Book Description
It looks like a bear, but isn’t one. It climbs trees as easily as a monkey— but isn’t a monkey, either. It has a belly pocket like a kangaroo, but what’s a kangaroo doing up a tree? Meet the amazing Matschie’s tree kangaroo, who makes its home in the ancient trees of Papua New Guinea’s cloud forest. And meet the amazing scientists who track these elusive animals.
Customer Reviews:
Quest for the Tree Kangaroo--Its not just for kids!.......2007-06-15
I received this book from a thoughtful, loving, and dear kindred spirit of a friend and while it is being marketed as a children's book, I found that it was just as wonderful as an animal lover's or even a conservationists' (organic-free trade-decaffeinated) coffee table book. Nic Bishop's up close and personal photography is beyond any Life Magazine or National Geo quality color photos. Sy Montgomery's writing takes the reader along on the expedition with all the science, language and even a bit of humor provided in part by the guides. Montgomery has created a fun book for kids and adults alike! A great gift for high school graduates to inspire them to follow their dreams and passions. For kid's, this would make a cake science report book!
beautiful book, fascinating creature!.......2007-04-13
the photos are great, i just wish there were more. i am not very interested in the human beings that performed the research, and wish there was more about the animals...
Average customer rating:
- Part of the Solution
- Who Knew Leeches Could Be Funny?
|
Stinging Trees and Wait-a-Whiles: Confessions of a Rainforest Biologist
William Laurance
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Australia
| Australia & Oceania
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Travel
| Writing
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biology
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ecology
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Nature & Ecology
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Forests & Forestry
| Natural Resources
| Nature & Ecology
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Natural History
| Nature & Ecology
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biology
| Biological Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Ecology
| Biological Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Reference
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Collapse
ASIN: 0226468968 |
Amazon.com
When Bill Laurance went to northern Australia in the mid-1980s, it was to study the teeming life of a classic rainforest. The problem was, the rainforest of Queensland, already limited in extent, was fast disappearing, logged and bladed into oblivion; even its legendary stinging trees, "a good hit [from which] can hurt for months," seemed in danger of becoming mere memories. Laurance's fieldwork became a running chronicle of what happens to the rainforest's creatures--tree kangaroos and vipers, redback spiders and pygmy possums, and countless other species that are little known outside the area--when once-unpeopled habitats are overrun. (One of the few species to benefit from the region's decline, Laurance observes, is the antechinus, a wolverine-like marsupial that thrives on disturbance.) Laurance soon realized, as he relates in his memoir, that he'd have to couple scientific information with activism in order to protect what little of the forest remained--activism that included recommending the area for a listing under the United Nations' World Heritage program, and that put him squarely at odds with the suspicious loggers who were his neighbors. Although confronted with death threats and an actual attempt on his life, Laurance pressed on, eventually winning over enough Queenslanders to launch a small but growing ecotourism industry. Well-written and often quite funny, Stinging Trees and Wait-a-Whiles will hearten any environmentalist and tropical traveler. --Gregory McNamee
Book Description
The last traces of Australia's tropical rainforest, where the southeasterly winds bring rain to the coastal mountains, contain a unique assemblage of plants and animals, some primitive, many that are found nowhere else on earth. And fifteen years ago, they also contained Bill Laurance, a budding ecologist seduced by the nature of the landscape in north Queensland. Laurance isn't your typical scientist: he wears cut-offs instead of white coats, enjoys the occasional food fight, and isn't afraid to speak his mind, even if it gets him into trouble, as it often did in the Australian rainforest and as he recounts in his marvelous Queensland journal Stinging Trees and Wait-a-Whiles.
The book is his record of the time he spent in this remote area and his run-ins with plant, animal, and human species alike. Laurance lived in a tiny town of loggers and farmers, and he witnessed firsthand the impact of conservation issues on individual lives. He found himself at the center of a bitter battle over conservation strategies and became not only the subject of small-town gossip but also the object of many residents' hatred. Keeping ahead of his high-spirited young volunteers, hounded by the drug-sniffing local policeman, and all the while trying to further his own research amid natural and unnatural obstacles, Laurance offers us a personal and hilarious account of fieldwork and life in the Australian outpost of Millaa Millaa. Stinging Trees and Wait-a-Whiles is a biology lesson, a conservation primer, and an utterly energetic story about an impressionable young man who wound up at the epicenter of an issue that tore a small town apart.
