge volumes of lava began moving in the direction of a harbor scarcely half a mile away. It was not only Iceland's premier fishing port (accounting for a large percentage of Iceland's export economy) but it was also the only harbor along the nation's southern coast. As the lava threatened to fill the harbor and wipe it out, a physicist named Thorbjorn Sigurgeirsson suggested a way to fight against the flowing red rock--initiating an all-out endeavor unique in human history. On the big island of Hawaii, one of the world's two must eruptive hot spots, people are not unmindful of the Icelandic example. McPhee went to Hawaii to talk with them and to walk beside the edges of a molten lake and incandescent rivers.Some of the more expensive real estate in Los Angeles is up against mountains that are rising and disintegrating as rapidly as any in the world. After a complex coincidence of natural events, boulders will flow out of these mountains like fish eggs, mixed with mud, sand, and smaller rocks in a cascading mass known as debris flow. Plucking up trees and cars, bursting through doors and windows, filling up houses to their eaves, debris flows threaten the lives of people living in and near Los Angeles' famous canyons. At extraordinary expense the city has built a hundred and fifty stadium-like basins in a daring effort to catch the debris.Taking us deep into these contested territories, McPhee details the strategies and tactics through which people attempt to control nature. Most striking in his vivid depiction of the main contestants: nature in complex and awesome guises, and those who would attempt to wrest control from her--stubborn, often ingenious, and always arresting characters.

    Amateur and expert alike can quickly and accurately identify almost any wildflower using Lawrence Newcomb's system, which is based on natural structural features that are easily visible even to the untrained eye. Every time you see an unknown plant, ask yourself the same five questions (related to the type of plant and the structure of its petals and leaves), and you will be directed to the page on which the plant can be found. Beautiful illustrations make confirmation easy.

    It hold the remains of an ancient sea where dozens of strange creatures lived—a forgotten corner of evolution preserved in awesome detail. In this book Stephen Jay Gould explores what the Burgess Shale tells us about evolution and the nature of history.

    It is the year1965, a year rife with change in the world---and in the life of a boy whose tragic loss of innocence leads him to the healing landscape of the Ozarks. Haunted by indescribable longing, twelve-year-old Harry is turned over to two enigmatic guardians, men as old as the hills they farm and as elusive and beautiful as the trout they fish for---with religious devotion. Seeking strength and purpose from life, Harry learns from his uncle, grandfather, and their crazy Sioux neighbor, Elias Wonder, that the pulse of life beats from within the deep constancy of the earth, and from one’s devotion to it. Amidst the rhythm of an ancient cadence, Harry discovers his home: a farm, a mountain stream, and the eye of a trout rising.

    16 pages of drawings.

    It is the most comprehensive one-volume guide to the Neotropics available today. Widely praised in its first edition, it remains a book of unparalleled value to tourists, students, and scientists alike. This second edition has been substantially revised and expanded to incorporate the abundance of new scientific information that has been produced since it was first published in 1989. Major additions have been made to every chapter, and new chapters have been added on Neotropical ecosystems, human ecology, and the effects of deforestation. Biodiversity and its preservation are discussed throughout the book, and Neotropical evolution is described in detail. This new edition offers all new drawings and photographs, many of them in color. As enthusiastic readers of the first edition will attest, this is a charming book. Wearing his learning lightly and writing with ease and humor, John Kricher presents the complexities of tropical ecology as accessible and nonintimidating. Kricher is so thoroughly knowledgeable and the book is so complete in its coverage that general readers and ecotourists will not need any other book to help them identify and understand the plants and animals, from birds to bugs, that they will encounter in their travels to the New World tropics. At the same time, it will fascinate armchair travelers and students who may get no closer to the Neotropics than this engagingly written book.

    This book revises our own relationship with nature, allowing us to observe it and also to participate in it with reverence and a sense of wonder.

    650 full-color illustrations.

    Ric O’Barry shares his journey with dolphins and other sea mammals in this captivating autobiographical look back at his years as a dolphin trainer for aquatic theme parks, movies, and television. Also included is a preface relaying a first-hand account of his adventures filming the 2010 Academy Award–winning documentary The Cove, which covertly uncovered Japan’s inhumane dolphin-hunting practices. O’Barry, a successful animal trainer who had had everything—money, flashy cars, pretty women—came to realize that dolphins were easy to train, not because of his great talent, but because they possessed great intelligence, and that keeping them in captivity was cruel and morally wrong. O’Barry now dedicates his life to stopping the exploitation of these exceptional mammals by retraining them to return to their natural habitats.

