First Aid for Wildlife: Basic Care for Birds and Mammals (Basic Manual Wildlife Rehabilitation)

Book Description

Professional wildlife care and rehabilitation for a general audience. Safe, step-by-step text and picture guidance for back-yard rehabilitators. Provides first aid and rescue techniques, along with proper diet, housing and release techniques.

Customer Reviews:

Poor reference.......2006-02-18

You'd think a book on any kind of First Aid (animals included) would be set up to be able to find things quickly, right? Well, I was amazed to find that the table of contents of this book actually has no page numbers. And, stunningly, there is no index at all. So how exactly are you supposed to find the information you need in an emergency?

pretty good book.......2000-06-26

This book gives an ok amount of information. After you read most of it, though, it is not too useful

Book Description

In the mid-nineteenth century, Baltimore businessman William Thompson Walters began to patronize the artists of Maryland. Today, the museum that bears his name -- Baltimore's Walters Art Gallery -- excels in fields as diverse as Egyptian bronzes, Byzantine silver, illuminated manuscripts, medieval carved ivories, early Renaissance paintings, Sèvres porcelains, Islamic metalwork, and Chinese ceramics. Surprisingly, the story of how William Walters and his son Henry created one of the finest privately assembled museums in the United States has not been told.

With this new book, William Johnston, the Walters's curator of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century art, restores William and Henry Walters to their rightful place among America's great art collectors. Drawing upon the knowledge of the early museum staff and gathering valuable information from the few other available sources, Johnston has painstakingly recreated the life and world of the Walterses.

Though Henry Walters moved easily in Baltimore and New York social circles, Johnston explains, he kept much to himself and generally purchased art away from the public's eye. Despite the Walterses' reticence, they had a significant influence on the development of American tastes and museums -- William in his role as the first chairman of the Committee on Works of Art for the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., and Henry as the second vice-president of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Their personal collection differs from those of other, more familiar collectors, such as J. P. Morgan and Henry Clay Frick, in that Henry Walters intended from the very first that the collection form a museum to serve the public. When the museum first opened its doors in 1934, Johnston relates, many visitors were surprised by the collection's size and by its comprehensive representation of the history of art from the third millennium b.c. to the early twentieth century.

Richly illustrated with black-and-white photographs and sixteen pages of full color, this book will fascinate anyone interested in Baltimore history, the history of museums and art collecting in America, and the art and culture of nineteenth-century America.

Average customer rating:

Exquisite
A book worthy of "the father of us all"
Cezanne is great but this book could have been better
Cezanne

Cezanne
Francoise Cachin , Isabelle Cahn , and Walter Feilchenfeldt
Manufacturer: Harry N. Abrams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Artists, A-Z | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Museums & Collections | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0810940396

Book Description

Published on the centenary of the artist's first one-man exhibition mounted in Paris, this catalogue contains more than 240 colorplates of works by Paul Cezanne (1839-1906), illuminated by thoughtful commentaries by an array of international scholars. Numerous black-and-white illustrations of paintings, drawings, watercolors, and sketchbook pages represent all aspects of his oeuvre. This volume's comprehensive review of the critical response evoked by Cézanne's work, both during his lifetime and afterward, is unprecedented in the literature on the artist. Also included are a fully documented, illustrated chronology and an annotated glossary of the collectors who acquired the work of the nineteenth-century master.

Published to accompany the recent Cézanne retrospective organized by the Réunion des Musées Nationaux/Musée d'Orsay, Paris; the Tate Gallery, London; and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Awarded the prize for Best Museum Catalogue published in 1995&endash;96 by the International Association of Art Critics. Index.

Customer Reviews:

Exquisite.......2004-06-03

Assembled to accompany a major retrospective of the artist's work, "Cezanne," by four art scholars and curators, includes 258 large color plates and 350 black-and-white pictures of paintings, drawings and sketches, organized by chronological period.

Each gorgeous plate is accompanied by the work's provenance and exhibitions. Accompanying text describes the painting's personal and historical context as well as critical responses at the time and through the years.

