National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Western Region (Audubon Society Field Guide)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Great Book !!!
  • North American trees, West.
  • Dissappointing: Very hard to identify unknown trees
  • Quite reliable for outdoor travellers.
  • Nice guide for at home or the field.
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Western Region (Audubon Society Field Guide)
Elbert L. Little
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Turtleback

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  3. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region (Eastern) National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region (Eastern)
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ASIN: 0394507614
Release Date: 1980-06-12

Amazon.com

More than 300 species of trees are found in the United States and Canada west of the Rocky Mountains, some introduced from other continents but many native to the region. This handsome guidebook covers them all, with photographs that enable identification by easily discernible characteristics: by, for example, the shape of the leaf or needle, by the fruit, or by the flower or cone. The photographs are linked to texts that describe a tree's physical characteristics, habitat, and range. Some of the trees covered in this volume are exceedingly rare, such as the Monterey pine; others are locally abundant but limited in range, such as the Joshua tree; still others, such as the quaking aspen, are widespread. This guidebook is an essential addition to any western outdoor enthusiast's collection. --Gregory McNamee

Book Description

All 933 identification pictures are full-color photos of significant details of virtually all native trees and many cultivated species as you see them in their natural habitat.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Great Book !!!.......2006-11-03

These Audubon books are the best ones for learning about the subject matter, ie: trees. Colored pictures are a MUST and these books have pictures that allow you to identify your tree easily. I have purchased a number of them over the years and will do so in the future.

5 out of 5 stars North American trees, West........2004-12-14

If your going to be stuffing your field guide into your pocket, glove box, daypack or backpack, the "turtleback" binding used by Audubon is perfect. Personally, I don't use it that way. When I encounter a species I cannot identify, I take notes (usually of the mental variety) -- leaf characteristics, bark characteristics, size, form, habitat, seeds, flowers, etc. -- and identify it when I return home. The photos and drawings in this volume are generally excellent. So far as I can recall, the Audubon guide has yet to fail me. It doesn't include very many introduced (non-native) trees, that's not it's purpose, of course, so it may not help you identify the trees that have been planted in your yard. The Sunset Western Garden Book, or perhaps your local nurseryman, will fit that niche.
Could the book be better? Well, the obvious answer is always yes, I suppose, but I don't know how. Would some kind of a 'flow-chart' for identifying specimens improve this edition? Well, there is one, created quiet simply in the way the book is organized; refer to the "How to Use this Guide" section in the front. I won't claim to be a connoisseur of guidebooks, but this one has worked very nicely for me for several years and I recommend it without hesitation.

1 out of 5 stars Dissappointing: Very hard to identify unknown trees.......2004-11-29

I spent $20 on this at a local bookstore (that was a mistake: it is only $14 here on Amazon) and got it home and went into my backyard. An hour later, I was only able to identify one of the three trees in the yard.

I got the book because it had the Audobon name, and it included some sharp color photos. I should have got the Peterson guide instead.

What the Audobon book is missing is an algorithm or process to identify an unknown tree (they call this "differential diagnosis" in medicine). I was expecting something like: "If it has 5 needles per cluster turn to page 45, if it has grey bark turn to page 64, etc" until you pinpoint your tree.

I would even be happy if it had some illustrations like Silbeys bird book ... with arrows pointing to the discriminating features that distinguish the tree from similar trees.

But in the Audobon book, the reader is expected to browse thru dozens of photos and try to match your tree to the photo. But SURPRISE, the photos of similar trees all look alike and what then? You are expected to browse the the dense textual (!) descriptions and flip back and forth reading minutae like "two white strips on the undersides of the needles"

How about some color illustrations? How about a list of similar trees a given tree is often confused with? How about a handful of distinguishing characteristics of each tree?

Try Petersons book instead!

4 out of 5 stars Quite reliable for outdoor travellers........2004-07-11

The Audubon Guide to Western Trees will prove a long lasting reference for outdoor lovers and tree finders. This easily equals the excellent Eastern Region guide in quality, detail, number of species listed, and beautiful photographs. However, if you want a heavy duty instant identification tool, hold off on this and purchase the Peterson Guides to Trees. However, if you love to marvel at trees and identify them in any amount of time at all, buy this along with the Eastern Guide. The quality binding of this newly updated edition is nice quality, and easy to carry. The earlier, out of print, hardback Economy Press edition was bulky, but contained more species listings. Still that difference is hardly noticeable, and buy this edition at good costs. This guide, (compared to the Petersons) will please a patient outdoor searcher attempting to identify any tree they find. Though the Peterson Guide to Trees should be bought prior to this, it is still an excellent and reliable addition to your collection.

