Wild Orchids of Texas (Corrie Herring Hooks Series)

Book Description

"Of all the state and regional books on orchids, this is the best that I have read. As attractive as it is educational, this book will stand as the bible of Texas orchids for decades to come."

—Carl R. Slaughter, author of Wild Orchids of Arkansas

From the East Texas swamps and forests to the Edwards Plateau canyons and the Trans-Pecos mountains, Texas hosts a surprising number of native orchids. Their exquisite beauty endears them to everyone from wildflower lovers to professional botanists and conservationists.

This beautifully illustrated book presents all 54 wild orchids of Texas. The species descriptions that accompany Joe Liggio's lovely color photos discuss the plant's flowers, blooming season, pollinators, typical habitats, and range (also shown by map), including its distribution within and beyond Texas. The species are grouped by genus and also listed by color, county, and habitat for easy reference.

In addition to the species accounts, the authors offer a general natural history of Texas orchids that discusses such topics as pollination and reproduction, special growing requirements, and threats to orchids from loss of habitats and careless collecting. They also describe the many orchid habitats in Texas and the species that grow in each. This wide variety of information, which has never before been collected in one volume for a general readership, makes this book the essential guide to Texas' wild orchids.

Customer Reviews:

You don't have to be a Biologist to use and love this book!.......2006-01-14

These authors really know their stuff! Lots of information to help your chances of actually observing these native beauties in the wild. Conservation is a repeated theme throughout. Texans will be blown away by the incredible photos! I love mine.

Wild Orchids of Texas by Joe Liggio & Ann Orto Liggio.......2000-07-18

This book is clearly a labor of love on the part of the authors, and is one that should be very useful to nature lovers in general, and both amateur and professional orchidologists. The photography is excellent, giving a feel for both the habitat and individual plants and flowers. There is only one very rare species that is not pictured. The index is well done and quite useable. The authors have done a superb job of promoting the cause of orchid conservation -- including such things as "How to Save Our Native Orchids: What You Can Do" on page 5. They have a good general discussion of orchid life cycles, their habitats, mycorhizal associations and pollenators. For those not familiar with Texas the inclusion of a vegetation map and a short description of each major vegetation type is very useful. Orchids are listed by: 1) flower colour, 2) by vegetation/habitat types, and finally species distributions by county are given. One orchid Habenaria quinqueseta does not have a distribution map, but since it was collected over 150 years ago, we shouldn't be too concerned. The only real lack that I have found is that there is no key to the genera and species given. This is an excellent book that every serious orchid species enthusiast should have in their book collection -- if only for the wonderful photography.

Brings the wild orchids of Texas to you.......2000-02-01

The authors, a husband-wife team, combine their specialties to create an exciting experience for the reader. Joe is a biologist and photographer, and Ann is a writer. They have crafted a beautifully executed book. The writing is excellent; the photography is exquisite; the organization is wonderful; and the information is easily digestible for the lay person. The authors have spent years chasing down these delightful and beautiful orchids and now bring their beauty to you. The University of Texas Press has created a book of high quality and beauty with great color photographs. Fifty-four types of orchids are discussed and described in their natural habitats. Each of the regional sections are described and orchids living in each listed. Orchids are listed by flower color, genus and species, and scientific names. One appendix lists species distribution by county. The list of references and index add great value to the book.

The Wild Orchid Society (Five Star Mystery Series)

Average customer rating:

A fantastic storyteller does it again!
fantastic police procedural
Stretches the envelope
Suspenseful sequel
Fascinating police procedural--it's not about flowers...

The Wild Orchid Society (Five Star Mystery Series)
Laurie Moore
Manufacturer: Five Star (ME)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Women Sleuths | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1410401898

Customer Reviews:

A fantastic storyteller does it again!.......2005-06-15

Having been a fan of Ms. Moore's other police procedurals, I snatched up her latest offering hoping for more of the same zany characters, colorful mysteries, and laugh-out-loud humor. I was not disappointed. Not only is Orchid a fast-paced read, Ms. Moore has topped her own previous efforts. I'm looking forward to more from this fantastic author.

fantastic police procedural.......2004-06-26

Having solved the LADY GODIVA MURDER does not liberate Cezanne Martin from being an anathema because of her affair with a married peer. Instead Cezanne is further punished by her relative Deputy Chief Daniel Rosen who announces at a press conference that she is the temporary head of homicide. Rosen informs the media that Cezanne will head up the newly formed Cold Case Squad and promises to solve the eight year old Great Dane Murder in two weeks. Rosen will keep the pressure on Cezanne because he expects her to resign after making the Fort Worth police a laughing stock.

