5 comments about Digital Copyright.

1. I found this book to be an easy read over the weekend and very comprehensible, even to the layperson who does not have a legal background yet who might have interest.

   The bottom line is that copyright law and the meshing of digitization is not black and white yet is gray and murky. Until case law and the creatives reach some kind of a negotiation or a consensus, it will continue to be murky.

   And, in our society we may have to agree to disagree with certain elements.

   One of the strongest points brought out in this book was that if people don't believe in the law, they will not uphold it and there is not a lot that the government can do. I'm certainly not condoning illegal behavior yet there is a strong point to be made.

   Our law was supposed to be written as one that would flex with the times yet we've found that digitization challenges the perceptions behind the laws that were set early and into the mid 1900's.

   In conclusion, there is no conclusion and the story is still being written yet this book provides an excellent historical context for why copyright is as sensitive and muddy as it is and provides a good look at the dichotomies between the copyright exclusive owners and users.




2. This book is essentially a primer on the mess we've gotten into with regards to copyrights and digital media. Litman explains both why the current copyright regime is an ill fit to the "Information Age" as well as how we got here.

   Litman's explanation of how Congress has essentially abdicated its responsibilities by turning over the drafting of copyright law to the entrenched business interests is scary. But more frightening are the implications: When major chunks of our culture are locked behind individual use licenses, little room is left for innovation and creativity. The end result, I fear, will be a world where every last piece of information and our entertainment will be fed to us by Disney, Time Warner, and a few other mega-corporations. Not that I have anything against those firms, but a 35-page menu listing only variations of spaghetti is not my idea of fine dining.

   Copyright used to be about a bargain - society gave limited rights to copyright owners to encourage creativity - in return society obtained building blocks for further creativity. But the model has changed - now the discussion (such as it is) is about the absolute property rights of the media company. (We don't even talk about "authors" anymore - who wrote "Finding Nemo" anyway?) The result is that the public's end of the bargain has been taken away - fair use is of little use anymore, and the first sale doctrine (which allows you to read, re-read, loan, sell, or destroy this book) has been emptied of any meaning with regards to digital media.

   Litman does a great job in explaining how ugly the current copyright laws are, and she demonstrates clearly how the system threatens to stifle innovative new ways to communicate and entertain via the Internet. There is clearly room to build on her arguments to demonstrate that the current regime will likely stifle creativity in general. For more on that general theme, I recommend following up Litman's book with one or two by Lawrence Lessig.

   All in all, this book is an easy-to-read but very illuminating starting point in understanding exactly how threatening, and intolerable, the copyright regime has begun. Read it, and weep.




3. This is a good book if you want a detailed history of how copyright law evolved to accomodate digital technology and the Internet. That is the focus of Litman's work. Her writing is engaging and straightforward, and she has good reasons for being pessimistic and disappointed with the current Copyright Act.



4. I found this to be a maddening book to read. The author is a lawyer, and this is apparent from the writing style. I don't know why law schools teach their students to write in such a meandering and confusing manner. However, lawyers should consider that the general population, even the educated portion is not trained (or really interested) in reading this peculiar writing style. Jessica Litman states that she thinks US copyright law has been gerrymandered to the point where it is virtually unintelligible, but then proceeds to do the same thing to her book.
   
   However, if you can stay with this book (no easy chore mind you) you will be rewarded with some good information particularly on the history of copyright protection in the US. The most interesting was the blow by blow account of Napster vs. the music recording industry. There are not many books on this subject. I feel this was a complementary read to Digital Rights Management by Rosenblatt, Trippe and Mooney in that both books cover a similar subject, but did not overlap significantly. I recommend them both.



5. Professor Litman tackles the dense and often counterintuitive basis of copyright law and delivers an easy to understand explanation of what copyright law is, what it attempts to accomplish, why it was deemed necessary, and how it came to be that copyright owners (e.g., the RIAA) are suing your teenage sons and daughters.
   
   Criticisms of this book in previous reviews cite the fact that the book includes a number of journal articles cobbled together. That's fine with me - the quality of these articles are such that I don't mind the occasional restating of points made in a previous chapter - these are all issues that bear repeating! I understand that the prose is necessarily awkward at times - hey! this is copyright law, it's s'posed to be opaque!
   
