Basil Ede has a painterly eye and a craftsman's approach to painting birds. His water colors are remarkable for their fidelity to nature. Every feather is delineated, every pose natural, every background authentic.

Mr. Ede's water colors are now collector's items, as he has been unable to paint in that medium since his stroke about ten years ago. Amazingly, this right-handed artist taught himself to paint left-handed and now produces oils that are, if it is possible, better than the water colors of his youth.

If you like birds, you must own this book.

I bought this book shortly after it was first published and the copy it is now well worn. The book factually records the street violence that is now known as the battle of the bogside. I lived in the City and I can remember well the effects of CS gas as it spread through the city centre causing pain and discomfort to the innocent as well as those involved in the violence. I come from the other side of the house and cannot agree with all the comments in the book but in general it records the start of the no go areas in Northern Ireland. It is a fact that the Roman Catholic citizens of Northern Ireland suffered much social and polictical injustice but many working class Protestants found themselves facing exactly the same situation. What a pity that the Civil Rights movement was hijacked by those with other agendas. If it had been allowed to develop it could have found much wider community support.

The book is an excellent account of how one section of the community took a violent stand against the RUC and British army which it viewed as its enemy. The sense of power felt by the people must have been great when compared to the lack of progress of legitimate political protest. Unfortunately these events and others have resulted in a divided society that does not know or understand the other community leading to more mistrust that only allows the violence to continue.

My advice is to read the book understanding that the reporter (an outsider) was being fed a line from one side only. Look at the difficulties faced when trying to remain neutral and the terrible feeling of dread when faced with the knowledge that a gunman was about to shoot a soldier. What to do?
All in all a not put downable book which left this reader wondering if there was not a better way forward when considering the human cost for both sides.

This book is an outstanding guide to the marine life found along the shores of the Pacific Northwest. Before I go further, I should note that it is NOT a pocket guide. But if you slip it into a daypack, you will be amply rewarded. Dr. Niesen has written a book that in very clear language helps you identfy what you are looking at, learn about its life habits, and learn about its habitat. Its emphasis on habitats, and arrangement by type of organism within each habitat, is extremely helpful. The black and white photos are usually pretty good, although sometimes dark, but the section of color plates is really good. What are really outstanding are the line drawings--David Wood, the artist, really captures the organisms in a way that brings out details yet preserves the basic nature of the organism.

The book also gives a great (meaning clear yet not too simple) introduction to marine biology for the Pacific Northwest, explaining tides, currents, the origin of the coast , and the basic biology of the major groups (taxa) of organisms. Furthermore, he provides tips on beachcombing.

All in all, a very handy reference. I will consider it for my Marine Biology class for non-majors (I'd use it with a majors course, too, if I taught one!).

This book identifies, by ethnicity and by political/religious/military affiliation each perpetrator and victim of the 3,285 killings, whether in Ireland, Britain or the Continent. They are listed chronologically. All other such listings, though less comprehensive, verify this book. The infamous Royal Ulster Constabulary disputes only one of its entries. This book enables the reader to become a one-person Truth Squad, a demolisher of Britain's Big Lie re terrorism. It proves that, militarily, the IRA out-fought British armed forces by 1,091 kills to 169; while, as to terrorism, British armed forces murdered 907 noncombatants compared to the IRA/IPLO/INLA's 151 of such. It reveals that British spooks and armed forces perpetrated the 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th deadliest terrorist bombings and shootings; all of which our news media blamed on the IRA. It does omit, however, one murder; the (according to the CIA) SAS's 1984 "disappearance" of John McIntyre in Boston. "An Index..." details the consequences of a State policy of murder and is complete unto itself. How the murders were planned and covered up is revealed in McPhilemy's "The Committee" and Stalker's "The Stalker Affair." Ditto Don Mullan's "Eye-Witness Bloody Sunday. Sutton's "An Index of Deaths..." is, by far, the most important book on this post-1968 phase of the Anglo-Irish conflict.

If you want accurate facts on the basic biology of bears, this is the book bear experts recommend. Well-researched, wonderful bibliography.

Howard Harrod's Becoming and Remaining a People: Native American Religions on the Northern Plains argues that the changing of rituals and other aspects of religious practice played a pivotal role in the transformation of the formerly agricultural culture of the Northern Plains into a buffalo culture.

Harrod agrees that the white person's contact with the Native American's had a substantial impact on Native society. He is contending that an exclusive emphasis on contact with the whites can obscure the actions of the Native. Native Americans were not passive spectators to the influx of Europeans; in fact, the Natives actively responded to their changing circumstances ritually as well as politically. This means, that their religious system underwent change that in turn impacted the social structures of Northern Plain culture.

This active change on the part of the Northern Indians is a point of incredible importance. Harrod notes that many of the religious innovations were not seen as a break with tradition. Instead, they were perceived as a development of already existing religious and cultural practices and, thus, continuous with the Northern Plain Native American's social existence. Specifically, these changes could be legitimized by the peoples' visions and dreams. Harrod argues, moreover, that these changes are a testimony to the sheer capability of the Native Americans.

Fantastic! Casey is perhaps the most under rated Irish historian. Make sure to check out his other books as well!

Original Post (2000): This book is great if you're looking for places that are off the beaten path. For example: instead of going to Muir Woods to see redwoods (and hordes of tourists), head off to Heritage Grove in La Honda for a chance to be one-on-one with the mighty trees (and check out the banana slugs as well!). I've only hiked about 4 of the 70+ trails so far, but they have all been worthwhile. Highly recommended!

Update (2003): Wow - I'm glad "13 out of 13 readers" found my review useful! :-)

Three years later, this now lovingly-worn book has accompanied me on a dozen more hikes, from Mendocino to Big Sur. Friends and visitors are always amazed at how I've been able to magically find these spectacular places! The Appendices with Suggested Hikes are quite useful -- I have yet to be disappointed with the "Grand Views" of various parts of the Bay Area, for example. I can thank this book for providing many special memories, photos, and aching limbs (hey, the author was not joking about those "strenuous" hikes!).

Oh, I also purchased another Marc Soares book, "100 Hikes in the San Francisco Bay Area". While some hikes do overlap with this book, I'd recommend as a nice companion volume -- especially if you live inland (like me) and don't always have time to head to the coast.

This book is extremely useful as a general guide for (1) the best places to stay and (2) the best restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area. The title is misleading in that even if romance isn't the goal, the guide is useful in finding a classy place to visit. Explanations that accompany each entry are detailed and points out what's great, what's not great, prices, and everything that you'd want to jot down if you were investigating the place yourself.

Excellent in all respects. I highly recommend it.

This is a very fun story for 2 to 4 year olds aboat a little girl's visit to her grandfather's farm. The book gives good lesons about some of the dangers of farm, like a busy road, but bibi manages to get into trouble anyway (like all kids!). The charm of the story is how brave little Bibi gets herself out of trouble.

The quality and originality of the artwork is firstclass!