Planet Earth: As You've Never Seen It Before

Book Description

A visual odyssey that will change the way we see our planet, this remarkable book, companion to the acclaimed Discovery Channel/ BBC series, is an enduring and awe-inspiring record of one of the most ambitious natural history projects ever undertaken. Using the latest aerial surveillance, state-of-the-art cameras, and high definition technology, the creators of Planet Earth have assembled more than 400 stunning photographs of wondrous natural landscapes from around the globe, including incredible footage of the rarely spotted, almost mythical creatures that live in these habitats. Many of the images reveal inaccessible places that few have seen and record animal behavior that has never been filmed or photographed before. With the help of this highly advanced technology and the world's premier wildlife photographers, the book takes us on a spectacular journey from the world's greatest rivers and impressive gorges, to its mightiest mountains, hidden caves and caverns, and vast deserts. Planet Earth captures breathtaking sequences of predators and their prey, lush vistas of forests viewed from the tops of towering trees, the oceans and their mysterious creatures viewed from beneath the surface, and much more--in a magnificent adventure that brings unknown wonders of the natural world into our living rooms.
Copub: BBC Worldwide Americas

Customer Reviews:

Planet Earth........2007-08-14

Wow!!! my 8 year old loves this DVD. Very interesting to watch. Does have some parts that my 8 year old has a trouble watching, this is the section of life and death in the food chain. Otherwise highly recommended, in HD DVD is Awesome....

Planet Earth: As You've Never Seen It Before.......2007-08-10

I have not had a chance to even break the seal on this new book as yet. I skimmed this book at a bookstore, and then decided to buy it. If you saw the mini-series on Discovery or Animal Planet, you will be impressed with this book as well. For those with children, this book is a must.

A Great Coffee Table Book.......2007-08-04

A great companion book to the dvd series.

magnificent.......2007-07-30

Amazing photos and wonderous facts regarding everything imaginable to the unusual. Our family has enjoyed this educational and spellbinding photography.

Glorious.......2007-07-27

Beautifully photographed and informational, this book should be on every nature lover's shelf. The "Planet Earth" series, which I watch weekly on Animal Planet, is even more jaw-dropping. I thank the generous and unbelievably courageous people who have the cojones to make this possible!

Julie Townsend
Metairie, LA

Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things

Average customer rating:

A pleasant read
A must for anyone developing products
2107: "You People Lived in Filth!" - A sort of book review of Bill McDonough and Michael Braungart's Cradle to Cradle
This book is amazing - 6 stars
A very insightful book

Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things
William McDonough , and Michael Braungart
Manufacturer: North Point Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Environmental Science | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0865475873

Amazon.com

Paper or plastic? Neither, say William McDonough and Michael Braungart. Why settle for the least harmful alternative when we could have something that is better--say, edible grocery bags! In Cradle to Cradle, the authors present a manifesto calling for a new industrial revolution, one that would render both traditional manufacturing and traditional environmentalism obsolete. Recycling, for instance, is actually "downcycling," creating hybrids of biological and technical "nutrients" which are then unrecoverable and unusable. The authors, an architect and a chemist, want to eliminate the concept of waste altogether, while preserving commerce and allowing for human nature. They offer several compelling examples of corporations that are not just doing less harm--they're actually doing some good for the environment and their neighborhoods, and making more money in the process. Cradle to Cradle is a refreshing change from the intractable environmental conflicts that dominate headlines. It's a handbook for 21st-century innovation and should be required reading for business hotshots and environmental activists. --Therese Littleton

Book Description

A manifesto for a radically different philosophy and practice of manufacture and environmentalism

"Reduce, reuse, recycle" urge environmentalists; in other words, do more with less in order to minimize damage. As William McDonough and Michael Braungart argue in their provocative, visionary book, however, this approach perpetuates a one-way, "cradle to grave" manufacturing model that dates to the Industrial Revolution and casts off as much as 90 percent of the materials it uses as waste, much of it toxic. Why not challenge the notion that human industry must inevitably damage the natural world, they ask.

In fact, why not take nature itself as our model? A tree produces thousands of blossoms in order to create another tree, yet we do not consider its abundance wasteful but safe, beautiful, and highly effective; hence, "waste equals food" is the first principle the book sets forth. Products might be designed so that, after their useful life, they provide nourishment for something new-either as "biological nutrients" that safely re-enter the environment or as "technical nutrients" that circulate within closed-loop industrial cycles, without being "downcycled" into low-grade uses (as most "recyclables" now are).

Elaborating their principles from experience (re)designing everything from carpeting to corporate campuses, the authors make an exciting and viable case for change.

Customer Reviews:

A pleasant read.......2007-09-24

Definitely would recommend this to anyone who would like to learn about how societies will/should change to conform to the processes of nature. Significant change need to occur to shape a planet where humans can survive for a longer duration (than the current forecast). This means alleviating environmental threats that were initially caused by our own doing.

