Book Description
The
Emperor of Scent tells of the scientific maverick Luca Turin, a connoisseur and something of an aesthete who wrote a bestselling perfume guide and bandied about an outrageous new theory on the human sense of smell. Drawing on cutting-edge work in biology, chemistry, and physics, Turin used his obsession with perfume and his eerie gift for smell to turn the cloistered worlds of the smell business and science upside down, leading to a solution to the last great mystery of the senses: how the nose works.
Customer Reviews:
Amazing.......2007-06-15
Burr is simply amazing. One of the top five books I've ever read. The story of Luca Turin's "Theory of Smell." Who would have known in this day and age the world had no idea how the nose worked? Turin's road to discovery and the obstacles set before him by the closed-minded academia. Burr does an amazing job of setting the stage honing in on Turin's eccentricities. A great insight into perfume, perfume makers, and a brief history of perfume. I have given over fifty copies to friends and customers. Even today most ENT doctors have not read the [..]the nose.
Convincing But One Sided and With No Resolution.......2007-05-10
This is an interesting book until it occurs to you that his claim has not been proved. This is annoying because there is indeed no presentation of the opposing side and so without any semblance of balance we cannot really know if this is valid or not.
Thought Provoking.......2006-10-26
Seldom do we we see a book, which deals with a scientific matter, inspire such a range of thoughtful responses from a wide variety of well-informed, well-educated people, scientific and non-scientific alike.
Frankly, I've enjoyed reading the words of my fellow reviewers almost as much as I enjoyed reading The Emperor of Scent. Kudos to Chandler Burr. Look for his byline in the pages of the New York Times, where he toils as a scent critic. Really. It's riveting reading in the world of perfume. So is The Emperor of Scent. And I'm no scientist.
A brilliant man brilliantly described...too bad the journalism has a gaping hole........2006-09-14
I really wish I could give this book 5 stars. The subject matter is fascinating, the science writing is brilliant [among the best I've read, and I read thousands of pages of science journalism every year], the main character is, at least on the page, a tornado of charisma and curiosity... But the story is that this intellectual dervish, Luca Turin, the titular Emperor of Scent, is a sort of Gallileo, whose patently true theory of scent [we are hand-led to believe] is spurned by the Orthodox Establishment who stand to lose money and reputation... but the establishment theory is never really examined. This is journalism with a gaping hole in it: the rebuttal never comes.
This is by no means Chandler Burr's fault. As he describes it, Turin's theory is so revolutionary and so inconvenient that he can't even get the Old Guard to respond or rebutt. He was stonewalled. I tend to believe Burr's account, familiar as I am with his writing for the Atlantic, etc., but it is a flaw in the story nonetheless.
That said, this book is totally worth your time. The writing is hyper-lucid and vivacious. Sparkling, really. Burr's intelligence brings Turin to life, and leaves us a character worthy of great fiction. How he does this with such transparent and seemingly effortless prose I have no idea. Outstanding writing. And, at least within the limitations he could not avoid, Burr has done some top-notch journalism. If that rebuttal were included, I think we'd have a classic of science journalism right up there with John McPhee and David Quamen.
Great fun, and highly informative. I look forward to the conclusion of the great smell debate!
Good Science? Good Literature? .......2006-06-19
The book and its protagonist come off as "bitchy", "effeminate" and "French." On a good day, these qualities might be interesting and even charming in a drop-dead sexy woman who is undressing in front of you. That's especially true if you have the option of shipping her back to Europe the next day, forever. But these same qualities are a bit too much in an olfactory scientist who may (or may not) be on the verge of cracking the sensory-neural code for smell. Frankly, I wasn't able to make it through the entire book given the grandiose portrait that emerged. This story will be MUCH more interesting if it turns out that Luca Turin's fascinating theory and brilliant predictive model end up being correct. If that's the case, then I'll be the first to suggest that we wash him in a glorious spicy and sweet scented bath of vindication and validation. (Somebody else needs to hold the sponge).