Customer Reviews:
Part of the Solution.......2000-12-30
It would be hard to suggest my review is subjective, since I worked with Bill Laurance in the rainforests of north Queensland in those hot, humid and heady years, and am also in the book-though its appearance in print was a great surprise. Nonetheless, for the reader, biologist, or armchair traveler, this book has a bit of everything. Laurance describes his pursuit of a Ph.d in biology with candor, insight and humor. It was an incredible time in Australia, and for once, at least, the forests won: much of Australia's remaining lowland and montaine rainforest was protected by World Heritage designation and the Rat Patrol and Higher Mammal Crew (led by Laurance) were right in the thick of it. Bill describes the realities of field work: the sheer physical aspect of being in the rainforest, the thrill of encountering relict and highly adapted species, the tension with local townspeople who make their living in extractive industries like logging, and the constant infusion of travelers and characters who were recruited to the little house on Coral Street. Small town, Australia is accurately depicted in the pages of this book: the miners, the timber cutters, pastoralists and plain drunks, most who ultimately come to respect Dr. Laurance and his work. Laurance also describes his travels in New Guinea, including several dangerous and hilarious encounters with local tribesman. Throughout are scattered insights about biology: why for example there are few aquatic marsupials (they would drown in a pouch), and human nature. My only complaint with the book, is that Laurance got the details of my own expedition in search of Morelia carinata with Geoff Cunningham substantially wrong: We did not lose our packs and food in a river crossing in the Kimberley, but walked 42 days to the coast for a rendezvous with a boat that never arrived due to a cyclone. After waiting ten days at the coast, we walked 168 miles to the nearest cattle station on the edge of nowhere. We did not eat anything but grasshoppers and wild figs for ten days, and were grateful to emerge from the outback with our lives. But, since I lost touch with Bill for 5 years, I can imagine he might get those details mixed up. All in all, it's a wonderful book, and a real insight into the challenges of field biology and habitat conservation. Laurance's post-script is a call to action to halt the destruction of rainforests around the world. Get involved. As he used to say, "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem."
Who Knew Leeches Could Be Funny?.......2000-10-05
After reading a wonderful review in the Chronical of Higher Education, I knew that I had to get my hands on this book.
Similar to Tim Flannery's Throwim Way Leg, Stinging Trees and Wait-a-Whiles recounts a biologist's travels and adventures into the Australian rainforest with his dog (Tulley) and a motley crew of volunteer research assistants.
Although Bill Laurance is a brilliant scientist, he is also a gifted writer who has the ability to spin dry field notes into witty reading.
I highly recommend this book!
Average customer rating:
|
Burning Bush: A Fire History of Australia (Weyerhaeuser Environmental Book.)
Stephen J. Pyne
Manufacturer: University of Washington Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Australia
| Australia & Oceania
| History
| Subjects
| Books
New Zealand
| Australia & Oceania
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Social Services & Welfare
| Poverty
| Current Events
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Environmental Science
| Earth Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Geography
| Earth Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Forests & Forestry
| Natural Resources
| Nature & Ecology
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
History of Technology
| Technology
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Safety & Health
| Technology
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Botany
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Living on the Land
| Ecology
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
| Architecture
| Hunting & Fishing
Forests
| Conservation
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Reference
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Environmental Science
| Earth Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Geography
| Earth Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Fires
| Forestry
| Agricultural Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Firefighting & Prevention
| Civil Service
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Outdoors & Nature Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Vestal Fire: An Environmental History, Told Through Fire, of Europe and Europe's Encounter With the World (Weyerhaeuser Environmental Books)
-
World Fire: The Culture of Fire on Earth (Pyne, Stephen J., Cycle of Fire.)
