Nature's Everyday Mysteries: A Field Guide to the World in Your Backyard (The Curious Naturalist)

Customer Reviews:

Buy This for Your Kid, Then Read It Yourself.......2006-08-09

I read this book as a teenager. It stimulated my mind as few others had. I've been recommending it ever since. You won't be disappointed.

A joy! Open yourself up to the world around you!.......2005-04-09

A fantastic book written by Nobel prize winner Niko Tinbergen. I recommend this book for adults and advanced children alike. I read this when I was in 6th grade and it was the book that lead me on my path to a career in neuroethology.
Tinbergen opens us up to the natural world around us even to those of us who are city dwellers.
Exposing us up to both the world of nature and the methodology of the naturalist he reveals something that the modern day world more and more distracts us from - patient observation and the results that it yields.
I recommended this book to a close friend of mine who has two children, a two year old and kindergartner and he uses this book as a manuel in their nature hikes.
I assure you you will not be disappointed if you purchase this book.

Natural booming.......2000-05-06

I liked his research on the ethological movement. If you are interested in psychology and this kind of research/studies...this is a good read

The Curious Naturalist: Nature's Everyday Mysteries

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A pleasurable read.
The wonders of your own backyard
Reconnect with the seasons

The Curious Naturalist: Nature's Everyday Mysteries
Sy Montgomery
Manufacturer: Down East Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Nature Writing | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0892725109

Customer Reviews:

A pleasurable read........2003-03-11

A beautifully written book about the natural world that supplies the reader with an enormous amount of information about the world we seldom see and the other lives which inhabit it.

The wonders of your own backyard.......2002-10-22

This is a book that I will never lend out. I will buy a few extra copies of it to give away, but I want to keep my copy forever. I found it by searching Amazon for some good natural history books to read in the winter, when I miss my garden. I really lucked out with this one.

Sy Montgomery was the nature columnist for the Boston Globe. She is extremely knowledgable, and her writing is concise yet filled with wonder at her magical subjects. I learned about the lovelorn messages sent by singing insects on autumn evenings, the messages contained in spiderwebs, the effects of winter snow on the way sound travels, the way all life depends on the unusual structure of water. Most fun is the author's description of ways to interact with other creatures. I learned that it is easy to teach wild birds to eat out of your hand, and that one can flirt with fireflies in their own language using a flashlight in the grass. The author offers some of these suggestions as experiments for children, but at the tender age of 54 I am looking forward to trying them all out by myself.

Another thing I like about this book is that each essay can be read in a single sitting (or a single night before going to sleep, in my case). They are concise. I get a lot of delight per unit time spent reading.

The only thing wrong with this book is that it needs a better title. If Sy Montgomery had the lovely titles that Diane Ackerman comes up with, she would quickly overtake Ackerman's sales numbers.

Reconnect with the seasons.......2000-12-29

In the middle of a bleak, New England winter and at a time in my life when I felt disconnected from the natural world due to health difficulties, I purchased this book. I opened it to the section on winter and read the first essay entitled, "Sounds and Silences of December." Not only was it interesting to learn that sound travels farther and is clearer over frozen ground, but it encouraged me to go outside and see for myself! Since then, this book has been a source of valuable information regarding the unique aspects of each season. Also, it has been a source of encouragement, drawing me out-of-doors to explore. I don't have to venture far from home to experience some of the things written about in the book. Learn about peepers in spring, mud season, insects, messages in spider webs, chipmunks and squirrels, animal migrations, exploring the off-season beach in winter...just to name a few. If you've never been an outdoorsy person or need some guidance to reconnect, this is an excellent choice.