Having said all this, I have the strong sense that Luca Turin is an intuitive and creative genius, with the overflowing passion and insight needed to make unique breakthroughs. It would appear that he's using some kind of synaesthetic sense to perceive and describe the olfactory sense. In a world filled with competent but unimaginative nirasas, people like Turin are worth their weight in gold. They forge forward filled with passion, conviction, dedication and vision (or in this case smell). They accumulate enormous amounts of information but are unconstrained by the shackles of convention. The biggest problem for these people occurs when they return to earth with their alien messages. They find a mass of people in a cave, watching shadows, and who do not have a schema for new information. In Turin's case, he's found brilliant metaphors to describe his olfactory dream world, but he is still struggling to present his Martian understanding in a language and style that is acceptable to scientists. He's trying to translate what he knows based on experience into validated, empirical, accepted scientific truth. It is a long road and at times he's a lousy driver. Trying to run Nobel Laureates and other great olfactory scientists off the road is akin to road rage. Good luck.
I think its great that so few people believe Turin's theory and that evidence is mounting against it. I say this now because I'm betting that his theory is correct in general form, and that science will ultimately validate a theory that looks like his. So I'm jumping on the bandwagon now, while it is still is fairly empty. Maybe that means something. I'm no expert on the chemo-senses, and my understanding of smell is highly limited. But I do know something about sensory systems in general, and about frequency-like coding in vision, hearing and touch. In the visual system, frequency-like coding channels are everywhere... in the cones that are differentially sensitive for wavelength, and in the higher visual areas that are selective for spatial, temporal and other frequencies. The ear and it's cochlea are clearly frequency analyzers, with "critical bands" and tonotopic variation represented clearly in the brain. The skin contains frequency selective mechanisms, too, as made implicit in Bolanowski's classic model. As our understanding of haptic perception improves, I'll bet that we'll find cortical detectors selective for tactile spatial and temporal frequencies. Whatever. My key point is that other sensory systems reek of just the kind of processing that Turin advocates for smell.
I was interested in this book because I was interested in his scientific theory more than anything else. I learned about it in the new sensation and perception text by Wolfe et al. (2005). I found plenty here to help me understand it (though there's a reason I'm not a chemist). I'm finding that there are better ways to become familiar with Turin's scientific theory than purchasing this book. Turin's Flexitral website provides the excellent references, including many available for download. The J. Theoretical Biology (2002) seems to be the most accessible, but I have yet to see the more recent papers, including a 2005 book chapter. According to the website, Turin has published, or is about to publish, a book on the subject.
One more thing--The ultimate tests of Turin's model and any decent model of olfactory processing will be conducted by neuroscientists and psychophysicists, not a bunch of chemists. (See, e.g., the new book by Wilson & Stevenson). And the tests will involve olfactory detection as opposed to olfactory discrimination and odor prediction. I'll even suggest the technique. Measure olfactory threshold functions for a bunch of different chemical odorants. Measure these thresholds in a bunch of different individuals, creating a big data base of individual differences. Then use the individual differences to figure out what goes with what. If Turin is right, factors will emerge that conform to his vibrational theory. Simple. See my published papers on individual differences in visual processing.
I may return to finish this book at a later date. That's all for now.
Book Description
Following on from the success of volume 1, Friedrich Georg's second book in the series covers unconventional short- and medium-range weapons. In particular, this volume includes a wealth of information about the V-rocket programme, not just the more familiar V-1 and V-2, but special variants of these two rockets as well as later experimental craft and weaponry. Following a fascinating examination of pre-war efforts to build flying bombs, the author examines the V-1 and V-2 projects in great detail. Particular attention is paid to special variants that have previously received little coverage. These include the V-2 A-4 'America Rocket', and V-2s designed to carry nuclear and radiological warheads. The capability of the Germans to deploy such weapons is also discussed. A large number of weird and wonderful projects that never left the drawing board are examined, including the FR-35, V-6, V-101, Waterfall and Naval EMW A-7 rockets. The fascinating final section examines German plans to utilise such rocketry against London and Paris in 1945, as well as recounting the activities of V-weapons on other fronts, including Italy, Yugoslavia and the Eastern Front. The text is supported by b/w photographs and 16 superb pages of colour artwork, including profiles, computer-generated images of designs that never flew, and pictures of the author's own models.
Customer Reviews:
Why our space program had German scientists.......2007-01-26
Bob Hope is famously quoted as saying after we landed on the moon, "I wanted to call NASA to consgratulate them, but I don't speak German."
As with all the best humour, it is the strong link to reality that makes it all the more amusing.
