Some wild flowers of Kenya (Highway nature guides)

Book Description

Fifty-eight real stories from young travelers abroad offer the budget, independent, and youth traveler vivid first-person accounts of the countries and experiences of backpackers, students, and sojourners. Offering more than just traveling facts, this guide actually invites readers to see, taste, and experience European adventures-from sneaking into Rome's Coliseum to running with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. These backpackers relate experiences that people with suitcases and reservations wouldn't necessarily experience, including sleeping in streets and hostels, 24 hours of clubbing on the Spanish island of Ibiza, and train-travel debacles. The stories offer dozens of glimpses of the most worthwhile destinations in 11 of Europe's most well-traveled countries, not to mention lesser-known lands revealed in the "Off the Beaten Path" section. This collection of youthful adventures will keep aspiring travelers laughing, wondering, and walking with the storytellers who take them inside Europe's must-see places. Countries explored include Amsterdam, Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom

Customer Reviews:

WONDERFUL.......2006-11-29

This is a great book to hold you over from one European trip to the next. Quite entertaining and funny. A good "easy read".

Great essay collection.......2006-05-30

Europe from a Backpack is just plain good travel writing. It is pure nostalgia and is sure to inspire fond memories in anyone who has traveled the country. On the other hand, it can serve as an inspiration to armchair travelers, or an underground guide to places off the beaten track. If nothing else, this collection should inspire any traveler to record their memories in a journal. At the very least, take away the lesson that a few unforgettable travel anecdotes are far superior to a collection of a hundred of photo slides to torture your friends and family with.

The collection is divided into twelve chapters by region--Spain, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and so on. Stories focus on the hazards of a pilgrimage, on fleeting friendships formed in small cafes, on opulent stays with exchange families, and most of all, on the rare chance to fully experience local culture.

Read this with a notepad in hand, because you will not only want to jot down the must-see sights and experiences, but the advice imparted by the book. Reading stories of travelers' sticky situations will provide the reader wisdom that comes only from hindsight.

Missed the mark.......2006-03-21

I bought this book recently because I miss traveling and will not be able to head back over to Europe for a few months. I figured, if I can't go myself, I might as well live vicariously through someone else's travels. Unfortunately I opted out of re-reading Under the Tuscan Sun and sacrificed good writing for tales of American teenagers romping around Europe. I enjoyed about every other essay in this book, mainly because half of them were written by responsible, respectable Americans who had genuinely interesting stories to tell. The other half were tales of Americans criticizing foreign cultures, staying up all night drinking and partying, and being deceitful when faced with law enforcement. I wanted to read about people's experiences with European cultures and how they transformed their lives, not their spring break partying. I can forgive the poor writing, but to be honest, some of the content of this book upset me - do young Americans really behave this way? No wonder we have such a reputation.

Good reading prep for trip!.......2005-09-15

Great stories, and helped me to grasp a perspective from travelers experiencing culture shock, or other first experiences that exist in travel.

First in a New Travel Series.......2004-05-14

Europe From a Backpack is the first in a series of backpacking anthologies that editor Mark Pearson is planning. The essays in this volume are written mostly by young backpackers who are not professional writers. The lack of polish is somewhat compensated for by the enthusiasm that shines through, though not entirely.

Europe From a Backpack is a bit like the Travelers' Tales books, except that all the writers in the Backpack series are (so far) unknown. A few of the writers rise to the top of this collection, notably Lisa Cordeiro and Mike Riley. Cordeiro's two essays about living in Europe after a hitch in the Marines left me wanting to know more about her adventures. She writes as if telling a story, not just relating her experiences. Riley's essay is a funny, punchy story of how he found himself in desperate need of a restroom, then of new underwear in a small town in Portugal.

Pearson has a website to promote his "From a Backpack" books and to solicit essays. There are instructions for submitting stories, but no mention of payment if your essay is included in one of his anthologies. While most of the authors in Europe From a Backpack might be satisfied by the thrill of seeing their writing in print, I certainly hope Cordeiro and Riley, at least, were paid for their stories.

