Sea Hag's Treasure

Book Description

Nature has created an almost infinite variety of life in the sea, and seashells are the prize of this vast environment. Shells reveals the striking patterns and forms that make shells a work of art in their own right, from the extraordinary architectural detail of the chambered nautilus to the varied hues of the senatorial scallop. Moreover, shells have had a significant influence on many facets of society. Through lively and informative text and more than 300 striking photographs presented in an oversized format, Shells depicts Iroquois money belts made from the shell of the quahog; a cowrie headdress used by a Mali witch doctor; and the scallop shell motif in art and architecture. Also featured are rare photographs of the fascinating creatures that live within shells; current data on collecting practices and trends; and a discussion of environmental issues around collection and conservation.

Customer Reviews:

TREASURES OF THE SEA- A TREASURE OF A BOOK!.......2000-09-23

Treasures of the Sea was another Pleasant surprise from Author Leonard hill, with some assistance by Pete Carmicheal the "World Famous" Shell photographer. Again, these two mens talents bring together this Leonard Hill book that is a must have for any shell collector or enthusiast alike.The book has amazing photography that is interesting to Malacologists and Conchologists everywhere. This book is a class piece of work and is an awesome follow-up to another fabulous book "The World's Most Beautiful Shells- co-authored by Hill and Carmicheal. Mr Hill should be commended for another solid project on shells.

Beautiful photos, fascinating info.......2000-05-03

This is a spectacular coffee table book for anyone who' s the least bit interested in shells. It is enormous and packed with breathtaking photos in rich color on glossy stock. The text is as fascinating as the pictures.

The book features a wide variety of shells, many I have never seen before. It has full-page close-ups of individual shells and several shell collages. It also shows the shells as living creatures in their natural habitat.

Another section has many examples of shells in art including jewelry and postage stamps. There is a detailed caption for each photo. Many of these describe the life of the creature as well as the characteristics of the shell.

If you can tear yourself away from the pictures, the text is equally impressive. It covers evolution, the animals inside, shell structure and classification. It also includes chapters on shell collecting and shells in human culture.

Shells: Treasures of the Sea.......2000-01-15

I can not say enough about this book. Open to any page and you will see something new or never noticed before. The pictures are amazing and the variety outstanding. This book is a wealth of knowledge about shells on land and in the sea.

Delighting pictures, a piece of art!.......1999-04-15

I have just started collecting shells, and this book has been a great source of knowledge about the subject. The pictures are absolutely beautiful, the paper in which they have been printed is very good and the text is mighty clear. This book is likely to be an excellent present even for non-collectors due to its beauty.

Average customer rating:

Shells Treasures from the Sea
James A. Cox
Manufacturer: Outlet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Average customer rating:

SHELLS: TREASURES FROM THE SEA
JAMES A. COX
Manufacturer: WINDWARD
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000S61RV2

Sea Treasure: A Guide to Shell Collecting

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Sea Treasure: A Guide to Shell Collecting
Kathleen Yerger Johnstone; Illustrators Rudolf Freund And Rene Martin
Manufacturer: HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OJWI7K

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Shells Treasures of the Sea
Leonard Hill
Manufacturer: HUGH LAUTER LEVIN @ ASSOC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N64U6G

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SHELLS: TREASURES FROM THE SEA.

Manufacturer: Windward
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0711200114

The Draft: A Year Inside the NFL's Search for Talent
Average customer rating:

Not the counterpart to Moneyball it claims to be

Review of The Draft, an Inside Look at the NFL Draft

Interesting for a fan of the game

An enjoyable look at the NFL's big day

The Draft: A Year Inside the NFL's Search for Talent
Pete Williams
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Football (American) | Sports | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0312354398
Release Date: 2007-03-20

Book Description

The NFL draft is the most closely followed sporting event not involving an actual athletic contest. Pete Williams explores this world from the inside out, exposing the multi-layered feeding frenzy that swarms around Americas top college players. The Draft follows a handful of NFL hopefuls through the ups and downs of the 2004-05 college football season and the pre-draft process, culminating with their first NFL seasonand a look at the 2006 Draft, new to this paperback. Among the prospects are Virginia defensive end Chris Canty, who overcomes a devastating early-season knee injury to re-establish himself as a top draft hopeful; Darryl Blackstock, a player so beloved by Virginia coach Al Groh that he assigns him the No. 56 worn by Lawrence Taylor; and soft-spoken Florida State lineman Ray Willis, whose wife guides him through the draft preparation process as she finishes a doctorate in sports management.

