A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers: Northern Arizona and New Mexico to British Columbia (Peterson Field Guides(R))

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Unusable

A botanical travelling companion

A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers: Northern Arizona and New Mexico to British Columbia (Peterson Field Guides(R))

Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Flowers | Plants | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
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A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain and Southwest Forests (Peterson Field Guides(R))

A Field Guide to Southwestern and Texas Wildflowers (Peterson Field Guides(R))

A Field Guide to Western Trees (Peterson Field Guides: 44)

A Field Guide to Western Birds: A Completely New Guide to Field Marks of All Species Found in North America West of the 100th Meridian and North of Mexico (Peterson Field Guides(R))

Rocky Mountain Flower Finder: A Guide to Wildflowers Found Below Tree Line in the Rocky Mountains (Nature Study Guides)

ASIN: 0395936136

Book Description

This guide describes 590 species, with detailed information on flowering season, related species, range, and habitat. More than 100 plant drawings supplement these descriptions, and more than 200 color photographs show flowers as they appear in the field.

Customer Reviews:

Unusable .......2007-06-03

I ordered this book in preparation for my own trip to Colorado & Wyoming because I love my Peterson's Guide for Wildflowers for the Eastern US. This was a horrible disappointment. The flowers are organized by botanical families and species, instead of the usual organization by color and appearance. The key in the back is supposed to be organized by pairs of questions, but the numbering system is confusing beyond use and whoever put it together apparently doesn't know how to indent. I hope to prevent someone else from wasting their money on this book.

A botanical travelling companion.......2007-03-18

The photography is excellent. The line drawings are even more detailed. The descriptions are very useful. The interesting facts are often fascinating. I expect to field test this guide in July when I visit Alaska and British Columbia this summer. That will be the real test.

Pacific Northwest Wildflowers: A Guide to Common Wildflowers of Washington, Oregon, Northern California, Western Idaho, Southeast Alaska, and British Columbia (Wildflower Series)

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Pacific Northwest Wildflowers: A Guide to Common Wildflowers of Washington, Oregon, Northern California, Western Idaho, Southeast Alaska, and British Columbia (Wildflower Series)
Damian Fagan
Manufacturer: Falcon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Flowers | Field Guides | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0762735724

Book Description

With more than 350 color photographs, detailed line drawings, and helpful, informative text, this book introduces more than 300 of the most common wildflowers of the lush Pacific Northwest region. Glossaries, a primer on plant indentification, and an introduction to the ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest are also included.

Coastal Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest: Wildflowers and Flowering Shrubs from British Columbia to Northern California

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Great for the novice

Coastal Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest: Wildflowers and Flowering Shrubs from British Columbia to Northern California
Elizabeth L. Horn
Manufacturer: Mountain Press Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0878422919

Customer Reviews:

Great for the novice.......2000-05-10

This is a great book for the novice botanist. As a person who just recently started trying to identify wildflowers in the Monterey area, I found this book a great guide. I already have a couple of other books, including the ones from the Audubon Society and from the California Native Plant Society, but this one is so simple and covers most of the flowers you commonly see. It's easy to flip through, the pictures are clear and in color, and it certainly doesn't overwhelm you with technical jargon. I was only sorry it doesn't include some of the smaller/tinier flowers I see around. Maybe in the next edition. A great gift!

Wild Flowers of Britain and Northern Europe: A Photographic Field Guide to over 600 Species

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Wild Flowers of Britain and Northern Europe: A Photographic Field Guide to over 600 Species
Rae Spencer-Jones , and Sarah Cuttle
Manufacturer: Kyle Cathie
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books

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All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 185626503X

Book Description

As our lives become more urbanized, many of us have lost the ability to name these beautiful flowers, whether in cities or countryside, in gardens or conservation areas. This comprehensive field guide will appeal to expert and beginner alike, with over 600 wild-flower specimens from the woodlands, grasslands, and chalk downlands and the mountainous, aquatic, and maritime habitats of Britain and Ireland. Each entry gives Latin and common names; descriptions of flowers, fruit, and leaves; and habitat. Anecdotes on historical background, medicinal or herbal uses, and common folklore breathe life into the text. Chapters also discuss the importance of wild flowers in their ecosystems, conservation and endangered species and offer advice on designing your own wildflower garden.

