The Man Who Planted Trees, 20th Anniversary

The Man Who Planted Trees, 20th Anniversary
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A book about the essence of life

Hope and humanity

The Man Who Planted Trees, 20th Anniversary
Jean Giono
Manufacturer: Chelsea Green
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
French | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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The Man Who Planted Trees

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ASIN: 1931498725

Book Description

Twenty years ago Chelsea Green published the first trade edition of The Man Who Planted Trees, a timeless eco-fable about what one person can do to restore the earth. The hero of the story, ElzÃ©ard Bouffier, spent his life planting one hundred acorns a day in a desolate, barren section of Provence in the south of France. The result was a total transformation of the landscape-from one devoid of life, with miserable, contentious inhabitants, to one filled with the scent of flowers, the songs of birds, and fresh, flowing water.
Since our first publication, the book has sold over a quarter of a million copies and inspired countless numbers of people around the world to take action and plant trees. On National Arbor Day, April 29, 2005, Chelsea Green is releasing a special twentieth anniversary edition with a new foreword by Wangari Maathai, winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize and founder of the African Green Belt Movement.

Customer Reviews:

A book about the essence of life.......2007-02-11

One can read this book in less than an hour. That hour can be an exquisite calming experience, and one that talks about alternative ways of achieving satisfaction, while contributing to the place where he lives. It's not really a Johnny Appleseed book, even though it is about planting trees. Rather, it is about contributing to the health of the Earth, while contributing to the health of the individual.

Hope and humanity.......2005-09-30

I think the publisher wrote the perfect review for this book. It is a book about planting seeds and the seeds of life and what can happen when we give in the most humane, natural way. When nature and the human spirit work as one. The illustrations are a beautiful compliment to the writer. It makes a perfect gift and will inspire those who read it.

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The Man Who Planted Trees
Customer Beware!
plant trees
Jean Giono's Gift to the World
Reading Teacher

The Man Who Planted Trees
Jean Giono
Manufacturer: Shambhala
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1570625387
Release Date: 2000-01-04

Amazon.com

The Man Who Planted Trees is not a detailed how-to guide to planting; it is a touching story of Elzéard Bouffier, who devoted his entire life to reforesting a desolate portion of Provence, in southern France. He single-handedly planted 100 acorns each day before, through, and after two world wars, and transformed a sorrowful place into one full of life and joy. Jean Giono's words offer a tribute to how much good one person can accomplish in a lifetime and advise on how to live life with deep meaning. Illustrated with moving, beautiful wood engravings by Michael McCurdy, The Man Who Planted Trees is simply written but powerful and unforgettable. The text is also available on tape, eloquently narrated by Robert J. Lurtsema and accompanied by music from the Paul Winter Consort.

Book Description

Simply written, but powerful and unforgettable, The Man Who Planted Trees is a parable for modern times. In the foothills of the French Alps the narrator meets a shepherd who has quietly taken on the task of planting one hundred acorns a day in an effort to reforest his desolate region. Not even two world wars can keep the shepherd from continuing his solitary work. Gradually, this gentle, persistent man's work comes to fruition: the region is transformed; life and hope return; the world is renewed.

Customer Reviews:

The Man Who Planted Trees.......2007-08-31

Fast shipping. Book received in same great condition as described on website. All in all, an A+ transaction.

Customer Beware!.......2007-07-06

Purchasers should be aware that this book is a miniature and its approximate size is 3 1/2" x 3 1/2".

plant trees.......2007-03-09

This short but inspiring book was recommended to me by a friend as I plant trees. After reading it, I wanted to rush out and plant more!

Jean Giono's Gift to the World.......2006-07-12

This beloved little book is a simple short story about an elderly tree-planter who, during the early 1900's, restores a barren countryside (in the southern part of France) into a beautiful valley of paradise. His efforts alone--just out of love for planting trees--brings back life and energy to the small town of Provence.