How is it that the US was able to beat the Soviets to the moon? How is it that the US was able to develop a successful multi-stage launch vehicle AFTER being a distant second to the Soviets from 1957 to 1963.
Friedrich Georg claims that it is due in part to the previously unknown work done in Nazi Germany during World War Two. He addresses this matter in HITLER'S MIRACLE WEAPONS: The Secret history of the Rockets and Flying Crafts of the Third Reich Volume 2 - From the V-1 to the A-9. As is obvious by the title, author Georg is writing a multi-volume volume series on german high-level weapons R&D programs. This volume addresses the development tactical and strategic delivery systems for the NBC weapons discussed in his first volume: HITLER'S MIRACLE WEAPONS: Secret Nuclear Weapons of the Third Reich and their Carrier Systems volume 1 - Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine.
Using data he claims was unaccessible until after 1990 because it was sequestered in the German Democratic Republic, Georg describes how the German missle programs beginning with the well-known V1 and V2, but then goes own to present information on additional, far more sophiscated vehciles that would have the capability of hiting targets in the US.
He also provides previously unknown information about plans to install V1 and V2 sites in Ilaty as well as the last ditch efforts by the Germans to launch nuclear-tipped missiles at England.
Not limited to text, this book also includes excellent scale drawings and models of the various weapons and delivery systems, as well as what few photographs have survived.
Friedrich Georg should be commended for his diligent attention to detail in relating this fascinating trove of information.
A Lot of Previously Unknown Material.......2005-07-26
This book asks an interesting question: After the V-1 Buzz Bombs and the V-2 rockets were in production and use, what were the scientists and engineers working on next.
Then it attempts to answer that same question. And the answer is a whole range of new and different weapons. Some of these were big and designed for attacking the United States after being launched from Germany. Some were small guided weapons to be launched from aircraft against high priority targets.
There are several brief discussions on the German nuclear weapons programs. This includes missile designs with proposed nuclear warheads. I am skeptical of the authors interpretation of these designs. What little information I've seen on the German program says that they made very little progress, even that the basic fundamental theories that Werner Heisenberg were so badly flawed that even if they had been able to gether the components it is likely that they would have blown themselves up rather than actually produced a bomb.
The first bombs were big - 5000-7000 pounds, Heisenberg's design was much bigger than that. Note that just because I'm skeptical doesn't mean that the German scientists weren't working on the problem.
This book covers development areas that have been generally ignored in the press. I presume that it is in part based on information from what was East Germany that wasn't available until recently.
The book appears to have been put together based on relatively little hard information. But after that many years, it isn't surprising that projects which never came to pass would be hard to find out about at all.
Hold On!!.......2005-07-07
Since the Berlin Wall fell a whole new generation of investigator has arisen in Germany. Friedrich Georg is one of these and he has uncovered a whole new world of facts regarding secret German weapons and technology. But this is not the kind of book you read in one sitting. It takes time for the mind to get around what Mr. Georg has uncovered. You can curl up in you favorite chair for this book but not with a glass of wine. Skip the wine, you will need a drink afterward.
Mr. Georg uncovers new weapons and new delivery systems. How about "Nipolit", "N-stoff", radiological warheads, and atomic cannon, the A4-b and A-9A? How about the V-3 and the V-4? Were some of these actually launched? What is the mysterious long distance rocket called the V-101? There is much more. Nor is this science fiction, Mr. Georg's work actually comes with sources so that those interested can verify what is being disclosed.
Right now a storm is raging in Germany over the findings of Mr. Georg and others among academicians. This book will place you in eye of this storm while lifting the veil of secrecy off what has been hidden for the last sixty years.
Anyone interested in technology, weaponry, or the hidden history of these topics in Germany will find this book fascinating. I recommend this book without reservation.
Book Description
The V 1, or 'Doodlebug' or 'Flying-bomb' came into use in June 1944 and, together with the V 2 Rocket, was Hitler's final hope in face of the advancing Allied forces sweeping across Europe towards Germany. Of the 8,000 that were launched within the first 80 days, some 2,300 reached the London area where they caused more death and destruction to its population and buildings. As the front line moved eastwards, many of the ground-based launch ramps became denied to the German forces and the modest range of the missile meant that other means of launching must be considered to continue the threat.
