Book Description
In "Wildlife Wars," Terry Grosz serves up fascinating stories—alternately hair-raising, hilarious, and heart-wrenching—from his 30-year struggle to protect wildlife in America. A natural storyteller, Grosz writes about the remarkable characters he met—on both sides of the law—as he matched wits with elk poachers, salmon snaggers, commercial-market duck hunters, and a host of other law-breakers. Best of all, though, these stories are so remarkably entertaining you won't want to put them down.
Customer Reviews:
An old-school game warden and natural story-teller.......2007-08-02
Game wardens go out alone into the wilderness at night to arrest groups of people carrying guns. If you think about that, it's amazing that any of them survive, much less arrest people. It's not surprising that they suffer much higher injury and death rates than any other kind of law enforcement officer. Grosz gets shot once in this book, and has several more close calls.
The book consists of a a bunch of stories from Grosz's early days as a game warden in California in the late 1960s. Grosz is a born story-teller, and each chapter is engaging. However, each story seems to have been written to stand alone, so that some facts are repeated pointlessly (especially his size but also the names of his partners, the fact that his wife is a schoolteacher).
Gross is also an old-school law enforcement officer. You won't find him reading anyone their Miranda rights. In several cases he and some partners take the law into their own hands, harassing "lads" who might otherwise be difficult to prosecute.
You can read this book as the memoirs of a cop who happens to be on the poacher beat. But I suspect that most people who pick it up will be interested in wildlife more than law enforcement per se. You won't be disappointed, and you're likely to be shocked by how many people violate every wildlife law in the book. In one chapter, Grosz performs routine checks on two dozen people during deer season, and every single one of them ends up with a citation for one thing or another.
The most memorable chapter tells the story of a lifelong duck "dragger," who might kill hundreds of ducks a night for sale to the market in San Francisco. This poacher has decided that his profession is no longer sustainable, and he decides to teach Grosz the ways of duck dragging so that he will be a more effective game warden. It's a nice story of an unlikely friendship during the passing of an era.
Insightful Side of Wildlife Protection.......2004-10-28
The book provides some very interesting insight into a side of wildlife and its management not seen by the public. Everything generally looks so peaceful and calm in wildlife areas, but there's poaching, crookedness, thievery and associated danger to animals and game wardens not often heard. These are not simple stories of a warden just ticketing offenders for catching more than their limit. Each chapter is a different story, so one can read whatever story has appeal. This simple organization can wear thin after awhile. It seems like good material for a TV series on his life. Could have used some pictures. Maybe the hardback (if there is one) had them. Often they are omitted from paperbacks.
Highly entertaining, new angle on man vs. nature.......2004-10-03
I've spent my life in the western U.S. outdoors, but until I read this book I had no idea that a fish and game warden's life could be so interesting. Terry Grosz is not a polished writer, as mentioned by other reviewers, but he very is entertaining and obviously has a way of seeking out adventure in his love for nature. Each chapter is a fairly self-contained story, which is nice for those of us who only have time for a brief read between work weeks. Grosz points out that game wardens are more likely to die violent deaths than cops, which sort of sets the stage for his action-adventure tales of wardens vs. poachers, all the while emphasizing the importance of wildlife preservation. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the western US outdoors experience, wildlife preservation and even someone just looking to be entertained.
Excellent!!!.......2003-11-29
Terry Grosz not only put himself in precarious and, often times, hilarious situations, he has a superb gift of storytelling. No other book has had me laughing so hard! Great gift!
A great pleasure to have read.......2003-02-12
This is the first of Terry Grotz's books that I've read but I'm hooked. Wonderful stories and insightful and interesting perspectives on the management of wildlife and our governments role. I look forward to reading "A Sword for Mother Nature".
Customer Reviews:
Politics is a dirty business.......2007-08-21
This saga is a series of wars, mercenaries, plundering, raiding, razing, destructions (`islanders lost their lives there, flames devoured their houses'), murders, revenges, jealousies, cruelties, maiming, confiscations, taxations by an autocratic and vindictive king (`I kill without compunction').