As author Jean Giono states, the moral message of this story is "to make people love the tree, or more precisely, to make people love planting trees." Norma L. Goodrich's Afterword is a brief and interesting account of Giono--a man much respected and admired. Also included in this edition is educational material about forest protection and preservation. Michael McCurdy's wood engravings are an enriching addition to the book as well; they are charming illustrations, which depict Giono's descriptive scenes beautifully!

You don't necessarily have to buy the book to read it, because you can very well finish it while lounging in the bookstore. Also, as one reviewer has previously mentioned, there are free readings of it available online. However, if you intend to give someone a great gift, then I highly recommend buying this book.

NOTE: You may want to check out the Oscar winning animated adaptation (of the same title). It's a classic in itself!

Reading Teacher.......2006-05-06

So many books pass through our hands, and minds never to be touched again. This is not one of them. Perhaps because Giono based this (albeit loosely) on my American hero, Johnny Appleseed, I love even more. It makes a wonderful gift that can be read over and over again. It never gets old. The message that it teaches about the planet, is so important it should be mandatory for all students - and certainly VOTERS.
(And politicians - not that they would care, or even get it.)

I cannot praise it too highly - and I'm a tough grader!

The Monkey Puzzle: Reshaping the Evolutionary Tree

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An adventure in molecular science
Ever wonder how humans got so brainy? The answer is here.

The Monkey Puzzle: Reshaping the Evolutionary Tree
John Gribbin
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0070247390

Customer Reviews:

An adventure in molecular science.......2002-07-25

The author of the previous review and I must have read a different book....I dont know where he got the 'ancient brain' idea. But, he is right that this is a wonderful book.

I am sure genetics has advanced much since this book was written but I doubt that it's theories have been proven wrong. It is a well written, easy to read explaination of the molecular similarities between man, chimp and ape. And, using the molecular information, the authors propose an evolutionary tree that, to me, rings true.

Read this book.

Ever wonder how humans got so brainy? The answer is here........2000-03-18

This book is a classic. Try to locate one if you are interested in the brain.

The puzzle of the title is this: DNA studies show we share 95% of our genome with chimps. How can such a slight difference in our respective genetic blueprints account for such a huge difference in skull and brain anatomy?

This book proposes an explanation which, right or wrong, is just a splendid idea, a kind of intellectual marvel. The idea is that the brain is an ancient structure. It fully evolved over a period of many, many millions of years. This whole long evolutionary period is remote from us. It came and went a long, long time ago. In this scheme, the brain might, for example, have evolved within the head of an increasingly quick witted, deeply thoughtful, man-sized reptile. A big green one, let's say.

In subsequent evolution the structure of the big brain was lost. It went silent, unexpressed. But it rode the genome down through the eons until suddenly, just 2 million years ago, it was re-expressed in apes. Ourselves. A biochemical accident. Today, chimps still carry the silent code for a big brain, just as they (and we) carry the silent code for many ancient structures like gills and flippers. Chimps don't express DNA encoding the big brain, but we do.

If the hypothesis of an ancient big brain is accepted, a lot other problems suddenly solve themselves. The sudden, seemingly overnight appearance of the human brain, 2 million years ago, allows almost no time for such an elaborate structure to evolve. The answer: it didn't evolve 2 million years ago. It evolved long before, over a suitably long period of time, and simply re-appeared in man. Popped up fully realized.

A current book, The Prehistory of the Mind, by Steven Mithen, an archaeologist, emphasizes a fascinating observation. Although the big brain appeared 2 million years ago, mankind did nothing particularly intelligent or impressive until 1.9 million years later, that is, just 100,000 years ago. Man was a toolmaker, yes, but he kept making the same oafish, primitive tool, a stone axe, consisting of a rock tied to a stick, for nineteen hundred thousand years.

Finally, just 100K years ago, human beings suddenly got smart -he or more probably she -- finally found the boot disk.