The book also includes quotes from Cezanne on art and two lengthy, thoughtful essays on "A Century of Cezanne Criticism."

A volume which will afford hours and years of pleasure to anyone interested in Cezanne's art.

A book worthy of "the father of us all".......2001-03-15

Picasso, speaking about modern art and artists, referred to Cezanne as "the father of us all." He was that rare artist whose vision -and ability to express it- was so keen and unique that it can actually impact the way we se the world around us. (How often I look into the trees and think "that looks like a Cezanne.") More than any other book of his work this volume succeeds in showing the sweep and depth of Cezanne's genius. The reproductions are superb and plentiful. The descriptive text accompanying each image, while interesting, needs to be taken with a grain of salt, as is often the case in catalogues of this nature. But the truth is I buy art books for the pictures! For text, try Rewald's book which is also excellent and contains some paintings not elsewhere printed, and deals extensively with the relationship between Cezanne and Zola. I also recommend Gotz Adriani's book on Cezanne. But if you can only have one, this is it.

Cezanne is great but this book could have been better.......2000-02-25

The clumsy, poorly written text in the first few chapters is almost impossible to read. Since it's so disjointed and quotes too much from Cezanne's personal letters or from other writings, I skipped over a large portion of this. I was also surprised that the authors tried to make Cezanne into some sort of religious deity, rather than a master of his art; it could be marketing hype accompanying the show, but Cezanne's work speaks for itself. In spite of these flaws, the painting and sketches are wonderfully reproduced, and the accompanying description is pretty good. But because the accompanying description is always laudatory and doesn't adequately talk about his mistakes, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between Cezanne's masterpieces and his OK work. The best part is learning what other artist, such as Monet and Matisse, owned what Cezanne painting (and then trying to speculate on why they liked a painting so much).

Cezanne.......2000-01-11

This is a must for art lovers, in general, and for 19th cent. french art lovers, specifically. Rich in colour images and a detailed editorial on each piece. Also gives the history of ownership.

Book Description

Previously unpublished Attic black-figure ware from the Molly and Walter Bareiss collection in the J. Paul Getty Museum is included in this CVA. The vases are organized by shape, then listed chronologically within each shape category. The accompanying text includes physical and iconographic
descriptions, as well as relevant bibliographies and references. The plates are unbound for easy reference and comparison.

Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum: United States of America Fascicule 26, The J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, Fascicule 3: South Italian Vases, Apulian Red-figure ... United States of America, Fascicule 26)

Average customer rating:

Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum: United States of America Fascicule 26, The J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, Fascicule 3: South Italian Vases, Apulian Red-figure ... United States of America, Fascicule 26)
Marit R. Jentoft-Nilsen , and A.D. Trendall
Manufacturer: Getty Trust Publications: J. Paul Getty Museum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Ancient & Classical | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Museums & Collections | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Ceramics | Other Media | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Rome | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

General | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Glass & Glassware | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Pottery & Ceramics | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Catalogs | Catalogs & Directories | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0892361727

Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum: United States of America Fascicule 30, The J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, Fascicule 5: Molly and Walter Bareiss Collection: Mycenaean, ... J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, Fascicule 5)

Average customer rating:

Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum: United States of America Fascicule 30, The J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, Fascicule 5: Molly and Walter Bareiss Collection: Mycenaean, ... J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, Fascicule 5)
Marit R. Jentoft-Nilsen , and A.D. Trendall
Manufacturer: Getty Trust Publications: J. Paul Getty Museum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Ancient & Classical | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Ceramics | Other Media | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Pottery & Ceramics | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Pottery & Ceramics | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Catalogs | Catalogs & Directories | Reference | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This volume includes all of the non-Attic material, with the exception of the Etruscan pottery, in the Molly and Walter Bareiss collection of ancient vases. It also covers the Attic Geometric vessels and nonfigural Attic material in the same collection. The majority of the pieces in the
volume are red-figured vases and fragments from South Italy and Sicily, with many of the best Apulian, Lucanian, Campanian, and Gnathian artists represented.

Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum: United States of America Fascicule 31, The J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, Fascicule 6: Etruscan impasto and bucchero vases and ... (J. Paul Getty Museum (Malibu), Fascicule 6)

Average customer rating:

Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum: United States of America Fascicule 31, The J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, Fascicule 6: Etruscan impasto and bucchero vases and ... (J. Paul Getty Museum (Malibu), Fascicule 6)
Richard de Puma
Manufacturer: Getty Trust Publications: J. Paul Getty Museum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Ancient & Classical | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Museums & Collections | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Ceramics | Other Media | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Pottery & Ceramics | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Pottery & Ceramics | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This is the first in the series of Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum fascicules for the Getty Museum on Etruscan vases. The author publishes all of the museum's Etruscan impasto and bucchero vases and fragments, and provides a comprehensive discussion of certain attribution and workshop problems
presented by the vases.

Masterpieces of Impressionism and Post Imp

Average customer rating:

Masterpieces of Impressionism and Post Imp
Colin B. Bailey , and Annenberg
Manufacturer: HNA Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Criticism | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Impressionism | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Post-Impressionism | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0810915456

The Menil Collection: A Selection from the Paleolithic to the Modern Era

Average customer rating:

The Menil Collection: A Selection from the Paleolithic to the Modern Era
Walter Hopps
Manufacturer: Harry N Abrams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Museums & Collections | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Private | Museums & Collections | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Average customer rating:

Walters Art Gallery
William R. Johnston
Manufacturer: Scala Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Art | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Catalogs | Catalogs & Directories | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1857591526

The Sacred Sculpture of Thailand: The Alexander B. Griswold Collection, the Walters Art Gallery

Average customer rating:

The Sacred Sculpture of Thailand: The Alexander B. Griswold Collection, the Walters Art Gallery
Hiram W. Woodward
Manufacturer: Gallery
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Sculpture | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Thailand | Asia | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0500974578

Average customer rating:
Shrub Roses and Climbing Roses
David Austin
Manufacturer: Antique Collectors Club Dist A/C
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Roses | Flowers | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Ornamental Plants | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Old Roses and English Roses

David Austin's English Roses: Glorious New Roses for American Gardens

The English Roses: Classic Favorites and New Selections

Smith & Hawken: 100 English Roses for the American Garden (Smith & Hawken)

100 Old Roses For The American Garden (Smith & Hawken)

ASIN: 185149166X

Book Description

Describes approx. 560 roses in detail and contains over 160 magnificent colour photographs. It provides cultivation and pruning advice for each main grouping of roses. The book was written by a rose breeder and commercial grower of vast experience and is available in a handy pocket- sized format.

The Gardener's Guide to Growing Ivies (Gardener's Guide)

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The Gardener's Guide to Growing Ivies (Gardener's Guide)
Peter Q. Rose
Manufacturer: Timber Press, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Ornamental Plants | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Reference | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Ivies (Little Plant Library)

ASIN: 0881923648

Average customer rating:

Valuable rose reference
A must for rose lovers

Climbing Roses of the World
Charles Quest-Ritson
Manufacturer: Timber Press, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0881925632

Book Description

Climbing and rambling roses are sources of grace and dignity in the finest gardens. This book is the first completely new volume in almost 40 years to grapple with the histories, lineages, and special charms of these aristocrats of the garden. Illustrated with 200 color plates, Climbing Roses of the World presents climbers of every type, from the parent Rosa species to the multifloras, noisettes, and modern climbers, to name just a few. The most comprehensive and thoroughly researched study of climbers and ramblers ever published, Climbing Roses of the World will stand as the definitive treatment for years to come. No gardener will want to be without this unique source of information.

Customer Reviews:

Valuable rose reference.......2003-09-22

This book is exclusively devoted to climbing roses and is a welcome addition to rose reference works (as the author states, only two have previously been published, one by G.A. Stephens in 1933 and the other by Graham Stuart Thomas in 1965).