5 out of 5 stars Nice guide for at home or the field........2002-03-26

This book offers excellent photographs and very extensive information on trees. I use it often and have had great success identifying trees that otherwise I wouldn't know what they were. nicely organized and easy to use. The compact size is awesome for travelling and taking it hiking. Another great Audobon guide.
A Field Guide to Western Trees (Peterson Field Guides: 44)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Explore a New World
  • learning at the max
A Field Guide to Western Trees (Peterson Field Guides: 44)
George A. Petrides
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0395904544

Book Description

This newly designed field guide features detailed descriptions of 387 species, arranged in six major groups by visual similarity. The 47 color plates and 5 text drawings show distinctive details needed for identification. Color photographs and 295 color range maps accompany the species descriptions.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Explore a New World.......2006-11-06

I am a birder but always wanted to ID the trees that the birds were perched in. I first took this book out in the field to the Arboretums in San Francisco and Berkeley. I found the book easy to use for IDing native trees. I also took this book with me on a trip to the eastern Sierras and trees that I have previously looked at as "pines" turned into Lodgepole, Mountain Hemlock, Whitebark, Red and White Fir, and Jerrery Pine. It really opened up a new world for me. And naming nature is one way to understanding the wonderfully diverse tree species of the west.

5 out of 5 stars learning at the max.......2000-09-13

this tree book is amazing.while i hate science, this book got me into it. its still not my favorite subject, but now i like it.
A Field Guide to the Ecology of Western Forests (Peterson Field Guide Series)
Average customer rating: Not rated
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    ASIN: 039546725X
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    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • A 'must' for any who would discover the history and nature of the West's last stands of big trees.
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    The result, Giant Trees of Western America and the World, reveals outstanding examples from each of the most noteworthy tree species Dr. Carder found--including some that are thousands of years old and over 300 feet high. Featuring more than 40 scale drawings, this collection of giant trees outlines the intriguing characteristics of each species, such as the resiliency of the English oak, which can endure lightning strikes and widespread rot for hundreds of years and still thrive; and the "grotesque" appearance of the African "upside-down tree," the baobab, whose width can exceed its height. Dr. Carder also describes the histories of famous trees, including the stump of a BC western red cedar so wide that eight men and women danced a quadrille on it in 1887, and the Sicilian Tree of 100 Horses, well-known for sheltering Joan, Queen of Aragon and 100 of her horsemen in a storm. Carder's enthusiasm and expertise informs and entertains even as he urges us to appreciate and protect what is left of these fascinating "monsters of the past."

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars A 'must' for any who would discover the history and nature of the West's last stands of big trees........2007-01-07

    Al Carder spent sixty years as a plant biologist but never forgot the ancient Douglas fir forests which enthralled him as a child: when he retired he set out to find the trees, only to discover many had been felled by loggers or storms. GIANT TREES OF WESTERN AMERICA AND THE WORLD is his attempt to document those which remain and provides a catalog of the West's big trees of all species, from BC's 400-plus foot Lynn Valley fir to the massive redwoods of California. Some are thousands of years old and over 300 feet high: the author's scale drawings accompany discussions of observation history and plant biology. A 'must' for any who would discover the history and nature of the West's last stands of big trees.

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            Spirit Bear: Encounters with the White Bear of the Western Rainforest
            Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
            • Spirit Bear:Encounters with White Bear of the Western Rainforest
            • Wow! Great for any bear lover
            • great content, credible author, fascinating photos
            • Fantastic!!!
            • Studying the white bears of Princess Royal Island
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            ASIN: 1550136496

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            Customer Reviews:

            5 out of 5 stars Spirit Bear:Encounters with White Bear of the Western Rainforest.......2007-10-02

            amazing photographs and experiences by author. I did not know the Spirit Bear existed until read this book. L'Ohanna

            5 out of 5 stars Wow! Great for any bear lover.......1999-07-15

            This is a fascinating story of rare and beautiful animals and the crew of research photographers who became intimately associated with them. It offers some startling revelations into the life and behavior of bears. The Spirit Bear, or Kermode Bear, is a white genetic variety of black bear, found only on Princess Royal Island off British Columbia. The region is also home to black bears and grizzly bears which are included in the book as well. What is most remarkable here is how the bears on the island, which had very little prior human contact, accepted the crew with an open gentleness allowing many close encounters to be documented. The book is written in an engaging first person style and beautifully photographed with close ups of bears in various activities. It will surely be a favorite addition to the library of any nature lover.