Customer Reviews:

Not the counterpart to Moneyball it claims to be.......2006-07-31

I gave this the first star simply because it is a book about football. The second star is because it does have interesting history about the NFL Draft and you do get a close look at how an NFL team evaluates a draft class. Over a hundred pages of this book are absolutey WASTED on SCUMBAG AGENTS!!! I do not, nor does any person with a conscience or decency, want to read anything that profiles and glorifies these money hungry crooked wastes of life that help to ruin professional sports. If you do decide to get this book, skip chapters 4-8 as they deal mainly with agents. The rest of the book is interesting and for that matter deserves a look.

Review of The Draft, an Inside Look at the NFL Draft.......2006-06-03

The Draft: A Year Inside the NFL's Search for Talent is a detailed look at what players, agents, and NFL teams go through leading up to the annual NFL Draft where teams select college players.

The Players

Williams chooses several players to follow for this book, some first rounders and a few who start with great promise but ultimately flounder in the draft for a variety of reasons. There are three main things that stand out about what players go through leading up to the draft. First is the feeding frenzy with agents jockeying for their attention. The more talented and greater the potential, the more demand there is a player's time and attention. Agents communicate with them directly when they are allowed (and sometimes when they are not) and often try to woo their parents, girlfriends, and anyone else that they think might have influence on the player's decision on which agent to go with. Secondly, there is a lot of money involved and many temptations to break NCAA rules. It's illegal for players to take money or gifts from agents while playing college football but it undoubtedly happens. Third, is that the NFL selection process is a meat market. NFL scouts are watching players, many from high school through college. The best players have agents hanging around them, especially their senior years in college. After their college careers are over they are faced with extensive training for the NFL combine, working out for teams at their schools or at team facilities.

The NFL Combine, where the NFL brings any eligible player that wants to participate, is really the centerpiece of the entire draft. Here players are put through all kinds of drills, timed in the 40 yard dash, interviewed by team representatives, are poked and prodded for physicals, and given an intelligence test called the Wonderlick. Most players go to specialized training facilities paid for by their agents just to do well at the combine to improve their draft status, whereas some locks for the first round skip it fearing a bad performance could drop their draft status.

And then, of course, there is the emotion of draft day of either going in the round you thought you would go in or slipping to later rounds and realizing the amount of money you just lost as a result.

The Agents

Are the agents greedy sharks looking to make their livelihood off of young millionaire players, or hard working men (there are few women) in a very competitive business doing their best for their clients? Undoubtedly there are unscrupulous agents but for the most part Williams paints them out to be in the later category. They sacrifice their personal life to recruit players and then work to make sure they maximize their potential in the draft and negotiate the best contract possible for them with the team that chooses them. Williams paints the profession as extremely cut throat. As noted above, agents talk extensively with players' families, spouses, girlfriends and anyone else that they think will help them get an edge in signing a player. Then they must spend their own money for specialized training to get players ready for the NFL Combine or workouts before pro scouts. In the meantime they are constantly worried about other agents poaching their clients after they have invested so many resources on them. Further, since agents get only a 3% commission off contracts, if a player doesn't maximize his potential they often find themselves in a hole instead of making money. On the flip side, when they have a solid stable of highly paid players, the profession can be very lucrative. It's an odd profession and one that many look at with a jaundiced eye. They do perform an important service for the players they represent but it is also clearly a profession that makes its money on the backs of the players.

The Teams

The most important thing for teams in the draft is to pick the most talented players they can in the appropriate round who will fit their team concept and fill needed positions on team. That is all they care about. And they spend a lot of time, money, and effort to study every angle, from raw physical talent, intelligence, and good character. A bad draft can significantly impact the prospects of the team, and a great draft can greatly enhance it. Scouts spend much of their life on the road watching games or watching game film, evaluating every aspect players available for the draft. All the poking, prodding, interviewing, and even background investigations on potential draftees is important as teams stake their future on the success of the players they select for their teams. It comes down to figuring out what combination of physical talent, character, and intelligence will best fit the team.