An air-launching system, utilizing the Luftwaffe's Heinkel 111 bomber, was developed and operated by the newly formed Kampfgeschwader units. This posed a dramatic new threat to the UK because the V 1's effective range was considerably increased and it's mobile firing point offered a much greater target area when fired from an aircraft flying over the North Sea. This is the story of the development and operation of this new form of attack and also of the Allied reaction and defense-measures taken to minimize damage.
Book Description
United States Army Air Forces in World War 2. Details the story of the attempt by the allies to render Germany's Vergeltungswaffe (V or Vengeance) weapons ineffective in World War 2.
Average customer rating:
- POLISH UNDERGROUND WERE TRUE HEROES
- Unmasking the Secret German Rocket Program
- Hitler's Last Weapons - Jozef Garlinski
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Hitler's last weapons: The underground war against the V1 and V2
Jozef Garlinski
Manufacturer: Times Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Europe
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| World War II
| Military
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0812907876 |
Customer Reviews:
POLISH UNDERGROUND WERE TRUE HEROES.......2007-08-01
Great book! If you want to add to your knowledge of WWII, read this book. Many of us have no idea of this aspect of the war. This book also gives attention to the many forgotten heroes and "true heroes" of WWII; The Poles and the Polish nation. Every WWII buff, needs to read this book. Well written, without a dull moment. Highly recommended.
Unmasking the Secret German Rocket Program.......2007-06-05
This book provides a detailed history of the German Nazi development of the V1 and V2 weapons, and the role of the Allies (notably the Polish Underground) in uncovering the secrets of their design. Warning: This book contains details of Gestapo tortures. They may be upsetting to sensitive readers.
The Germans made the mistake of using foreign forced labor at their top-secret testing site at Peenemunde. This made it possible for agents to pass the location and significance of this site on to the British. Surreptitious aerial reconnaissance confirmed the rocket-testing nature of this site, and a British air-raid destroyed a large fraction of this facility. The Germans were completely fooled into thinking that the intended target had been Berlin.
The Germans made the second mistake of moving the testing site to Blizna, a location in German-occupied Poland. Was it safe from prying eyes? Hardly! The Polish Underground had no problem monitoring the rocket tests and reporting on them. A nearly-intact V2 rocket fell nearby, and was concealed, taken apart, and photographed by the Polish Underground. The Underground actually smuggled some V2 parts into England.
Although there was no direct defense against this fearsome German weapon, the British were relieved to learn that the V2 had "only" a one-ton warhead, not a five or ten-ton warhead as originally feared.
The Germans built an underground factory (Mittelbau Dora) in the Harz Mountains, near Nordhausen. It was inside the Kohnstein Mountain, and was bomb-proof. The work conditions for the slave laborers were horrible, but not as bad as at Auschwitz. Garlinski, an Auschwitz inmate himself, estimates the mortality at 15% at Dora in contrast to 84% at Auschwitz (p. 108; not counting, of course, those murdered by the Germans upon arrival).
Thanks to underground activities, the Allies learned of the existence and significance of this underground factory. Garlinski (p. 188) touches upon an American plan to attack Kohnstein Mountain with a gasoline-soap mixture (evidently an early form of napalm) in the hope that the fumes would seep down the ventilation shafts into the underground factory, ignite there, and burn out the interior. It was never attempted. However, although the factory itself could not be knocked out by conventional bombing, its productivity was reduced by the Allied bombing of the incoming railroad tracks and other above-ground infrastructure. (There is no mention the destruction of Nordhausen itself).
Garlinski provides a table of V1 and V2 attacks, giving the cities which were hit and the approximate numbers of dead and wounded.
Garlinski also sheds light on other aspects of WWII. He point out that, within 24 hours of the German attack on the Soviet Union, Winston Churchill promised "every assistance with no political conditions." (p. 50). This statement must have emboldened Stalin. It was clearly the first step in the betrayal of Poland to the Soviet Union, culminating years later at Teheran and Yalta.
