The Bedside Book of Birds: An Avian Miscellany

Book Description

In this stunning assemblage of words and images, novelist and avid birdwatcher Graeme Gibson has crafted an extraordinary tribute to the venerable relationship between humans and birds.

Birds have ever been the symbols of our highest aspirations. As divine messengers, symbols of our yearning for the heavens, or avatars of glorious song and colour, they have stirred our imaginations from the moment we first looked into the sky. Whether as the Christian dove, or Quetzalcoatl—the Aztec Plumed Serpent—or in Plato’s vision of the human soul growing wings and feathers, religion and philosophy have looked to birds as representatives of our better selves—that part of us not bound to the earth.

With the passion of a birdwatcher and hoarder of words, Gibson has spent fifteen years collecting the literary and artistic forms our affinity for birds has taken over the centuries. Birds appear again and again in mythology and folk tales, and in literature by writers as diverse as Ovid, Thomas Hardy, Kafka, Thoreau and T.S. Eliot. They’ve been omens, allegories, disguises and guides; they’ve been worshipped, eaten, feared and loved. Nor does Gibson forget the fascination they hold for science, as the Galapagos finches did for Darwin. Birds figure charmingly and tellingly in the work of such nature writers as Gilbert White, Peter Matthiessen, Farley Mowat and Barry Lopez.

Gorgeously illustrated, woven from centuries of human response to the delights of the feathered tribes, The Bedside Book of Birds is for anyone who is aware of birds, and for everyone who is intrigued by the artistic forms that humanity has created to represent its soul.

From The Bedside Book of Birds ~

Stevenson remembered the story of a monk who had been distracted from his copy-work by the song of a bird. He went into the garden to listen more closely, and when he returned, after what he thought were only a few minutes, he discovered that a century had gone by, that his fellow monks were dead and his ink had turned to dust. The song of the bird had given him a taste of Paradise, where an instant is as a hundred years of earthly time. Was the same true of time in hell, Stevenson asked himself.

Alberto Manguel

Customer Reviews:

A treat for birders and lovers of folktales in the natural history vein........2007-01-19

I purchased this book as a gift for my Aunt Jen, to whom I am deeply grateful for instilling in me a love of the outdoors in general and a love of birds in particular. She is now mostly confined to a bed and I wanted to get her a book on an outdoor subject she loves which she can enjoy while indoors. Before sending her the book I was able to get a good look at it and I feel confident she will enjoy it. The book is beautifully illustrated and the stories are well-written. All of them are interesting, some are humorous. I highly recommend this book.

This One's Special.......2006-06-19

A beautiful book, excellent for a gift as well as for one's own library. The illustrations are many, varied, and lovely. The text is engrossing.

Beauty on every page.......2006-06-02

I've found myself coming back to this book time and time again, just to open at random. I would recommend this book without hesitation.

A marvelous confection..........2006-03-29

I found this book in the gift shop of the Point Reyes National Seashore visitor center on a recent trip to Inverness and had to own it.

As an artifact it's quite beautiful: the illustrations and text and heft of the volume is sumptuous. This is, as the name says, a bedside book; a substantial hardcover with a creamy, coated-stock dustcover instead of a slick and glossy coffeetable book. The point of it is to open the volume and read.

Many such books are just random tidbits that catch the collector's fancy or have some private meaning to the person pulling the work together but which don't form a larger, coherent work. Somehow, though, this book seems to have an ebb and flow that seems natural, as if Gibson himself it taking ownership of the words, the images, the flavors here.

I bought the book for feel and flavor, but am pleased to note that it is worth owning as a volume in its own right, a perfect bedside companion. Highly recommended.

The Bedside Book of Birds:An Avian Miscellany.......2006-02-17

Wonderful book - amazing pictures. What a treasure

The Writings of Henry David Thoreau : Early Essays and Miscellanies

Average customer rating:

A day by day look at Thoreau

The Writings of Henry David Thoreau : Early Essays and Miscellanies
Henry David Thoreau
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0691062862

Book Description

This collection of fifty-three early pieces by Thoreau represents the full range of his youthful imagination. Collected, arranged, and carefully edited for the first time here, the writings date from 1828 to 1852 and cover a broad range of subjects: learning, morals, literature, history, politics, and love. Included is a major essay on Sir Walter Raleigh that was not published during the author's lifetime and a fragmentary college piece here published for the first time. Titles of essays published in the volume are given below.