Cezanne refuses to quit though she has just obtained her law degree. Instead she transfers in ostracized cop Klevenhagen because his personnel file is bigger than hers. As she watches a teen with the gift of sight, Cezanne obtains help from the FBI that leads her to digging undercover the Dungeons of Decadence, but soon learns that the Executioner stalks D&D participants seeking sacrifices of the top secret WILD ORCHID SOCIETY. If she is to solve her cold case, Cezanne will need to infiltrate this deadly group and unmask the Executioner. Besides her career in jeopardy, her life could be forfeit too.

The latest Martin police procedural is a fantastic tale that hooks the audience the moment that the reader realizes along with the heroine that she is being set up to fail. The story line moves forward on several fronts that not only never slows down the pace, but also cleverly merges together into a terrific investigative tale. Sub-genre fans will want Moore detective tales from a Five Star author.

Harriet Klausner

Stretches the envelope.......2004-06-18

Don't let the cover frighten you, well maybe just a little. Ms Moore has given us a protagonist in Cezanne Martin that proves to be human. "Zan" has the depth of character to keep her wits about her through all the challenges anyone could be asked to face. This includes the confidence and determination to venture where her authority as police Captain and even the ability to defend herself or call for back up are taken away from her. We glimpse a part of her humanity that the stern exterior covers well. With her combined strengths and weaknesses, Cezanne perseveres through a high tension and well developed mystery. I didn't figure out, "who done it" until the very last. And that doesn't happen often. Get it. You'll thank me later.

Suspenseful sequel.......2004-06-16

After Detective Cezanne Martin solves THE LADY GODIVA MURDER and becomes the new acting-captain of the Fort Worth police homicide unit, she learns she's been put in charge of the newly-formed Cold Case Squad. When she inherits an 8 year old unsolved cold case, she finds herself in a media fishbowl. Not only is the brass trying to run her off, she learns the former investigating officer died while trying to solve the case. When she finds herself immersed in an alternative lifestyle group made up of wealthy, influential people who go to great lengths not to have their identities exposed, she comes face-to-face with the Executioner, leader of THE WILD ORCHID SOCIETY. This is an action-packed, nail-biting, suspense-filled read that will hold your attention way beyond the last page. Authentic situations, exciting dialogue and skillful plotting keep this novel fast-paced. I hope the last line is indicative of another sequel to come in the Cezanne Martin series. Absolutely fascinating to the end.

Fascinating police procedural--it's not about flowers..........2004-06-09

Cezanne Martin returns as the Acting-Captain of Fort Worth Police's homicide unit, and this time, the brass has set her up with a cold case investigation designed to make her fail. The previous investigator died while investigating the Great Dane Murder (not about dogs) and Cezanne finds a connection with an underground organization known as The Wild Orchid Society (not about flowers). Infiltrating the bizarre, alternative lifestyle group could cost more than her job and reputation, if discovered; unmasking The Executioner, ringleader of The Wild Orchid Society, could put her on ice.

The storyline will grab you from the beginning, not to mention it'll keep you in a headlock until you're through.

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American wildflower odyssey: A lifetime's search covers deserts, mountains, and lowlands ; prizes range from Maine orchids to Texas cacti
P. L Ricker
Manufacturer: s.n.]
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Flowers | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0007JWR6Y

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WILD ORCHIDS OF TEXAS
Joe and Ann Orto Liggio Liggio
Manufacturer: University of Texas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ORHL56

Book Description

The Rough Guide to Sri Lanka is the definitive guide to the island with a full-colour section introducing its highlights; detailed accounts of all the sights, from the bustling street markets of Colombo to the sedate tea plantations of the highlands and great buddhist monuments of The Cultural Triangle. There are candid reviews of the best places to stay and eat, from beachside guesthouses to colonial era hotels and serene ayurveda resorts. The guide also includes detailed coverage of the north and east, until recently off-limits due to the civil war. Finally, there is informed coverage of Sri Lanka''s history, religions, art and music.

Customer Reviews:

Rough Guide: Sri Lanka........2007-01-05

This book gives ou a nice overview of the region, and incredible specific tips for visiting Sri Lanka.

Rough Guide To Sri Lanka .......2005-08-15

On a par with Insight Guide to Sri Lanka, Footprint Sri Lanka, and Lonely Planet Sri Lanka, the only complaint I have with this publication is that they tend to use very, very few color pictures or topographical maps of the beautiful sights and areas of Sri Lanka, still a very good travel guide.