A must for anyone developing products.......2007-09-19

This book put a new light on the manufacturing process. I am currently studying to be an engineer, and upon reading this book, I feel I have gained important insight into how to ethically create products. The focus of the book is to show that being "less bad", as the current way of thinking promotes, is not the right mentality to have. Instead the book proposes that products need to be looked at in a renewable sense, that is, how can it be completely reused to make something new when its useful life has been spent (hence Cradle to Cradle and not Cradle to Grave). I found the book to be very inspirational and look forward to applying its ideas in my career.

2107: "You People Lived in Filth!" - A sort of book review of Bill McDonough and Michael Braungart's Cradle to Cradle.......2007-08-18

One hundred years isn't a long time. Yet, in the last one hundred years we can account for radical changes in the expectations that we - in the West at least - have concerning the standards of the food we eat and the conditions that we live in. We readily expect that our waste will neatly leave our homes, our malls, our schools, workplaces, and public spots en route to some place where it disappears from sight and smell forever. In fact, we rarely think about whether our waste ends up burnt, buried, or recycled, nor whether the food we dine on is thoroughly inspected and safe. We can think back to 1907 as a period in which there was nothing in the way of food safety standards (though a movement in that direction was initiated as a result of Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle, which was published that same year). Nor was there any notion of labor rights, environmental protection, and many of the sanitation procedures that we often take for granted nowadays.

Looking back through history ever further, to the crowded city streets of Paris, London, or Rome in the 17th and 18th century, reveals a more distasteful reality of how people lived. The blood of slaughtered animals, along with human excrement and other waste flowed through the sewers of these magnificent cities. "How did people live like this?" we might wonder. We shutter to think about living in such conditions, which allowed for the rapid spread of pestilence and sickness, not to mention unthinkable stench. While this may still be the experience of too many in the developing world, a signal of the progress and greatness of the modernized West has been our ability to escape the condition of living in our own waste.

Yet I've wondered recently how those living in 2107 will look upon the collective condition of the world as it stands today? Will they think that we live in filth? Despite the fact that we can split atoms, fly space crafts around the solar system, cure many illnesses, make electricity from the sun's rays, and communicate with each other in a myriad of digital ways, I wonder if they will ask why we still chose to live in our waste? I think that they will find it extremely perplexing that a society as developed as ours, who has the self awareness and knowledge about the harm that we inflict on ourselves and for posterity - not to mention the multitude of living systems that we are embedded in - refused to develop a different course for humanity.

When I say that we live in filth I mean that we continue to choke on unsafe air from the cars we drive and the outdated and dangerous ways that we engage in mass industrialization. I mean that we continue to produce millions and millions of consumable products made from an array of unsafe chemicals that we know little about and which we simply burn or bury after we use them one or two times. I find it so perplexing that industry continues to spends so much time and energy developing products that will only be used for a small fraction of time by consumers, yet will spend hundreds of years in landfills (I'm thinking especially of the enormous amount of plastic packaging that most products come in, only to be discarded immediately).

We dump many of the items that we have no more use for into ever expanding landfills that are getting closer and closer to the places we live and the sources of water we eventually come to drink. We are, in effect, living in our own waste. We put zero amount of effort into thinking of ways to design the same products that we rely on daily so that they are not harmful for humans or the environments in which we live. Scratch that, we have the technology and the know how for making safer and better products, however we lack leaders (both political & business) with the will, courage, and vision to bring humanity into the next industrial revolution. The first industrial revolution centered on extracting resources from the Earth (with little thought of replacing them) and putting these resources through production processes that have amounted to harming both human and non-human life for many years to come. The next industrial revolution will be about reengineering the production of consumer goods so that the stuff we make is in accordance with our natural environment. It will be about plastics that are biodegradable and the eradication of materials that are not. It will be about more intelligent approaches to designing buildings, which will utilize natural light, wind patterns, and the surrounding ecosphere to produce happier places to work and live, and which no longer rely on burning fossil fuels for cooling, heating, and sanitation. It will be about re-conceptualizing how we design, plan, and imagine the cities that most of humanity has come to chose to live in.

I'm currently drinking a soda out of a plastic bottle made from polymers derived from petroleum. This bottle, which not only is derived from the most contested resource of our time (though clean water is quickly taking its place) will be intact for those living in 2107 to view and touch as an artifact of an era which may be known in the future as one of reckless disregard, ignorance, and waste. Even the popular notion of recycling many of the products that we use only serves to slow down the rate in which we are harming ourselves. Recycling for many products is really a process of downcycling - a term coined by Bill McDonough and Michael Braungart in their book Cradle to Cradle. The process of recycling a product essentially causes it to loose its quality each time it is put through the recycling process (assuming that individuals keep recycling each new plastic reincarnate). Even though I will recycle this bottle, and it will become another plastic product again, it will eventually have to be disregarded after going through a few recycles. Alas, we are really just slowing down the rate by which synthetics eventually reach our waste graveyards or incinerators. In addition, while it is thought to be a socially responsible activity, the process of recycling releases into the atmosphere dangerous toxins emitted by the burning of plastics during the recycling process.