   The salient issues (for me) from this book are the following:
   
   1. Copyright law is designed, developed and negotiated by those who have the biggest stake in making the most money.
   
   2. The US Congress, our representative to insure that we, the public, are not shafted by unfair, restrictive copyright laws, have betrayed our trust. They are swayed by lobbyists, large campaign contributions, and rubber stamp whatever the copyright owners want. The consumer's voice (and to a great extent, the voice of emerging technologies as well!) is silent.
   
   3. It's no longer about copying, it's about consuming.
   
   4. The Internet (and the digital technology that accompanies it) provides copyright owners the ability to monitor, meter, enforce and control access. Fair use is (or will be) a thing of the past; "fair use" was grudgingly accepted by copyright owners mainly because preventing copying for "personal use" was deemed "unenforceable". No longer.
   
   We as individual consumers must make our voices heard. Read this book - educate yourself.

5 comments about Bird Brains: The Intelligence of Crows, Ravens, Magpies, and Jays.

1. A good part of my childhood was spent on an upstate New York farm. We had lots of corn and many other vegetables; many birds - and one extra-special crow. He quickly adopted us and often spoke to my uncle and me by name in my aunt's voice and exact intonations. The vegetable farm, barn, shop-garage, and chicken coop were at the top of a fairly steep hill and the house was at the bottom. Aunt Rose ruled the household; the crow ruled the farm area. Sometimes he would deliver small things up or down the hill. My uncle and I never tired of his antics and wisdom. We were happy to do the work orchestrated by the crow and I was ready for J. Allen Boone's work years in advance.
   
   Bird Brains may not be the most scientific or even accurate book, but I bring it out any time I find a potentially interested visitor. Even now where I live in a fairly rural area of New York City - there are crows among my friends. They live in close quarters with several Cardinal families, near blue jays, and many smaller birds in a huge oak tree and smaller peripheral trees. Crows are gregarious and adjustable. They would no doubt be pleased with this book and see no reason to find fault.
   
   If the book were about humans, would be as picky as we are about crows being correctly represented? Do we expect all humans to be alike? Equally smart with similar talents?



2. Though it's not as long as I would like, the pictures are fabulous and the information is great. It's a must-read for anybody who likes corvids.



3. You will never look at these birds the same again - fansinating.



4. When I got this book last week, I was initially somewhat disappointed. I had expected something more humorous or absurd. I mean, a "coffee table book" about CROWS?! Sounds like the ultimate dada, LOL! When I looked through the book, I also instantly saw a major whooper: the author (or perhaps her editor - the error is in the photo captions) claim that Hooded Crows are black and...wait for it...WHITE.
   
   WHAT?????
   
   I live in Sweden, where there are Hooded Crows everywhere, and I can assure you that they are, of course, black and grey. And yes, you can check a standard, scientific reference work at your university library, unless you don't believe me. :-D
   
   Be that as it may, when I actually started reading the book, I realized that the rest of it isn't that bad, after all. As another reviewer pointed out: it depends on what exactly you are looking for. It's not a field guide to crows and their allies, nor is it a original scientific study. Rather, "Bird Brains" is a popularized introduction to the subject of crows and their intelligence, intended for the general reader. The author, Candance Savage, is a Canadian author and nature-lover (and yes, crow-lover!). The book is lavishly illustrated with photos of crows, ravens, jays, jackdaws and magpies. All photos are in color. Some are quite dramatic, for instance a photo of a crow challenging a Bald Eagle, and another showing magpies sitting on bisons, not to mention a photo of two magpies chasing a crow! (As you might have guessed, I'm a magpie-lover myself.) The text is pretty basic, but it's well-written and interesting. I think the book could be an excellent gift to both adults and teenagers, including people with only a passing interest in birds.
   
   The main point of "Bird Brains" is that crows, ravens and other corvids are surprisingly intelligent creatures. In laboratory tests, ravens have showed abilities on the level of chimpanzees, and above the level of monkeys. One raven could count to six, another learned how to fill a small cup with water and moisturize his food, simply by observing a laboratory assistant. The raven wasn't specifically trained to perform this task - he learned it anyway. Both ravens and crows can mimick human speech, just like parrots or mynabirds, and the most humorous situation in the book involves a crow that could say "Three, two, one" and then mimick the sound of an explosion. Apparently, the crow had spent some quality time near a building site.
   
