The Biological Rhythms and Clocks of Intertidal Animals

Book Description

Biochemical mechanisms within the bodies of plants and animals program almost all their activities to specific phases of periodic events such as the time of day, the state of the tide, and the season of the year. Those organisms living within the intertidal zone--the area between high and low
tides--face many environmental challenges that are eased tremendously by such chronobiological means. This monograph provides an authoritative, up-to-date account of research on the workings of intertidal animals' biological clocks. The book begins with a description of how tides are generated,
and how the difficulties involved in studying organismic tide-associated rhythms may be overcome. The rest of the work focuses on rhythms and their properties, and the nature of the clocks that govern them. Comprehensive in scope, the book synthesizes over 350 research papers and contains over 129
figures. It is intended as a sequel to the author's well-known 1974 monograph Biological Clocks in Marine Organisms, incorporating the many advances in the field since the publication of the earlier volume. Aquatic ecologists, animal behaviorists, comparative physiologists, marine biologists,
chronobiologists, and interested general readers will all want to read this important new work.

The Biological Rhythms and Clocks of Intertidal Animals

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The Biological Rhythms and Clocks of Intertidal Animals
John D. Palmer
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OK6NMA

Customer Reviews:

An expansive and detailed mapping of the greatest snowboarding and skiing resorts, mountains, and schools in the world.......2006-05-04

The Great Skiing & Snowboarding Guide: 2006 by ski and snowboard experts, Peter and Felice Hardy is an expansive and detailed mapping of the greatest snowboarding and skiing resorts, mountains, and schools in the world. Included is 351 pages of invaluable information on the top resorts in 75 countries, along with personal recommendations and phone numbers for the best hotels, restaurants, ski schools, and kindergartens, full color maps of major resorts, essential facts and figures on each resort, from lift passes to teaching facilities, full directory of over 200 tour operations with details of the destination covered, as well as contact information for tourist offices and travel insurance companies. The Great Skiing & Snowboarding Guide is a detailed and accurate contribution to the snowboarding and skiing society which is confidently recommended to all snowboarders and skiers searching for an ultimate and portable guide for planning their vacations at some of the best ski resorts in the world.

Book Description

In high school, students have lots of safety nets. In college, they sink or swim. This completely revised guide to college success educates students in the basic college survival skills that professors don't teach, such as how to study, take tests, balance school and social life, and more. Filled with advice on how to hit the campus running, this fun-spirited crash course in the rules of college provides tools to equip students for a lifetime of learning.

Customer Reviews:

Well-written common sense.......2007-08-09

Okay, two gifted writers with doctorates. Great combination, huh? Thats what I initially thought, but I was wrong. Save for a couple, of useful tidbits, this book is common sense and that's all it deals with. A good "how to succeed at college" book is supposed to open your mind with new ideas that you would have never known about. It's supposed to inspire you to put these new ideas into action right away. I'd say this book is more of a review for anyone who "forgot" how to "succeed" in school. Then again, it's too long to be a simple review.

I think the main problem with this book is that the professors are having trouble "connecting" to college students nowadays. Both went to college a LONG time ago. A lot has changed since then. It's a shame that their gifted writing ability is wasted on information that just about everyone knows. It was written in more of a style that a professor would talk about. And you know, quite a bit of professors in college are hard to understand. Not all professors are like that, mind you, but quite a bit are.

If it were me, buy a book that was written by someone who graduated from college not too long ago. That way, they can connect to an audience that is about to start or has already begun college. Any book by Cal Newport is a sure-fire way to open the doors to new ideas on how to succeed at college. Just remember, there is no substitute for hard work. But a few NEW ideas on just how to work hard CAN make the difference!

A must have.......2006-07-05

This book is a great resource.
For anyone with an interest in pursuing a college education, or knows someone that wants to succeed in higher learner.You will want to see this. Great gift for High school Jr., even if you already in college there is loads of information
I previewed this book at store.you can Imagine my excitement at
getting it at a huge discount. I probly would have paid $15 if I had not found it here.

