The Weather Makers : How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth

Book Description

Sometime this century the day will arrive when the human influence on the climate will overwhelm all other natural factors. Over the past decade, the world has seen the most powerful El Niño ever recorded, the most devastating hurricane in two hundred years, the hottest European summer on record, and one of the worst storm seasons ever experienced in Florida. With one out of every five living things on this planet committed to extinction by the levels of greenhouse gases that will accumulate in the next few decades, we are reaching a global climatic tipping point. The Weather Makers is both an urgent warning and a call to arms, outlining the history of climate change, how it will unfold over the next century, and what we can do to prevent a cataclysmic future. Along with a riveting history of climate change, Tim Flannery offers specific suggestions for action for both lawmakers and individuals, from investing in renewable power sources like wind, solar, and geothermal energy, to offering an action plan with steps each and every one of us can take right now to reduce deadly CO2 emissions by as much as 70 percent.

Customer Reviews:

A tale of global warming that gave me chills.......2007-09-20

Tim Flannery's "The Weathermakers" is not only an eloquent plea for the industrialized world to deal with the problem of climate change, but provides the science needed to understand this huge and vital topic. The book is spooky great fun too, with frights and chills enough to get the attention of any thrill seeker. Except that the thrills here come from contemplating near-irreversible global cataclysms that would wipe out humanity or make life darned near intolerable for us.

Flannery is terrific at making difficult science easy to understand, without dumbing it down or condescending to his audience. This was greatly aided by the narrator of the audio book, Drew De Carvalho, whose wide-eyed Aussie delivery was akin to the joy and wonder of that other fine Down-under naturalist, Steve Irwin. Flannery discussed the Earth's tumultuous climactic past, using data obtained from tree rings and ice cores, to paint a picture of a dynamic planet whose climate and biota have varied wildly over its existence. Glaciers advance and retreat. Gargantuan upwellings of methane overwhelm the biosphere. Oceans rise and fall hundreds of feet. Changes in atmospheric gases permit or debar shellfish from secreteing the carboniferous husks that pull CO2 out of the atmosphere. The message: what Earth has done, it can do again.

Flannery does a wonderful job of explaining the large weather phenomena known to most laymen -- carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, changes to the Gulf Stream, warming trends, etc. But he is equally good at describing the lesser-known but important elements that factor into climatic equations. I was not aware that transpiration -- the release of moisture from Amazonian trees -- was a main cause of precipitation in the region. I had never heard of clathrates, huge fields of methane-infused ice that underlie the oceans. And I had never thought of climate change literally chasing certain heat-sensitive species up into alpine regions, until they run out of room and become extinct. Flannery is also wonderful at explaining the feedback loops that, once triggered, can accelerate certain climatic trends. Air conditioning powered by burning coal can increase levels sulfur dioxide in rain, acidifying the oceans, making it harder for shellfish to secrete shells, thus leaving more CO2 in the atmosphere, causing further warming and leading to the need for more AC, and so on.

Climate change to Flannery is not a theoretical possibility, but a certainty whose effects are visible today. He tells of the now-extinct South America Golden Toad, whose habitat was fed by moisture in low-lying clouds, being wiped out when a Pacific ocean hot spot caused mist-giving clouds to form just slightly higher up the mountainside than usual. His tale of the bleaching of the reefs like Great Barrier Reef -- in which huge swaths of coral reefs ejected their symbiotic algae, then bleached and die in a single season -- was frightening and sad. His discussion of the measurable changes in salinity in the Gulf Stream -- changes that could imperil its flow with deleterious effect on climate -- was terrifyingly plausible. Most chilling of all, Flannery's telling of the planet's near-miss with significant ozone depletion (due to industry's fortuitous use of chlorine rather than hyper-reactive bromine in aerosol cans and refrigeration systems) underscored how easy it is for humanity to fatally foul our nest without even realizing we are doing it.

The book is alarming, but not alarmist. It does not seek the cheap thrill of scaring us to sell copies, but to educate and forewarn. Flannery is not afraid to call out the human practices that are warming our planet. Transportation needs (which account for 30% of CO2 emissions), accelerating burning of carbon-rich fossil fuels, and shortsighted self-interest are high on the list of culprits. Flannery points the finger at the big coal-gorging countries in the world -- the US and Australia among them -- for significant criticism. Neither does he spare the industrial giants who use deceit, misinformation and political contributions to steer politicians (and the public) away from limiting profitable, planet-damaging enterprises.

I came away from the book with a new appreciation for the complexity and the fragility of the Gaia -- the living organism that is the Earth. "The Weathermakers" increased my appreciation of the path on which we have put our world. If Flannery's descriptions and predictions are true, our fossil-fuel-burning habits have already committed us to significant extinctions of species and significant discomfort for ourselves. As Flannery states, future generations will curse ours if we see the looming problem and fail to take action to correct it. Flannery is hopeful (else, why write such a book?) about our ability to turn things around. He evaluates technological and political solutions to the problems he poses, which not all will like, for carbon-low solutions include wind, geothermal, solar and (gasp!) nuclear power generation. And Flannery dismisses certain hopeful technologies like hydrogen and biomass. Flannery is also hopeful that past global cooperation -- of the type that limited the production of ozone-killing CFCs -- will be repeated, as human beings band together to save their world.

"The Weather Makers" is a wonderful book that can open your eyes to the complexity of our world, of the difficulties of addressing climate change without wrecking economies, and of our responsibility to pass our planet, reasonably intact, to our children. Its stacks of facts can sometimes numb the mind, but they are the data needed to combat ignorance and deceit one often encounters when trying to persuade our friends and neighbors about the possibility of anthropogenic climate change.

Disappointed.......2007-08-07

I bought the book on the basis it would be an objective and well structured argument explaining how scientists had negated natural influences on climate change - Milankovich cycles, solar activity and plate tectonics - and isolated the anthropogenic influences.

However, I discovered the book is written in a mildly hysterical tone common to environmental activists. If you want to read a scientific account of climate change and how human activity is affecting the climate, read the IPCC's Fourth Assessment Report.

Boo Hoo.......2007-07-27

"Well done China for improving the lives of your citizens" This is one of the many quotes that you will NOT find it Tim Flannerys book. Others include "Before the industrial revolution, average life expectancy was about 36 years of age" and finally "You can't make an omlette without breaking a few eggs". However if you want to know how every living thing on the planet would be better off if we disapeared, you are on the right track.