   The most spooky situation mentioned in the book involved a raven that learned to say "Come" and somehow taught another raven to join him every time he uttered the command! The ravens lived in a laboratory, and were mimicking their trainer. Flexible instincts? Real intelligence? A little bit of both? A short work like this cannot answer the question, just pose it. One thing is certain: if a corvid would start talking to me outside the local shopping mould, I would start running!
   
   On a more sober note, "Bird Brains" also mentions situations where corvids don't act very intelligently, where they are indeed driven by pure instinct. For instance, crows and their relatives don't recognize their own chicks, but automatically feeds whatever happens to be in the nest (something not mentioned in the book is that this dumbness is taken advantage of by cuckoos - at least one species of cuckoo specializes in parasitizing corvids). Only when the chicks leave the nest do their parents start recognizing them, even in large flocks. Savage also mentions several instances of rank stupidity among the jackdaws studied by the famous Konrad Lorenz. Apparently, the jackdaws attacked poor Lorenz every time he held up a black object, thinking the object was a jackdaw in need of assistance!
   
   Still, corvids (the quaint scientific term for crowbirds) are remarkably intelligent, and this book may wet your appetite for learning more about the intelligence of birds. Perhaps I'll order Irene Pepperberg's apparently more technical "The Alex Studies" next. It's about that other fascinating group of intelligent birds: parrots.
   
   Four stars! (Yepp, I had to delete one star because of that Hooded Crow thing, no offense.)



5. This book has a number of positives: beautiful pictures and some interesting presentations of scientific studies.
   
   It has a major flaw: the author has an anti-science bias. Despite relying on science for just about every detail of the book, she constantly makes snide remarks about how limited it is and doesn't really know things.
   
   If science is that stupid, why is she using it for most of the content of her book?
   
   It also serves as a red flag. While much of the presentation of material is accurate, the author often twists details to fit her notions about science, gender(when a girl bird does something, it shows intelligence; when a boy bird does the same or nearly the same thing it is instinct or aggression), and romanticized nature (nature tends to be peaceful save for humans). This leaves the reader with the burden of sorting fact from the author's wishful thinking.

5 comments about Playboy: Redheads (Playboy).

1. this review refers to the Brunettes edition of the 3-book Playboy series:Brunettes,Blondes and Redheads.
   the girls in these pages range from the late 50's to the early 70's.
   i am of the age that the girls from the mid-60's to early 70's are my favorite so this book was just for me and i should think other men who prefer girls from those days.
   Playboy girls are always so pretty. sweet smiles. nothing dirty or raw about them.
   the girls from this era had no use for implants which i don't even think were around then.
   back then, the girls were all natural. and the brunettes in this book are all natural and beautiful......and of course sexy.
   i highly recommend this book. and it's very reasonably priced too.



2. Whether it's a smoldering auburn, a fire engine red or a sweet strawberry blonde, red hair has captivated red-blooded men for centuries. The rarest and most beguiling of hair colors finally gets its due in this collection of fabulous full color photographs from PLAYBOY from the fifties, sixties and seventies. This sleek volume presents a host of scantily clad beauties each in her favorite element: frolicking poolside, preparing the perfect cocktail, starting a pillow fight. Elegantly designed with the discerning man in mind, REDHEADS captures the eye like only a REDHEAD can.



3. This mini-volume is one of three vintage photo collections issued by Playboy to celebrate any man's favorite hair color. PLAYBOY: REDHEADS is an homage to that relatively rare though undeniably beautiful and mysterious mutant strain, the true redhead.
   
   James Peterson, the Editor, must love redheads the most. He waxes absolutely rhapsodic about them in his introduction. Any man who appreciates the redhead will instantly understand.
   
   The book consists only of photos dating from 1953 to 1974. While many alluring redheads have appeared in Playboy's pages since then, by limiting the collection to The First Twenty Years, Peterson has no shrift with "bottle jobs," ignores the artificially-enhanced breast, and disdains the racing stripe sorority and the Baby Bare Generation. Thank heavens! The women portrayed herein are real women, some of them wearing Mrs. Cleaver's hairdo perhaps, and some of them more voluptuous and less toned than current tastes allow, but, still in all, untouched by surgically-gloved hands.
   
   Since this is a collection of vintage photographs, they range from 1950s stilted to 1970s freestyle, and it is interesting to see the magazine evolve, and our culture's perceptions of feminine beauty change.
   