Everything, the whole explosion of human progress, has happened since that day. An explanation of the long night of the human brain, per Gribbin's Monkey Puzzle, would be genetic drift. Lack of maintenance. An ancient brain would have come down us in very poor operating condition. DNA encoding for any feature that is unused over time will lose fidelity like a fading photograph. So it took 1.9 million years to get the biochemistry of the brain to start working right once again. Finally, 100,000 years ago, it happened to kick in. And the rest is history. Find this wonderful book.

The Tree Where Man Was Born (Classic, Nature, Penguin)
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Transcendent Prose

Good combination of natural atmosphere and history

A loving and detailed account of a difficult journey

The Tree Where Man Was Born (Classic, Nature, Penguin)
Peter Matthiessen
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0140239340

Book Description

On the great East African plain it is the human who feels himself the intruder. Here, and perhaps only here, the world is that of the animals. It is they who belong, as humans do not. In the more sensitive traveler this evokes a feeling of being privileged to observe ancient forms, settings and behavior that have survived intact from pre-history.

"Matthiessen has the language to express this feeling of awe...Matthiessen also goes into the relationships between humans past and present in East Africa's great fauna with many a flash of insight into the instincts each has bred in the other...This is the Africa book par excellence." (Saturday Review)

Customer Reviews:

Transcendent Prose.......2007-02-09

This is one my very favorite of Matthiessen's impressive canon, ranking easily with Far Tortuga and The Snow Leopard. Indeed, I think some of the passages in The Tree Where Man Was Born might surpass the stunning Himalaya descriptions in the latter book. Matthiessen's eye for landscapes is unparalleled, and his lyric evocations of beast and horizon have an otherworldly quality. A prime example, and one to look out for, is his account of finding rhinoceros tracks on the high volcanic slopes of Mt. Lengai. Another highlight are his crystalline observations of ecological moments during a vigil atop an East African kopje.

Good combination of natural atmosphere and history.......2001-07-19

I wasn't certain what to expect when I got this book. I was a bit concerned that since it was written about experiences in the 1960's that it would feel a bit dated. Although the 1960's view of the future of East Africa's peoples and wildlife is not entirely accurate, I am finding the book to be an excellent way to prepare for a trip to Tanzania--for someone wanting a combination of background on the peoples, landscape and wildlife. Matthiessen's usual subdued, to me, dry style seems leavened a bit by his awe. And the account of the elephant researcher who's 'close encounter' approach puts Matthiessen off his feed, was really enjoyable to me--a departure from his usual, very dry approach. I recommend this one to anyone interested in the peoples and wildlife of Eastern Africa.

A loving and detailed account of a difficult journey.......2000-06-28

Is there anyplace wild enough to lift the weight that Occidental culture has placed on our shoulders? Africa, where the first man walked erect, may be the last place where man can feel awed enough by Nature to try and remember that he, also, is just another among the millions of other species that populate the planet. Paul Bowles, Bruce Chatwin, Doris Lessing, Isaak Dinesen and Peter Mattieshen found that answer, and shared the experience. In Mattieshen's poetic account, the tragic and fabulous beauty of a continent that has been devastated by greed and war is revealed, as the impossibility of traveling Africa and not falling in love with it and being changed by it forever.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance: And A Man Called Horse, The Hanging Tree, Lost Sister

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is these all of the short stories
DESERVED RECOGNITION:
Genius Rediscovered in New Publication

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance: And A Man Called Horse, The Hanging Tree, Lost Sister
Dorothy M. Johnson
Manufacturer: Riverbend Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1931832587

Book Description

The Western Writer's of America ranked these four stories as the best short stories of the 20th century, but they have never been collected in one book until now. This edition is destined to earn a place in every western library!

Customer Reviews:

is these all of the short stories.......2006-03-14

From the time I was is Junior High the series of Short Stories in the book "A Man Called Horse" was among my favorite things to read and it remains so today. One thing I would take from the site is that it does not directly reference which short stories are included.
About the author I think that her character development fits more with the style of a Jack London than others who are referenced. To my mind she is among the top three of the story tellers in American Literature.