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Europe From A Backpack - Real Stories From Young Travelers Abroad
Mark; Westerman, Martin Pearson
Manufacturer: Pearson Venture Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NP6DYO

Book Description

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 20th British National Conference on Databases, BNCOD 20, held in Coventry, UK, in July 2003.

The 20 revised full papers presented together with abstracts of 2 invited talks were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on XML and semi-structured data; performance in searching and mining; transformation, integration, and extension; events and transactions; and personalization and the Web.

Bristish Patchwork & Quilting (British Patchwork & Quilting, May 2003)

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Bristish Patchwork & Quilting (British Patchwork & Quilting, May 2003)

ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000BMAHUA

Product Description

Colourful projects to celebrate the spring! Learn how to piece traditional fans in our front cover quilt "unfolding Beauty". Dye some fabric-make a quilt.

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The Apartment Farmer- The Hassle-free Way To Grow Vegetable

The Apartment Farmer
Duane Newcomb
Manufacturer: Tarcher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0874770475

Customer Reviews:

The Apartment Farmer- The Hassle-free Way To Grow Vegetable.......2001-03-25

This book is an enjoyable, easy read. There are a lot of unique ideas to try for growing vegetables in your home. I tried several of the ideas put forth. Some worked real good, but others I had to modify slightly to make them work in my situation. I recommend that novices read some other books along with this one or get guidance from an experienced gardner. Some of the results seem a little exaggerated, but overall it will provoke some thought and may get those imaginative juices flowing.

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Apartment Farmer
Cuane Newcomb
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0380009757

Product Description

The Law of Commoners and Kings is an engaging and entertaining account of some of the cases presided over in the former South African homeland, Transkei. The Magistrate has a deep insight into the grey areas of South African law brought about by the differences in African and Western conceptions of law.

The Law of Commoners and Kings: Narratives of Rural Transkei Magistrate

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The Law of Commoners and Kings: Narratives of Rural Transkei Magistrate
Dial Ndima
Manufacturer: University of South Africa Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NDD948

Book Description

Every year millions of people flock to New York City, drawn to its unparalleled theaters, museums, restaurants, and sights. While much has been written about these topics, one of the city's greatest attractions has gone largely unheralded: its characters. Among the masses, there are some that stand out from the crowd, a special group of New Yorkers that gives this city its flavor and makes it such a vibrant, exciting, and unique place. New York Characters is a tribute to these people. Celebrated in both pictures and words, Gillian Zoe Segal's subjects include neighborhood fixtures, prominent celebrities, famous personalities, and the truly eccentric. Among the extraordinary New Yorkers you'll meet are Guardian Angel founder Curtis Sliwa; Ken Krisses, the president of the Coney Island Polar Bear Club; the "real" Kramer, on whom the Seinfeld character is based; sports fanatics Dancin' Larry and Fireman Ed; restauranteurs Elaine Kaufman and Sylvia Woods; Dr. Jonathan Zizmor, the "subway" dermatologist; and Jimmy Breslin, the legendary newspaperman. Segal has photographed sixty-six such characters in his or her own distinctive environment. Accompanying the striking portraits are colorful profiles of each individual. The foreword by George Plimpton, a "New York character" himself, is a tribute to Segal's extraordinary work and her fascinating collection of New Yorkers. 66 b/w photographs.

Customer Reviews:

New York Characters.......2002-02-01

If you are a New Yorker, a former New Yorker, or someone new to the City, you should own this book. The photography is both penetrating and compelling, and the characters featured are truly fascinating. It's like the Zagat of New York people. I hope the author comes to Los Angeles to do a book on characters here (there are plenty)!

Fun game with this book........2001-12-15

I got a copy of this book and the other night three friends and I made a bet as to who had seen the most "characters" in real life. Sad to say I was not the winner but did pretty well with 24 and came in second. Anyway, it's a great book and a kick to get the real stories behind some of the interesting people we see around town. Highly recommended.

