Looking for Longleaf: The Fall and Rise of an American Forest

Book Description

Covering 92 million acres from Virginia to Texas, the longleaf pine ecosystem was, in its prime, one of the most extensive and biologically diverse ecosystems in North America. Today these magnificent forests have declined to a fraction of their original extent, threatening such species as the gopher tortoise, the red-cockaded woodpecker, and the Venus fly-trap. Conservationists have proclaimed longleaf restoration a major goal, but has it come too late?

In Looking for Longleaf, Lawrence S. Earley explores the history of these forests and the astonishing biodiversity of the longleaf ecosystem, drawing on extensive research and telling the story through first-person travel accounts and interviews with foresters, ecologists, biologists, botanists, and landowners. For centuries, these vast grass-covered forests provided pasture for large cattle herds, in addition to serving as the world's greatest source of naval stores. They sustained the exploitative turpentine and lumber industries until nearly all of the virgin longleaf had vanished.

Looking for Longleaf demonstrates how, in the twentieth century, forest managers and ecologists struggled to understand the special demands of longleaf and to halt its overall decline. The compelling story Earley tells here offers hope that with continued human commitment, the longleaf pine might not just survive, but once again thrive.

Customer Reviews:

Superb book on several fronts..........2007-10-16

Earley was trying to write a history of turpentining. What he ended up with was a spectacular essay on the natural history of longleaf pine forests, the human history of the forested south, an essay on conflicting views in forestry, and....oh yes...turpentine!

Reading this as an ecologist, I found everything I wanted with just enough of the human element to flesh it out without boring me. Oddly enough, I suspect those reading this from an anthropological view have the same opinion about the natural history aspect of the book. Earley is that good in weaving his tale.

It flows well, is well organized, and the research and references are stunning. Twenty-three pages of references make me wonder how he ever finished the book. (In his acknowledgements he seems to wonder the same thing himself!)

This book belongs on the shelf of every forester, ecologist, and southern historian. I'm just thankful I stumbled across it on a rainy day in Congaree National Park.

complete book about longleaf pines.......2006-11-19

mr. earley goes deep into everything you could want to know about this native tree species,a cornerstone to both the natural world of the southeastern united states and the economic growth and development of the country as a whole.......he tells all about the past history,present day status,and projected outlook of the longleaf pine tree:it's one-time dominance of the coastal plain landscape,compared to it's present day status;all about the naval stores and timber industries,and their heavy dependence upon it that led to it's near demise and current numbers;and the changes in land management of the longleaf forest and it's various ecosystems,with much insight to the controlled burning philosophy that has gained in popularity during the last 50 years or so.....with photos, including some impressive shots of long-gone virgin growth trees dwarfing the grown men standing among them.

Best book on longleaf yet........2005-09-08

This book is as accurate and detailed as any scholarly paper but is written so well that it is certain to be a classic of literature like Archie Carr's "The Windward Road."

America's Rain Forest.......2004-11-23

For years I have been concerned about the disappearance of the South American Rain Forest. What was shocking from Earley's book is how we had our own expansive Forest with it's own ecosystem and let it disappear before our very eyes without anyone noticing.

It is not only a wonderfully told story of the Longleaf pine but it is a genuine history of how the South's economic development between the time of the settlers and up until today nearly destroyed it's most valuable resource and the ecology that was a part of it.

The only problem with this book was not being able to put it down after I started reading it.

North american wildlife: wildflowers field guide (North American Wildlife Field Guides)

Average customer rating:

Really helpful book
Nice Book But Not Very Helpful

North american wildlife: wildflowers field guide (North American Wildlife Field Guides)
Reader's Digest Editors , and Inc. Reader's Digest Association
Manufacturer: Readers Digest
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0762100346

Book Description

Beautiful, specially drawn full-color illus-trations depict more than 700 different species of wildflowers. Plants are grouped by botanical families. At-a-glance identifi-cation capsules pinpoint the characteristic textures, shapes and color, as well as habitat, scent, and blooming time.