DESERVED RECOGNITION:.......2006-01-16

This reprint of several of the great stories of Dorothy Johnston is an invaluable reminder of a great and unlikely talent in the Western genre. I have to confess I'd no idea that two of the classic Western movies, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and A Man Called Horse, were not only based on source material by the same author but a woman to boot. Reading the stories together here it becomes obvious that, though seemingly dissimilar, the tales are linked--as is in particular--by the theme of people trying to sculpt personal characters that they can be proud of, or at least live with. The man called Horse, for instance, has come West, despite being of a good family in New England, because he wanted to "live among his equals--people who were no better than he and no worse either." But when he is captured by the Crow Indians he is made a slave, little better than a horse. However, when he finds himself fighting with dogs for a chunk of meat he resolves that while he may be no better than a horse he is above the dogs, and so he begins to establish the boundaries of an acceptable persona and by the end of the story becomes a decent enough man that he makes a surprising self-sacrifice. Similarly, the tale of Ransome Foster, in Liberty Valance, resolves to a simple determination: "When I die, sometime today, he thought, they won't say I'm a coward." Indeed, the great strength of Ms Johnson as a story-teller, something lost in the epic film versions, is that she stripped away all clutter to get to the essentials of these characters.

As it turns out, Ms Johnson was quite a character in her own right--Dorothy M. Johnson: Taleteller was everyman's interpreter and guide to Montana and the West (JEFF HERMAN, The Missoulian)--and it's a wonderful thing to see her get the recognition she deserves.

Genius Rediscovered in New Publication.......2005-08-06

`The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance' is a republication of some of the best stories of Dorothy Johnson, America's most unrecognized genius of short fiction. Two of these four stories are taken from `Indian Country' (later published as `Man Called Horse'), a brilliant collection of Western tales that deserves to be back in print. Three of them were made into successful movies. All four of these tales show the mark of genius that was typical of Johnson's work.
Time Magazine compared Dorothy Johnson's work to Bret Harte and Mark Twain, and this was no hyperbole. As works of literature, her Western short stories are nearly without peer, and they are often better than many histories in accurately portraying the detail and nuance of Native, frontier, and Mountain Man cultures.
The first of the four stories in this volume, `A Man Called Horse', is a tale of a young man raised in a wealthy Eastern family who went West, was captured by Crow Indians, and spent several years living among them. It details the ways in which he changed to adapt and survive, and the lessons that he learned from the experience. This theme of whites living with Indians and the effect the dramatic change of culture could have was one of Johnson's favorites, and one she captured better in her writing than anyone else. This story was made into a movie in 1970, starring Richard Harris.
In `The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance', we see another of Johnson's recurring themes - the less than noble truth that often was concealed by the heroic legends that grew out of the West. It is the story of a young greenhorn who rose to fame and fortune on the back of a legend that was a lie. This story was made into the classic 1962 movie, the last by the great director John Ford, and starred John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart.
`Lost Sister' returns to the theme of whites living among the Indians, but this time we see it from the perspective of a family being reunited with a sister who had lived as a native for thirty years after being captured as a child. Nowhere is the clash of cultures better shown than in this story of the painful attempt to re-integrate this family member who had gone completely native over the years, and who only desired to return to the life and place she knew as home.
The final story in this collection, `The Hanging Tree', is actually a novella. It is an expertly told tale of the tangled lives and fates of three people in a rough gold mining camp. It explores how those who went west often were cut completely loose from their past, freely re-invented themselves, and lived lives where the personal myths or nightmares that they created for themselves often had more power than reality. This story was made into the 1959 movie starring Gary Cooper (in his final role), Karl Malden, and a young George C. Scott.
Anyone with an interest in the American West should be thrilled by this collection and left hungry and searching for more of the brilliant writings of Dorothy Johnson. I give it my highest recommendation.

