A Field Guide to the Ferns and Their Related Families of Northeastern and Central North America With a Section on Species Also Found in the British I (Peterson Field Guides)

A Field Guide to the Ferns and Their Related Families of Northeastern and Central North America With a Section on Species Also Found in the British I (Peterson Field Guides)
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A Field Guide to the Ferns and Their Related Families of Northeastern and Central North America With a Section on Species Also Found in the British I (Peterson Field Guides)
Boughton Cobb
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin (T)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Plants | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
General | Botany | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0395075602

Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door 2003: The Travel Skills Handbook for Independent Travelers (Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door)
Average customer rating:

The bible for those traveling in Europe

Loved it!

Think of it as an instruction manual

Great advice from someone who knows what he's talking about

Great travel advice

Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door 2003: The Travel Skills Handbook for Independent Travelers (Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door)
Rick Steves
Manufacturer: Avalon Travel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | Travel | Subjects | Books
Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books
Tourist Destinations & Museums | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books
General | Rick Steves | Guidebook Series | Travel | Subjects | Books
General | Travel | Subjects | Books
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Rick Steves' French, Italian, and German Phrase Book and Dictionary

Europe on a Shoestring (Lonely Planet Shoestring Guides)

ASIN: 1566914655

Book Description

Rick Steves doesn't just list where to travel in Europe, he leads travelers through the "Back Door," and reveals how to give every journey an extra, more authentic dimension. He shows travelers how to delve into European culture, make friends with the locals, and experience each region's natural wonders -- economically and hassle free. Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door 2003 includes itinerary planning, what form of transportation is best for you, sleeping and eating cheap, packing light, doing laundry, how to avoid theft and rip-offs, travel photography, communicating in a language you don't understand, using the phones for local and long-distance calls, keeping healthy while traveling, and advice for women traveling alone. Rick also provides information on his 40 Back Doors, so you can put everything you've learned into action! "It's Rick Steves again, that one-man Euro-dynamo." -- Chicago Tribune

Customer Reviews:

The bible for those traveling in Europe.......2004-12-12

I love this book. What else it there to say. I refer to this book ALL THE TIME. I was living in the UK and planned a few trips to the continent, and this book was invaluable. From desitnation suggestions, to places to stay, as well as advice, and little secret tidbits. I love it. Anyone traveling to Europe needs to buy a copy of this book!

Loved it!.......2004-04-24

I bought this book in preparation for my first trip to Europe last summer. Two of us were going to be traveling around Europe for approximately three weeks.

We're students so we were clearly on a budget but not incredibly limited.

This book was a God send! I used it to structure my budget, itinerary, everything. While I can't discount the help of online resources (particularly http://www.guideforeurope.com) I couldn't have planned the trip without this book.

I recommend this book to people planning a first trip to Europe or a first independent trip to Europe. Now as a caveat I think you should use parts of this book but not treat it like a Bible. It's a starting point and then the rest of up to you - but as a starting point it is fantastic!

In addition to this book I highly recommend Rick Steves Best of Europe book. His entire series is just fantastic -- if you use these books your trip will turn out incredible and you'll be a pro at planning!

Think of it as an instruction manual.......2003-09-10

I have used Rick Steves' books for over 6 years in varying capacities, and if you read them with the idea in mind that he is first and foremost a teacher, you can get more out of these books. They are definitely helpful to those who find travel abroad intimidating at first, and after giving it a go, will follow his travel pedagogy and break out on their own path, looking for their own back doors. While he does 'reveal' some well-known (to Europeans) 'back doors', they are places that do offer a different aspect of Europe than the popular destinations.

Great advice from someone who knows what he's talking about.......2003-07-28

I must admit, Rick Steves knows what he's talking about when it comes to travelling through Europe. I backpacked through four countries in Western Europe this summer and I followed much of the advice contained within this book in my preparation and travels. I encountered no problems in my travels, but it still felt good to be better prepared than not. As far as the back door adventures . . . well I didn't get to any of them. I stayed in the large cities and the "touristy" spots of Europe, but the information and advice within this book is beneficial to anyone, regardless of where they're going. The only thing I didn't do that Steves recommended is to leave the book in the hostel for the next traveler. I'm going to keep this book and use it the next time I prepare to fly off to Europe for awhile.