Customer Reviews:

Really helpful book.......2007-05-24

I really enjoyed using the book. I have a lot of wildflowers in my yard and see a great deal in the spring here in my area. The pictures were very useful in helping me identify different plants. I had no trouble carrying the book with me in identifying flowers; some of them are similar and the book pointed this out and how to identify specific differences to aid in naming the plant. I also enjoyed the anecdotal information, especially about how some of the plants have edible parts and some of the plants are highly poisonous.

Nice Book But Not Very Helpful.......2006-06-07

This is a nice book of wildflowers. It contains only drawings, no photos, but, at least, they are all in color. The drawings won't help much in identifying flowers unless you happen to be standing right beside it and even then the vast majority of the pictures aren't detailed enough to be really sure about anything. The information on range of the different flowers isn't usually very specific. However, there is a nice touch of general information or lore about many of the plants. I got my copy used and cheap so it's OK - I wouldn't have been too happy about paying full price for it, though.

Book Description

From the Médoc to Sauternes, this invaluable guide to France’s popular Bordeaux region explains the area’s classification system and offers advice on getting around and finding the best hotels and restaurants. It features tours of the wine areas, with suggestions for the best routes to follow and which producers to visit. Plus, there are expert tips on winery etiquette and advice on the fabulous tasting wines at all price levels.

Customer Reviews:

Supreme knowledge.......2006-10-26

Waldin's knowledge of his subject is immense but conveyed with an ease.

He is clearly no stooge to the grand marques and is forthright in his opinions without being pompous.

Whether you're a wine lover or merely someone that loves the countryside, this book is really all you'll need for a terrific week in Bordeaux.

Book Description

Explore prehistoric drawings made by Native Americans. Complete set includes: 20 minute video; 64 Page Student Edition with history, descriptions and illustrations of rock art, dwellings, and artifacts; 48 Page Teacher's Guide; and poster with a timeline of different rock art styles. Student edition only. Grades 4-8

Amazon.com

Many disparate elements go into decorating a room, but all must work together harmoniously for the room to succeed as a whole. This lavishly illustrated volume demonstrates how to learn to visualize making a whole room come together through in-depth exploration of four areas: lighting, designing with tiles, adding color to walls, and utilizing architectural details. Some of the rooms pictured here are highly ornate, while others are elegantly simple; some glow with the warmth of wood, and others are cool and sleek. The gorgeous photos and helpful commentary offer countless ideas for bringing new life to tired homes, or to homes that never woke up in the first place. Covering a wide array of styles from traditional to contemporary, classic to quirky, the suggestions range from the general (drawing attention away from a high ceiling gives the room greater intimacy) to the specific (a collection of blue-and white chinaware shows up much more effectively against a warmer-colored wall). For sheer visual wealth, this volume is an excellent reference on turning your home into a work of art. --Amy Handy

Book Description

Packed with lavish full-color photography, Design & Details explores the many ways to bring life to your home, from making a splash with an unusual color of paint and changing the lighting scheme to laying down tiles and playing up architectural details. Every page will inspire design excellence.

Design & Details: Creative Ideas for Styling Your Home

Average customer rating:

Design & Details: Creative Ideas for Styling Your Home
Candie with Michael Litchfield and Candace Ord Manroe Frankel
Manufacturer: Metro Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GLBVTC

