1 comments about Growing and Using Garlic: Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin A-183 (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin).

1. Literally, a little thin. Not much info on Garlic; just the basic knowledge.
   
   Some good recipes, though.

4 comments about Liquid Gold: The Lore and Logic of Using Urine to Grow Plants.

1. This little gem of a book is both an informative source of about all things urine - including interesting historical attitudes and uses as well as modern environmental aspects - in addition to being a very fun read due to the amusing diagrams and sharp prose. Both the professional wastewater expert and the casual nature lover will find much knowledge and enjoyment in these pages. Because of this, Liquid Gold would be the perfect "stocking stuffer" gift for the environmentalist in your house this upcoming holiday season!



2. The is a smart, thoughtful book on an important subject. Despite the cartoon cover, the author approaches the use and disposal of urine in a practical and user friendly way. She presents convincing scientific information supporting the healthful use of urine for growing plants. Also, she gives good information on composting toilets. This is a timely subject for two reasons: first, the recapture of the nitrogen and other resources that are contained in the urine. Second: the disposal of urine without polluting drinking water. Like the Humanure book, this book makes the important point that the use of pure water to flush wastes away into the sewer system is a very poor use of very scarce resources.
   
   Highly recommend.



3. Doreen and I have been cultivating a variety of plants over a number of years now. In the past we had always used peat but (thanks to the riots at Clonycavan) prices soared and we were left helpless. It was at this time we turned to the pioneering research of Carol Steinfeld and fortunately she did not disappoint. Despite a couple of minor setbacks (before Doreen started going through a funnel) our indoor plants were soon growing better than ever before!
   
   PS. Anyone who disputes the logic of using human-fluids to grow plants, need only turn to the actions of the grandfather of logic: Dr. Spock (not to be confused with the child psychologist Mr. Spock!). Who could forget the episode of Star Trek in which he relieves himself into the ship's yucca plant?



4. For anyone interested in this sort of thing "Practicality". This book is fun and interesting. I loved it. Very Easy read. Lots of techniques used around the world on urine separating toilents; along with ideas on how to create you own urinals. I acually made one after reading this book and am using it as liquid fertilizer in my yard. The design is so clean and out of the way that not even my wife was bothered by it!

No comments about Agriculture Course: The Birth of the Biodynamic Method.

5 comments about Good Bug, Bad Bug: Who's Who, What They Do, and How to Manage Them Organically (All You Need to Know about the Insects in Your Garden).

1. Listening to Jessica Walters each weekend on her radio show has rewarded all of us gardeners, horticulturalists, naturalists and biologists with quite ample information on growing organically plants whether for ornament, food or lawn. This full-color-illustrated and short book will help one easily identify the most common insects and bugs deleterious to one's landscaping and to control them organically, in many instances with the beneficial, predatory insects or bugs. This book is not intended to be a field guide. Rather, it is a convenient guide to be used by the gardener. The pages are laminated, thereby encouraging taking this book directly into the garden without fear of water or soil damaging its pages.



2. Finally!
   A straightforward book about pests and beneficial insects for gardeners. I have looked for a book like this for twenty years!
   
   GOOD BUG, BAD BUG has great pictures and brilliant information about each pest, including what their damage looks like, what plants they attack, how to prevent attacks, and how to control attacks organically. Better yet, it has an equally awesome section for beneficial insects, with pictures, detailed information, and tips on how to attract them and keep them in your garden.
   With a great introduction and a very useful glossary, and spiral bound to last a long time, this book just plain ROCKS.



3. This book serves as a helpful guide to identifying common garden bugs. Although I bought it for myself, my 9 year old son, who is a bug lover, read it, too. Good quality pictures make identifying the bugs easy and there is an extremely useful section on the types of plants each bug likes and its natural predators. Written in lay terms and includes concise but helpful facts. This book is good for gardeners, especially if you are trying to control bugs without the use of insecticides.



4. I have always found Jessica Walliser's gardening books to be so useful, but this one takes the prize. The photos of the bugs--good and bad--and what their damage looks like is invaluable when trying to figure out what course of action to take in your garden. I took this book out to my garden and flipped through its pages looking for a picture that matched my plant damage--flea beetles! And again--cucumber beetles! I feel like not only am I learning to identify insects, but I am better managing my vegetable garden, organically. Jessica's advice for "Live biological controls" and "Preventive actions" and "Organic product controls" for each pest tell you exactly what to do when something is attacking your plants. I highly recommend this book for any gardener wanting to learn, before reaching for the spray bottle.