Thought provoking!.......2007-07-25

This book is great reading in conjunction with Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. The author convincingly demonstrates that global warming is real, and that terrible consequences loom ahead if nothing is done about it.

I was very surprised to read how the Australian government bullies its neighboring islands in the Pacific Ocean. Many of the Pacific Islands nations are doomed to sink under water as the ocean level rise, yet they are bullied by the Australian government into inaction. Like individuals, nations are selfish and have no regard for other nations if it does not suit their purposes. This notion angered me. Unless the citizens of the world take action to fight global warming and CO2 emissions, governments, motivated by self-interest, will be very slow to act, if at all.

Many of the themes in the book were already familiar to me, especially after reading An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore. One new concept was about hydrogen power. According to the author, hydrogen power is not the solution to global warming since to produce hydrogen power fossil fuels must be burnt. He proposes the use of electric, solar, nuclear and wind power which are all available and affordable.

The author also laments all the animals that became extinct due to global warming. For example, a frog, newly discovered by science, carries its newborn in its stomach. When ready to give birth, it regurgitates its babies. This is the only known species to do so, yet soon after its discovery, it became extinct due to our environmental carelessness. Many other species of animals, insects, and plants are becoming extinct.

Maybe when we learn to stop killing each other we can finally take care of our environment. Does that mean that our root is evil and that nothing can be done to save our planet?

The Weather Makers: How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth.......2007-07-24

Concise, easy to read, and right to the point. Everything anyone would want to know about how man is changing the climate and what one could do to alleviate their impact in this process. Each individual is responsible for their own actions and we MUST slow the global warming process or the 21st century will see catastrophic environmental changes. A must read book for information that could save the future of the planet and its inhabitants.

Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change

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Eloquent But Only Notes
This is the University of Washington common book for 2007-8
An Extraordinary Work: Important and Readable
Some very misleading reviews here
Climate has never been "stable"

Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change
Elizabeth Kolbert
Manufacturer: Bloomsbury USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Weather Makers : How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth
An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It
The Winds of Change: Climate, Weather, and the Destruction of Civilizations
The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
When the Rivers Run Dry: Water--The Defining Crisis of the Twenty-first Century

ASIN: 1596911301
Release Date: 2006-12-26

Book Description

Long known for her insightful and thought-provoking political journalism, author Elizabeth Kolbert now tackles the controversial and increasingly urgent subject of global warming. In what began as groundbreaking three-part series in the New Yorker, for which she won a National Magazine Award in 2006, Kolbert cuts through the competing rhetoric and political agendas to elucidate for Americans what is really going on with the global environment and asks what, if anything, can be done to save our planet. Now updated and with a new afterword, Field Notes from a Catastrophe is the book to read on the defining issue and greatest challenge of our times.

Customer Reviews:

Eloquent But Only Notes.......2007-10-09

The title of this book is apt: Field Notes. Whether the word Catastrophe is equally apt, or merely good salesmanship, can be left undecided for the moment. Chapter by chapter, Ms Kolbert has written honestly and earnestly. Chapter 2, for instance, recounts the historical development of the concern over global warming, clearly and fairly, in a mere nine pages. Chapter 3 outlines the recent studies of glaciers, and the possible implications of those studies, with equal brevity and clarity. Chapter 1 sets a passionate tone for the whole book, confronting the fearful sense of global warming at the level of villagers whose lives are already impacted; I have kayaked many times in the Seward Peninsula region, over a span of 25 years, and I've personally felt the real urgency that Ms. Kolbert reports. Each chapter of the book is in fact an essay unto itself. Ms. Kolbert is a front-line journalist, not a climatologist. That is the source of her stylistic clarity, obviously, and of her daring in reporting on the crisis at multiple levels. It also makes her vulnerable to the dogmatic deniers of anthropogenic climate change, as is colorfully exhibited in the several ranting one-star reviews on this page.

This is the University of Washington common book for 2007-8.......2007-10-04

The University of Washington has selected this book as its "Common Book" for the 2007-2008 academic year. That means each of the UW's 10,000+ incoming freshman this year have received a copy of the book and are reading it.

An Extraordinary Work: Important and Readable.......2007-09-23

`Field Notes From a Catastrophe' is Elizabeth Kolbert's masterpiece of conciseness and clarity explaining current climate change science and the political obstacles (read the US, Republicans, and Bush Administration in ascending order) to getting serious about attacking the problem. Originally published in 2005, the paperback version has an afterword written in 2006.

Kolbert takes a journalist's approach to explaining the climate change phenomenon (the book began as a series in the New Yorker). She takes the reader to Shishmaref, Alaska an island village rapidly becoming an untenable place to live due to climate-induced sea ice changes, to the North Slope, to the great Greenland ice shield and she brings the story down to a human scale.

Kolbert also leads the reader through the science of global warming making understandable seemingly arcane topics like "dangerous anthropogenic interference" (DAI), which is basically the point where something truly major goes haywire. Kolbert brings the joy of learning to the reader, until one ponders the potential consequences of what she lays out for us. Perhaps most disturbing is the evidence she marshals that the climate has already changed. For example, the climate has warmed sufficiently to allow numerous butterfly species to migrate to new previously too cold locations and to cause the extinction of certain frog species.

Scientists do not, of course, understand everything about climate change (indeed, it is in the very nature of science that an endpoint of total knowledge is never achieved). Those political and economic forces (primarily in the United States) that benefit from the status quo latch on to the uncertainties to create doubt among the public and forestall action. Her interviews with Bush administration officials strike an odd note - they stonewall with robotic incantations. While Europe and most of industrialized world has acted, the US has dithered, delayed, and denied.

Kolbert explains why scientists conclude that it is virtually certain that under the current `business as usual' approach, greenhouse gas concentrations will reach a level that causes massive coastal flooding, large scale extinctions, and crop failures leading to starvation (DAI). These outcomes will not be evenly distributed and are likely to fall heaviest on the poorest countries. Scientists do not, however, know what level of greenhouse gas concentration will cause these impacts. The Bush administration uses that uncertainty as a reason to do essentially nothing and Congress too has failed to force any action.

Kolbert's book inspires the reader to search out even more current information (NOAA's Arctic Change web site is one good source). And the news is alarming. This stuff is not just a tree hugger's paranoid delusion: global heating is happening, it is happening now, and it is getting worse faster than anticipated.

Kolbert's book is a work of journalism (and given the rapidly changing reality, journalism is probably the best source of information) that informs on both the science and the politics of climate change without stridently hectoring the reader. Kolbert presents the facts. The reader would have to be a dim bulb indeed not to get the picture.