Flowers at My Feet: The Wild Flowers of Britain and Ireland in Photographs

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Flowers at My Feet: The Wild Flowers of Britain and Ireland in Photographs
Bob Gibbons , and David Woodfall
Manufacturer: Harpercollins Pub Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Travel | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0002202131

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Wildflowers Along the Alaska Highway
Verna E. Pratt
Manufacturer: Alaskakrafts Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Flowers | Field Guides | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Outdoors & Nature | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

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ASIN: 096231921X

A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers from Northern Arizona and New Mexico to British Columbia, (Peterson Field Guides)

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A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers from Northern Arizona and New Mexico to British Columbia, (Peterson Field Guides)
John Johnson Craighead
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin (P)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Trees | Field Guides | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Flowers | Field Guides | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0395183243

Alaska highway flowers;: A list of wild flowers which may be found near the road between Mile zero at Dawson Creek, British Columbia and Mile 1520 at Fairbanks, Alaska

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Alaska highway flowers;: A list of wild flowers which may be found near the road between Mile zero at Dawson Creek, British Columbia and Mile 1520 at Fairbanks, Alaska
Louise Potter
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

BRITISH WILD FLOWERS IN RELATION TO INSECTS

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BRITISH WILD FLOWERS IN RELATION TO INSECTS
JOHN LUBBOCK
Manufacturer: MACMILLAN
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000RWBWZS

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British and European Wild Flowers
Dankwart; McClintock, David; Eisenreich, Wilhelm Seidel
Manufacturer: Chatto & Windus
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Book Description

Best-selling author and outdoors columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, Tom Stienstra presents an activity-driven guide covering the San Francisco Bay Area. Foghorn Outdoors Tom Stienstra's Bay Area Recreation provides informative descriptions of the Bay Area's best recreational areas rated on a scale of 1-10, recommendations on the best coastal and summit hiking trails, mountain bike rides, campgrounds, freshwater fishing, and more. This book includes detailed park maps, mile-by-mile driving directions, helpful icons, information on fees and facilities, and online references for easy planning and booking.

Customer Reviews:

Good for filling in the unknowns on the map........2006-07-27

This is not the best book for picking a primary destination hike. However, that's what the internet is for. What this book is extremely useful for though is giving you a quick rundown on that green blob you're considering making a sidetrip to now that you have some extra time, as this has a section for every significant parkland around in the bay area - what makes the area special? When should I visit? And what are the highlights and how do I see them? While it's true that the internet serves equally well for this purpose, I often find myself needing that information while driving to or from another spot, when the internet is not easily available. In addition, the directions and suggestions of this guide have so far proven accurate and extremely useful.

I must note however that the guide is best at information for hiking and fishing, as those tend to be the author's inclinations. While there is some biking information, there is very little on riding, climbing, kayaking, etc. If you are interested in detailed information on anything other than hiking and fishing (aside from a quick is it allowed and, for boating, where can I rent equipment), consider another book (or there's always the net).

Maps?.......2005-09-17

A team must write this book because there is no there there. Clarity is lacking. The author's voice is missing. I wasn't challenged and couldn't get excited about the areas described within.

Bay Area Recreation.......2005-08-12

I really like this book. It inspired me to start hiking again. I live in a beautiful area but never explored it until I picked this up. Most hiking books about the Bay Area are written in tiny print and they are bland. The author doesn't really take a stand on what he/she likes or why. Stienstra writes well and simply and he obviously loves hiking. I have already given this book to one friend and I have bought another of his books as well. This is the first time I have ever reviewed anything online - but it's a good book, and that's worth touting.

From a Tom Stienstra fan.......2005-05-26

Tom

I think that you've had this book in your head for years. You went to each place, enjoyed it with family and friends, and finally wrote it down to share it with all of us. Every place you mentioned was familiar and comfortable. I hope to see all of them someday. In these troubling times, I think its even more of a reason that we can explore the place we live in. There's really no place like the Bay Area to be. Thanks again, my friend. Its a great book.