Early Essays

The Seasons
Anxieties and Delights of a Discoverer
Men Whose Pursuit Is Money
Of Keeping a Private Journal
"We Are Apt to Become What Others . . . Think Us to Be"
Forms, Ceremonies, and Restraints of Polite Society
A Man of Business, a Man of Pleasure, a Man of the World
Musings
Kinds of Energetic Character
Privileges and Pleasures of a Literary Man
Severe and Mild Punishments
Popular Feeling
Style May . . . Offend against Simplicity
The Book of the Seasons
Sir Henry Vane
Literary Digressions
Foreign Influence on American Literature
Life and Works of Sir W. Scott
The Love of Stories
Cultivation of the Imagination
The Greek Classic Poets
The Meaning of "Fate"
Whether the Government Ought to Educate
Travellers & Inhabitants
History . . . of the Roman Republic
A Writer's Nationality and Individual Genius
L'Allegro & Il Penseroso
All Men Are Mad
The Speeches of Moloch & the Rest
People of Different Sections
Gaining or Exercising Public Influence
Titles of Books
Sublimity
The General Obligation to Tell the Truth
"Being Content with Common Reasons"
The Duty, Inconvenience and Dangers of Conformity
Moral Excellence
Barbarities of Civilized States
T. Pomponius Atticus
Class Book Autobiography
"The Commercial Spirit of Modern Times"

Miscellanies

DIED . . . Miss Anna Jones
Aulus Persius Flaccus
The Laws of Menu
Sayings of Confucius
Dark Ages
Chinese Four Books
Homer. Ossian. Chaucer.
Hermes Trismegistus . . . From the Gulistan of Saadi
Sir Walter Raleigh
Thomas Carlyle and His Works
Love
Chastity & Sensuality

Customer Reviews:

A day by day look at Thoreau.......1997-07-19

"Oct. 22nd, 1837. 'What are you doing now?' he asked, 'Do you keep a journal?'-- So I make my first entry today." Thus begins Thoreau's Journal, made up of more then two million words and covering about twenty-five years of his life. No other work of Thoreau's better exhibits his discipline as a writer and his devotion to the natural world. In the Journal can be found the fragmented foundations of masterpieces such as Walden, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers, The Maine Woods, and Cape Cod. But what is perhaps more interesting to a reader of Thoreau's Journal are his thoughts and insights on topics such as friendship, love, religion, nature, bravery, heroism, war, slavery, the art of writing, and, most important to Thoreau, the art of living. Anyone with any interest in Thoreau will find his Journal to be an invaluable aid in understanding and following the life of one of America's most profound prose writers

The Esl Miscellany: A Treasury of Cultural and Linguistic Information : New 21st Century

Average customer rating:

Good for non-native teachers
ESL MISCELLANY
Good grouping vocabluary

The Esl Miscellany: A Treasury of Cultural and Linguistic Information : New 21st Century
Raymond C. Clark
Manufacturer: Pro Lingua Associates
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0866471812

Book Description

To the ESL teacher: This book is a compendium of useful and interesting information for ESL teachers. It can be used in three ways: (1) as a resource for developing their own materials; (2) as a guideline for those who practice eclecticism; and (3) as photocopyable handouts for students. Because published textbooks are never completely satisfactory for a particular class, most teachers expect (or prefer!) to supplement the assigned text with their own exercises and activities. For this purpose, The ESL Miscellany is uniquely helpful, and it is organized in a way that is both professionally sound and pedagogically convenient. Any teacher committed to teaching ESL, whether to intensive, academic-bound students, recently arrived immigrants and refugees, or illiterate adults needs a variety of reference and resource books. The ESL Miscellany includes the right to reproduce any of its 292 pages!

