Customer Reviews:
Still the essential flora for southern California.......2001-06-04
Published after Munz's death more than 25 years ago, A Flora of Southern California remains an essential tool for plant identification in this part of the state.
Neither this nor the Jepson Manual is a book for an unguided beginner. Amature botanists will find this (or any true flora) intimidating as they begin to work with it. But with persistence and, probably, a field course in plant identification, they will learn that no wildflower guide, even with its nice pictures, can substitute for a flora for its exhaustive coverage and (usually) objective, though often difficult, identification keys.
Botany students and professionals need to make accurrate identifications, and need all the help they can get. Picture books, the newer Jepson Manual, local or regional floras and lists and (ESPECIALLY) access to a reference collection all are essential. Don't overlook Munz!
I use them both every day, but if I were permitted only one reference source for my work in southern California (the deserts and the coastal region south of Santa Barbara), I would select Munz over the Jepson Manual.
Using Munz's keys in southern California, the user need sort through only about half the taxa that appear in the larger State floras, so identifications are faster. Further, many (but of course not all) of Munz's keys use better characters than those in the Jepson Manual. But it is Munz's descriptions of the plants' geographic ranges that make his book indispensable. He used text (rather than geographic codes as in the Jepson Manual) and place names in his descriptions. And for plants that are narrowly endemic to one area, he made that clear. While I do not object to the Jepson Manual's geographic codes, I have been seriously disappointed with its incomplete, inaccurrate, and unnecessarily vague geographic ranges.
Other useful features in Munz's work not found in the Jepson Manual are flowering seasons (shown as months, e.g., May-June) and chromosome numbers. The latter are especially useful when confronted with seeming intermediate specimens, to help resolve suspicions about hybridization.
Sadly, botany instructors and students seem to believe that the Jepson Manual (1993) rendered Munz's works (this and his larger California Flora of 1959, w/ 1968 supplement) obsolete. They have not. While much of the nomenclature has been changed in the newer work, only some of the revisions represent real improvements in taxonomy. Just as often, name changes are silly splits within obviously cohesive groups. And in botany, newer names are not necessarily "right." I would expect much of the taxonomy in the Jepson Manual to revert to that of earlier works in future floras.
....
Munz's S. California Flora.......2000-03-29
Crammed into 1,086 pages is a fine reference work covering nearly every known vascular plant of Southern California. The book contains definitions of its geographical boundaries, an introduction to plant families, the main text, and concludes with a glossary prior to its index. In the index one will find both the common and scientific names.
In order to cover such a vast amount of material, Dr. Munz does not have long descriptions of each plant, rather he is brief but pertinent. The main identifying features are listed, and often a fine line drawing is available.
Dr. Munz is an expert in California botany, and it shows in this standard work. This is an essential tool for all those who need vital plant information for identification purposes.
The only flaw I find, is that he does not fully cite his references, which is needed to validate species reclassifications. This text should also be supplemented with newer works for information on newer species and the changes in some classifications. All in all a fine book, well bound and printed.
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Key to trees and shrubs of the deserts of Southern California
Barbara J Collins
Manufacturer: California State University Foundation]
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
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ASIN: B0006WH6AO |
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The fungi and plant diseases of the Sudan,
S. A. J Tarr
Manufacturer: Commonwealth Mycological Institute
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
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ASIN: B0006CFJF8 |
Customer Reviews:
Normandy and Brittany . . . more choices than guide.......2007-09-06
Written from a British point of view, this book is full of details, side trips, decent maps and estimated travel times. What it lacks is consistancy (some areas are rated highly for scenery, history, or food while other areas don't even refer to those categories, substituting child friendly or historic). While one person's trash is another's treasure, this guide avoids any real distinction between "absolutely must see" and "nice if you have spare time" in its itineraries . . . little help to those who have only a few days to travel.
Customer Reviews:
Traveling Companion.......2000-09-05
Philippe Babour's Brittany is guide with an obsessive attention to detail and content. Of the six hundred or so pages, probably 50% to 60% are filled with history and lore. The book scores high marks as a companion guide to The Miclelin Green Guide or to the 60 or so pages on Brittany and Nantes within the Lonely Planet's guide to France. Barbour logically arranges his sections geographically, connects them together, and contrasts them. Both The Lonely Planet and Barbour have nice sections on housing-hotel areas and specific hotel recommendations, and Barbour does the best. The Lonely Planet is, unfortunately, focused on one-star places and below, but Barbour casts a wide net.