Over 1600 roses are covered here. They are arranged in chapters by classes (Chinese Synstylae and other species, Rosa gigantea and Rosa chinensis, Aryshire and Evergreen roses, Rosa setigera and the Boursault Roses, Noisettes and Tea roses, Rosa multiflora, Turner's Crimson Rambler Race, Wichurana hybrids, New Dawn and its descendants, Kordesii hybrids, Climbing Sports and Large Flowered Climbers). Within each of these chapters, the author divides the roses by hybridizer. A richly detailed biographical account of the breeder is usually given which is followed by a list of the roses he/she hybridized and a brief description of each rose. A final chapter, "Cultivating Climbing Roses" discusses growing roses in general. A section of 200 beautiful color plates is featured in the center of the book.

Only one gripe - sizes of roses is given in the metric system which is annoying but at least it will help you to learn meters and centimeters!

A must for rose lovers.......2003-09-14

This is a comprehensive, world-wide study of climbing and rambling roses. The topic is a huge one, especially as the writer refuses to be constrained by the contributions of any one country. Most of the leading writers on roses have been American, English or French. The writer adds in the considerable contributions of rose growers in Australia, Germany and Italy as well as other countries.

Despite difficulties in taxonomy and in tracing the history of each rose, the writer has included some 1600 currently grown climbing and rambling roses. I was happy to see an explanation of the differences between the two. Climbers have a small number of stiff stems. Ramblers have a larger number of more pliable stems, and these often trail along the ground. To confuse the issue, some ramblers are known as semi-climbers, and some small climbers are known as "pillar roses". Let's confuse it even further - climate can make a considerable difference in growth. A rose that is a climber in one country may be a shrub in another.

The writer is Director of England's National Rose Society and he has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the topic as well as the resources to research it throughout the world. The book covers the origin and history of each of the roses and the reader learns about the people and circumstances behind each of the different varieties.

The colour photographs of the roses, taken by the author in gardens around the world, are exceptionally fine Each rose is identified, of course, but we also find out in which garden and which country the photograph was taken.

This is a book for the gardener who loves roses. It contains a vast amount of information, well organized and presented.

Average customer rating:

Good, not Great

Best book on climbing roses I've seen

beautiful book, very instructive

A very beautiful & informative book on climbing roses.

Climbing Roses
Stephen Scanniello , and Tania Bayard
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Roses | Flowers | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Climbing Roses of the World

A Year of Roses

Shrub Roses and Climbing Roses

Best Rose Guide: A Comprehensive Selection

Rosa Gallica

ASIN: 0671850466

Customer Reviews:

Good, not Great.......2004-09-14

Scaniello organizes climbing roses in roughly chronological order and writes two pages of text for each entry. This kind of treatment gives one an excellent understanding of the way climbing roses developed through the ages. The photos are full-page which is necessary for representing the scale and garden effect of climbing roses effectively. It is an approach we hope to see used more in books about roses.

The text is informative, giving historical links between roses and for each rose, suggesting a group of roses that are similar. The book is a strong entry, but it has a significant number of flaws.

The focus seems to be too much on roses bred in America. There's a huge number of climbers in David Austin's Shrub Roses and Climbing Roses that deserve mention here. It was almost as if the authors had made a conscious decision to avoid the roses chosen by Austin. If so, that was a big mistake because their treatment was more thorough, usually, than Austin's. My suspicion is that the book is about Climbing Roses of the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, since that is where Scaniello practices his art. And it would have been more honest to subtitle it that way.

It is true that roses do pink, white and red best. And it is true that one must be judicious in using yellow in a garden: place them badly and you get a color trainwreck. But yellows - whether they are apricot, primrose, gold, or just plain yellow - really draw the eye in a garden. Yellow roses can be the glory of the garden. And my impression is that yellow roses are not well represented here.

I also get the impression that ramblers are not well represented here. A remarkably tiny portion of the roses in this volume manage to scramble up tall structures. Conversely, there are a lot of leggy large-flowered roses.