What is radically different about the world from 1907, or 17th century European cities, is that we fully understand the consequences of continuing down the path we are on. Furthermore, we have the knowledge and creative ideas of how to alter that path. What we lack, sadly, is the will to cause massive social change in how we consume and live. McDonough and Braungart's text urges product designers, city planners, and architects to approach their designs with the future of humanity in mind. Interestingly, they are not saying that we need to save the planet, for the planet will still be here long after homo sapiens has expired. Their message is that we need to save ourselves from the harm we are inflicting on ourselves. Their cradle-to-cradle philosophy urges designers to make products that can easily be disassembled after their use and put back into the production cycle as something else. In this sense, products should have an immense shelf life, being able to become that same product again or easily transformed into some other consumer product. The idea is to rid ourselves of the current approach to production which is based on a cradle-to-grave approach: extract resources from the Earth to make consumer products which are then discarded (thrown away) into landfills or burnt up in incinerators, expelling unknown synthetic chemicals into the ecosphere which we rely on for life.

It's time for us to recognize that the approach to mass production and living brought on by the industrial revolution is antiquated. If anything, it's insulting that humanity has yet to update itself from what seems to be such an archaic paradigm of not only how we make things, but what are relationship ought to be with the multitude of living systems that we are embedded in. All other living species exist in an interdependent cyclical system in which their "wastes equals food" for some other set of beings. It's high time that we apply this age old and ubiquitous principle to how we manufacture and produce all the things that we need to live as well.

This book is amazing - 6 stars.......2007-08-12

If you care about ecology and if you ever wondered how humanity can live in a harmony with the nature - you must read this book.

Imagine plastic container that you are encouraged to throw away - it contains no toxins, biodegrades and serves as nutrition for soil... Imagine the car you give back to the manufacturer who gives you instead a newer model, then manufacturer takes apart the old car piece by piece and infinitely reuses the parts... And so on... This book is made out of plastic that can be printed on over and over again...

A very insightful book.......2007-08-04

With all the talk these days about Global warming this is a great book to read.
For many, in my opinion including myself, educated in similar thought processes dating back to beginnings of the industrial revolution has created many of the problems, as a world, we now face. The two authors try to break down these barriers and describe ways in which we can all treat the planet with a little more respect and develop new ways of thinking. The idea as they write,"throwing that away." Where are you throwing it away to? It basically ends up in someone else's back yard polluting their environment while delaying the inevitable pollution of your local environment. I hope this book motivates at least a few individuals enough where they do become active or lead them down a path where they develop ways to decrease individuals carbon foot print.
Ideas written about in this book reflects the Sundance Channels: The Green, Bid Ideas for a Small Planet, shows about individuals trying to make an a more sustainable environment. Some of the documentaries related to this series shows areas that have been so heavily polluted and groups trying to remedy them. It was quite alarming to see areas such as this.
Again, a great book with many new ideas and ways to look at things

Average customer rating:

Beautiful Book
Intriguing and beguiling
Excellent Product & Prompt Delivery
No Words!
Wonderful book, all pictures but beautifully "told" story

Flotsam (Caldecott Medal Book)
David Wiesner
Manufacturer: Clarion Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0618194576

Book Description

A bright, science minded boy goes to the beach equipped to collect and examine flotsam--anything floating that has been washed ashore. Bottles, lost toys, small objects of every description are among his usual finds. But there's no way he could have prepared for one particular discovery: a barnacle-encrusted underwater camera, with its own secrets to share... and to keep.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful Book.......2007-09-27

This book is a wordless story appropriate for children of many ages. The pages are full of beautiful illustrations that actually tell a story without having to use words. It also gives children the opportunity to use their imaginations to some degree because they are not strictly told what happens. In it, a boy finds a camera washed up on shore and develops the film. The pictures reveal underwater fantasies in large, brightly colored images.

Intriguing and beguiling.......2007-09-20

When my wife first saw this in the bookstore, she called out, nearly shouting, "Look at this." One look wouldn't do - couldn't do! The detail and clever storytelling in this book are amazing. This book belongs on the shelf of every illustrated book lover.

Excellent Product & Prompt Delivery.......2007-09-15

This item was exactly as described in the item description. It was in the original packaging and is in excellent condition. I am very satisfied and I highly recommend this seller and product to everyone. This is an excellent book by an excellent author!

No Words!.......2007-08-27

This is a beautiful book. Great pictures. But, no words. My child was very confused when there were no words to read. It does allow you, however, to expand and make up a story. But, I would have liked to know that this book had no words before I bought it!

Wonderful book, all pictures but beautifully "told" story.......2007-08-16

This book generated much discussion among my kids and myself. Because there is no text, but amazingly detailed pictures telling this story, there is much room for theory and imagination oriented discussions.