The Schools

This book did not focus as much on the schools, but it did have a good deal of coverage of the Florida State Seminoles and their compliance director and Virginia Cavaliers head coach Al Groh. It's important for schools to facilitate appropriate contact with agents and help players fulfill their potential in the draft. Schools worry about the distractions, and even worse, possible infractions, as players interact with agents. Especially damaging is players taking money or gifts from agents before they are finished their careers, which could cost the team sanctions by the NCAA. It's a tough job when you mix young immature players and aggressive agents with money to throw around. On the flip side, if a school is seen as helping players improve and make it in the NFL, it helps them recruit talent.

Conclusion

Overall this book is journalistic in its approach relying on extensive interviews and closely following the entire draft process. It is well organized and the chronological structure works well. That said, the writing style is not the most exciting, and it mostly reads like an extensive, in-depth newspaper article at times. Despite focusing on specific individuals and teams, the book often is very matter of fact, and less emotional or personal in its approach. Nevertheless, it does bring out the not so dirty secret of professional sports - it's about money and lots of it. Avid professional football fans should find this book interesting. Non-football fans would likely find it tedious and boring.

Overall I would recommend this book to NFL fans for the insight it gives into an important aspect of the sport.

Interesting for a fan of the game.......2006-04-23

Just short and to the point...this was an interesting book that covered topics like how players prepare for the combine, how teams scout players, how agents pursue draftees, etc. Unfortunately, the book was marred somewhat by less than perfect writing. There were spots where you felt like you were reading the same material over again, and other spots, such as the "Draft Day" chapter, where the author bounced between characters so much it was hard to follow. Don't read this looking for a literary masterpiece, but do pick it up if you are a true fan of the sport...just feel free to skim at a few points.

An enjoyable look at the NFL's big day.......2006-03-16

While not exactly a pieced of hard-hitting investigative journalism, Williams' book is one that most NFL fans will find enjoyable. It's not to cause much in the way of controversy because of its non-critical tone towards players, agents, coaches, and just about everyone involved in the draft, but it's still a good look at the process involved when a player moves from college to the pro ranks.

Focusing on several players - among them Chris Canty, Fred Gibson and Ray Willis - Williams examines the events that take place from the time a player "graduates" from school (many drop out immediately after their team's bowl game) up through the draft itself. Besides the players, Williams also looks at the role played by many others, including coaches, compliance directors, families, agents, and teammates.

The book's strength is that Williams goes lightly on all the participants. It's easy to portray agents as sharks, or schools as taking advantage of the kids, but Williams sticks to facts without adding too much of his own spin. That's not to say that he doesn't criticize certain people or tactics, but he's more interested in passing the story along to the reader for them to make their own judgments. It's this nonjudgmental approach that allows us to draw our own observations about featured coaches like Al Groh, or agents like Jack Scharf and Pat Dye, Jr. They may not always come across in the most positive light, but they're at least given a fair chance to speak for themselves without being judged by the author.

If there's a weakness to the book, it's that Williams spreads himself a little thin. With trying to cover the roles played by everyone listed above, the book can often seem scattered or presented in a non-linear way. When dates jump back and forth, it can be a little confusing, especially from a book geared towards a very specific date. However, it's difficult to fault the author too much for trying to present so much information without loading us down with a 500-page work.

This isn't a subject that has been covered often in such great detail, so Williams' work should be a worthwhile read for any fan of the game. For those of us who spend much of the off-season worrying about our team's draft-day prospects, this is an essential read. A title that will be enjoyable for any NFL fan, this one is recommended.

Book Description

With My Own Eyes tells the history of the nineteenth-century Lakotas. Susan Bordeaux Bettelyoun (1857–1945), the daughter of a French-American fur trader and a Brulé Lakota woman, was raised near Fort Laramie and experienced firsthand the often devastating changes forced on the Lakotas. As Bettelyoun grew older, she became increasingly dissatisfied with the way her people’s history was being represented by non-Natives. With My Own Eyes represents her attempt to correct misconceptions about Lakota history. Bettelyoun’s narrative was recorded during the 1930s by another Lakota historian, Josephine Waggoner. This detailed, insightful account of Lakota history was never previously published.

