Going to Seed: Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Edible Plants of the Southwest

Customer Reviews:

Best plat guide.......2000-10-28

Not only is this a great guide to edible plants, but it has some of the most tasty and unique recipes I have ever seen.

Great book!.......2000-04-19

This is a grand book for nature-lovers, gourmet cooks, and wild plant enthusiasts. It's written with clarity and a touch of humor. Where else could you find recipes for Oaxaca Iceplant Salsa, Stir-fried Saltbush, and Canaigre Sauce? With excellent illustrations and photographs of each plant, this book is a joy to read.

Book Description

Retiring to live on a group of islands off the Caribbean coast of Panama, the author humorously describes how he learned through experience, from the first essential of handling a boat without danger to himself and others to his ultimate achievement of establishing an organic farm on the shore of a distant lagoon. Interspersed with vignettes of the local culture, the account gives an insight to the challenges facing Gringos when pursuing dreams of life on a tropical island.

Covering a span of six years from the beginnings of the growth of a tourist industry to a time when the islands were clearly destined to become a major tourist destination, Don't Kill the Cow Too Quick records a passing era.

Customer Reviews:

live the dream.......2007-06-08

Look at a map of Central America then zoom in on Panama. Just south of the border of Costa Rica on the Caribbean shore is the archipeligo of Bocas del Toro. As the author says, Bocas del Toro is like Key West was in the 1920's just getting noticed by tourist, retirees and developers. This is a small city on a tropical island with the surronding islands, coral reefs, beaches, small farms, tropical forests and mangroves, the area that Malcom Henderson and his wife settled to live the years of their life after age 60. This book is his story of finding the area, settling there and working to fit in by building a home in town and starting a ranch (finca) on the mainland.

Henderson has an unusual writing style, very personal, like writing a diary. Some of the chapters have abrupt endings that seem a bit odd in the way that perhaps your grandfather would have told a story that takes a while to register than you get the meaning of it. His writing flows better through the book and makes it hard to put down by the end. Henderson also has a well developed sense of humor and perhaps this follows from some of the laughable situations that he gets into that still maintain the admiration of his friends. I felt a sense of loss when I finished the book, wanting to continue to hear his stories about Panama and the people of the Bocas del Toro region.

I purchased this book mainly to learn more of this region from the expatriat's viewpoint but I picked up much more than that. Anyone moving to a foreign country should anticipate the potential conflict of gringo and latino, foreigner and national, impoverished and wealthy, and greedy and charitable. Henderson covers all of this and it is a tribute to this book that he tells it with insight, humor and is able to evoke some of the essence of the region for us.

I am looking forward to reading a book with the Panamanian's view of the changes in the Bocas del Toro region next.

A good read.......2006-08-23

Malcom gives the reader a real first hand view of Bocas. He is funny and hauman. Makes you want to move there.

Very Interesting.......2006-06-02

This has been the first book that I have read cover to cover, except for techincal manuels. I enjoyed all of Malcolm's adventures. Having been in Bocas, I can relate to some of them.

A psychologist's perspective.......2006-03-05

I have just finished reading, for the second time, Malcolm Henderson's enchanting tour of a marvelous part of the world and his introduction to some wonderful people. Mr. Henderson has what other writers wish they had, the innate gift of being able to tell a story. In this delightful book Mr. Henderson displays the qualities of a Mark Twain, or Ambrose Bierce in that regard. This book would make an excellent addition to University classes in creative writing and psychology courses on social psychology. Mr. Henderson succeeds in taking us to Bocas Del Toro, sharing his relationships with interesting people, and engages us in the desire to live with and assist however we can, both the indigenous tribal natives and other Panamanians. He is candid in the things he probably should not have done, as well as in those things he did well. You will become engrossed in this book as it is truly a relaxing, entertaining, and informative work. Human behavior is remarkably different in different cultures and Mr. Henderson introduces us to a truly admirable culture in Panama, in a truly admirable manner. Sit back, read, enjoy. I look forward to other offerings by this author.

Papa Malc Goes to Bocas.......2006-01-20

Mr. Malcolm (as he's called in the book) is a kind hearted fellow and I found this memoir to be a very enjoyable read. Other books talk about the nuts and bolts of retiring to Panama while this one does a nice job of telling what the experience is actually like. If you are considering moving to Panama, this book is required reading.

Reading of Mr. Malcolm's exploits does beg the question, "When does one man's success become society's failure?"