Seasons of the Wild: A Year of Nature's Magic and Mysteries (The Curious Naturalist Series)

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Seasons of the Wild: A Year of Nature's Magic and Mysteries (The Curious Naturalist Series)
Sy Montgomery
Manufacturer: Chapters Pub.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

Natural History | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1881527905

Birds of Tropical America: A Watcher's Introduction to Behavior, Breeding and Diversity (The Curious Naturalist)

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First rate, fascinating, and engaging natural history book on neotropical birds
Essential for the curious tropical naturalist
Recommended for tropical birders

Birds of Tropical America: A Watcher's Introduction to Behavior, Breeding and Diversity (The Curious Naturalist)
Steven L. Hilty
Manufacturer: Chapters Pub.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Rain Forests | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Birdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1881527565

Customer Reviews:

First rate, fascinating, and engaging natural history book on neotropical birds.......2007-04-16

One might guess by the title of Steven Hilty's book _Birds of Tropical America_ that he has written an informative though dry field guide, one that lists a number of birds of Central and South America but is not really a book to sit down and read. In fact, Hilty has written an engaging and extremely interesting natural history work covering many aspects of neotropical bird behavior, breeding, and evolution and is one of the finest popular science books I have read in a while.

The book is organized into twenty different chapters, several illustrated with black and white drawings by artist Mimi Hoppe Wolf, and includes an extensive bibliography. Roughly half of the chapters deal with aspects of neotropical avian behavior and physiology that are applicable to most if not all of the region's birds, while the remainder deals with specific types of birds, such as antbirds, hummingbirds, and vultures. The focus is largely on birds of rainforests but Hilty also discusses birds of mountains, grasslands, and in one interesting chapter, islands of the Amazon River.

The first few chapters tackle common questions asked about tropical American birds, questions Hilty has encountered over his years as not only a researcher but as a leader of birding tours in Central and South America. For instance, why are so many tropical rainforest birds so spottily distributed when there appears to be many hundreds of square miles of suitable habitat? Hitly wrote that distribution patchiness is a basic structural component of tropical rainforests; in an area that might contain up to 500 bird species, a particular acre or so of forest will only contain 100 to 200 species. One answer to this question is the existence of microhabitats, areas perhaps not obvious to naturalists recently arrived from temperate latitudes, but quite obvious to the local fauna. Some birds are found only along the edges of tree fall openings, while others that live in the canopy avoid areas where the canopy is discontinuous with tree fall openings. Birds might be rare because of their place on the food chain (harpy eagles occur generally at low densities though might be widespread throughout neotropical rainforests), of the lower population densities of tropical birds (the populations of the most common Peruvian rainforests birds are one-tenth that of those in temperate forests), the secretive nature of many understory rainforest birds (making them appear rare), and the large territories of birds (when compared to temperate species). A later chapter adds additional information; Hilty noted the work of Jurgen Haffer, who proposed that during the Pleistocene epoch the rainforests of South America at times contracted into isolated units he called refugia and that this repeated forest breakup increased speciation and helped produce many often small and localized ranges of birds in South America. Another theory, proposed by among others biologist Angelo Capparella, noted the importance of the major rivers of the Amazon Basin, which fragment the ranges of many widespread species and can act as barriers to gene flow; in a later chapter, Hilty noted how big a barrier the river can be, at one spot in Colombia, nearly 2,000 miles from the mouth of the Amazon River, the river banks are nearly five miles apart, a huge barrier to many tropical species that scarcely like crossing even forest trails.

Interestingly, many tropical birds migrate. No, not the famous temperate-to-tropics-and-back-again migrations, but migrations within the tropics, often quiet migrations that only involve some species and an aspect of the neotropics that took researchers many years to discover. These are short-distance migrations, perhaps a few miles or a few hundred miles. The quetzal and the bellbird for instance are fruit-eaters that breed in mountain cloud forests during the drier months of the year, but migrate downslope during the rainy season in search of drier conditions and more fruit. Even lowland forest species migrate to seek concentrations of fruiting trees, while others migrate to take advantage of the short-lived and unpredictable seed crops of bamboo, or in areas south of the Amazon Basin, are fire-followers, seeking out recently burned grasslands for breeding.

In a chapter on why there are so many more species in the tropics than in temperate areas Hilty noted the many niches unique to the tropics, for example antbirds, follow the swarms of raiding army ants, which flush small prey for them to eat, while other birds follow monkeys or the large peccary herds for the same reason (the latter of which are followed by the nimble, roadrunner-like ground-cuckoos).