For New Yorkers and Non New Yorkers Alike.......2001-12-03

If you admire great photography and exquisite prose and feel the slightest attachment (or wish you did) to New York, then Gillian Segal's book is for you. I moved from New York a little over ten years ago and was determined to keep in touch with the city I love. However, it was only a matter of time before I lost touch with what really made New York special: the people's unique personalities. Gillian's book has allowed me to reestablish contact with the city that I still like to call home. Now, when my colleagues in Providence ask me what to do in New York, I no longer provide them with a mundane and outdated list of restaurants and sites. Instead, I refer them to Mrs. Segal's book. I inform them that in its pages is where they can find the real New York. Everything from great food, The Egg Cake Lady, to a wonderful opera on 57th street, performed by Opera Man, to a great jogging partner, the Mayor of the Reservoir (he is featured on the cover) can be found in "New York Characters".

New York Characters- A Must Buy!.......2001-12-01

Gillian Zoe Segal's book, New York Characters, is outstanding- the best photography book I've ever seen/read! The photographs featuring prominent New Yorkers are incredible. Each one captures the true essence of the "character" and truly comes to life on the page. The characters are all photographed in their natural environment, and as Segal points out and demonstrates in her book it is New York's characters that make "it the greatest city in the world". In addition to her photographic genius, Segal writes beautifully. The vignettes's about the characters are intersting, informative, humorous, and touching. No coffee table should be without a copy of New York Characters. It makes the perfect holiday gift for New Yorkers as well as out-of-towners because everyone loves or has an interest in New York, right? Furthermore, all of the proceeds of the book sales are going to the September 11th fund. So what could be more gratifying than supporting the city's recovery effort by buying this wonderful book for yourself, for your friends, for your family...? I feel confident in saying that anyone who picks up New York Characters will enjoy it immensely. What will Segal do next? I can't wait....

New York Characters- A Must Buy!.......2001-12-01

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George Segal: Bronze
Joan Pachner , and George Segal
Manufacturer: Mitchell-Innes & Nash
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Sculpture | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Artists, A-Z | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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George Segal (Modern Masters Series, Vol. 5)

ASIN: 0971384487
Release Date: 2004-02-02

Book Description

In the late 1960s, George Segal began "double-casting" his work -- taking a second cast from inside the mold of the original cast. This process brought finer detail to the surface and was part of his evolution to a more naturalizing image. When, in the 1980s, he began making bronze work for outdoor installation, he continued this double-casting technique and all his bronzes were made from finished plasters. As Carroll Janis writes in the introduction, "Segal's plaster sculpture presents an existential situation; the surrogate figure, more fagile and removed from reality when set next to the real object. The bronzes appear to reverse this idea by asserting the strength and permanence of the human figure within the surrounding environment."

Transcendence With the Human Body in Art: George Segal, Stephen De Staebler, Jasper Johns, and Christo

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Transcendence With the Human Body in Art: George Segal, Stephen De Staebler, Jasper Johns, and Christo
Doug Adams
Manufacturer: Crossroad Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Religious | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0824511042

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Wonderful book.
fun
Cute kids book... Prefer no abridging
A Separate Peace
The definitive edition

The Reluctant Dragon
Robert D. San Souci
Manufacturer: Orchard
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0439455812

Book Description

When Jack's father discovers a fire-breathing dragon living close to home, Jack tells everyone not to worry -- he has read a lot about dragons. The next day, Jack meets him and learns that he is poet who would rather write than fight knights and breathe fire. Soon Jack and the dragon are sharing poetry and singing songs, but Jack can't keep him a secret for long. One day, Saint George rides into town to slay the beast, but the dragon refuses to take part in something so uncivilized. So with the help of Jack, they agree to stage a mock battle which turns out to be a hit.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful book........2007-02-11

Fanciful and charming. I enjoyed reading it to my nephew and he loved it too. The artwork is lovely also. I'm looking forward to reading it again, with or without my nephew.

fun.......2006-07-06

this is a great kids book. and even i love anything that rhymes. thank you so much.

Cute kids book... Prefer no abridging.......2005-09-07

I bought this book for my future child (due Feb 2006) as part of my growing library. I read it through and thought it was cute, if a bit antiquated (what do you expect for a book that was written over 100 years ago?) Basically, a young boy befriends a dragon. When the townsfolk realize the dragon exists, they call upon a champion to vanquish him, blaming the dragon for crimes that he didn't commit. The boy talks to the champion about his friend and they all agree to stage a fight, rather than fight to the death. Once the play fight is over (the champion only gives the dragon a small flesh wound), it is agreed by all that the dragon will not harm anyone and the townsfolk will stop telling lies about the dragon. Nice moral story.