Amazon.com

Celebrating the deep strength and resilience of African American slaves over centuries of miserable oppression, Doreen Rappaport gathers stories, songs, and poetry in this stunning compilation. The quest for freedom and dignity drove many slaves to push themselves beyond what most humans could bear: enduring brutal beatings, watching their families be torn apart, experiencing humiliation at the hands of their white masters. But through it all, women, men, and children resisted in whatever ways they could. In riveting first-person narrative, Rappaport tells the stories of these courageous souls, from Olaudah Equiano's survival through the Middle Passage to Harriet Tubman's Underground Railroad. Traditional songs are interspersed throughout, including "Gospel Train" and "Go Down, Moses," and artist Shane W. Evans (Osceola: Memories of a Sharecropper's Daughter) captures the hope and despair of his subjects in rich, evocative oil paintings. Doreen Rappaport is the acclaimed author of many children's books, including Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.. (Ages 7 to 11) --Emilie Coulter

Book Description

"An excellent account of the many ways in which slaves participated in bringing down the greatest evil in our nation's history." - KIRKUS REVIEWS (starred review)

A man who cannot swim leaps off a slave ship into the dark water. A girl defies the law by secretly learning to read and write. A future abolitionist regains his will to live by fighting off his captor with his bare hands: "I will not let you use me like a brute any longer," Frederick Douglass vows. Drawing from authentic accounts, here is a chronology of resistance in all its forms: comical trickster tales about outwitting "Old Marsa"; secret "hush harbors" where Africans instill Christian worship with their own rituals; and spirituals such as "Go Down Moses," whose coded lyrics signal not just hope for deliverance, but an active call to escape.

Boldly illustrated with extraordinary oil paintings by award-winning artist Shane W. Evans, and meticulously researched by Doreen Rappaport, this stunning collection - spanning the period from the early days of slavery to the Emancipation Proclamation - is an invaluable resource for teachers, parents, libraries, students, and people everywhere who care about what it means to be free, what it is to be human.

Customer Reviews:

Valauable Addition to UGR Library.......2007-02-12

I teach a unit about the music of the Underground Railroad in public schools. "No More" has been a strong addition to my library because of both the songs and the stories associated with the songs. Kids love to hear stories and that makes my teaching of the music quite a bit easier and meaningful.

No More.......2005-03-09

I would recommend this book to someone who is into slave kind of things because the book is about slavery. This book has different kind of stories about slavery that the reader will enjoy. All of the stories are about slavery. There are also songs about slavery that they sang.This is a true book. Again, I would recommend this to someone who's into slavery.

Powerful and Dramatic............2002-06-24

As author, Doreen Rappaport tells the reader in the forward to this amazing book: "In No More! I have attempted to trace the courageous struggle waged by enslaved Africans from the time they boarded the first slave ships heading for the New World to emancipation with the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment." Ms Rappaport has compiled slave narratives and folktales, poetry, black spirituals, and biographies in this unique and engaging collection, to tell the brutal and humiliating history of slavery. Here are the stories of eleven extraordinary people, from the well know Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and Booker T. Washington, to Suzie King Taylor who learned to read and write in a secret school and helped forge documents, and John Scobell, a runaway slave who spied for the Union Army. These are stories of resistance, rebellion, triumph and courage that inspire with their power. Ms Rappaports moving and dramatic text draws the reader in and transports you back in time on a historical journey from Africa, to the Middle Passage, the hard life on the plantation, and the taste of freedom on the Underground Railroad, to the Civil War and finally emancipation. Shane Evans bold and powerfully evocative oil paintings capture the emotions of pain, determination, hope, fear, and dignity in each beautiful portrait. Together, word and art put a very human face on the ugliness and inhumanity of slavery. No More! should be "must" reading for all children 10 and older. "On December 18, 1865, the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, abolishing slavery in all states and territories, became the law of the reunited land. Black men, women, and children set out to meet their next challenge - freedom."