To the EFL teacher: You could take this book with you to teach in Indonesia, Warsaw, or Urungi, and you'd use it every day. So said an enthusiastic purchaser of this book at the TESOL Conference last March. I think she is probably right. This is a resource for developing materials; it's a guideline/checklist of facts and information, and it has many lists which can be used as handouts.... A very useful book.

"The ESL Miscellany is perfect for my private tutoring endeavors. Obviously, my lesson planning is truly individualized and, furthermore, my approach is student centered. I like to mix and match techniques. A set of guidelines and checklists is what I needed. I really like the way the material is organized and presented." --Miriam Lopez, Tutor, North Arlington, New Jersey.

Customer Reviews:

Good for non-native teachers.......2002-08-23

I was a bit disappointed with the ESL Miscellany. I found it to be overly simplistic, which may be a bonus to non-native English speakers who teach ESL, but for other readers it may be frustrating. The book does consist of many useful lists and groupings, but there is little to tie it together. This is definately not a 'one stop shopping' purchase for the ESL teacher, but rather a fill-in for groupings and lists that you do not have the time to compose for yourself.

ESL MISCELLANY.......2000-06-13

As an ESL teacher in a foreign country with little resources and materials I found this book invaluable. The content of this book is great for reference for you and your students. In addition, if you don't have a curriculum to work from, here it is. If you are teaching ESL here or abroad this is a MUST book for your library. I've purchased many an ESL MISCELLANY as gifts for friends entering the field.

Good grouping vocabluary.......2000-03-28

The ESL Miscellany groups words, phrases, and idioms by topics such as cooking, transportation, hotels, restaurants, medicine and health, etc. All together, there are sixty different topics. About six years ago--I was in graduate school; that's how I remember--there was a discussion on this list centering around the question, "If you could take just five books..., what would they be?" The ESL Miscellany rated very high on the list. My Vietnamese students who are studying to become beauticians find the vocabulary (classified under barber and beautician) very useful. I would recommend this book for those learners who need good book on vocabulary groupped by category.

Average customer rating:

Great book!
Schott's Original Miscellany
fabulous!
A book of surprises
I Don't Often Read, But This Book Changed Me

Schott's Original Miscellany
Ben Schott
Manufacturer: Amazon Remainders Account
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Curiosities & Wonders | Fun Facts | Reference | Subjects | Books

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Schott's Food and Drink Miscellany
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Mental Floss Presents Condensed Knowledge: A Deliciously Irreverent Guide to Feeling Smart Again
The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge: A Desk Reference for the Curious Mind

ASIN: B000B85BHS

Book Description

Impossible to read at one sitting, but utterly unputdownable, Schott's Original Miscellany is a unique collection of fabulous trivia.

What other book boasts an index that includes shoelace lengths, sign language, and the seven deadly sins; dueling and dwarves; the hair color of Miss America and the Hampton Court maze?

Where else can you find, packed onto one page, the names of golf strokes, a history of the Hat Tax, cricketing dismissals, nouns of assemblage, an unofficial motto of the US Postal Service, and the flag of Guadeloupe?

Where else but Schott's Original Miscellany will you stumble across John Lennon's cat, the supplier of bagpipes to the Queen, the labors of Hercules, and the brutal methods of murder encountered by Miss Marple?

A book like no other, Schott's Original Miscellany is entertaining, informative, unpredictable, and utterly addictive.

Customer Reviews:

Great book!.......2007-07-15

I got this book for my Father for his birthday and it was a big hit! It is full of really interesting facts about tons of stuff!

My Dad is a guy who likes fact books and Schott's Miscellany would fall into that category! It is a great book and highly recommended!

Schott's Original Miscellany.......2007-05-14

One of Schott's many...this book was truly an easy and quick read of tons of trivia. Seller got this book to me in record time!

fabulous!.......2007-03-29

I bought this book for my boyfriend AND my dad. They both love it.

A book of surprises.......2007-02-19

I was alerted to the existence of this book in a novel (I've now forgotten the name), where one of the leading characters quoted from it. This piqued my interest and I decided to find out about it for myself. What a delightful surprise. The book is full of all sorts of odds and ends of information and delights by its' diversity. Once opened it's hard to put down as you move from one intriguing fact to another. A great reference book for the future and a great repository for information that otherwise society may have passed by. Well done Mr Schott.