ASIN: 0295976772 |
Customer Reviews:
THIS BOOK IS TOO LONG!.......2001-08-13
Everything about Australia's fire history from its geologic origins to the 1983 Ash Wednesday fires can be found in this book. Perhaps a little too much. We learn about everything from the Flora and Fauna of the continent, to aboriginal fire practices, to modern fire fighting techniques. If one wishes to know about all of this, then the Burning Bush is an indespensible source. For those with more narrow interests, be weary. I bought the book to learn about the major fires that have devastated the country periodically. The accounts are there, but the first one appeared 220 pages into the book! All of the accounts combined cover only around twenty pages. Readers with similar interests will find the book to be a 400 page yawn. Pyne would have been better served to narrow his focus a bit. It's all there, but more than most other books the reader will want to refer to the index rather than slog through each page.
Average customer rating:
|
Agroforestry Education and Training: Present and Future (Forestry Sciences)
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Forests & Forestry
| Natural Resources
| Nature & Ecology
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Agricultural Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Trees
| Plants
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Agricultural Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Management
| Forestry
| Agricultural Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Rural Planning
| Urban Planning & Development
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0792308646 |
Average customer rating:
|
Australian Rainforest Animals (Nature Kids)
Manufacturer: Mason Crest Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding
Australia & Oceania
| Explore the World
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Nonfiction
| Forests & Trees
| Nature
| Science, Nature & How It Works
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ages 4-8
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ages 9-12
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Nonfiction
| General
| Animals
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1590842138 |
Average customer rating:
|
Australian Rainforests
Densey Clyne
Manufacturer: New Holland Publishers, Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Australia
| Australia & Oceania
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biology
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Forests & Forestry
| Natural Resources
| Nature & Ecology
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Conservation
| Environment
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Conservation
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Reference
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Guidebooks
| Reference & Tips
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
Ecotourism
| Specialty Travel
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
Travel with Pets
| Specialty Travel
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1876334614 |
Book Description
Australian Tropical Rain Forest Plants: Trees, Shrubs and Vines is an interactive identification and information system for 2154 species of trees, shrubs and vines of northern Australian rain forests. Building on the second edition, it includes the species in northern Australia, from Broome in Western Australia to Townsville in Queensland, with additional species and many new photographs.
This powerful identification tool provides an easy to use and simple means of naming a rain forest plant using whatever information is available. By selecting characters from the plant (or specimen), and responding to a series of choices, the user is able to achieve identification via a process of elimination. A total of 154 characters, covering the morphology — habit, bark, leaves, flowers, fruits, buds and seedlings — and some geographic and ecological information ensure reliability of the key is high. Interpretation of the character information is assisted with help notes and images featuring colour or line drawings.
A comprehensive information system for each species includes common name, the formal scientific name together with nomenclatural synonyms, geographic and ecological information, distinguishing features and natural history notes. The descriptions are combined with high quality colour images for most species, leaf X-ray images and a map showing natural distribution.
Average customer rating:
|
Australian Tropical Rain Forest Trees and Shrubs: An Interactive Identification System for Trees and Shrubs
Hyland B. ,
BPM Hyland ,
T Whiffin ,
DC Christophel ,
B Gray ,
RW Elick , and
AJ Ford
Manufacturer: Csiro
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: CD-ROM
Reference
| Subjects
| Books
| Almanacs & Yearbooks
| Atlases & Maps
| Audiobooks
| Books on CD
| Books on Cassette
| Business Skills
| Careers
| Catalogs & Directories
| Consumer Guides
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Education
| Encyclopedias
| Etiquette
| Foreign Languages
| Fun Facts
| Genealogy
| General
| Job Hunting
| Large Print
| Law
| Publishing & Books
| Quotations
| Spanish-Language Reference
| Study Guides
| Test Prep Central
| Words & Language
| Writing
General
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Botany
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Botany
| Biological Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0643060472 |
Book Description
The diversity of Australia's tropical rain forest flora is captured on this CD-ROM. This unique product provides a wide range of users with an easy-to-use tool for identifying the 1733 trees and shrubs of northern Australian rain forests, and solves the difficulty often encountered when trying to decipher those entangled masses of shrubs and sky-reaching trees.
The extensive dataset, accumulated over many years of vast experience in tropical rain forests, is accessed via a user-friendly interactive identification system which allows the user to name a plant with only partial material in the hand.
