Pet Books

A wonderful book about a wonderful breed! This book offers some great insight to caring for, socializing and training your Mastiff and definitely helped me as a first time Mastiff owner!

Mastiff: A Comprehensive Guide to Owning and Caring for Your Dog (Kennel Club Dog Breed Series)
This book was very useful and informative. It is also written in a manner that is easy to follow so it was quickly to get through.

Informative & easy to read. Gives a detailed history on the breeds origin and characteristics. Great sections on housebreaking, everyday care and health. I loved all the color pictures!

This is a must have for any Mastiff Owner from the beginning owner to the seasoned breeder. It is extremely informative and Inspirational.
We purchased this book as well as another.
"History of The Mastiff"- Gathered From Sculpture, Pottery, Carvings, Paintings and Engravings; Also From Various Authors, With Remarks On Same, This book was "NOT" worth the purchase price.

This book provides a good overview of all topics related to Mastiffs. A great book for someone interested in the general history, care requirements, and peculiarities of the mastiff breed. The photos are nice, and this is a fun book to pick up and browse through. Lots of quality information can be found within, yet the breadth of information prevents a truly comprehensive approach. Still, a good value overall!

I recently lost my beloved pet of 15 years and was looking for words of hope and comfort that one day I will get to see him again. I did not get that from this book. It was brief and I felt like I was reading a children's book. I received more comfort and hope from the paragraph I received about the Rainbow Bridge from the SPCA. I was very disappointed that the book was so short with very little detail. Normally Sylvia describes the afterlife and the ornate buildings and duties and way of life in great detail, so my expectations were high. I read this book cover to cover in about 5 minutes and came away angry that I wasted my money. I realize that afterlife may be a fantasy but in times of mourning, you are searching for anything that brings comfort and this book fell extremely short in that area.

Although this is one of the most "simple" books I own, I enjoy it so much that I bought several more copies. I give them away to special friends who I believe will "understand" the theme.

This one is a "keeper" for me.

This is a delightful book to read to children! Highly recommend Sylvia's book--"A Must Read".

This was a wonderful book. I bought it for my daughter. We just had to put down our dog, that we had for over 13yrs. My daughter was in so much pain, and feeling guilty, because we had to put her down. This really helped her understand when our pets need to leave us. Thank you so much for having a book about this subject. It really helps anyone who has lost a pet.

I AM ALSO A SYLVIA BROWN FAN, AND AN ANIMAL LOVER. AFTER READING THE REVIEWS OF THIS BOOK I DECIDED NOT TO BUY IT.
IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A GREAT BOOK AND AFTER LIFE READ KIM SHERIDANS BOOK ANIMALS IN THE AFTER LIFE, IT IS EXCELLENT.

My son who is 6 years old says, "You should get it!".

This beautiful story has inspired my son to listen for music in the city as we go through our day. He often wonders aloud how Mozart would use a certain sound(like say for instance, our city bus) if Mozart was composing a new piece of music. We love this story.

I love this book and so do my kids. It has a clever and charming storyline that weaves in a child's first look at a musical score, a few landmarks of 18th century Vienna, the excitement of a musical premiere, the effort of creating and composing. But mostly it's a fun tale beautifully illustrated with an affectionate characterization of Mozart that completely delights children. It is a wonderful book in every respect. I wish there were a whole series from this author/illustrator bringing other composers to life for this age group.

Wolfgang Mozart must compose a new tune that will be heard in the famous Burgtheater in Vienna by Saturday evening. But poor Mozart can't think of any notes to write. Alas, he is suffering from writer's block. Until his hungry pet starling, Miss Bimms, sings a melody and gets his brain flowing. However, before he can begin writing the notes down on paper, Miss Bimms escapes through the window, and Mozart begins searching the town for the little starling. On his short trip through Vienna, Mozart begins to realize that his little town is filled with inspiring sounds, and is able to set to work on his composition once and for all.