Great travel advice.......2003-06-24

Rick Steves is a total nut job wacko (I met him once in one of his recommended hotels in Paris!), but this is hands down the greatest travel advise I can possibly imagine. The Rick Steves style of travel is not for everyone (my mother-in-law for example) but by using the advise in this book, most people should have a fabulous European vacation.

This book is filled with great advise to successfully plan and enjoy a trip to Europe without the fuss of an organized bus tour. Meet locals, enjoy great food, and stay at charming little hotels on a suprisingly inexpensive budget.

This is a must read for anyone who is even thinking about traveling overseas independently. Going to Europe independently (either solo, as a couple, or small group) is by far the best way to see Europe in all its pretentious, snobbish, dirty, crowded, smokey, rude, elitist, and hyprocritical, yet beautiful, fun, friendly, historic, great-tasting, exciting, and romantic charm.

**NOTE** This not a travel guide with suggested hotels, restaurants, etc. but rather a travel skills handbooks; how to find a hotel room, make your way around a European train station, or order a meal at a "No English spoken" restaurant. His series of guide books dedicated to individual countries are also worth checking out has yet to steer us wrong on three trips around Europe.

Book Description

An explosive chronicle of historyÂ's greatest sea battle

In the tradition of Antony BeevorÂ's Stalingrad, NelsonÂ's Trafalgar presents the definitive blow-by-blow account of the worldÂ's most famous naval battle, when the British Royal Navy under Lord Horatio Nelson dealt a decisive blow to the forces of Napoleon. The Battle of Trafalgar comes boldly to life in this definitive work that re-creates those five momentous, earsplitting hours with unrivaled detail and intensity.

Customer Reviews:

Well Written and Readable Account of the Last Great Battle of Wooden Ships .......2007-08-18

Adkins provides a highly readable account of the Battle at Trafalgar where Napoleon's fleet with his Spanish allies are virtually crippled by highly effective British crews that are the actual turning point in the last great battle of wooden ships. The book is particularly welcome to those unfamilar with nautical terms as Adkins slides in definitions and illustrations that help a landlubber know the difference between starboard or port and for everyone he describes the life of a crew member from grog to the unique ways they treated their clothing and sails. The book is full of brief but effective biographies obviously with Nelson receiving the full treatment. In additionm there are descriptions of the various crew titles and responsibilities that provide a full appreciation for how an early 19th century ship was run. Also contrasted with the British fleet is the difficult relationship between the Spanish and French that may have contributed to a somewhat fractured command. The battle details are written with first hand accounts with mapping showing the intricate locations of ships durig the development of the battle. It is quite amazing that the ship positions could be reproduced with such relative accuracy. The less appreciative may grow weary of the lengthy detail of the battle but anyone who appreciates naval history will be impressed with these almost individual accounts of the ship battles as ships virtually fight in clusters or as individuals as Nelson's plan is to go right at them. Also fascinating is Napoleon's heavy but not so effective influence on the French fleet. The outcome of course effects the strategic situations on land contributing to the future land campaign against Napoleon.

Education and Information.......2007-07-14

Mr. Adkins wrote a very well researched, well written book on the Battle of Trafalgar. He included enough information about the lifes and times of the sailors to paint a thorough picture in the reader's head of what things must have been like. Best of all he uses a terrific set of maps with estimations of the locations of the various ships involved in the battle as it unfolded. These maps made reading the book and tracking what was happening when very easy.

Nelson's Trafalgar (Book Review).......2007-06-09

Nelson's Trafalgar: The Battle That Changed The World by Roy Adkins

Bought it a couple of months ago, but never got to finish it, until now. Just in time, too, since I just saw "Pirates Of The Carribean 3", which were using the same ships mentioned in the book, so I got to appreciate what a "3-Deck Ship Of The Line" looks like.

'Background'

The book is about the Battle of Trafalgar, one of the most decisive & spectacular sea battles in the history of mankind.

To give a short summary: Napoleon wanted to invade Britain & claim it as part of the French Empire he was establishing. But doing so requires a seaborne crossing, & because of that he had to make sure that Britain's Navy is sunk, or at least heavily damaged so he can proceed w/ the invasion.

The British knew this, of course, & the legendary Lord Horatio Nelson, the then Admiral of the British Navy assigned w/ the mission to find & destroy the combined French & Spanish fleet, thought the best defense, was a good offense.