Absolutely the very highest recommendation. Kolbert's Field Notes From a Catastrophe deserves more than 5 stars.

Some very misleading reviews here.......2007-08-09

Reviewer T. Ferrell says "The author comes from an assumption that climate was once stable and has recently become unstable. She states this directly several times and it is the overall impression she intentionally leaves."

I'm not sure if the reviewer didn't actually read the book or is deliberately trying to smear it, but Kolbert states many times that the climate has changed in the past.

This is clearly written sober account of global warming and the effects it is having, and will have, on the environment. An excellent, concise read.

Climate has never been "stable".......2007-07-04

While the book was well written as prose, it was intellectually myopic. The author comes from an assumption that climate was once stable and has recently become unstable. She states this directly several times and it is the overall impression she intentionally leaves. Certainly climate change has an effect on people, flora and fauna, but that does not mean that you ignore the fact that there are winners with climate change as well as losers. Example, as the globe warms agriculture moves north expanding into areas previously too frigid to support farming. No mention of this?

But it is not that she just focuses just on the losers. She glosses over issues that might complicate her simple thesis that man is responsible for climate change as "not understood." This is the explanation she gives for example when discussing how atmospheric CO2 was historically low during the ice ages and was high during periods of warming. This is "unknown." She simply ignores the fact that the worlds oceans hold most of the planets CO2 both directly as an absorbed gas, its concentration being directly related temperature. She also ignores the carbon bank in phytoplankton. I believe she does this because it would bring into question her simple thesis. What warmed or cooled the worlds oceans before man was on the scene.
This is a problem for me because a wider view of climate change would reveal the true issues. At one point in time the earth was a snowball entirely covered with ice. At another point in our past the oceans were much higher and the poles were nearly devoid of ice. If global climate has always been in flux do we now propose that man should control the world's climate? If so, what is the best climate? Is it the best thing to have a sizeable portion of the worlds surface are covered in ice or too cold to support agriculture? Who decides? If man does control the weather is the only way to do it to cut back on fossil fuel useage? The author appears to believe so. Does the entity who controls climate take responsibilty for the weather and its effects? A freeze occurs in a temperate agricultural region. Is this now someone's fault?
It's very easy to look who loses with climate change. It is much more difficult to consider the bigger picture. I was not impressed by this book.

Average customer rating:

The Last American Man
Limited portrayal
Modern Day Mountain Man
Next generation Ed Abbey
Not what I expected

The Last American Man
Elizabeth Gilbert
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0142002836
Release Date: 2003-05-27

Book Description

In this rousing examination of contemporary American male identity, acclaimed author and journalist Elizabeth Gilbert explores the fascinating true story of Eustace Conway. In 1977, at the age of seventeen, Conway left his family's comfortable suburban home to move to the Appalachian Mountains. For more than two decades he has lived there, making fire with sticks, wearing skins from animals he has trapped, and trying to convince Americans to give up their materialistic lifestyles and return with him back to nature. To Gilbert, Conway's mythical character challenges all our assumptions about what it is to be a modern man in America; he is a symbol of much we feel how our men should be, but rarely are.

Customer Reviews:

The Last American Man .......2007-09-12

The lifestyle and ideals of Eustace Conway go against the current of modern life, yet it is the fascination others have with his lifestyle (if not his ideals) that carries him along. Disciples (he calls them apprentices) are as important to his way of living as is Turtle Island, the place in which he lives. This book is about his failures with people as much as his untiring pursuit of union with nature.

Limited portrayal .......2007-09-05

Gilbert writes that she had "doubts about writing the book" but when someone said "wouldn't you rather make a mistake by doing something than make a mistake by not doing something?" she felt compelled to write Conway's story. And that's the sad part because had she listened to her own doubt she might have postponed writing this book until she became a little older and wiser. Although a gifted writer, I believe it would have been a different story. I can't help but think that because of her focus, Conway will be reluctant to allow another biographer such access. This is a man, who has lived an incredible life, little of which we are privileged to see in this portrayal.
How we like, in certain intellectual circles, to tear down people--to focus only on the defect not the accomplishment, not the journey--not comprehending that life unfolds in its own beauty. Very little, unfortunately, was written about the remarkable accomplishments this man undertook and completed. Traveling down the Mississippi River, hiking across Alaska, scaling cliffs in New Zealand and living with the Navajo of New Mexico, surviving in the wilderness--all are given short shift. Instead the focus of her book is on Conway's troubled relationships with family, later with staff at Turtle Island and through out the book, in great detail, with the women he tried to bond with along the way.
And then there's Gilbert's commentary--about politics, feminism, men's rituals, his family relationships--difficult at times to ascertain fact from tongue--in--cheek, admiration and pure condemnation. A powerful story tells itself--it doesn't need commentary. Let the readers draw their own conclusions. It sometimes felt as if Gilbert needed more pages turned out, thus the commentary--but come on--what a great story to tell, so many more things much more interesting to know . . .
Finally, people notice different things. Some pay more attention to feelings and things, others to nature, logic, art, science. Besides choosing different information to focus on (which often says more about ourselves than others), we also have access to different information. We tend to believe as if we have all the important information there is to know about another, but we don't and so what we choose to focus on is limited by what we see. Age often, but not always, expands what we are capable of seeing. And that's my main problem with this book.
Gilbert was young when she wrote it, most likely struggling with her own relationships, her own identity as a woman and thus the focus of her book. She repeatedly states, for example, that Conway's father was verbally abusive yet writes little concerning two extraordinary attempts of both father and son at reconciliation and yet, isn't this the more poignant story? Did she just have a deadline to meet? (And let me reveal my bias!)
Her portrayal is of a damaged man, not a man in the process of becoming. Becoming what? I don't know but from direct quotes of his conversations with her, a man willing to reflect upon his own life. This could have been a great biography and I'm not stating Gilbert shouldn't have delved into Conway's troubled relationships. I'm simply saying it is only part of the story, filled with commentary when the story could have been presented more powerfully and more simply merely by letting the story tell itself while including the extraordinary with the ordinary.

Modern Day Mountain Man.......2007-06-19

Fascinating read. You will come away admiring Eustace's work ethic and self sufficiency and will also question his intolerance for "us." Good lessons about American Utopian societies of the past and some of the lesser known facts about Mountain Men like Daniel Boone and Kit Karson. It is also "cold water in the face" to any dreamer who wishes to give everything away and start a new life in the wilderness.