Hilty discussed hummingbirds in two chapters, noting not only the many different hummingbird niches (some are nectar thieves, poking holes on the outside of flowers to get nectar, not aiding the plant in pollination one bit, others are territorial, while still others forage over large areas) but that they even have different niches at different altitudes (wing length and body weight have a huge influence in the type of flight and behavior a hummingbird is capable of and as higher altitudes have less dense air and produce less lift, some species have different ecological niches at different altitudes).

A number of chapters focused or dealt with breeding behavior. One interesting discussion analyzed why males might cluster together in lek assemblages when they are so extremely competitive. The "hotspot" theory of Jack Bradbury argued that leks form in areas where females forage widely for food and the males have a good opportunity to catch the attention of these wide-ranging females, while the "hotshot" theory of Bruce Beeler and Mercedes Foster argues that the success of a few dominant males attracts the attention of less successful males, who bide their time and try to move up the hierarchy.

Other interesting topics include the flycatchers (part of a group of birds called suboscines) which have been among the few animal groups to colonize northwards with the appearance of the Panamanian landbridge and the influence of environment on song (different terrains affect song propagation in different ways).

Essential for the curious tropical naturalist.......2005-12-05

Steve Hilty does a wonderful job of translating the results of published scientific papers into the language of the curious layman without compromising the fidelity of the original research. With a strong academic background, coupled with many years of field experience and a formidable talent for communication, he successfully transmits the joy of the natural historian and the excitement of the pioneering ornithologist.

The book consists of twenty essays on the ecology, behavioural ecology, biogeography and evolution of Neotropical birds, each based on three or four seminal scientific papers. The topics covered include flocking behaviour, species diversity, intra-tropical migration, seasonality, song, hummingbird foraging ecology, seed dispersal and much more. Many of the topics arose as answers to the questions posed to the author by fellow travellers, so they address a host of the main questions the curious naturalist will ask. The examples and original research come from all parts of the New World tropics making this book of direct relevance to those travelling anywhere in Latin America. Specific sites mentioned range from La Selva in northeastern Costa Rica to Manu in Amazonian Peru, and from Panama's Barro Colorado Island to the Oilbird Cave in eastern Venezuela. Species like the Yellow-rumped Cacique and Oilbird and key Neotropical groups like the Vultures, Hummingbirds, Antbirds, Tyrant Flycatchers, Manakins and Cotingas are treated in detail.

In sum, a great introduction to the biology and natural history of American tropical birds for those who are new to the region and a fascinating companion for tropical veterans. Whether your interest is birding, natural history or simply enriching your tropical travels, this book should be on your shelves - or, better still, in your backpack.

Recommended for tropical birders.......2001-02-21

It is a shame that this book is out of print, because as more birders discover the wealth and happy confusion of birding in the tropics this book would find a ready audience. Birders who take their first trips to Central or South America step into an alien world, where the rules of the temperate zone do not apply.

Hilty's essays draw upon many years as a birding tour guide, kind of a "frequently asked questions" collection. He discusses answers to questions such as: Why do birds in the tropics migrate? Why are tropical birds often so colorful yet so hard to see? Why are tropical mixed flocks so large and varied (up to 50 or more species in a single foraging flock), and how can so many birds forage together? In the course of the essays, Hilty also provides a great deal of insight into tropical ecology. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the tropics in general, and tropical birding in particular.

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Curious Naturalists

Manufacturer: Doubleday & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000EWQLTI

Product Description

The American Museum of Natural History Special Members' Edition

The Wind Birds: Shorebirds of North America (The Curious Naturalist)

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Observable birds with many mysteries
compendium of amazing facts
Beauty, truth, and feathers.

The Wind Birds: Shorebirds of North America (The Curious Naturalist)
Peter Matthiessen
Manufacturer: Chapters Pub. Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Birdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1881527379

Customer Reviews:

Observable birds with many mysteries.......2005-03-30

Shorebirds are one of the most observable of birds, but also one where identification is a challenge and many mysteries remain. Peter Matthiessen engrossingly tells the life history of many of the North American species, including segmentation of habitat during the seasons, and wonders of migration. Along the way he introduces ecological principles as Bergman's Rule and evolutionary ideas of speciation (how did Western and Semipalmated sandpipers separate?).