This is the best one I have read.......2005-12-14

I used this book this semester (it was given to me as a graduation gift) after doing pretty bad on my first round of tests. I used their 40 hour rule and it changed everything. I actually did pretty well this semester. I recommend this to all college students

Not very Useful information.......2005-07-24

I didn't like this book at all. The book was simple and it wasn't anything that most seniors don't already know. The book read like a seminar, you know how seminar use lists, ex. You need A, B & C to be rich. Well this book was more like, you need a pencil, paper and a brain to succeed in college. If you are already in college all of this information will be useless. There is a complete chapter on how to read a syllabus, duh. This book may very well be useless to many people, she spends most of the book talking about how different college is from H.S, but many highschoolers already know this from watching teen movies. The most valuable part of this book is, the note taking section. I would recommend How to Win at College, by Cal Newport. That book covers everything in this book and then 10 times more.

If you don't know what you want to major in, I suggest you go to myroad.com. It is a great tool, it tells you a lot about many professions, along with what it takes to get there, it also gives salaries. It's also a great guide to the road to college. It's information on colleges is more extensive than fastweb.

Helped me raise my grades.......2003-12-12

This book is great! It gives great advice that is easy to follow. I used their methods of reading textbooks better and actually can remember what I've read. It is written with lots of humor and so is easy to read (not preachy at all). I cannot say enough good things! This book has helped me get off to a good start in college. Every college students should read this book

Book Description

Magnificent motifs reproduced from rare original edition: florals, foliates, female figures, pastoral landscapes, more. Ideas for craftspeople and designers.

Customer Reviews:

Incredible source book.......2004-09-03

If you can't find a design you can use for inspiration, you're just not looking hard enough. Not for beginners since the designs are incredibly intricate, but your creativity will wake up and take notice.

Super source book.......2004-06-05

Originally, this was a pair of portfolios of designs in the Art Nouveau period. Art Nouveau was not just twisty flowers, though some people like to stereotype it into those narrow parameters. This is not a how-to book with cutting patterns. It has only the paintings with suggested scale. On a few pages, motifs overlap each other, so you can't just scan and go: you have to build up your idea of the covered areas. One pictorial arched piece is missing the right third, again a challenge to finish it yourself.

The designs range from splendidly romantic conceptions of floral forms to windows a-scamper with squirrels or lizards to some that are distinctly eerie. Bats fly across the moon amidst dead trees. A woman combs her hair before a volcano flowing lava. An octopus and a sea-weed maiden struggle underwater--in combat? in love? Several have fishes and there are even cat designs.

You don't have to see these only as windows. I've converted two to rug designs by taking out the excess black lines of supports or piecing necessary to glass work. You may want to take only one area out of an entire design to render in wood, or do a mosaic version of the whole thing. This is a starting point for the competent craftsman who loves the Art Nouveau energy, not an end product.

Not really Art Nouveau.......2003-02-18

Though some of the designs are nice, most are way too busy for my taste, and I wouldn't really call them Art Nouveau. Quite a few of them look more like Renaissance style stained glass, and some of them look modern (like the sailboat patterns?). It is in color, though, which is nice. Very complicated - definately not for beginning stained glass crafters.

Art Noveau Stained glass-Lyongruen.......1999-12-29

Nice plates with dimensions. Good for projects and for idea's. I highly reccomend it.

Average customer rating:

Graphically superior

It is as if Sarah is there in the room with you

The best and most useful dog raising book ever!

Teach Yourself VISUALLY Dog Training (Teach Yourself Visually)
Sarah Hodgson
Manufacturer: Visual
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Dogs | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Training | Dogs | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Similar Items:

DogPerfect, Second Edition

Maran Illustrated Dog Training (Maran Illustrated)

PuppyPerfect: The user-friendly guide to puppy parenting (Howell Dog Book of Distinction)

The Everything Dog Training and Tricks Book

Clicking With Your Dog: Step-By-Step in Pictures (Karen Pryor Clicker Books)

ASIN: 0471749893

Book Description

When you're training your dog, he won't sit still for long-winded explanations. You don't have to, either! With this visual guide, you'll quickly learn how to determine your dog's personality, customize a training plan, and speak Doglish. You'll get the scoop on training tools, everyday handling, puppy conditioning, and socialization. You'll learn how to teach basic commands and progress to fun tricks and games. Instead of poring over boring text, you'll get the picture and enjoy working with your soon-to-be well-trained dog!

