Book Description
A vivid and faithful chronicle of life in the great Northern Forest and a storehouse of valuable information on woodcraft and nature. Over half a century ago, John Rowlands set out by canoe into the wilds of Maine to survey land for a timber company. After paddling alone for several days--"it was so quiet I could hear the drops from the paddle hitting the water"--he came upon "the lake of my boyhood dreams." He never left. He named the place Cache Lake because there was stored the best that the north had to offer--timber for a cabin; fish, game and berries to live on; and the peace and contentment he felt he could not live without. Cache Lake Country exemplifies the classic American notion that what is most worth finding lies far from the tracks of civilization, and that what is most worth doing demands resourcefulness and wit. Here is folklore and philosophy, but most of all wisdom about the woods and the inventiveness and self-reliance they demand. The author explains how to make moccasins, barrel stoves, lean-to shelters, outdoor bake ovens, sailing canoes, and hundreds of other ingenious and useful gadgets, all illustrated in the margins with 230 enchanting drawings by Henry B. Kane.
Customer Reviews:
Life in a cabin in the North Woods.......2007-07-31
I'm going to be a little less enthusiastic, but only a little, than some of the other reviewers here. I really did like this book, but for some reason it just didn't quite pull me into the time, place, space the way it did some others- although it didn't miss by much.
This is a very unique book-probably reminding me of my old Boy Scout Fieldbook (a little more detailed and survival-oriented than the handbook) more than a typical non-fiction work. The illustrations are great as well as occasionally light-hearted, and if you are at all handy or have an engineering or for that matter, culinary bent, you will find plenty of recipes and blueprints for food, tools, gadgets- even crystal radio sets or birch bark canoes. While some of these you'd probably have to find some supplemental information to make, most come so well described and diagrammed that you could probably build them or bake them directly from the book.
For me the best part is the author's midwest and at times almost cowboy way of describing life. His time around rough loggers in the days when horses and two man saws were still the order of the day especially captured my imagination. Like many readers, I'm a lot hermit, and the thought of life in a cabin in the north woods with nothing but snow, bear, moose, and wind has a certain charm, and I'm grateful to Rowlands for giving enough of a story to enjoy a bit of that charm vicariously. An excellent and unique book, and for some it will probably become a treasured possession.
what a great book!.......2007-06-24
I have read a lot of outdoor books over the last 40 years, and this is one of the best. I am going to research the author, John J. Rowlands, because he was obviously a fascinating man who lead a very interesting life. This book tells about 12 months living in a cabin on a lake in Northern Onatario. At the time Rowlands was working as a timber cruiser, evaluating forests for use as lumber. He happened upon his ideal lake and was lucky enough to get stationed there by his company. He was also very lucky to have two great friends living within miles (within signaling distance via the various drums, horns etc. they engineered), on other little lakes. Together the three lived every outdoor boy's dream life of independence and adventure. This book has stuff about canoes, wild animals, sled dogs, snowshoes, knives, axes, the history of the lumber camps, and many boy-scout like craft projects. I just wish it was a lot longer.
Paul Schmitt.......2007-05-15
A good book but I didn't think it was as easy to read as friends lead me to believe. A tremendous amount of reference material, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Cache Lake Country: Life in the North Woods.......2007-01-11
I found the book enlightening and informative. Thank you for the opportunity to enjoy and learn from this book.
Most enjoyable book.......2006-11-03
I first read this book in my senior year in high school. Once I rediscovered it I have read it at least once a year. It paints a picture of a world gone by the way and it brings the experience to life. If you love the outdoors, you will find this a pleasure to read. I would recommend it to anyone from 14 years old to 100.
Product Description
Originally published in 1947. Includes all of Henry Kane's excellent illustrations.