But in the end, `birds of carrions follow to feast on valiant seamen.'
All in all, this tale is not a very beautiful picture of one of the masters of mankind.
Snorri Sturluson wrote a unique and original (a mixture of poetry and prose) historical document.
He builds fluently the historical events into a saga. But at the end he is very hard for his hero: `He was brutal to his enemies ... he was exceptionally greedy for power and valuable possessions ...he went to war for fame and power and he forced everyone he could into submission.'
His ultimate fate was well deserved: `and so he was killed in another king's land.'
Not to be missed by all lovers of world literature.
Once we had Kings that died on the battlefield.......2007-07-30
Highly recomended! The only disapointment this saga brings is that because Harald Hardradi lived after the conversion to Christianity in Norway (at least by the upper classes) so you don't get the glimpses into how the Norse Heathen religion was practiced like you do in nearly all the other sagas. Other than that this is one of the better sagas. You get entertaining recounts of Haralds wild adventerous life and his political manuverings and skullduggery. Also this is a source for info on my favorite year/event in history to read about, the year 1066 in English history where you had the Kings of three major European nations fighting, with two of them dying on the battlefield, for the Kingship of England. Can you imagine any of our cowardly so called leaders ever putting themselves in the line of fire like these guys did?
The Last Great Viking Ruler.......2006-12-05
1066, a year of destiny! King Harald Hardrada invaded northern England, to engage Harald Godwinson in battle. However, overconfidence led to a series of avoidable tactical errors on behalf of the Vikings. The Anglo-Saxons repelled the Viking invasion, but many Norsemen earned their place in Valhalla that day. King Harald was one of them. Harald Hardrada was killed by a fatal arrow-wound to the neck. Harald Godwinson rushed his army south to Hastings, in southern England to meet another threat from across the sea: the Normans under Duke William. That was where Harald Godwinson fell to his own fatal arrow, and his brave Englishmen were finally overcome. One considers, what if Harald of Norway had won the first engagement? What would the cultural signifigance be? Imagine much more Scandinavian influence on the English language, rather than the influence of French!
Harald Hardrada lived an epic life! This was a time when great deeds of arms were determining the fate of nations! Forced to flee Norway after his older half-brother Olaf (Saint Olaf) fell at the battle of Stiklestad, Harald sought asylum in Russia. Where other fugitive nobles would have diminished into obscurity, Harald strove to regain his status. He served for a time in the elite Varangian Guard of the Byzantine Empire, gaining experience and wealth fighting in the Mediterrenean and Middle-east. He eventually returned to Norway, and fought for his throne. As king, his rule was harsh, because enemies had to be kept in check...or destroyed outright. His last great venture was to attempt to conquer England, and forge a northern empire. However, this was not to be. With King Harald's death, the Viking Age came to an end, but what an age it was!
why buy? .......2006-01-26
just wanted to write that there is no point in buying this when one can buy the HEIMSKRINGLA for not that much more. if you already own this book, i can tell you that the HEIMSKRINGLA contains tons more of the same (if you're curious, i bought this book used the same time i bought the HEIMSKRINGLA, not knowning that one was contained within the other). personally, i am not such a huge fan of the HEIMSKRINGLA as compared to the other famous sagas (egils', njal's, laexerdal, etc...), but it's still not a bad read; snorri's writing style is much more like a listing, an historical recording, than a telling of a tale (which i prefer).
Perfect introduction to the Sagas.......2002-12-06
On a long car trip, my very cool 16-year-old son finally gave in to my urgings and started grudgingly to read this book (the only one in the car). After grumbling his way through the first page or so, he became completely caught up in it and started to exclaim aloud: "Whoa! Listen to this! Harald has just put out the Byzantine emperor's eyes!" "He just threw all the prisoners overboard so that the pursuing fleet would have to stop and rescue them!" "He just told the enemy earl to 'kiss my thin-lipped axe'!"
