American Arctic Lichens Volume No 1

Book Description

This tour guide for time travelers offers New York-lovers and thirties buffs an endlessly fascinating look at life as it was lived in the days when a trolley ride cost five cents, a room at the Plaza hotel was $7.50, Dodger fans flocked to Ebbetts Field, and the new World's Fair was the talk of the town. The New York of 1939 was a city where adventures began "under the clock" at the Biltmore, and the big liners sailed at midnight. The Yankees were on their way to four in a row, and Times Square was truly the crossroads of the world.

Customer Reviews:

Great reading.......2007-06-27

This well written guide had intersting facts about this - the greatest city in the world. The majority of the buildings described are still standing. The descriptions of the city in 1939 are facinating to read. Well worth reading if you are planning to visit 21st century New York and a must for any New Yorker

Old New York.......2007-03-08

A facinating treasure trove of detailed and documented information on New York's neighborhoods. The bibliorgaphy is an invaluable but often neglected resource. Despite its extensive detail, the text is a facinating read.

fascinating read.......2003-09-12

Not for reading straight through, the guide is an amazing resource. Anybody living in or visiting New York regularly will be fascinated to look up their favourite (or least favourite) neighbourhoods to see what they were like in 1939. The maps are beautiful (the photos less interesting) and the text is elegantly and lyrically written.

It's a bit of an archeological game at times, as you find that a few minor idiosyncracies in neighbourhoods today are the remnants of entire cultures and histories that used to thrive.

The editors made the right decision to leave the text entirely alone.

A perfect gift for anybody trying to make it in the Big Apple.

Dull, but thorough.......2003-01-11

I'm writing a novel set in 1930s New York and for research purposes, this book is a great starting point. But as for simply sitting down and reading it all the way through, well, it's a bit dull. For a better sense of the sweep and drama of New York's history, try tracking down New York Panorama, also put out by the WPA around the same time.

The golden age of New York.......1999-06-17

Anyone interested in New York City will find this book absolutely fascinating. Imagine being transported to the City's golden age -the years during which America was emerging from the Depression---and before being thrust into World War Two. The City is chronicled neighborhood by neighborhood and includes interesting historical background information. With this book you will see New York through the eyes of the past; One of my all time favorites.

Book Description

In The Black-Tailed Prairie Dog, John L. Hoogland draws on sixteen years of research at Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota, in the United States to provide this account of prairie dog social behavior. Through comparisons with more than 300 other animal species, he offers new insights into basic theory in behavioral ecology and sociobiology.

Hoogland documents interactions within and among families of prairie dogs to examine the advantages and disadvantages of coloniality. By addressing such topics as male and female reproductive success, inbreeding, kin recognition, and infanticide, Hoogland offers a broad view of conflict and cooperation. Among his surprising findings is that prairie dog females sometimes suckle, and at other times kill, the offspring of close kin.

Enhanced by more than 100 photographs, this book illuminates the social organization of a burrowing mammal and raises fundamental questions about current theory. As the most detailed long-term study of any social rodent, The Black-Tailed Prairie Dog will interest not only mammalogists and other vertebrate biologists, but also students of behavioral and evolutionary ecology.

Customer Reviews:

Heavy stuff, but interesting.......2002-07-22

This is a book by a scientist, and he was writing for other scientists--But it can be read by anyone with an interest. The author watched a prairie dog town for several months a year for over a decade, marking each of the animals so he could track individuals. He describes details of how he made his observations, but most of the book describes the habits and social behavior of prairie dogs, just as the title says. The book has a LOT of detail, but is readable and interesting. Some is rather surprising, such as prairie dog mothers who attempt to murder their nieces and nephews, but who, if they don't succeed, will nurse these same infants a few weeks later.
Recommended, if you want to "know it all" about prairie dogs! For less intense studies and gorgeous photography, look for "Prairie Dogs, Sentinels of the Plains."

Average customer rating:
How to build garden structures: grills, terraces, shelters, arbors, fences, gates, etc
Henry B Aul
Manufacturer: Sheridan House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Landscape | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006ASF6U

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HOW TO BUILD GARDEN STRUCTURES, Grills, Terraces, Shelters, Arbors, Fences, Gates, Etc.
Henry B. Aul
Manufacturer: Sheridan House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VBC2W2

Book Description

The essays in this book engage with the broad range of Jürgen Habermas' work including politics and the public sphere, nature, aesthetics, the linguistic turn and the paradigm of intersubjectivity. Each essay responds to particular difficulties with Habermas' approach to these topics. Each contributor also draws on different theoretical and philosophical traditions in order to explore recent developments in critical theory.

