Earth Day Books

I had no idea how much fun a book of pictures could be. Both my grandson and grand daughter love going through this book with me each time they visit. We all have learned a lot.

The only way I seem to be able get out and about these days is through the internet or books. So I indulge in travel books and books about the world. This is my idea of travel. You might as well be hanging out the bottom of a plane, the view is incredible. The colors so beautiful and the sights amazing. You learn so much about your world through this book. I had no idea some of these places exist and I'm pretty well travelled and knowledgeable so it was fun discovering new places - places I may never get to in my life time. But Yann takes you there. I wish he would do more!

I could give 5 stars for the pictures but becouse of a big mistake, stars come down. Okay the photos are good but somewhere I am very dissapointed. On page August 22, where the comments for the picture were about the genocide of Jewish, it was written that Turks did the same thing to Armenians. But that was a lie. Some nummamorous people told this allegation and the writer believes them. This is very sad. If someone writing a book, he/she must be very careful about his/her words. Books must not contain allegations. Or author must tell that it was an allegation, unless it is proved.

For all intents and purposes this book is no different than the same author's book titled "Earth From Above 365 days". My comments are the same for this book as I wrote in my review of the other book;dated October 7,2004.The only difference is in the pictures. There are both good and poor aspects to this book and I have elaborated on them in my other review.

My husband and I love this book. We look at it every day. The text may be depressing, but it's a wake-up call to the destruction of beautiful areas like the ones depicted. The pictures are absolutely stunning and you will be astounded that there are such places in the world.

I was not even aware of the Hurricane of 1935 until I saw a recent special on television. I wanted to learn more, and this book filled the bill. Willie Drye laid the groundwork by telling about the residents of the Keys and what life was like then before the storm. He explained how isolated they became with one only road in and out and how the planned-for railroad would improve things immensely. The stories of the veterans who lived in the area to work on those railroads were well told. I found the book riveting and hard to put down until toward the end. Once the book turned to discussing the "blame game" and how the various agencies tried to save face in light of the deaths of so many veterans, it bogged down for me and lost a lot of its verve. Nevertheless, I would recommend STORM OF THE CENTURY as a fact-filled and interesting account of what was a horrific experience for people so ill prepared to survive it.

This was an excellent story, meticulously researched by the author and presented as if he were actually there to witness it all. Awesome, suspenseful hurricane tale.

Starts off a little slow and gets a little boring in the middle, but all-in-all Willie Drye does a great job telling the story of the hurricane and the political nightmare surrounding it. The parallels to this disaster and it's lack of leadership to Katrina and the bumbling leaders involved in it (Nagin/Blanco) are uncanny.

This is the first book I have ever read on a natural disaster. It was a great story. It was rich in history and science, but not too overdone. I'm from the coast that does not have hurricanes and the description of the storm blew my socks off. Great props to the author even if you could tell what his political motivations were.

Reading this book just a few months after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Mississippi gulf coast, and the subsequent political fallout that ensued there, is fascinating. Because in the 1935 hurricane that barreled through the Florida Keys with winds up to 200 mph (it's the most powerful hurricane to strike the US) we also have a set of "victims," accusations of governmental neglect, and finger-pointing and fudged reports that came with official investigations.

The 1935 hurricane (storms weren't named back then; this one occurred on Labor Day so is often referred to as the Labor Day hurricane) begins years before it actually formed off the Bahamas, and many miles to the north. The story really commences in Washington, DC, in 1932, when thousands of WW I veterans marched on the capital demanding the bonus money they were promised for fighting in the Great War. They set up camps in Washington, and, mainly because the Depression was affecting much of the population, were not very popular. When FDR became president, he decided to ship the vets off to Florida to help construct the road that was stretching from Florida's mainland across the Keys to Key West. Since 1912 the Florida East Coast Railroad ran tracks to Key West, but no road ran the full distance. (Interestingly, the storm killed the railroad for good along the Keys; the road and most other things were built or rebuilt.)

By early 1935, these veterans began arriving in the Keys and were lodged in work camps. Thus the "victims" were in place. Drye tells what life was like in the camps (much discontent, drunkeness, and violence), and how the men felt they were merely shuttled out of sight and forgotten.

The storm formed off the Bahamas late in August and was first predicted to hit Havana, Cuba. Hurricane tracking techniques were still pretty primitive in 1935, with most of the information coming in from ships at sea. The weather bureau, however, located the storm about 200 miles too far south, and its predictions for the Keys minimized the dangers at first. The first finger-pointing of blame after the tragedy was directed at the weather bureau.

Then the storm hit. It was compact and ferocious, destroying everything in its path. Drye relates first-hand experiences by those caught in it. Some survived, many did not (hundreds died). Many of the survivors - and victims - were the veterans who had not been taken off the Keys as they should have been. Here's where the governmental neglect charges come in. Apparently a train had been readied and was even on its way to take the men out, but delays in ordering it prevented it from getting to the camps in time. In fact, the train itself was blown off the tracks by the tremendous winds and the storm surge.