Book Description

Originally published in 1905, this extremely rare early work on the bulldog is almost impossible to find in its first edition. VINTAGE DOG BOOKS have republished it, using the original text and photographs, as part of their CLASSIC BREED BOOKS series. The author was a highly respected breeder of the day. The book's 164 pages cover all aspects of the Bulldog. Beginning with the history of the breed, it moves on to discuss buying, breeding and showing amongst many other topics. It also features over 60 photographs of champion bulldogs of the day. Included in the original text are a number of adverts featuring stud dogs and dog food - all with additional photographs of bulldogs. This is a fascinating read for any Bulldog enthusiast or historian of the breed but also contains much information that is still useful and practical today. Many of the earliest breed books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s, are now extremely scarce and very expensive. VINTAGE DOG BOOKS are reprinting these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions. These editions are republished using the original text and artwork CHAPTERS: I: BUYING A BULLDOG - THE MARKET VALUE OF BULLDOGS - SALE AND EXCHANGE ADVERTISMENTS - PROTECTION FROM FRAUD - THE CANINE PRESS. II: THE BULLDOG CLUB OF ENGLAND - A DESCRIPTION OF THE BULLDOG - DEFECTS - DUDLEY NOSES - BUTTON EARS - EXPRESSION. III: THE BROOD BITCH - SHOW BITCHES AND BROOD BITCHES - SUITABLE MATING - THE AGE AT WHICH TO BREED - PEDIGREE - THE STUD DOG. IV: WHELPING - PERSONAL ATTENDANCE - THE NEED FOR A FOSTER-MOTHER - EXCHANGING PUPPIES - FOOD AND EXERCISE FOR THE SUCKLING BITCH V: FEEDING - EXERCISING - TEACHING PUPPIES TO EXERCISE - THE WHIP. VI: KENNELING AND DISINFECTING. VII: SOME DISEASES OF DOGS. VIII. SOME PROMINENT DOGS OF THE DAY. IX. CONCLUSION.

The bulldog: giving the origin and history of the breed, its show career, its points and breeding

Average customer rating:

The bulldog: giving the origin and history of the breed, its show career, its points and breeding
John Frazer Gordon
Manufacturer: Gifford
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Veterinary Medicine | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Animal Husbandry | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0707102839

The bulldog; an illustrated standard of the breed: A picture study of good points and faults, containing information on the history, anatomy, breeding, feeding, training, and management of bulldogs

Average customer rating:

Bullmastiff

The bulldog; an illustrated standard of the breed: A picture study of good points and faults, containing information on the history, anatomy, breeding, feeding, training, and management of bulldogs
Enno Meyer
Manufacturer: Orange Judd Pub. Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Veterinary Medicine | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Animal Husbandry | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0007E24OY

Customer Reviews:

Bullmastiff.......2007-03-12

The best book for those inclined to have special skills and Bull and Mastiff dog .

Dogs of Velvet and Steel: Pit Bulldogs: A Manual for Owners

Average customer rating:

An Excellent Book
Disgusted
Truth
Truth
you cur

Dogs of Velvet and Steel: Pit Bulldogs: A Manual for Owners
Bob Stevens
Manufacturer: Riverhead Books,U.S.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Customer Reviews:

An Excellent Book.......2007-08-29

Even though it was written in the 1980s, this book is far ahead of anything else regardng canine nutrition, conditioning, and breeding. Please understand, Bob Steven is from the old school, politcally incorrect in this day and age, but he loved dogs and had his own belief as to what pitbulls enjoyed and what is and is not cruel. The book is a treasure and well worth reading.

Disgusted.......2007-07-19

I cannot beleive that a company like Amazon would sell trash like this!! This book supports animal cruelty. Maybe some of the sadists that gave it high reviews are into that type of thing- but I am not! Just look at the pictures of what a dog looks like after a fight- and to think all of that suffering happened because some derainged freak thinks it is a fun sport. I pity you when your karma catches up.

Truth.......2006-06-17

It is irrelevant if Mr Stevens was convicted. It has NOTHING to do with the fact that this is an extremely well writen, extremely informative book. People need to stop trying to sensor what others read because of thier own views. Especially views based on an opinion and NOT FACT.