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The nitty gritty

Fascinating study of dysfunctional relationships

Well written, but kind of ditzy

A Really Good Memoir With No Loose Ends

A surprising, fascinating life

What Falls Away: A Memoir
Mia Farrow
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Actors & Actresses | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Entertainers | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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A Paper Life

ASIN: 0553564668
Release Date: 1997-12-01

Amazon.com

There aren't many lives more steeped in celebrity than Mia Farrow's. The daughter of actress Maureen O'Sullivan and writer-director John Farrow, she grew up in Beverly Hills as a member of "the first generation of movie stars' children." Starting at the tender age of 19 she was involved with a succession of famous men--Frank Sinatra, André Previn, and Woody Allen--and has spent many years as a major film star in her own right. The book is casually populated with dozens of high-profile friends ranging from Yul Brynner and Salvador Dali to Michael Caine and Vladimir Horowitz. Yet Farrow's memoir has an unexpectedly honest, soul-searching quality, detailing her troubled inner life, her spiritual longings and pursuits (including a famous stay at Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's ashram, where her fellow inmates included the Beatles), and her passionate attachment to children. The book unflinchingly recounts her version of the ugly, very public breakup with Allen, including--rather bizarrely--the state supreme court's custody ruling in her favor in its 27-page entirety.

Book Description

In an exquisitely written memoir, Mia Farrow introduces us to the landscapes of her extraordinary life.  Moving from her earliest memories of the walled gardens and rocky shores of western Ireland and her Hollywood childhood to her career as an actress, she writes of these experiences and her struggle to protect her children in a painful custody battle with Woody Allen.  It was this crisis that led her to reflect upon the incidents that had brought her to a place so incomprehensible.  Now, in What Falls Away, a memoir resonant not only in its honesty but also in its beautifully crafted prose, Mia Farrow speaks for the first time.

She was born the third of seven children to the beautiful actress Maureen O'Sullivan and successful writer/director John Farrow, but the isolation of a polio ward brought her childhood to an abrupt end at the age of nine.  Several years later, two deaths shattered the security of the family forever, and Mia Farrow embarked upon a journey that would lead her away from the convent education that was to sustain her spiritual courage, to starring roles in Peyton Place and Rosemary's Baby, a marriage to Frank Sinatra, divorce, a defining trip to India, work on the London stage and in film, and marriage to André Previn.  Their life together in England brought them three sons and three daughters before that marriage, too, dissolved and she returned to the United States.

The year 1979 saw the beginning of a new career with brilliant performances in thirteen of Woody Allen's most distinguished films.

Told with grace and deep understanding, as well as humor, What Falls Away goes beneath the surface of this amazing life, with all its drama, success, and pain, and exposes the inner workings of a mind and spirit for whom truth, compassion, and faith are essential.

Mia Farrow's story is ultimately one of hope and courage in the face of difficulty; of commitment to others--most important of whom are her children; and of spiritual strength.  Readers will not easily forget this remarkable book, even long after the last page has been turned.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

The nitty gritty.......2006-08-18

I had meant to read this memoir for years, mostly because of the curiosity I had surrounding the sordid mess between Woody Allen and Soon-Yi Previn. I figured reading this book would probably set the record straight, and it definitely seemed to.

The whole book was well-written, and I wonder why, if she had no help from a ghostwriter, didn't she try her hand at further writing efforts. It would make sense that she might be especially cut out for writing for children, as much as she has dedicated her life to them.

Her early life as a child of a famous actress and director was fascinating and I enjoyed the bits and pieces from her various and many acquaintances, friends, and associates. She does not say so much about her siblings throughout the book, which made me constantly wonder throughout the reading of this book if any of them were very close.

Her relationships with men seemed to be tenuous and immature. It seemed like she didn't really fight for either marriage, to Sinatra or Previn. In fact it seemed like she went into marriage both times with blinders on, without really knowing either men.

Unfortunately it seemed to be a mix of naivete and neediness that led her to spend about twelve years with Woody Allen, who she potrays as the most juvenile, immature, temperamental, arrogant, rude, socially inept person I've ever read about in any memoir. Indeed, her biggest mistake was wasting all those years with that person.

It is ghastly to think about what Ms. Farrow went through when the ---- hit the fan with Soon-Yi and Woody Allen (I love how she starts to refer to him as 'Woody Allen' instead of 'Woody' when she finally starts to come to her senses). I don't understand why it took so long to finally extract him out of her family, though. She gave him far too many chances and allowed him way too much access after the accusations began to fly.

Overall, though, it is without a doubt that she has been a doting and loving mother to all her children, and I applaud her humanitarian efforts. Angelina Jolie could take some notes from Ms. Farrow.