The first official report on the disaster said no one was to blame, it was just "an act of God." This outraged many people and additional hearings were held, but the results were the same. Drye includes some of the testimony taken during the hearings, and it's not surprising to see the half-truths, outright lies, and protect-my-own-rear-end declarations pile up.

Drye tells this story dramatically, informatively, and well. He refuses to cross over into melodrama where the temptation to do so is great (the first-hand accounts). He includes a few collateral and secondary events (the ordeal of the passenger ship "Dixie" on its way to NYC from Texas that got caught right in the middle of the hurricane, and some things about Ernest Hemingway who was at home in Key West at the time) that add to the interest of the book. And one can't help but draw comparisons to the Katrina disaster of 2005. An excellent book. Highly recommended.

This book has terrific color shots of many different kinds of clouds and skies. It's an amazing book for using as an art reference and pretty much covers every kind of cloud you can imagine.

This is the second copy I purchased in 2007. Will buy more for gifts in 2008.

For many years, I lived in the beautiful state of Texas, with wide open skies wherever you'd look. After moving to a large city in an eastern state, suddenly the sky became something I had to look hard to find. Skyscrappers tend to block the view. This book not only gives me my sky views back, it tells me just what I am looking at. Thank you for the beautiful photos.

I ordered this book for my father for Christmas and I had really hoped it would be something special. We have a sentimental love of clouds and I thought this book would be the perfect gift. I am also a photography student and, naturally, love great photographs. This book was a disappointment. It is cheaply made, and all the pictures are grainy. The cover looks beautiful from a distance, and that's about it.

I purchased this book to reference for my painting. I found the variety and quantity of photos great, however the quality of the photos is questionable. Most of them are grainy (an artistic treatment?) and some appear to be low res images scaled up to fit the format of the book. The paper and print quality could be better, but if you read it to learn about clouds it would suffice.

The solstice is not an easy concept to explain to children. To do it well, an author needs to explain the movements of the Earth relative to the Sun and how these movements create the seasons. Probably the best way to convey the concept is to use a globe or an orange to represent the Earth and a flashlight to represent the Sun. In this book, Wendy Pfeffer suggests an activity that involves a lamp as a stand in for the Sun, but she forgets to mention that the activity must be done in a dark room (and not all lamps will work as a beam of light is really required). Still she's made a good try.

Most of the book is excellent. The illustrations are clear and kid-friendly, and the author covers a lot of ground. The activities at the end of the book are all pretty standard, but for the most part the author explains them well.

The nicest thing about this book is the simplicity of the language and the clarity of the explanations.

Ellen Jackson, author
THE WINTER SOLSTICE
www.ellenjackson.net

This book has lovely illustrations, but the text and content could have been so much better. It says for ages 4-8, but really I wouldn't recommend it for anyone over 6. It is pretty simplistic, and won't hold the attention of a child much older than that. I wish it had included a lot more detail about the history of the Solstice.

I purchased this book after reading reviews here at Amazon and then previewing the book at our local library. I was looking for a picture book for my 6 year old that explains the Winter Solstice as well as the human traditions with which it is associated. This book fits the bill better than anything else I found, and the delightful illustrations are a nice bonus.

It may come as a surprise to many people that a book about Winter holidays does not mention Christmas or Hannukah. However, this book reaches back farther in time to festivals and celebrations based on natural phenomena that occur in the Winter (shorter days, plants losing leaves). These very early celebrations gave rise to many of the customs that we still follow (bringing evergreens into the home, giving gifts, lighting candles). I love the anthropological perspective (I'm trained in this field), and was thrilled to find the suggested activities at the end of the book for children to make simple scientific observations and hold a secular celebration of the Solstice.

This book would make a wonderful classroom resource as well as a read-aloud picture book to read as a family. It may be a bit too easy a read for children at a 2nd grade reading level or higher, but I enjoy the simplicity even as an adult. I also find the secular perspective refreshing. I understand that many Christians believe the only winter holiday of importance is the celebration of Christ's birth, but this book shows how it is possible to celebrate Winter for it's own sake and to recognize why so many festivals are held in winter.

I was very pleased with this book and it's coverage of the Winter Solstice. I was looking for something to help my 4 year old son understand the concept as well as realize the historical importance of the sun and moon. We celebrate Christmas but are eager to incorporate the holiday of the Winter Solstice as well. Our traditions will certainly include reading this book each year.

(Review from 9 year old girl, dictated to mom)
A great book! With a great amount of knowledge.
This little book has science and history and is fun. I like this story so much, I want to read it every year while I am a child.