Since the initial publishing of this book and the forward (in 1994), the optimism of recovery of species may be diminished, as many are declining. The illustrations are all well done, and Matthiessen introduces each chapter with literary quotes, such as Shakespeare's "sometimes I'll get the young scamels (bar-tailed godwit) from the rock". Readers of this would probably enjoy " The Flight of the Red Knot" by Brian Harrington and Charles Flowers.

compendium of amazing facts.......2003-07-26

What makes this book difficult is that the author assumes a certain foreknowledge of the 20 or more species of shorebirds discussed. This makes is a bit like reading a text on anatomy without having any background. But even without, it is relatively easy reading once you get into it and just a cursory exsmination reveals some amazing facts and a great wealth of knowledge on the author's part: he will tell you why, for example, mammals are larger in the north and why chicken breast meat is white. There is also a wealth of data on the taxonomy, evolution, migration patterns--which are quite amazing--and other habits of numerous shorebirds, as well as the hunting to near extinction of some of them in the early 20th century and before. The author brings to his work a lifetime of world travel, also.

Beauty, truth, and feathers........2000-02-16

Now here is a beautifully written and true book about the tribes of shorebirds (plovers, sandpipers, and their kin). In a series of essays on the different aspects of bird structure and behavior (e.g., migration, flight, feeding, courtship), the author draws a complete picture of these wondrous birds. If you've ever stood on a beach and watched flocks of Sanderlings wheeling in unison, flashing alternately white and gray, and wondered about how they live their lives, then this is the book for you. Matthiessen is almost the only writer I know who can combine accurate science with a consistently interesting and limpid style.

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Curious Naturalists
Niko Tinbergen
Manufacturer: Basic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B0000CK0UG

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The Curious Naturalist (Spectrum Book)

Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Natural History | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0131954040

Book Description

Based on a series of articles published in the Massachusetts Audubon Society journal of the same name, "The Curious Naturalist" provides a wealth of crafts, games, activities, and ideas for teaching children about the world of nature—from how mammals survive in winter to how to build an insect cage in summer. Organized by season, skillfully hand-lettered, and illustrated with line drawings, this handbook offers nature lovers, young and old alike, a potpourri of fascinating facts and folklore about common plants, animals, and natural phenomena.

America's Curious Botanist: A Tercentennial Reappraisal of John Bartram (1699-1777) (Memoirs of the American Philosophical Society) (Memoirs of the American Philosophical Society)

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The roots, flowering and fruitition of scientific inquiry

America's Curious Botanist: A Tercentennial Reappraisal of John Bartram (1699-1777) (Memoirs of the American Philosophical Society) (Memoirs of the American Philosophical Society)

Manufacturer: American Philosophical Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 087169249X

Customer Reviews:

The roots, flowering and fruitition of scientific inquiry.......2004-11-19

Collaboratively compiled and edited by Nancy E. Hoffmann and John C. Van Horne, America's Curious Botanist: A Tercentennial Reappraisal Of John Bartram 1699-1777 is an anthology of essays by learned authors, most of which were first presented to Philadelphia's Bartram tercentenary conference in May 1999, concerning the contributions John Bartram and his contemporaries made to 18th-century botany and natural science. A scattering of black-and-white illustrations enhance this scholarly compendium, which deftly explores the roots, flowering and fruitition of scientific inquiry. America's Curious Botanist is a welcome contribution to reference shelves concerning the history of science, and especially recommended for its insight into the life and works the determined and ever-inquisitive John Bartram.

Book Description

This riveting true story recounts the authorÂ's journey on horseback across Arizona and New Mexico, retracing CoronadoÂ's desperate search for the legendary Seven Cities of Gold. First published in 1992 and now available only from UNM Press, this classic adventure tale reveals the Southwest as it was when Europeans first saw it and shows how much, and how little, it has changed. Â“The great myth of the American West,Â” Preston writes, Â“is that there was a winning of it.Â”

A modern horseback journey across 1,000 miles of desert and wilderness following the trail of the first European explorer in the American Southwest.