Chemistry: The Molecular Nature of Matter and Change

Average customer rating:

Excellent College-Level Introductory Chemistry Book
great book, great explanations
chemistry book
book condition good
My Story with Chemistry and Silberberg

Chemistry: The Molecular Nature of Matter and Change
Martin Silberberg
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General & Reference | Chemistry | Science | Subjects | Books

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Accessories:

ASIN: 0073101699

Book Description

Chemistry: The Molecular Nature of Matter and Change by Martin Silberberg has become a favorite among faculty and students. Silberberg’s 4th edition contains features that make it the most comprehensive and relevant text for any student enrolled in General Chemistry. The text contains unprecedented macroscopic to microscopic molecular illustrations, consistent step-by-step worked exercises in every chapter, an extensive range of end-of-chapter problems which provide engaging applications covering a wide variety of freshman interests, including engineering, medicine, materials, and environmental studies. All of these qualities make Chemistry: The Molecular Nature of Matter and Change the centerpiece for any General Chemistry course.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent College-Level Introductory Chemistry Book.......2007-07-16

Although this book essentially starts from scratch, I'd recommend it to people who have already had high school chemistry. If you haven't had that, you should still do okay, but you may have to spend some extra time and effort since some of the most basic concepts are only skimmed over. They spend much more time on the material that you probably didn't cover in depth in high school chemistry.

First off, I would say that the book's content is excellent. It is an introductory (sort of) textbook, but it covers most of its topics in plenty of depth (at least as much as you would expect from an introductory general chemistry textbook). Also, the book does a great job at explaining the material in a clear fashion and it provides tons of illustrations. It is a very visual text and the author is obviously aware of the fact that visualizing chemical structures is extremely useful in understanding many of the concepts. This is especially useful in the section on covalent bonding.

The book also provides tons of useful exercises at the end of each chapter. The exercises range from very easy to fairly challenging, but they never seem too frustrating. Generally, I'd say that the exercises leaned more towards "easy" and are mostly just straight-forward applications of the material. Note: If you're having trouble, check out the ChemSkill Builder site. The exercises help a lot and it gives you useful feedback.

Whether it's for a class or for self-study, I would pick this book over any other.

great book, great explanations.......2007-06-17

along with chemistry the central science by brown, this is a great book. i think using both books in tandem is well worth it.

chemistry book.......2006-11-06

It is a very good text book and it was cheaper than the bookstores at the university.

book condition good.......2006-08-07

This book is in very good shape. It is a paper back version but the contents are exactly the same as a hardback version. The pages and chapters are the same. The cover of the book has slightly curled edges due to it being used. Other than that, the book is in good condition.

My Story with Chemistry and Silberberg.......2005-06-13

I am a chemistry major, that does not translate to "I like chemistry" but more along the lines that it was the only feasible premedical degree major.
I never did chemistry in High School and suffered tremendously with the thought of majoring in a science that I was unfamiliar with. What if I hated it? What if I wasnt any good at it? these were questions that haunted me prior to starting my degree. When I did commence, I found textbooks to be very costly and wanted the best for my money.

I realized that the price of a textbook does not make it good, nor the length of it. In saying so I started my chemistry studies with two books, one known as Basic Concepts of Chemistry by Malone, published by Wiley and the second was this. Chemistry the Molecular Nature of Matter and Change by Silberberg, published by Mcgraw Hill.

The first book helped establish an understanding of the fundamentals of chemistry, it was an excellant transition from the layman's english into the scientific paradigm. However when one is doing undergraduate chemistry especially in a premedical degree, it ends up not only being a study but a competition.

I found both these books to take me, an Individual who knew absolutely nothing about chemistry without any prior education in the science to someone who is now relaxed even with Organic Chemistry.

My liking and my understanding of chemistry came directly from these two books. I still treasure them to this day and would suggest anyone in my position to get these books.

I have seen and in detail read over 13 general chemistry books from Cheng to Atkins and even Zumdahl. I would deem these two (Malone and Silberberg) to be the best of all of them. However I do suggest that you peruse through various textbooks in a library prior to buying as an author's writing style matters a lot.

Most people who have an issue with Silberberg see him as being too pleonastic however I would think that he gives substantially beneficial explanations to all those concepts which can potentially render an individual confused and perplexed. Another complaint people lodge with Malone is that his style is too generalized and basic....however one is supposed to be a primer and the second to give and individual a robust understanding of a variety of ideas in Chemistry which are used over and over. Therefore both are appropriately written for the purpose they serve.

The Deep: The Extraordinary Creatures of the Abyss

Average customer rating:

Magnificent Book
buy it!
FASCINATING!
AMAZING!!!
The most beautiful book in the world

The Deep: The Extraordinary Creatures of the Abyss
Claire Nouvian
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0226595668