Dee

The bible for recreation in the bay area.......2005-03-02

I really enjoy reading Stienstra's works, but I have to say that this one is the best of them all. I live here in the Bay Area and it's nice to have one guide to tell me everything I need to know about the outdoors and what to do.

Great Outdoor Adventures (Foghorn Outdoors: Great Outdoor Getaways of the Bay Area & Beyond)

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Great Outdoor Adventures (Foghorn Outdoors: Great Outdoor Getaways of the Bay Area & Beyond)
Tom Stienstra
Manufacturer: Foghorn Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

North America | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0935701052

Great Outdoor Getaways to the Bay Area and Beyond (Foghorn Outdoors: Great Outdoor Getaways of the Bay Area & Beyond)

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Great Outdoor Getaways to the Bay Area and Beyond (Foghorn Outdoors: Great Outdoor Getaways of the Bay Area & Beyond)
Tom Stienstra
Manufacturer: Foghorn Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

Reference | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

North America | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0935701540

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English Springer Spaniel: A Comprehensive Guide to Owning and Caring for Your Dog (Kennel Club Dog Breed Series)
Haja Van Wessem
Manufacturer: Kennel Club Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Breeds | Dogs | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Dogs | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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How to Train Your English Springer Spaniel (How To...(T.F.H. Publications))

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English Springer Spaniels (Complete Pet Owner's Manual)

English Springer Spaniel (Breeder's Best) (Breeder's Best)

Gun-Dog Training: Spaniels and Retrievers (Gun Dog Training)

ASIN: 1593782276

Book Description

Meet the most well-rounded companion and hunting dog of all, the English Springer Spaniel! Handsome, sporting and affectionate, the English Springer Spaniel has become one of the most widely appreciated dogs in the world. Its attractive, weather-proof coat, its active and fun disposition and its naturally obedient ways make the Springer a fine choice for the easygoing but energetic dog owner. This book provides the much-needed factual information about the Springer and its ancestry, character and standard, as well as the proper selection, feeding, training, preventative health care and behavior of the breed. The new owner will welcome advice about preparing for the pup's arrival, housebreaking and preventing puppy problems.

In addition to an extremely authoritative text, this book presents over 135 photographs in full color, which prove to be as informative as they are attractive. Helpful hints and important information are highlighted to provide easy access to everything the reader needs to know about life with an English Springer Spaniel from puppyhood to the senior years.

Average customer rating:

Great guide on Springers

Guide to Owning an English Springer Spaniel (Re-336)
Gabriel Garcia
Manufacturer: TFH Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Breeds | Dogs | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Dogs | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0793818869

Customer Reviews:

Great guide on Springers.......2002-12-08

The English Springer Spaniel is my second favorite spaniel.. the first one being the COCKER SPANIEL. It helps you a lot about your Springer, and it has nice pics on products, dogs, and many more! I like the glossy pictures and this is a must for any Springer owner.

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

New Perspectives on the Art of Ceramics in China

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New Perspectives on the Art of Ceramics in China

Manufacturer: University of Hawaii Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Sculpture | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Ceramics | Other Media | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0875871569

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Get my revised edition - this one if old!!!

The Bountiful Solar Greenhouse
Shane Smith
Manufacturer: John Muir Pubns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Greenhouses | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Greenhouse Gardener's Companion: Growing Food and Flowers in Your Greenhouse or Sunspace

ASIN: 0912528087

Customer Reviews:

Get my revised edition - this one if old!!!.......2006-08-22

I am the author and this book was written back in the 1980s. A lot has changed since then. If you want instructions for more plants, more in-depth detail, and more information about ornamental plants for the greenhouse please check the copyright 2000 edition of Greenhouse Gardener's Companion.