Book Description
Paul Gillcrist was a navy carrier pilot for almost thirty years, from the early days, of flying propeller planes from straight deck carriers, to the days of high-tech, lethal "teen" jets and supercarriers. In his remarkable career - from "nugget", to competent jet aviator, to test pilot, to Vietnam fighter pilot, to air wing commander, to head of "Fightertown, USA," Gillcrist flew the F-8 Crusader, F-4 Phantom, F-14 Tomcat, and a myriad of other tactical aircraft. He took part in the Navy's transition to jet aircraft, when accident rates were high and many feared that jets would not be able to operate in the harsh, demanding environment of "blue water ops." Gillcrist saw the introduction of critical innovations - the angled deck, steam catapult, optical landing system - that saved carrier jet aviation from extinction. Few aviators have had such varied and fascinating experiences, and few could write about them with such eloquence. Available now in a new hard cover reprint edition, Feet Wet (aviator talk for reaching the safety of water) is a chronicle of adventure, heroism, courage, and humor, with some of the most exciting passages ever written on flying. From his magical first flight - the sheer exstasy of being airborne, to the heart-pounding excitement of his first night "trap," the terror of ejecting from a test plane spinning out of control, to dodging SAMs and jousting with MiGs over Hanoi - Gillcrist takes the reader into his world and vividly conveys what all pilots live for - the tremendous "high" of all-out flying. As part of his absorbing stories. Gillcrist shares technical information on carrier aviation; the reader sees, step-by-step, how an airplane is launched, and then trapped again on a small deck aboard a moving ship - this, the most dificult feat in aviation. Paul gillcrist retired in 1985 after a 33-year career as a naval aviator. He commanded a fighter squadron, a carrier air wing, a major jet base, and as a flag officer, the Pacific Fleet fighter wing. He flew 167 combat missions in three Vietnam combat deployments, for which he was awarded seventeen combat decorations. Paul Gillcrist is also the author of Tomcat! The Grumman F-14 Story, Crusader! Last of the Gunfighters, and Vulture's Row: Thirty Years in Naval Aviation (all three titles are available from Schiffer Publishing Ltd.). , 27 b/w photographs, 6" x 9"
Customer Reviews:
Outstanding .......2007-02-23
For those looking for a well organized biography there is likely to be disappointment for this is a book of stories, stripped of the connective tissue which is found in more traditional bios. Stripped of excess (or in some views essential) fat this is a book about what it is like to be a great naval aviator at the dawn of the jet age.
Gilcrist is the real deal. Fighter pilot with more than 150 combat missions over North Vietnam, leader, and sometimes thinker. What distinguishes naval aviation from Air Force operations is home.
Home to the Air Force pilot is a 6,000 foot runway, lots of lights, a well stocked bar, golf course and other "comforts". For the Naval aviator it is a little postage stamp floating way down there on the sea, offering a rocking and rolling, impossibly tiny area in which to land a jet aircraft which is wallowing along far below the speed at which it wants to fly. Add to this darkness, reduced visibility, fatigue and the ever present plat cam and the pressure is on.
Gilcrist captures both the challenges of operating off carriers and the challenges of fighting the air war in Vietnam where both the Naval and Air Force pilots distinguished themselves in their skills, courage, routine heroism and dedication to the fighting of a war which was directed by those who were not committed to winning. Sun Tzu recognized the importance of the arts of politics in allowing victory without war and the importance of keeping politics out of military decisions when the troops are sent to war.
The author captures the tragedy of his new cag with no combat experience being blown out of the sky on one of his first missions.
Much of the story reads like a conversation of a group of pilots, drink in hand. Color is usually reserved for stories distinguished by the incredibly dumb thing done by the storyteller who manages to survive. Stories of personal valor are stripped to the Joe Friday approach. The sharing of these stories is an important part of the warrior culture and training.
The story is also a lot about leadership and there are few organizations in the world where leadership is more important than the Navy. It was interesting to follow Gilcrist's rapid introduction into the variety of aircraft the squadrons under his command would fly, including qualification in two new jet fighters. His comments on the flying qualities of the aircraft were very helpful.
It's "series of stories" quality make it a very easy read. The perfect companion for a long flight, leisure afternoon read in the shade or bedside table.
Highly recommended. ..................
Entertaining, fun, exciting, and accurate.......2005-11-09
What a read. I had trouble putting it down. This is a captivating book by a true American HERO. From blackouts to stalls, ditching and bailing, this is a man who went through and helped to create the evolution of U.S. Navy Carrier Operations. This is a true fighter pilot, and a former "Top Gun". I consider it to be an honor to have also attended the U.S. Naval Academy, particularly with people like Admiral Gillcrist as a model for my behavior.
Thank you Admiral for providing such an entertaining book, and thank you especially for serving our Country in such a galant manner.
Highly readable, entertaining account!.......2003-09-25
Rear Admiral Paul Gillcrist, USN (Retired), gives an account of his 33-year Navy career from training in a radial engined SNJ to combat in Vietnam to his final carrier trap in a supersonic F-14A Tomcat. The book is presented in an anectodal form, like an old salt spinning his yarns for a fascinated audience.