5. This is a Great Book on bugs, a must have for all Gardeners

5 comments about The Organic Cook's Bible.

1. This book answers all of my questions about produce: the organic factor, (which tells you whether a certain product is sprayed heavily with toxins when you cannot purchase organic), nutrition details, seasonality, what to look for when buying, preparation, and uses.
   
   There is just the right amount of detail including full colour photographs of vegetables, nuts, fruits - or whatever you are looking for. I find this very helpful when I want to buy something that I am unfamiliar with like Okra for instance.
   
   The material is extremely accessible. Everything in this book is organized perfectly so that you intuitively know where to find what you are looking for. I love the headings, shadings, chunking of information and the gorgeous green font that suits this book.
   
   I use this book daily for a reference. On top of being extremely useful, it would make a great coffee table book. I'm sure that people couldn't keep their hands off of it.



2. I borrowed this book on an impulse from our local library. I was pleasantly surprised at how thorough and easy to use this book is. It is an absolute must, whether you are into organic foods or not. It covers everything from fruits & vegetables, meats, dairy, grains, pasta and nuts.
   
   How many times have you gone to the grocery store and wondered how to tell if the fruit you were looking at was good(like melons) or wondered what some fruit or vegetable tasted like and what to use it for? This book clearly explains how to pick the best produce, what the nutritional information is, with beautiful color photos.
   
   I can't wait to get my own copy and start trying some of the recipes. This will definitely be something I use every day.
   
   This deserves a rating of 10 stars!!!



3. Plenty of books on the market cover organic foods and health, but THE ORGANIC COOK'S BIBLE is a resource which goes beyond recipes to offer a survey of organic ingredients and how to choose, store and prepare them. Home cooks and chefs receive a guide which covers meats, dairy, herbs, spices and more, with an A-Z arrangement for quick and easy reference, and a survey of over a hundred organic foods, from flavor and nutrition benefits to storage, what to look for, and top varieties. A 'must' for any serious culinary or home organic cook's collection.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



4. Over the last few years, I've slowly become more and more organic. I've made the transition and I feel great! This book was one of the key elements that allowed my transition period to go smoothly. It's very informative and also a makes a great gift to a loved one, or friend.



5. There was so much hype on this book that I expected more. It is not a bad book but I am sure there must be better ones out there on this subject than this. The info is very general. And seems oddly lacking in places. For instance, the resource section in the back seems random and missing things that anyone following the organic or slow food movement would have heard of. The book actually feels a bit behind the times and not on the forefront of the organic movement as one would have expected. Also, the author's tone is not that inviting and rather bland. Though I imagine I will pick up a tidbit or two, it is not the comprehensive 'bible' it touts itself to be.

5 comments about Holy Cows And Hog Heaven: The Food Buyer's Guide To Farm Friendly Food.

1. Joel Salatin is a nut! But from my experience, all visionaries tend to be a bit nutty. I came to reading this book after reading Michael Pollan's, The Omnivore's Dilemma, which is a great book in it's own right, and which dedicates a generous portion of its pages to Joel Salatin and his farm.
   
   Joel Salatin is among the minority of Americans who have a keen insight into just how far this country has gotten off track, and he is dedicating his life to doing whatever he can to get people back on track. I am guessing he is a deeply happy man (if not a tad disturbed), because it shows in his love for the earth and the food it creates with his generous help.
   
   This book will change the way you eat, or if not that, it will at least change the way you think while you stroll the isles at the supermarket, browsing isle after isle of plastic food. It has had a very positive effect on me and my family, and I recommend it to anyone who pauses, even for a moment, to consider the quality of the food that they eat. If you don't waste time on such trivialities, well maybe it is time that you did, for the sake of yourself, your race and the earth. Joel Salatin will help you navigate the territory.
   
   Joel, I could have done without the Christian rhetoric, particularly the anti-abortion sentiment that peppered your book. I understand though ... you don't seem to be able to contain your passions any more than I can mine. We differ on some things, but agree on most. The writing can be a bit tricky in places, leaving me re-reading sentences over a few times, trying to decipher the meaning. But, all in all, this is a great book, and should be required reading for every citizen, non-citizen and illegal immigrant that shares this great country in decline.
   
   I weep for the future, but Joel Salatin provides me with a little ray of hope.