Next generation Ed Abbey.......2007-05-31

In the end, Eustace Conway is no more or less human than the rest of us. He's got his own family issues and seems to be internally conflicted about what will bring him peace vs. what he should do. For those decrying Ms. Gilbert's awards, feel free to market the books you've written. The point of this book seems to be as much a reflection of her process to understand Mr. Conway as it is a description of his life. While her writing is more informal than "literature" (whatever that is), she effectively entices the reader to join in her journey. This book was enjoyable, as was Eat, Pray, Love. It provided a brief insight into living closer to the earth. Whether we agree is beside the point. Mr. Conway seems to be comparable to Ed Abbey in his view of the world, lust for life, difficulty in reconciling inner peace with changing other people's behavior, and inability to settle down with a family. We could all take away some of his respect for life (/nature) and our individual responsibility in recognizing how we each impact our environment. I'm looking forward to learning more about his efforts at Turtle Island.

Not what I expected.......2007-05-23

A friend suggested this book to me, because of my interests in nature. Although the book can be interesting, it did not hold my interest as well as I had expected. Not to mention the ending was completely the opposite of what I expected.

Man and Nature in the Renaissance (Cambridge Studies in the History of Science)

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A chronicle of Science

Man and Nature in the Renaissance (Cambridge Studies in the History of Science)
Allen George Debus
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521293286

Book Description

Man and Nature in the Renaissance offers an introduction to science and medicine during the earlier phases of the scientific revolution, from the mid-fifteenth century to the mid-seventeenth century. Renaissance science has frequently been approached in terms of the progress of the exact sciences of mathematics and astronomy, to the neglect of the broader intellectual context of the period. Conversely, those authors who have emphasized the latter frequently play down the importance of the technical scientific developments. In this book, Professor Debus amalgamates these approaches: The exact sciences of the period are discussed in detail, but reference is constantly made to religious and philosophical concepts that play little part in the science of our own time. Thus, the renewed interest in mystical texts and the subsequent impact of alchemy, astrology, and natural magic on the development of modern science and medicine are central to the account. Major themes that are followed throughout the book include the effects of humanism, the search for a new method of science, and the dialogue between proponents of the mystical-occult world view and the mathematical-observational approach to nature.

Customer Reviews:

A chronicle of Science.......2000-02-07

I almost never read books about man and nature in the renaisance, and this was one of the best ones I have read, if not one of the very best. Read up!

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Trieu, Steven and Jang Yi's review
Just a Dream
I love Chris VanAllsburg
An educational, magical children's book
Not consitent with the morals I want to pass to my children...

Just a Dream
Chris Van Allsburg
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0395533082

Book Description

Young Walter litters and refuses to sort trash for recycling, until he dreams of an overcrowded and polluted future which terrifies him into taking care of the earth.

Customer Reviews:

Trieu, Steven and Jang Yi's review.......2007-05-18

Just a Dream is a wonderful book because it teaches a lesson and the lesson is to take care of the earth by recycling your trash. You should read this book to learn why it's important to protect the environment. Even one person can make a difference. If I could pick from any book that I already read, I would pick this book as the best one. The author had an awesome idea for writing. He taught a lesson but put it in words that made me want to keep reading. It has colorful pictures that really stand out. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Just a Dream.......2007-02-09

I read Just A Dream I would recommend this book because it has detailed pictures. In the book I saw the different sized boats with great reflections in the water.This helped convince me that it was a good book.

I love Chris VanAllsburg.......2006-08-20

This book has a great message, but it seems a little more forced than some of his other titles. All of his books are great for teaching children to infer meaning from text!

An educational, magical children's book.......2006-02-22

When I read this book a tear came to my eye. I knew Chris Van Allsburg was right about recycling and keeping the earth clean. If there are parents that have kids that actually like to keep the earth clean, I suggest they read it to their kids!

Not consitent with the morals I want to pass to my children..........2006-01-16

This book is a pretty extreme children's story that follows the new religion of environmentalism. Very anti-technology and anti- progress... no lawn mowers, no electric dryers? We received this as a gift and I will not be keeping it. I wouldn't read this book to my children.

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To Be Honored But Not Necessarily To Be Read
Classic
Rave for 'The End of Nature'
Wonderful Book, A Little Outdated
Prophetic and life changing.

The End of Nature
Bill Mckibben
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change

ASIN: 0394576012
Release Date: 1989-09-23

Book Description

Reissued on the tenth anniversary of its publication, this classic work on our environmental crisis features a new introduction by the author, reviewing both the progress and ground lost in the fight to save the earth.

This impassioned plea for radical and life-renewing change is today still considered a groundbreaking work in environmental studies. McKibben's argument that the survival of the globe is dependent on a fundamental, philosophical shift in the way we relate to nature is more relevant than ever. McKibben writes of our earth's environmental cataclysm, addressing such core issues as the greenhouse effect, acid rain, and the depletion of the ozone layer. His new introduction addresses some of the latest environmental issues that have risen during the 1990s. The book also includes an invaluable new appendix of facts and figures that surveys the progress of the environmental movement.

More than simply a handbook for survival or a doomsday catalog of scientific prediction, this classic, soulful lament on Nature is required reading for nature enthusiasts, activists, and concerned citizens alike.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Customer Reviews:

To Be Honored But Not Necessarily To Be Read.......2007-07-26

The good news: "The End of Nature" was a truly prophetic book when it was published in 1989. Eloquent and well-intentioned, it was one of the first books aimed at a general audience to discuss global warming and deep ecology. It may even have influenced public opinion, if not public policy.

The bad news: "The End of Nature" is meandering, journalistic, and full of 20-year old science. Even worse, it's main Big Idea doesn't seem true. McKibben believed that man's ability to change the climate would eventually make it impossible for anyone to see nature as quasi-sacred and independent of human meddling. In reality, man's respect for nature will surely increase, not diminish, as the earth warms up. Coastlines will disappear, hurricanes slam into cities, and summers sizzle. Whatever else global warming will do, it will humble mankind.

The bottomline: "The End of Nature" has earned a place in the canon of environmental literature alongside classics like "Silent Spring." Every environmental library should have a copy of it. However, there's no compelling reason why general readers in 2007 should devote much time to it.

Classic.......2007-06-19

As relavent today as it was in 1989 and when combined with Deep Economy gives you something to ponder.