   My only criticism is that there just isn't enough of it.
   
   PLAYBOY: REDHEADS is a great "stocking stuffer" book for any man with taste.



4. This book really isn't just another playboy, its more of an art book dedicated to red heads. If you've got a thing for red heads then I would say this book is a good choice. While not all of the girls are attractive some of the prettiest girls I have ever seen are in here. Its interesting to see the changes of women over the decades.



5. This book, although small in size, is packed full of stunning beauties. It is fairly dated but the girls are all stunning and all but a few are natural redheads. An up to date version of this book would really put the icing on the cake, but whilst we wait for that, this book will certainly fuel a passion.
   
   The dvd to go with this series is an absolute must for any 'redophiles'. Both are recommended highly.

5 comments about Eye Mind: The Saga of Roky Erickson and the 13th Floor Elevators, The Pioneers of Psychedelic Sound.

1. Comprehensive book. Leaves out the fact that John Ike Walton was married to me -- Gloria Greenfield (at the time, I was in college at UT Austin) from 1971 thru 1975. When Roky got out of Rusk, John Ike "found" him and tried to restart the Elevators... this was the time frame of the appearances in Austin and in Houston at La Bastille. We were married at this time. The "club" called Ling Kong in Port Aransas was totally funded by my money -- I had inherited from my parents while I was still a student at UT. Anyway, it wasn't much more than a concrete slab and some bathrooms in a mosquito pit on some land that we didn't own -- it belonged to a much wiser investor who also owned "Custard's Last Stand" a popular ice cream place in Port Aransas. He also retained any liquor rights if the place became a moneymaker -- which it didn't!! Anyway, I have a lot of photographs of John Ike, me and Roky at our house in Austin on Enfield Rd. right when he got out of Rusk. Roky still had the charming, boy-face that captured so many female fans on stage. But there were always the creeps that literally came-out-of-the-woodwork to follow him and hand him drugs, which they knew he would readily accept.
   
   John Ike and I got divorced in October of 1975 --I've got the divorce decree petitioned in Dallas, to prove it!!



2. Paul Drummond's book finally delivers all the details behind the story of one of America's finest and most idiosyncratic rock bands, the 13th Floor Elevators. While the history of the Elevators has long been shrouded in mystery, Drummond's heroic research has given us interviews with nearly every major player in their story, as well as a rich supporting cast of friends, cronies and enemies. If Drummond almost tells us more than we might ever want to know about the Elevators, the musicians who comprised the group and the philosophies that drove idea man Tommy Hall, the book is a welcome corrective to the sketchy biographies of the group that have appeared in the past. A truly mind-boggling study of the intersection between rock and roll, expanded consciousness and the cultural tumult of the Sixties, this is essential reading for anyone with an interest in the 13th Floor Elevators or the times that produced them.



3. This is a crucial book for anyone who's a fan of the 13th Floor Elevators or the American psychedelic music scene in the 60's. Drummond really did his homework and the level of detail is amazing. The book reads well, it's entertaining and ultimately a fascinating story of artistic struggle.



4. One of the BEST music biographies ever written that tells the story of a decade in American music history with all of the uncensored truths intact. This book is overflowing with all of the explanations, descriptions, and details about which everyone has wondered for almost a half-century. This is a valuable source for those who are just starting down the road as well as answering some questions about unfinished business for those who experienced it. The research for this book rivals scientific methods of verification. One review called it "rock archeology". If you want to learn about the psychedelic era and the band that paved the way for the Beatles' "Lonely Hearts Club" and the Airplane's "Surrealistic Pillow", then this is a must read. Not only does it tell about the music of the 13th Floor Elevators but it also "gets it" when explaining the philosophies of the Hippie Generation. This is more than a biography. It is a history book and a legend told in an honest and unbiased way. Paul Drummond outdid himself on this effort. Thumbs up.



5. This is without a doubt the best, most well researched rock biography I've ever read. True, the author may have trouble distinguishing between 'affect' and 'effect,' and he may have got a few details about life in Texas circa 1965 wrong, but he truly delivers the goods that all of us Roky/Elevators fans have been waiting to hear for a very long time. He's great on details, and attentive to historical and cultural context. As far as I can see, he's tracked down every surviving member of the band (including Tommy Hall!), and pieced the whole story together in meticulous detail, 1965 to 1968. It doesn't get better than this. All the information (Tommy) you could want, combined with emotion (Roky) required for a spell-binding read. This book lives in a time of its own!