So the British fleet pursued & finally cornered the combined French & Spanish fleet on the port of Cadiz in Spain, where they established a blockade. They then just waited for the French & Spanish fleet to sail out, & engage them in a decisive battle that they hope will destroy it, & prevent Napoleon's invasion.

'Detailed Information'

One great things about this book, is that it assumes (rightfully so) that most of its readers are not that familiar w/ 18th century naval warfare. The author, Roy Adkins, is both a HISTORIAN, & ARCHAELOGIST, so the book ended up w/ lot of ACCURATE & DETAILED information not only about the battle, but also things related to naval warfare at that time.

For example, the first chapters are devoted to things like:
- How the Sailors & Officers lived at that time;
- The ships, & the weaponry;
- The strategy & tactics;
- The political background;
- The diferences between the French, Spanish & British navies;
- Nearly EVERYTHING, except the toilet. Oh, wait, they have that, too.

The preparation is so good, that by the time the first shots are just about to be fired to start the battle, you end up almost as excited as the participants in that war.

'The Battle of Trafalgar'

The battle itself is REALLY intense. You could almost visualize the ships as they started trading cannon-fire broadsides at each other, w/ cannon & musket balls flying everywhere, throwing out huge chunks of timber, & flesh & bones. You could almost see the men as they screamed & died, while others went about trying to do their assigned tasks to take out the opposing ship.

There are quite a number of illustrations throughout the book to help you understand better some of the terminologies, & also to show the disposition of the forces as the battle progressed.

In the end, Britain proved it is unchallenged in the seas, w/ none of their ships surrendering despite heavy damage, while taking out of action almost half of the entire French & Spanish fleet. The result effectively ruined Napoleon's plan to invade Great Britain, who eventually orchestrated his defeat later at Waterloo.

'Master & Commander'

I suggest that you watch that superb movie set in about the same period , "Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World", either before and/or after reading the book. The movie is superbly accurate in its depiction of 18th Century naval warfare, w/ most of its elements also detailed in the book.

The book provides much more detailed information, of course, but the movie provides a visual cue of some of the elements.

'Conclusion'

Overall, it is a book I really, truly enjoyed reading. I'm really glad I bought this one, it really has provided a wealth of information of another time, when sailing ships had supremacy of the seas.

The only negative thing I can think of about the book, is the fact that despite all the explanations, some of the ancient naval terms can be overwhelming, especially for landlubbers like me. The old English style of language of some of the accounts also tends to make some passages a bit difficult to absorb. But, these obstacles are not really insurmountable, it just needs a little bit more patience & concentration to understand & absorb.

These difficulties certainly do not rob the book of its brilliance. It's hard to beat in terms of historical detail, & intense action of naval warfare. A classic in the making, a MUST-READ book for me. A terrifically good yarn.

I hope Adkins comes up w/ more books about Lord Horatio Nelson's other famous sea battles.

BOOK HIGHLIGHTS:
- The first 95 pages gives you a complete & almost encyclopedic background of the battle.
- The next 120 pages gives you accounts of the battle from start to finish, with all the intensity & chaos of the battle between both fleets.
- Things slow down a bit during the recounting of the intense storm that came after the battle, claiming even more lives on both sides.
- Events pick up again when the race to tell the news to the British Admiralty went underway.
- The book wraps up w/ what happened to some of the participants & ships after the battle; An analysis on the battle's effects to the entire war; And also recounts the eventual promotion of Nelson to almost god-like status by the British people of being its most beloved hero of all time.

Good description of a critical naval battle.......2007-03-18

Roy Adkins' book, "Nelson's Trafalgar," is a detailed well rendered version of the great sea battle that doomed any chance for Napoleon to claim control over the seas and invade Britain.

The book is a blow by blow account of the planning for the battle and how the plans for each fleet--the English fleet and the Combined fleet of France and Spain--were implemented. Nelson's battle plan was to break the line of ships organized by the French commanding admiral, Villeneuve. The French admiral wanted to maintain his line and have a "mobile reserve" of ships at his disposal. His dispositions went awry and his battle plan never materialized.

The book presents a number of attractive features: (a) detailed battle maps from hour to hour, so that the reader can see the progression of the battle; (b) a listing of the ships of each fleet, including number of cannons and commanding officers; (c) a detailed description of weapons and ships of the two fleets, to provide important context; (d) a description of key figures on each side; (e) excerpts from personal recollections by key actors in the battle; (f) extraordinary detail of the battle itself, including small details.