Hitler's Last Weapons - Jozef Garlinski.......2004-04-14
Jozef Garlinski gives a story of the German advncement through the war during the years of 1939 through 1945. Hitler leads the Nazi regime into war against many foes. In the story it shows the events in France, Poland, Denmark, England, and Russia. The major parts of the book deal with the weapons Hitler discovered. Himmler's organizations, which conducted experiments for violent weapons, came across weapons of mass destruction. Rockets and explosives nearly changed the war for Hitler even towards the end. The Third Riech was a very unique organization that was very evil. They worked hard for their cause, mainly to satisfy Hitler.
Average customer rating:
- Mainly Fiction
- Bettler Left Unread
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Hitler's V-Weapons Sites (Hitler, Adolf)
Phillip Henshall
Manufacturer: Sutton Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Military
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Weapons & Warfare
| Military
| History
| Subjects
| Books
| Biological & Chemical
| Control
| Conventional
| Nuclear
General
| World War II
| Military
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Military Science
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Germany
| Europe
| History
| Subjects
| Books
History of Technology
| Technology
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0750926074 |
Book Description
V-weapons were advanced rockets used by Germany to attack the allies during the Second World War. This is the first comprehensive history in English of the Nazi V1 and V2 weapons sites and a guide to what remains to view today.
Customer Reviews:
Mainly Fiction.......2003-05-19
An interesting book but the author keeps on getting fact and fiction confused. If you want to know in detail about the launch sites then the book is good. If you want to know about the system themselves there is very little in this book.
The author has a tendency to present paper studies as if they were nearly ready for service. The nuclear V-2 design presented would simply not have worked, he has confused the design for a system to investigate V-2's breaking up on decent with a production system. The incomplete Coastal battery is just that not a V-2 Silo launch site. Watten was never designed for Silo launch of V-2 or A-10 missiles and the design he presents for Watten directly contradicts data from other researchers and original German plans.
The A-10 was years away from first flight and was never tested in Poland. At one point he rambles on about 50 year old SS gas traps/mines!
Bettler Left Unread.......2003-02-19
While this book is a great travel guide to V-Weapon sites in western europe, it cannot be depended upon as a history of the various V-weapons programs. The text has no footnotes, in particular the author's assertions that the V-1 and V-2 had versions in development to carry chemical and nuclear weapons. Moreover, the primary sources listed in the bibliography are mostly from intelligence briefs produced by Great Britain; there is no evidence that the author used any primary source material from the appropriate German archives. Finally, the secondary sources listed are slim and ignore some of the most current research on V-Weapons.
Average customer rating:
- Very plausible hypothesis, and very well researched.
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Vengeance: Hitler's Nuclear Weapon : Fact or Fiction? (Aviation)
Philip Henshall
Manufacturer: Alan Sutton Publishing,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Nuclear
| Weapons & Warfare
| Military
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| World War II
| Military
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| World
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Military Science
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Third Reich
| Germany
| Europe
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Aviation
| Transportation
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
History of Technology
| Technology
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0750908742 |
Book Description
At the start of World War II, Geramany lead the field in nuclear physics, having confirmed the fission of uranium in 1938. From 1943 onwards, Hitler and the Nazi propaganda machine poured forth a torrent of warnings to the Allies that vengeance and retribution were imminent. Until now, historians have assumed that Hitler was referring to the V1 and V2 weapons, both of which carried conventional high explosive warheads. But this book shows that the real vengeance weapon existed, not as a wild fantasy of Hitler's imagination, but as a cargo of highly radioactive material carried in a modified V2 rocket, to be launched from special sites in France.
Time ran out for Hitler, but what happened to the radioactive material that was supposed to be the world's first nuclear weapon? Was this the special cargo in lead boxes loaded onboard the U-234 when it sailed for Japan on March 25th 1945?
Was it the capture of this U-boat and its cargo by a US warship that determined the urgency with which America's only two atomic bombs were dropped on Japan? This analysis raises fundamental questions about the existence of a wartime Nazi Nuclear weapon- something always emphatically denied postwar by Nazi rocket scientists; and by the US government which possesses virtually all the documentation relating to this program captured after the war.
Customer Reviews:
Very plausible hypothesis, and very well researched........1998-04-07
Henshall has done an excellent job of backing up his chilling premise with archaeological and architectural fact. The handling, launching and tracking sites he has visited and diagrammed certainly were NOT for handling the "standard" 500lb conventional-warhead rocket launched against London. Thank God these sites were overrun before they became fully operational, and that the German nuclear program failed to deliver a workable device. The posited Japanese attack on the US West Coast in late 1945 is also quite plausible. Predictably, most people who accept the history of the Second World War as it has been spoon-fed to them will have a hard time digesting Henshall's message of what very well might have occurred, had the Axis powers had the luxury of more time.