Malcolm has a house on a Bocas island with 25 acres of rain forest, a 5 - 10 minute boat ride to town. He didn't like the "public" town dock, so he bought an oceanfront parcel in town to make his own dock. On that parcel he built the biggest house in Bocas in which, according to his words, "the majority of Bocas families live in a space no bigger than our downstairs dining area." The house has an upstairs dining area as well. Malcolm also bought a 21 acre farm (with yet another house he built) on the lagoon. He also owns a "mansion" (his words) in Tampa (later sold for a cushy condo), a home of some sort in Virginia, as well as his business holdings to do with his wife's art career.

To make up for his "largess" he did resolve to rent out the bottom part of his downtown Bocas mansion, but only to professionals like a doctor or lawyer, not too the needy families living in the tiny shack. How is that for social action!

If you are keeping score, Malcolm has 46+ acres of land and 5 homes a varying extravagance + businesses, while the average Bocas family lives in a one room shack, owns no businesses, and survives on low wages paid by the likes of Mr. Malcolm.

The financial gap between Mr. Malcolm's empire and that typical Bocas family living in a 14 X 20 ft shack is a massive gap. What effect does such large financial power moving to Bocas have on the native people? What long term effect does sky rocketing land prices have on future generations of poor Panamanians who had a hard time affording property before the boom? What is going to happen when more and more wealthy gringos move in? What happens to the natives when the force of the American real estate market is transposed upon Bocas, a market they can never afford to be a part of?

True, Malcolm gave some bags of cement to a local school, ensured that jailed Panamanian women have soap while incarcerated, bought the mayor an air conditioner, financed a 10' X 10' garden for the growing of medicinal plants to cure snake bites, and furthered the long standing tradition of boosting employment via low wages (enough to get by, not enough to move to a higher class).

But is that charity fair compensation for the loss of their country, the loss of the ability of future generations of natives to own their own land?

It would be interesting if a neutral economist would conduct a study examining the long term economic effects on average natives when wealthy people like Mr. Malcolm, albeit a kinder gentler landowner, invade their domain.

All that aside, the book is a good read, recommended.

The Cloud Garden: A True Story of Adventure, Survival, and Extreme Horticulture

Average customer rating:

True Adventure Fun Read
Not Where I Want to Go
can't put it down
Interesting story of survival lacks suspense
Guns and orchids

The Cloud Garden: A True Story of Adventure, Survival, and Extreme Horticulture
Tom Hart Dyke , and Paul Winder
Manufacturer: The Lyons Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Scientists | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1592284302

Book Description

Kidnapped by terrorists, held hostage at gunpoint, two flower-hunting Britons live to tell their amazing tale.

Customer Reviews:

True Adventure Fun Read.......2005-06-22

The Cloud Garden came to my attention through a review in Outside Magazine. True adventure books make for an excellent break from novels and heavier literary works. This one is a perfect example. The story is gripping, the characters are likeable, and the book is hard to put down. The bad guys are painted honestly and roundly as real people. No one is all good nor all bad. This is a story about survival, wits, humanity and the romantic ideals of adventure of which so many of us dream. Find your synopsis elsewhere.

Not Where I Want to Go.......2005-01-16

The discoveries made by eccentric British naturalists down through the years have literally turned the scientific community on its ears. But not all exploring trips have yielded spectacular results. In 2000, a young botanist set off to Central America in search of rare and beautiful species of orchids. He met up with another young explorer in northern Mexico. Where else to go but the Darien Gap, the only place where the Pan-American Highway isn't finished.

Traveling through the Gap, collecting along the way, they were just hours away from the Colombian border when they were ambushed by FARC guerillas who were to hold them hostage for the next nine months. From then on, their survival was a matter of extraordinary endurance, incredible ingenuity and not just a bit of luck.

The book written by this pair is a combination of travelogue, adventure store, and surprisingly not without a bit of humor.

can't put it down.......2005-01-07

I am half way through and I love it, well written, fun, exciting.

Interesting story of survival lacks suspense.......2004-10-05

The book's topic caught my interest as did a good magazine review. (The copy we purchased from Amazon.com was without pages 118 to 179 so check before you begin to read. Amazon.com was great and sent us a replacement volume which also was missing the same pages. We finally found a bookstore that exchanged it for a correct version.) The story here is about two young men who choose to hike into the guerrilla held The Darien Gap between Panama and Columbia. The gap where there is no longer any Pan-American Highway. At the end of their telling (I'm not giving anything away, after all the authors wrote the book so you know they survived) the authors make the comment that the British press caught on to the story because of Tom Hart Dykes love of flowers. It was the "hook" all newspapers look for in such stories, and that is also the hook they use in telling their story. But your not going to learn much about Orchids from this story is told in parallel first person narrative which centers on their immature decision to tempt fate and danger and then tests their ability to survive. In a strange way the book reminded me of Jon Krakauer's excellent "Into the Wild" about a youth who graduates from College and ends up alone, dead in the wilds of Alaska. Both books share that same desire to decipher why some young males make such choices. Overall I would recommend the book as an interesting first person adventure, but it is strangely lacking suspense and I really was let down that we really learn nothing about the band of guerillas who hold them captive. I certainly missed that insight which is so strong in the novel "Bel Canto".

