Mysterious Beauty: Desert Plants and Cacti of the Americas

Book Description

Photographer and botanist Pierre Fischer devoted his life to the study of desert plants. The perfect introduction to desert flora, Mysterious Beauty showcases their startling beauty and reveals their secrets of survival in a harsh and arid environment. Playing with light and shadow, his spectacular photographs capture the brilliant colors of desert blooms and the delicate intricacies of each plant. This book is both a paean to desert plants and cacti and a collection of fine nature photography.

Book Description

Provides helpful advice on all aspects of traveling-- from what to expect and what to take, to pre-trip vaccinations, to the hazards of heat, sun, and cold exposure. In this fully updated edition, find information on the latest Malaria treatments, on growing concerns for travelers--such as deep vein thrombosis or ¿economy class syndrome¿. New sections cover travel health for groups with special requirements--such as epilepsy sufferers, diabetics, families with children, and the elderly. The usefulness of natural remedies is assessed, and in a feature unique among travel health guides, it covers responsible tourism. Tables help readers match disease to country, while special sections cover skin infections, the risks of sunburn, and even the psychological effects of becoming an expatriate. There is advice on how to treat bites and stings, along with information on accidents, first aid, common ailments, and what to do if visitors need treatment after they return home. It's invaluable on any trip--be it a drive to a local beach or a trek through the Sahara.

Customer Reviews:

Endlessly Fascinating.......2002-10-21

Even if you're not going to be travelling in remote places, this book is wonderful. Jane Wilson-Howarth's no nonsense (and funny) tone makes this book an excellent read, even if it's just for the vicarious thrill of knowing which parasites you might encounter.

Press reviews.......2002-07-23

"its bedside manner is decidedly more reassuring and less alarmist" [than the Lonely Planet guide] Sunday Telegraph book of the week May 2000

Best Title Award for October 1999 from Big World Magazine (Pennsylvania) "This clear concise manual explains how to avoid the icky side effects of travel"

"the most amazing collection of well-written, easy to read, and jargon-free information flowing off every page of this book." Doctor (autumn 1999)

"Whilst her theoretical knowledge is extensive, it is her personal experience that adds great charisma and humour to the very informative text, making the book a true pleasure to read." Travel Wise: newsletter of the British Travel Health Association Autumn 1999

"offers practical advice for disease prevention and treatment, based on the author's and travellers' personal experiences in a clear and concise way."
Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (1999) 93 539

"clear, easy to read, comprehensive manual... everything from jet lag to the psychological problems of being a long-term expat spouse." Carousel: diplomatic service families association magazine Autumn 1999

"excellent" Wanderlust June/July 1999

"magnificent book... readable and accessible" Expeditioner (Brathay Expeditions, spring 1998)

"indispensable...some of the most realistic, practical advice about trekking" Independent on Sunday, London (May 4, 1997)

"recommended" Marie Clare May 1997

"covers insect bite treatments, acclimatization, AIDS avoidance, snake-bite treatment and travel related skin problems." Los Angeles Times (Mar 9 1997)

"at once attractive, user friendly and a good read." Discovery - Cathay Pacific (May 1996)

"Amusing and informative...By far the best book of this type" Sesame: Scientific Exploration Society Newsletter, UK (spring 1995)

"Interesting off-beat guide" Observer, London (May 14, 1995)

"coverage is excellent...sensible...accurate and well researched...single authorship makes it an easy read" Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (1995)

"with tips on avoiding afflictions such as `sahib's knee' when mountain walking." Australian Gourmet Traveller

"advice...from immunisation to dealing with snake-bites. General Practitioner (July 14, 1995)

"there is even a section in `Sex and the Single expat'. An extremely useful book." Good Book Guide (July 1995)

"essential reading" Marie Claire June 1995

"useful reading" Daily Telegraph (London) 10 June 1995

"a must for anyone going travelling." Wanderlust February 1995

"The sensible precautionary advice covering common and uncommon ailments is not only thorough, but also made more palatable by the case histories and touches of humour." The Book Seller 13 January 1995

"an irresistible little book... Each topic is in easy-to-follow sections, with anecdotes and case histories to illustrate the medical guidelines." Globe (London)

Don't leave it behind!.......2002-04-02

This a gem of a book- not for the squeamish (though they wouldn't be travelling off the beaten path, would they?!) and definitely not to be given to your hypochondriacal aunt before she goes on her next overseas vacation- but great for everybody travelling outside of say, North American & Western Europe. V. practical, v. succinct & v. realistic. Great help in planning your trip, esp. if you are anyway intrepid in your travels. And loads of fun to read, with lots of v. funny bits.