Concise two-page lessons show you all the steps to a skill and are ideal for quick review

Each tool, principle, or training technique is clearly described
Detailed color photos demonstrate each step
Step-by-step instructions accompany each photo
Helpful tips provide additional guidance

Download Description

"From a renowned trainer, an all-new VISUAL guide to teach Spot basic commands and cool tricks

In an unintimidating visual style, this guide covers all the basics of dog training, from teaching simple commands to performing incredible tricks. It helps owners connect more closely with their canines and provides information about training tools, accessories, and more. With color photographs accompanying clear, step-by-step instructions, this is the book dog owners have been looking for!

Sarah Hodgson (Katonah, NY) is the owner of Simply Sarah, a renowned dog training school. She has appeared on the Today show and is the author of DogPerfect (0-7645-2499-2) and PuppyPerfect (0-7645-8797-8), among other books."

Customer Reviews:

Graphically superior.......2006-11-10

Browsing through preliminarily, this book is a no nonsence dog trainer which has a lot of photos to illustrate and is quite well documented.

Just like all other good books, you wish they would discuss just a little bit more on the area where you would like to know but they simply goes off with a couple of comments highlighting the importance to you.

Its clearly a book written for US readers as the tools they mention are all US specific be it brand, tools name etc and have no further descriptions on how it is similar to other countries equivalent product. For eg. there is a training leash that has holes in them and can be tied to the waist, use as a hand leash etc. I swear I never see such equipment in Singapore before. Even though it is useful, if we can't get one in this part of the world, then kindly do a research to find a good product which is available at least in more developed countries. Or even better give us some online web reference so that we can search for a merchant from there even if are afraid of endorsing something.

It is as if Sarah is there in the room with you.......2006-06-15

I am fortunate enough to live in the same area as Sarah and have had the good luck to have my 2 labradoodles trained using her methods. Sometimes all the training in the world doesn't help when you get home and have to put it to use. This book is so basic that in less than 25 seconds you can read a few lines and work on a specific behavior. The blocks in the upper left hand corner are a life saver, you can quickly turn to what you need. Now, about her "method". You know how sometimes someone points something out to you and you slap your forehead and exclaim "but that makes common sense, why didn't I think of that?" Well, that is what this book does for you, it tells you what to do in simple, clear, instructional language. It tells you why you should do something, and how to do it. Sometimes a training issue is so simple to figure out that I forget the basic approach - we all tend to overthink, rationalize etc. The training guides are so positive and encourage a healthy relationship with your dog. My older dog is 3 and even though she is well trained, I still refer to this book when certain issues pop up. Everything you could possibly need is in this book, from puppyhood to adult dogs. Having this book is like having a built in expert in my home - I don't know what I would do without it.

The best and most useful dog raising book ever!.......2006-05-26

I have two silky terrors (terriers), neither of whom I raised from puppyhood. And while I love them to pieces, they definitely have issues which make them hard to trust around other people.

My prior knowledge of dog-raising and dog-training was nonexistent - these were the first canines to join our previously cats-only family. So my inclination was to raise them as I had my children, with lots of positive reinforcement and respect. I cuddled them when they were scared, delighted in their antics as they greeted me at the door, laughed when they barked at delivery men and basically turned a blind eye to those infractions I considered minor - jumping at the table, peeing on the kitchen floor, pulling me down the street by the leash, chewing the legs of the dining room chairs...

Anyway, it was all a big mistake. Suddenly the dogs were running the household -- and, most alarmingly, deciding which of our visitors were friends and which were foes. You really had to be careful because, if they didn't take an immediate liking to you, your ankles would suffer! Our veterinarian recommended that I put them on Prozac, but I didn't want to do that...

Then someone turned me on to Sarah and her teaching philosophy - lots of positive reinforcement, yes, but control, too. I got DogPerfect and, just recently, PuppyPerfect, and learned from her that I wasn't doing my dogs any favor by not being their "leader" - in fact, I was fueling their anxieties. So with guidance from Sarah's books, I set up safe stations around our home using her patented Training and Stationing Leads, boned up on my "Doglish" and made it known to all that I was, henceforth, "Leader of the Pack."

The changes in the dogs have been remarkable - both in how calm AND how trustworthy they are. Though as with children, raising them is a never-ending process, so I was pleased to get a copy of Sarah's newest book - Teach Yourself Visually Dog Training.

While TYV is based on many of the same concepts as Sarah's earlier works, it's such a handy reference guide that I keep it out on my kitchen counter and turn to it all the time. It breaks each aspect of dog training into an easy-to-follow, step-by-step process, and gives me a place to turn for quick review or any time a new situation arises. It really is Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care for dogs!