Book Description

On dry land, most organisms are confined to the surface, or at most to altitudes of a hundred meters—the height of the tallest trees. In the oceans, though, living space has both vertical and horizontal dimensions: with an average depth of 3800 meters, the oceans offer 99% of the space on Earth where life can develop. And the deep sea, which has been immersed in total darkness since the dawn of time, occupies 85% of ocean space, forming the planet’s largest habitat. Yet these depths abound with mystery. The deep sea is mostly uncharted—only about 5 percent of the seafloor has been mapped with any reasonable degree of detail—and we know very little about the creatures that call it home. Current estimates about the number of species yet to be found vary between ten and thirty million. The deep sea no longer has anything to prove; it is without doubt Earth’s largest reservoir of life.
Combining the latest scientific discoveries with astonishing color imagery, The Deep takes readers on a voyage into the darkest realms of the ocean. Revealing nature’s oddest and most mesmerizing creatures in crystalline detail, The Deep features more than two hundred color photographs of terrifying sea monsters, living fossils, and ethereal bioluminescent creatures, some photographed here for the very first time. Accompanying these breathtaking photographs are contributions from some of the world’s most respected researchers that examine the biology of deep-sea organisms, the ecology of deep-sea habitats, and the history of deep-sea exploration.
An unforgettable visual and scientific tour of the teeming abyss, The Deep celebrates the incredible diversity of life on Earth and will captivate anyone intrigued by the unseen—and unimaginable—creatures of the deep sea.

Customer Reviews:

Magnificent Book.......2007-10-03

An incredible journey to the under sea world of mysterious aquatic life.
Fascinating photos of extraordinary creatures and their habitat. We purchased the book as a gift for our son, a recent art school graduate who specializes in creating concept art. He absolutely loved the book, and will be a valuable tool and reference work for his library.

buy it!.......2007-09-30

This is one of the best coffee table books I have! The pictures are amazing and numerous guests have used it as a conversation starter in our living room. For anyone who loved marine biology as a kid (and who DIDNT?!) this book is stellar.

FASCINATING!.......2007-09-23

This is the most amazing book that I have seen in a long time! Extraordinarily beautiful fotos of equally stunning and fascinating creatures! The beauty and creativity of nature takes your breath away! A must to have!

AMAZING!!!.......2007-09-23

Beautiful, depending upon what your definition of "beauty" is.
The animals in this book could very well be the inhabitants of YOUR nightmare, but not mine.
The incredible creatures, which we are privileged to view are breathtaking.
And yet another example of the world we have not seen...and are probably destroying.

The most beautiful book in the world.......2007-09-10

This is the most beautiful book I've ever see. It is loaded with photos of sealife never seen before , varied and facinating. Every picture is one you'd want to touch , or frame , or say to a friend , hey , look at this. There's a world going on we know nothing about , and it's a complex as our world.

The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World

Average customer rating:

A Fascinating Read
Too much information
Just buy this book.................
We are the world
human psychology in the garden

The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World
Michael Pollan
Manufacturer: Random House Trade Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0375760393
Release Date: 2002-05-28

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

Working in his garden one day, Michael Pollan hit pay dirt in the form of an idea: do plants, he wondered, use humans as much as we use them? While the question is not entirely original, the way Pollan examines this complex coevolution by looking at the natural world from the perspective of plants is unique. The result is a fascinating and engaging look at the true nature of domestication.

In making his point, Pollan focuses on the relationship between humans and four specific plants: apples, tulips, marijuana, and potatoes. He uses the history of John Chapman (Johnny Appleseed) to illustrate how both the apple's sweetness and its role in the production of alcoholic cider made it appealing to settlers moving west, thus greatly expanding the plant's range. He also explains how human manipulation of the plant has weakened it, so that "modern apples require more pesticide than any other food crop." The tulipomania of 17th-century Holland is a backdrop for his examination of the role the tulip's beauty played in wildly influencing human behavior to both the benefit and detriment of the plant (the markings that made the tulip so attractive to the Dutch were actually caused by a virus). His excellent discussion of the potato combines a history of the plant with a prime example of how biotechnology is changing our relationship to nature. As part of his research, Pollan visited the Monsanto company headquarters and planted some of their NewLeaf brand potatoes in his garden--seeds that had been genetically engineered to produce their own insecticide. Though they worked as advertised, he made some startling discoveries, primarily that the NewLeaf plants themselves are registered as a pesticide by the EPA and that federal law prohibits anyone from reaping more than one crop per seed packet. And in a interesting aside, he explains how a global desire for consistently perfect French fries contributes to both damaging monoculture and the genetic engineering necessary to support it.

Pollan has read widely on the subject and elegantly combines literary, historical, philosophical, and scientific references with engaging anecdotes, giving readers much to ponder while weeding their gardens. --Shawn Carkonen

Book Description

Every schoolchild learns about the mutually beneficial dance of honeybees and flowers: The bee collects nectar and pollen to make honey and, in the process, spreads the flowers’ genes far and wide. In The Botany of Desire, Michael Pollan ingeniously demonstrates how people and domesticated plants have formed a similarly reciprocal relationship. He masterfully links four fundamental human desires—sweetness, beauty, intoxication, and control—with the plants that satisfy them: the apple, the tulip, marijuana, and the potato. In telling the stories of four familiar species, Pollan illustrates how the plants have evolved to satisfy humankind’s most basic yearnings. And just as we’ve benefited from these plants, we have also done well by them. So who is really domesticating whom?