Amazon.com

The question isn't, "What happens when a young British woman travels the southern United States with a 19-year-old cat?" The question is, "What happens when bad-news-in-stiletto-heels Clare de Vries does that?" The answer is unbridled hilarity. Pushing 30, De Vries is wallowing in an emotional void from the recent death of her mother when she arrives on the East Coast with her cat Claudius, a shipped-over sports car, and a fantasy of finding happiness in America. Her dreams are continually smashed: the car breaks down, the cat soon follows, and felicity is elusive as she encounters some of the most wacked-out creatures to ever call George Washington their founding father. The feisty troublemaker gets booted out of hotels, museums, parks, and planes for traveling with her feline friend, and is a chronic magnet for weirdness, be it in the form of felons, con men, psychics, or ghosts. The absurdity that De Vries calls her on-the-road life reaches only one high point in Vegas, when disguised as Cleopatra she ditches a stranger from whom she inadvertently borrowed, and immediately lost, $5,000. Interspersed within the insane and sometimes harrowing escapades that unfold on her six-month road trek are touching emotional insights about pets, loved ones, and solo travel that fill out what might otherwise be simply an entirely entertaining albeit madcap book. Graphic, sometimes shocking, and sarcastically hip, this is not a book for your cat-loving grandmother, but a wild example of what might happen when a young, slightly neurotic female overdosing on chutzpah heads out (nearly) alone to shake boredom from her life. In that goal at least, De Vries unabashedly succeeds. --Melissa Rossi

Book Description

A woman and her cat set off on a bold and hilarious adventure across the USA.

Clare de Vries dreamed of quitting her job and Thelma and Louise-ing it across the United States. Then one day, she did. Except that Louise was her 19 year old Burmese cat Claudius.

An unpredictable road trip, and an unlikely travelogue, I and Claudius takes the reader from celebrity pet hair stylists in New York to brown bears in the Appalachians, from astronauts in Nashville to voodoo snakes in New Orleans to psychic cowboys in Texas. It is a hilarious book about an intrepid young woman in pursuit of a dream, and the quirky love she has for her cat.

Customer Reviews:

Drags like a busted elephant's foot........2004-07-16

Not one of the best travel-related pieces I've read. Driving alone, de Vries has no-one to play off against so in order to provide some dialogue, she makes constant references to conversations with her cat throughout the book. This is funny the first time but should be left as a one-off joke. De Vries flogs it until it become irritating to read.

In addition to this, I would assume large tracts are fictitious: the very odd-coincidencies, the almost-slapstick moment where she knocks an important boss into a pool, the 'stay with people after knowing them 10 minutes' etc. It can't have happened this way.

One for the cat lovers; for readers who like travel, try something else.

Traveling with Gusto.......2003-12-14

Of all travel books I've read so far, this one has got to be the most hilarious and magnificent. Clare writes with gusto and love for her cat and of travel, and one feels as if they're right along with the couple as they travel throughout the USA. Another great novel to read by De Vries is "Of Cats and Kings", which is equally, if not more, stunning and entertaining. Readers don't have to be cat people to laugh at De Vries antics and mishaps. I would highly reccommend this novel to any female of any age, for it deals with feminine humor and romance.

Maybe I'm just not a cat person.......2003-04-18

Everyone really seemed to love this book so I thought I'd check it out, but besides being easy to read I didn't find much merit in it. In the end she just really annoyed me. Her generally snippiness was people made me cringe, and she never seemed very aware of her surroundings (although I give her props for the incident in the bar in Texas, I believe it was). As a traveler, I could never imagine trusting total strangers like she does. Sure, I know that if you don't take risks you miss out on a lot, but the fact that she lived to write this book is amazing in and of itself considering the huge amount of trust she puts in total strangers.

Perhaps not being a huge cat lover was also problematic. I couldn't relate to her rantings about Claudius.

I think my biggest beef with the book, which I notice other people really enjoyed, was Claudius's insights. I found it very distracting how she'd experience something, and then Claudius would chime it with its historical value.

There were amusing parts, such as her time in Las Vegas, but all in all, I wouldn't recommend this book. Well, maybe to a cat person.

Marvelous! and strangely uncanny..........2002-08-02

Clare's relationship with Claude is priceless and gorgeous, and though perhaps the future customer probably doesn't really care to read about the reviewer, my experiences are directly related to my love of this book, and frighteningly uncanny...she's right on the mark with this one and I know there are more out there who'd agree.

Just as Clare was, I am 28 years old, lost my mother to cancer , and had travelled across North America with my beloved cat, Sampson, twice when I read this book.( I would like for the record to state that he is equally as magnificent as Claude) and like her, I am terrified more than anything in the world to lose him.

Clare's relationship with Claude is painfully sincere, and I feel less of a maniac to hear that someone else was as obsessed and driven by her fears and dependance on shopping as her own retail therapy.
Her confused love for America and Americans, as well as road tripping is hilarious and well shared by this reader. Though I cried buckets,laughed out loud more than once and am still somewhat heartbroken (there is one small paragraph that brings sobs to my throat just to think of it-beautiful), it moved me immensely and all I wanted to do was get home to my boy when I finished it.
For anyone who loves their pet (any pet) like a child this is your reminder why you do. Marvelous, Clare!
Is there anywhere we can write to her? Does anyone know?