I Don't Often Read, But This Book Changed Me.......2006-12-07

At my school's holiday sale, I found this book under the New York Times Bestsellers List. One of my friends had picked it up, and was reading it at a seat nearby, and when I walked over, he asked me, "Did you know that Pamela Anderson is Canadian?" What an intriguing way to start off a conversation, but when I looked over his shoulder, he was reading from Schott's Original Miscellany. Unfortunately, the book cost $15, and I could not afford it at the time, but I flipped through my own copy anyway, and found out: Woodrow Wilson is imprinted on the $100,000 bill, all of the villains in the James Bond series, the exact digits that make up Pi, and more! Fortunately for me, Amazon is selling the book for five dollars less than what my school's sale would have. However, I would not suggest this book if you aren't interested in little-known, non-important facts, because you will think that it is boring. On the other hand, do buy it if you enjoy that kind of information. As other reviewers said, it makes a great bathroom book, or something to pass the time with.

A Wine Miscellany: A Jaunt Through the Whimsical World of Wine

Average customer rating:

An Entertaining and Informative Book about wine

A Wine Miscellany: A Jaunt Through the Whimsical World of Wine
Graham Harding
Manufacturer: Clarkson Potter
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Spirits | Drinks & Beverages | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0307346358
Release Date: 2006-11-07

Book Description

Whether seeking a Château Pétrus, a Château d’Yquem, or just a decent bottle of the local vin de pays, anyone intrigued or enchanted by wine and its varied delights will find A Wine Miscellany the perfect accompaniment. Refreshingly light on the palate, it’s neither pompous nor patronizing but something else altogether–a fascinating and joyful jaunt through the world of vineyards, vinification, and glorious vintages.

Arranged and compiled as a true miscellany should be, with a deft sprinkling of facts and comments, observations and insights, A Wine Miscellany is that rarest of books–a perfect gift for the wine connoisseur and, for the newcomer to wine, an entertaining and informative introduction to the charm and marvel of all things vino.

Almost every aspect of the history, culture, business, and lore of wine makes a showing within these pages, as do some great stories never before encountered in the usual wine books. So, whether your passion is Claret, Burgundy, or Champagne, Old World or New, and whether you’re intrigued by the famous Mouton-Rothschild labels designed by leading artists or curious about the wines favored by (among others) Lord Byron, Shakespeare’s Falstaff, or the influential wine writer Robert Parker, A Wine Miscellany is this season’s finest vintage, and a pleasure to be savored for years to come.

Customer Reviews:

An Entertaining and Informative Book about wine.......2006-12-30

A Wine Miscelleny is a delightful and serious book, a rare combination. It is composed of short sections that have been thoughtfully assembled by an author of considerable literary skill. Every section contains at least one interesting fact about wine that is information worth knowing. I send several copies to friends this holiday season.

The Later Works of John Dewey, Volume 2, 1925 - 1953: 1925-1927, Essays, Reviews, Miscellany, and The Public and Its Problems (Collected Works of John Dewey)

Average customer rating:

The Later Works of John Dewey, Volume 2, 1925 - 1953: 1925-1927, Essays, Reviews, Miscellany, and The Public and Its Problems (Collected Works of John Dewey)
John Dewey
Manufacturer: Southern Illinois University
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0809314916

Book Description

With the exception of Experience and Nature, (Volume 1 of the Later Works), this volume contains all of Dewey’s writings for 1925 and 1926, as well as his 1927 book, The Public and Its Problems. A Modern Language Association’s Committee on Scholarly Editions textual edition.

The first essay in this volume, “The Development of American Pragmatism,” is perhaps Dewey’s best-known article of these years, emphasizing the uniquely American origins of his own philosophical innovations. Other essays focus on Dewey’s continuing investigation of the “nature of intelligent conduct,” as, for example, his debate with David Wight Prall on the underpinnings of value, his study of sense-perception, and his support for outlawing of war. Also appearing here are Dewey’s final articles on the culture of the developing world, written for the New Republic after his travels to China, Turkey, and Mexico.