The essential guide to getting sick.......2001-10-29

Cadogan's Bugs, Bites and Bowels is the best health guide for travellers. I travel a lot for work and pleasure and always use it when preparing to leave. The text is bang up to date and easy to understand. You get all the details on where you're at risk, signs to look for and lots of advice on what to do if your luck runs out - for each and every possible ailment.

Everyone who is planning a trip outdoors should get a copy. Five Stars.

Best of the lot.......2000-04-03

I seem to collect health travel books. We live in Mexico and beleive in being our own best health advocates anywhere. Of all the books I have seen in the past five years dealing with travel health, Bugs, Bits & Bowels surpasses my previous favorite, one in the Moon Travel Series which is currently out of print. Wilson-Howarth is concise, yet seeming thorough, with a presentation easily understood. Even bits of humor sprinkled in.

Book Description

Martinho da Costa Lopes was the first Timorese leader of the East Timorese Catholic Church. After the Indonesian invasion of East Timor in 1975, he worked tirelessly to protect human rights. He was the first person to speak out publicly within East Timor about the abuses perpetrated by the occupation forces, which attracted criticism from the Indonesian government. Under pressure from the Vatican, he resigned from the position of Apostolic Administrator and left his country in 1983. He then traveled extensively, speaking and raising awareness about East Timor. He died in Portugal in 1991. His story is a unique and accessible behind-the-scenes account of East Timor.

Book Description

Written by Ron Goldfarb, who was recruited as a young lawyer to work with RFK, Perfect Villains, Imperfect Heroes tells the story of Robert Kennedy's tenure as attorney general, from his inexperience to his success at carrying out the most relentless campaign against organized crime ever mounted. of photos.

Customer Reviews:

Insightful History!.......2002-11-23

Ron Goldfarb's "Perfect Villains, Imperfect Heroes" is an insightful analysis of the RFK led Attorney General office investigation of the mob. Part memoir and part history, you feel like you are part of the action when you read this interesting book.

Disappointing.......1998-02-15

Overall, too much emphasis on Goldfarb, and not enough on Kennedy. The description of his work in Newport is somewhat dull. However, his thoughts at the end about the JFK assassination connection with organized crime are interesting.

Book Description

Bird Song has long been an inspiration to poets, and a delight to many other people, but why do birds sing? Bird song has been studied extensively in the past few decades, so that there is now hardly an area of animal behaviour on to which studies of song do not shed light. This book explores the study of bird song from the biological viewpoint, reviewing the literature written on the subject and considering its intricate nature. It is written with a wide readership in mind so that, while undergraduate and postgraduate students of biology may gain particularly from it, both professional biologists interested in bird behaviour and amateur ornithologists with some knowledge of biology will also find it a mine of information.

Average customer rating:

Finally! A sewers dream resource!

I Love this book

Dream Sewing Spaces: Design & Organization for Spaces Large & Small

Inspiring!

If you love lots of photos!

Dream Sewing Spaces: Design & Organization for Spaces Large & Small
Lynette Black
Manufacturer: Palmer/Pletsch Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Sewing | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Remodeling & Renovation | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Household Hints | How-to & Home Improvements | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Creating Your Perfect Quilting Space: Sewing-Room Makeovers for Any Space And Any Budget

Organizing Your Craft Space

Where Women Create: Inspiring Work Spaces of Extraordinary Women

Stash Envy

The 'Business' of Sewing: How to Start, Maintain and Achieve Success

ASIN: 0935278419

Customer Reviews:

Finally! A sewers dream resource!.......2007-07-02

Trying to find articles with photos and illustrations of sewing spaces is amazingly difficult - everything seems to center on home offices or crafting such as scrapbooking. This book has wonderful photos and suggestions, as well as many worksheets that can be used to evaluate everyone's personal needs and available spaces. Highly recommended for the avid sewer or quilter, this book will be a constant source of information, inspiration and dreaming for years to come!

I Love this book.......2007-05-14

I purchased this book the first time many years ago. I have referred to it many times, and always planned to set up a separate sewing room but never did. I have purchased it for family members who did get to set up their room and they loved it. I have loaned it to frineds and over the years lost it. So I bought it again and am now lucky enough to be able to put all the wonderful tips into the new room we are building now. This book covers everything needed to set up a room that will be tailor made to you with your height and comfort incorporated into everthing. Definitely a must have if you spend much time sewing.