The package includes powerful imagery of flowers and fruits, and all species are illustrated by leaf X-rays. This combination of images and information on features of leaves, fruits, flowers, bark, seedlings, and family classification and geographic distribution is complemented by detailed computer-generated descriptions of each species.
Windows 95 or better.
Average customer rating:
|
The Baobabs: The Pachycauls of Africa, Madagascar and Australia
Gerald E. Wickens , and
Pat Lowe
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Madagascar
| Africa
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Australia
| Australia & Oceania
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Conservation
| Environment
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Conservation
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Reference
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Agricultural Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Botany
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ecology
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Trees
| Plants
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Agricultural Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Ecology
| Biological Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1402064306 |
Book Description
This is the definitive and only comprehensive account of all eight species in the genus
Adansonia. It describes the historical background from the late Roman period to the present. It covers the extraordinary variety of economic uses of baobabs, famous trees, folk traditions and mythology, art associations, life cycle, natural history, conservation, cultivation, conservation, distribution and ecology, and phytogeography. There are also appendices on vernacular names, gazetteer, economics, nutrition and forest mensuration.
This book fills a gap in the botanical literature. It deals with a genus that has fascinated and intrigued scientists and lay persons for centuries. It will appeal to scientists and academics as well as tropical horticulturalists, conservationists and general interest readers. It includes all the available scientific information about each of the eight species, and contains a good deal of original research on the history, ethnobotany and biology of the genus. There is even a chapter devoted to areas where further research is required.
Average customer rating:
|
The Catlins: And the Southern Scenic Route
Neville Peat
Manufacturer: University of Otago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Australia
| Australia & Oceania
| History
| Subjects
| Books
New Zealand
| Australia & Oceania
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Walking
| Hiking & Camping
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Trees
| Plants
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
jp-unknown3
| Specialty Stores
| Books
ASIN: 1877133426 |
Book Description
Independent and indispensable, this up-to-date guide to Western Europe will take you around Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland.
- 168 detailed maps
- hand-picked places to stay and eat for all budgets
- the lowdown on the highlights, from the Eiffel Tower to the Acropolis
- road-tested tips on getting around the region
- comprehensive language guide
Customer Reviews:
Quite complete.......2005-02-21
We're getting ready to go on a trip through Europe and picked up this book to help in our planning. Its 2" thick so it's a pretty big book but also covers all the main cities. One-page maps are provided which is nice to have before arriving in a new place. It has attractions, museums, walks, places to stay that range from the hostels to pensions and smaller hotels. Having traveled through Europe as a teen using the Let's Go series, I figured this is the next step - good adventures off the beat path but nt roughing it quite as much as I did 25 years ago. Excellent resource!
Wonderful book.......2005-02-05
Excellent reading. Wondered if I went to the same school with the author.
anthony.greicius@jpl.nasa.gov
Lonely Planet the Navigator.......2005-01-01
Arm with this book and maps you got from the tourist infomration is pretty much what you would need on a trip. In fact, there are times that you would only need this book to get around the city to find a specific sight or even a restaurant in the heart of a city. Me and my buddies were using this book on our 7 weeks tour and had no problem at all. The description of the accomodations is very close to reality. The language section helps a lot to get around the city. The only drawback is that the transportation information is not detail enough for you to find the place you want, that's why you should always use this book with the maps you got from the tourist information.
You're going to LOVE EUROPE! .......2004-09-24
I've been to Europe >50 times, nearly all countries. Here are my reviews of the best guides to meet you r exact needs.....I hope these are helpful and that you have a great visit! I always gauge the quality of my visit by how much I remember a year later......this review is designed to help you get the guide that will be sure YOU remember your trip many years into the future. Travel Safe and enjoy yourself to the max!
Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet has City and Out To Eat Guides. They are all about the experience so they focus on doing, being, getting there, and this means they have the best detailed information, including both inexpensive and really spectacular restaurants and hotels, out-of-the-way places, weird things to see and do, the list is endless.
Rick Steves' books are not recommended. They may be an interesting read but their helpfulness is very poor. They don't do well on updates, transportation details, or anything but the first-time-tourist routine and even that is somewhat superficial on anything but the mega-major sites.
Frommer's
These are time tested guides that pride themselves on being updated annually. Although I think the guides below provide information that is in more depth or more concise (depending on what the guide is known for), if your main concern is that the guide has very little old or outdated information, then this would be a good guide for you.