Anyway, I can't recommend it - or her - highly enough. Thanks for all your help Sarah!

Average customer rating:

Great hand signals
Best training book on the market for novices

Teach Yourself VISUALLY Dog Training
maranGraphics
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Cesar's Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems

ASIN: 0764569139

Book Description

Are you a visual learner? Do you prefer instructions that show you how to do something-and skip the long-winded explanations? The Visual Learning System in Teach Yourself VISUALLY ‰ Dog Training breaks down the different training tasks into graphical two-page lessons that simplify learning. Inside you'll find clear, step-by-step instructions for developing an effective training regimen for your puppy or adult dog. Full-color photographs show you how to train basic commands, socialize and housetrain your dog, and teach tricks and games. Plus, you'll learn how to manage problem behaviors, such as excessive barking, jumping up on people, destructive chewing, and much more.

"Question & Answer" sidebars provide practical tips and tricks
Large color photos demonstrate how to correctly perform each task
Step-by-step instructions explain beginner to more advanced training techniques
Two-page lessons offer skills you can practice immediately

Customer Reviews:

Great hand signals.......2005-09-15

I wanted to teach my dog standard hand signals. I know I can make up my own, but I preferred to learn whatever the standard signals were to help them when they might be working with other people. Out of all the dog training books at the store that day, this was the only one that actually showed the hand signals in addition to having some great training information.

Best training book on the market for novices.......2004-10-13

I happen to be an avid reader, but my husband is the complete opposite, so this book was absolutely PERFECT for him. I trained dogs for years and I wanted him to be able to help in the training of our dogs, and I thought reading a book would help him more than just watching me, and boy was I right. This book not only covers basic obedience, it also throws a few tricks in there. I think the best part is all of the wonderful photographs. They also have a little section in the top of each training page that goes over common problems with teaching a particular command. It really helps if your dog is being stubborn with a particular command. This book is well put together and very very easy to comprehend. The reason I'm giving this 4 instead of 5 stars is ONLY because NO training book can cover all of your needs unless your dog is absolutely perfect...in which case you wouldn't need this book! This book has come the closest out of all of the books I've read so far, though. And the only thing I don't particularly agree with is that for some, not all commands, the dog may have some trouble, and won't do exactly what the book expects the dog to do. But they also cover that quite nicely by telling you to go slowly and break the command down into smaller steps. For novice trainers, I think it would benefit them to include the small steps to illustrate the proper way to perform the command. Anyway, this is probably the best training book you can find on the market right now...especially if you don't have a lot of time to invest in reading a hefty, confusing manual.

Teach Yourself Visually Dog Training (Teach Yourself Visually)

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Teach Yourself Visually Dog Training (Teach Yourself Visually)
Sarah Hodgson
Manufacturer: Visual
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Book Description

Rich in history and valor, the multicolored woven art known as "tartan" is centuries old but has been codified only since the late eighteenth century. Conjuring images of kilted warriors and lively bagpipes, tartan has survived hundreds of years to become the very fabric of the Scottish nation--as popular today as in years past. "All Scots are color coded," it is said, and in this third of three alphabetically arranged volumes you will find over 400 examples of vividly striped tartans covering the names MacNichol to Yukon. "What are my colors?" is the most frequently asked question of the International Association of Tartan Studies, and chances are you will find them in this beautifully illustrated book. Compiled from the nearly 5,000 tartans in the Association's database and selected by two leading authorities, this outstanding assortment ranges from the simplest to the most complex. Includes brief historical background, definitions of related terms, and thread counts for the tartan weaver. An invaluable resource for families, clubs, historians, and designers.

Average customer rating:

Vastly irresponsible writing

How to Grow Non-native WEEDS

I Love this book

"Toxic Plants *in* Northern California: What Not to Plant!"

Wildly Successful Plants: Northern California
Pam Peirce
Manufacturer: Sasquatch Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Flowers | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Northern California Gardening: A Month-by-Month Guide; Updated, 2nd Edition

Perennials for Northern California

Gardening Month by Month in Northern California

ASIN: 1570613583

Book Description

Pam Peirce pinpoints 50 often overlooked main plant species that effortlessly add dazzle to gardens throughout Northern California. These tough yet beautiful plants bloom yearlong and persevere in gardens despite neglect, drought, or frost. This book profiles these “regional survivors," spotlighting such plants as calla lilies, nasturtiums, cineraria, and more. A resource for all gardeners, it includes chapters on the history, climate, and care of plants, as well as weeds, annuals, perennials, bulbs, succulents/cactus, and shrubs. It also contains lists of other well-adapted plants beyond those in the 50 species profiled.