Customer Reviews:

Cities of Gold, by Douglas Preston.......2007-05-12

A great read!
I would add to the above "for a man" but was lent my first copy by a woman friend. She loved it also.
It is much more than the History of the 1540 expedition into north America by Coronado, although that is very interesting, it is a trip by three guys who don't have the slightest idea what the hell they are getting into, and we get to live right there with them every step of the way.
This book really demonstrates the abilities of someone who uses stubbornness to their advantage. Great writing.
My only problem with it: Not enough Photos...

History Buff.......2006-08-28

This was a truly fascinating book- a description of the trials and dangers of traveling cross-country on horseback, and how strained relationships with close traveling partners can become. But the best of the book was the detailed history of the areas traveled, including journals of the early Spaniards, priests, and legends and history of the various tribes of the area. A true-life adventure story with (painless) history lessons.

Cities of Gold: A journey across the American Southwest.......2006-08-09

I thought this was an outstanding book, so well researched before their trip and so well written describing the areas, the problems encountered and their combined solutions to those situations. I've met Walter Nelson, Mr. Preston's partner on the trip, and that made me understand their friendship and their determination to make it happen even more. It was a great book and I highly recommend to anyone interested in the history of the Western United States.

In Coronado's footsteps.......2003-12-28

Douglas Preston and his friend Walter Nelson are apparently a pair of adventurers. Preston, a writer for various magazines, got the idea to ride across the Southwest and follow in the footsteps of Coronado, the conquistador who passed through those lands in the 1540s. The two men bought horses, saddles and gear, hired a wrangler they thought knew something about horses, and set off on a journey of close to a thousand miles across the American desert.

The path they took wanders somewhat, and they learned some interesting things. In some spots, the route that Coronado took, as far as the history books are concerned, is completely impossible. They met Indians from various tribes, cowboys, and other interesting inhabitants of the countryside, and had numerous difficulties, all recounted with Preston's self-deprecating wit. The wrangler left them a third of the way through the journey, they had repeated problems with their horses (on one occasion they lost them all, no laughing matter in the middle of the desert), and had to deal with every sort of problem from lack of water to getting across the city of Albequerque with a pair of horses.

Preston's a reasonably skilled writer. The narrative wanders a bit, as did the course of the author's journey. At times, the digressions seem a bit forced and annoying, or alternatively you want to hear more about this or that tribe or family of cowboys or ghost town or whatever. This back and forth effect can be somewhat disconcerting. Even so, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it.

Good story and history, writing got in the way.......2002-01-24

I debated between a 3 and 4 on this. So, it's probably a 3.8 overall, with some parts being 4.5. The story of the Preston's journey coupled with the many historic reflections is excellent. Preston has whetted my appetite for more history of the American Southwest. I struggled with the writing. Some expressions used by Preston were trite and distracting. For instance, throughout the book, when Preston meets people along his journey, he inevitably writes, "We shook hands all around." I was left wondering what the significance of that phrase was. In many spots the dialog seemed "canned" and I was wondering if the people interviewed really said those things. There were other writing distractions, but, I always found myself deeply engrossed in the discussions of historical events. Thus, more for the history than the writing, I kept reading, and I'm glad I did.

Cities of Gold: A Journey Across the American Southwest in Pursuit of Coronado

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Preston's modern-day journey of Coronado's route
Funny and informational historical travelogue by horseback t

Cities of Gold: A Journey Across the American Southwest in Pursuit of Coronado
Douglas J. Preston
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Mexico | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

North America | Travel | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0671737597

Customer Reviews:

Preston's modern-day journey of Coronado's route.......1999-08-12

A thoroughly engrossing book summarizing Preston's journey following Coronado's route to the New World. I couldn't put it down! I fell in love with the people he met and the places he went. I had my map out beside me as I read the book. The history, geography,and geology were incredible. The accounts from Coronado and others of his time were engrossing. The fate of the Indians they encountered was troubling. Does it not foreshadow our own fate?