Most of the photographs are stunning. But a significant portion show flaws. In some cases it appears to be color balance - it is frequently too cool. Some whites show the (almost unavoidable) blown highlights and flares. In a book with thousands of photos these would be quibbles. But there are not even hundreds of roses in this book, so each flaw becomes a noticable problem.

Finally, there is the writing. One gets the impression that the writer is skilled at the craft, but generally uninformed about roses. The language is clear, but the meanings are frequently muddy. If I had to choose between a person with a deep knowledge of roses but quirky writing skills and a person with no knowledge and great writing skills, I'd choose the former every time. Voice matters.

For Americans living in zones 5, 6, and 7 who wish to learn a little more about climbing roses of the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, this is an indispensible volume. It is difficult, however, to recommend this as a first or only book on the subject of climbing roses. And if one wants to learn about ramblers, one should look elsewhere.

Best book on climbing roses I've seen.......2003-01-23

--bar none! The author gives detailed descriptions of a select variety of climbers, along with information on the history, care and pruning of each one. Photographs of each are included, but this is an informational book, not mere eye candy. If I could only have one source on climbing roses, this would be it. My hope is that it will come back into print.

beautiful book, very instructive.......1999-12-05

This book goes beyond the standard fare of horticulture writing. Its very informative but at the same time it had very readable prose and some refreshing ideas, especially on zones, blooming characters, etc, for the east coast of the US, which doesn't seem to be very habitable for roses in general.

A very beautiful & informative book on climbing roses........1999-06-01

This is a wonderful book for anyone who enjoys climbing roses. It is beautiful and interesting, offering the origin of various roses, detailed descriptions, growing tips, and pruning instructions. I have found it to be a very helpful reference tool for my growing rose garden. In the winter, it is a pleasure place on a coffee table and browse the gorgeous pictures.

A little book of climbing plants,: Including a discussion of climbing roses, ground covers, trailers, arbors and trellises, (The "Little book" series)

Average customer rating:

A little book of climbing plants,: Including a discussion of climbing roses, ground covers, trailers, arbors and trellises, (The "Little book" series)
Alfred Carl Hottes
Manufacturer: A.T. De La Mare Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B00085AJVW

Invisible on Everest: Innovation and the Gear Makers

Average customer rating:

Invisible On Everest blends History, Reseach and Adventure

Invisible on Everest: Innovation and the Gear Makers
Mike Parsons , and Mary B. Rose
Manufacturer: Old City Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

History of Technology | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Mountaineering | Sports | Subjects | Books

Mountain Climbing | Mountaineering | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Invisible on Everest is not simply about mountaineering equipment; it's about the bold free spirits that drove the key polar and mountaineering and gear innovations over the last century and a half. Disasters and discomforts abound in the text and are often seen as the catalyst for breakthroughs in climbing and cold-weather equipment.

Invisible On Everest reaches out internationally and tells the story of passionate and persistent endeavors which in some cases lead to success and in other instances heartbreaking defeat and disaster.

The book explores the development of the sport/leisure industries against the background of new technologies. It tells the story of the innovators in the industry and the development of outdoor brands. Industrial scholars will be fascinated to learn how design innovations affected the history of adventure/sporting industry and how these innovations were exploited and molded into trusted brand names that are recognized around the world.

From Whymper to Nansen, Welzenbach to Whillans, Scott to Mallory & Irvine, Pierre Allain to Everest 53, the secrets of their equipment and clothing are revealed. The book looks at how these innovations in "gear" lead to the development of the multi-billion dollar adventure/sporting industry.

Customer Reviews:

Invisible On Everest blends History, Reseach and Adventure.......2003-05-20

Whether you are a world-class mountain climber, whose life is dependent on the gear you take on your next Himalayan expedition, or an arm-chair historian interested in the fascinating innovations that made the assent of Everest possible - this book is a must read.

Invisible On Everest blends tales of high adventure and tragedy with a thoroughly researched history of the innovations that made mountain climbing, and other adventure sports, a multi-million dollar industry.

Particularly fascinating are the chapters involving women's climbing apparel and widening middle-class participation of mountain climbing throughout the early part of the last century.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in climbing or in the history early cold-weather explorers and adventurers.