Changing Woman and Her Sisters: Feminine Aspects of Selves and Deities

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Table of Contents

Changing Woman and Her Sisters: Feminine Aspects of Selves and Deities
Sheila Moon
Manufacturer: Guild for Psychological Studies Publishing Ho
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Native American | Earth-Based Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0917479033

Customer Reviews:

Table of Contents.......2004-05-24

I. IntroductionII. From the First ---First Woman ---Salt WomanIII. Incompleteness ---Changing Bear Maiden ---Snapping V*gina IV. Towards Wholeness ---Spider Woman ---Changing Woman ---Snake WomanPostludeReferences and Bibliography

A Voice In Her Tribe. A Navajo Woman's Own Story

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A Voice In Her Tribe. A Navajo Woman's Own Story
Irene Stewart
Manufacturer: Ballena Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NUS52C

A Voice in Her Tribe: A Navajo Woman's Story (Ballena Press Anthropological papers No. 17) (Ballena Press anthropological papers)

Average customer rating:

A Voice in Her Tribe: A Navajo Woman's Story (Ballena Press Anthropological papers No. 17) (Ballena Press anthropological papers)
Irene Stewart
Manufacturer: Ballena Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0879190884
Release Date: 1981-05-01

Product Description

This is the story of Irene Stewart, a Navajo woman, told in her own words. Born in Canyon de Chelly, Arizona, she was raised by her grandmother after the death of her mother and the departure of her father. Yet her life has not been that of the traditional woman rug weaver of the sheep camp. From the moment when, at the age of nine, her father sent a Navajo policeman to kidnap his daughter from formal schooling, she was set on a path toward becoming a bilingual-bicultural Indian. She has learned to live in both Navajo and white American society. This was not an easy transition.

Average customer rating:

A great read for middle schoolers and up
Rites of Passage
it is a marvalous book

Woman of Her Tribe
Margaret A. Robinson
Manufacturer: Fawcett
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Literature & Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 044970405X
Release Date: 1991-11-24

Book Description

"Refreshing...A beautifully balanced book about the importance of heritage, maturity, and individual integrity."
BULLTEIN OF THE CENTER OF CHILDREN'S BOOKS
Annette was raised in her fathers' Nootka Indian Village, but that changed when she won a scholarship to an exclusive private school. Suddenly Annette had to learn the strange ways of a white world: doing homework, changing classes, and trying to make friends with the people who looked at her as if she were strange Just when she thought she'd never enjoy it, she began making friends, and she even had a crush on Kevin, a cute, intense, senior. But when she went back to her village for school break, Annette discovered that she had changed more than she thought and that maybe she didn't fit in anywhere anymore....

Customer Reviews:

A great read for middle schoolers and up.......2001-10-22

I thought that this book was very informative about things that happen to a maturing girl. This book is about a girl, named Annette, that leaves her home in Canada with her mother. She is half Nootka Indian. While she is there she goes to a school that is called St. Johns Chapel. She is teased and mocked because of her looks and race. She makes a new friend, Katie Danbor, despite it all. Annette feels that she is torn between her Nootka background and her present American. I thought that this book shows what life is really about, it doesn't sugar coat the bad news. It expresses how you have one really good friend and alot of people that you don't like and alot of people that don't like you. It shows the reality about everything. It also shows that some people don't have everything and they are still able to hold there heads up high and make it on there own.

Rites of Passage.......2001-07-24

Finding young adult novels which are set in Canada and have an urban First Nations context is extremely difficult because there are precious few. A Woman of Her Tribe merits attention because of its approach to a young person's struggle between traditional and contemporary worlds. Set in rural Vancouver Island and Victoria, the novel deals candidly with a young woman's change into womanhood, and the incredible resonsibility of decisions. Threr are worthy lessons that can be taken from this novel, such as respect for the land, sacred traditions, and the importance of relationships. The story effectively brings to life the tradtional ways of the Nootka First Nations people on Vancouver Island, Canada. My choice is to have older students, twelve to seventeen, read this novel.

it is a marvalous book.......1999-02-04

it is enteresting and beautifully compose

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