My only problem with the book is that it has been "sensitively abridged". I'm not sure what that means for "The Reluctant Dragon", but my "sensitively abridged" copy of "The Wind in the Willows" (also by Kenneth Graham) edits out silly things like "splashes of whitewash all over his black fur". If the book has to be so politically correct that it can't even refer to the color of an animal's fur, I'm not sure that I really want to associate with the edition. I'd be curious to compare this edition of "The Reluctant Dragon" with the original text now.

A Separate Peace.......2005-04-28

The original "St. George and the Dragon" story is a frightening tale. Depending on which version you read, the townspeople give the scaly, stinking, vicious, dragon tribute of two sheep per day, and, when they invariably run out of sheep, they begin feeding it their own children. The King is obviously horrified, but what can he do? However, when the lottery selects his own daughter, who should appear but Sir George, (later the patron Saint of England) just in time for the king, if not for the subjects. The daughter worries for his safety, but the knight spears the dragon in its one vulnerable spot, then in a gallant display, borrows the daughter's girdle to drag the wounded dragon down to the town. For his own tribute, George asks only that the citizens become baptized; after this, he cuts off the dragon's head. Not a good ending for the dragon, but then, he wasn't a very nice dragon.

Like others before him, Kenneth Grahame modified this bloody tale for the consumption of the very young, and turned it completely on its head. This dragon would rather sleep than slay, purr than prey, and his true nature is discovered by a tow-headed young boy who gradually becomes friends with the pacifist, poetry-loving beast ("why I wouldn't hurt a fly."). Lay low, he advises him. Naturally, though, St. George arrives, and everyone acts as expected--except for the dragon. He simply refuses to attend his own demise:

"Well, tell him [St. George] to go away," said the dragon. "I'm sure he's not nice. Say he can write if he likes. But I won't see him." The boy, however, understands the underlying social pressures (which echo those of the British class system during Grahame's time) and replies: "But you've got to," said the boy. "You've got to fight him, you know, because he's St. George and you're the dragon."

The dragon, the knight, and the young boy, a person with neither power nor social distinction, make a plan. The plan is simple: Fake it. And so, like one of Vince McMahon's TV "wrestling" matches, St. George and the Dragon have it out, with flames and fury, and, as St. George just barely pierces the dragon in a pre-arranged safe spot. The townspeople, who have brought picnics for the presumed slaughter, were satisfied with the spectacle: "And all the others were happy because there had been a fight, and-well, they didn't need any other reason."

The original story, one of several short studies published in Grahame's "Dream Days" (1898, ten years before Grahame's most famous and beloved work, "The Wind in the Willows") may be found at http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=GraDrea.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=7&division=div1. Grahame wrote "The Reluctant Dragon" long at times, and one sees his concerns with religion and nature so evident in the river adventure scene of Wind in the Willows. Inga Moore takes out most of the slower, descriptive narrative (which might be enjoyed by older readers), and focuses instead on the dragon/boy/St. George relationships and the exciting battle. Compare the following excerpts (the first is Grahame's); this is great abridgement except for the inexplicable deletion of the last sentence, a very funny, modernist touch by Graham:

1. Then a cloud of smoke obscured the mouth of the cave, and out of the midst of it the dragon himself, shining, sea-blue, magnificent, pranced splendidly forth; and everybody said, "Oo-oo-oo!" as if he had been a mighty rocket! His scales were glittering, his long spiky tail lashed his sides, his claws tore up the turf and sent it flying high over his back, and smoke and fire incessantly jetted from his angry nostrils. "Oh, well done, dragon!" cried the Boy, excitedly. "Didn't think he had it in him!" he added to himself.
2. Then a cloud of smoke billowed from the mouth of the cave, and out of the midst of it the dragon himself, shining, sea-blue, magnificent, pranced splendidly forth; and everybody said, "Oo-oo-oo!" His scales were glittering, his long spiky tail lashed his sides, his claws tore up the turf and sent it flying high over his back, and smoke and fire jetted from his nostrils. "Oh, well done, dragon!" cried the Boy, excitedly. "Didn't think he had it in him!" he added to himself.