5 comments about One Nation: America Remembers September 11, 2001.

1. LIFE has done a first class job of putting together a book covering this horrific act by such a cowardly enemy.Rather than to make the Americans cower as these fanatics probably thought and probably thought and hoped for;it showed what a good and strong nation it is.History will remember both 9/11 and Pearl Harbor for the terrible and misguided acts of hatred they were.
   This act conjours up different thoughts for everyone who witnessed it ,in whatever fashion,but no more so than those who had friends and particularly those who lost loved ones.
   To those who may turn a little soft on the War on Terror a review of this book should remind one of what we are dealing with.
   A great book TIME and thanks.



2. A message to each and every reviewer who takes time to add thoughts to a any media of memorial of 9/11, World Trade Center Towers tragedy... thank you from my heart.

   My spouse and I resided on the Lower West Side, Battery Park City, Gateway Plaza, So. End Ave. As survivors of the 9/11 World Trade Center Towers tragedy... From our Gateway Plaza apartment, facing the street and 300 yards from the Towers, we helplessly witnessed all from our apartment windows. The closeness of the Towers viewed from our windows - gave an illusion that one could reach out and touch the Towers; their beauty with night lights reaching toward the sky promoted a contemplative emotion.

   We viewed the planes entering the Towers, the overwhelming inferno, individuals jumping, the collapse of the Towers, the darkness as debris hit our windows with a fury. What occurred over a period of hours, seemed like a much shorter time span. The darkness was darker than an eclipse, darker than the darkest night; and then a momentary hush after the air cleared. Viewing the roof garden one floor below, with the human reaction of looking out to see if someone might be on that roof garden and in need of help. Debris strewn everywhere, recording tape and paper hung from the trees of the garden and oh, so much ash. The momentary hush, whether real or imagined, then the viewing of debris for a second, fantasized that a parade had just passed by on our short street. I now really understand the expression a "feeling of helplessness", I couldn't fix what had just happened.

   We vacated our apartment finally at 5:15 p.m. that day, waiting for someone to knock on our door, with only a battery radio to keep us abreast of happenings. "In a New York minute", we evacuated via the stairwell touched with ash, the result of a first floor door left open. With a few belongings, gathered with a tad of thought of what was being left behind, we stepped out of the door onto the pavement, seeing and standing in ever so much ash & debris, I wanted to turn around and go back to our home. It was one moment of reality in time, I carry to this day.

   We planned to walk up the East Side, glimpsed the tired fire, police, volunteers, and med techs in our immediate driveway and street, so instead opted to pass through the building in back of the apartment complex. We gained access to the Esplanade walking the short distance to reach the Hudson River North Cove dock. We were escorted to the New Jersey shore via New York Police boat. From the boat deck, we viewed even more damage to the Manhattan skyline, especially noting the zigzag shape of the side of the American Express building, housed in one of the World Financial Center buildings along with the glorious Winter Garden, as well as the fall of World Trade Center Building 7. We were taken to the Jersey City Hospital, attended to by compassionate staff. Then traveled by National Guard truck to Hoboken, NJ where we were housed by a wonderful family who with great trust welcomed strangers to their home.

   On Friday 9/14, our eldest son & daughter-in-law drove from New Hampshire via New Jersey routes to Hoboken for transport us to New Hampshire for temporary residence with our daughter, who along with her friend and our youngest son, greeted us with open arms & the overwhelming feeling of not wanting to let go with each hug that followed. Our daughter and son had spent that Friday in New Hampshire collecting items of clothing and necessities which the Concord community generously opened their hearts and donated by churches, stores, individuals, employers, American Red Cross, et al.

   One of our grandchildren -- he was 8 at that time - arrived home from a few days with his Dad. He hugged us so tight, understanding the depth of 9/11 events for someone so young and yet so wise. He told Grandpa & Babcia that he had something for them... his Mom was not even aware of his gift. He had spoken to his classmates about his grandparents' closeness in location of the World Trade Center Towers. Presented to us was a large envelope full of hand-made cards from each of his classmates. And if that isn't love and caring, I don't know what is - from the hearts and minds of children!