You'll laugh; you'll cry; you'll purr.......2002-01-16

Of course you will read all the other reviews here, and they are pretty right-on. Clare is a bit of a female Holden Caulfield; she is amusing and appealing while going through real trauma and not always behaving well. Unlike Holden of course, she is real and this is a true story. However, do not mistake "I & Claudius" for a how-to-travel-with-your-pet manual or a travel guide to the United States. This is HER story (and Claudius' ). I cried so when it ended-- because it was beautiful and because I was sorry it was over!

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Claudius and I : Travels with My Cat
Clare De Vries
Manufacturer: Bloomsbury Publishing, Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NUA46W

Average customer rating:

I & CLAUDIUS TRAVELS WITH MY CAT
Clare De Vries
Manufacturer: Bloomsburg
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000RAY6JE

Book Description

L'Encyclopedie de l'Islam, ouvrage collectif de grande envergure, presente l'etat actuel des connaissances que nous possedons sur le monde musulman. Cet ouvrage comprend des notices sur des Musulmans qui se sont distingues de facon quelconque en toute epoque et terre, sur les tribus et les dynasties, sur l'activite artisanale et les sciences, sur les institutions politiques et religieuses, sur la geographie, l'ethnologie, la flore et la faune des divers pays, et sur l'histoire, la topographie et les monuments des principales villes et cites. On y trouve egalement des articles sur la terminologie religieuse, philosophique et scientifique - a vrai dire, sur chaque aspect de la culture musulmane depuis le temps du Prophete a nos jours. Touchant la geographie et l'histoire, l'Encyclopedie de l'Islam s'occupe de l'ancien Empire arabo-islamique, des etats musulmans d'Iran, d'Asie Centrale, des Indes et d'Indonesie, de l'Empire ottoman et des divers etats et communautes musulmans partout dans le monde. C'est un instrument de travail sans egal, indispensable aux specialistes qui etudieraient tous les sujets abordant ou relatifs au monde de l'Islam. La Nouvelle Edition est publiee en doubles fascicules de 112 pages, huit fascicules doubles composent un tome. Des l'achevement d'un tome, les couvertures et les feuilles de titre correspondants sont fournies pour reliure. Cet ouvrage s'adresse aux Islamologues, aux etudiants dans les domaines de l'histoire et de la culture des peuples musulmans, et aux geographes et sociologues.

Book Description

What is a friend?

In this beautiful photographic portrait, 100 talented photographers, including a number of Pulitzer Prize winners, answer this question as they vividly render this fragile, yet powerful, essential bond. Selected from more than 40,000 global entries in one of the most ambitious photographic competitions ever staged, the images reproduced in this book are part of the M.I.L.K. Collection: Moments of Intimacy, Laughter, and Kinship. These engaging photographs depict the powerful connection of friendship that lights up life in both good times and bad.

The M.I.L.K. project was conceived to "celebrate humanity," including the honoring of what it is to be a friend. As Maeve Binchy so poignantly describes in her prologue, "as a teacher, a traveler and a writer, I have wandered many places in the world, always and everywhere being touched by images of friendship. Tiny children going to school in Bali, picking huge banana leaves to shelter each other when tropical rain storms threatened their immaculate white shirts. Two old men in Athens, so lost in their daily chess game that they were unaware of the traffic swirling around and tourists pushing past them... Boys in Scotland who were playing brilliant football in an old yard with their folded jackets serving as the goal posts... Shoppers in New York clutching each other with excitement at the thought of the next bargain possibly around the next corner."

Open yourself to the wonders of this magnificent volume. In these pages you will truly find yourself among friends.

Customer Reviews:

excellent.......2001-08-07

I saw the exhibit of these photograghs at Grand Central Station when I was in NYC. The pictures were beautiful and you could truly see the humanity in the eyes of the people photographed. The photographers really captured the spirit of the people in these pictures. I was moved to tears just looking at the pictures. If you love photography you will love this book.

excellent.......2001-08-07

I saw the exhibit of these photograghs at Grand Central Station when I was in NYC. The pictures were beautiful, and you could truly see the humanity in the eyes of the people photographed. The photographers really captured the spirit of the people in these pictures. I was so moved just looking at the pictures. If you love photography you will love this book.

Friendship Prepack: A Celebration of Humanity

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Friendship Prepack: A Celebration of Humanity

Manufacturer: William Morrow & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Inspirational | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0066215102

Friendship: Celebration of Humanity (M.I.L.K.)

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Friendship: Celebration of Humanity (M.I.L.K.)
MILK Project
Manufacturer: William Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MC363Y

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