The book also speaks of the aftereffects of the battle. Included is the possible murder of the failed French commander, Villeneuve, the cheapness of the English government in taking care of its brave victors (including ignoring Nelson's request that Emma Hamilton and his daughter be taken care of), the dominant role of the English navy after Trafalgar.

This is a book that readers with an interest in this dramatic battle will find valuable. The detail gives a sense of the actual events of the time.

Important battle placed in context.......2007-01-03

On October 21st, 1805 the important naval battle of Trafalgar took place. During it two major events happened: the British obliterated a combined fleet of French and Spanish ships; and Lord Nelson who was in overall command was killed. the book claims that this is "The Battle That Changed The World".

As the 200th anniversary of the battle approached, many people released books telling the story of the battle and is various components. While this book is not one of the great ones telling this story, it is clearly written and does an adequate job of telling its story.

Since the book is intended for a general audience who may not know much of the period or the specifics of naval warfare, the author intersperses his telling the story of the battle with many tangents in which he tries to place his story in the context of the times. While this is a logical and reasonable approach, I felt that it actually distracted from this particular story. Perhaps this is due to the fact that I have read many naval novels set in the time period (Hornblower and Bolitho series in particular) and so was aware of the kinds of issues that Adkins brings up.

In the early chapters, Adkins sets the strategic stage with the British fearing an upcoming invasion of their island by the French and Napoleon doing his best to get an invasion underway. We are then told of the preparations in Britain to repel this invasion (this is where one of the odd things is told - many of the items being put in place were not completed until years after this battle and therefore were not really necessary any more). We are also told about the lives of British sailors and officers and their conditions at sea. Anyone of this century who reads these may find these conditions to be completely abhorrent and may wonder why the sailors did not forcibly rise against them, so Adkins shows that those conditions were at times superior to what these same people could expect on shore and were at least equal to shore conditions.

Nelson's career and life at this stage as well as some of the other main officers are also laid out in very brief pages. Those who find this tickling their interest in learning more about these characters will be forced to look elsewhere for the more detailed information available as this book just sketches things out.

The middle of the book is dedicated to the battle itself and is interspersed with maps and diagrams that aid the understanding. This was well done as there were almost 60 ships involved and several of them had either identical or very similar sounding names (Neptune, Neptune, and Neptuno, for instance) so without the diagrams one would get quite lost.

The battle lasted almost six hours and the author does a very credible job in my opinion of explaining what happened during it as well as the import of various things. Again he takes some detours as when he explains the positions and clothing of various jobs on the ships, the reasons why the surgeons operated as they did in the part of the ship that they did, and the names of each of the decks. There are also good explanations of the state of medicine at the time.

While reading the descriptions of the battle, I was struck with how bloody and gory the ships became and how shot up everyone was. The final tally of the battle was that a dozen and a half ships of the French and Spanish capitulated to the British and one French ship blew up while none of the British ships were defeated but many of the ships were completely dismasted, almost all were punctured and were taking on water, and everywhere was there death and despair. Imagine my surprise when at the end of the book the author presents statistics that point out that only 17% of the British sailors were casualties. I was sure during my reading that the casulaty figures must have been greater than 50%!!

A second major component of the story is the aftermath. As it turned out, Nelson was shot early on in the battle and died about midway through it, but he knew that a storm was coming. Well the storm did come and it turned out to be a powerful hurricane that resulted in more damage, destruction, and deaths than the battle itself! Many of the damaged ships were lost to sinking by the waves or being dashed against the rocky shoals of the coast of Spanish so that only about three or four of the captured ships made it back to British ports.

The finaly portions of the book cover the immense importance placed on the loss of Nelson and contrasting it with the fate of the others who took part in the battle on all sides. The author points out how the British King and Government purposely played up Nelson and his heroism as a substitute for taking care of the rest of the people. The final irony in the book is that we are told that Napoleon had already decided not to invade Britain at that point and was involved in the Austerlitz campaign while the battle took place. So, why is the book sub-titled "The Battle That Changed The World"? The author attempts to explain this by showing how France concentrated on the European land mass while England built a larger and larger empire. Stating that this was the direct result of this one battle is stretching it in my opinion.