The saga starts with the fifteen-year-old Harald fleeing for his life through the Norwegian forest after the battle that killed his older brother, King Olaf (Saint Olaf). Harald is a historical figure, and if one-tenth of the stories about him are true, he was a towering leader and villain.
The translation is wonderful, the language is vivid, and the emotions and intelligence of these eleventh-century figures are as modern as those of any story of our own times. I can't think of a better introduction to the world of the sagas.
After this, read Njals Saga and Egils Saga!
Book Description
"[Snorri Sturluson] speaks—as almost no other historian ever has spoken—with the authority of a man whose masterful skills would have made him one of the formidable, foremost in any of the events he records. So he saturates even remotely past happenings with a gripping first-hand quality...Hollander's translation is very good, fresh on every page ...Wherever you open the book, the life grips you and you read on...."
—Ted Hughes,
New York Review of Books
"Among the many contibutions to world literature that ancient Iceland has given us,
Heimskringla stands out as one of the truly monumental works. Among medieval European histories in the vernacular it has no equal."
—Modern Philology
Beginning with the dim prehistory of the mythical gods and their descendants,
Heimskringla recounts the history of the kings of Norway through the reign of Olaf Haraldsson, who became Norway's patron saint. Once found in most homes and schools and still regarded as a national treasure,
Heimskringla influenced the thinking and literary style of Scandinavia over several centuries.
Customer Reviews:
Don't be daunted.......2007-07-11
Don't be afraid to start this very, very long book. You can skip around and read the exciting histories of the kings of Norway. I loved the tale of how Norway's "1st King" Harald Fairhair conquered the kingdom for the sake of a gal he liked. The sections on St. Olaf are good too. Happy reading!
Onward, Christian Vikings! .......2006-10-20
"The Heimskringla" was written around 1230 by Snorri Sturluson, a powerful Icelandic chief living in Norway. Snorri also wrote the "Prose (or Younger) Edda", a book about poetry that incidentally gives much valuable information on heathen Scandinavian mythology. While Snorri's contemporaries primarily regarded him as a politician and dangerous enemy, posterity remembers him as a writer and poet.
"The Heimskringla" is a highly entertaining work, at least if you are a hard-core Viking or medievalist buff. The story starts in Sweden, at Old Uppsala, then moves on to Norway, with occasional landfalls in England, Spain, Constantinopel and even Jerusalem. Today, the earliest portion of "the Heimskringla", the saga of the Ynglings, is regarded as purely mythological. While Old Uppsala undoubtedly existed (the large burial mounds mentioned by Snorri still stands), it was hardly the capital of a powerful Swedish kingdom. The later parts of Snorri's work deal with real people: St. Olaf, Magnus the Good, Harald Hardruler, Sigurd the Crusader, and others. This part of "the Heimskringla" blends fact and fiction. Some has been confirmed by other medieval chronicles. For instance, Sigurd did sail all the way from Norway to Palestine around the year 1100! Much else sound like tall-tales, as when St.Olaf, still a young boy, attacks and plunders the heathen Estonians...
Even so, this work tells us a lot about how at least some groups of Scandinavians saw themselves and their world during the 13th century. To a modern reader, much of it sounds shocking. That Muslims and heathens should be killed is taken for granted. Sigurd takes a dip in the Jordan river at the spot where Jesus was baptized. Then, he moves on to kill some infidels. He never sees any contradiction. Martial prowess, at as young an age as possible, is the ideal. Most wars are actually fought between different Christian factions. Part of the heroic exploit is to capture and enslave the womenfolk of your enemies. There are also constant supernatural occurances, as when an angel stops St.Olaf from sailing through the strait of Gibraltar, or when Harald Hardruler is saved by a supernaturally risen St.Olaf!
Most of the people described in this remarkable chronicle are Christians, as was Snorri himself. Yet, it's as if the Viking Age never ended. Onward, Christian Vikings!