Book Description

Etymology is that branch of historical linguistics which studies the history and origin of words, usually presenting its results in dictionary shape. The enduring popular demand for etymological dictionaries has demonstrated the social relevance of this branch of linguistics. The present volume concerns the etymology of the Modern Germanic languages of Western Europe: Dutch, German, English and Frisian. Current Trends reports on recently completed etymological dictionaries or on such projects in progress. The contributors communicate their experiences in tackling the problems they encountered both in their researches and in shaping their findings. As a result, the volume offers a blend of theoretical and practical approaches to etymological lexicography which makes stimulating reading for university courses in etymology, as many of the problems signalled for one language also apply to other ones. Simultaneously, the book offers the specialist the opportunity to keep abreast of the advances made over the past ten years. Contributors: Dutch: Willy Pijnenburg, Rolf H. Bremmer Jr, Arend Quak, Marlies Philippa, and Edgar C. Polome. German: Rolf Hiersche, Wolfgang Pfeifer, Willy Sanders, and Elmar Seebold. English: Terry F. Hoad and Anatoly Liberman. Frisian: Klaas F. van der Veen.

Book Description

Desperate to escape South Texas, Stephanie Elizondo Griest dreamed of becoming a foreign correspondent. So she headed to Russia looking for some excitement—commencing what would become a four-year, twelve-nation Communist bloc tour that shattered her preconceived notions of the “Evil Empire.”

In Around the Bloc, Griest relates her experiences as a volunteer at a children’s shelter in Moscow, a propaganda polisher at the office of the Chinese Communist Party’s English-language mouthpiece in Beijing, and a belly dancer among the rumba queens of Havana. She falls in love with an ex-soldier who narrowly avoided radiation cleanup duties at Chernobyl, hangs out with Cuban hip-hop artists, and comes to difficult realizations about the meaning of democracy.

is the absorbing story of a young journalist driven by a desire to witness the effects of Communism. Along the way, she learns the Russian mathematical equation for buying dinner-party vodka (one bottle per guest, plus an extra), stumbles upon Beijing’s underground gay scene, marches with 100,000 mothers demanding Elián González’s return to Cuba, and gains a new appreciation for the Mexican culture she left behind.

Customer Reviews:

A little disappointing.......2007-09-18

My mom and I both recently read this book and our reactions were the same as we discussed our thoughts. When we were finished with the book, there was a sense of something missing. The sub-title of the book - "My Life in Moscow, Beijing, and Havana" - is misleading. It should have been "My Visits to Moscow and Beijing and My Spur-of-the-Moment Holiday in Havana." Ms. Griest didn't really have a life in any of those places. It would be like me writing a book called, "My Life in Thailand, Germany,and Puerto Rico." All places I have spent some time, but my "life" is where I have resided for many years. I agree with the reviewer who said this should have been a MySpace page - which is exactly where I put the (amusing and insightful!) tales of my adventures in foreign countries.

Don't get me wrong, this book is not without some merit and Ms. Griest does relate some interesting experiences. The most interesting part to me was her short trip to Havana. Cuba is a mystery to most of us and I was surprised to hear that the people aren't quite as depressed and miserable as I had imagined. When they can't do anything about it, people tend to make the best of whatever situation they are in. But, all in all, it was just a light-weight travelogue for us.

Fantastic.......2007-06-01

I could not put this book down. Her voice is refreshing and honest. I learned a lot about all of the places she lives in. I found the part about the censorship in China to be especially revealing.

This Book is Such a Pleasure........2007-05-02

This book energized me. Reading this book was almost as fun as traveling. I can't wait to visit Cuba. But this story is not just about travel. It's also about identity, family, language, and everything else important. Every traveller and every young woman must read this book. Keep your eye on this author! She's going to make it big. She's going to show us the world with fresh eyes.

Shoulda been a MySpace page.......2007-04-16

I guess when you're 59, like me, you shouldn't be buying books written by people under 25. Around the Bloc is sort of the tale of somebody's junior year abroad. Unfortunately, it takes more than a year to learn anything valid about somebody else's culture. So here's a woman who's reaped the affirmative action benefits of being Mexican in gringo America, and when a Cuban asks her what country she's from, she says "Canada." That's when I tossed the book into the box for the used book store. This woman needs to go live in the third world someplace for 15 years, without the benefit of a paycheck from the US. Then she can write a book.

A "coming of age story" sounds just way too cliched for this hombre...lo siento..........2006-11-20

Ay, caramba!

AROUND THE BLOC is more than a coming of age story, dear Readers.