Gillcrist's memoir has several high points. One of the most interesting parts of the book is how the Navy transitioned from a propeller-driven fleet to a jet-plane, supersonic navy. He gives a good layman's discussion of the three important advances required for jet carrier aviation: the angled carrier deck, the powerful steam catapult, and the optical landing system (aka "the meatball" or "the ball").
His accounts of two ejections (one of which left him in recovery for sixteen months) are harrowing. Some stories are laugh-out-loud funny, like the one about a pilot landing on the wrong carrier and his grace and humor dealing with the inevitable ribbing. It's easy to devour this book, and wish you had a story of your own that was half as good as only one of Gillcrist's!
What impresses me most is Gillcrist's complete lack of egotism. It's hard to write one's memoirs and not come across as at least a little self-promoting, but he pulls it off in grand style. Gillcrist is humble, and loves naval aviation enough to make it the star of the book. His account of his last trap on a carrier is Gillcrist at his most humble; it's a sad goodbye indeed.
The biggest fault of the book is its episodic format. That format worked wonderfully in Gillcrist's book "Tomcat! The Grumman F-14 Story," which was heavy on the pictures but the text was effective and authoritative as well. In "Feet Wet" the stories don't have the narrow-subject connection that "Tomcat!" does so it feels disjointed and jumpy at times; mere vignettes instead of threads in a grand story. It's easy to get the feeling that these are stories that Gillcrist would tell you over a few beers--you'd love the stories but not have too much of an idea about the man or the hows and whys of his profession.
But then again, how many times do you get to have a few beers with a man who's "been there, done that" like Admiral Gillcrist?
the best naval flight recalections ever.......2002-09-05
If u like anything with flying, naval flying, this book is the best. it has all of his expereiences and makes u feel like u are really there. i would recomend this book for anybody but if u would like to become a naval aviator like me, then this book is especially for you!!! The best book i have ever read Admiral Gillcrist. thank you especially for writting about your career! i plan on reading the other books by you. i rate this a 10 on a scale of 1-5
the best naval aviator.......2002-04-08
THIS IS THE FIRST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ, I AM 23 AND THE FIRST TIME I READ IT WAS WHEN I WAS 7. MY DAD WAS IN THE NAVY AND WORKED ON A SUBMARINE. HE TOOK ME INTO THE MEDICAL SPACE OF THE SUB AND SHOWED ME THEIR LIBRARY. AND LET ME PICK A FEW BOOKS. THIS BOOK AND CREW CHIEF BY JESSIE T. MCLOED ARE THE BEST BOOKS I EVER WROTE.
Average customer rating:
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FEET WET: REFLECTIONS OF A CARRIER PILOT.
Manufacturer: Airlife Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Aviation
| Military
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1853101915 |
Book Description
Historically a common trust, water is now bought and sold as a private commodity. With billions at the mercy of an unrestrained marketplace, it is easy to understand why this precious resource is at the center of the international movement working to turn back the rising tide of corporate globalization.
The triumphant struggle of grassroots activists in Cochabamba, Bolivia, sounded a significant opening salvo in the water wars. In 2001, water warriors there regained control of their water supply and defied all odds by driving out the transnational corporation that had stolen their water in the first place.
¡Cochabamba! is the story of the first great victory against corporate globalization in Latin America. Oscar Olivera, a 45-year-old machinist who helped shape and lead a movement that brought thousands of ordinary people to the streets, powerfully conveys the perspective of a committed participant in a victorious and inspirational rebellion.
The beloved and highly respected Olivera relates the selling of the city's water supply to Aguas del Tunari-a subsidiary of US-based Bechtel-the subsequent astronomical rise in water prices, and the refusal of poverty-strapped Bolivians to pay them. Olivera brings us to the front lines of a movement, chronicling how the people organized an opposition and the dramatic struggles that eventually defeated the privatizers.
With hard-won political savvy, Olivera reflects on major themes that emerged from the war over water: the fear and isolation that Cochabambinos faced with a spirit of solidarity and mutual aid; the challenges of democratically administering the city's water supply; and the impact of the water wars on subsequent resistance.
Oscar Olivera is president of the Cochabamba Federation of Factory Workers and 2001 winner of the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize.
Tom Lewis is Latin America editor for the International Socialist Review and professor of Spanish at the University of Iowa.
Customer Reviews:
Reclaim the commons!.......2006-04-05
This book is a must-read for global justice activists interested in understanding the triumphant people's movement in Bolivia to take back their water. An educational, inspirational and engaging read! Olivera's afterward, "They can't privatize our dreams" is simply breath-taking!