Truth.......2006-06-17

you cur.......2006-05-08

i am writing to try to clear up the fulse image this idiotic review writer has tried to give mr bob stevens i have read his book several times and i believe that he is one of the fiew people trying to represent thepit bulldog for what it realy is a fighting dog even though i dont do this myself i at least want these magnificent animals to seen for what they are and resspected for it if ihad 750 000 dollars i would send it stright to him to pay his find this is a big loss to dog men everywhere

Customer Reviews:

A Superb Read From the Drawing Room to the Frontier.......2001-07-10

Whether you are a casual reader or a serious garden historian, this book has something for you. It is the second of a trilogy of very fine books written on American gardening covering the 1600s, 1700s and 1800s.

While it is fascinating just to page through and you can start just about any place and enjoy yourself, it is truly indispensible if you are interested in historical gardens. This is THE bok for anyone trying to recreate a period garden to go with a house style and who wishes to know the proper design layout, plants, materials, colors and even what fruits vegetables were being grown.

It also contains nice, gossipy little tidbits of information about everyday life, when to plant, how to cultivate in the 18th century manner and lots of black and white illustrations from the period. Well footnoted, extensive glossary, lists of plants with latin names given to avoid confusion, just a top-notch piece of work.

All three books in this series are excellent. I found this one very helpful, as at the time it was reissued I was in charge of the [18th century] gardens at Fort Frederick State Park in Western Maryland.

Customer Reviews:

Leiu Is The Best.......2005-09-30

All of his major books are exceptional reading and extremely informative. They aren't for someone who wants a casual understanding of Manichaeism, but they are never unreadably obtuse or so loaded with jargon as to be incomprehensible. I used them extensively in university and was sad when I had to return them to the library.

Manichaeism in Mesopotamia and the Roman East

Average customer rating:

Manichaeism in Mesopotamia and the Roman East
Samuel N. C. Lieu
Manufacturer: Brill Academic Publishers, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MBOWC4

Book Description

The award-winning, "viscerally powerful" (The Guardian) early play by the author of Spinning Into Butter and Boy Gets Girl

Set in the rural Deep South, Rebecca Gilman's The Glory of Living received critical acclaim rare for a new American play when it had its British premiere in 1999, garnering the Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright. Set to open in New York in the fall of 2001, this work focuses on fifteen-year-old Lisa, the daughter of a prostitute, and Clint, the car thief she runs away with to escape the misery of life with her mother. But the happier times that sullenly childlike Lisa yearns for never materialize, as Clint orders her to procure young runaways for him. No one notices that these teenage girls are missing until an anonymous call to the police reports their murders. Could the caller--and the killer--be Lisa? Rebecca Gilman has created a riveting, unsentimental portrait of a young woman whose most striking quality is not her capacity for evil but the depth of her emptiness, in an environment as harsh and unyielding as the contours of her life

Customer Reviews:

"But I appreciate that you try.".......2004-11-30

Note: The "glory" of the title is ironic.

This is a very swift moving, lean play, which may be about ignorance, learning to pay attention to yourself, female subservience, psychopathic love or even the mental effect of poverty and absent family life on a young mind. The play is so efficient and flexible though that if I kept considering themes, several more are there. Because of that flixibility of theme, that encompasses many issues, The Glory of Living is an excellent play.

It reminded me of some of Sam Shepard's plays about poor, down and out, violent and seemingly foolish people. It also reminded me of Badlands, the 1973 film about the young, beautiful couple who murdered several people.

Another review here spoke of the simplicity with which Gilman deals with heavy subjects, allowing the audience or reader to contemplate and feel the issue out, so as to see the people involved and not be lead by spectacle and judgement. That is a point I'd say is right on, because by the end of the play I was moved by the tragedy of Lisa.

Carl: (shaking his head) I can't even begin to understand you.
Lisa: Yeah. But I appreciate that you try.