Dream Sewing Spaces: Design & Organization for Spaces Large & Small.......2007-04-11

Great book I ogle over the pictures and photographs and wish for such dream work areas

Inspiring!.......2007-03-26

If you need a little motivation to reorganize your sewing or craft space, this is a great book. The photos are plentiful, and there are lots of good ideas for storage and work surfaces, no matter how much space you can devote to it. Let it inspire you to create your own dream sewing space.

If you love lots of photos!.......2007-03-11

I think this book is fantastic. Loaded with good before-and-after pictures, which I always find very inspiring. Also tons of simple, practical ideas. For example, I even learned a nifty trick to fold my fabrics so they always look neat. It makes a difference!

Book Description

"Evocative photography and a wealth of detail make the book a visual treat."—Interior Design

Marie Antoinette, whose marriage at fifteen made her queen of France before she was twenty, died under the blade of the guillotine in 1793. She has been romanticized as the martyred queen, admired as the personification of eighteenth-century French royal style, and vilified as the Austrian whose frivolous extravagance and foreign sympathies fired the French Revolution.

This book turns aside from the official portraits and great historical events to rediscover the private places and objects that reflect Marie Antoinette's personality and reveal her more directly to our modern gaze. Beautifully photographed by François Halard, the rooms and buildings she inhabited are shown here in fascinating detail, from the distinctive fabrics and furnishings to the queen's favorite objects—an amber curiosity, a Chinese lacquer gift from her mother, a porcelain bowl. 123 illustrations, 108 in color.

Customer Reviews:

Marie Antoinette.......2007-05-21

Beautiful book with nice pictures of several places on where Queen Marie Antoinette left her signature. Her rooms, gardens, Hameau, bodoire are beautifully described in this nice work. I recommend it for all who are interested in Marie Antoinette.

The Marie Antoinette book you simply must have!!.......2007-02-13

If you wish to be propelled into her realm, then look no further. I have read many books about Marie Antoinette and this is one of my favourites. The basic text is accompanied by the most wonderful photographs, portraits and furniture details that I have seen anywhere. Highly recommended.

Small but Interesting.......2007-01-11

This book is fairly small but it has some interesting tid bits about Marie Antoinette. The focus of this book is mainly on the royal's furniture and accessories. It doesn't go too much into Marie Antoinette's history. An interesting book for any Marie Antoinette fan.

LOVELY!!!.......2006-10-13

This book has pictures which I have found no where else concerning life at Marie-Antoinette's Petit Trianon. Her gambling purse, her keys, her mementoes, as well as rare sketches of herself and her family are gathered into one spell-binding collection of delight. Very satisfying for those hungry for details of the queen's private life. For those unable to travel to the gardens of Versailles, there are amazing photos. Exquisite but bitter sweet, considering the sad events which were about to befall the royal family!

A piece of carp.......2004-12-25

I was extremely disappointed in this book. This is a junk book you'd pick up at a souvenier shop. It takes a worthier and more particular kind of person to appreciate entire pages devoted to a few inches of motif taking up entire pages.

Book Description

Parents who are fed up with the pressure to turn their children into star athletes, concert violinists, and merit scholars-all at once!-finally have an alternative: the world of Slacker Moms, where kids learn to do things for themselves and parents can cut themselves some slack; where it's perfectly all right to do less, have less, and spend less.

Slacker moms say "No" to parenting philosophies that undermine parents'-and children's-ability to think for themselves. They say "Yes" to saving their money and time by opting out of the parenting competition. And they say "Hell, Yes!" to having a life of their own, knowing it makes them better parents.

In this witty and insightful book, author Muffy Mead-Ferro reflects on her experience of growing up on a ranch in Wyoming, where parenting-by necessity-was more hands-off, people "made do" with what they had, and common sense and generational wisdom prevailed. We should all take her sane lead!

Customer Reviews:

Muffy Madness.......2007-09-01

I'm sorry, I can't take seriously anything that a woman named Muffy with a nanny has to say.

What's wrong with moderation here? Why does everything have to be win/lose in this society...working moms vs. stay-at-home moms, slacker moms vs. Type A moms? Nothing is that black and white. I am sick of the media spinning every possible subject re parenting and women into an all-out war. Somewhere in the middle, in my opinion, is the best path.

