Science Nature Books

I am an avid fish fanatic. Moyle and Cech have produced what should be the greatest book of scientific interest on the subject. Seems like there is a but there? There is, this is a text book. If you are taking ichthyology, an upper level (sometimes graduate level) course on fishes this book will be your best friend. It is critical to understanding the largest group of vertebrates. It is well organized, fact filled and well cited. But, if you don't have Biology one and two, some chemistry, physiology and an introductory zoology course behind you it will lose you at the introduction. Even though I rate it high I would wait until a professor says you have to buy it.

This is really a great text book that covers everything from anatomy, behaviour and fish senses, passing through each fish order, until reach valiable aspects of fish comprehension, like zoogeography and aquatic ecology. Because it's scientific writing, the book is fullfilled with graphics and diagrams, so in the beginning the unaware reader should feel such level of difficulty, but it doesnt compromises at all the inner knowledge the book wants to pass.
Sure an awesome title!

Moyle and Cech's text reads like two books, Cech's introduction to fish anatomy and Moyle's discussion of behavior and conservation (which is precisely how they use the text in their UC Davis classes). While first half of the book is much more technical than the second half, both are accessible to the non-specialist. I hadn't taken Biology since High School and was able to process most of the material with minimal referencing of secondary sources. Both authors are good writers who incorporate subtle humor and have the ability to convey some of their passion for fish making this a somewhat less dry text book than the general tendency. I learned an incredible amount from these pages and highly recommend this text.

Once you get used to the format of the Audubon Field Guides, they are very easy to use. I especially like the thumb tab approach to locating an entry. Like all the Audubon series, this guide is compact, well-written, precise, comprehensive, informative, brilliant color plates, tough outer cover - what's not to like? Highly recommended.

As with all the Audubon Field Guides, so too with this one. The color plates are the best in all the field guides; these photos are indispensible for anyone who needs to ascertain which one of the 314 Western tree species needs to be identified.

The durable leatherette cover, along with the heavy duty (turtleback) book binding make this a book that can easily withstand much wear and tear.

The descriptive information is good; where the text starts to show deficiencies is in the Range, Habitat, and Summary sections on each species. The information tends to be vague and merely glosses over critical facts that should be included. I can only assume it's the usual story of the editors not having the space to include more relevant information.

The index is cross referenced to the color plates - this is a big plus when out in the field attempting to do identifications. As far as a good tool to increase one's knowledge of the natural world, this field guide is helpful and deserves a place in any naturalist's library.

The Cloud Reckoner

Extracts: A Field Guide for Iconoclasts

If your going to be stuffing your field guide into your pocket, glove box, daypack or backpack, the "turtleback" binding used by Audubon is perfect. Personally, I don't use it that way. When I encounter a species I cannot identify, I take notes (usually of the mental variety) -- leaf characteristics, bark characteristics, size, form, habitat, seeds, flowers, etc. -- and identify it when I return home. The photos and drawings in this volume are generally excellent. So far as I can recall, the Audubon guide has yet to fail me. It doesn't include very many introduced (non-native) trees, that's not it's purpose, of course, so it may not help you identify the trees that have been planted in your yard. The Sunset Western Garden Book, or perhaps your local nurseryman, will fit that niche.
Could the book be better? Well, the obvious answer is always yes, I suppose, but I don't know how. Would some kind of a 'flow-chart' for identifying specimens improve this edition? Well, there is one, created quiet simply in the way the book is organized; refer to the "How to Use this Guide" section in the front. I won't claim to be a connoisseur of guidebooks, but this one has worked very nicely for me for several years and I recommend it without hesitation.

I spent $20 on this at a local bookstore (that was a mistake: it is only $14 here on Amazon) and got it home and went into my backyard. An hour later, I was only able to identify one of the three trees in the yard.

I got the book because it had the Audobon name, and it included some sharp color photos. I should have got the Peterson guide instead.