Fascinating study of dysfunctional relationships.......2006-08-01

I have always wanted to know what exactly happened between Mia and Woody Allen (I knew he'd been accused of bad things regarding her daughter Soon-Yi but didn't know much more than that) and this book sheds a lot of light on those rarely-talked about circumstances. This relationship takes up a good portion of the book, which is to be expected because of the length of time they'd been together not to mention the custody battles. But I definitely found out way more than I had known coming into the book. She is awfully kind to Mr. Allen in the book by not totally attacking him like she could have, considering what he was accused of doing. I feel like she is honest and forthright enough to be believed in these matters. Fascinating stuff.
I'd always been interested in why she married Frank Sinatra as well, however I still feel like I didn't really get to find out exactly why they became interested in one another. I liked reading what glimpses into their life together she gave, like the time he came out of a casino in Vegas a little steamed over something that had happened inside moments earlier, hopped on a golf cart and drove away only to veer back suddenly (with Mia in the cart with him) and drive it into a plate glass window in the casino. Maybe it's in retrospect, but she really seems to take his behavior in stride.
And that's one little thing that irritated me in this book. Basically, it was how she was (and kind of still is) extraordinarily PASSIVE about things that would elicit much more of a response in people. If she hadn't been such a passive personality, she would never have gotten involved in ANY of her relationships. It's like she was a young girl being led around by whatever guy was interested in her at the time and she just did whatever they wanted to do. She followed Previn on tour and to foreign coutries, basically putting her career on hold; she followed Sinatra around the same way, seeing as how he was a tad bit controlling and didn't want her to work at all and wanted her to be his arm candy 24-7 whenever it suited him to have her there; and as for Woody Allen, she should have seen THAT train wreck coming a mile away but she didn't.
Among other things, this book can serve as a warning to teenage girls in the ways of choosing relationships that are healthy and unhealthy for you.
I do admire her abilities as a mother, though. She must have the patience of a saint. I had no idea how many children she'd adopted. She spends a lot of time writing about her kids and her adoption experiences, which were interesting as well.

Well written, but kind of ditzy.......2005-12-15

This book was a suprisingly interesting read, and Mia Farrow strikes me as a caring, compassionate person, but rather naive and illogical in her thinking. For a person who writes so well and is an avid reader of philosophers, she appears to be quite intelligent but strangely out of touch with reality. Perhaps this is due, in part, to a childhood that was both very happy (except for a bout of polio) and extremely sheltered and isolated from "the real world." It is apparent that she had little parental guidance past childhood as she seems to have received no warning that an affair/marriage to Frank Sinatra, more than twice her age, might be a mistake. Her judgement of the character of others, even as she grows older, is inconsistent at best . . . she calls her father both a "devout Catholic" and a "womanizer" in the same sentence; she identifies with Sinatra's lack of self knowledge (ignoring the fact that he should have had, at that age, twice her maturity); and she "adores" her children and "loves" Woody Allen but turns a blind eye to his emotional detachment from most of her kids while being overly tolerant of his inappropriate behavior toward others. While the book does, very vividly, take you into a "Hollywood" life, it seems sad that, by the end, Mia (while acknowleding how much she has learned) seems very vulnerable to repeating the same mistakes.

A Really Good Memoir With No Loose Ends.......2005-08-24

Ms. Farrow is not only a talented actress, she is also a surprisingly good writer. She takes us behind the scenes of "Old Hollywood" in her memoir WHAT FALLS AWAY, and shares some of the pains and joys of growing up in an atmosphere where the motto seemed to be "Show the World how well you're doing even if you don't have a dime!" Mia bravely talks about her own mistakes which are so much a part of living and growing up. Behind the tall gates, idols and icons become real people with ordinary struggles.

This is not your run-of-the-mill Hollywood memoir. This is an excellent book which happens to be well written. {It should be noted that Mia is also a well recognized humanitarian who has helped and/or adopted numerous children with various challenges.}

A surprising, fascinating life.......2005-08-11

Mia Farrow was born into a privileged Hollywood family; her mother was an actress and her father was a director. She adored him, but he was cold and aloof, and died when Mia was young. By 20, she was a TV and movie star, and Mrs. Frank Sinatra. A few years later, she married conductor Andre Previn. By the time she met Woody Allen, she had a large biological and adopted family; Woody disliked the children and was openly contemptuous of them. He was often distant and abusive to Mia as well, although she appeared in 13 of his movies. The appalling revelation of Woody's affair with one of Mia's daughters and molestation of another made the last part of the book truly horrific.

I listened to the audio cassette version, read by the author. Mia's flat and unexpressive reading voice had no variation in inflection or pace to express either happiness, grief, or anger. Without explanation, another reader took over in the seventh tape, and Mia returned in the eighth.

The events of Mia's life were dramatic and mesmerizing, with an endless parade of the rich and famous. From her childhood, she tried desperately to please the men in her life, to gain the strength she lacked through them, at the expense of her own self-esteem. She finally found the peace she was seeking in her role as mother to her 14 children. It is an absorbing and moving story.

Kona

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What Falls Away A Memoir
Mia Farrow
Manufacturer: Doubleday & Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GZRF66

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Mia Farrow What Falls Away: A Memoir
Mia Farrow
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PX7GOA

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WHAT FALLS AWAY
FARROW MIA - A MEMOIR
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HF3G4U

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WHAT FALLS AWAY. A Memoir
Mia Farrow
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0868246719

WHAT FALLS AWAY. A Memoir [Hardcover] by Farrow, Mia

Average customer rating:

WHAT FALLS AWAY. A Memoir [Hardcover] by Farrow, Mia
Enid Blyton
Manufacturer: Pan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000WEZA1S

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