MacQuarrie Miscellany: Featuring the "Lost" Old Duck Hunter Stories and Other Tales

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MacQuarrie Miscellany: Featuring the "Lost" Old Duck Hunter Stories and Other Tales
Gordon D. MacQuarrie
Manufacturer: Willow Creek Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0932558380

Average customer rating:

Not a cookbook, but a book filled with interesting food facts.
Didn't your mom tell you,"You're what you eat"?
Fun collection of low-cal snacks for the brain
Brain candy
The Seinfeld of Food Books

Schott's Food and Drink Miscellany
Ben Schott
Manufacturer: Amazon Remainders Account
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: B000B85BCI

Book Description

From the author of the international bestseller Schott's Original Miscellany, the new collection of vital irrelevance and uncommon knowledge from the worlds of food and drink.

The eponymous foods, famous last meals, and perfect martini proportions revealed in the bestselling Schott's Original Miscellany were only the tip of the iceberg: Schott's Food and Drink Miscellany is a snapper-up of unconsidered trifles from the culinary world. From food history to cooking terms, cocktail recipes to dining etiquette, grace before meals to after-dinner toasts-this olla podrida offers everything for the wine drinker, gastronome, and glutton. Ben Schott's brilliant juxtaposition of delectable tidbits makes this new miscellany so hard to put down, it may even make you late for dinner.

Customer Reviews:

Not a cookbook, but a book filled with interesting food facts. .......2007-06-28

This book is a classic. A friend of mine recommended this book to me, so I bought it used on Amazon. I was not disappointed. The facts in this book are fun to read, and as somebody said before, this book is like "Brain food".

Didn't your mom tell you,"You're what you eat"?.......2005-12-27

A great little book that tells you everything you would want to know about what you eat and drink--and many things you may be better off not knowing.Glance at a few things in this book before you go out to eat and/or drinking and you'll be able to spout out a few things that will amaze everyone with your profound knowledge.
First of all,I gotta warn you,this book is very heavily weighted towards British food and drink,next comes European,then only a very small bit of American and as sparse as trees in the Arctic about anything Canadian.That aside,it is still filled with a lot of good morsels.
In this little tome you will get; Quotations as,"Once
a woman has forgiven her man,she should not reheat his sins for breakfast" Marlene Dietrich;dozens of slang words for drunkenness;recipes for cocktails such as Kamikazi,Sidecar,Long Island Ice Tea;Jimmy Carter's White House Grace;Edible flowers;all kinds of conversions,Heimlich Manoever and celebrities who owe their lves to it;Calorific values for various foods; English to American food terms such as Jacket potato-baked potato and french beans-string beans;rates for digestion of various foods;food and drink proverbs,like,"You dig your grave with your teeth.";final meal requests for some of those executed in Texas;Hangover Cures;poisonous mushrooms;Quotations on smoking like,"A good woman is only a woman,but a good cigar is a Smoke" Rudyard Kipling;etc.
I hope that is enough to whet your apetite for this book.I got a lot of laughs as well as solid information from it,you should too.

Fun collection of low-cal snacks for the brain.......2005-10-29

As in his _Original Miscellany_ (2003), the author has simply collected a large number of factoids, grouped under useful headings, but where the first published collection ranged far and wide, this one is thematic, restricting itself to comestibles and potables -- plus a number of pages on smokables -- which arguably makes it more interesting. There are quite a few items of interest, including a selection of "last meal" requests by those facing execution, a description of ullage levels, the items in Capt. Nemo's larder, a list of artists who have contributed label-art for Mouton Rothschild bottles, the characteristics of a number of popular restaurant curries, political quotations involving food, and the varieties of vegetarianism. And there are numerous sidebar quotes and comments, mostly droll. Some included items are highly idiosyncratic, like the favorite food and drink of the members of the "Bay City Rollers," or even questionable in this collection, like the details of an after-dinner dance card from 1926, as found in a printer's archive. And, as in the first volume, there is a tendency to present as canonical a bit of information that is simply one among many varieties, such as stating that Japan's "most notable" brand of beer is Sapporo (I would have said Asahi -- and the list doesn't even include Mexico), and his list of meanings for Mexican street food (the contents and preparation of chimichangas, enchiladas, tacos, nachos, etc) seems to assume a standardization that really doesn't exist. Also, why include, as "curious names" in a list of Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavors, Vanilla Caramel Fudge and Chocolate Fudge Brownie? But any shortcomings are made up for by his inclusion of the complete lyrics of the Chiquita Banana song. This is a good book for a couple of hours in the hammock and would also make a nice gift for foodies.