Customer Reviews:

Vastly irresponsible writing.......2007-03-27

The book is more full of what not to plant then what to plant. If the recommendations for planting are followed the gardener will end up with aggressive weeds that are "wildly successful."

How to Grow Non-native WEEDS.......2006-05-17

The title of the book is so great! Who wouldn't want to grow Wildly Successful Plants? However most of the plants listed in the book are non-native and the author does caution against planting the ones that are invasive. Sometimes a plant that is so successful that it grows everywhere and takes over is really a weed. This is a fine book as long as one takes precautions against letting the invasive plants take over.

I Love this book.......2006-04-18

I keep this book close at hand. Being an amateur gardener, I found much of the information in this book to be particularly useful and relevant for living in Northern California. The author covers everything from the 6 different "hardiness zones" in Northern California to proper garden maintenance, and provides a huge colorful array of plants and flowers which will thrive in your garden.

Divided into 7 sections, such as "perennials", each plant has impressive descriptions-- water needs, light needs, hardiness, bloom time, height and spread, etc. The photography of each plant is wonderful, and really allows you to see each plant, and how you might be able to incorporate it into your garden or landscaping.

"Toxic Plants *in* Northern California: What Not to Plant!".......2006-04-07

I am thoroughly disappointed in this book. I was seduced by the word "successful" in the title. A better word which more accurately tells what's in this book is "TOXIC." A better title would be "Toxic Plants *in* Northern California: What Not to Plant!" Note that I didn't say "Toxic Plants *of* Northern California" -- many plants here are not "OF California" and are regrettably already "IN California" as unwanted pests.

A bunch of these plants mentioned you should NOT plant because they invade wild habitats, or are hard to remove, or are weeds or borderline weeds, or natives of other continents, or are a nuisance, or are otherwise plants of ill-repute when located in California -- plants which do NOT belong in ANY California garden due to their high levels of risk and danger to native ecosystems. As the author says, many are close to being put on a California Exotic Pest Plant Council's "don't use" plant list, if they are not on already.

The author goes to a lot of trouble highlighting certain plants, then turns around and gives good reasons why they should NOT be planted in California gardens -- in my opinion, many are clearly UNWISE and/or IRRESPONSIBLE to purposely plant in one's garden. So why write such a book? If you want a book to tell what NOT TO PLANT in Northern California, this is the book for you -- I didn't expect this sort of emphasis and wasted $16.

Three better books:

1) East Bay Municipal District's "Plants and Landscapes for Summer-dry Climates"
ISBN 0-9753231-1-3

2) Carol Bornstein, David Fross and Bart O'Brien's "California Native Plants for the Garden"
ISBN 0-9628505-8-6

3) Sunset's "California Top 10 Garden Guide"
ISBN 0-376-03529-3

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Review of Metaphysics, published by Philosophy Education Society, Inc. on September 1, 1996. The length of the article is 1090 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Aristotle and Mathematics: Aporetic Method in Cosmology and Metaphysics.
Author: Malcolm Wilson
Publication: The Review of Metaphysics (Refereed)
Date: September 1, 1996
Publisher: Philosophy Education Society, Inc.
Volume: v50 Issue: n1 Page: p149(3)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

"This volume provides a fascinating glimpse into the lives and attitudes of Irish migrants to the Seven Colonies of Australasia in the 19th century. Fitzpatrick presents a richly textured and nuanced reading of 111 letters between emigrants and 'the old country,' telling us much not only about the aspirations of emigrants, their successes and disappointments, but also about the culture and style of the correspondence itself. A substantial contribution to both Irish and Australian history."--Virginia Quarterly Review

Customer Reviews:

Irish Who Helped Build Australia.......2005-05-21

Oceans of Consolation is a collection of 111 letters written between 1843 and 1906 to and from members of 14 families of Irish immigrants to Australia. The collections were gathered and the book is edited by David Fitzpatrick, an associate professor of Modern History and Fellow of Trinity College, Dublin.

The letters are augmented by profiles on each of the families written from genealogical, biographical and historiographical sources that give context to the letters and by six themed chapters in which Fitzpatrick analyzes the letters and the general subject of Irish emigration.