Guns and orchids.......2004-09-23

On maps, the Darién Gap doesn't look like a hotbed of armed guerillas. But you have to ask yourself why the Pan-American Highway, which runs otherwise unbroken from Alaska to the bottom of South America, takes its one and only break between Central and South America-at the Darién Gap. The gap's jungles have been effectively off-limits even to the hardiest backpackers for the past 10 years. Guidebooks and Central American officials alike have just two words for it: "Don't go."

So why would Tom Hart Dyke and Paul Winder, two well-brought up British lads, disobey so many direct orders and venture into the Darién Gap with nothing but the clothes on their backs and a couple of packs? In their "true story of adventure, survival, and extreme horticulture," The Cloud Garden, Dyke and Winder explain themselves. Dyke's passion is orchids. For him, the untrammeled jungles and wetlands of the Darién Gap represent a botanist's dream-an opportunity to see rare flowers undocumented by any other scientists. Winder, an escapee from a boring bank job, is in search of the ultimate adrenaline rush. The fact that almost no one dares traverse the gap makes it an irresistible challenge. Both adventurers get what they are looking for-and a lot more than the original bargain.

Just as Winder and Dyke are about to cross into the relative safety of Columbia, they are kidnapped by a band of FARC guerillas. What follows is a harrowing tale of torture and a fight for survival. The young men know enough Spanish to hear the kidnappers talking matter-of-factly about murdering them on an almost daily basis. For months, Winder and Dyke are marched from one makeshift camp to another-deprived of clean water, threatened and humiliated.

Cloud Garden is not, in the end, a travel documentary or an orchid study. Nor do Winder and Dyke take any position on South American politics. Their tale is one of two men figuring out how to make it out of the jungle alive. What makes the book interesting reading is the sense of humor the writers bring to even the most sordid aspects of their capture. While making an outward show of cooperation, Winder and Dyke assign belittling nicknames to their captors, like "Tank Bird," "Space Cadet," "Nutter," and "Lost Cause." When asked for English lessons, they teach their kidnappers obscenities. When the opportunity presents itself, the captive Brits even pee into their tormentors' drinking water. By maintaining an invisible, inner resistance to their capture, the two men keep their high spirits intact, even in the face of constant death threats.

But Dyke and Winder emerge, in the end, as more than just adolescent pranksters; they are also incredibly brave. Their kidnappers form the wild notion to ask for $3 million dollars in ransom. Dyke's family could, technically, raise that amount of money and more-by selling Lullingstone Castle in Kent, their ancestral home. When ordered to write home, demanding millions for his return, Dyke writes: "Dear Mum and Dad. Our kidnappers are all idiots. They are a bunch of gits. Give them absolutely nothing. We are well. Don't worry about me."

Readers will find themselves turning pages and delaying dinner while Winder and Dyke slowly blossom into the heroes of their own misguided adventure.

Adventures in Nature: Panama (Adventures in Nature Series)

Average customer rating:

Terrific guide, with a personal touch
Be warned
A good supplemental guide
Highly recommended
Adventures in Nature Pamana

Adventures in Nature: Panama (Adventures in Nature Series)
William Friar
Manufacturer: Avalon Travel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Conservation | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1566912407

Book Description

Adventures in Nature: Panama highlights only the most interesting places and activities for adventure travelers. Author William Friar gives you vivid scenic descriptions-from the cool highlands to the lowland tropical forest-along with tips on getting around and a wide variety of accommodation options. You'll also find details on the country's conservation efforts and environmental challenges, with advice on how you can support local communities without damaging the environment.

Customer Reviews:

Terrific guide, with a personal touch.......2004-05-04

I just finished reading this book, and want to offer the author my thanks and compliments. I'm planning to move to Panama someday, and his book helped cement my plans. Friar does a lucid and loving job in describing the country, but for me the most important undercurrent in the book is his obvious love and respect for the people who live there. Friar doesn't just tell you about Panama's hotels and restaurants and tours; he introduces you to the people who run them.

Be warned.......2004-04-17

Although this book does contain some useful information there is a very definite bias. The visa information relates only to US citizens, there are other countries in the world, and the information on the canal is very definitely the view of a zonian. Areas which to me are very definitely in the city are described as being in the canal area.
I do not have a problem with a museum in a Spanish speaking country giving the information in Spanish and resent the patronising comments he makes about the fact not everyone speaks English.