Work if you have to or want to, but be there and show up for your kids. Let them know you love them and support them, but carve out a little time for yourself, too, whether it's a chair massage once a week or a weekend trip with the girls!

Some days I am a slacker mom, some days I am a type-A stressed-out mom on deadline, some days I am stay-at-home domestic scrapbooking mom, some days I am overprotective mom, and some days I am "I don't feel good today, you're just going to have to figure it out yourself" mom. And you know what? I think I'm a great mom. I have a happy kid who does great in school and is learning that life is not perfect and people are multi-dimensional and ever-evolving, not one-note characters in a book! That's good enough for me.

A Voice of Reason.......2007-07-12

When I first found out I was pregnant, one of my best friends sent me all the books she had read when she was pregnant with her first. Of all that she sent--and many were good--this one has helped me to keep my sanity. I'm due in 3 weeks and anytime I start to panic about silly things like having the right "stuff," I think about this book and relax. The baby-sleeping-in-a-crab-cage story has been the best at getting to take everything a little less seriously and to enjoy this process a bit more.

Yes, the author has some benefits that others don't. Certainly, she makes more than I do, but it's nice to know that it doesn't have to be all-consuming and that a person can be a good mom even if she doesn't cease to exist except to carpool children around and be a toy-buyer/picker-upper. I know that sounds like common sense, but sometimes the other books, articles (and posts), friends, family members, and strangers can lay a lot of guilt at a mother's feet.

And for the record, the scrap-booking section is a hoot. My mother scrapbooks like a fiend and each book is really a work of art, so I don't have any problem with others doing it. What is funny is the author's reaction to the scrap-booking party itself. I have a good friend who is a college instructor, and I remember her coming to me at the beginning of a semester saying, "About ten of my students have posted scrap-booking as a hobby," (she teaches online courses)"and I don't even understand what that means." I explained and she said, "And that's a hobby? Lots of people do that? I don't get it." So the author's behavior made me think of that. I didn't think my friend was condemning all scrap-bookers. It just wasn't an activity that she understood.

Lighten up people!.......2007-06-14

The low reviews I've read for this book crack me up! Definitely people who need to lighten up a bit. Defensive, are we? I thought this book was funny and refreshing. A quick little read, nothing to get all worked up about, anyway -- whether you agree with her or not. For example, I love scrapbooking. She makes fun of it. No need for me to whine about that, or fluff up defensively, she was being funny!

If you simply don't think she is funny, I can understand that. We all have different tastes in humor. But I'm referring to those reviews that just reek of defensiveness...

Who cares if she has a nanny? What does that have to do with anything? If I had a dollar for every mom that bristled at the mere mention of the word "nanny", well let's just say I'd be buying a beach house right about now. Why get all bent out of shape at how other parents manage things? Life is too short.

If you want to make parenting hard, go ahead, knock yourself out. Some of us prefer to do things slacker mom way (and some people need to simmer down on the "proper" way to define 'slacker' -- talk about silly!). Happy, relaxed mom = happy marriage = happy kids.

Not for fans of "Baby Einstein", Gymboree classes, or anything with the term "Mommy-N-Me".

eh.......2007-06-08

talk about condescending! Don't dare to do anything other than what she does in this book!! I bought this thinking it would be funny and lighthearted, but she pretty much toots her own horn the whole time.

WOW. NO MORE WHINING, PLEASE........2007-04-22

I LOVE THIS BOOK. I agree w/ some points in the review (she had a NANNY!!!????!!), but, heck, I loved it because she reminded me of my mother. I am sure that Mom worried about us. But we were raised in the Northwest (as was the author), and we weren't coddled, either. Which is why we face life with determination, gumption, and spirit. We bucked 70 pound bales of hay in the blazing sun when we were 15, camped out alone way before then, traveled by ourselves out of the U.S. by the time we were 16 (and, by the way, paid for such trips by holding down 2 jobs and staying on the high honor role). Out of curiosity, of the people who hated this book, who is from back east, from a privileged background, or, God forbid, from California?
Seriously. Lighten up. Breath. Your kids are not Einstein. Or glass. Or any combination thereof.
And, also, the people who actually like this book are not uneducated, despite what comments have been made. They just live a different life than you do . . . .and isn't that a very valid reason for reading? Isn't part of true education learning about the choices others make in life . . . .hopefully without being offended?
Enjoy this book. It is meant to be FUNNY. What a concept.