            5 out of 5 stars great content, credible author, fascinating photos.......1999-06-04

            Spirit Bear is the best combination of a well-conceived book design, telling photography, and an exceptional storyline. The author's credibility is supported by a three-generation family history in grizzly bear country. His true experience, though, is reflected in his down-to-earth sincerity and simplicity of reporting. Reverence, balanced with pragmatic humor, sets a very ageeable tone for this fascinating book. With only one very moderately bloody-nosed bear photo, you could quite readily share this book with children. I grew up in bear country and now live in the heart of tree-hugging country and I found this book to be true to the core of both. And a darn fine read.

            5 out of 5 stars Fantastic!!!.......1999-03-29

            This book will give you the chills! A mystical yet true story on the nature of "wild animals" and the mystical and spiritual link between "us" and "them".Gorgeous full color photography. The book ends with the impending destruction of the Spirit Bears habitat by logging and a plea to save this unique island ecosystem.

            5 out of 5 stars Studying the white bears of Princess Royal Island.......1998-05-14

            Eyeing you from the dust jacket of Spirit Bear is a very relaxed, improbable looking white bear with a benign, even friendly, air. It is the embodiment of the main subject of the book.

            The author begins by summarizing his own and his family's long history and experience with black and grizzly bears. In so doing he establishes his credibility before describing his encounters with' the Kermode bear, a rare white variant of the black bear that inhabits some of the largely undisturbed west coast islands. Russell was wise to open in this manner as the story that follows truly stretches the reader's credulity.

            After recounting how he came to be on Princess Royal Island to film the white bears with Sue and Jeff Turner, we learn how they got to know the Spirit Bear, and how they developed an extraordinary relationship with him. The Spirit Bear not only "enjoyed" human company, but he fished with people, slept beside them, and allowed the author to scratch and even tickle him between his toes! Perhaps most incredible is the incident when men and bear play tug-of-war, with the bear attempting to initiate a wrestling match without harming his human friends.

            After these amazing adventures, the last chapter is somewhat disappointing. We read about how the author and the Turners, after several months' absence from Princess Royal Island during the winter, returned and spent their last summer finishing their film. However, only one brief paragraph is devoted to their meeting with the Spirit Bear and the renewal of their extraordinary friendship.

            Despite this disappointment, the book is well worth the price. Although not always technically perfect, the amazing photographs are generally very good and document some of the incredible events described in the narrative. The text not only provides fascinating insights into bear behaviour, but give? plenty of reasons to change preconceived notions about bear aggression. Underlying the story is a message about the importance of keeping an open mind when dealing ! with animals. But don't expect the next bear you meet to treat you as a long lost friend. THERESA ANISKOWICZ
            The ecology of western forests (Roger Tory Peterson field guides)
            Average customer rating: Not rated
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              John C Kricher
              Manufacturer: Easton Press
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              100 Seasons of Duke Basketball: A Legacy of Achievement
              Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
              • I beg to differ - this is not a great book
              • More than just a story, it's memories
              • Coach K you basta, you owe me for last year
              • Excellent ---- Duke at its best!
              • Brill the best
              100 Seasons of Duke Basketball: A Legacy of Achievement
              Bill Brill
              Manufacturer: Sports Publishing
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              Book Description

              No college in America has dominated the basketball scene over the past 20 years like Duke has. The Blue Devils have been to 10 Final Fours under Coach Mike Krzyzewski, winning the national championship three times. They played in five consecutive Final Fours and for four consecutive years finished the season ranked number one in the country. Duke won five consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference championships through 2003, and since 1986, the Blue Devils have had six national players of the year. No other school has had more than one. As Duke enters its 100th season of basketball, it will be the 25th year for Hall of Fame coach Krzyzewski. He has been honored 12 times as national Coach of the Year and is acknowledged as the top man in his profession. Duke has had numerous other famous basketball names, including coaches such as Vic Bubas and Eddie Cameron and All-Americans Dick Groat, Art Heyman, and Jeff Mullins. The Blue Devils play in Cameron Indoor Stadium, which has become a basketball shrine. The vociferous student body, the Cameron Crazies, camp out before home games in a tent city they call Krzyzewski-ville. From the first game in 1906 through yet another Final Four appearance following the 2003-04 season, 100 Years of Duke Basketball provides fans with an insider's look at Duke basketball and the people who have made it a national legend.

              Customer Reviews:

              2 out of 5 stars I beg to differ - this is not a great book.......2005-12-18

              Let me state right off that I am a Duke alum and continuing fan of Duke and the program. I am drawn towards any and all books on Duke and ACC basketball, so I was quite excited when I saw this book came out. But also in that context, I was overall disappointed with this particular book.