Moore also displays great taste and talent in her beautiful colored pencil and ink drawings. She draws landscapes and houses in a traditional style with meticulous shading and detail, trees show the undertones of illustration from a 1912 publication. The friendly, easygoing dragon is drawn showing an easy confidence and an engaging smile, but he's actor enough to look ferocious when required. He's drawn in one of the most striking shades of blue since the ceramic in the movie "Diva." Overall, Inga Moore honors the original Grahame story while making the story and pictures maximally entertaining for young children. Publisher Candlewick has done it again; this is an extraordinary book.

The definitive edition.......2005-03-11

(The following is a review of "The Reluctant Dragon" by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Ernest Shepard and published by Holiday House. It also appears on reviews for other editions.)

Just as Ernest Shepard's illustrations for "The Wind in the Willows" set the standard, so, too, do his drawings capture the essence of "The Reluctant Dragon."

The tale itself is well known. A dragon emerges from a cave overlooking the Downs at the outskirts of a village and only a spunky shepherd's son is brave enough to befriend the sonnet-composing critter. Over time, the dragon's existence becomes the talk of the town and St. George is called in to dispatch this evil scourge that has wrought so much death and destruction, uh, so much theft and vandalism, er, well, actually, hasn't kidnapped a princess, devoured a horse or even stolen a single chicken, but, blimey, he's a dragon and he jolly well might, you know!

The Boy is caught in the middle with St. George insisting that he must battle the dragon, and the dragon solidly refusing to raise so much as a single claw against anyone, let alone St. George. All three put their heads together and formulate a plan to satisfy the battle-monger villagers while sparing both the life of the dragon and St. George's reputation.

Ernest Shepard's illustrations are masterpieces of understatement featuring nothing but line work to portray the Boy's book-learned confidence, the dragon's sheer size and bulk, and St. George's movie-star pin-up good looks. They are illustrations in the truest sense, tickling the reader's imagination instead of repeating in visual form what the author has already drawn with words in the reader's mind. Particularly humorous is St. George's wide-eyed horse, who appears to be never fully at ease with the dragon.

Newer illustrated editions might be more detailed and in full color, but compared to this one, they appear overblown and overdone, an illustrator's showcase at the expense of the story. Ernest Shepard had the good sense and restraint to let the story tell itself and simply embellish a moment here, a bit of action there. Holiday House honors both creators by avoiding unnecessary alteration or abridgement. The result is a literary and visual picnic.

George Segal (Modern Masters Series, Vol. 5)

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George Segal (Modern Masters Series, Vol. 5)
Phyllis Tuchman
Manufacturer: Abbeville Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Reference | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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George Segal: Bronze

ASIN: 1558592555

Mathematical Problems of Relativistic Physics (Lectures in Applied Mathematics Series, Vol 2)

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Mathematical Problems of Relativistic Physics (Lectures in Applied Mathematics Series, Vol 2)
E. E. Segal , and George Whitelaw Mackey
Manufacturer: Amer Mathematical Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0821811029

George Segal: Sculptures (A Walker Art Center Exhibition)

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George Segal: Sculptures (A Walker Art Center Exhibition)
George Segal , Martin Friedman , and Graham W. J. Beal
Manufacturer: Walker Art Center
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Sculpture | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006CZ3QI

The Autocad 3d Book (The Autocad Reference Library)

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The Autocad 3d Book (The Autocad Reference Library)
George O. Head , Charles A. Pietra , and Kenneth J. L. Segal
Manufacturer: Ventana Communications Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

CAD | Graphic Design | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Software | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

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General & Reference | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0940087677

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Blue Jean Series 1975 (George Segal)
George Segal
Manufacturer: Fotolito Eliseo Roma
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000LL8HLC

Doctors/Gracie/The Giant's Shadow/The Toothache Tree (Reader's Digest Condensed Books, Volume M: 1989)

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Doctors/Gracie/The Giant's Shadow/The Toothache Tree (Reader's Digest Condensed Books, Volume M: 1989)
Erich Segal , George Burns , Thomas Bontly , and Jack Galloway
Manufacturer: Reader's Digest Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JC225U

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