Stephen Costanza's new children book is nothing short of enchanting. The wonderful prose contained within the pages is lovely, and flows much like a melody itself. While his gorgeous illustrations contained on every page couldn't be better. This is a wonderful book for all, whether you're a Mozart fan or not.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

This book is very, very basic. If you've never heard or read anything about clicker training, it gives you a good overview of what it's about ad how to do it. The author explains how to shape basic behaviors and gives ideas for what you can shape your dogs to perform other behaviors.

If you've done any training with your dog, especially any clicker training, skip this book. It's too basic for you.

This book is a great step towards learning how to train your dog. We bought this book and other items from this publisher. We will be ready when our puppy gets here. Very excited!

This book was somewhat helpful in the clicker training process, however the DVD "Clicker Puppy" was so much more helpful. If you have no idea what clicker training is, or how to approach it, this may be a good beginner book for you. Wouldn't recommend for those who already have an idea of what clicker training is.

Karen Pryor, the author of this book, is the woman who introduced clicker training into the dog training's world. As a dolphin trainer, she was convinced that the animal friendly method she used for training dolphins would work for dogs as well. And how right she was! Clicker training is now used by countless training schools and individual dog owners all over the world.

"Getting Started: Clicker Training for Dogs" explains what clicker training is, why you should use it and especially HOW to use it. Clicker training is not about the clicker or about food! It is about reinforcement and correct timing, in such a way that information is communicated between trainer and dog. Together you and the dog will learn a new way of interacting. Learn from this book how training can be FUN, both for you and your dog!

P.S.: no, clicker training is NOT about trick training (although you can use it to learn your dog funny tricks)! Learn from this book how to communicate with your dog using a clicker, and teach him to sit, lay down, heel, stay, NOT to jump up, NOT to pull etc. Enjoy!

Certainly Ms. Pryor knows her technique and provides good step-by-step basic instructions about using clicker training with dogs. She covers the do's and don'ts and provides essential advice with some examples.

However, I thought that the portion of the book that dealt specifically with training dogs was somewhat scant and would have rather seen more about problem solving and working with crossover dogs---e.g., dogs that have had other types of training before ever hearing a clicker---and much, much less of the history about the pioneering clicker training done with dolphins.

Hence, I thought the book quite expensive for the amount of practical information it contained.

I found this book to be fairly well written with only a little bias toward evolution, an unproven scientific theory.

the book arrived in a better condition than i expected, and there was no trouble with delivery. however, i use this book for my ap environmental science class and find it lacking in details. in my opinion, it offers only a cursory overview of the concepts. to its credit, it is very easy to understand, but if you want something with more information, this may not be the best book to choose.

The state of Washington mails each registered voter a "Voter's Pamphlet" with statements for and against each initiative and candidate.

This book has the same format as a page for initiative X complete with rebuttals, but no page against initiative X.

This is completely one sided political rhetoric.

Why are high school students being given 815 pages of brainwashing?

I can understand some political extremest writing this book, but why would the Mercer Island school district buy this book?

I know science.
This ain't science.
Maybe political science.

Being a chemistry student, I've read this book as part of my classes. I've got to say, it's an excellent book, definitely worth reading by itself. It offers concrete, pragmatic solutions and an unbiased collection of scientificly supported descriptions of environmental problems and how to deal with them. It's also almost completely devoid of gloom and doom, as opposed to some of today's green movements. Very much recommended.

I have not read the whole book yet, and I have the 2004 edition (#13). I truly hope the newer editions are better. This is a review of Chapter 1 only.

The chapter annoyed me. It even made me angry. It is milquetoast, unable to just say we, the human population, is depleting too many resources to be sustainable. Adding the statement "other analysts do not believe we are living unsustainably" to an Environmental Science textbook is like saying "some people believe the earth is flat," in a geography textbook, or, something that unfortunately seems to happen in some biology textbooks these days, "evolution is just one theory, there are other theories as well, some experts believe god created all life on earth as it is today." A similar statement was made in part 1-6, "Is our Present Course Sustainable?." "Are things getting better or worse? Experts disagree..." Experts paid by huge resource exploiting corporations? Experts who like to bury their heads in the sand?