Rave for 'The End of Nature'.......2007-05-13

Bill McKibben's beautifully written and cogently reasoned analysis of how humans are damaging the world we share with all other life is must-reading. He shares with readers a respect for Nature---truly wild, untouched Nature---that is personal, emotional, reverential, and spiritual. That respect is contagious. We need to hear voices like his. His book strengthens our will to take the difficult but essential steps to slow global warming. He urges us to be good stewards of the earth.

Wonderful Book, A Little Outdated.......2004-11-09

This would've been a five-star review if this book were about 10-12 years newer than it is. In some ways, McKibben's extended essay on global warming has aged very well. His central thesis that nature is ended (not destroyed but removed of majesty or even neutered) by the overwhelming pressures of human industrial society and human overpopulation is as relevant now as it ever was, the truth of this argument more evident every day. And global warming, the central thread of his argument, is even more pressing today, even though we in the United States are doing even less about it. Though some of his worst fears have yet to come true, the reality of global climate change is bad enough, as underscored by the recent report on rapid climate change in arctic regions.

In other ways, though, the book seems dated. A lot of what McKibben writes about is uncertain. "It could be that in 50-100 years..." or "our models are very uncertain but..." and so on. The last 15 years have seen a lot of research in this area and a a great deal of refinement of our climate models, such that we know have a much more certain picture of the realities of climate change. This is real. It is happening, and it's happening quickly. Unfortunately, the greater uncertainty in our understanding of this at the time McKibben was writing undercuts his message somewhat, that we must learn to curb our desires and live more humbly if we wish to avoid the worst consequences of global warming. Were his argument bolstered by more modern research, I think he would have a much easier time outlining some real steps we as a society could take to deal with global warming.

Still, the issues McKibben raises and the ideas he presents for how we can deal with them are as pressing now as they were in 1989, perhaps even more so. Anyone who is at all concerned about global warming, the environment, or even just living beyond the next 30 years or so would do well to read this book.

Prophetic and life changing........2004-02-23

In the ten years between the time THE END OF NATURE was first published in 1989 and reissued in 1999, we experienced seven of the ten warmest years in recorded history (p. xiv), which establishes Bill McKibben as a global warming prophet. And the thing is--we're still not getting it. "We live in the oddest moment since our species first stood upright," McKibben writes in the new Introduction to his environmental classic, "the moment when we are finally grown so big in numbers and in appetite we alter everything around us" (pp. xv-xvi). The United States alone dumps 15 percent more CO2 into the atmosphere than it did ten years ago (p. xvi). Arctic glaciers continue to retreat, ice grows thinner, and the sea level steadily rises (p. xviii). In short, "this buzzing, blooming, mysterious, cruel, lovely globe of mountain, sea, city, forest, of fish and wolf and bug and man; of carbon and hydrogen and nitrogen--it has come unbalanced in our short moment on it" (p. xxv).

McKibben's basic argument is that our relationship with the concept of "nature" as something separate and wild has changed, and in our pursuit for "a better life," we have totally wrecked the environment (p. 48). By changing the weather, for instance, we have altered every spot on earth, depriving nature of its independence, leaving "nothing but us" (p. 58). Stated differently, we have ended nature's separation from human society (p. 64).

Because nature provides us with a sense of comfort, reading THE END OF NATURE is not a happy experience. McKibben has issued a wake-up call, and his book should be required reading for any global-warming skeptic, or for anyone who drives a SUV. As Thoreau said, we are living lives of quiet desparation--we enjoy the consumptive, easy life. However, as McKibben's compelling argument demonstrates, such a lifestyle is incompatible with the well being of our planet. He encourages us not only to change the way we act, but also to change the way we think by adopting the radical notion that we learn to respect nature "for its own sake," as a "realm beyond the human," and give it "room to recover" from the damage we have done (pp. 174-77). This book was a life changer that prompted me, in part, to move from the concrete, urban sprawl of Phoenix, Arizona to Boulder, where there is a respect for open space, and where it is still possible to have a humble relationship with nature.

G. Merritt

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Effective Horse Communication

This is the only natural horsemanship book you'll ever need

Clinton Anderson's Down Under Horsemanship book is better

Natural Horse-Man-Ship: Six Keys to a Natural Horse-Human Relationship

The hook

Natural Horse-Man-Ship: Six Keys to a Natural Horse-Human Relationship
Pat Parelli
Manufacturer: Western Horseman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Clinton Anderson's Downunder Horsemanship: Establishing Respect and Control for English and Western Riders

What Your Horse Wants You to Know: What Horses' "Bad" Behavior Means, and How to Correct It

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John Lyons' Bringing Up Baby: 20 Progressive Ground-Work Lessons to Develop Your Young Horse into a Reliable, Accepting Partner

Horses Never Lie: The Heart of Passive Leadership

ASIN: 1585747122

Book Description

The horse- and rider-training handbook of an internationally renowned master horseman.

Customer Reviews:

Effective Horse Communication.......2007-08-21

Author writes in an easy to read conversational format. He emphasises the importance of horse and rider spending time together to get to know each other. Building of trust on both the horse and rider. I recommend this book. Also watch RFD TV on satelitte.

This is the only natural horsemanship book you'll ever need.......2007-07-31

This is it. Everything is in this book. One can study this book for years and find something new in it each time. Natural horsemanship is so old, it's new again. Pat Parelli is the only one who has managed to put it all together in one place with one title. Since the Dorrance brothers and Ronnie Willis have graduated to Horseman's Heaven, the next best thing is learning from one of their star pupils. Pat is entertaining and almost always profound. The only question is do you savvy savvy?

Clinton Anderson's Down Under Horsemanship book is better.......2007-06-23

While I liked some aspects of Pat's book I found it confusing, unclear, in some instances, repetitive and in some cases, not useful for me at all. He mentions that horses that bite (my horse) bite because you let them get too close (duh!) yet the 1st lesson to gain respect has you touching the horses muzzle to get him to back up (my horse tried to bite me- so, now what?). One of the next exercises has you touching his chest, you know the part of the body directly under the horses' head.... the head that has the biting teeth in it... my horse tried to bite me again! I am giving up on Pat's book for now. Clinton Anderson's book "Down Under Horsemanship" teaches how to use a stick to keep the horse away (not using it to threaten but as an extension of your arm). Clinton's book has step by step pictures and explanations of what can go wrong (both with the horse and human) and how to fix what went wrong. Both he and Pat have similar philosophies but Clinton's book flows much better, gives better examples, describes problems and solutions and stresses how to progress. I would stick with Clinton's book.