What the Audobon book is missing is an algorithm or process to identify an unknown tree (they call this "differential diagnosis" in medicine). I was expecting something like: "If it has 5 needles per cluster turn to page 45, if it has grey bark turn to page 64, etc" until you pinpoint your tree.

I would even be happy if it had some illustrations like Silbeys bird book ... with arrows pointing to the discriminating features that distinguish the tree from similar trees.

But in the Audobon book, the reader is expected to browse thru dozens of photos and try to match your tree to the photo. But SURPRISE, the photos of similar trees all look alike and what then? You are expected to browse the the dense textual (!) descriptions and flip back and forth reading minutae like "two white strips on the undersides of the needles"

How about some color illustrations? How about a list of similar trees a given tree is often confused with? How about a handful of distinguishing characteristics of each tree?

Try Petersons book instead!

These Audubon books are the best ones for learning about the subject matter, ie: trees. Colored pictures are a MUST and these books have pictures that allow you to identify your tree easily. I have purchased a number of them over the years and will do so in the future.

This book is the foundation of my astronomy books. Until now, I have been using an earlier (around 1980 I think) edition that I bought in college. The newer color sky maps are much easier to read in my opinion. Each sky map had a summary section that tells you all about the section of sky on the map. This is a great help to me for planning my observation schedule. I would say this is probably my most valuable and useful observational astronomy reference book.

This is a great, little reference book for stargazers. It contains nice images and lots of information. My only complaints about this product are 1) the font / text is very small, and 2) some elements appear crammed in the book, which makes it hard for some who have certain eye issues to read. Otherwise, this is a nice, approachable guide.

This guide was used, but it looked brand spanking new to me. Arrived on time & worked great for my Astronomy class. Great color pics & good price. thanks!

and I wish I'd paid more attention to three-star reviews. The good news is that A FIELD GUIDE TO STARS AND PLANETS is a dynamo of facts, figures and photos and an amazing value at less than fifteen dollars. Just about everything you'd expect a beginning-to-established amateur astronomer to know, or have access to, is found here. But that's part of the problem.

This is a field guide in the Peterson's traditional trim size, 7.2 x 4.6 inches. I got the distinct impression, many times, that a really knockout book with great design and photography was dying to break free of the unfortunate standard field-guide format. In Peterson's more mainstream guides, photos of scarlet tanagers or coral snakes look quite good; in fact, they're a point of pride. In this book, with the same sized page, the crab nebula looks disappointingly dim and incomplete, as do many other inter-stellar objects.

Perhaps the disappointing quality of many photos kept the book's editors from including more of them, because you will also encounter in this book pages and pages devoted to such technical information as sidereal rotation time, or comprehensive sky charts for all latitudes, for all year. The tenor of STARS AND PLANETS is heroic but ultimately disenchanting, especially factoring in its unforgiving soft cover. Ironically, these hurdles are redoubled in practical use since "in the field" for the amateur astronomer generally means in the dark. Don't crack that spine! Very frustrating.

Don't get me wrong: Peterson's guides on the whole are top-notch and I don't mind a little line extention: twelve years ago they did a very credible job on a field guide of railroad locomotives using standardized line drawings and specs for each entry. Obviously there are lots of reviewers here who love the book as it is; but there are lots of other books in the $12 to $25 range that IMHO may serve better.

Everyone seems to love that perennial (and newly updated) favorite, NIGHTWATCH: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO VIEWING THE UNIVERSE by Terence Dickinson. Dedicated stargazers will probably find THE NIGHT SKY COMPANION: A YEARLY GUIDE TO SKY-WATCHING 2008-2009 easier to reference. For a little more money the whiz-bang factor is extraordinarily high in the stouter and much thicker 300 ASTRONOMICAL OBJECTS: A VISUAL REFERENCE TO THE UNIVERSE by Jamie Wilkins and Robert Dunn. Although a mini by coffee-table standards, those photos look great in the more squarish shape, and there's a lot of state-of-the-art talk about how astronomers know the galaxy and what they are looking for next. Even ASTRONOMY FOR DUMMIES, while sorely in need of more color plating, shows what it shows well and is a good and patient guide, especially for the rookie. Very reasonably priced at Amazon, too. Try one of these instead, based on your starting point and intended goal. It's no great trick these days to call up online such eventual and vital technicalities as times of sunrise and sunset, declination, and sideral rotation.