Invisible On Everest is an enjoyable read and a great reference guide to understanding the evolution of cold-weather and high-altitude survival gear. It is fascinating to discover how the right gear makes the difference between success and failure.

Average customer rating:

A surprisingly interesting story

A tragic book about a driven person

TRIUMPH TOO QUICKLY FOLLOWED BY TRAGEDY...

A PAGE-TURNER

All Too Human

Regions of the Heart: The Triumph and Tragedy of Alison Hargreaves (Adventure Press)
David Rose , and Ed Douglas
Manufacturer: National Geographic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Biographies | Sports | Subjects | Books
General | Mountaineering | Sports | Subjects | Books
Mountain Climbing | Mountaineering | Sports | Subjects | Books
General | Sports | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Savage Summit: The True Stories of the First Five Women Who Climbed K2, the World's Most Feared Mountain

Everest: The Unclimbed Ridge (Adrenaline Classics)

Annapurna: A Woman's Place (20th Anniversary Edition)

The Lost Explorer: Finding Mallory on Mt. Everest

K2: Triumph and Tragedy

ASIN: 0792276965
Release Date: 2000-06-01

Amazon.com

Alison Hargreaves perished with five others in 1995 in a hurricane-force storm on her descent from the summit of K2, the world's second highest peak. Only 33 years old, she'd successfully scaled Everest five months earlier without the aid of oxygen--the first woman to do so. Drawing on Hargreaves's diaries and interviews with family members and acquaintances, British journalist-climbers David Rose and Ed Douglas trace her evolution from an energetic teenager who dreams of being the best female climber in the world to the person she is on her ascent of K2: a driven woman criticized in the British press for egotism and a lack of good judgment (she did, after all, climb the famously difficult Eigerwand in the Alps during the second term of pregnancy). "It eats away at me--wanting the children and wanting K2," she wrote in her journal. "I feel like I'm being pulled in two. Maybe they'd be happier if Mum was around but maybe summiting K2 would help make a better future for them."

Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air and David Breashears's IMAX documentary Everest have made the travails of high-altitude climbing irresistible entertainment for outdoors enthusiasts and armchair travelers alike. But in all the stories of hubris, superhuman endurance, and courage, rarely does a woman claim the spotlight and rarely are the hard domestic realities of the climber's life explored. Regions of the Heart breaks with this tendency. The authors re-create Hargreaves's complicated career by examining her hard-working middle-class English background, her marriage to a much older man who lives vicariously through her achievements, her rejection of more practical pursuits for the rush of climbing, her persistent fear of failure, and her financial insecurity; all these factors ultimately add up to her fatal decision to climb K2 despite worsening conditions and her two young children at home. "Going on the mountain was not the difficulty for her. Mountains were the one place she felt confident about what to do. Going home meant finally resolving her relationship with [her husband] and surviving as a single mother," the authors write. Less a tale of adventure and more an honest picture of one woman's struggle for fulfillment, Regions of the Heart puts into perspective Alison Hargreaves's choice of the mountain over life. --Rebecca Wright

Book Description

By any standard, Alison Hargreaves was a world-class mountaineer. In May 1995, she reached the summit of Mount Everest without support or bottled oxygen. No other woman and few men had climbed the mountain in such a strong style, and the accomplishment made Hargreaves an international climbing star. Less than three months later she was dead, killed by a sudden, violent storm shortly after struggling to the top of K2, second in height to Everest but a more dangerous challenge. In the emotional public reaction to this tragedy, her triumphs were suddenly eclipsed by controversy.

Instead of eulogies, her death was greeted by anger: How dare the mother of two young children risk her life and her family's future on so deadly an undertaking? Was her lifelong passion for climbing a badge of courage or the mark of supreme irresponsibility? Should she be remembered as a superlative mountaineer or as an immature and selfish woman? It was a bitter end to an extraordinary and misunderstood career.