Inspiration for our times.......2005-05-26
Tired of feeling helpless in the face of the institutions that try to dominate and control our lives? Reading Cochabamba! by Oscar Olivera may be just the tonic you've been looking for.
When Bechtel--currently (re)constructing Iraq and the vastly over-budget Big Dig--tried to privatize the water supply in Cochabamba, Bolivia the people said No! And they meant it. Ordinary working people participating in assemblies and cabildos (town meetings) developed demands. They proclaimed, "The water is ours!" and stood behind those words. After a series of growing protests shut down the town and highways, Bechtel was forced to flee and the town's water regained.
Due to the strength of the movement, and the connections made between different groups, the water is currently managed more democratically than it was by the government before the privatization. An essay on the challenges of administering the water supply provides further inspiration to those struggling for freedom. (Especially those of us who sometimes wonder, "What if we win?") Other essays analyze the significance of the Water War and are complemented by a selection of writings by Oscar Olivera on the imposition of neoliberalism, which created the conditions for the Water War, and what the next steps towards liberation may be.
The essays "For a Constituent Assembly: Creating Public Spaces," "Petroleum and Natural Gas: Reconquering Our Collective Patrimony," and "The Legacy of the Coordinadora" are essential to understand the current uprisings in Bolivia.
This book should have been called "After the Water War".......2005-02-09
About a quarter of this book actually covers the Water War and what lead up to it. Very basic explanations of what happened and why. The eight days of chaos at the height of the Water War are left almost without description. It seems an odd thing to skimp on details of when the time was so critical.
Most of the book analyzes the impact for privatization and social movements. It's more of a scholarly book than an explanation for the average person.
The end of the book covers the "Gas War" (the fight against privitization of Bolivia's oil and gas reserves).
Book Description
Here in an easy-to-use format is the first guide to the nearly 1,300 species of non-passerine South American birds. It complements Robert Ridgly and Guy Tudor's large reference volumes on the passerines (1,800 species), which will soon be available in a single-volume field guide format.
One of things that makes this book special is its use of masterful and alluring illustrations; most neotropical birders will want the book for the illustrations alone. The text concentrates on the key identification features of each species and follows the layout of other books in this series. The book may be used in conjunction with regional and country field guides.
- First guide to nearly 1,300 species
- Easy-to-use format
- Complements volumes on passerine birds
- Contains key identification features
- More than 150 color illustrations
- More than 1,270 maps
Customer Reviews:
Great to have them together.......2007-07-29
Great to have all the non-passerine birds (non-songbirds) together in one booklet, for the most bird-rich continent in the world. Especially handy for those countries that still don't have good field guides, but also handy for comparing species across country boundaries.
The paintings are very nice, and the birds have their natural pose, something we are missing in the latest field guides. The distribution maps are bit small, but still adequate.
For any lover of Southamerican birds, the quality of the paintings alone is worth the purchase of this book, with 1300 species.
compact and complete.......2007-01-24
The book is really complete, with very nice draws of the species listed, and some interesting information about each group and species.
all inclusive.......2007-01-15
this book contains all the non passerine birds in S. America, although it doesn't give in depth descriptions of them it is much easier to use than my five pound book that coveres half of the passerines.
Excellent book.......2007-01-09
The book is worth every cent you pay for. The plates by Jorge Rodriguez-Mata are very very good and acurate. The taxonomic classification is not 100% updated, but that is not a real problem.
Add this book to your collection!.......2006-10-21
I just got the book and in short, was very impressed. The book fills in the gap in the taxonomic order not covered in the famous Birds of South America Vol. I & II by Ridgely and Tudor. The book is small and compact (5" X 7.5"). The illustrations are great...a bit crowded on some pages (as can be expected with the size), but overall are visually appealing and birds are identifiable (unlike other Princeton Illustrated Checklists I've seen recently). The book is just that though, an illustrated checklist. Each bird is illustrated on one side with a corresponding paragraph describing the bird and habitat on the opposite side. Each species has a small range map next to the text block as well.
The only errors I've seen so far is that some birds are do not have a numerical label, matching their illustration with their name/description on the other page. These are few in occurrence and don't pose too much of a problem, but obviously overlooked by the editors. One other thing, some of the birds, particularly some of the hummingbirds, have been painted as you may see them in a shaded forest (without any iridescence)...thank God the Velvet-purple Coronet doesn't always look like that!