I found this book has a lot of interesting and useful information. It also shows planetary positions till 2014. The atlas is a little crammed at ~2.9mm/degree but not problematic.It is very detailed, going to stellar magnitude 7.5 ,with 2,500 deep space objects.I use it in conjunction with a planisphere and it works really well.I suggest laminating the covers because this book will dog ear with a lot of field use. Overall,this is an excellent resource book.

Finished this book a few years back after hearing Colm Kelleher interviewed on Coast to Coast am. I can discern whether someone is being honest or not in their voices, the fluctuations in pitch and emotion during certain retellings of events, etc. and I could instantly tell these two dudes were telling the truth. Plus I've been to the Uinta Basin Ute Rez in Utah and I could feel some very strange energies, very similar to Dulce in some ways on the Jicarilla Apache Rez in New Mexico, another hot-spot of "activity". Anyways, very engrossing read and very scientifically-oriented, you might be surprised. Creeped me out good, especially when IT crawled out of the porthole in the air and went scurrying off, and the animal mutilations. So on so forth. NIDS (National Institute for Discovery Science) funded this project and I thought it was a great read. Beware of the Shamans, curanderos, and brujos which "of course don't really exist" but are lurking inside the crack between the worlds you refuse to peer into, all the time. MUAH HA HA HAAAAA !!!

This book is very interesting for anyone interested in the paranormal, particualrly in Utah and relating to native americans

I had a hard time getting to sleep after reading this book. It was so interesting that I had a hard time putting it down despite the fact that it was probably scarier than most fiction books I have read! Worth the money and time to read. This book will make a great addition to your paranormal/UFO book collection.

Dr. Kelleher is an extremely accomplished scientist who lends his vast knowledge to the study of unbelievable paranormal activity centered on a secluded ranch. Dr. Kelleher's status as a scientist, and his courage in stepping forward into a field ridiculed by so many of his peers, lends much needed credibility to this phenomenon. OPEN YOUR MINDS! This is a MUST READ for all UFO, Bigfoot, and paranormal researchers!

Historical documentation of the Uinta basin where the Gorman Ranch is located was well researched including the long-term history of paranormal activity.

Knapp did an outstanding job of concisely presenting somewhat difficult theories such as parallel universes, alternative realities and the possibility of a "break" in the fabric of such allowing the Gorman Ranch to become one of the hot spots for high strangeness.

Overall, the book managed to outline scientific method and the difficulty of trying to follow "standard" scientific protocol when chasing the elusive paranormal activity found in the area.

Obviously the result of exhaustive field research, this book is fantastic. The photos are great and make it easy to identify individual species. I appreciate the fact that living butterflies in their natural habitat were the "models" in most of the ID photos. However, some of the photos I wasn't too keen on, like the one of the Florida broadwing with a torn wing being eaten by a spider and a few others here and there that look like they were found on the side of roads. I thought these photos were inappropriate for an otherwise beautiful and helpful book! Buyers should be aware that though this book is quite thick, the section containing color photos comprises only about 1/4 of its total pages.

A must book for butterfly enthusiasts. Arrived on time, and in great shape. Thanks!

If you have no background in biology or you are a young child, then this is the perfect guide for you. If, however, you are an informed enthusiast or competent scientist, then you should buy the peterson guide or the kaufman guide, or both.

This field guide is easy to use and very helpful for beginners. It was recommended to us by the North America Butterfly Assn.