Theo Logos

Spiritual Essence of Man: The Inverted Tree of Life (H)

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Spiritual Essence of Man: The Inverted Tree of Life (H)

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Binding: Hardcover
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The White Man in the Tree and Other Stories

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(Caribbean) basin full of personalities
Sail Away With Kurlansky
A joyous read
Cultural Miscegenation in Paradise
Can Journalists Write Fiction?

The White Man in the Tree and Other Stories
Mark Kurlansky
Manufacturer: Washington Square Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

THE WHITE MAN IN THE TREE Tree is a comedy of cultural misunderstandings set in the Caribbean, New York, and Paris, a novella and eight stories about people who, because of their differences, misjudge each other. Whether it is a sophisticated European filmmaker, an ambitious young black Haitian woman, a promising politician obsessed with women's feet, or a fish-out-of-water rabbi in search of a kosher chicken in Curacao, each of Kurlansky's characters engages us with impulses and interactions that are by turns comic, insightful, and poignant. THE WHITE MAN IN THE TREE is an affectionate portrait of a unique society, where Europe, America, Africa, and Asia meet Latin America.

Customer Reviews:

(Caribbean) basin full of personalities.......2001-05-10

Truth is stranger than fiction. Not always. When penned by Mark Kurlansky both are equally extraordinary. Not satisfied with being a Caribbean reporter for the Chicago Tribune, he became a successful non-fiction writer (COD and THE BASQUE HISTORY OF THE WORLD). Now, with THE WHITE MAN IN THE TREE, it's fiction and very obvious that he is equally at ease in the imagination, and also very much at home in the Caribbean.

THE WHITE MAN IN A TREE is a novella and collection of other witty - sometimes wickedly so - short stories; all about life in the Caribbean, principally Haiti, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and French Guiana. What makes the book so enjoyable - besides Kurlansky's easy prose and comfort with the vernacular - is how he tackles the sociologically complex and serious issues that arise in such a potent admixture of people, places and cultures. Miscegnation is frought with portents of political correctness; rather than being shied away, Mr Kurlansky uses it as the theme to explore the misunderstandings and mistakes that are the common denominator of the humanly rich and diverse Caribbean.

For anyone who has lived in the area the tales will ring true. The complexity of motives and resulting eccentricity of behaviour that seems so weird to visitors is perfectly captured and explained, with a locals' shrug of the shoulders by Mr Kurlansky. Underlying all is the constant rhythm of the Caribbean sense of humor, which Mr Kurlansky has in abundance and with which he writes with abandon.

Misunderstandings and misjudgements aside, a sense of play is the one thing in common in the Caribbean; a necessary ingredient for living there and required of anybody who wishes to understand the region.

Sail Away With Kurlansky.......2001-03-08

A friend gave me a copy of Mark Kurlansky's THE WHITE MAN IN THE TREE while I was planning a trip to the Caribbean. Get this book. It's guaranteed to double your travel pleasure wherever you go and whether or not you leave your armchair. You'll come away from Kurlansky's delicious romp knowing yourself and your world better. And that cast of characters! This book will remind you of Graham Greene. Kurlansky sees intently, like the visual artist he is, & forgets nothing, like the journalist he is. The combo makes for some wonderfully memorable writing.