   Residing now in New Hampshire, not because of 9/11 drove us away, but circumstances just went that way as we continue to put our lives into perspective.

   We Miss - New York City deeply; events found nowhere else in the USA, the introduction to & interaction with so many wonderful cultures. There isn't a day or night over these years that we do not think of 9/11... the Lady of Liberty & Ellis Island both on the merge of the East and Hudson Rivers. And that Lady of Liberty wept, I just know it, & still stands with pride that the USA is a democracy that will prevail.

   We Remember - the victims, the survivors, their friends and families, the workers from the public and private sector, the volunteers, our neighbors in Gateway Plaza and staff in the small group of stores on South End Avenue, Battery Park City.

   We Remember - the places we visited, the book signings attended, the celebrities we met, the concerts and theater plays, the movies, the arts, the parks, the strangers we talked with, on streets, on subway and those while standing in line for an event...

   We Remember - Always In Our Hearts, Forever In Our Souls, Heroes, Victims, Survivors One and All... We Were There.

   Painfully, the lump in my throat and the twist in my stomach, the tears in my eyes and the pain in my heart, to the depth of my soul, forever reside.




3. Pictures. These will remind you. Haunting. Sad. Heart wrenching. Moving. These words won't do it for you. The book will give you more. Over 3000 people died that day. This book will help you to never forget what happened to them and us.



4. Wonderful experience. Seller worked out all the details with me and I was so pleased with the purchase. Would definitely refer others to him and also buy from him again. Thanks so much.



5. The point comes across, but I think there is plenty of other work that should have been included.

1 comments about Dogs We Love: With Jane Smiley, Armistead Maupin, Ann Beattie, Edward Albee, and 14 Other Dog People.

1. This is a chunky, endearing, handsome book that's just confirms everything we most love about dogs. But these are MASTERS of prose here, as well as being "masters" of their family dogs. So just imagine the novelists and short story writers you love sharing stories of their own canine companions. Jane Smiley on her golden's insatiable fetching, Armistead Maupin on his dog's uncanny ability to interfere with anything romantic, Merrill Markoe on her small dog's undeniable love affair with her slipper. There's Danny Shanahan writing and illustrating a short guide on how to read your dog's behaviors. There's--well, there are sheep dogs, mixed bred wonders, Labs, bull dogs, unruly dogs, cockers, spaniels...and a pack of other dogs photographed in black and white by Robin Schwartz that make this book the perfect gift to give or keep. Plus the book's profits are part of Rosen's ongoing efforts to support animal welfare agencies.

5 comments about Antarctica: The Global Warning.

1. Exquisitely beautiful pictures of the natural wonders of Antarctica. It is accompanied by a political message from non-scientists such as Leonardo DiCaprio regarding the effects of global warming. That may explain why they could not be bothered by such things as the fact that ice depth is actually increasing in that part of the world. But the pictures and message of conservation in general is good.



2. I have visited Antarctica and climbed its ice in some of the very places photographed by Copeland. His amazing images capturing the majestic, awe-inspiring beauty of this magnificant continent can be beaten only by seeing it in person. The included DVD is a real treat, especially on a wide screen, where you feel you are right there with the bergs, the glaciers, the penguins, and the wild seas of the Drake. The book's climate-change warnings and insightful commentaries are timely and provocative, but hardly a huge part of the book. Ignore the global warming skeptcis who have rated it down--they don't know what they're talking about and are just plain wrong. Copeland and his commentators have it right on. I have seen with my own eyes the damage warming is causing to Antarctica. Tragically, it is very real. Buy the book for its fabulous pictures, learn why Antarctica is so compelling, then you will surely give attention to its warning and heed its SOS.



3. I must praise the photography in this volume. The photos are fantastic. Stark, eerie, they almost make you shiver from the Antarctic cold just looking at them. But unless you are a connoisseur of ice and snow packed and cracked and whittled into different shapes by the wind, it gets to be a bit much. In addition to the ice floating in the ocean and the snow covering the shores and mountains and wide vistas, there are animals. Lonely looking animals, for the most part. Lonely looking sea birds, sea lions, and penguins. But mostly there is ice. Ice in an infinite variety of colors and shapes.
   
   This is probably a good coffee table book, to give guests something pretty to glance at. Unfortunately there is little context for the photos. They are presented one after another, without captions. Where, when were they taken? We see what look like whale skeletons lying on some forlorn landscape, but what kind of whales were they? How did the skeletons come to be up on the land? Many questions arise, but all we have is the stark images.
   