Customer Reviews:

A Fascinating Read.......2007-10-07

The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan challenges the notion that mankind can control the natural world, subjugating plants to the will of the gardener. Through a discussion of four plants closely associated with human cultivation: apple, tulip, marijuana, and potato, Pollan demonstrates that organisms which possess traits desirable to the gardener have been able manipulate humans to cultivate them. Each plant has a different strategy for assuring that humans will continue to include it in their gardens. The apple, for example, is an extremely diverse species whose seeds contain millions of possible variations of both the fruit produced and the tree itself. Whether one is looking to make hard cider or munch on a crisp green fruit, the apple tree has the genetic code to produce the fruit humans look for.
In The Botany of Desire, Pollan focuses on the four plants mentioned above, placing each plant in a category, and explains how plants within that category possess characteristics which make them desirable to humans. The apple and other fruits appeal to our sense of taste, and, if fermented, our desire for inebriation. The tulip appeals to mankind's sense of beauty; marijuana, our desire to achieve an altered state of mind; the potato our need for nourishment and desire to genetically engineer crops. In short, each of these plants is successful in an evolutionary sense because it causes us to cultivate it.
Although Pollan's book is an intriguing read, I found it unsettling that he often rattles off facts and figures without citing a direct source, such as the assertion on page 219: "a potato farmer in Idaho spends roughly $1,950 an acre (mainly on chemicals, electricity and water)." Pollan does include a few pages of sources in the back of his book, but he could make a stronger argument that would stand up to academic scrutiny with the addition of endnotes.
In addition to a vast amount of research and traveling prior to writing this book, Pollan makes The Botany of Desire a quality literary work by using recurring themes to tie the four parts of the book together. Through returning to his garden at many points over the course of the book, Pollan is able to tie all four of his subjects into a common space. Approaching the reader as a fellow gardener gives him or her a sense of connection to Pollan and his garden. By the end of the book, I felt as though I knew Michael Pollan and his garden intimately. Another example of this continuity is Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and revelry. Dionysus appears in both chapters one and three, were Pollan relates him to cider, Johnny Appleseed, and mind-altering substances.
Overall, Pollan's clear style and journalistic narrative flows easily and keeps the reader entertained throughout the book. He makes effective use of descriptive details and personal experiences to relate to the reader as he argues his theme of plants manipulating humans to include them in their gardens. The Botany of Desire is a must read for anyone interested in how plants we encounter on a daily basis cause us to cultivate them around the globe.

Too much information.......2007-09-16

Started out liking the chapter on Apples, less the next and so on. It seemed like I was getting the same story in each chapter only more elaborate and wordy.

Just buy this book........................2007-09-05

I am not a botanist.Yet. But the study of evolution is quite an exciting journey, made more exciting by the mind melting,eloquent ideas posed by Mr. Pollan. Bought the audio book version, and I can't stop listining to it. From the story of Johnyy Appleseed, to Holland in search of the history of Tulips, the Amazing Marijuana Plant, and the control of the Potato. Seemed random to me. Not any more. Incredible book.

We are the world.......2007-08-31

Pollan's book is a vivid reminder of how intricately human society is woven into the ecological framework of the planet and in particular that of plants. His descriptions of how our societies have affected and been affected by just four plants opens up a series of thought-provoking questions to mull over the next time you find yourself in a garden, at the dinner table, or taking a walk outdoors. It's written with sensitivity towards those he disagrees with, and this gentle touch makes the story he's relating much more effective at prompting you as reader to engage. The weakest part of the book is the chapter on Tulips, but that is hard to criticize since the chapters on apples, marijuana and potatoes are so good.

Read this Book!

human psychology in the garden.......2007-08-02

Human psychology from the plant's perspective? Yep. That's precisely the topic of this book. When our ancestors began breeding plants to serve our desires they inevitably laid those desires bare in the phenotypes in their gardens. Pollan is impressively aware of many current themes in evolutionary biology (e.g., the function of sexual reproduction), and admirably willing to tell a story with the patience and breadth it deserves (hence four 100-page chapters instead of the usual one hundred, A.D.D. 4-page chapters). This book is not for everyone, but if you have intellectual curiosity about why some plants have come to dominate our world, this book will give you many answers and even more tools. There's nothing better I can say about a book.

The Reef Aquarium: A Comprehensive Guide to the Identification and Care of Tropical Marine Invertebrates (Volume 1)

Average customer rating:

Great advice
Wonderful Stony Coral and Clam Reference
Perhaps the best book on reef care
Helpful books
The Questions Are Answered

The Reef Aquarium: A Comprehensive Guide to the Identification and Care of Tropical Marine Invertebrates (Volume 1)
J. Charles Delbeek , Julian Sprung , and Charles Delbeek
Manufacturer: Ricordea Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1883693128

Book Description

This book is the "bible" on the subject of Reef Aquarium keeping, covering the biology of coral reefs and relating it to the biological, chemical, and physical parameters considered when creating a reef aquarium. The book details how to successfully cultivate corals in captivity and also features the identification and care of numerous coral and giant clam species. Diseases and parasites, and methods for controlling algae are also featured. The book finishes with an exciting section of photographs demonstrating successful reef aquariums.

Customer Reviews:

Great advice.......2005-10-14

New hobbyist should read this book for advice, then read it again in 6 months.