    The new edition maintains the scope and expertise that made the book so popular while incorporating the latest research and updating the exquisite program of drawings.

    It may well be the only country in the world with as many bird species and habitats to be found in such a small area. Within two hours' drive from San Jose, one can see quetzals in highland forests, antbirds in lowland forests, or shorebirds and ibises in mangrove swamps.This lavishly illustrated book is the most comprehensive treatment of a rich tropical avifauna ever presented in a single volume suitable for its use in the field. With is full coverage of waterbirds and migrants as well as resident tropical species, and its coverage of such topics as plumages, vocalizations, food habits, nesting, and distribution, it is truly a guide to the birds themselves, not merely a guide to their identification.Gary Stiles and Alexander Skutch first set the stage for the birds by briefly describing the landforms, vegetation, and climates of Costa Rica. For those who want to take that second long look to interpret what they see, the authors discuss some aspects of evolution, ecology, and behavior of Costa Rican birds, and report on the costly and courageous conservation efforts the country is making in face of discouraging odds. The family and species accounts that follow, covering some 400 pages, make up the bulk of the book, with 52 magnificent color plates illustrating virtually ever species of Costa Rican bird, migrants as well as residents. There are also practical tips for trips in the field and descriptions of good birding locations, with specific directions for travel by car, public transport, and on foot, as well as three maps.A highly readable, portable encylopedia to the fascinating, ever-surprising birds of Costa Rica, this book will be welcomed by birders and other naturalists, professional and amateur ornithologists, ecologists, travelers, and conservationlists throughout the northern Neotropics.

    Award-winning nature writer Hope Ryden brings readers not only a scientific look at animal behaviors but also a warm and engaging story of the adventures and family life of the beaver.

    Advice on tackle selecting, reading water, and scouting.

    Ideal for hikers, campers, survival experts, and gourmet cooks. Includes plastic belt ring for easy portability.

    This is Coyote's country--a landscape of the imagination, where nothing is as it appears.

    Mushrooms and Other Fungi of Great Britain and Europe (A Pan original)

    Comprehensive and detailed, it draws on Chinese and Greek herbal medicine to integrate traditional herbal energetics with the latest findings in plant pharmacology. The traditional vitalistic and modern scientific systems of herbal medicine are complementary paradigms, not irreconcilable approaches. Using both systems simultaneously will greatly enhance the efficacy of herbal formulation in clinical practice, as well as provide a deeper understanding of each system. This fourth edition is a complete revision and expansion of the third edition in both text and layout. It includes fourteen new herbs, including Schisandra, Rehmannia, Rhodiola, Eleuthero, Devil's claw, White peony, Asian ginseng, Asian Buplever and Baikal skullcap. The introductions to each herb class, which explore the treatment strategies behind the various types of herbs, have been rewritten to include much new clinical material as well as to reflect current knowledge. In addition, the whole text has been re-typeset for greater user friendliness as a practical herbal medicine reference. The Energetics includes detailed practical instructions for preparing and using herbal remedies for internal and topical use. For each herb, it includes the most useful preparation forms, along with important dosage, caution and contraindication information. For this fourth edition, the detailed dosages for tincture, infusion and decoction preparations have been fully updated, based on current Western herbal medicine practice, and the tincture strength and ethanol content information have been added for every herb.

    A story about the mighty saguaro cactus.

    His first book, mainly of love poems, was published in Gaelic in 1943. He combined traditional and modern elements and explored the conflict between public responsibility and private passions and needs. This book, and the figure of MacLean himself, are at the heart of the Gaelic Renaissance. His later work develops these themes in a specifically Gaelic setting. His most celebrated single poem, "Hallaig" is one of several major achievements to be found in the collections.Languages: Gaelic and English

    Follow the transformation from a tiny white egg laid on a leaf to a brilliantly colored butterfly in this kid-friendly introduction to metamorphosis. With detailed, bright watercolors, Gail Gibbons illustrates the life cycle of the monarch butterfly, stage by stage, as it grows, changes, and takes flight.With clear, labeled diagrams and simple text that defines and reinforces important vocabulary, Monarch Butterfly introduces key concepts of insect anatomy and behavior. And of course, the unique migration of the monarch-- which can range up to four thousand miles-- is covered, with descriptions of how the insects travel, and how people in their path celebrate the occasion.This classic look at butterflies also includes directions on raising your own monarch at home, and a page of fun facts about these colorful butterflies.

    Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.

    Exhaustively researched and superbly written, and now featuring a new introduction by author Laura Waterman, Forest and Crag is a classic of outdoor literature. The late Guy Waterman and his wife Laura were pioneers in promoting preservation of wild places and backwoods ethics. They spent a decade researching and writing Forest and Crag, drawing together widely scattered sources on the history of the White Mountains, the Green Mountains, the Adirondacks, the Catskills, and beyond. The struggles of early pioneers in America's first frontier wilderness, the first ascent of every major peak in the Northeast, the creation of the Appalachian Trail, the golden era of the summit resort hotels, the unforeseen consequences of the backpacking boom of the 1970s and 1980s-it's all here in one comprehensive volume. Lovers of adventure and the outdoors will hail the return of this classic history of the mountains of the Northeast.

    210 full-color photos.

    

    

    An attractive six-pocket display pack is also available.

    Author John Sedgwick brings a delightful look at the visitors, staff, and the playfulness, orneriness, and mischief of its colorful cast of animal characters.

    a welcome addition to ecofeminist literature... " --Feminist for Animal Rights"Rape of the Wild is a very moving, passionately written expose of men's subjugation and exploitation of the natural environment and of women." --Forest History SocietyThis visionary and inspiring book is a cogent analysis of man's use and misuse of his environment and an impassioned plea for a feminist ecological revolution.

    Roger B. Swain, host of PBS's popular series "The Victory Garden", combines his substantial experience as a gardener with his background as a biologist to tell us how to calculate the hours of sunlight a plot will get, how to keep raccoons out of sweet corn, and the best way to make up for a short rainfall, among other topics. Novice and experienced gardeners alike will welcome his book both as a practical tool and as an irrepressible appreciation of the craft.

    Now, the elephant is celebrated in this poem by the author of Whale Nation and Falling for a Dolphin. 100 black-and-white and 70 full-color illustrations.

    While sharing her experiences with gardening, she weaves a narrative filled with rich images of her friends, her loved ones, and her adventures in learning about the land and nature.

    William D. Berry was nationally known as a wildlife artist, but to many Alaskans, he was also a kind of state treasure and certainly a natural resource. Berry's clear vision, conveyed with his disciplined skills, captured Alaska's creatures and their habitats in works that are both scientifically accurate and artistically compelling.From his childhood in the southwestern desert to the closing days of his life in the taiga forest of Alaska, Berry was absorbed by the diversity of living creatures with which he shared the world. Years of observation gave him a singular capability to perceive animals; years of study gave him an equally singular ability to convey them to observers through an array of artists' media. Fox cubs or caribou, his animals are what you might see--if you had his patience or powers of observation. Each fully rendered creature has its own character, presented with respect for its individuality as well as accuracy for its individuality as well as accuracy for its species characteristics.It is a privilege for the University of Alaska to bring this sampler of Bill Berry's private efforts from the 1950s before a wider audience. The book is grouped into four sections: Denali Park, color sketches, Point Hope, and around and about Alaska. Within each, the animals are in taxonomic order, the way Berry arranged and filed them.Berry's friend, zoologist William O Pruitt, once observed that this artist's field sketches were the equivalent of the scientist's field notes. Perhaps it is that honesty that makes his work a challenge to other artists who wish to capture the essence of animals and captivate viewers. It is surely one of the reasons that his sketches continue to please all who cherish wilderness.

    Foster shows you how to render a variety of different horse breeds in pencil, with tips on adding touches with charcoal, crayon, and brush and ink. In this step-by-step book, he explains not only a number of drawing techniques and special effects but also his own method of developing a drawing to its fullest. You will learn about various breeds and their proportions, starting with their heads and then progressing to full bodies. And in addition to helpful drawing instruction, "Horses" also contains a wealth of beautiful equine drawings you can both copy and admire ItAEs a fabulous addition to any artistAEs drawing reference library.