The author claims his work is distinguished from similar collections of Irish emigrant correspondence by its focus on "the forgotten vernacular of the steerage classes." In other words, Fitzpatrick aims to give insight into the Australian migration experience of Ireland's lower economic classes.

The book includes a Preface and an introductory first chapter explaining the method of the work. The Introduction is required reading if one is to have a thorough understanding of the many aspects of the author's complicated research method that yields what one well-published Australian historian calls a "showpiece."

The sets of letters penned by members of the 14 families are organized into chapters in four groups: News from Australia with three chapters of letters and associated family profiles; Victorian Voices containing profiles and letters to/from members of five families; News from Home, with letters and profiles of three families; and Ulster Accents with similar content on and by three families.

Six chapters of analysis follow the 14 family profile / letter chapters. Fitzpatrick includes these commentaries to explore "a formidable range of issues in the history of Ireland, Australia and human migration." It is in these 160 pages where Fitzpatrick meets his obligation as an interpreter of history. While the letters are valuable insight into the Irish-Australian migrant experience - they permit the reader to "hear" the idiom of the writers, thus to know them better as individuals - the meat of interpretation and historical value lies in the final six chapters.

A List of Sources and a Thematic Index complete the 649-page book.

Readers should be aware the Index is difficult to use. In a regrettable omission, the author and his editors fail to include page numbers for the key word references. Instead they are identified with a "letters-number-letter" sequence: a two-letter abbreviation of the family name; a number designating the specific piece of correspondence in which the word, phrase or reference is to be found; and an alphabetical letter identifying the pertinent paragraph in the specific letter. If one is to use the Index, this reader-unfriendly method forces one to memorize the abbreviations of the family names, then to plod tediously through the book to find the citation. The effort is often unjustified by the return.

Fitzpatrick's goal is to discover how the written word sustained solidarity among lower-class 19th Century Irish families separated from their emigrant relatives by the mighty ocean distance between Ireland and Australia. He also claims to reveal the differences between Ireland and Australia and what he calls "the very nature of Irishness."

Because of his complex research method and reliance on "letters of the unlettered," there is little doubt this book was difficult to produce. With commendable candor, Fitzpatrick confesses his need for "the courage to complete what sometimes seemed an impossible assignment." He apparently wishes he'd been more disciplined either in defining his scope or pursuing it. Regardless, Oceans of Consolation is a tour de force.

Fitzpatrick consulted an extensive list of sources, both individual and institutional. He expresses his gratitude to descendents of the correspondents whose letters are included in the book. He is equally grateful to numerous institutional sources and individual specialist scholars in Australia, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States. His long list of institutional sources included public and university libraries, archives, museums, offices of public records, church registers, Catholic religious orders and Protestant fraternal organizations.

Fitzpatrick discusses the twin challenges of distance and delay that confronted Irish-Australian families in their correspondence written, he says, to "reinforce the emigrant's fading link with `home'." Both had much greater impact on the new Aussie family than on families of Irish émigrés to other lands, notably England and North America.

Four letters written by Michael Hogan between 1853 and 1857 to his brother Mathew, a cooper and publican in County Tipperary, are the subject of Chapter Five and illustrative of the book's content. As in all the letter collections, the editor's impressively researched and well-written family profile precedes them.

Fitzpatrick tells us Michael Hogan, the only convict immigrant featured in the book, arrived at Port Jackson, Australia on the good ship, "Blenheim" from Cork on Nov. 14, 1834 after being convicted of "maiming" at the Cashel Quarter Sessions in January, earlier that year.

Fitzpatrick refers to the Clonmel Herald to describe the charge against him. "Hogan's violent assault on James Kinnealy had been unprovoked and no motive could be assigned for it by the prosecutor. The principal witness in the case was a little girl of about eight or ten years of age, whose testimony was as artless as convincing."

Fitzpatrick uses Blenheim's "printed convict indent," the penal system's answer to a passenger list or cargo manifest, to introduce us to Michael. He is described as "an unmarried, literate, Catholic `farm laborer' aged 27 years, just over 5 feet 6 inches tall; with a `dark ruddy freckled' complexion, brown hair, bluish eyes and `scar top of left side of forehead, top joints of both little fingers crooked.'"

