Islands of the Arctic Review

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(More customer reviews)WOW! This is the only book I've ever put on my coffee table. It is absolutely beautiful and so well written that anyone can quickly read and learn about the arctic. The numerous photos are worthy of framing and they beautifully depict the many facets of ice and snow. Excellent as a learning book for students and travellers alike. I highly recommend this book as a gift to anyone with an interest in geography, geology, photography, or even just the beauty of nature. You will not be disappointed.

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The Arctic islands are characterized by beautiful mountains and glaciers, in which the wildlife lives in delicate balance with its environment. It is a fragile region with a long history of exploration and exploitation that is now experiencing rapid environmental change. All of these themes are explored in Islands of the Arctic, a richly illustrated volume with superb photographs from the Canadian Arctic archipelago, Greenland, Svalbard and the Russian Arctic. It begins with the various processes shaping the landscape: glaciers, rivers and coastal processes, the role of ice in the oceans and the weather and climate. Julian Dowdeswell and Michael Hambrey describe the flora and fauna in addition to the human influences on the environment, from the sustainable approach of the Inuit, to the devastating damage inflicted by hunters and issues arising from the presence of military security installations. Finally, they consider the future prospects of the Arctic islands Julian Dowdeswell is Director of the Scott Polar Research Institute and Professor of Physical Geography at 0he University of Cambridge. He received the Polar Medal from Queen Elizabeth for his contributions to the study of glacier geophysics and the Gill Memorial Award from the Royal Geographical Society. He is chair of the Publications Committee of the International Glaciological Society and head of the Glaciers and Ice Sheets Division of the International Commission for Snow and Ice.Michael Hambrey is Director of the Centre for Glaciology at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. A past recipient of the Polar Medal, he was also given the Earth Science Editors' Outstanding Publication Award for Glaciers (Cambridge University Press). Hambrey is also the author of Glacial Environments (British Columbia, 1994).

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Of Wolves and Men (Scribner Classics) Review

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(More customer reviews)Its rare that a study like this one is both entertaining and informative, but Mr. Lopez's book is precisely that. We are led through the ages peering at the strenuous relations of humanity and wolf-kind, from primal man's envy of this accomplished, loyal hunter, through his hateful denial of their ties, and finally to its present day nebulous dual attitude of reconciliation and euthanasia. It can best be summed up in the chapters referring to the attitudes of the ancient Greeks -especially the Arcadians, who first emulated the wolf, then hated and feared him as a sheepkiller, and then looked on him with pity and sadness and guilt. I also found the descriptions of wolves in Norse literature indicative of the strange envy/hatred/fear man seems to hold for this creature. Meanwhile the wolf lopes on through all of this, steadfast and unchanging - wanting no part in man's world, content with its own. There is much to be learned from wolves, and this book goes a long way in teaching it. In the closing chapters everything ties together in a manner that it is pretty amazing and eye-opening, even going so far as to point to the inherent relationship between a cosmic disaster and the decline of wolves. Maybe that came of sounding crackpot, but I'm not the author - read him for yourself. Its a great buy, and will stay with you for a long time to come.

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The Bedside Book of Beasts: A Wildlife Miscellany Review

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(More customer reviews)to Graeme Gibson's The Bedside Book of Birds: An Avian Miscellany. Both books are absolutely beautiful: heavy paper, excellent binding, gorgeous reproductions and printing. The page images here on Amazon are really excellent, but don't convey the full beauty of the images on paper. Best of all, the books nestle in your hands -- a book lover's ideal.
Gibson has collected not only beautiful and interesting images, but also interesting quotes about beasts that prey on other animals:
""The term `beasts' belongs properly to lions, leopards and tigers, wolves and foxes, dogs and monkeys, and all others (except snakes) which rage by mouth or with claws. They are called `beasts' from the force with which they rage; and they are termed `wild' because they are by nature used to freedom and they are motivated by their own will. They do indeed have freedom of will and they wander here and there, going as their spirit leads them." --The Peterborough Bestiary (14th C.)
The OED entry for "beast" is a great supplement to Gibson's collection reflecting the diversity of definitions of the word; for example, 1751 CHAMBERS Cycl. s.v., "Beasts of Chase, in our statute-books are five; the buck, doe, fox, martin, and roe. Beasts of the forest are, the hart, hind, hare, boar, and wolf. Beasts and fowls of the warren are, the hare, coney, pheasant, and partridge."
Fantastic beasts appear: the Minotaur, Grendel, and the Leviathan, in words and wonderous images. Knopf Doubleday has added a number of pages showing these and other wonders on its website devoted to the book.
Gibson's broader message is environmental; his excellent short essays tie the book together and he seeks to instill a sort of reverence for animals and their "elemental' connection with humans. For example, he quotes a 19th-century Canadian explorer who shot a bear. The Indians with him rejoiced -- but told him he must now blow tobacco smoke into the dead bear's nostrils to appease its anger. In the next passage, Elizabeth Marshall Thomas describes a puma that kills a sheep, and the "gazes fondly into the sheep's eyes". (The Tribe of Tiger: Cats and Their Culture.) Gibson seems to be demonstrating that it's easy to swing between the reverence and the maudlin.
He recognizes that humans have always hunted animals and he quotes his wife Margaret Atwood's poem "It's Autumn" to demonstrate the conflicting feelings about the hunt (from The Door):
It's autumn. The nuts patter down.
Beechnuts, acorns, blackwalnuts --
tree orphans thrown to the ground
in their hard garments.
Don't go in there,
into the faded orange wood -
it's filled with angry old men
sneaking around in camouflage gear
pretending no one can see them.
***
They shoot at any sign of movement -
your dog, your cat, you.
They'll say you were a fox or skunk,
or duck, or pheasant, maybe a deer.
These aren't hunters, these men.
They have none of the patience of hunters,
none of the remorse.
They're certain they own everything.
A hunter knows he borrows.
***
Gibson has a light hand on the environmental issue, though -- many of the quotations describe other aspects of the complex relationships between the hunters and the hunted. This wonderful book makes a great present for any nature lover, and even better accompanied by a copy of The Bedside Book of Birds: An Avian Miscellany. Triumphs, both.
Robert C. Ross 2009

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The White Giraffe Review

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(More customer reviews)I have to admit, I was first attracted to this book because of it's beautiful cover. After reading the first chapter, I was completely hooked. It's a wonderful story about a girl named Martine who, after the loss of her parents, must move to a wildlife park in Africa. The story focuses on a mysterious white giraffe who is only rumored to exist in the park. Lauren St. John also adds themes of family and friendship to this novel. Beautiful and descriptive language make this a great read, both for adults and children.

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Tanzania Handbook, 2nd: Travel guide to Tanzania including detailed safari listings (Footprint Tanzania) Review

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(More customer reviews)we traveled tanzania and zanzibar for a month, and got most of our info from this little book. it was (at that time- april 2006) up-to-date. easy to use, not too heavy in the backpack and informative enough to get us to the right guesthouse or restaurant without bothering the locals too much.
some city and town maps included only the most central parts- quite a problem when they do not include central bus or train stations....
all in all- a good book to have when you are in tanzania!

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The Serengeti, Mount Kilimanjaro, Ngorongoro Crater, and Zanzibar are the famous highlights inviting travelers to the jewel of Africa's east coast. Footprint's second edition guide to Tanzania includes all these, plus many more, making it possible to get off the beaten track and really discover this incredible country. Whether one fancies wildlife spotting, lazy days on the beach, or adventure activities, this guide covers them all, plus all the necessaries on where to eat, sleep, drink, and get around.

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