Product Description
COLLECTOR'S EDITION Limited (#240 of 750) Singed First Edition. Chapter include dress sidearms of Third Reich diplomats & government officials including Sepp Dietrich's SS Honour Sword. It also provides the first detailed study of weapons worn by Water Protection Police plus photos of unusual blades & uncommon blade trademarks & a review of edged weapons in wear. There are instructions on how to photograph & display your edged weapon collection, information on weapon repair & maintenance & much more.
Book Description
Painting the Map Red, the insider's guide to the 2006 elections and the crucial messages GOP candidates and activists will be adopting to foster the spread of Red States, is a must-read from Hugh Hewitt, nationally syndicated talk show host and political strategist.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book - Did wonders in November 2006..........2007-06-27
Shallow, poorly written and ultimately wrong. Just what we have come to expect from this author...
Didn't you mean "blue?".......2006-11-10
Looks like Hewitt got the color wrong: his prescription is relegating the Repubican Party to the areas of only *part* of the former Confederacy.
And even that part is shrinking.
So, how's that permanent majority thing working out?.......2006-10-25
Six years and thousands of US deaths, tens of thousands permanently disabled, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis dead, countless Rethuglican investigations, indictments, convictions, guilty pleas, pedophelia, bribery, blackmail and election tampering.
Mission Accomplished.
14 reviews and the book knocked down to $2.99? Impressive. Hope Hewitt didn't get a large advance for this dismal publishing failure.
Clearly a Masterpiece.......2006-10-25
No greater writing has been offered by a great conservative thinker since the Bible. So great is this masterpiece, that Amazon has reduced it to the low low price of $2.99 just to make sure everybody has a chance to read it!
Obviously Hugh Hewitt gets it. That to ensure the future of America, we must hand over more control to Republicans. Only by lining their own pockets with bribes, giving perky no-bid contracts and earmarks to their friends, shifting the tax burden from those who inherit their wealth to those who work for a living, can we insure that Hugh Hewitt will write more books!
You may not agree...but at least Hewitt has a vision for the GOP.......2006-06-17
I live in the same county as Hewitt and have read his writings online and in newspapers. His book is easy to digest as far as style and length. How do you win the $400 billion war in Iraq, cut taxes and control spending? It's easier to write than to execute. His fourth major recommendation is to confirm the right judges.
Hewitt definite sees only two parties and two colors. Third parties, the media and independents like me are "just crowds at the sporting event. There are only two teams on the field, and one of them controls the ball," he writes.
Yet in the recent primary, where less than 25% voters went to the poll, there was little discussion of his four items. Not even in the most Republican County in the country--Orange County.
IMMIGRATION, IMMIGRATION, IMMIGRATION...was all that voters heard from city, county, state and federal elected officials. Plus all the junk mail.
Still I give him credit for trying to steer GOP faithfuls to the promise land come November. Let's revisit on November 8, 2006.
Customer Reviews:
This and Lanner's "Conifers of California" are both gems..........2007-06-13
This is another incredibly beautiful (both the text and the photos) book by Cachuma Press (this review refers to the 1st Edition hardbound copy)!
Anyone living in California or interested otherwise in native conifers, has to have both this book and Ronald Lanner's "Conifers of California".
Each of these books is a remarkable gem, and you will never loan either one out to friends, though you will recommend both to your friends and family.
The paperback version of each is cheaper, slightly, but I think it's well worth getting the hard bound of each book. The binding will hold up much better, trust me. You can buy one paperback copy of each from one of Amazon's outside sellers, used or new, and loan that copy out to your friends, LOL.
Also, check out Ronald Lanner's review here on Amazon, of this Coast Redwood book. He is right-on, regarding how beautiful the book is, but he forgets to mention that his own "Conifers of California" is equally fantastic!
Cachuma Press has done it again, as they did with their book on California Oaks, and with Mr. Lanner's book on conifers...they deserve all the praise they receive!
