Field Guide to the Amphibians And Reptiles of Bali

Product Description

There is more to Bali than beaches and traditional dances. Perched between the tropical rainforests of southeast Asia and the dry archipelago of eastern Indonesia, Bali has a diverse and prolific array of wildlife, including reptiles and amphibians. This beautifully presented, comprehensive guide has color photographs of every species, up-to-date information, keys to identification (in English and Bahasa Indonesia), and easy- to-use language throughout. It is designed for those with an interest in spectacular and elegant wildlife as much as those with a serious interest in herpetology.

Customer Reviews:

Coffee Table Book or Fied Guide?.......2006-09-29

That was the question which immediately crossed my mind as I unpacked this book: It is very large in format, yet very thin - and still a colorful hardcover. It is definitely not something you will carry around on the field, looking more like your typical coffee table or kiddies' book!
Oh well, let's see the contents.

On the plus side, there is finally yet another guide to the herpetofauna of a part of the exotic Indonesian archipelago - even if just to a very small (if famous and popular) island of it. And it is a guide that is comprehensive, not only covering all species of reptiles and amphibians known to occur on the island, but also those that MAY occur there.
Most species are illustrated on colour photos (though not always of Balinese specimens) and there is basic info on their apparence, habitat, biology and distribution in both Bali and the wider region.
The keys, provided in both English and Indonesian also seem useable.
There is also a basic general introduction to Bali's herpetofauna and habitats, plus a few general topics like treatment of snake bites and local trade in turtles.

Now for the shortcomings: all of the info in here IS basic. For example there is no mentioning of subspecies in the book, not even noting which subspecies of wide-ranging, variable species occurs in Bali. The locality records, provided only for the illustrated specimens, are also of dubious usefulness. While some are merely misspellt but still recognizable, others are completely puzzling, like "East Kalimantan National Park" - East Kalimantan is in fact a vast province in Borneo, not a national park!
Nor does the book give you any hints on where all the data came from...
These kind of things left me wondering how much the accuracy of the book can be trusted in general.

Anyway, with so little available in the way of guides to Indonesian herpetofauna, this book is still a welcome addition to the list.
Just know how much (or little) to expect from it.

A guide written especially for zoologists, herpetologists, and other professionals.......2006-02-07

Illustrated with full color photographs throughout, A Field Guide To The Amphibians And Reptiles Of Bali is a guide written especially for zoologists, herpetologists, and other professionals, yet so straightforward that lay readers will find it a simple matter to identify Bali amphibian and reptile species. Beginning with a walkthrough of basic identifying features of Bali amphibians and reptiles, first aid instructions for treating snakebite, and a brief overview of Bali's environment and vegetation, A Field Guide To The Amphibians And Reptiles Of Bali proceeds into an in- depth, species-by-species accounting of Bali's frogs, turtles, lizards, and snakes. Each species listing includes a color photograph, a description, habitat and distribution information, and biology basics. Black-and-white diagrams and a condensed questionnaire for swiftly narrowing down a species member (does a lizard have limbs? does it have a gliding membrane? Does it have a row of spines down its back? etc.) further simplify this excellent, easy-to-use guide.

Customer Reviews:

SKILL BUILDING DEFENSE.......2007-01-09

VERY INFORMATIVE. IT GAVE ME GREAT IDEAS ON BREAKING DOWN AND BUILDING UP OUR MAN TO MAN DEFENSE. SOME OF THE DRILLS WERE BEYOND OUR SKILL SET, BUT I WAS ABLE TO USE ALOT AND MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS TO OTHERS. THIS DEFINITELY HELPS IN BUILDING A SOLID MAN TO MAN DEFENSE.