Glassberg's book is a "must have" for anyone interested in butterflies, whether they are a novice or an expert themselves. Glassberg has assembled a collection of stunning photographs of butterflies commonly found in the eastern part of the country. Each photo contains enough detail, that even the rank amateur can easily identify the butterfly that just "passed by." Glassberg also gives side by side comparisons of similar looking butterflies, carefully pointing out the minute differences most may miss. He provides a calendar of when the species is most likely to be seen, areas where they tend to gather and other pertinent information. The book also gives basic background information on butterflies from their life cycle stages to host plants. The book is sized just right to toss into a napsack or car's glove compartment.

Unlike most science books out there, this one covers ALL the ground, from basic cell structure, to plant life, ecological systems, physics and chemistry. It is written in a VERY easy to read format with lots of extras, ideas for simple experiments and observations that can be made in your own home. For the home school parent or like me, the parent trying to educate their child in a failing school district, I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

This is a hardback book with ample questions that can be answered by the student to make sure they did more than "skim the chapter." There is plenty of application knowledge and observational studies. Filled with bright and colorful drawings and pictures my son is actually excited about learning for the first time!

good book, quick read. explains the problems of peak oil and the implications it has for the future of the energy industry.

This is another superb contribution on Peak Oil that I had the pleasure of reading by Richard Heinberg. By and large and once again, I would also classify this text as a classic. Other reviews do a wonderful job of summarizing the nuts and bolts of this book. I will not belabor such points.

Suffice it to say that this book is a well done addition to The Party's Over. It forces one to consider in even greater detail, the implications of the Peak Oil in the realm of economics, alternatives (and the latest developments), and some suggested courses of action to deal with the coming changes. Much like his previous books, it is indeed well written and oddly enjoyable (again, given the subject matter). I appreciate how he treats the entire political spectrum in the same manner, i.e. Democrats and Republicans alike, in how all have contributed and sustain the current course of events in one way or another. Heinberg shines in this effort.

[...]

Power Down is a powerful analysis of human modern civilization. The key element that boosted technology, medical advancement, world population and globalization is oil. This cheap source of energy is as Richard Heinberg says a "free ride" that will soon come to an end.
Oil have defined the boundaries of modern civilization and its inevitable depletion is gonna change the course of it, and its gonna happen soon.
Power Down, is a scientific and insightful and analysis of energy, it traces the multiple consequences of oil depletion and the possible solutions to an energetic solution for humanity.
However most importantly, this book rather than describing in depth the critical situation we are facing, it raises awareness of the great value energy has and it makes us think more about saving, having a more moderate lifestyle, and living more in harmony with nature and its valuable resources.

As with "The Long Emergency" I won't go into too much detail since there are already many excellent reviews of this book. However, I do feel it is important to add my voice since all the evidence points to the fact that what Heinberg and the other "peak oil" folks are saying is reality...

Heinberg has done a remarkable job of presenting the overall picture of the main issue: our reliance on cheap oil as the basis for civilization and how we are now at the time when cheap oil is about to disappear. He presents the facts in a very quick way since his other book, "The Party's Over" goes into much more detail on the subject.

He then presents the reader with four possible scenarios to deal with the problem. Unfortunately, the first one ("last man standing") is basically a great die-off due to resource wars and appears to be our present choice. The second one, "power down", involves massive global reductions in consumption. It makes the most sense but, of course, is beyond any political level to implement. The next one is some sort of new-age "technology will save us" way to sleepwalk into a die-off. And finally there is the individual and, potentially, community-level life-boat building solution.

To be honest, the prospects even for the last solution are daunting. However, I must say that Heinberg gives all possibilities equal presentation and stays remarkably calm and neutral as he develops all possibilities. The choice is up to the reader...

The writing style is engaging and his sidebar "stories" are excellent. This is a quick and interesting read.

This book is really just a simplistic view of "Limits to Growth" and Jantsch's seminal "The Self-Organizing Universe: Scientific and Human Implications of the Emerging Paradigm of Evolution" where these projections were made a long time ago. Too bad the baby-boomers didn't read and learn back then...