A great read. Great photographs........2006-03-11
This is a wonderful book on the magnificent redwoods and is a great read. It covers the ancient history and scientific aspects of the redwood forest as well as the cultural history from the glutinous, pillaging past to the environmental inspiration and discoveries that may help save some small remnant of this tiny but magestic portion of our planet.
In addition, the photos are not a publishers quick picks of stock photos to fill the book, but are high resolution photo art from great photographers. I recently moved to the Mendocino area and wanted to get up to speed on the area that has fascinated me so much. This book was the perfect choice.
Finally a redwood book with facts to match its pictures.......2002-01-24
Coast redwood is the world's tallest tree. It is also one of the most useful,rapidly producing enormous volumes of high-grade timber that satisfies many of man's structural and esthetic needs. It grows in very wet habitats that support high biodiversity. And the land it grows on is often fragile and easily eroded with disastrous consequences. For these reasons, and some others, the management and conservation of coast redwood has for well over a century been a focus of popular passions and public policies. From the fraudulent land-grabs of the Timber and Stone Act days to the tree-sit of Julia Butterfly Hill, this valuable and beautiful tree has excited those who would destroy it,those who would preserve it, and those who would use it sustainably.Coast redwood is also a botanical curiosity, from its hexaploid genome to its clonal habit; and much has been learned of its paleohistory. Finally, it is probably the tree that is known of by more people than any other, famous almost everywhere in the world. It is not surprising that much ink has been spilled over the years because of this tree. It has probably inspired the writing of more books than any other woody species, and the publication of more pretty pictures. Unfortunately, most of those books were written when little was known of the science of redwood; or when environmental photography had few practitioners; or by authors who knew a good sales opportunity but had little knowledge of their subject. Well, finally a redwood book has emerged that has the facts to match its utterly stunning pictorials. Though team-written by six authors, its expertise is unquestioned, and its smooth editing lets you glide without bumps from one topic to another. And the topics are comprehensive: origins and distribution, life history, ecology, wildlife, harvest and utilization, history of preservation, and conservation and management. Before writing this review I focused mainly on the biology, and found it nearly impeccable, and far more detailed than what is available elsewhere. But I found myself frequently turning pages to admire the color photos, or the nineteenth century black-and-whites, or the fascinating sidebars on a wide variety of subjects. So maybe I missed an overstatement, or even a blunder somewhere. Maybe. But since this is hands-down the most sumptously illustrated, factually rich monograph of any single tree species ever written for a popular and professional readership, I can only recommend you buy it. But only if you have an interest in forestry, botany, the environment, conservation, history, or wildlife. And if you think you can keep friends and family members from snatching it when your back is turned.
A must read for anyone interested in Redwood forests.......2002-01-10
Novices and academics alike will want copies for their libraries.
This is the first contemporary book that outlines the complete natural and cultural history of the world's tallest tree the Coast Redwood, Sequoia sempervirens. This book makes the most up-to-date scientific information about the trees, their ecology and associated wildlife, accessible and exciting to ordinary folks.
The authors tell the story of these remarkable trees, their logging, the emotions they have inspired, as well as the past- and present-day battles to preserve these forests in an easy to read, balanced manner.
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- The Intimate World of Abraham Lincoln
- The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Alone 1932-1940
- The Last Tsar: The Life and Death of Nicholas II
- The Little School: Tales of Disappearance and Survival
- The Lobotomist: A Maverick Medical Genius and His Tragic Quest to Rid the World of Mental Illness
- The Making of The African Queen
- The Man Who Predicts Earthquakes: Jim Berkland, Maverick Geologist--How His Quake Warnings Can Save Lives
- The Medical Millennium: 1000 Pioneers Who Have Contributed to the Development of Medicine Over the Last 1000 Years
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Moby-Dick
- History: Fiction or Science
- Killer Curves
- Environmental Policy: New Directions For the Twenty-First Century
- La frontera / Borderlands
- Introduction to Groundwater Modeling: Finite Difference and Finite Element Methods
- I Could Never Be So Lucky Again
- The Risko Book
- Fiji's Natural Heritage
- Survival Strategies of the Algae
The Secret of Scent: Adventures in Perfume and the Science of Smell
Essence and Alchemy
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
A Scented Palace: The Secret History of Marie Antoinette's Perfumer
Scents & Sensibilities: Creating Solid Perfumes for Well-Being