Although this book is intended and best suited for those working full time in excavation, it is also a useful reference for the construction manager/general contractor.

The treatment of excavation methods seen from the viewpoint of those actually doing the work provided additional information and insight for those managing the whole project. The explantions were both detailed and practical, and the pictures and diagrams were helpful. Although the later sections on equipment problably will not be useful to me, I could not help reading them.

A valuable addition to my reference library.

Choosing Project Success - A Guide for Building Professionals

I wish I had this book when I was starting off; would have saved me a few grey hairs. Moving The Earth does a fine job at covering many situations that "dirt guys" find themselves in. This book won't teach you everything about earthwork, but it is an excellent reference that I would recommend to anyone involved excavation projects.

This book seems a little heavy on old images and information, but it's still a good all around resource for earth work.

Lots and lots of good information. Although the technique is sound, it could use an extensive upgrade as a good deal of the equipment mentioned is obsolete in today's workplace. I would suggest finding a used one if available, a bit pricey new for what you get in my opinion.

It's simple. If you are involved in excavation, landscaping or earthmoving of any kind, then this book is an absolute must have in your library for reference.

This book is not only beautiful and informative, its message of sustainability and respect for the earth and all those who depend on it is inspiring.

The book I ordered was shipped immediately and received in almost record time. The packing was excellent, the book was in perfect condition, and if one receives service like this, you can't go wrong!!

This book made a great high school graduation gift for a nature enthusiast. Even though it's a bit bulky to take to a tiny dorm room, I know she loved the pictures and it will never become outdated. Great price, too!

This is an absolutely fabulous book as was the first edition although I am a little partial to that one, The Earth from Above. Very educational, illuminating, fascinating.

The theme of this book is man's impact on the planet and the life-or-death need for sustainable development. The introduction is a mix of statistics and a call to action, while each month is prefaced with text on some aspect of our planet's characteristics and condition (April: Biodiversity--A Condition of Survival; August: Renewable Energy; December: Free Trade, Unfair Competition, and Equitable Commerce).

The aerial shots from French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand are astonishing in their diversity and beauty. One for each day of the year, they run the gamut from unspoiled natural beauty to despoilment by industry. Each photograph is annotated with a mini-lesson of its own on the facing page. Atolls, volcanos, a stunning linear railway switching yard, fish farms, agricultural scenes, golf courses, alpine glaciers ... a feast.

Surprisingly affordable, unexpectedly heavy at over 5 pounds, and stunningly thought-provoking, this book has given me hours of communion with Mother Earth. If it increases our awareness of our impact, then they are hours well spent.

Linda Bulger, 2008

There are terrific photographs of the sea, boats, the seashore and all things maritime. We love it! It's a perfect coffee table book for a summer house by the ocean. The photos were taken by someone who obviously loves the sea and is great for people who share that feeling. The only issue is that the editor (I guess) chose to leave descriptions of the photographs (and even page numbers) off of the pages- possibly for aesthetic reasons. The index, located in the back of the book, is helpful to identify where each of the photos was taken, but paging back and forth is a little difficult.

This opening phrase from Walt Whitman's epic poem 'A Song for all Seas, All Ships' best describes this visually stunning photographic essay of the many manifestations of the sea, that mighty body of water that reigns the planet and as such reigns the hearts and imaginations of poets, painter, writers, and dreamers alike. Philip Plisson is highly regarded as a marine photographer and has here selected some of the finest of his works that explore the massive body of water, of history, of romance, of treacherous vagaries, and of man's humble intervention with oceans around the world.

In rich color these photographs are most expressive when they deal solely with the body of water itself, the myriad surfaces of calm, tranquility, storm and rage and the eruptions of violence against rocks and cliffs and ships. Thankfully there are no written words to distract from the images, though there are notes in the postlude that describe the various areas of origin of the photographs.

This is a book for lovers of the sea. In scale of the book's size as well as the content of visual imagination this is a mighty work. Or as Whitman phrased it 'Sail forth - steer for the deep waters only, Reckless, O soul, exploring...' Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, March 06

This huge (more than a square foot), heavy book of photographs is made panoramic by the numerous horizontal double foldouts that appear every few pages of the book. Frankly, I haven't read the text, and don't know whether I will--I bought this book for the pictures, which mean everything.

Were I to magically change anything, the photographs devoted to showing ships in the making or the deck of an aircraft carrier, would be eliminated and replaced by visages of the sea itself; there are few of these throwaway photos, and I would have liked to have seen something else. That said, I can offer no other criticism of this extraordinary book. Though I bought a slightly different version (not "Day by Day," and different photograph on the cover), it is the same book, a real bargain when bought used.

My husband saw this in a coffee shop one day and so I bought it for his birthday. THe pictures are absolutely beautiful and exquistitly done. Each picture has a caption to describe each scene. Would highly recommend to any water lover!