Blue Guides
Without doubt, the best of the walks guides.... the Blue Guide has been around since 1918 and has extremely well designed walks with lots of unique little side stops to hit on just about any interest you have. If you want to pick up the feel of the city, this is the best book to do that for you. This is one that you end up packing on your 10th trip, by which time it is well worn.
MapGuide
MapGuide is very easy to use and has the best location information for hotels, tourist attractions, museums, churches etc. that they manage to keep fairly up to date. It's great for teaching you how to use the public transportation system. The text sections are quick overviews, not reviews, but the strong suite here is brevity, not depth. I strongly recommend this for your first few times learning your way around the classic tourist sites and experiences. MapGuide is excellent as long as you are staying pretty much in the center of the city.
Time Out
The Time Out guides are very good. Easy reading, short reviews of restaurants, hotels, and other sites, with good public transport maps that go beyond the city centre. Many people who buy more than one guidebook end up liking this one best!
Let's Go
Let's Go is a great guide series that specializes in the niche interest details that turn a trip into a great and memorable experience. Started by and for college students, these guides are famous for the details provided by people who used the book the previous year. They continue to focus on providing a great experience inexpensively. If you want to know about the top restaurants, this is not for you (use Fodor's or Michelin). Let's Go does have a bewildering array of different guides though. Here's which is what:
Budget Guide is the main guide with incredibly detailed information and reviews on everything you can think of.
City Guide is just as intense but restricted to the single city.
PocketGuide is even smaller and features condensed information
MapGuide's are very good maps with public transportation and some other information (like museum hours, etc.)
Michelin
Famous for their quality reviews, the Red Michelin Guides are for hotels & Restaurants, the Green Michelin Guides are for main tourist destinations. However, the English language Green guide is the one most people use and it has now been supplemented with hotel and restaurant information. These are the serious review guides as the famous Michelin ratings are issued via these books.
Fodor's
Fodor's is the best selling guide among Americans. They have a bewildering array of different guides. Here's which is what:
The Gold Guide is the main book with good reviews of everything and lots of tours, walks, and just about everything else you could think of. It's not called the Gold guide for nothing though....it assumes you have money and are willing to spend it.
SeeIt! is a concise guide that extracts the most popular items from the Gold Guide
PocketGuide is designed for a quick first visit
UpCLOSE for independent travel that is cheap and well thought out
CityPack is a plastic pocket map with some guide information
Exploring is for cultural interests, lots of photos and designed to supplement the Gold guide
Books:
- Remembrance of Things Paris: Sixty Years of Writing from Gourmet (Modern Library Food)
- Screening the Body: Tracing Medicine's Visual Culture
- Seed Development, Dormancy, and Germination (Annual Plant Reviews)
- Seed Leaf Flower Fruit
- Small Scale Livestock Farming: A Grass-Based Approach for Health, Sustainability, and Profit
- Spore Liberation in Cryptogams (Biological Readers)
- Step-by-Step Composition Techniques for Digital Photographers (Digital Quick Guides series)
- Symptoms of virus diseases in plants: With indexes of names of symptoms in English, Dutch, German, French, Italian, and Spanish
- That's What Kids Are For: Phoebe Flower's Adventures
- The 2007 Import and Export Market for Seaweeds and Other Algae in Australia
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- America's Financial Apocalypse: How to Profit from the Next Great Depression
- The Color Scheme Bible: Inspirational Palettes for Designing Home Interiors
- Multiculturalism and the Mouse: Race and Sex in Disney Entertainment
- Page Layout: Inspiration, Innovation, Information
- The Asian Monsoon
- The Map of Innovation: Creating Something Out of Nothing
- The Gasteromycetae of Ohio; Puffballs, Bird's Nest Fungi and Stinkhorns
- Study Guide for use with Advanced Financial Accounting
- Kmg Main Hurdman Guide to Preparing Financial Reports
- BUCKING THE SUN : A Novel
Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon (Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12 (Awards))
To Dance: A Ballerina's Graphic Novel
Rules (Newbery Honor Book)
The Higher Power of Lucky
Hattie Big Sky