There were a number of interesting facts in the text that the general statements did not reflect. These inconsistencies really got to me. It seemed as if it were trying to write about what was outside the box but writing from inside the box. I particularly disliked the sentence that included: "... how much more we need to do to help make the earth more sustainable..." Wait a second, if you were writing from a viewpoint that "Nature does not exist just for us and we only think we are in charge. We need the earth, but the earth does not need us," how can you talk about "making the earth more sustainable?" The earth is what it is and is bountiful, it is our resource exploitation and pollution that are not sustainable for human survival.

I found the first part of the side bar "Free-Access Resources and the Tragedy of the Commons" quite interesting, but the second part on solutions seemed to missing a lot. The first of the two listed solutions was: "Use free-access resources at rates well below their estimated sustainable yields or overload limits by reducing population, regulating access, or both." It then went on to say how this is rarely used since it means we would have to establish and enforce rules and regulations, and it is hard to figure out a sustained yield. But it doesn't mention that educating people about these resources that they take for granted could go along way. Also not mentioned is that regulating the devices that allow people to exploit these resources (such as clean air, the atmosphere, water and wildlife) so easily and unthinkingly would be much easier than regulating their actual use. A lot of the resources mentioned are being depleted by pollution not use in a strict sense. The other solution listed is: "Convert free-access resources to private ownership," since if someone owns something they will protect it, has so many problems which are not addressed. The books lists the problem with this solution as being that "it is not practical for global common resources (such as the atmosphere, the open ocean, most wildlife species, and migratory birds) that can not be divided up and converted to private property." What about the fact that people do exploit the resources that they do own, and the fact that it would no doubt cause even more problems with poverty, and sharing things in common is what brings people together as a community (e.g. they all go to the park and see each other), and so many other problems that I get overwhelmed just thinking about them.

There was a lot of talk about overpopulation as a major problem, but not so much talk about overconsumption by certain parts of the population, even though there were sections on this. There was a section on ecological foot print and how the people in the USA have such a large one, but this didn't seem to get integrated into the text. There was also the statement: "Thus poor parents in a developing country would need 70 - 200 children to have the same lifetime resource consumption as 2 children in a typical U.S. family," but there was a lot of emphasis on population as a major problem and how in underdeveloped countries populations are growing as such a fast rate, when slight rises in US middle/upper class populations can make so much more difference. It felt to me like too much blame poor people in poor countries when it is people in the US and corporations based in the US enriching people in the US who are causing so much of the problems, even exporting our TV and advertisements to other countries which makes people want our unsustainable lifestyle.

There was also no mention of empowering women as a major tool to deal with high birthrates. There is overwhelming evidence that when you empower women to choses when they want to get pregnant and give them education and job skills birthrates do down. The paragraph on why poor people have so many children basically says the reason is to have their labor, with no mention of lack of birth control or power of women to make choices. It also seemed racist and disrespectful.

While we are on the subject of racist and disrespectful, what is with the developed and developing labels? The societies in all countries are developed, it is just industrial manufacturing and certain kinds of resource exploitation that are not as developed.

One last perhaps picky complaint. Figure 1-13 mentions "Traditional decision making" and "traditional societies" but it really does not mean traditional, it means modern industrialized hierarchical societies. This may seem picky but I feel it really does matter, we need to keep remembering that these societies we are living in are new, not traditional. True traditional societies did merge social, economic and environmental issues when making decisions, in fact, they did so in all aspects of living their lives. What we need to do is get back to them.

Nice overview and great photography of the different chicken breeds. Has details on how chickens produce for eggs, meat of show.

I love the book the photos are great and I found the information helpful. I would recommend this book the first time chicken owner or someone who has then for a while.

This book has really great information about the many different breeds of chicken and answers many questions, such as:

-Which breeds are gentle and docile/best for children?
-Which breeds are aggressive or avoid humans?
-Which are noisy or quiet?
-Best or poor layers?
-Difficult to breed?
-Have special husbandry requirements (fencing, footing, housing, etc.)?