In Regions of the Heart, David Rose and Ed Douglas set the record straight, presenting a thoughtful, compelling portrait of Hargreaves that restores her reputation while acknowledging her shortcomings and lapses of judgement. They show us a woman who found freedom and fulfillment on the steep faces of some of the world's most forbidding mountains, a wife trapped in an increasingly troubled marriage, and a mother who sought literally to climb her way to financial security -- a desperate gamble for which she would ultimately pay with her life.

Short-listed for the prestigious Banff Mountain Literature grand prize, Regions of the Heart is a story of unparalleled adventure and a vivid glimpse of the intensely competitive, always perilous world of men and women who are never more than a single step away from death. Readers will finish this book both saddened and inspired, with a new understanding of Alison Hargreaves and the true challenges she struggled bravely to overcome.

Customer Reviews:

A surprisingly interesting story.......2002-10-22

When I first read the description of this book, I was only slightly intrigued but since I was running out of Himalayan mountaineering reading material, I decided to give it a try. As a mother, my first impression of a woman with young children risking her life by climbing was negative. This was somewhat hypocritical for me since I believe that women should be given an equal chance, particularly in athletic pursuits, and, as the book points, many male mountaineers are fathers. After reading about her circumstances and what she went through in her marriage physically, mentally, and financially, I understood her drive and came to see that climbing had become a necessity for her financially. As a working mother, I completely sympathized with her pull to provide for her family and yet have the time to spend with her children. Only for a climber, the stakes are greater. This woman suffered so many tough breaks in her personal and climbing life, and was later vilified for being a reckless mother instead of being respected for her amazing performances. With so many accomplishments under her belt, I was surprised that I'd never heard of her before. While it wasn't the best book I've ever read, I did find it hard to put down.

A tragic book about a driven person.......2001-03-08

This book does a good job of illustrating the tragedy inherent to competitive climbing. Hargreaves appears to have been a decent, determined, moderately talented climber, who pushed herself far beyond the point where she was actually enjoying the sport because of her need to make a living and her competitive surroundings. I usually dislike biographies, but found this one quite readable. While the authors do dumb down climbing terminology, they give evocative and gripping descriptions of the sport. This book saddened me, not only in its depiction of someone whose inspiration turned into her doom, but in its revelation of pervasive sexism in the way Hargreaves was viewed. While I don't think a woman who is still breast feeding should be free soloing, as she did (under the pressure of a relationship with an utter ne'er-do-well), the media suggestion that she was somehow a "bad mother" or "bad woman" because she climbed dangerous routes while having young children at home is preposterous. She was, in fact, financially supporting her children by doing so. This is an interesting book, worth reading.

TRIUMPH TOO QUICKLY FOLLOWED BY TRAGEDY..........2001-02-24

Alison Hargreaves was probably one of the most enigmatic climbers of this century. Isolated from the mountaineering community at large for the better part of her career, it was not until she climbed Everest without support and without supplementary oxygen that she got the recognition she so craved. Her solo ascent of Everest without oxygen was the first ever such summit by a woman.

Her need for that recognition was twofold. She seemed to lack personal self-esteem, as a result of her marriage to a man who was emotionally and physically abusive. She also seemed to have a lack of confidence, at times, in her innate ability as a climber, needing validation from the mountaineering community, a validation which seemed to be long in coming. Yet, it was only on the mountains that she felt in control, because her personal life was so out of control. Indecisive about what to do about her unhappy marriage, the mountains gave her hope that she would be able to secure herself and her children financially and free herself from the bondage of an unhappy union.

When she triumphed on Everest, and her future as a climber of reknown seem assured, she almost immediately set out on expedition under pressure from her husband to summit K2, leaving behind her two beloved young children. While she ultimately met with success and reached the summit of K2, she descended head long into a storm with gale force winds. Sadly, she never got off the mountain, consigned to the environs of K2 for all time.

Her death created a maelstrom of controversy at the time, over the idea of a mother with two small children having put herself so at risk of leaving them motherless. Sadly, it was women journalists who spearheaded this sentiment, threatening to destroy Ms. Hargreaves' reputation in death. This was clearly a double standard, as many who die while climbing are men who are fathers to small children. Yet, in death they are not pilloried for having left their children fatherless. Rather, they are often heralded for their daring and courage in attempting to scale new heights.