   Finally, the text. There isn't much. Gorbachev and Leonardo Di Caprio blather about climate change. I'm almost inclined to be against anything those two people might be for, so that's a big strike against this book for global warming realists like myself. Of course we are treated to the sentiments of the photographer and other environmentally minded writers.
   
   I simply find it sad that these beautiful photos are used to mislead people. The ocean has actually cooled a fraction in the past five years or so. As for surface temperatures across the globe, we also see no warming, on average, since 1997. There are many factors that influence climate. Human beings affect only a few of those factors. Climate has been changing drastically in various ways since long before anyone ever thought of modern industry or the internal combustion engine. The belief that humans can change our climate in a major way strikes me as hubristic.
   
   Still, that doesn't take away from the major part of this book, the photos. If you love frozen water in a thousand different shapes, then this book is nearly the ultimate visualization of it. For me, too much is just too much.



4. incredibly, stunning pictures...be sure to play the dvd as it contains even more details on getting there, especially interesting was the voyage through 'Drake's Shakes' a 3 day voyage through some of the roughest seas in the world. What I thought was missing was more details on how global warming has affected this area. While the pictures are incomparable, the visuals need more insight on how this area is being affected so much, what has changed over the years, and what this means to the rest of the world.



5. I first saw the book at the United Nations and loved it. But the price of $50 and the heavy weight made me think twice because I might not be able to fit it in my hand-carry. When I saw the price at Amazon.com, I was thrilled. I just love those beautiful professionally done photos. They remind me of my recent cruise to that region of the world. I highly recommend it.

5 comments about Meetings with Remarkable Trees.

1. If you need a gift for a nature lover or photographer that you really like, this is the book for them. And get yourself a copy while you're at it.
   
   Briefly, the author takes wonderful photographs of trees that affect and inspire him in Great Britain. Included with each tree is a history of the tree and facts and vignettes associated with the tree. His camera-work is impeccable and if you've ever tried to photograph a whole tree you will recognize the talent and work that have gone into this book.
   
   The writing that accompanies the pictures is compelling and interesting. The author has obviously done his homework.
   
   You can lose yourself for an hour at a time, or you can put this on your coffee table and get compliments from your guests, but have one in your library where you can get inspired and calm at the same time.



2. This is an amazing book from the stunning photographs to the detailed stories about each remarkable tree. It is also scattered with beautifull 18thC etching of illustrated trees that refer to the tree being discussed.I found this book quite beautiful. I would definately recommend this book to anyone who is passionate about trees. Or to anyone who is looking for great photograhic reference as I was.



3. Pakenham's Meetings with Remarkable Trees and his Remarkable Trees of the World are portraits, not just pictures, each book documenting the impressive presence of sixty venerable trees from around the world. Pakenham groups them by their histories: Natives, Travelers, Shrines, Fantasies and Survivors. Each is a testimony to the majesty of Nature's creativity, diversity and adaptability.
   
   Pakenham shares the unique history of each of these outstanding personalities, in the context of its species and its struggles for survival - ever threatened by man's over-cutting and under-husbandry of these irreplaceable resources.
   
   Inspirational!



4. I happened to find this paperback version on the bargain shelf at Borders for $5, and I made the decision to buy it just on looking at the first photograph alone. Impulsive? Yeah, but I don't regret it at all. I just bought this book tonight, so I haven't actually read it yet. However, just looking at the photographs was mesmerizing. There are some really incredible trees out there in the world and I think the author has done a great job of capturing some of them. If you don't come across this book on a bargain shelf somewhere don't worry, it is well worth the price that Amazon is asking.



5. As I recall it, I first saw this book in 1996 or 1997 at the Midnight Special Bookstore in Santa Monica before they closed. The photographs of the trees were the most breathtaking photographs of trees I had ever encountered. I didn't buy the book then, but I remembered it for a long time afterward, and then my husband gave me a copy of it for Christmas a few years ago.
   
   What I particularly like about this book - beside the photographs - is that it contains a Gazetteer at the back which tells the reader where the trees are located, what page they are pictured on, what kind of tree they are and whether they are accessible to the public, whether they are part of the Forest Enterprise or whether they are part of the National Trust. It also gives the reader a designation for Champion trees with full measurements. This is very handy and has saved me from having to pull all this information together myself.
   