Natural Horse-Man-Ship: Six Keys to a Natural Horse-Human Relationship.......2007-05-12

I bought this book for my daughter she thought it was good but did prefer John Lyons and Pat Parelli's DVD better as it was visual and this book was against some of her own ideas but a great book if you like the techniques that Pat Parelli uses.
He uses phrases a little old fashion for the younger generation and therefore my daughter found his relationship to the horses a little hard to understand as she did not know the people he refered to.
It does teach all about respect for the horse and from the horse and is well described none the less. A lot of important facts about how to teach a horse, use of spurs, trailer loading, tools, yeilding and many basic detailed descriptions of cantering, techniques of he rein, timing, Desensitizing, voice cues and much more. A great all in one book with black and white photos.
Has a different technique to John Lyons which she decided she liked best after reading this book

The hook.......2007-05-12

There are a lot of so called "natural horsemaship" books, dvds etc out there. I was already steered in this direction because my horse is a parelli student, but I usually tend to do my own thing and so, I checked out a few of the other programs out there, and bought this book despite some reviewers opinions about Pat being a great salesman, using terms that didn't need to be used, creating his own language etc. Let me say this.. yes, this book which is relatively inexpensive in the big scheme of how much horse training costs. It is also Pats "hook", or method he uses to spark interest in his program. It works. It is a great overview of the parelli program, but if you are looking for one little book to teach you how to do it, don't waste your money. The books alone, even if you are an experienced horseperson, are not going to give you enough information. If you want to get a feeling for what natural horsemanship is all about, the book will answer the questions you have, and spark some new ones! I have the entire parelli program now, and am going to one of the conferences this year, to see the Pat and his wife Linda in action. The book hooked me! I'm a praelli devotee now, and urge all horse people to give it a try. Its a new way of interacting with horses, that makes it more fun than you can imagine, while stressing safety and savvy around these large, potentially dangerous, but wonderful and beautiful animals. I know.. just drink the cool aid!
Robin

The Lions of Tsavo : Exploring the Legacy of Africa's Notorious Man-Eaters

Average customer rating:

Well Done
Very Interesting
Informative and a shade biased
A passion for the big African cats...
A Fascinating Study

The Lions of Tsavo : Exploring the Legacy of Africa's Notorious Man-Eaters
Bruce D. Patterson
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Man-Eaters of Tsavo
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ASIN: 0071363335

Book Description

"Deftly written . . . Patterson's book must now be considered the definitive Tsavo lion study... one of the world's leading experts on lions as well as an important conservationist."--Publishers Weekly

Through field research and forensic evidence, a scientist reveals his theory on why two Kenyan lions killed humans and then ate their prey

In March 1898, the British began building a bridge over the Tsavo River in East Africa. In nine months, two male lions killed and ate nearly 135 workers, halting construction.

After a long hunt Colonel J. H. Patterson killed the lions, which are now on display at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.

As codirector of the Tsavo Research Project, Bruce Patterson has conducted extensive fieldwork throughout the region on these lions. In The Lions of Tsavo, Patterson retells the harrowing story of those bloody nights in Kenya. He presents new forensic evidence on these maneless lions and argues that the man-eating behavior exhibited in 1898 came from the encroachment of human populations on wild habitats.

Patterson continues this theory by exploring man's interaction with the changing Kenyan environment, creating a complete, up-to-date, and scientific look behind this intriguing murder mystery.

Customer Reviews:

Well Done.......2006-08-19

The author does an excellent job of making the subject matter readable for the layman. This is based on a series of scientific studies which are often laborius reading for most but it is presented in an easily understood form.

No definite conclusions are drawn but anyone with an interest in the big cats will find this a valuable source of information.

Very Interesting.......2005-09-21

It is not the complete history of the how Col. Patterson killed the Tsavo Lions, but a very good and more recent report of a sciencific investigation trying to explain those animal's behavior and the causes that lead them to kill so many people.
I found it very interesting.

Informative and a shade biased.......2004-12-24

The book is filled with informative scientific hypothesis' about the man eaters. I found it to be very good reading until the the chapter when the author started bashing the hunters he had quoted through out the book. Throughout the world hunters are usually amoung the first to call for conservation of a species, not the enemy of conservation. Over all I would say the book is educational and worth reading just skip chapter 9 if you are a hunter.

A passion for the big African cats..........2004-04-14

For all of us with a passion for the big African cats, this book is a must read. The author, B.D.Patterson, combines his years of field research with an obvious love of the African continent to produce a scientific yet readable and ultimately fascinating review of lion behavior, biology, and evolution.

Starting with an historical review of `man-eater lion' stories Dr. Patterson clarifies facts and debunks myths. He provides a comprehensive review of related factors - from dentition to drought - from game scarcity to human burial practices. No stone is left unturned as he investigates aggressive behavior where the territories of human and lion overlap (and there is aggressive behavior on both sides of this equation!!). He continues his analysis with a succinct review of the latest biological and evolutionary information of the Panthera genus, covering the latest findings in DNA studies, historical range analysis, behavioral studies, and much more. Finally, he concludes the book with a review of conservation efforts in the Tsavo region and plea for continued assistance for this increasingly endangered species.

Readers who are tired of the dumbed-down approach many authors follow in order to cater to the broadest audience possible will be presently surprised by this book. It is thoughtful and intelligent throughout - readable and enjoyable - give it a try.

A Fascinating Study.......2004-02-11

Bruce Patterson's brilliant new book shines a much-needed scientific light on the lions of Tsavo. First made infamous by Colonel John Patterson (no relation to the author of this book), after he wrote "The Man-eaters of Tsavo" almost a century ago, and then re-introduced to modern audiences when the movie "The Ghost and the Darkness" came out in 1996, the lions of the barren East African region have been much speculated on. Their unusual physical characteristics and habits, including a reputed inclination to prey on men with greater frequency than other lions, have added to the interest about them.

Unfortunately, and somewhat surprisingly, little is known about the Tsavo lions. Are they a separate species from the lions found elsewhere in Africa or a subspecies? How does their social behavior differ from that of other lions? Why are the male lions of Tsavo typically maneless? Was the trait selected by evolution for some reason or determined by the tough physical environment of Tsavo?

Bruce Patterson, a naturalist with extensive experience studying these beasts, informs the debate on them to such a degree that even where he does not provide definitive answers to these questions about the lions - and he sometimes does -- he provides the definitive framework for understanding them. He approaches the creature from every angle. He has studied them in the field. He has worked on them in the laboratory. And he has extensively read both the scientific and popular literature on the lions.