              Pros:
              - Nice looking coffee table book
              - Lots of stats in the back (assuming they can be trusted - see below)
              - Nice photographs, not the usual ones you see in the regular media.
              - Several good sidebars on specific Duke moments and items.
              - As good a job as I've read on the early Duke years (pre-Bubas).

              Cons:
              - Inaccuracies. Some big, some small. For example, most every Duke fan should know that Laettner hit the shot against Kentucky with 2.1 seconds on the clock, not 2.5 seconds as was written in the book. Despite whose fault this was, (writer, editor, copy, etc.), it is a quite obvious error. This error and others found bring into question the stats in the back. I would not use this book as a reference, rather just go to Goduke.com.
              - Detail of some inconsequential items, no mention of others. Having lived and died through all of the seasons over the past 30 years, I can recall several big games over the seasons that were not covered whatsoever. For example, no mention of the 3OT thriller against Clemson in Cameron at the end of the 81-82 season (Vince Taylor's last game).
              - Glossing over some of the big Duke lowlights. Hey, I'm as big a a homer for Duke as anyone, but I did expect to see more in detail of the lower moments. For example, there were only a few lines on the UNLV fiasco in 1990. IMHO understanding these moments and how Duke for decades just could not get over the hump makes the past 15 years even more celebratory for Duke.
              - I found the rationalizing of Duke's all-white team not being as racist as the Kentucky all-white team that lost to Texas Western (UTEP) in the '66 final a bit insulting. Brill writes that it was probably UK coach Adoph Rupp that made that game bigger than it was. This is nonsense, it was a white southern team playing a black team, and history would have likely treated Duke similarly to UK. Facing facts, Duke even tried to hire Rupp later on.
              - The book simply ends "cold" after the 2002-03 season. There is no epilogue, no summary. The text just simply ends and goes to the stats. This is perhaps the biggest example of several points where occasionally there is simply not good flow to the book. It might be good to mention that the book *starts* with the 2003-04 season.
              - There is no pointed focus on the Duke-Carolina rivalry. Of course, this has been a strong focus of Duke basketball since the 60's, but not much was written directly about the rivalry itself.
              - Lastly, I have read Brill's work from links on Dukebasketballreport.com, and they are fine as sports reporting in a daily paper. However, this whole book is written just like a game report in the paper. The sentence structure is short and choppy. Flow is sometimes poor as I have noted. With all due respect, this does not compare well to the eloquence of John Feinstein, Frank Deford, or other major sports writers.

              I wish it were not so, but I felt that the negatives of this book outweighed the positives. Buy it only if you must.

              If you are looking for a good Duke book and have not read it, get Forever's Team by Feinstein.

              5 out of 5 stars More than just a story, it's memories.......2005-01-28

              In 1905, the coach at Wake Forest proposed that his basketball team play the team from Duke (then called Trinity). Duke didn't have a team, so they organized one, practiced for three weeks and hosted the visiting Wake Forest team. Duke lost 24-10. Thus began the legend.

              This book covers that game in some detail, and then covers the coaches and players that have created the legacy. This is an unabashed feel good book. The author has been watching Duke basketball since his freshman year of 1948. This is his third book on Duke basketball. He is a member of the U.S. Basketball writers Hall of Fame.

              5 out of 5 stars Coach K you basta, you owe me for last year.......2004-12-13

              Yeah, he's a good coach all right--long as he dont forget on which side his bread is buttered. If you get my drift.

              We've always made sure that Duke is the only team in America that plays perimeter ball yet gets dozens more charity shots than their oppoenent.

              10, 15 extra shots a game? Thats worth a bob or two, I figure.

              Anyway, you know what to do K. Wojo's been a little bit slow coming around this month. Catch my drift?

              You gotta big game comin up against Tech. YOu gonna need us. DOnt let what happened to you in the Ucon game happen again.

              And I DONT appreciate gettin yelled at! You dont have to reggie love me, but your gonna respect me.

              Catch my drift?

              Guy from Maryland named 74umgrad broke this down pretty good. I didn think that anyone was on to us for all that!

              --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              I thought I'd take the time to do some research on the free throw as it has affected the outcome of ACC games since the entry of Florida State into the conference in the 1991-1992 school year through the end of the 2002-2003 school year.

              I looked at all games played during these twelve years between conference teams, both in the regular season and post-season, and I concentrated on games where the winning team scored fewer baskets from the floor (two- and three-point baskets counted the same in my analysis) than the losing team. I then looked at the free-throw differential in these games, and further tracked those games where the winning team scoring fewer field goals made up the difference with at least eight more free throw attempts than the losing team.