Wonderful Stony Coral and Clam Reference.......2005-06-09

The good?

This book is truly a comprehensive piece covering probably more than you want to know at times. For example, it explains the chemical reactions that occur during calcification of corals and why additions are necessary.

After reading many other references, I must say I am very happy I purchased this volume. Contained in these pages are insights you won't find anywhere else.

The book clearly explains the setup and maintenance procedures required to be successful in stony coral reef keeping.

The bad?

My main gripe is trivial. Guys, how about a larger font size and pictures? I had to do a lot of squinting.

It could do with a minor revision of some references that are dated (such as collection of live rock from Florida) as the original was 1994, but make no mistake that all information is relevant.

In summary...

Obviously at this price it is unfortunately out of reach of the casual hobbyist, which is a shame. However, one could buy this book instead of various "reference manuals" which might be the same at the end of the day.

Buy it if you can afford it.

I also highly recommend Eric Borneman's Aquarium Corals book.

Perhaps the best book on reef care.......2005-05-16

An exceptional book on the subject. It is comprehensive but I would not say not complete as no book on this subject could be. Still I believe this book to be the best work compiled in book form. Described by many as "the Bible" on the subject it indeed may be but it is not dogmatic as it offers several options and methods and leaves it for the aquarist to use.
(Note: This volume covers stony corals and not soft corals).
When I started keeping marine aquaria keeping back in 1970 one almost had to employ the skills of a chemist. In those days most people in the hobby thought it nearly impossible to care for many of the species of coral now commonly kept. It was only through the encouragement of a local public aquarium (the John G. Shedd Aquarium) whereas a high school student I was able to participate in collecting trips that I got the encouragement to experiment. I started out with Robert Straughan's books back in 1970 which both helped to get me in trouble and helped me grow as an aquarist. both In those days there was an awful lot of trial and error. Later in the late 70's I helped to pioneer some techniques when I worked for the Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco. In those days in San Francisco I worked for one of the largest marine fish wholesalers in the world. We had a lot of shipments that went off to Germany and now I wonder if some of the species that passed through my hands ended up in the hands of the authors. Somewhat of a revolution went of in the hoby in the 1980 thanks in part to the efforts of the Germans. Thankfully the hobby is now much more of a discipline and a lot more humane. It is quite amazing how far the hobby has come. I am sure the hobby will continue to evolve. This is a pricey book but it is a pricey hobby and this book is one of the best, if not the best, books on the subject available. The best place to start with the hobby is a book like this one.

Helpful books.......2001-12-10

In some reviews the two volumes of "The Reef Aquarium" have been named "the bible of reef aquarists". This makes you expect a lot, but my expectations have not been disappointed in any way. Describing the natural habit at in the coral reef, explaining the established reef aquarium systems or introducing the suitable aquarium inhabitants - in these two books I found it all. Even here in Germany those two books are known as a German translation, and they're successful.

The Questions Are Answered.......2001-12-05

This book should be an example by which all other marine and reef aquarium books follow. Current and relavant information from cover to cover. This is the stuff you need to know if you are serious about being successful in this hobby. Great book but a great group of people.

Average customer rating:

Good way to introduce the "birds and the bees"
Offers too much detail in my opinion
Covers the embarressing areas
Where Did I Come From?
Just the facts

Where Did I Come From?
Peter Mayle
Manufacturer: Lyle Stuart
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0818402539

Customer Reviews:

Good way to introduce the "birds and the bees".......2007-09-01

My son and I had the best laughs reading this book; somewhat embarrasing at time but it was all out there, he was able to ask questions and it was a great way to discuss these things with him as it is with any child. I highly recommend this book for 9 or 10 year olds if your ready to discuss such things with them.

Offers too much detail in my opinion.......2007-08-23

Although I believe this book may be suitable for some kids, I do not believe it is suitable for my son and that is why I did not give it to him. Some pages from the book actually made me turn red! It is my opinion that kids do not need to know all the details provided in this book in order to get the message of where they came from. An edited version would work better for me.

Covers the embarressing areas.......2007-08-23

This book does a great job at explaining why grownups like to have sex. It describes the feelings, without getting lewd.

Where Did I Come From?.......2007-08-09

My son read this in addition to another similar book, and said that this book has less information in it.

Just the facts.......2007-07-13

Great book. I had it when I was a kid and bought it for my niece and nephew. It's just the facts. With all the sex in the media and talk on the playground I think kids deserve to know the truth.

The Reef Set: Reef Fish, Reef Creature and Reef Coral (3 Volumes) (Reef Set)

Average customer rating:

Identifying things underwater in the Caribbean.
Wonderful
The best in print
The Best Guides in the Ocean
Great Set of Books!

The Reef Set: Reef Fish, Reef Creature and Reef Coral (3 Volumes) (Reef Set)
Paul Humann , and Ned DeLoach
Manufacturer: New World Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1878348337

Book Description

Reef Fish3rd Edition, Reef Creature 2nd Edition and Reef Coral 2nd Edition Identification books packaged in a beautifully printed Shelf Case.