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Average customer rating:

Accessible, up-to-date, thorough, fun to read--What more to ask?
Thorough and informative
Find That Symbol

The Complete Dictionary of Symbols
Jack Tresidder
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0811847675

Book Description

The Complete Dictionary of Symbols is an engaging and accessible guide to more than 2,000 major themes, figures, and symbols that are commonly found in myth, art, and literature. Drawing on classical mythologies, Biblical themes, and traditional symbols from cultures worldwide, this user-friendly, attractively priced reference has comprehensive entries on everything from individual animals, plants, and objects to gods, goddesses, supernatural creatures, heroes, heroines, mythical episodes, prophets, saints, miracles, and myriad other subjects. Whether the topic at hand is Mercury or Merlin, the Egyptian ankh or the humble ant, engaging text reveals the origins and meaning of each symbol. Interspersed with the main entries are short articles on themes of special interest, such as the Sun, Moon, and stars, or common vices. Three hundred illustrations, an intuitive system of cross-referencing, and authoritative research make The Complete Dictionary of Symbols a reliable resource for school, home, or library.

Customer Reviews:

Accessible, up-to-date, thorough, fun to read--What more to ask?.......2007-03-18

I have bought several books on symbols recently and this is by far the best. It is well laid out with featured articles, good cross-references and, esp. impressive, footnoting of sources. While no book, especially of the encyclopeidic kind, can be "Complete" -- an admittedly pretentious title -- this book comes close. That's just marketing (like all the new cars and shaving cream advertised as the "ultimate" this or that . . .) The illustrations in this book, mostly line drawings, are attractive and well chosen. Whereas, the illustrations in other symbols books (such as Biedermann's "Dictionary of Symbolism") seem arbitrarily chosen, perhaps for their lack of copyright (!) or just for dramatic effect.
For what it is, unless you've got your own private Wikipedia, I don't see how anyone could be disappointed by this book.

Thorough and informative.......2006-08-28

The layout of the book and the information it includes is well put together. It reads like an encyclopedia with diagrams and is quite thorough with explaining the significance of the symbols throughout the world's history and in mythology.

I refer to the book more often than I anticipated that I would. I use it for referencing symbol origins and their meanings of course, and surprisingly I find that using the book for dream interpretation works excellently.

For anyone who regards symbolism as important, I give the book my highest recommendation.

Find That Symbol.......2006-03-22

"This accessible reference guide presents more than 2,000 themes, figures, and symbols that appear in the arts, literature, and religion. It draws on classical mythologies, Biblical themes, and traditional symbols from cultures worldwide. The Complete Dictionary of Symbols has entries on plants and animals, gods and goddesses, supernatural creatures, heroes, saints, and hundreds of other subjects." (summary by South TX Library System)

Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Symbols, Signs & Dream Interpretation: Identification And Analysis Of The Visual Vocabulary And Secret Language That ... To The World (Illustrated Encyclopedia)

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Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Symbols, Signs & Dream Interpretation: Identification And Analysis Of The Visual Vocabulary And Secret Language That ... To The World (Illustrated Encyclopedia)
Richard Craze
Manufacturer: Lorenz Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0754817423

Book Description

This comprehensive and beautiful new book describes, discusses and illustrates thousands of fascinating visual elements, and assesses their position in language, art, literature, mythology, magic, religion and psychology.

Book Description

: From the emblematic designs of Madame Grès to Isadora Duncan's dance costumes and the avant-garde gowns of Yves Saint Laurent, the Greco-Roman classical tradition of dress has clearly inspired and influenced the worlds of art and fashion. This beautifully illustrated book explores the continually evolving influence of classical dress through the ages, presenting a historical survey of this fascinating theme. Featured works include paintings, photographs, sculpture, and decorative objects from Greek and Roman times to the present as well as garments dating from the eighteenth century and recent creations by designers such as Tom Ford of Gucci and Issey Miyake.

Customer Reviews:

The ancient world re-interpreted anew.......2003-09-20

This is an exhibition catalogue for the Metropolitan Museum of Art costume institute. It chronicles the influence the fashions of ancient Greece and Rome has had in more modern times on women's costume.

Printed on a very nice matt paper (even for photos) it contrasts examples of ancient art such as statues and painted vases with the work of later fashion designers. We get examples of the work of Halston, Madame Gres, Prada, Liberty, Dior and Mariano Fortuny just to name a few. This book is as much a photographic essay as is it is an exhibition catalogue. It has been produced in an elegant style with full page photos one side and text on the other giving it a clean and uncluttered feel.

Recommended if you have any interest in ancient costume and its impact on later fashion design.

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