This book chronicles Ms. Hargreaves' life and her love of climbing. It attempts to paint a balanced portrait of a woman so little known to the world at large, but who made mountaineering history just before her death. It explores her personal life, not only as a wife and mother, but as a person for whom climbing was her life's blood. The author attempts to understand her approach to climbing, as well as her exploits, and ground them in the context out of which they arose. It is the story of an ordinary woman who just before her death made herself extraordinary. Although the author recounts Ms. Hargreaves' life in a somewhat prosaic manner, it is definitely a book well worth reading.

A PAGE-TURNER.......2000-09-17

An excellent psychological profile!

All Too Human.......2000-09-05

An honest, decent book about a British woman mountaineer (killed in 1995 in a storm after summiting K2 without supplemental oxygen) whose failings and unhappiness at low altitude contrasted sharply with her successes and bravery at altitude. Hargreaves' personal and financial suffering, particularly her bad marriage to a sick, lazy man, seemed the result of all-too-human bad judgment on the ground. Although the authors clearly understand climbing and the forces that drive people to climb, I felt the authors focused too much on Hargreaves' bad personal life and not enough on the technical aspects of climbing, which I had expected to read when I bought the book. The authors have dumbed-down their accounts of climbing to reach a broader audience. However, their treatment of the colorful history of climbing, particularly in Great Britain and the Alps, was well done. I did note several glaring, but probably minor, factual errors. All in all, a decent read about an interesting person who perhaps sought to achieve in climbing all that she lacked in her personal life.

Average customer rating:

Climbing roses
Helen Van Pelt Wilson
Manufacturer: M. Barrows
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Average customer rating:

The Voice of the Climbing Rose
Christopher Perry
Manufacturer: Centerpeace Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0975592807

Book Description

32 page, illustrated piture/story book tribute for adult caregivers - especially for those caring for person's with Alzheimer's Disease. Included with the book is a musical CD containing the song "Promise" written by author and dedicated to caregivers. This book is supported by the Alzheimer's Association as a learning/helping tool for children as well.

Average customer rating:

Rock & Roses 2nd Edition Review
women climbers must read this!

Rock and Roses

Manufacturer: Mountain N' Air Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Essays | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Mountaineering | Sports | Subjects | Books

Mountain Climbing | Mountaineering | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books
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A Lesson Before Dying (Oprah's Book Club)

ASIN: 1879415283
Release Date: 2002-12-19

Product Description

What do you know about climbing is what you seeing on Sylvester Stallone and/or Tom Cruse movies, you are about to gender bender all your ideas of it is to be a climber. There are 32 short essays on this second edition of "Rock and Roses" and all the heroes are of the she kind. These women live and participate on a widely percieved men's world. They are not a second class athletes. They are of first class, and two of them have been named the "Best Climber in the World"—no gender qualifier— Beverly Johnson, and Lynn Hill.

Customer Reviews:

Rock & Roses 2nd Edition Review.......2000-06-14

This collection of essays provides some entertaining reading from humor (The Scarfer's Handbook by Alison Osius)and introspectives (Glimpses of Truth by Sally Moser), to history (Women On The Rocks ..., by Ruth Mendenhall). On content the book rates many stars. The editing is another matter as the text is laced with typo and grammatical errors. I found the frequency of such problems to distract from the impact of the stories.

women climbers must read this!.......1999-12-29

Rock and Roses is amongst the "must reads" for female climbers and mountaineers. There are so few books available about climbing/mountaineering with women's voices. This is one of the finest. It includes stories by women who were the first to push their own mental and physical limits and were very aware of the struggle (Rosie Andrews and Arlene Blum), as well as stories by women who took advantage of those open doors to push the grade (Alison Osius and Sibylle Hectell). The humor in many of these women, their ability to poke fun at themselves and at their goals, is a refreshing change from the male-dominated mountaineering literature.

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