Brain candy.......2005-07-23

Having the same flavor as _Schott's Original Miscellany_, _Food and Drink Miscellany_ is a veritable smorgasboard of information and trivia related to edibles. Topics range from the handy and helpful ("Cheers!" in 32 "languages", English to American food terms, Biblical food abominations, how to sharpen a carving knife), to the humourous (94 slang words for drunkeness, Swift's wind and the Comic cookery book) to the truly bizzare (why asparagus makes urine smell, favorite food and drink of the Bay City Rollers).

Great fun to read, it would be a hit with anyone who loves to cook, is a fan of meals or drinks with gusto.

The Seinfeld of Food Books.......2005-05-27

Schott's Food & Drink Miscellany is to books about food as Seinfeld is to television comedies. This is a book filled with random information in a wanton order, yet is strangely compelling and draws you in. Ben Schott has compiled list after list, quote after quote from the truly fascinating (e.g., Political Food Quotations, [Types of] Curry, and George Washington's Rules [on Manners]), to the somewhat useful (e.g., Fridge and Freezer Storage [Times], the Hemilich Manuveur, Wedding Cake Symbolism) to the downright bizarre, (e.g., the Chiquita Banana Song, Slaves at a Roman Feast, and Bezoars). This is not a book that you read from cover to cover, but one that you pick up from time to time and read something edifying, grotesque, or engrossing. Moreover, the tidbits that you pick up from this book can make you the wit of any cocktail or dinner party. As an added bonus, there is a built bookmark.

Shinners & Mahler's Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas (Sida, botanical miscellany) (Sida, botanical miscellany) (Sida, botanical miscellany)

Average customer rating:

Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas
College Student
Best and most complete regional flora
Wow! A masterful work of botanical excellence.

Shinners & Mahler's Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas (Sida, botanical miscellany) (Sida, botanical miscellany) (Sida, botanical miscellany)
George Diggs , Barney Lipscomb , and Robert O'Kennon
Manufacturer: Botanical Research Inst of Texas
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

jp-unknown3 | Specialty Stores | Books

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ASIN: 1889878014
Release Date: 1999-02-24

Product Description

The first fully illustrated flora for any region of Texas or adjacent states. It is the most comprehensive guide to a large portion of the diverse plant life of Texas, and covers all the native and naturalized vascular plants known to occur in North Central Texas, an area about the size of Kentucky. The book presents information on the plant life of the region to meet the needs of students, teachers, wildflower enthusiasts, gardeners, ranchers, farmers, naturalists, conservationists, environmental consultants, researchers, and the general public. Of particular importance for non-botanists are the line drawing illustrations, which are provided for all species. In addition, there are 174 color photographs. The flora includes 2,223 species, or nearly half-known for the entire state of Texas. The inviting layout, vegetation maps, and extensive introductory materials on the vegetation, geology, soils, climate, and presettlement and early settlement conditions make the book useful to a wide audience. Also of general interest are a number of appendices on topics such as botanically related internet addresses, conservation organizations, native plants to use as ornamentals, phylogeny, and endemic species. The taxonomic treatments include family and generic synopsis keys and descriptions, derivations of scientific names, characters helpful for the field recognition of plant families, notes on toxic/poisonous and useful plants, and references to supporting literature. There is a literature cited section with nearly 3,000 references.