Strange but a Gilman great!.......2003-01-08

You've got to have an odd taste to enjoy this thrilling Gilman play of a murdering and kidnapping couple, one older man and one young woman, who escape the prostituting mother of the main girl. Of course, I recommend her SPINNING INTO BUTTER over THE GLORY OF LIVING, as many others do. If you're a Gilman fan and used to her oddities of plots, you'll love having this on your bookshelf.

Strange but a Gilman great!.......2003-01-08

Worth the read, but a must-SEE if possible..........2002-01-25

I've never reviewed a play based on the book alone before. But here it goes: I'm a fan of Rebecca Gilman's work anyway. I like her style...very straight and simple, the work moves quickly. I like the fact that she deals with modern issues (stalking, political correctness, child criminals), and in this case with Glory of Living, she's talking about some pretty disturbing stuff (all based on true events). However, I like the fact that she can introduce these controversial, even offensive subjects in such a way, that you can handle it. Like instead of slapping you in the face with it and turning you off completely (like in a recent play "Absolution", or Ellis' novel "American Psycho"), she shocks you but causes you to really think about the situation and the characters in that situation, how they got there, etc. I like the fact that her plays somehow force me to let go of judging the characters. I think GOL is definitely worth reading, and I do it so I can have a sense of what the story's about, but really plays were meant to be seen onstage. I saw it in NYC this past November at the MCC Theater and it really was fantastic. The cast brought a whole new dimension to the play...it's beautiful!

Three More Screenplays by Preston Sturges: The Power and the Glory, Easy Living, and Remember the Night

Average customer rating:

Essential

Three More Screenplays by Preston Sturges: The Power and the Glory, Easy Living, and Remember the Night
Preston Sturges
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Screenplays | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Screenwriting | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0520210042

Book Description

The publication by the University of California Press of Five Screenplays by Preston Sturges and Four More Screenplays by Preston Sturges has been applauded by cinephiles and admirers of the director's work, and recognized as a major contribution to the history of American cinema. In this third volume of scripts by one of Hollywood's wisest and wittiest filmmakers, the focus turns to those screenplays written but not directed by Sturges.
Included in the new collection are The Power and the Glory, which greatly influenced Orson Welles in the conception of Citizen Kane, and the romantic comedies Remember the Night and Easy Living. The scripts reveal Sturges in top form as a writer of dialogue and prove beyond any possible doubt his authorship of the films, which frequently appear indistinguishable on-screen from those he himself directed.
Full of surprises and delights, these Three More Screenplays are essential reading for students of American cinema and admirers of Sturges. They cast new light on his collaborations with directors Mitchell Leisen and William K. Howard, and provide a rousing conclusion to the writings of this Hollywood master. In his substantial introduction to the volume, film historian and screenplay writer Andrew Horton analyzes the contributions of Sturges to the film comedy genre and to Hollywood film history.

Customer Reviews:

Essential.......2003-09-17

If you want to see what great screenwriting looks like on the printed page you should read Preston Sturges.

Average customer rating:

The Glory of Living

Manufacturer: Dramatic Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 158342136X

Customer Reviews:

Engaging and Inspirational.......2003-04-19

As an adult, I was fascinated by this book. I enjoyed the photos and the biography. I think this is a book for adults and children to read together and to use as a springboard for dialogue about life's challenges and how to deal with them, as well as the discrimination faced by a minority. It is all about the incredibly difficult challenges that one man has gone through (discrimination, parental loss as a child, polio, etc.), and is inspiring in how he reinvented himself over the years and managed to find success.

Wah Ming Chang--an inspiring book about an inspiring man.......2000-04-07

I found this book very inspirational, as it tells the life and struggles of an artist and Hollywood special effects master. The language sparked my interest and made me want to read more. I especially enjoyed the details about Chang's work with Walt Disney Studios and the Star Trek TV show. The book made me feel that I personally knew someone famous. This is an interesting story of a man who accomplished so much. As an educator, I would recommend the book to students and to adults. It will help others realize that we CAN get past difficult times and that we can nurture our own creativity in order to see our own dreams come true.

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