This is a great book for those new to chickens or those considering a new breed. As we all know, "you can't judge a book by its cover"-- the same idea applies to chickens! This book can help families avoid choosing a breed for the wrong reasons (and thus avoid a negative experience with chickens). It also helps those new to chickens understand that not all breeds can live under the same conditions-- e.g. while some are happy in relative confinement, others will harm each other or be miserable when in close confinement and need to be allowed to range freely. Some chickens are cold-hardy while others are not suited to freezing winters. Etc. etc.!

This book can help families find what they are looking for (a friendly pet, a great layer, a hen that will be happy being confined, etc.) in an interesting and appropriate breed.

I really love the layout and color of this book. But some of the info is just plain crazy -- like the overly complex method the author suggests when using a broody hen. That's the whole point of USING a broody -- making it simple -- mama does the work. Their instructions are just nutty on it.

A lot of the more interesting breeds were not listed, like Araucana and Ameraucana.

Several photos were very obviously mislabeled as hens when they were very much roosters.

But overall a nice book for beginner-to-intermediate poultry hobbyists.

This is my second favorite chicken book. Great basic info. on setting up for chickens, keeping them, and, most importantly, on what breeds are best for your particular needs/desires. Nice photos, and good descriptions. Unfortunately, it is a British book, so it doesn't include a few American breeds I wanted to read about, but that's a pretty minor fault... All in all, a very concise, useful book.

I found this a more enjoyable book than its prequel, The Dogs Who Found Me, (but then, I listened to the audio book for that title, and that colored my opinion of it) because this book is a total dog fix for a dogoholic like me. Included in this title are stories of dog acquaintances, dog friends, dog relatives, rescues, strays, and neighbors. Foster writes a lot about post-Katrina life in New Orleans in this book and the animals caught in the middle. Like many dog lovers, Ken knows the dogs before the people..the people are many times accessories to the various canines. I love that perspective.
C.A.Wulff - author of Born Without a Tail www.yelodoggie.com

Ken's stories remind me of Dr. James Herriot's awesome tales about his life as a country vet in Britain. (All Creatures Great and Small, and others)

Ken's books are also heartwarming and for anyone who loves animals.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RIJ2ZYSOJDATB This isn't really a review, it's just the only way I could find to share this great video that was created at a party I had for the release of Dogs I Have Met. Among the many dogs who attended: Trap Jack and Dag, both of whom are featured in the book.

and an American Pit Bull Terrier lover in particular, I have a special place in my heart for Ken Foster and his experiences. He is not afraid to stand up for what he believes and take corrective action for injustices he observes. He is a patriot for the APBT breed. This book is very well written and brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion. Bravo, Ken!

Ken Foster has again produced an entertaining look at the people he has encountered in his interesting dog-filled life. His writing style is unique and one to be emulated. The small volume is a quick read. American Pit bulls have a great advocate in him as he gently but forcefully defends them.

This book is a pure delight to read.
Rita Reynolds has put some profound and beautiful concepts in a format that is totally captivating. Images she and Cristina the teaching cow and philosopher put forth stay with me throughout my day. Christina gives her student lessons and "work" to do on the quest for inner peace but LOVE is the lesson and it is pursued in beautiful metaphors. The love of all things the earth has to offer is a strong theme that resonated with me. I love this book.
Sue Parker

Although revered by the Hindus of India, the typical cow is not regarded as a terribly intelligent animal. Nonetheless, some here in the United States have formed a seemingly unlikely bond with the cow. "Ask the Cow: A Gentle Guide to Finding Peace" is Rita Reynold's examination of her relationship with her treasured cow Christina. Developing an understanding with her bovine friend, Rita began to better know the world around her and developed much insight. "Ask The Cow" is Rita articulately sharing the knowledge and wisdom she gained from her time with Christina.

Review: Ask the Cow

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I've always considered Rita Reynolds as one of those people who walks and writes between the worlds. Rita's intuitive association with the animal kingdom has surfaced once again in her new book, ASK THE COW. She has brought us all a little closer to the mystical side of life in her philosophical exchanges with her companion cow, Christina.