    Some of the illustrations are on clear overlay pages that can be turned to change the nature of the next double-page spread.

    They describe for each the diversity of its flora and fauna, threats of industrial exploitation or commercial development, and legal status as a protected area. With practical information and a sense of urgency, The Big Outside is both a guide and an inspiration for all those interested in seeing and preserving what's left of wild America. Illustrations.

    Discusses the American Indian ritual of the vision quest, explains its purpose, and tells how to adapt this rite for those seeking spiritual enlightenment.

    Information on flower and leaf shape, growing requirements, and zone range is given.

    Discusses Francis' role in the making of the first cráeche.

    It shows how human tampering affects an ecosystem, and how the Pacific Northwest could become a model for sustainable forestry worldwide.

    Includes common native and naturalized herbs and native ferns. Area covered is the upper Midwest and eastern U.S. north of South Carolina, and eastern Canada. Illustrated with line drawings.

    The 15 poems and one essay quietly and joyously celebrate the enduring satisfactions of good work and a happy home. 13 woodcuts.

    It is also a story of love and high adventure that provides a fascinating, affecting profile of a people inhabiting one of the most isolated and inhospitable regions in the world—the Kanjiroba Himal of western Nepal.

    The plants considered are native to eastern Canada and the northeastern United States, although some are also found as far south as Florida and Texas and as far west as the Pacific coast.In addition to extensive chronological historical citations dealing with documented usages of plants as far back as the fourteenth century, this book also provides data to enable even amateur botanists to identify plants in the field. Thus, accounts of herbalists, explorers, botanists, doctors, and scientists are accompanied by useful information about the plant’s range, common and scientific names, nontechnical physical description and more. To make the book especially easy to use, plants are grouped according to habitat: wet open places, woods and thickets, and dry open places. Moreover, a detailed line drawing of the plant’s leaves, buds, twigs, seeds, and other characteristic features accompanies the textual descriptions.Scholarly, yet readable, exceptionally thorough but never dull, this classic reference belongs in the library of botanists, naturalists, herbalists, ethnologists, archaeologists — anyone interested in the long and fascinating story of how plants have served humanity.“Charlotte Erichsen-Brown is a noted and inspired student of the ethnobotany of eastern North America. She has completed a study of great imagination and energy. Whether on a library’s reference shelf or in a backpack along the trail, her work will inform and educate, and often amaze.” — J. L. Riley, Botany Department, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada.

    Over a period of twenty years, the authors have sought to understand how people perceive nature and what types of natural environments they prefer, what psychological benefits they seem to derive from wilderness experiences, and why backyard gardens are especially important to some people. The book examines the satisfactions and advantages that various natural settings bring to us. While many readers may have little doubt that the natural environment makes a difference to them, they may be suprised to discover the pervasiveness of its impact on people of diverse ages and cultural heritages. Beyond the awe-inspiring mountains and waterfalls, many comparatively simple natural settings foster tranquility and well-being. The book explores questions such as: Is the effect of nature on people as powerful as it intuitively seems to be? What makes natural settings so compelling? How do settings restore bodily health? Are some natural patterns more effective than others? Are there ways to design, manage, and interpret natural environments so as to enhance their beneficial influences? A wide audience will find this analysis of our natural environment compelling and insightful.

    Raymo, trace the Northeast across geological history to reveal the dynamic forces that have shaped the landscape. In vivid prose, the book presents colliding continents, disappearing oceans, movements of glaciers and other significant events. 28 maps and cross-sections; 15 line illustrations.

    One exception was twenty-four-year-old Elliott Merrick, who in 1929 left his advertising job in New Jersey and moved to Labrador, one of Canada’s most remote regions. First published by Scribner’s in 1933, True North tells the captivating story of one of the high points of Merrick’s years there: a hunting trip he and his wife, Kay, made with trapper John Michelin in 1930. Covering 300 miles over a harsh winter, they experienced an unexplored realm of nature at its most intense and faced numerous challenges. Merrick accidentally shot himself in the thigh and almost cut off his toe. Freezing cold and hunger were constant. Nonetheless, the group found beauty and even magic in the stark landscape. The couple and the trappers bonded with each other and their environment through such surprisingly daunting tasks as fabricating sunglasses to avoid snow blindness and learning to wash underwear without it freezing. Merrick’s intimate style, rich with narrative detail, brings readers into a dramatic story of survival and shares the lesson the Merricks learned: that the greatest satisfaction in life can come from the simplest things.