Despite his impressive scholarship, Patterson is not afraid to tell the reader when he doesn't know something. He often writes that some area on the lions needs further study. I also appreciated how he took seriously what any source (white hunters, local tribesmen, etc.) had to say about the lions. Patterson does not snobbishly discount what a source says just because it was not written by a fellow scientist. He makes note of it in his ledger and considers it in the context of other information on the subject.

This is a delightful book. If you have any interest in lions in particular or big cats in general, you will find it fascinating and informative.

The Control of Nature
Average customer rating:

Engineering skill, policy blunders:

Elegant writing on man's ignorance about nature

People's Efforts, People's Errors

Read this one for pleasure

Nature Bats Last

The Control of Nature
John McPhee
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Human Geography | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0374522596

Amazon.com

Master how-it-works writer John McPhee has instructed his readers in the arcana of how oranges are commercially graded, how mountains form, how canoes are built and oceans crossed. In The Control of Nature he turns his attention once more to geology and the human struggle against nature. In one sketch, he explores the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' unrealized plan to divert the flow of the Mississippi River into a tributary, the Atchafalaya, for flood control; in another, he looks at the ingenious ways in which an Icelandic engineer saved a southern harbor on that island from being destroyed by a lava flow; in a third, he examines a complex scheme to protect Los Angeles from boulders ejected from mountains by compression and tectonic movement. As always, McPhee combines a deep knowledge of his subject with a narrative approach that is wholly accessible; you may not have thought you were interested in earthquakes and flood control, but he gently leads you to take a passionate concern in such matters.

Book Description

The Control of Nature is John McPhee's bestselling account of places where people are locked in combat with nature. Taking us deep into these contested territories, McPhee details the strageties and tactics through which people attempt to control nature. Most striking is his depiction of the main contestants: nature in complex and awesome guises, and those attempting to wrest control from her - stubborn, sometimes foolhardy, more often ingenious, and always arresting characters.

Customer Reviews:

Engineering skill, policy blunders:.......2007-01-10

Mc Phee presents three well written, beautifully researched case studies, short term marvels of engineering skill and determination, doomed from the outset by humanity's ignorance and disregard of natural processes. This book examines an unstable river system in Southern Louisiana, unpredictable massive lava flows in Iceland, and episodic debris flows in Los Angeles mountain foothills. Each case presents the heroic bad judgement of short-lived humans in conflict with gradual natural processes, catastrophic at long intervals, by human measure, and ultimately inxorable, indifferent long-term to our futile efforts at intervention. He wastes few judgemental words on the human folly his stories chronicle, but lets them speak for themselves. He fills the shoes of both writer and teacher.

Elegant writing on man's ignorance about nature.......2006-11-27

As always, McPhee is a pleasure to read and a pleasure to review. In these chronicles, based both on narrative and on interviews, McPhee's big theme is ambition (a good thing), hubris (no problem, simple answer), and willful ignorance.
McPhee talks about three major `wars' against nature - the effort to keep the Mississippi River running through New Orleans, the semi-successful effort in Iceland to keep a volcano from filling in a critical harbor, and the ludicrous attempt to prevent fire and flooding from destroying the east side of Los Angeles. In each of these, the threats are portrayed as utterly real and frightening, the science is lucid without being boring or full of jargon, and the people speak for themselves.
If you ever wanted to change the inevitable force of geology by piling up sandbags, stop a lava flow by spraying water on it, or keep your house from being filled with boulders and sand (debris flow) - this book will be a lesson on fighting rear guard actions against enemies that will, eventually, win.

People's Efforts, People's Errors.......2006-06-18

McPhee examines three recent attempts by man to alter natural changes on the surface of the planet. The first is the Corps of Engineers attempt to control of the flow and course of the Mississippi as it heads, with ever increasing power, toward New Orleans, or Texas if it had its way. And if you think that there was not some early warning of eventual problems in New Orleans, note that this book was written in 1989. The second is the partially successful effort by the Icelanders to use water from fire hoses to halt the flow of lava from a very destructive volcano. Finally, the third is the battle between Los Angeles and one of natures weapons of mass destruction, the debris flows coming down from the San Gabriel mountains that, with the Pacific, frame the city. McPhee has also written intriguing books about the geologic histories of Nevada (Basin and Range), Wyoming (Rising from the Plains), California (Assembling California) and about tectonic plates, ice and oil (In Suspect Terrain). In the process he has portrayed the important English pioneers in the discipline such as Hutton and Lyell, in addition to Agassiz and his fascination with glaciers.

The flow of the Mississippi with its enormous drainage extending from Western New York to Montana has been increasing with every newly paved Wal-Mart or football stadium parking lot in the Midwest. In the process it has carved out the sediment that forms the fan that extended the coast line of Louisiana over fifty miles into the Gulf in the last century. Historically its mouth has wandered for nearly two hundred miles along the Gulf coast between Mississippi and Texas, creating most of Louisiana. Its flow of sixty-five kilotons (two million cubic feet of water) per second in high years is now channeled by the levies, which are not without defects as demonstrated by recent hurricanes. But that doesn't mean upstream threats can be ignored. The Atchafalaya, with a much steeper drop and connected to the Mississippi by the Old River in Northern Louisiana, is constantly bidding for the Ohio and Missouri mud that gives the Mississippi its color. The saga of the construction efforts by the Corps to keep it as a safety valve to prevent the flooding of New Orleans, and not have it turn the lower Mississippi river basin (the "American Ruhr" as the locals call it) into a pasture or salt water lake, is McPhee's first war story. It has been a "close run thing" with a near disaster in 1973 when the Old River Control, an enormous weir, nearly failed. The proliferation of commissions, competing commercial interests and colorful characters overshadow the geology, but the movement of sediment is still the enemy and the story keeps it under "close surveillance".

The attempt by the Icelanders to control the flow of lava erupting from a volcano on one of their offshore islands is magisterial. This effort is a saga of human endurance, persistence and geological knowledge. He describes Iceland as one of the two most productive geologic hot spots on the planet (the other being Hawaii). However, while the Hawaiian Islands are moving with the Pacific plate, Iceland is being torn apart by the Mid-Atlantic ridge which runs directly beneath it. The 2000 degree (F.) magma under it came up, in 1973, to punch through the sixty mile thick plate of Vestmannaeyjar island "like a sewing machine needle punches through cloth." The offshore island has one of Iceland's main fishing harbors. Indeed, it is one of the most active in the North Atlantic and hence worth saving.