A joyous read.......2001-03-05

I had approached Mark Kurlansky's White Man in a Tree, a book of short stories by a white Jewish man about non-whites in the Caribbean, cautiously if not with trepidation. Could a white man write appropriately about Caribbean culture? Could I read this book without feeling terribly uncomfortable? Could this journalist write engaging fiction? A fact that complicated things even further, and that should be revealed in all candor to readers of this review, is that Mark Kurlansky is married to my cousin. Being a fairly critical reader, I did not want to have to conceal either my dislike, boredom, or both, to my cousin and her husband. What a wonderful surprise! I finished White Man in about four days; reading it on the subway going to and from work, in the restroom, while lying in bed late into the night. In other words, I opened it up whenever I had a free moment. When I was finished, I wanted nothing else but to sit Mark down and cross-examine him about how he came to write each of the stories--in other words, to get the stories behind the stories. The stories are all engaging, educational, moving, and beautifully written. I sometimes felt they had qualities of Sholem Aleichem, sometimes Marquez. Each story takes place on a different island, and draws the reader in almost immediately. One of my favorites, The Unclean, is about a new rabbi in a Caribbean Jewish community who discovers that even the seemingly most observant members of his congregation are oblivious to Jewish dietary laws and eat shellfish with impunity. As a result, the rabbi engages the non-Jewish islanders in his quest to bring kosher meat to his congregation. In sum, I loved this book and have been recommending it to everyone I know.

Cultural Miscegenation in Paradise.......2001-02-23

Mark Kurlansky is the gifted author of several nonfiction books, including the extraordinary Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World, an eye-opening history of the Basques, and, if rumor serves, a forthcoming book on (forget it, you'll never guess) salt. It is therefore deeply unfair - appallingly unfair, really - to discover that he is a sensational, almost sui generic, writer of fiction. The White Man in the Tree, his first published fiction, is so nonfiction-like, so real in the deadpan, straight-ahead, choirboy-innocuous prose Kurlansky has invented, that it is only by conscientiously pinching ourselves every now and then that we can remember it is fiction he has turned his wicked hand to this time out, and not some mind-numbingly bizarre but nonetheless perfectly true story. Or stories. There are ten of them in White Man, each taking as its subject the comic, painful, surreal or just plain silly complications that arise from a form of cultural miscegenation as Euro-American cultures encounter the very different cultures of the Caribbean islands. Because these stories are simultaneously so real and so unreal, they make Kurlanksy's point about cultural and racial misapprehensions in a way that traditional fiction or nonfiction could never hope to achieve. They enlighten without preaching, amuse without humiliating, and establish a truth that is all the more profound and memorable for being just slightly too strange to be fully false.

Can Journalists Write Fiction?.......2000-12-22

Mark Kurlansky knows the Caribbean. This is evident from his penning of the nonfiction book, A CONTINENT OF ISLANDS which efficiently and knowledgeably introduces the West Indies to those who do not know it and offers reflection to those who are from the region or to those who care about it. In THE WHITE MAN IN THE TREE, Kurlansky tries something different. He writes short stories that take place in different areas of the Caribbean: Haiti, Curacao, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic. He works well in this area of fiction, and, as short stories, his succeed. What doesn't work quite as well is that most of the stories sound as though they are inspired from the viewpoint of a journalist and transferred to fiction. Seeing that Kurlansky is a journalist, this is understandable, but there are times when his style doesn't work. The reader can easily become engaged with a story only to feel, halfway through it, that he or she is reading an article from a news magazine. Kurlansky tries to disconcert the reader by presenting misunderstandings and cultural clashes, but there are many times in the stories when one is left feeling uncomfortable as though the author may have gone too far into another's culture. There is too much - socially and politically - that is walking a fine line here. But there is nothing to say that Kurlansky should not be writing of all these different cultures and nationalities. The rule in stepping out of oneself to write as "other" is to know one's subject, and not to portray anything or anyone in an incorrect way. For the most part, Kurlansky is on level ground here; he knows his subject matter. Still, there is a slightly eerie feeling about the entire book of stories that makes the reader think that these are stories that might better have been told in a genre other than fiction.