ASK THE COW is a compendium of lively dialog, and sometimes, a sparring match between Rita and "Her Cowness," Christine.

Those of us who know Rita's, BLESSING THE BRIDGE have been waiting patiently for ASK THE COW to be published, and the teachings Christina offers are founded on deep transcendental wisdom that rises from an overflowing spring of truth and compassion. But don't think you are reading this book merely for its brilliant insights on life from the mundane to the metaphysical, because you will find yourself laughing out loud at the comical descriptions, real and surreal ,that happen between them. Christina and Rita jostle between the worlds of form and imagination in their day-to-day encounters on the farm. This combination of reverent and irreverent offers some of the most intimate and endearing glimpses into the very Heart of their friendship.

Christina is the equivalent of a Zen Cow Master, and this book is a treasure of wisdom, humor and plain old everyday sense, at a time when our fragile world needs one more voice of love and peace, even if it is spoken by a sagacious and sometimes cantankerous cow.


From "Lavender Earthworms" to "Still Life with Clutter," each chapter offers something to chew and "ruminate" over when the unfathomable chemistry of Rita and Christine comes together.

"Imagine," Christina said softly, "The implications for the planet if human beings were sensitive to the nature of night crawlers."

Anyone who has ever looked to the animal kingdom in an attempt to understand the bigger picture will find all the answers they'll ever need to get through life's lessons in the funny, thoughtful, inspiring pages of ASK THE COW.

In the Chapter, "Living with Gandhi" Christina says to Rita, " I was meant to come here to protect and teach you." After reading this wonderful book, there isn't a doubt in my mind that Christina is doing just that for every one of us.

In her new book, Ask the Cow, Rita Reynolds writes about a time when her spiritual footing was less than stable and then reveals the question that Christina the cow seemed to be asking: "So, when are you going to ask for help?" Rita admits that it took her a while to be ready to receive guidance from her beloved bovine, but when she did the receiving was more than she could have imagined.

This book offers, in a delightfully readable manner, a look at common distractions on the spiritual path, including clutter in our lives and minds, focus on goals instead of the process, and becoming distressed by matters outside of our control. Answers to these situations come during the many discourses with Christina, about whom Rita says, "...in her cowish ways, she was probably the finest therapist a confused individual could ever have." As someone who has met Rita, I can attest to the fact that she does not appear to be a confused individual at all! She is clearly focused on attaining inner peace. Confusion can sometimes result--in anyone--from observing the apparent lack of peace in the world while seeking inner peace for oneself.

Rita loves and respects all life, and it shows in her daily life as well as in her writings. She is open to learning from animals and, as this book clearly indicates, it was her willingness to receive that aided her personal search for inner peace. Rita's style of writing, including creative imagery and sense of humor, offers readers a glimpse of what all animals have to offer and what is, in Rita's words, "timeless, universal wisdom that is freely, readily available to any who asks to learn."

by Marie Mead, author (with collaborator Nancy LaRoche) of Rabbits: Gentle Hearts, Valiant Spirits - Inspirational Stories of Rescue, Triumph, and Joy

David Sedaris has achieved worldwide fame for his raconteurish retelling of personal stories. He makes the artful, edgy and remarkably interesting. If Sedaris had come into the world a woman, made up of Heart from top to bottom, he might have been Rita Reynolds. In her new book, ASK THE COW, this gentle, passionate storyteller and her bovine spiritual adviser offer the kind of thinking, feeling and growing that make one happy to be alive.

The further I delved into ASK THE COW, the more I realized I was in the company of of two exceptional people; one walking on two legs and rushing about asking the right questions, the other standing serenely on four legs, knowing more than anyone would reasonably expect from a cow. One look into Christina's eyes, though, and you may be redefining your species-thinking. Cud-chewer or not, Christina has darshan, that word some Indians use to describe the energetic wisdom that emanates from the eyes of a master soul. Come to think of it, she also has a lot of chutzpah.