Funny and informational historical travelogue by horseback t.......1997-12-24

Douglas Preston wrote an engagingly funny but also historical account of his adventures and misadventures following Coronado's trail by horseback from the Mexican border in SE Arizona northeast to Pecos, NM. His anecdotes are entertaining and his historical accounts describe the region and peoples past and present accurately.It's a must read for people interested in southwestern history.

Majestic Journey: Coronado's Inland Empire

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Majestic Journey: Coronado's Inland Empire
Stewart L. Udall
Manufacturer: Museum of New Mexico Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Spain | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0890132852

The Journey of Coronado (Dover Books on Travel, Adventure)

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Collection of narratives from search for fabled Seven Cities

The Journey of Coronado (Dover Books on Travel, Adventure)

Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Essays & Travelogues | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

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North America | Travel | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0486263088

Customer Reviews:

Collection of narratives from search for fabled Seven Cities.......1999-03-08

Contains the main narrative of the Coronado expedition by Pedro de Castaneda, who was one of the soldiers on the expedition and wished to separate the stories being told from what really took place. The Seven Cities were supposedly a kingdom of riches and on the word of a friar an expedition was launched to seek them out and this relates what they went through, albeit very briefly. Also includes other letters and shorter accounts that all tell about the same story. Gets a lower rating than it probably should because I found the translation did not flow easily. It is also not nearly on par with the much more vivid accounts such as Conquest of New Spain about Cortez, the Relacion of Cabeza de Vaca, or La Florida about De Soto. Contains no maps but a great deal of endnotes.

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Coronado and the Myth of Quivira
Dianna Everett
Manufacturer: Panhandle Plains Hist Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

North America | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0913463019

Francisco Vasquez De Coronado: Famous Journeys to the American Southwest and Colonial New Mexico (Library of Explorers and Exploration)

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Francisco Vasquez De Coronado: Famous Journeys to the American Southwest and Colonial New Mexico (Library of Explorers and Exploration)
Lesli J., Ph.D. Favor
Manufacturer: Rosen Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

Exploration & Discovery | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Great Americana: The Journey Of Coronado

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Great Americana: The Journey Of Coronado
Pedro Castaneda
Manufacturer: Readex Microprint
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I5STB4

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In Coronado's Footsteps
Stewart Udall
Manufacturer: Southwest Parks & Monuments Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

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All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0911408991

Book Description

Documents the route taken by this sixteenth-century explorer from Mexico to the plains of Kansas, and assesses the expedition's historical significance. Photos by Jerry Jacka.

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The Journey of Coronado 1540-1542

Manufacturer: Allerton Book Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GTRV4S

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Journey Of Coronado, 1540-1542
George Parker Winship
Manufacturer: Reprint Services Corp
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

Book Description

The Bismark was the greatest warship ever built, with guns so powerful and accurate it could destroy an enemy ship while safely staying outside the line of fire. But the Allies had to sink it…or risk losing the war. William Shirer, famed World War II correspondent and author of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, captures every suspenseful moment of the perilous mission. Most tragic of all was the loss of the HMS Hood, the British Navy’s star battleship, sunk by the Bismark in just minutes. However, a mixture of luck and new technology—including radar—turned the tide in the Allies’ favor.

Customer Reviews:

Nicely written and a quick read.......2007-09-06

Shirer is a very good writer and keeps things moving and interesting, giving enough facts and information to understand who is who and what is going on (and where, which many books do not make clear). That said, it is a 'light' read. It took me only 3 or so hours to read it and I felt at the end that it had only touched the surface of the whole story. I would have liked more info on the major players, especially at British and German HQs. This book could have been expanded by half and it would have only made it better. I still highly recommend it.

Great book, thrilling story and based on historical data........2007-05-31

The author of this book takes you thru all the details of the short-living Bismarck, the Hood and others.

Before reading this book, I've never read any wargames books, nothing related to naval battles... but it's amazing how, literally, the complete british navy was behind the Bismarck and with determination to sink it under any circunstances...

Great book, a must read!

By the way, everything is based on historical data, it's not science fiction.

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