The first 85 pages (of a 186 page book) are dedicated to verbosely enumerating the arguments from his previous book (without effectively arguing his reasoning). He also spends quite a bit of space to describing his opinions of the current U.S. administration. While I might agree with his political opinions, I believe that he undermines the thesis of this book in the minds of a lot more people. It is this reason why I would categorize this book is really nothing more than a "preaching to the choir" book.

The heart of the book is a 28 page chapter named "Powerdown" which provides some suggestions, but is mostly fluff. Probably the most important page in the chapter is the list of books that actually do discuss the powerdown scenario.

The third chapter is about how technology is unlikely to save us from dwindling energy.

The fourth chapter is about how people would react to the coming situation. He spends quite a while rehashing Gibbon's arguments on Rome and Diamond's arguments about ecological collapse. If you've read those two books you'll quickly notice that Heinberg and these two authors are on completely different planes of scholarship.

I was excited that he discussed, however briefly, how we might save information from the coming Dark Ages. Though, it was for only two pages.

Overall I thought that the author's arguments were weak and there really wasn't much that I got out of this book. I hope that other (and future) books in this genre will describe and defend the thesis better, and they should give more suggestions of what to do.

Cronan has done it again! This volume of essays critically examines the concept of wilderness, nature, and humanity's role in the modern world. Though the individual essays are somewhat uneven, the main theme of the book is clearly communicated, especially in Cronan's introductory piece. That is, that the concept of wilderness needs careful rethinking, particularly with our world nearing 10 billion persons.

Being an environmentalist isn't just about enjoying the outdoors or recycling. This is an in depth study of the complex interactions between humans and our world and an examination of our historical and cultural relationship with our environment. In particular, I found the discussion of our meaning for the word and our concept of nature to be particularly enlightening. There is simply no place in the world that isn't touched by human impact and noone on the planet who isn't touched by our environment and what we do to it. A MUST for anyone serious about the study of environmental study.

This is a superlative book; I recommend anyone living in the USA to read it. It is short, but each sentence is informative, there are no wasted words, no fat. It is scientifically and historically acurate to the smallest detail, but never dry. Outwater's writing style is flowing and musical, and each sentence takes you further and deeper into an Alice-in-Wonderland journey of the magic and marvel of each of the ecosytems she describes. She uses water as the vehicle for each journey, from molecules to the ocean. She describes the balances of Nature and how humans have fit in, or destroyed, these balances. I am a longtime outdoorsman, photographer, and conservationist, and had thought I was reasonably observant. But reading this book was like having a film removed from my eyes and being fitted with ultra-acute vision and hightened understanding and appreciation of our history and environment.

Water....
I have never read a book like this before, that brought me to an element and made me know it and feel it and understand what it is, how it is all about us....our changes made to water, our actions and consequences. Exceptional writing...leaves you somewhere between lost in imaging and mining your soul. Highly recommended !

This book is a must read for everyone. It was well documented and interesting, covering a lot of information in a small, easily read book. It's the type of book that should be used in classrooms as required reading, for it promotes a greater understanding of our world.

Many of the books on the increasingly common water shortages spend a great deal of their time listing mind numbing statistics. This author is authoritative but has the sense to pick a few key reasons why our entire US water infrastructure needs the help of nature. Beavers and prairie dogs may be what we need, at least in this country, to improve the percolating powers of the earth to clean what science alone cannot remove from our water. This is one of the few books in this area that is readable by anyone over mid-teens. I highly recommend this book for a history of why the Clean Water Act is not enough.

This book opens one's eyes about water, the way the water cycle was before the continent was despoiled, little things like water percolating through leaves and big things like the beaver dams constructed by 200 million beavers...now, there are 200 million people! We are ordering extra copies to give away, to inform and to intrigue people in all walks of life.

This one is about Great Scientists. The kids in middle school have had to write about many of the famous scientists so it is a great resource to have. Other kids just were interested in looking at the book and finding out more about science. This was one of the most requested books that kids wanted me to add to our Eyewitness collection.

My son's school didn't have this book in his library and he's very interestd in Einstein. We bought it to donate to the library. It's a wonderful book-he has checked it out twice since.