Average customer rating:

Confessions of a Slacker Mom
Muffy Mead-Ferro
Manufacturer: Da Capo Lifelong
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000LHOYDQ

Book Description

Philip Guston (1913-1980) was driven, sustained, and consumed by art. His style ranged from the social realism of his WPA murals through his abstract expressionist canvasses of the 1950s and 1960s (when he counted Pollock, Rothko, de Kooning, and Kline among his friends) to his cartoonlike paintings of Klansmen, disembodied heads, and tangled piles of everyday objects. Critics and public alike savaged Guston for his return to figurative art, but today his late work is recognized for the singular power of its darkly hilarious vision. Musa Mayer augments her firsthand knowledge with extensive interviews with his family, friends, students, and colleagues, as well as Guston's own letters, notes, and autobiographical writings, to re-create a turbulent era in American art. Night Studio, profusely illustrated (including almost a dozen paintings in full color), illuminates not only the life of a great artist, but the experience of growing up in his shadow.

Customer Reviews:

worthwhile glimpses of a difficult genius.......2005-03-22

Musa Mayer (Guston's daughter) has undertaken a brave and cathartic task in writing a biography of her father, a self-obsessed painter. Philip Guston could well be regarded as the last artist of an era inasmuch as Gustav Mahler could be regarded as the last composer of classical symphonies. With Guston one comes to the end of painting. What started with Cezanne ends here.

Guston knew he wanted to paint in the tradition of those before him and paid a heavy price in order to achieve it. Mayer's account is of a sometimes loving more often absent father who disappointed his daughter so much so that this book is also an attempt at healing wounds. Guston appears as a larger than life figure with equally large depressive states through which into the small hours he would struggle with his canvases.

Mayer is neither maudlin nor sentimental and for a few pages here and there gives crystalline insights into her father's work that any artist should appreciate.

This then is not your typical soup to nuts biography but rather a personal view of Guston as seen through the pained eyes of one trying to purge as well as admire.

Unique Guston Biography.......2004-12-30

Night Studio is an excellent read about one of the more fascinating and well thought out artist's in american history, Philip Guston. From the very personal standpoint only one year after Guston's premature death at the age of 66, Meyer shows both a historical and emotional view of her father.

As Guston did in his art, Meyer attempts to explain her father's life as honestly as she can. Sometimes critical sometimes idolizing his character and persona, Guston nonetheless comes off as a very fascinating and mysterious figure. Meyer puts plenty on the table to digest about his life in a very tasteful way despite some of his discrepancies.

Dispersed through the book are some of Guston's philosophical views as well as some of his contemporaries which are very fascinating in light of the more detached design/invention philosophy of today's modern art. We follow his career through the WPA program, the abstract expressionism movement and the boom of conceptual and pop art.

There is plenty of Guston's personal life as well. Although an extremely private man, we get a glimpse of his life through notes found in the studio, recollections from friends, family and Meyer herself.

The writing is sometimes confessional sometimes traditional storytelling. The stories themselves aren't always in chronological order which meant I had to refer back once or twice to get a hold on where I was in his life but I think it came together quite nicely.
Highly recommended.

one of the best artist biographies i have read.......2000-01-12

As a painter, consumed by my own work at times, this book was such a treat. A wonderful and compelling look at one of the most influential artists of my career thus far. so emotional and real.

Growing up under the shadow of greatness . . ........1998-12-10

"Night Studio" is not only a compelling portrait of a great artist, but also a riveting story about life with an artist consumed and obsessed by his work. Plus, there's lots of cool pictures. This is NOT a dry biography.

Night Studio : A Memoir of Philip Guston

Average customer rating:

Night Studio : A Memoir of Philip Guston
Musa Mayer
Manufacturer: Penguin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Average customer rating:

Night Studio : A Memoir of Philip Guston
Musa Mayer
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Night Studio A Memoir of Philip Guston By His Daughter

Average customer rating:

Night Studio A Memoir of Philip Guston By His Daughter
Musa Mayer
Manufacturer: Alfred A. Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000W8Y0UG

Average customer rating:

Night Studio: a Memoir of Philip Guston
Musa Mayer
Manufacturer: Alfred A. Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Average customer rating:

Night Studio: A Memoir of Philip Guston by His Daughter.

Manufacturer: 0
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Average customer rating:

Night Studio: A Memoir of Philip Guston by His Daughter.
Musa Mayer
Manufacturer: see notes for publisher info
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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