The following is a laundry list of what you're genuinely missing when you ascribe such facile titles to this amazing little read:

1) The wonderful (and many) impactful lines of prose that emanate from the pen of someone so young, yet with so much on the ball (at the time of writing, that is -- the "young" part, not the "on the ball" part). Griest is possessed of an awareness that few individuals of mixed ethnicity and/or race choose to properly acknowledge. Inside the pages of this book, Elizondo Griest attacks this concept with a doggedness and reckless deliberation that's so downright inspirational! I would like to travel in her wake.

2) There were several passages which I came across where I just had to place the book down beside me to take a deep "resetting" breath. How author managed to touch so many sensitive chords within me, I'm positive the effect was similar on the others. Ms. Elizondo Griest doesn't hold punches. When she refers to things like love, lust, heartbreak, depression, devastation, and sex, she does **precisely** that. When Griest refers to how pained she was when the man who meant everything in her life dropped her for the second time (in as many chances), you hurt right along there with her. If you don't, you don't have much of a emotional bone within your body. Someone so outspoken and delightful doesn't deserve to get hurt like that. At least this was my initial reaction.

3) This is a young woman who has criss-crossed the world and back again, all in an attempt to seek the answers for the most essential life-donning questions which those of us who take such things for granted are never inclined to ask. Essential burning questions of indentity. Of the need and desire to understand who she really is at her core--not as a by-product of some consumerist collective--or where she really came from. By dipping into the collective unconsciousness of several nations of which she herself wasn't a descendant (Russia, China)...then beginning to relate these lessons to the things she knew and loved about herself (which came about more in Havana). Just gorgeous. In several spots the narrative, the author delivered up this story with a dramatist's expert flourish.

~~~~

The pages just turned. I never **once** felt a need to stop reading (the only time I had was because I'd been interupted by something other than the read).

Intentionally, I believe, Griest constructs the narrative with a rising crescendo. The story commences in Moscow, Russia and moves through Beijing, China. As the journey concludes in Havana, Cuba, in a country closest to her US home, Stephanie comes face to face with a daemon which has been dogging her for most of her early adult life.

When she least expects to find the answer which has been plaguing her mercilessly, as she describes it, it confronts her hard. It hammers her when she finds herself doing an activity which one might consider enough to pull her thoughts away from such critical existential questions. Dancing the rhumba, or talking with a couple of Cuban college students on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean.

Rather than writing AROUND THE BLOC and ending things with a question mark, Elizondo Griest is even more convinced by the book's end about the righteousness of her choice of having travelled around the entire world, steadfast in her desire to want to know more about her essential self.

Like a highly sympathetic character in a novel or a film, you really want this person to succeed--dareisay win (?)--because the righteousness of her mission is just so important. It becomes as important to you as it initially is to Stephanie.

Haven't we all had such dilemmas in our life?

In this age of mixed identities, to be able to claim a purity of a connection to one's ancient or not-so-ancient culture is indeed a complicated decision, rife with paradoxes.

Even those who are "so-and-so"--how much of that "so-and-so" can they really be in the face of an environment which pulls them into defining themselves as something much more general than merely the binding specificity of one particular race or (former?) nation-state?

There are so many things which lay claim to our selves, at our cores. Griest cannot be blamed for having been sucked into this simplifying evening-out vortex, too. So deep has she been submerged into the commonality of the "Western experience," that it has become a compelling struggle to pull herself out. Like it is for others in her situation, who have written about things similarly.

It has been an honour and a privilege to follow her along her path. I can't thank her enough for having made me a part.

It's been to a gift to witness the changes, as she wrote about them, and as the book appears to be the culmination of many months and years of introspection and sometimes piercing self-doubt.

I've cherished each and every one of these pages. Thank you Stephanie.

If there ever were a sixth Amazonian star, it would go to Stephanie Elizondo Griest.

--ADM in Prague

Book Description

AElig;thelred became king of England in 978, reigned largely unchallenged for 38 years, despite presiding over a period which saw many Danish invasions and much internal strife. If not a great king, he was certainly a survivor whose posthumous reputation and nickname (meaning "Noble Council the No Council") do him little justice. In AElig;thelred the Unready Ann Williams, a leading scholar on his reign, discounts the later rumors and misinterpretations that have dogged his reputation to construct a record of his reign from contemporary sources.

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