After receiving his "ticket of leave" - his release - a year early in 1840, Michael Hogan married Margaret O'Brien, also formerly of Tipperary, who bore him seven children. Michael worked at several jobs, bought a freehold house (the house plus the land on which it sits) in south Melbourne, sent his brother two checks of £30 each and referred in his letters to the presence in his house of several servants. His self-image revealed in his letters "was that of a man who had made good," writes Fitzpatrick, "and wished this to be recognized." Michael died in 1873, a widowed laborer who had earned the means to have buried his wife and two of his sons in an eight-foot square grave plot in Melbourne's Old Cemetery.

Thus the reader arrives at the actual letters with an appreciation of the background and personality of their writers. Fitzpatrick's well researched and artfully crafted family stories bring life to the letters, thereby enhancing the reader's experience and raising the historical value of the work.

Fitzpatrick suggests lower class Irish-Australian correspondents often seem to have sought help to write their letters. "Help" means reference to letter-writing manuals, plagiarism of friends' letters and dictation of desired messages to more accomplished - maybe even professional - letter writers. Among many common elements, Fitzpatrick cites the frequency of elaborate, identical salutations and Irish-Australian expressions of intimacy resembling "those recommended in manuals for `the juvenile correspondent'."

He says one might presume this style was quintessentially Irish, but he turns to an English manual published in 1856 to verify it conformed closely "to the general base of letter-writing as practiced by uneducated persons." In other words, there's nothing special in this fact; the same characteristic would have been true, for example, of lower class Irish in North America and England. This is the case with many of Fitzpatrick's observations: perhaps pertinent to Irish emigrants in general, but not unique to the history of Irish-Australian migration.

As is the case for economists, political scientists and sociologists, it's important for historians to focus on statistically significant data and avoid wasting effort where the knowledge is less valuable. With this in mind, Fitzpatrick spends too much time in his analyses at the 50th percentile of interpretation. For example, he writes "The letters illustrate eagerness and reluctance to emigrate in roughly equal measure" and "Advice concerning the prospects for future emigrants, when directive, was as often discouraging as encouraging." These letters are obviously not a statistically valid sample of all Irish-Australian migrant correspondence. Nevertheless, it would be preferable for this editor - and all historians, in this reviewer's opinion - to focus on attitudes and feelings shared by at least 75 percent of his sample. It is at the poles of the semantic differential where the most meaningful learning is to be found.

Fitzpatrick wanders frequently from his Irish-Australian thesis in his six commentaries. He writes extensively about the Irish emigrant experience per se, but often fails to drill down into any geographical destination. He spends time on conditions in Ireland, but often doesn't link his topic either to the families of emigrants or emigrants themselves. He occasionally slips away to citations about Irish emigrants to North America without comparing or contrasting the parallels with their Australian cousins.

Perhaps because they are written as summaries, the final two chapters contain several more specific Irish-Australian examples of the emigration experience, important because they support Fitzpatrick's objective. Here are two of many:

* It was the rough life of the outback, bush, homestead, or diggings which engrossed those trying to imagine Australia from Ireland.

* Emigrant letters gave Irish readers graphic accounts of the unfamiliar Australian climate, with its bewildering succession of floods, frosts and fires and above all its summer heat.

History professor Patrick O'Farrell of the University of New South Wales is quoted in "The Sydney Morning Herald" on his reaction to Oceans of Consolation.

"I am humbled by what Professor Fitzpatrick has done so exhaustively and so well . . . It would be hard, if not impossible, to better his treatment of the exercise he has undertaken; this is a showpiece, a master class, in the handling of a certain type of historical source."

Judith Reid of the Library of Congress says the book is definitely "an important acquisition for libraries collecting Irish and Australian history and emigration history."

Professor Fitzpatrick has produced a Herculean contribution to the history of the Irish-Australian emigration experience in Oceans of Consolation. We trust he has enough energy left for other work of equally high value that will add to the body of knowledge on the subject. At the least, we hope he got some rest after this one. He earned it!

A sound reference for researchers.......2002-09-02

Mr Fitzpatrick has researched this topic well, as one would expect, and produced a book which will be of immense help to researchers and family historians.

With an Irish/Australian family background, I found the book very helpful in putting a detailed perspective on the privations of the Irish Immigrants, and those left behind in the homeland.

The book is not a light read. But it is very readable.

PS. I wish the publisher had bound the book as well as the author/editor had written it. Be careful. It will fall apart if opened wide!

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