Fun and Interesting Reading.......2005-12-16
First of all, a great translation! Fun and interesting (often very violent) reading. A good history also. Worth reading.
Long Live Hakon the Good!.......2003-03-17
I have never read a more hilarious piece of academic literature. The Norse Kings are so funny... you wouldn't believe how many of them died in drunken accidents. But that's not the book's focus. As a college junior, I found this book to be a great reference for my History and English papers and have included it in my necessary-reference-books collection. Sturluson is great! A very entertaining read.
Word Ninja
Mandatory reading for medievalists.......2001-08-10
Snorri, an often unscrupulous (and very successful) politician who lived in the real world, was also a very learned man. He was arguably the greatest historian of medieval Europe, and in his methods he has often been compared to Thucydides. "Heimskringla" means "the world is round" -- appropriate for a people who considered the entire world their arena -- and is the overall title given to his collection of earlier sagas, rationalized and pruned of recognizable nonsense, which is still the basis of history in the North. Snorri's style is simplicity itself and because "history" until very recently concerned itself with the actions of great men, he spends considerable time detailing the interrelationships among the many leaders of Scandinavia -- and especially of Harald "Fairhair," who conquered and united the many domains of those leaders. (Why "Fairhair"? Read the saga.) The roots of William the Conqueror are here, as well as those of Canute and St. Olaf. This simply-illustrated edition noted above runs to nearly 900 pages and is generally regarded as the best, but any will do. This is history, literature, genealogy, and mythology, and should be read by anyone with a serious interest in medieval history.
Product Description
ISBN: 82-7201-155-3
More than any other book, "Snorri, Heimskringla" (The World's Round) is a treasure chest in the history and the literary traditions of the Middle Ages and of the Vikings. Snorri's narrative and the Norwegian kings is a unique work of history. At the same time, it is great literature, as fascinating and exciting as any modern historic novel.
Not to wonder that "Snorri's sagas" for the past 200 years has been the most widely read book in Norway next to the Bible.
No other translator of Snorri has mastered the task of translating the full text than Lee Hollander. Other translations have either omitted the verses or rendered them into prose. Hollander makes it possible for the general reader and scholars from the whole world to enjoy Snorri's genius work in full.
This edition of the classical 1899 Snorri Sagas is therefore not only a book for collectors and for families with roots in Scandinavia, but will be a must for all students of medieval history and the Viking age and for all libraries which claim to be well stocked on these fields.
Average customer rating:
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Heimskringla or the Chronicle of the Kings of Norway
Snorri Sturluson
Manufacturer: IndyPublish.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1404365575 |
Book Description
The intent of this book is to look at baseball data from a statistical modeling perspective. There is a fascination among baseball fans and the media to collect data on every imaginable event during a baseball game and to use this data to try to understand characteristics of the game. The problem is that patterns in baseball data are difficult to detect due to the inherent chance variation that is present. This book addresses a number of questions that are of interest to many baseball fans. These issues include how to rate players, predict the outcome of a game or the attainment of an achievement, making sense of situational data, and deciding the most valuable players in the World Series. This book will be directed to a general audience of baseball fans and does not assume that the reader has any prior background in probability or statistics, although a knowledge of high school abgebra will be helpful.
Customer Reviews:
Non Fiction.......2007-09-03
A look at baseball from a sports statistics and published mathematical analysis front. Interesting, but not as ground breaking as some of the amateur non university researchers came up with not too much later. A bit of an overview.
good statisticians, pretty good writers.......2007-02-07
This one is a book for the Sabermetrically inclined who already have a background in stats. In the first couple of chapters, the authors review some basic concepts through the lens of baseball before getting into some deeper analyses. To be honest, there's nothing in here that you can't get in Baseball Between the Numbers (although to the authors' credit, this book predates BBTN by 6 years) but it's a decent starter's guide. Worth the read, although those with a background in Sabermetrics will probably want to pass.