   My husband and I are going to be in Surrey this summer and we are looking forward to paying a visit to several of the trees mentioned - in particular - the Crowhurst Yew (pp. 120-21) and the Tandridge Yew (pp. 22-23) located in the churchyard at Tandridge in Surrey. These are probably the most spectacular. There are also several others at Kew Gardens which we are hoping to visit (tulip tree p. 61, hybrid strawberry p. 67, chestnut-leaved oak p. 71, maidenhair (Ginko), p. 83, Chinese wisteria p. 151, as well as the Knap Hill weeping beech p. 155, at the Knapp Hill Nursery in Surrey).
   
   The introduction is very poignant. Pakenham recalls his encounters with trees which prompted him to create this book. He recalls a severe storm in Ireland in January, 1991, which toppled 12 out of 19, of his 200 year old, 100 foot high beech trees which once inhabited his garden - "all had been good friends to five generations of our family." "Why had I not looked at them more carefully before?" he asks.

5 comments about Richard Avedon Portraits.

1. It is not really a book, but an art object: accordion folded and neatly ensconced in a box, its heavy cardboard structure makes it a durable thing, one that transcends the notion of a mere "book." It is an object of intrinsic beauty and the mere holding of it in one's hands conveys the good taste, fine quality, and the superb craftmanship that were blended to create PORTRAITS.
   
   One side of the fold contains text -with some pictures- and the other the portfolio of portraits. Maria Hambourg and Mia Fineman collaborate in the essay "Avedon's Endgame," which presents, analyzes and brings into focus the extraordinary talent behind the portraits; and Richard Avedon gives us a touching essay called "Borrowed Dogs," in which he addresses some of his unquiet talents. The other side is one's private gallery of 27 pictures (including the covers) to be savored at home, each image a meticulous print. In all it is an extraordinary performance by those involved, and a jewel to possess.
   
   Avedon has pushed the borders of his art far beyond picture taking: a master psychologist, his portraits are potent statements about the soul and the fears and the anger and the dilapidation and the triumph and the humanity of his subjects. His pictures are so intense and revealing that the viewer cannot remain neutral. The diptych of Clarence Lippard, a drifter, makes one see more than we have any right to ask for: because if we must view the horror of a wasted life on one panel we must also accept the defiant triumphalism and humor that the second panel conveys. Waste no pity on Mr. Lippard, he asks no such thing from you.
   
   I shall often return to this jewel for solace; and for a jolt about the meaning of being alive and a human being.



2. The format allows for a stand-up display down the entire length of a coffee table! Pretty cool if you ask me;
   Got this as a christmas gift for my art-school-grad photographer/niece. It caused something of a stir when the holiday guests started to look at everyone elses presents.. Along the lines of "Don't let the kids look at that book" and "Let me see it' and "Ewwww".



3. I bought this book for my photography friend for Christmas. She was blown away. From the moment you open the package, it is clear this book is worlds apart from your standard photography book. Every photo is frame-ready. I highly recommend for the picky photography enthusiast.



4. This book is absolutely exquisite. The photographs are stunning and insightful If you are not familiar with Avedon's male nudes--I wasn't--you should be aware that many of them are full frontal and not in any way prettified, pornographic, or erotic. I include this because none of the other reviews mentioned it. Had I been more familiar with the book's contents, perhaps I would not have left the book out on the kitchen counter for the wrong (adult) friend to unfold it before I did!! Yeah, I know, I should have known better . . . . Duh.



5. I looked at this book that I just received today and I thought, "These are good fotos but.....but....there is something missing." What is "missing"? The background for one thing! I want to KNOW MORE about these people than Avedon gives us. These portraits are "better than nothng" but...but...who are these people? There are very few "clues" to help us answer that question. On the contrary, Diana Arbus DOES "tell" us who her people are"---both in words and in their surroundings or background environment which Ms. Arbus DOES include. I think Mr. Avedon should throw away his "white sheet" or whatever he uses and show the subject with their environmnet. I'm sure the subjects in this book do NOT carry around a white sheet to put behind themselves! So, why does Mr. Avedon feel he has to use the white sheet? I don't get it and I don't like it. But, the above being said, these ARE very good portraits even with their alledged "defects". Boland7214@aol.com

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