Barbour's Brittany is a solid 4-star performer in the area of trip planning. However, it cannot stand-alone and be the only guidebook to Brittany that you will ever need. Different from Michelin's Green Guide, there are neither maplets with driving instructions of the areas nor photographs. It makes sense to get a visual glimpse of the area if you have never been there before, but Barbour paints only lavish word pictures that don't really prioritize one area in comparison to another. He has very strong opinions and is not shy conveying them to the reader. This generally presents a nice style and personality to the book. Occasionally, however, Barbour becomes mean-spirited and makes direct attacks against specific people and places. Discount that, and it is a fine book to plan your trip to Brittany.
Best Brittany travel book.......2000-04-02
The definitive travel book on Brittany. At 632 pages it is certainly the most comprehensive. While most travel books assume that tourists do little more than travel from city to city to see cathedrals and museums, Barbour's Brittany gives equal time to the countryside. He is opinionated and tells you where the most beautiful parts are Brittany are to be found and what to avoid. We planned our three-week trip to Brittany around his recommendations and were elated. Our landlord (we utilized the book's information to rent a gite) was amazed that we had been to places he considered to be the most beautiful spots when they require traveling along unpaved roads without signposts. We were delighted to find that the bargains he recommended were terrific. For example, we followed his advice and went to a Breton festival in the remote village of Spezet, which was outstanding. The bargain hotel in Spezet he recommended was excellent. He not only gives his opinionated and accurate recommendations, he provides actual prices as opposed to the vague pricing categories of most other guides. We followed his advice and avoided the congested touristy locales as much as possible. When we were unable to avoid them, it was painfully apparent why he was warning his readers away. If you're going to Brittany, buy this book. Considering the high cost of travel, it's foolish not to have at least one good guide book and this is the best by far of the four I bought.
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Travellers Brittany, 2nd (Travellers - Thomas Cook)
Elisabeth Morris
Manufacturer: Thomas Cook Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Guidebooks
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Brittany
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ASIN: 1841574333 |
Book Description
A best-selling series of colorful and compact guidebooks, which provide an excellent all-round insight to many of the world's destinations.
Book Description
People who travel by car have the best opportunities to explore beyond typical tourist destinations, but driving in an unfamiliar region can be a daunting prospect. Signpost Guides provide practical information to guide motorists through unfamiliar routes, signs, traffic laws and parking. Hundreds of attractions are described in detail, together with recommendations for shopping, dining, and accommodation.
Customer Reviews:
The African-American version of McMillan & Wife........2002-03-15
GOING NOWHERE FAST takes time to introduce Joe and Dottie Loudermilk in their souped-up winebago, traveling here and there, and ending up at a pit stop with two unwanted passengers...baby son(aptly nicknamed), Bad Dog, and a dead white man in there mobile bathroom. The Loudermilks related to each other as if we had known them all along, and the totally manic/off-center Dog will remind you of that one member of your family that acts as if needs Pat Sajak to buy a clue, when all along, he knows more than he's willing to admit. Characterization hits high notes, and the mystery, while simple enough to follow, will take you along until bad guys have been caught and you want to see them in print again.
A tongue-in-cheek, cutesy novel..........1999-12-17
Based on the reviews, I expected to read an excitement filled, humorous novel. The humor was there -- to some degree, but the excitement wasn't. It was a decent read, but it's not one I could pick up again.
great book..........1999-03-20
It was heartwarming to read about a middle class African American family who encountered the same or similar problems of our blue-eyed brothers and sisters. I WANT TO READ MORE OF THE LOUDERMILKS...WHEN IS THE NEXT ADVENTURE....IT HAS BEEN TOOO LONG..
It's very hard to read when you're laughing so hard!.......1997-10-08
What do you do when you're kids are grown and won't leave home? Sell the house and buy an Airstream trailer. Afterall, they can't find a moving target, or CAN they? Joe and Dottie Loudermilk, a retired policeman and teacher, respectively, have taken early retirement and hit the road in "Lucille," their Airstream trailer. It's an ideal life until they reach the Grand Canyon and their son, "Theodore," aka "Bad Dog" shows up unexpectedly. He's not alone. Joe and Dottie also find a dead man sitting on the toilet! There's a mystery to be solved and Dottie's going to do it. (Joe's going to help; he just doesn't know it yet.) And the fun begins. After writing the hard-boiled Aaron Gunnar mysteries, it's good to see Gar Anthony Haywood have some fun. The book is funny, suspenseful and unpredictable. The only thing better than the novel is the audiocassette version with Fran Washington narrating.