Read ASK THE COW without delay if your life has been relentlessly posing the right questions. Christina and Rita together will offer you the kindly wisdom you may have been seeking. And if the moment isn't right for wisdom, at least you'll find yourself in the company of a truly skilled storyteller. I'll be giving many copies of ASK THE COW as gifts, and I look forward to revisiting it myself, a brand new old friend, when my cud needs chewing once again.

Mostly this is a very good book, which is amazing considering how much Christian tries to do. It is well worth reading, though hard to follow in places. Having given it five stars, let me offer a few warnings for potential readers:

Christian can be kind of fuzzy. For a book of history there are remarkably few dates, and I often found myself asking, "Just when did this take place?" I was also bothered by the way Christian didn't "define his terms." For example, a fair amount of the last part of the book talks about Europe becoming "commercial." But he never tells us just what he means by commercial, or how we can tell when one country is more commercial than another, or how we can tell whether a country has gotten a lot more commercial or just a little more commercial.

I was especially frustrated by a section near the end. He seems to say, "The modern world is capitalist. The modern world has tremendous poverty. Therefore, capitalism has caused tremendous poverty." This seems silly. Most people would agree that capitalism involves well-defined and well-protected property rights, and a large amount of freedom to engage in economic transactions without interference by a government. By this standard, much of the world isn't all that capitalist. Moreover, in general, the less "capitalist" the country, the poorer it is. Blaming capitalism for poverty seems like blaming medicine when people refuse to allow their children to get vaccinated and then the kids get sick. No doubt Christian means something different by capitalism--but since he doesn't say what, it is impossible to know how to agree or disagree.

A major theme of the book is that for most of the last two thousand years, the richest areas of the world were southwest Asia (mesopotamia and Persia), south Asia (India) and east Asia (China). As late as 1800, a "man from Mars" would have reported back to his home planet that India and China, not Europe, were where people lived best. The book then seems to say that a century later, China and India were poverty-stricken. Yet aside from a reference to the Opium Wars (and some reading between the lines about population increase), there is no explanation of how such a monumental change happened.

Sometimes Christian doesn't realize the power of simple arithmetic. If one farm family can produce enough food to feed one family, just about everyone has to be a farmer. If technology improves so that one farm family can feed two families, one half of the farm families will have to cease being farmers. If technology means one farm family can feed three, two thirds of the farm families have to get out of the ancestral business. Whether the process will be negative ("thrown off the land") or positive (peasants flee "the idiocy of rural life" for the increased stimulation and opportunity of urban areas) will depend on a lot of things, but the fact that it happens follows directly from the increased productivity. High agricultural productivity dooms a peasantry.

Intellectually stimulating, rapid-fire journey, the "powers of 10" movie specialized for history buffs. Some of the material I found superficial/generalized to be of substance, but the author acknowledges that can be the nature of Big History. An ambitious book which talks directly to ideas that most historians only philosophically discuss. A charge of inductive reasoning would not be far fetched, ie. cherry picking of facts to support prefigured models. Excellent overview of Big History and World History ideas and methods and themes. Annotated bibliographies at the end of each chapter, and large one at the end of the book, are very good for further exploration, most book recommendations are recent (1990s and early 2000s). Despite criticisms learned some new and important perspectives and recommend it highly.

The Maps of Time is a good concept; however, the view is slanted to a Marxist view of history. This becomes apparent as the book moves along although at first it isn't so clear.

The first clue that the book is slanted is the absence of religion in the discussion. The book is all science all the way in its descriptions of the universe and its origins. What mention there is of religion, especially Christian concepts, is negative.



As one moves through history the author makes statements that simply cannot be supported. For example, on page 174 the author states: "Studies of Homo habilis skulls show that their brains were not merely large than australopithecine brains; they were also organized differently. In particular, there are hints of the division of labor between left and right sides..." I hate to point out that a skull in and of itself isn't going to be able to tell a researcher how the brain was organized. And the author acknowledges this in the statement that there are "hints" of the division of labor. I am not trying to be especially nit picky but this is the kind of statement the author makes over and over. Things that cannot be shown are said to be absolute.