I enjoyed reading this book as it was a story told well. Those amongst us who are looking for a readable introduction to Trafalgar and its import will do well by reading this book. For those of us who know something of the period and the events of it, this book yields little new information. Experts in the field will probably find the necessary superficiality of it distracting. So, read it yourself and enjoy!

Battles That Changed the Modern World (20 Events)

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Battles That Changed the Modern World (20 Events)
Dale Anderson
Manufacturer: Steck-Vaughn
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

General | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Military & Wars | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0811449289

Book Description

Lurzer's Archive Special Packaging Design 1 showcases exciting new possibilities and product-related approaches in the field of product and product related packaging.

Customer Reviews:

good , solid book.......2004-03-19

Long overdue, and written by people I respect as glass scholars, this is an important volume on a serious glass shelf. As usual many attributions are expalined / illustrated with period info so we know why the authors tell us as they do. Sadly out of print but not always that hard to find yet if seeking through various sources. A major company with a pivotal role in the next generation of glass makers at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. Good stuff inside this book, nicely illustrated and well organized.

a great resource.......2000-04-08

I was so pleased to find this book. I have collected Hobbs glass for many years and have searched for information. Finally, this book is the only resource devoted entirely to Hobbs. The authors have included well documented facts and information about the glass and its history, along with beautiful photographs. There is a value guide if the collector is interested in pricing or selling their glass. All in all this book is essential and long overdue.

Book Description

The Good Gardens Guide is the essential independent reference book for all garden visitors and enthusiasts. Updated every year, it selects only gardens of real merit, vividly describing their main characteristics and special qualities.

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Good Gardens Guide 2006
Peter King
Manufacturer: LINCOLN FRANCES
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K3SK5O

Book Description

In 1949 the sinologist Robert van Gulik (also known now for his Judge Dee mysteries) purchased in a Tokyo curio-shop a set of printing blocks of a Ming Erotic Album.

Two years later the album, with an extensive treatise, was published by Van Gulik himself in a 50 copies print run, sent to a small group of Sinological libraries, as "the erotic prints and other data ought not to fall into the hands of unqualified readers". It was to be the author's first work on the subject, preceding his 'groundbreaking' Sexual Life in Ancient China (new edition, Brill, 2002).

Unqualified readers have now at last become qualified with this official edition. James Cahill, Wilt Idema and Soeren Edgren provide readers with indispensable introductions to its art historical, literary, biographical, and book technical context.

Customer Reviews:

Try some other books to see the COLOUR prints.......2007-05-02

There are pretty much no COLOUR prints in this book.
Try some other books and save a lots of money

where's the erotic color prints ?.......2006-08-18

Expecting a collection as the title, of color prints, however much disappointed, only a few color prints in the two book volume, and a few non-color prints, hundreds of pages of worded narrative, but almost no color prints, and for this price the reader wants dozens of color prints.

Erotic Colour Prints of the Ming Period: With an Essay on Chinese Sex Life from the Han to the Ching Dynasty, B.C. 206-A.D. 1644 (Sinica Leidensia, V. 62)

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Erotic Colour Prints of the Ming Period: With an Essay on Chinese Sex Life from the Han to the Ching Dynasty, B.C. 206-A.D. 1644 (Sinica Leidensia, V. 62)
Robert Hans Van Gulik
Manufacturer: Brill Academic Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 9004136649

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Catholic New Times, published by Thomson Gale on November 20, 2005. The length of the article is 1250 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Art for the people.(ARTS & CULTURE)
Author: Bernard Bloom
Publication: Catholic New Times (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 20, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 29 Issue: 18 Page: 17(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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Investigating Visual Literacy
Darrell Beauchamp , and Judy Clarke Baca
Manufacturer: Assn for Educational
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 9991193154

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Art, Science and Visual Literacy

Manufacturer: International Visual Literacy Association, In
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Education | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0945829078

Beginning Biographies : Hispanic Americans - Judy Baca (Six Pack)

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Beginning Biographies : Hispanic Americans - Judy Baca (Six Pack)
Diana Perez
Manufacturer: Modern Curriculum Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Hispanic & Latino | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0813691982

Book Description

Expand your student's world with real-life stories of culturally diverse people, through fascinating, easy-to-read biographies. These books enhance awareness and appreciation of diverse cultures and promote self-esteem in all students by using the accomplishments of notable men and women as role models. Sold in 6-packs.

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