A good supplemental guide.......2004-01-24

This book provides good, in depth information about natural destinations in Panama. It gives more detailed descriptions of each place then a guide like Lonely Planet. However, the restaurant, hotel, and transportaion information is too limited for this to be the only guide book you take. I took this book and the Lonely Planet guide on my trip to Panama, and it worked out well.

Highly recommended.......2002-04-24

Excellent book. You don't really need to be an adventurer to get a lot of use from this book, just be interested in the outdoors.

We visited Isle Grande (crowded only on weekends), Boca Brava, San Blas, and the Volcan Baru region and found the book to be quite accurate and reliable. The San Blas islands were our favorite, but we enjoyed all places. No one got sick. All had a great time.

We did not use the book for either hotel or restaurant recommendations so I can't rate it there.

Adventures in Nature Pamana.......2002-03-21

Do not, repeat, do not go to Panama without this book. There is little of interest spared from this book. Mr Friar obviously has traveled the paths about which he writes, from the trails in the western highlands of Chrirqui to the bustling streets of Panama City. If he makes a comment such as 'your call', believe me be cautious. We just returned from a 10 day trip that included hiking some of the highland trails. We negotiated roads that should not be driven, and competed for space in streets barely wide enough for our rental van in San Felipe. We hiked trails that require athletic skill and wrestled our way through the market at Sal Si Puede.

The directions are impeccable, and food recommendations are excellent plus still quite current. If he does not write about something it is likely of little interest or non existent. Example: when we lived there from 1994-97, there was a nice artesan market at Stevens Circle at the foot of the canal commission headquarters. We wrongly thought Mr Friar missed it, however,it was not mentioned because it no longer exists. We found it has moved to just up the street from the YMCA on the way to the Bridge of the Americas.

Even as former residents, this book was a truly valuable guide to travel in this quite interesting little country.

Book Description

This dazzling volume enables art lovers everywhere to savor the delights of one of the world's finest private collections of modern art. Long known to experts and scholars, the Werner and Gabrielle Merzbacher Collection is unique in that the owners have only been willing to collect an artist's very best works-true masterpieces. Displayed here, in vibrant full color, are outstanding works by Cézanne, van Gogh, Picasso, Derain, Matisse, Braque, Nolde, Kirchner, Kandinsky, Klee, Léger, Chagall, and Calder, among many others. The earliest works are by Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, but the collection focuses primarily on the Fauves and the German Expressionists.

Published to accompany an exhibition at London's Royal Academy of Arts, this book will appeal to all who love modern art and color.

Customer Reviews:

Generally Informative but Lacking Specific Detail.......2000-04-01

The book tells a good deal of general information such as care, housing, substrate, feeding, handling, and conservation. However, it doesn't talk about breeding and has little information on spiderling care. There are descriptions of 20 species of tarantulas. While they do help you decide which tarantula to choose and its basic description, it lacks details on taking care of some specific species (i.e., temperature). It gives a nice background on the evolution of spiders and tarantula anatomy. I especially like the author's style of writing, which is casual and comfortable, never boring. The book has good notes on spider behavior and psychology. The pictures are nice, but nothing extraordinary. I like how the book gave recommended books and internet resources as well as breeders. The book is overall useful and a good guide for novices, however experienced hobbyists may find it lacking when they want to know the details of a certain species of tarantula. I recommend it for beginners, but experienced owners will probably know most of the information in the book and should find a book with more detail in it.

Customer Reviews:

Everything you wanted to know about CANADIAN CLOCKS.......2000-01-30

Jane Varkaris undoutedky is THE worlds leading expert on the rather specialised subject of CLOCKS made in Canada. Her book fills a huge void in most horological libraries, there simply was nothing published on the subject.

The book offers the only comprehensive history existing of the Pequegnat clock manufacturing company.

A MUST for the collector of CANADIAN CLOCKS.

Reviewed by Fortunat Mueller-MAerki, Publisher of HOROLOGY-THE INDEX

Book Description

Indispensable resource of more than 600 royalty-free illustrations for artists, desktop publishers, nature enthusiasts, and craftworkers provides accurate, attractive depictions of wildflowers, trees, herbs, cacti, tropical blooms, garden flowers, common weeds, house plants, mushrooms, medicinal plants, and much more. Each illustration is identified and an index makes it easy to find specific plants.

Book Description

Practical decoration for the outdoor room--beautiful inspirational effects to transform your terrace and garden.