              Data available does not take into account the ebb and flow of a game, when during the game the free throws were attempted, and all sorts of other issues.

              I selected a difference of eight free throws or greater because in close games, one team will start fouling the other to get the ball back, and this can inflate the differential to a meaningless number. I found the following:

              Duke 164-57, 33-7
              UNC 142-79, 29-8
              UMD 125-90, 14-26
              Wake 124-90, 27-12
              Tech 93-118, 16-17
              UVA 92-116, 18-21
              FSU 79-130, 16-31
              NCSt 75-141, 16-23
              Clem 68-141, 6-30

              The first set of numbers represents the won-lost record of the team in all games against conference teams, whether during the regular season or in post-season play. The second set of numbers represents the team's record in what I call "close games", those games where the winning team scored fewer field goals but had a free throw differential of at least eight more attempts than the losing team. Some observations:

              1 - There are only three teams with winning records in the close games, and they are all Tobacco Road teams. They are dominant, with winning percentages in these games of 83% (Duke), 78% (UNC), and 69% (Wake).

              2- There are clearly two tiers of teams here; yet, Maryland, in the upper tier, has a worse record in the close games than all but bottom-feeder Clemson.

              3 - Maryland has the highest percentage of close losses of any team in the conference, at 29%. FSU is a distant second at 24%.

              4 - 1Wake Forest, 1NC State, at 122%, 121%, has the highest percentage of close wins in the conference, closely followed by 1NC State at 21% and UNC, FSU, and Duke, all at just over 20%. Maryland is eighth of nine in this category at 11%, ahead of only Clemson at 9%


              Some other interesting numbers occured on a year-by-year basis:

              1 - In 1992, when Duke won the national championship, they had a 17-2 record against conference teams. Seven of those games were close games, by my definition, and the Devils won all of them. In 1995, when the Devils were 2-14 in the regular season, both of their wins were close wins. Only in 1996 and 2003, when they were 1-3 and 0-1, did Duke have a losing record in close games.

              2 - Duke was 10-7 in all games against conference opponents in 1993, and was 5-0 in close games.

              3 - North Carolina did not have a losing record in close games in any of the twelve seasons; in fact, during the last two years, when their combined record against conference opponents was 11-24, the Heels were 5-1 in close games. Over the twelve-year period, North Carolina had some truly astounding free-throw advantages in some of the close wins: 33-9, 32-7, 24-5, and a breathtaking 31-2 advantage in a game against Florida State.

              4 - During the four-year period from 1994 to 1998, part of which time Tim Duncan played at Wake Forest, the Deacons, 49-24 against conference foes, were 16-0 in close games. During the 2002-2003 season, when Wake Forest was 14-4 against ACC teams, they were 4-0 in close games, with advantages in free throw attempts of 20, 20, 24, and 29 against FSU, Tech, Maryland, and Clemson, respectively.

              5 - Maryland has had a winning record in close games only in 1995 (2-1) and in 2002 (1-0), the year of the national championship.

              6 - Of the four national champions to come from the ACC in this twelve-year period - Duke in 1992, North Carolina in 1993, Duke in 2001, and Maryland in 2002 - the Terps were the only team to have no close wins in the NCAA Tournament. Duke's six-game run to the 1992 championship included four close wins.


              5 out of 5 stars Excellent ---- Duke at its best!.......2004-12-13

              This book contains a foreword written by a CLASS ACT, Mike Krzyzewski. Much unlike Gary Williams, who pulled Tamir Goodman's scholarship according to my sources. Inside you will learn how the Blue Devils win with class ----- and as a result are the envy of the ACC. Aside from discussing Casey Sander's arrest and JJ Redick's drug abuses, the author does a great job providing an inside view of the finest collegiate institute in America.

              5 out of 5 stars Brill the best.......2004-12-10

              I worked for Bill Brill for 15 years. Not only is he the ranking authority on Duke history; he's the guy I ask when I want to know what's happening with the program right now. He's my kind of writer; he's informative and readable.

              Books:

              1. Natural Resources: Ecology, Economics, and Policy (2nd Edition)
              2. Nature and the Marketplace: Capturing The Value Of Ecosystem Services
              3. On the Wild Edge: In Search of a Natural Life
              4. Opposing Viewpoints Digests - Endangered Species (paperback edition) (Opposing Viewpoints Digests)
              5. Our Kind: Who We Are, Where We Came From, Where We Are Going
              6. Physical Geology
              7. Practical Statistics For Field Biology
              8. Prairie Dog Empire: A Saga of the Shortgrass Prairie
              9. Praise Habit: Finding God In Sunsets And Sushi
              10. Principles of Program Analysis

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