As the book moves into ancient societies the author argues that progress came through interconnection between societies. As trade grew so did progress to more complex things and more complex societies. He also divides the world into tribute taking and consensual societies. He argues that tribute taking states see war as their main concern. In essence, like Marx, he argues that states develop as exploitative institutions where those at the top use those at the bottom. Those at the bottom do all the work and those at the top enjoy the fruits of their labor. He also thinks that men began to lead society because they were less vital than women outside the home, so as society developed power structures outside the home men naturally began to run these.

I could go on, but the entire argument is flawed in so many ways it is hard to count them all. I would say that society developed as it did because of the need for protection. Even hunter gathers need protection from wild beasts and other tribes. Who is going to be doing the attacking? The biggest strongest men from the other tribe. Who will have to do the defending? The biggest strongest men from the tribe under attack. Those who go off to raid, or to protect, must be shown some honor from the group. If nothing else the men who fight will demand honor from the group, and eventually they will come to lead the group because protection is so vital. It may also be the leaders of the group are those with good ideas or whatever. It is not a given that exploiters came to lead society.

Why settle down and farm? Is it because you want to be exploited? No, it is because you can do more with your life. The crops and animals will support you without needing to tramp about all year. Specialization will naturally grow out of such settlements because some people will be better at certain tasks, and as they improve their work they will be paid (given grain etc) which will take the place of working in the fields. This will be especially true in areas such as metal working. Someone has to mine the metal ore (which requires staying in one place), smelt the ore, and then make the metal objects such as swords, spear points etc. From this alone a group of non-farming individuals will develop which will exist as specialist within the group. The author believes specialization developed because of interconnection with other groups (trade etc) and because the elites desired it. I would argue it is a natural process of staying in one place.

In my opinion society did not develop as set forth in the Maps of Time, and the book gives no other ideas as to how societies might have come about. The ONLY way it is described is a group of elitists pushing the "working class" into subjugation.

As the author argues the interconnectedness of societies as the key to progress he also argues that Europe was a geographic hub and that was critical to its progress. Europe isn't the geographic hub of anything. In fact it sits on the edge of a huge landmass (Euro-Asia) apart from anything that would cross it naturally. However, Europe became a hub of trade and learning because of the Renaissance, the age of discovery and the industrial revolution. The key was a change in mindset, and all else followed that key change. Capitalist societies etc came about because the minds in Europe had changed, not because the economy had somehow changed. The fact that other parts of the world had no Renaissance is the key to why Europe emerged triumphant from the dark ages and eventually ruled the world.

In essence, the author overlooks the importance of protection, war, religion, and thought processes in history. To his credit he includes economic factors (trade etc), the role of disease and the role of the types of government in directing history. Unfortunately he overstates the role of economic matters and government type in history. The author fails to effectively link the very long sections on the origins of the universe and our earth to history itself. More than half the book is taken up with physical history and pre-history, much of which is speculation. Little time is spent on ancient history, the foundations of democracy, the economic collapse of the middle ages in Europe, the development of the modern world, World Wars I and II etc. What good is knowing the physical history of the universe if it isn't tied to how we act and react in the modern world?

In the end, I reject the premise of the book that history can be explained by science and Karl Marx's economic philosophy.

AD2

David Christian had a great ambition with this book: to write the history of everything there has ever been. In other words, it describes not only human history but also natural history from the very first beginning. Of course, I had read this on the cover but I had not quite anticipated how elaborate and detailedly the author would describe the formation of the cosmos from the moment of the big bang. I had expected the book to go rather briefly through this part of history and to move on quickly to human history. But I was pleasantly surprised because this first part of the book turned out to be the most fascinating part, as far as I am concerned. The rest of the book is quite interesting too, I must add. The plan and ambition of this book are great, the way the author has worked them out, too. If you liked THE HUMAN WEB by JR McNeill and William H. McNeill, you may like MAPS OF TIME even more. If you admired A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME by Stephen Hawking, you may admire this book just as much.