The Green Man Tree Oracle: Ancient wisdom from the greenwood

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The Green Man Tree Oracle: Ancient wisdom from the greenwood
John Matthews
Manufacturer: Barnes and Noble Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Product Description

This beautifully illustrated deck of 25 cards depicts each of the trees that make up this ancient Celtic alphabet. The Green Man is present in every image sometimes obvious, sometimes hidden inviting you to enter his world. You will discover tree lore, myths and symbolism, and you will learn the innermost meaning of each card, and how this age-old knowledge can guide you in your life today. Pack contains: 25 stunning Green Man cards 128-page illustrated book of interpretations

The Mythic Forest, the Green Man And the Spirit of Nature: The Re-emergence of the Spirit of Nature from Ancient Times into Modern Society

Average customer rating:

Highly Recommended

The Mythic Forest, the Green Man And the Spirit of Nature: The Re-emergence of the Spirit of Nature from Ancient Times into Modern Society
Gary R. Varner
Manufacturer: Algora Publishing
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Customer Reviews:

Highly Recommended.......2006-07-13

Who is the Green Man? "The image of the Green Man is that of a foliated head, a face with vines and leaves sprouting from the mouth, eyes and nose, the hair and beard formed, as well, from leaves and twigs. The image may be stern and almost frightening, or a beguiling face peering out of a wealth of vegetation. The Green Man represents the creation of all plant life and its continued renewal." (p.85) But where and why did these images originate, and how have they evolved over the years?

This comprehensive and well-researched work is presented in two parts. In the first section, the author introduces the reader to the numerous spirits dwelling in the forests. The mystical properties of various trees are also explored as well as the legends associated with them.

In the second part, the reader encounters many of the gods and mythical characters who share several qualities of the Green Man. These include an affinity with vegetation, springtime resurrection, and abundant harvest. The author also touches on the interesting appearance of the Green Man in religious structures, where one would least expect to see this pagan figure. Many pictures of the Green Man in modern era architecture are provided.

The Green Man has been with us for several thousand years, but why does humankind keep creating his image? Maybe to remind us of our connection with nature, and our responsibility to make sure the forests and vegetation continue to thrive.

This is a well-written and well-documented portrayal of mystical forests and the Green Man. If you are interested in this enigmatic figure and what he represents, I highly recommend this book.

MUSE REVIEW MARK: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Reviewer: ALICE BERGER, MUSE REVIEWS

History: Fiction or Science? Dating methods as offered by mathematical statistics. Eclipses and zodiacs. Chronology Vol.I

Average customer rating:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers
Pants on fire?
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
Very Interesting
History as Science Fiction

History: Fiction or Science? Dating methods as offered by mathematical statistics. Eclipses and zodiacs. Chronology Vol.I
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Delamere Resources
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621074
Release Date: 2007-03-19

Product Description

History: Fiction or Science? is the most explosive tractate on history ever written - however, every theory it contains, no matter how unorthodox, is backed by solid scientific data. The book is well-illustrated, contains over 446 graphs and illustrations, copies of ancient manuscripts, and countless facts attesting to the falsity of the chronology used nowadays, which never cease to amaze the reader. Eminent mathematician proves that: Jesus Christ was born in 1153 and crucified in 1186 The Old Testament refers to mediaeval events. Apocalypse was written after 1486. Does this sound uncanny? This version of events is substantiated by hard facts and logic - validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources - to a greater extent than everything you may have read and heard about history before. The dominating historical discourse in its current state was essentially crafted in the XVI century from a rather contradictory jumble of sources such as innumerable copies of ancient Latin and Greek manuscripts whose originals had vanished in the Dark Ages and the allegedly irrefutable proof offered by late mediaeval astronomers, resting upon the power of ecclesial authorities. Nearly all of its components are blatantly untrue! For some of us, it shall possibly be quite disturbing to see the magnificent edifice of classical history to turn into an ominous simulacrum brooding over the snake pit of mediaeval politics. Twice so, in fact: the first seeing the legendary millenarian dust on the ancient marble turn into a mere layer of dirt - one that meticulous unprejudiced research can eventually remove. The second, and greater, attack of unease comes with the awareness of just how many areas of human knowledge still trust the three elephants of the consensual chronology to support them. Nothing can remedy that except for an individual chronological revolution happening in the minds of a large enough number of people.

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.

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