Overall, this is a great book to add to your collection or to use in the field if that sort of thing is lacking where your going. Its a bargain and recommended.
Book Description
South America, though home to about one-third of the world's bird species and twice as many endemic families of birds as any other continent, has the world's sparsest population of birdwatchers. Birds of Southern South America and Antarctica illustrates and describes all the known species--more than 1,000 of them--in a vast swath of this underexplored birder's paradise, from Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay, southern Brazil, and Uruguay to parts of Antarctica. Just some of the birds it covers are teals, tinamous, chachalacas, conebills, cuckoos, macaws, parakeets, parrots, penguins, nightjars, hummingbirds, ovenbirds, tyrants, and tanagers. The habitats range from torrid rainforests and cloudforests to grasslands, the world's driest desert, second highest mountain range, and ice caps.
The 97 color plates depict each species' male in breeding plumage, with the female and young often shown as well. On the facing page are concise textual descriptions of each species, highlighting not only salient physical features and behavioral patterns but the calls or songs of each. Casual birders and ornithologists contemplating a journey to the region, or simply interested in a one-volume overview of its bird life, will not want to miss this book.
Customer Reviews:
Weak.......2007-08-09
I don't believe there is a good choice at this time. We are headed to Brazil on a birding trip soon. Of about 720 birds that we might reasonably see in the areas we are to visit according to various compiled trip reports, this book only covered 60%. In addition, the pictures on the facing page from the text, were in almost random order. I used the Clements book on Peru to fill in 3/4 of the missing birds.
Consider an alternative guide!!.......2007-02-25
This guide book covers a wide range of habitats: from the jungle tropics to the southern tip of the continent and even Antactica. If you are going to be traveling widely, this guide might well be your best bet. The illustrations are good and the descriptions on the facing page are quite useful. The major drawback is that the distribution maps are at the back and that's annoying. (Once you've found an illustration that seems to identify the bird you're seeing, you need to note both the plate and illustration number before heading back to the range maps to see if it's likely to be found in your present location. All too often I found that wasn't the case!)
If you're going to do your birdwatching in or near the mountains or along the southern coast, I'd suggest that you carefully consider, instead, Birds of Chile by Jaramillo et al, a Princeton Guide. It's a superb field guide with many illustrations of the birds in flight, as well as sitting still; its descriptions are excellent and the range maps are on the facing page. I bought a copy of it on my return from Patagonia and it's definitely the guide I'll take next time -- not only to Chile, but to southern Argentina, as well!
Very Portable and Useful Little Guide.......2007-01-18
I am going birding in Bolivia -- which does not yet have it's own field guide -- later this year. So instead of carrying one guide I need to figure out which combination of books will strike a balance between usefulness and space/weight. I have a feeling this is going to be one of my main resources. It is very portable and so far about 85 percent of the birds I may potentially see are in here. In no way is this book intended to replace a full scale field guide such as "Birds of Columbia" by Hilty or "Birds of the High Andes" but then again it is less than one quarter the size and weight. Also, FYI -- it is quite a bit more than merely an illustrated checklist: you do get a small one paragraph description for each bird, a range map at the back which is a little inconvenient but many full size guides use this format also. The book is probably a little out of date as far as some of the finer points of taxonomy -- but many of the recent arguments are at least explained. All in all -- I feel this will be a very useful book to have along, though it will definitely not be the only book I'll have along.
Southern South America Field Guide.......2007-01-11
This appears to be a compact but comprehensive field guide to the birds of southern South America. The art work is adequate, but the plates are crowded and disorganized, and it is sometimes difficult to find the specific number you are looking for to coordinate with the printed information. The other drawback is that the range maps are at the back of the book, a failing common to many older guides. In the absence of anything better, this should serve the purpose well.
A better guide for Argentina..........2006-07-06
I found this guide to be occasionally inaccurate and lacking much needed info for any serious birding, though it is useful as a backup/reference for other area guides. Instead of this book, I recommend you consider "Birds of Argentina & Uruguay" by Tito Narosky and Dario Yzurieta. If not easy to find on Amazon, try Birdlife International, or just pick up a copy in Buenos Aires.
Average customer rating:
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Checklist of the Birds of South America
Bryon Swift ,
Allen Altman , and
Byron Swift
Manufacturer: Allen Altman & Byron Swift
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Birds
| Field Guides
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
South America
| Regional
| Field Guides
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Birdwatching
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Ornithology
| Zoology
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0962255920 |
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