Customer Reviews:

Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas.......2000-11-24

I'm a botanist/naturalist, and a botanical collector from North Central Texas. I find the Illustrated Flora of NC Texas invaluable to anyone who wants to learn about plants of their region and their ecosystems, plant communities, etc. The book has an excellent introduction, over 70 pages along, to introduce you to nomenclature, toxic and exotic plants, endangered and threatened plants, geology, climate, etc. It also includes excellent information on some of the history of Texas botanists. It is a must for any naturalist or botanist, and a bargain for a book with over 1600 pages!

College Student.......2000-07-21

As a student of Rangeland Ecology at Texas A&M University, I have used this book extensively to identify numerous plants for my classes, as well as my own collection. This book is very precise and the line drawings on each plant are invaluable. It is well worth the price for this plant "Bible."

Best and most complete regional flora.......2000-01-23

I am a botanist and have a collection of many books on floras. I am currently working on a flora of Northeast Alabama and using the Flora of Texas (1999) as the standard to follow.

Wow! A masterful work of botanical excellence........1999-11-22

In a concise word, this book is awesome. Truly an outstanding example of definition, beauty and detail. As a native plant garden designer and botanical collector in North Central Texas I have found this book invaluable. Not only for the professional but easily understood and used by the layman, this is the botanical 'Bible' of NC Texas and sets a precedent for all others to follow. This inspirational guide of botanical brilliance is an absolute must read.

Schott's Sporting, Gaming, and Idling Miscellany

Average customer rating:

Endlessly entertaining
Not for the intense sportsfan

Schott's Sporting, Gaming, and Idling Miscellany
Ben Schott
Manufacturer: Bloomsbury USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Trivia | Fun Facts | Reference | Subjects | Books

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Similar Items:

Schott's Food and Drink Miscellany
Schott's Original Miscellany
Schott's Almanac 2007 (Schott's Almanac)
The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge: A Desk Reference for the Curious Mind
The Explainer

ASIN: B000MV8HU2
Release Date: 2005-10-13

Book Description

From the author of the international bestsellers Schott’s Original Miscellany and Schott’s Food and Drink Miscellany comes the third and most playful installment in the series: a miscellanist’s wisdom from the worlds of sports, games, and idling.

What other sporting book will explain the rules of elephant polo; the perils of the Cresta Run; the link between crosswords and the devil; the story behind the Nike “swoosh”; or why surfing is the “Sport of Kings” (in Hawaii)? Which other volume will list the seven deadly sins of golf; the secrets of Houdini’s Code; or the myriad personalities of the Pac-Man ghosts? Where else will you stumble across an account of Evel Kneival’s broken bones, a detailing of Mike Tyson’s tattoos, the nicknames for classic poker-hands, or every sporting ailment from jogger’s nipple to housemaid’s knee?

You don’t have to be a sports fanatic to enjoy this irresistible volume of factual odds and ends. Schott’s Sporting, Gaming, and Idling Miscellany scores big with its fascinating hodge-podge of sports- and activity-related trivia.

Customer Reviews:

Endlessly entertaining.......2007-08-22

I bought this book as a gift for my husband, a true sports addict and a true student of all that he watches. Ever since he received it, I've caught him many times, poring over the pages, learning even more trivia with which to bedevil me and his friends.

Part of the decision was based on my previous experience with the Schott guides, which we've enjoyed thoroughly.

Not for the intense sportsfan.......2006-03-07

Fans of "Schott's Original Miscellany" may think of this as a potential gift for the sportsfan in their life, but it does not carry enough detail for the typical sportsfan, in part because in its strenuous effort to be both broad and flippant it extends its scope to crossword puzzles, quizzes, and the like...so it's great on the miscellany dimensions and scant on the sports. But if you are satisfied to know a single set of trivial details about cricket and one about polo and one about [whatever], this might be ok for you.

If on the other hand, you're not a sportsfan but are merely looking for more Schott's like reading material, I recommend instead the "Companion" series, which show every sign of being issued by the same publisher (same size format, typeface, etc.) althoug they are from Robson books rather than Bloomsbury. Examples includes "The London Companion," "The Literary Companion," "The Gardener's Companion," etc.

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