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Nowhere Fast
Kevin Waltman
Manufacturer: Push
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0439414245 |
Amazon.com
"It's like my life is composed of all these separate parts that refuse to stay together, and the more I try to secure them, the more they repel each other, revealing the fragility of my plan."
During a stifling hot Midwestern summer, Gary, 15, feels trapped by the suffocating limitations of his small Indiana town. His life is a turmoil of conflicting lies and allegiances, of forces pushing and pulling. His best friend, Wilson, constantly challenges him to drink and shoplift, and Gary always gives in, fearful of losing the relationship. His girlfriend, Lauryn, who disapproves of Wilson's influence, keeps Gary at arm's length, but he always gets carried away and tries to go further--and then they fight about it. His father is a drunken lout who refers to Lauryn as a "negrita," and Gary suppresses his anger and submits to his father's shoving and taunting. His life gets even more complicated when he and Wilson begin nightly joy rides in the big black Lincoln belonging to Mr. Roverson, a teacher who has been ostracized by the town for his affair with a student--and a man that Lauryn and his family despise, that Wilson scorns, and that Gary finds to be a helpful counselor.
In this troubled novel, first-time author Kevin Waltman vividly captures the pain of adolescence, but offers no wise solutions--a pattern that has been characteristic of Push, a Scholastic paperback imprint that publishes the work of very new and very young authors. (Ages 14 and older) --Patty Campbell
Book Description
This startling debut novel is about both the velocity and the inertia of being a teenage boy in America. It's about Gary, who drives around aimlessly with his best friend Wilson in a stolen car, looking for something to do but only finding trouble or boredom. It's about Gary's attempts to be a good boyfriend and a good son, even though his girlfriend is on to his issues and his dad has a tornado temper. It's about living in a town that you've known your whole life but doesn't know you at all. It's about looking for escape, and the price you sometimes have to pay to get free.
Customer Reviews:
Nowhere Fast.......2003-10-21
Nowhere Fast, by Kevin Waltman captures the grief of being an adolescent teenager. Although Waltman wonderfully develops the main character, Gary, he does not make him very likable. He drives around in a stolen car with his friend Wilson, trying to be a good boyfriend, and a good son even thought his girlfriend has issues, and his father is an alcoholic, with a twister temper. Gary also feels trapped inside his small Indiana town. A teacher Mr. Roverson, who is constantly taunted about having an affair with a student gives therapy to Gary, and helps him with his prudish girlfriend Lauryn, and his father's temper. The teachers own love for his student Lindy, extends the credibility. In the book, baffled with life, Gary quotes "Sometimes it's like I don't have a will of my own." This book is realistic, about paying to get free, and the price you must pay to achieve freedom.
Book Description
The bestselling author of Smart Women, Foolish Choices and Women Men Love, Women Men Leave now turns his keen insights toward the individual and the quest for fulfillment. Dr. Kinder says people must stop chasing what we think we should have, and realize what we do have, and what its true value is.
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Fast Road to Nowhere
Joe Canzius
Manufacturer: Trafalgar Square Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Contemporary
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ASIN: 0575601043 |
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Fast Track to Nowhere
Manufacturer: Spire Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000E39K2W |
Product Description
The shocking facts about teenage drinking
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Fast track to nowhere (Spire book)
Don Wilkerson
Manufacturer: F. H. Revell Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
Social Services & Welfare
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Sociology
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ASIN: 0800783530 |
Books:
- A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf
- American Environmentalism: Readings In Conservation History
- An Ethics of Place: Radical Ecology, Postmodernity, and Social Theory
- Atchafalaya: America's Largest River Basin Swamp
- Australia: The Four Billion Year Journey of a Continent
- Basic & Clinical Biostatistics (LANGE Basic Science)
- Biology, Sixth Edition
- Birds in Brazil
- Bright Paradise
- BURROUGHS BULLETIN - New Series Number 27 - Summer 1996: The Moon Trilogy; Danton Burroughs and the Family Legacy; Phil Currie on Old Bones and ERB; Elucidating Pellucidar: The Inner World of Edgar Rice Burroughs
Books Index
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The Jepson Desert Manual: Vascular Plants of Southeastern California
The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California
Introduction to the Plant Life of Southern California: Coast to Foothills (California Natural History Guides)
Botany in a Day: The Patterns Method of Plant Identification
Plant Identification Terminology: An Illustrated Glossary