Customer Reviews:

Identifying things underwater in the Caribbean........2007-08-26

I am a Brit who has been travelling to the Caribbean to dive with a Rotary group on an annual basis for the past 5 years during which we have dived in the North, East, West and Southern areas. One of my diving colleagues brought along the Reef Set and having looked at it, I was so impressed that I decided to buy a Set for myself - a great reference work for someone who is keen to put names to the things they see underwater.

Wonderful.......2007-08-15

I was working as a scuba instructor down in Grand Cayman when the first edition came out. I can't tell you what an impact the reef fish identification guide had. I have the whole set and it's wonderful.

The best in print.......2007-08-11

If you dive, this is the guide you must have to identify what you see. Indespensible for any trip.

The Best Guides in the Ocean.......2007-05-21

This set makes identifying fish, creatures, and corals possible for anyone. The authors developed a revolutionary grouping system to help the user focus observations, from which one can then refer to the book to make a positive identification. The photos are fabulous, and in the Reef Fish book, the authors even tell you where they were taken. Information is geared to those who spend time underwater (both the "Reef Fish" and "Reef Creature" books tell readers how organisms react to divers). Although one can use these books by thumbing through the pictures alone, there is much valuable information in the concise writing leading up to the photos, especially the authors' notes and explanations of the identification groups. Descriptions accompanying the photos help one learn subtle differences and sharpen observations further. In all, these three books are "must haves" for those who want to know what they're looking at under the ocean.

Great Set of Books!.......2007-03-22

The handy carrying case and lovely volumes will come in handy for our next Virgin Island adventure...sorry we didn't have them along last time for identification purposes! They are terrific! Thanks.

Average customer rating:

Lovely!
Magical!
Wonderful gift for first time parents!
On The Day You Were Born
Book is AMAZING, CD is so-so

On the Day You Were Born
Debra Frasier
Manufacturer: Harcourt Children's Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0152579958

Amazon.com

Inspired by Debra Frasier's enormously popular On the Day You Were Born, this charming photo journal invites families to celebrate the arrival of their loved one into the natural world. A star-spangled blue sky, crossed by a swath of sunshine yellow with gold birds, introduces the reader to "the very first day you arrived." Baby's picture and name go right in the middle of all the cheery yellow. Turn the page: "You were born on the round planet Earth. Was it day, or was it night?" is printed with another space for a picture and a line to write the date and time of birth against the backdrop of more starry sky with that old blue and green globe plopped in the middle and a figure of a child frolicking across the ocean. On another page, the jubilant child dances across a beach: "On the day you were born waves washed the beaches clean for your footprints. How little were your fingers? How tiny were your toes?"

By adding eight photographs and filling in a few details, parents can create a very special journal for their child, rejoicing together in all the natural wonders of the universe. Here is an ideal gift for the new parents with a vibrant connection to nature. --Emilie Coulter

Book Description

In simple words and radiant collages, Debra Frasier celebrates the natural miracles of the earth and extends an exuberant welcome to each member of our human family. Accompanied by a detailed glossary explaining such natural phenomena as gravity, tides, and migration, this is an unforgettable book. “A book filled with reverence for the natural order of the world and the place of the individual in it.”--School Library Journal

Customer Reviews:

Lovely!.......2007-09-05

I got this book because it was on sale and I am so glad that I did. Seeing it now I would definitely pay full price for it.

It is well-made, adorable, and will make a great keepsake to share with our son.

Magical! .......2007-09-03

This is a book I've given as a birthday gift many times - to new arrivals and those celebrating more birthdays as well. The text is simple yet beautiful and the illustrations provide a warm, magical layer of feeling when reading this book. Highly recommended.

Wonderful gift for first time parents!.......2007-08-31

I received this book from a good friend when my baby boy was born (our first). I thought the poetry of birth and the natural world was amazing. And the ending where a circle of loved ones welcomed the new baby whispering "We're so glad you've come," reminded me of all the love our family and friends showed our new baby. I can't read it without tearing up. It's a wonderful reminder that all life is sacred and beautiful.
While the art is tribal, not fluffy, and some of the language is advanced for a developing child, I still love this book. Not every board book should be pastels and one syllable words. But I hope this book will be a keepsake that we can read together and remember what a miracle it was that he was born. I want to foster in him the spirit of this book... that all life is connected and we need to try to live in balance with the environment that sustains our lives.

On The Day You Were Born.......2007-07-27

This is a wonderful book to give to any new child or to the grandparent of a new child. I was given one for our new grandson and immediately bought three to give as gifts. The book is something that can become a family tradition to be read on each child's birthday!

Book is AMAZING, CD is so-so.......2007-05-15

I bought this for my son before he was born, and I read it to him all the time - and never with a dry eye! I always buy it as a baby gift for anyone I know who's having a baby of their own. However, unless you find this set for a good price, I might just get the book. My husband calls the CD "hippie music" and he's right - the music is a little, um, groovy and repetitive. Though if you have a sappy friend, get it - books like this and the Giving Tree always make me cry, and if I can have the CD finish the story for me when I get choked up, so much the better.

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