Wow, substantial is an understatement - 195 photographs (most of them 22x14 +) and 16 panoramic foldouts. Aside from the calm, the charming and the rapturous faces of the sea that you can normally imagine, could the sea be like the desert, hot lava, an impressionist's oil painting, fields of grain, bubbling rocks and sand paper...? Find out in this book of photography. I always thought photographs are comparatively realistic. But Philip Plisson's skills conjured up powerful imagery from reality to fantasy, from abstract to molecularly concrete. It is a feast to the eye and possibly shocks to the senses.

This is the best book about Montreal that I have read.

While growing up in Montreal I was of aware of the shady life in Montreal, but I didn't know how extensive it was. We sort of accepted the corruption in Montreal as part of the scenery.

One time in the 1950s the authorities brought a leading gambler to trial. I guess he was selected as a fall guy. When my mother saw the list of his legal team she snorted,"If he is using these lawyers he's guilty!".

Camillien Houde was indeed a colorful character and one of the more effective mayors. A lot of people felt that he got a raw deal when he was interned during WW 2.

One thing that Weintraub didn't mention is that Montreal was a very safe city. It still is safe compared with many other cities that I have visited. Its much safer than either London, New York, or Washington.

Being a boomer from the West Island, I appreciated this book for the glimpse it afforded me into the "downtown" world of my parents, and a better appreciation for names which exist for me only as streets (Camilien Houde) or Metro stops (the infamous Lionel Groulx). The paperback version of this book did not contain a map, which would have been a helpful asset to a non-Montrealer reader.

Outrageous as the Belle Ville that it portrays, City Unique is much more than a thoroughly-researched and extremely well-written account of two of the most exciting decades ever lived by Montreal: it is also a literary testimony that brings to life the past behind the city's present and future. Weintraub's book flows just like the Saint-Lawrence - you glance at its troubled-though-delightful waters and wonder what you'd find at the bottom... Well, here's your chance to take that to shore, from the accounts of characters as memorable as Lili St. Cyr to the unravelling of a city torn in half by a street called The Main, whose every corner tells a million stories, with anglos on one side, francos on the other, and everything else in between. By one of Montreal's finest journalists, City Unique is an absolute must in our quest to understanding what lies underneath the city's cosmopolitan and multi-cultural enchantment today, as belle now as it was then.

Weintraub has painted a wonderful portrait of what life was like in Montreal back in the days before the separatists wreaked havoc on the fabric of the city with their language police and sign laws. Daily life in Montreal during the 1940s and 1950s is vividly portrayed in all its variety, from the infamous Padlock Laws of Premier Maurice Duplessis, to the padlock that held stripper Lili St. Cyr's chastity belt in place. The style is journalistic rather than scholarly, and breezy but informative. Weintraub (who is a Montrealer himself) interviewed dozens of people, and their stories are neatly integrated into his historical account of the major events and figures that shaped the era. Highly recommended for anyone who loves Canada's most flamboyant and fascinating city.

This is one of those good kind of books that goes great with a rainy day and a cup of tea as you sit in your very normal surroundings imagining a place that is unimaginable.

Beware, though, of the large portions of uninteresting zoological mumbojumbo, and even worse, the offensive and continuous ranting of the Darwin-religion rhetoric.

Dig past the rubbish, and you'll find something worthwhile.

This is great book about Heyerdahl's adventures and philosophies before and which inspired Kon-Tiki. Unfortunately, for me, it is an exact, word-for-word copy of Fatu Hiva - except for the title.

Before Kon-Tiki, Thor Heyerdahl and his young bride Liv departed Norway for Polynesia, to escape European civilization and live in complete harmony with nature. This beautiful and impassioned memoir describes their time and lays the philosophical and ethical groundwork for Heyerdahl's remarkable career as an explorer/scientist and one of the planet's premier environmentalists. Part memoir, part environmental manifesto, this belongs on the bookshelf of anyone who's dreamed of getting back to nature, or who has any sort of environmental passion. An important book by one of the most remarkable men of the century.

Twenty years ago I read Heyerdahl's first book about his year-long stay on Fatu-Hiva. Now out of print, but renewed in this book, is the vivid recollection of his time when the rest of the world stood still and he and his new bride explored a strange new culture and began the process of discovery not only for themselves but for all of us

This is the first Ellen G. White book I have read, but it won't be the last. As a young Christian man, I believe young people should read this book to get a true taste of the future.

Why is there so much turmoil all around us? Should we expect life on earth to improve? Is there any connection between the events that happen in our own nation and those that happen abroad? If you've ever pondered these and other similar questions, and you aren't interested in the highly dramatized Hollywood style explanations, then Last Day Events is a must read!

Some nice infomation in this book, I am glad it does not take the 4-6 weeks to send that it says.