The lava spread in all directions from the volcano, covering most of the island and threatening its harbor. The government decided that it would try to save the harbor by cooling the lava and holding it back with fire and other large water hoses. An Icelandic physicist calculated that one cubic meter of water would change seven-tenths of a cubic meter of lava from red hot flow to hard rock. The water hoses were brought from Reykjavik, the capital, and the American air base nearby at Keflavik. They were trained on the ever encroaching lava day and night at the direction of the fire chief from the base who became known, not unaffectionately or undeservedly, as "Patton".

They succeeded, but not until three million cubic yards of tephra fell on the island's town (compared to only 500,000 cubic yards, which fell on Pompeii), and three hundred feet of basalt rose next to it. Nature gave in and the eruption stopped after five and a half months. It had increased the size of the island by twenty percent, and perhaps will press its case against the harbor at a later time. While the topography, characters and customs of The Big Easy and Tinseltown may be familiar to us, Iceland is not. Tidbits about the oldest democratic parliament, the Icelandic prohibition against selling beer in favor of "Norwegian Cough Drops" (shots of Johnny Walkersson and Jack Danielsson), the local learning on how to avoid volcanic bombs, etc., add the color. Pages turn.

His final example of man's attempts is the effort of the City of Los Angeles to keep the San Gabriel Mountains (three thousand feet higher than the Rockies from bottom to top) from sending debris into the foothills of the city and washing away houses in the process. Los Angeles has built more than 120 catch basins to arrest the debris. McPhee describes the effect of fire upon the chaparral in the mountains (it provides an impermeable cover which sends the water runoff in a large storm cascading down the valley) is impressive as one of those ideas that seemed good at the time. However, other than the effect of the angle of repose, this section is a bit of a filler in an otherwise very interesting book.

Read this one for pleasure.......2006-05-17

There are books that should be read for the value of the information they contain. There are books that should be read for the beauty and power of their language. There are few that achieve both. This intensively researched page turner never fails to combine clarity and eloquence. Mr. McPhee clearly loves the people and places he describes, and treats them in a witty, friendly way that left me laughing and wanting more.

Nature Bats Last.......2006-02-25

This is among my favorite McPhee books. Not only does he bring his superb skills at description, characterization and narrative flow to these three linked stories; he manages to set out a subtle subtext without ever being explicit.

In a lot of ways, humanity's history on this planet is a struggle against nature. McPhee focuses here on three instances of modern struggles against geologic forces. River flooding, and in particular the channel of the lower Mississippi River; volcanism, and in particular lava flows in Iceland and Hawaii; and erosion, and in particular mass-wasting in the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles.

The message in each case is that mankind can triumph - or at least cope - in the short term, but in the long term, the natural forces will prevail. The Mississippi River will change its channel, despite the sometimes arrogant, sometimes defensive efforts of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Lava flows will eventually overwhelm Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland. The naive and credulous Angelenos who build their homes in the steep valleys of the San Gabriels, despite the mudflow management efforts of the County, are eventually doomed. Nature bats last. The rabbit runs for his life; the coyote runs for his supper. The Corps has to succeed each time; the Mississippi only has to succeed once.

McPhee is far too good a writer to ever come out and say this. Instead, he reports what he has seen and what he has been told and lets his narrative convey his points. That reporting is simply brilliant. As I have argued in other reviews, McPhee is America's greatest living expository writer. This is one of his best books.

Highly recommended.

Think Harmony With Horses: An In-Depth Study of Horse/Man Relationship

Average customer rating:

Good Ole' Boy!
A true original is still the best
Listen to what he's trying to say
A book for the student of horsemanship
This book helped me a lot

Think Harmony With Horses: An In-Depth Study of Horse/Man Relationship
Ray Hunt , Millie Hunt , and Roy Hunt
Manufacturer: Ag Access Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0914330152

Customer Reviews:

Good Ole' Boy!.......2007-09-05

Hunt is one of a small handful of horsemen who were inspirational in the usage of "natural horsemanship" philosophies, so many today are now using. It is always a little different to read the words, when their methods are really only learned when they are "felt" through experience. Reading his words and thoughts are a wonderful insight to his powerful skills and knowledge. It is a small book, but worthy of the home library.

A true original is still the best.......2005-12-11

For those who are ready for a fundamental change in how they communicate with their horses, Ray Hunt shows the professional horseperson the path to true happiness with your equine. Ray explains exactly why horses do not understand English nor traditional training techniques. Even though beginners may find this book interesting, this book is for the advanced rider and/or trainer. Ray Hunt's methods work on all manner of horses, from wild Mustang to Olympic contenders. I had been training horses for over twenty years when Ray came along and showed me a much better way. If you are ready for it, this book may become your "bible", too.

Listen to what he's trying to say.......2003-09-06

Having had the experience of going to a Ray Hunt clinic and then having had some time to let what he was trying to say just soak in and work on through I was fortunate enough to buy this book some two years after. Reading Ray's book is like having him there and listening to him patiently trying to explain - OK let's try this. I know that he knows what to do with horses. I believe that it is his job to "fix it up and let me find it". This is one of his sayings and relates to the horse - "Fix it up and let them find it". This book is not for people looking for the quick fix and a lot of people reading it may not even see the fix in what he is saying in this book. Take the time that it takes to read the book - really read it - and like I did, let the ideas soak awhile and soon enough you'll get that (or I hope you get that)well I'll be darned feeling. Like any master at their craft Ray doesn't say a lot but like any worthwhile student in it for the long haul you appreciate later (not sooner)exactly what he said. Inside the pages you'll also read and get a glimpse of Ray's way of looking not only at horses and how they relate to us but humans (supposedly the smarter of the two)and how they relate to their horses. Overall I believe reading the book has made me try more for my horses and in doing so working more on myself, which can't be all bad.

A book for the student of horsemanship.......2003-01-22

Being a teacher and student of horsemanship, I found Ray's book to be like sitting down to dinner and listening to Ray talk about his relationship with the horse. It is much the same as what Ray tries to explain at his clinics, but as Tom Dorrance said this is something that you have to feel, it's difficult to put into words. You must open your heart, your mind and spirit to be able to have this work. I know that it does. This book can start you on a never ending journey of knowledge. It's not a magical cure for those who have problems with their horses. You must be able to get into a learning frame of mind. "Have patience grasshopper" And remember if it's not working, either fix it so it can or get someone to help you. This book does show you the trail less travelled, it's up to you how far you go.

This book helped me a lot.......1999-03-25

This book have give me much help. I liked it. Some people may not understand Ray`s way to explain things. I did. Great book.

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