Design and Decorate: Living Rooms (Design and Decorate)

Average customer rating:

Design and Decorate: Living Rooms (Design and Decorate)
Lesley Taylor , and Jill Blake
Manufacturer: Adams Media Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Decorative Arts | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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101 Living Rooms: Stylish Room Solutions (101 Rooms)

ASIN: 1558508406

Book Description

Lavish photography and excellent decorating advice point the way to an exciting new living room, no matter whether you live in a small studio, a large loft, or a sizable home. With this book’s focus on fabrics, floors, focal points, and lighting, it’s easy to fashion a flawless space. Set up cozy corners; make an impact with soft furnishings; add tantalizing textures; install dividers; arrange furniture to establish individualized areas. There’s something for every taste.

House Beautiful Design & Decorate: Living & Dining Rooms: Creating Beautiful Rooms from Start to Finish (House Beautiful Design & Decorate)

Average customer rating:

House Beautiful Design & Decorate: Living & Dining Rooms: Creating Beautiful Rooms from Start to Finish (House Beautiful Design & Decorate)
Tessa Evelegh
Manufacturer: Hearst
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1588166511

Book Description

They’re the rooms where you relax, where family and friends gather, where most of home life gets lived: the living and dining rooms. Who better than the experts at House Beautiful to show how to make these spaces attractive, inviting, and fresh? Divided into two sections, this stunning guide features hundreds of lavish, inspirational images, enhanced with checklists and explanatory sidebars. “Design” covers everything from planning to selecting the permanent elements of the interior: this is the time for thinking and research, for making crucial long-term decisions about the layout, lighting and electricity, flooring, storage space, and furniture. “Decorate” is devoted to the look, focusing on color, wall finishes, window treatments, and those small but important touches that make a house a beautiful home.

Book Description

Since 1917, the Radio Flyer "little red wagon" has been a fixture in the yards, driveways, and hearts of America-and during those 80-plus years, three generations of Americans have turned their wagons into covered wagons, rocket ships, and racecars. In celebration of its 80th anniversary, the Radio Flyer company sponsored a contest called "Radio Flyer Memories," which invited people to share stories, anecdotes, and photos of their own Radio Flyer wagons. The results are collected in this nostalgic and heartwarming look at the history of the "little red wagon" and its unique place in 20th century history. My Little Red Wagon features the winning stories, photos, and precious memories from kids (and former kids) across the country. It also features a history of the Radio Flyer company and looks at the many unique wagons it has produced, including:* The 1920's "Lindy" Flyer, named in honor of Charles Lindbergh's flight across the Atlantic.* The 1930's "Streak-O-Light," modeled after the streamlined Zephyr locomotive, which featured control dials and working headlights.* The 1950's "Radio Rancher Convertible" and the 1970's muscle-car-inspired "Fireball 2000."

Customer Reviews:

A wagon full of memories.......2000-02-09

This is a sweet book - no other word for it - that is bound to be a conversation-starter. What a great gift book! The illustrations are wonderful, and it is full of warm and wonderful recollections. Too bad it didn't tell about the Pasins' giant red American Flyer wagon - two stories high - that appears at Navy Pier in Chicago each September as a part of the Great American Wagon Pull, a child abuse prevention fun walk on behalf of Parents Care & Share of Illinois.

If ever you had a little red wagon..........2000-02-03

My Little Red Wagon celebrates the eightieth anniversary of the Radio Flyer Company, makers of the little red 'radio flyer' wagon which has attracted and entertained children for decades. Here owners of the wagons share stories and photos of their wagons, providing a lively survey of Radio Flyer experiences and lore.

Book Description

Throughout the twentieth century, Chinese writers have confronted the problem of creating a new literary tradition that both maintains the culturally unique aspects of a rich heritage and succeeds in promoting a new modernity. In the first book-length treatment of the topic, Wendy Larson examines the contradictory forms of authority at work in the autobiographical texts of modern Chinese writers and scholars and the way these conflicts helped to shape and determine the manner in which writers viewed themselves, their texts, and their work.
Larson focuses on the most famous writers associated with the May Fourth Movement, a group most active in the 1920s and 1930s, and their fundamental ambivalence about writing. She analyzes how their writing paradoxically characterized textual labor as passive, negative, and inferior to material labor and the more physical political work of social progress, and she describes the ways they used textual means to devalue literary labor.
The impact of China’s increasing contact with the West—particularly the ways in which Western notions of “individualism” and “democracy” influenced Chinese ideologies of self and work—is considered. Larson also studies the changes in China’s social structure, notably those linked to the abolition in 1905 of the educational exam system, which subsequently broke the link between the mastery of certain texts and the attainment of political power, further denigrating the cultural role of the writer.

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