The book is not always easy, but well worth reading. It debates the different theories about life, the Universe and everything, through zooming in. The first part is about the big bang en the formation of stars, than follows the geological processes that formed the earth, the evolution of live, humans and our history. It ends with the 20 th century and possible futures. What I liked most about this book, was that it did not present a clear story, but gave the facts, and the different theories (different stories) that might come with those facts.
It was for me the book at the center of my expending library, because it comes with a extensive bibliography from which I'm now selecting books about the different parts of the big everything to continue reading.
The best book I've read in years (and I read a lot of (non)fiction books, about a large variaty of subjects).

This book is terrific. It provides a general guide to companion animal care (In a natural way ofcourse), and then lists ailments and accompanying herbal remedies. Easy to use, easy to understand. Suitable for practitioners and animal lovers. If you have a pet then you should buy this book.

This book is an excellent source of almost forgotten and useful information. I am constantly going back to reread sections and have bought it for my farming, animal loving daughters.

First I will give the author due credit for her general ideas on natural rearing, caution of over-vaccination, recommendation of a natural raw diet and advice to provide plenty of exercise, sunshine and love.

With that said, some of her suggestions are iffy at best:

The suggestion to not spay and neuter is very ignorant. Overpopulation in dogs and cats leads to euthanasia, homeless pets, pets with bad homes because they were given away to anybody, etc,etc. There is no side effect of spaying and neutering that even comes close to being as harmful to our pets as the side effects of overpopulation.

The author recommends burying meat in the backyard as a healthful alternative to freezing.

She recommends feeding grains with the raw bones, so that the grains can protect the stomach/intestines from any sharp bone fragments. To expect that to work is just silly, and dogs do not need grains in their diets.

She recommends feeding dried fruits,specifically including raisins, but raisins are toxic to dogs!

She recommends red raspberry leaf for pregnant females but this has been scientifically proven to cause a higher fetal mortality rate, and it induces uterine contractions which is not always a good thing.

She does have some good advice, but I wouldn't blindly trust all of the information contained in this book. Natural rearing is best for your dog, but definitely do your own research and make your own informed decisions.

Well this book is mainly only for the use for dogs. I was thinking it's be more like a herbal/ailment glossary. You know, about what's wrong with your pet and what herb to use for it. It does have that in the book but very little and it's got more literature in it than I had wanted.

I had bought two of Juliette's herbal books for cats and dogs when I read another book by a different author who had recommended Juliette's books specifically. One of our cats had developed a strange problem where his fur ceased to grow in a large area on his left flank. The spot started out small but gradually grew large and larger until a spot several inches in diameter was mostly fur-less on our cat. Our vet ran a number a tests which came up negative and we even ran tests twice. Our vet said he didn't know the cause of the problem. We had our cat for years and he is an indoor cat fed typical dry cat food (Whiskas), as are all our kitties, and we also give our cats canned tuna fish frequently, as well as chicken breast, turkey breast and beef occasionally. We didn't think his problem could be diet-related. Our other cats are very healthy and our vet even remarked on their coats saying they were the most beautiful he had seen. We tried some things the vet suggested, including giving our cat vitamin E supplements and even cod liver oil but nothing helped the problem and it just seemed to get worse over several months. I searched around the internet trying to find informataion on a possible cause of his condition but found nothing really. I thought perhaps his problem could be a thyroid condition. When I consulted Juliette's book, she recommended seaweed, garlic or raw egg yolks for thyroid problems. As I already had eggs in the house, I decided to try those first. I mixed raw egg yolk into my cat's tuna fish and fed that to him on several days and then we noticed that his fur looked like it was growing back. I worried about feeding him too much egg yolks as I didn't want him getting too much cholesterol so I ceased feeding the egg yolk after about a week but his fur continued to grow back until it was all the way grown back and he seems fine now. I'm thankful this book helped us find a way to help our cat. It was worth the price of the book just for the help with that one problem, though I will continue to consult the book in future if my cats need any more treatment for any future ailments. Juliette seems very knowledgeable about natural and herbal remedies. I bought her book "Common Herbs for Natural Health" and used some of her recommended treatments on myself as well with very good results.