For people with serious statistical interest.......2006-07-31
I enjoyed this book a lot, but it's definitely for people who are serious about the use of statistics, not for fans looking to settle arguments about "who was better." You don't have to be a statistician, but you need to have some understanding of the basis of the math of statistics to understand this book.
Good, but could have been better.......2005-01-01
As a statistician and baseball fan, I had high expectations for this book. Generally, those expectations were met, although I came away from this book feeling like an opportunity had been lost. The biggest problem with the book is that the authors can't seem to decide how much knowledge to assume of their readers. The first 100 pages or so are presented at a sub-high school level, while the last few chapters assume the reader to have taken higher-level college courses in statistics. Also, I do not expect any book to be written and edited perfectly, but the typos actually become an occassional distraction from the text.
On the whole, though, I would still recommend this book--it is by far the best contemporary statistical breakdown of the game of baseball. It is an especially good complement to Michael Lewis's "Moneyball," which is a more anecdotal presentation of similar material. If you enjoy baseball at all, and have even a passing interest in batting averages, ERAs, and HRs, you will be entertained by this book and will probably learn a lot, too.
Insightful look at the game.......2002-06-03
More than any other sport, baseball is a game of statistics. This book goes behind the numbers and looks at where the true patterns are and where the seeming patterns are just the result of chance.
As an example, the book discusses how, in general, hitting is not affected by night play or day play; on the other hand, there is an effect for facing a right-hander versus a southpaw, based on the side of the plate you are on.
Generally well-written, this book only sometimes gets bogged down in statistical calculations and is generally accessible to the nonmathematician. The main flaw in the book is its emphasis on hitting and the relative lack of writing on pitching. While there is plenty of discussion on the value of batting average, slugging percentage or on-base percentage in determining runs scored, there is no similar discussion on ERA or strikeouts and its impact on wins.
The other problem I find with the book is it removes some of the mystique of the game. It's sometimes more fun not to overanalyze things; it's kind of like watching a magic show; if you understand what's happening, you feel smarter but some of the pleasure has gone away. Which is not to say that I'm not going to continue enjoying baseball, but I will look at the game with more scrutiny when it comes to all the statistics that are cited.
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Tropospheric Ozone: HUMAN HEALTH AND AGRICULTURE IMPACTS
DAVID, ED. MCKEE
Manufacturer: CRC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 087371475X |
Book Description
Tropospheric ozone has long been recognized as a major environmental concern. Levels of ozone concentration have grown dramatically and the effects of ozone exposure have been examined in virtually thousands of studies worldwide. This timely new reference presents the state of the art in ozone regulation, human health effects, agricultural implications, and the economics of ozone reduction. Tropospheric Ozone guides you through the history of air pollution legislation and cites government initiatives to reduce ozone emissions. Ozone concentration data is supplied for a variety of geographic regions in examining the causes of ozone concentration and its potential effects on human populations, crops, and forests. Important issues such as crop yield, plant growth, and crop losses due to exposure are addressed, which will help develop an understanding of the economic implications of agricultural damage. New information is presented regarding risk assessment and human monitoring studies. EPA guidelines are reviewed, and potential health problems associated with ozone exposure are discussed in a practical, informative format. This valuable reference will benefit air pollution engineers, environmental consultants, government agency employees, regulators, industry professionals, health professionals, crop and soil scientists, environmental health and safety professionals, risk assessment professionals, and students in the environmental sciences.
Books:
- Without Fear: Hockey's 50 Greatest Goaltenders
- Wondrous Strange: The Life and Art of Glenn Gould
- Woodswoman II: Beyond Black Bear Lake
- Working with People Who Stutter: A Lifespan Approach
- Works of Love Are Works of Peace: Mother Teresa of Calcutta and the Missionaries of Charity
- Years of Upheaval
- 90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death & Life
- A Piece of My Heart: The Stories of 26 American Women Who Served in Vietnam
- A Random Act : An Inspiring True Story of Fighting to Survive and Choosing to Forgive
- A Short History of Thomism
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