    Each butterfly is illustrated by a watercolor painting for identification, which is supplemented by information on its lifestyle, territory, and host and nectar plants. Full color.

    Here are the stories of moving continents and dying dinosaurs, epics of Ice Age transformations and how new islands have been formed and populated. Full-color illustrations throughout.

    The authors offer personal instruction for attaining the path of inner and outer harmony and living in balance with oneself.

    There's nothing he likes to do better than to settle in front of the screen for the weekend with a fluorescent soft drink, cookies oozing white cream filling, packs of purple foaming pellets, and more…while his mind becomes stupefied.Feeling neglected by his parents, he drifts into a routine of watching TV for hour after hour. His father, angered by this "useless" activity, first hauls the TV down to the musty basement, where Fred re-connects it, and then outside. This is a big mistake. The TV gets wet in the rain, and then explodes when Fred tries to plug it in and watch it in the backyard.This is the beginning of Fred's transformation. When the TV repairman takes the insides to the shop for repair, the empty cabinet becomes a refuge for birds. Fred feeds them, and, bit by bit, more birds come to forage in his television feeder. Sitting in front of it in the backyard, Fred becomes active again, responding to the creatures that relate to him in turn.

    Poems, splendid works of art, and historical photographs are brought together in this beautiful volume for young readers.

    In his second book, a companion to Sharing Nature with Children, with even more games and activities, Joseph introduces his remarkable technique of Flow Learning, showing how to match nature activities to the interest and energy levels of children.

    A third of the book is devoted to all the genera of plants that supply food to wildlife. 300 illustrations.

    A complete illustrated guide to the life and habits of deer species.

    government to take a series of photos of the Western national parks. But World War II intervened, and though Adams completed and delivered a series of signed exhibition prints in August 1942, they were shelved and forgotten--until now.

    In 1912, Americaís great naturalist, John Burroughs, was asked by a preacher to talk to his people on the ìgospel of Nature.î In this response, Burroughs focused on what gave him solace and strength.

    We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

    

    Text confronting animal rights: do experimental animals feel pain and suffer, and if so, what ought humans do about it? Forwarded by Jane Goodall. For veterinary students, educators, and anyone who cares about animals and the way they are treated in our society. This is an expanded edition of the first printing: c1989. Hardcover, softcover available.

    It took the group eleven years to apply and compile the twenty-four lessons that became A Search for God, Books I and II. This material has helped individuals and groups around the world to discover a closer attunement to God.

    Florence Page Jaques and her husband, Francis Lee Jaques, became celebrated champions of the Boundary Waters and its majestic environs. Now, these classic books are both back in print as paperback editions. A well-traveled New York sophisticate, Florence Page Jaques fell in love with northern Minnesota during her first trips to the region, and she recounted those early experiences in Canoe Country and Snowshoe Country. She writes of the excitement of traveling by foot, canoe, snowshoe, and dogsled. Weeks of solitude canoeing through the Boundary Waters are interrupted by encounters with the denizens of the north country. In these two volumes, her vivid stories are matched by her famous husband’s spectacular drawings; Francis Lee Jaques captures the delicate power of Minnesota’s seasons, from the cascading falls of summer to the frozen lakes of winter.

    Flora and fauna descriptions are arranged according to the Bay's nine major habitats -- from freshwater wetlands to saltwater marshes. Accordingly, readers can easily refer to the habitat in which they might be canoeing, for instance, and find the species that are common there. As a further aid in this process, the most important field marks of more than 500 species are shown in 350 superb pen-and-ink drawings, which make this benchmark work as visually appealing as it is useful.

    Summaries of the animals, plants, topographical features, and Indian tribes encountered are included at the end of each chapter devoted to the particular leg of the journey. A distinguished biologist, Paul Russell Cutright will be remembered for this landmark contribution to our understanding of the world that the expedition observed and recorded.