2. A book that crams a lot of fact, exposition and commentary into fastfood sort of reading.
   
   Mr. Salatin has excitement in his tone and energy in his thinking. He makes the idea of eating local practical and palatable
   
   My only angst is his tone toward the migrant farm worker (who 'does not speak english'). Has he forgotten that this is part of our history as much as the Pennsylvania Dutch farmer, the Swedish immigrants in Minnesota, the Germans In Wisconsin, etc. ? If he resents cheap labor, it was irrelevant for him to focus on people "who don't speak english" That is a backward anglo rooted sentiment and has nothing to do with sustainable practices and gearing toward a peaceful future for locally responsible consumers and producers
   
   Otherwise, this is a great handbook to use for wiser living.



3. This is an Awesome book! It is a must read for anyone who values their own life, the lives of their family and friends/community and last but not least, our future generations and this great world we live in. It affects us all! It is a book that ought to be passed out to anyone and everyone who is involved with food. Enough said...



4. There is some worthwhile information contained in this book, but not presented very well. Most of the book seems to be a rather bitter diatribe by a very disgruntled individual.



5. This book is a natural follow-up to the two Michael Pollan books, "Omnivore's Dillema" and "In Defense of Food." Joel Salatin nails it home with the "how-to's" of putting into practice these new insights about incorporating locally produced clean food into our diets. It's all about accountability and integrity, as practiced by small farm friendly producers and their products, face-to-face with their customers. For those who take for granted that the grocery store is the only place to buy food, try something different. Find a local farmer's market and let your senses carry you away. Bring home a big bag of cleanly produced locally grown vegetables and have a blast. The aromas, textures, and tastes will startle you. The strawberries actually smell and taste like ripe strawberries, sweet (with no sugar added!). Cut into a fresh cucumber and your nose will be surprised! Food does not have to be trucked from 1500 miles away when it grows just down the road and is so much fresher and more nutritious! Without going on and on, you get the picture. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It will inspire you to rediscover your own kitchen and eat at home. It does address some of the politics of small farm producers; but even someone as politic-phobic as myself needs to know what's going on in the world, especially concerning the food on our tables! Happy reading!!
   Barbara Holman

1 comments about Getting Started In Permaculture: 50 Practical Projects to Build and Design Productive Gardens.

1. After a brief discussion of what permaculture is and hopes to accomplish, the authors present 50 projects for your garden. Some of them are common garden structures and some are aimed at reusing tires and plastic soda bottles. Retaining wall, ponds, planting mounds from used tires. Waterers, slug traps for plastic bottles, newspaper planting pots. Making compost, liquid fetilizers, hot houses, cold frames, shade houses. A section on making paper, soap, and cleaners.
   
   Not an indepth discussion of permaculture, but a basic get started projects book.

5 comments about Solviva: How to grow $500,000 on one acre, and Peace on Earth.

1. Solviva is a fresh and brillant exploration of the complexities involved in constructing a solar home. Anna Edey is beautifully human as she describes her real life adversity in bringing such a complex project into fruition.
   
   Edey is an honest and telling author. She articulates her emotion involved in creating the energy necessary to endeavor so seemingly innocent and simplistic a notion as a house that you sustain and that sustains you as you sustain the Earth.
   
   She vividly describes having to consider the marketing and distribution not to mention profit margins of raising organic restaurant quality garden vegetables and greens within the confines of her modest solar home.
   
   With candor she conveys how interesting ones life becomes while taking on rabbits, chickens, and goats as a part of ones daily life, and indeed, in fact, as co habitants in as much as they too survived within the small solar house and that their presence yielded a profit.
   
   Edey humbly describes discovering each vegetable and green with such surprise and satisfaction and that her vegetables were in fact prize winning and well sought after.
   
   Because of the biproducts of such an efficently contained microecosystem Edey is able to support herself and her lifestyle comfortably within a selfsustaining home. Not without the residual income of the modern associate but with the profit yielded from her ingenius business and gardening method.
   
   Ultimately the complexity of the solar structure itself combined with Edey's originality and genius in housing and growing botanicals within the solar home, in addition to the interactivity of the animals at the house, combine to make a kind of EARTHSHIP that does inevitably produce a profit.



2. I am a gardener with a few years of experience and a lot of book learning on the subject. This is my opinion, after reading the book, and coming to it from that point of view.
   
   If you aren't very well read on gardening or mini-farming, I'd recommend skipping this book until you've read a few others, such as Bartholomew's Square Foot Gardening, Jeavons books on biointensive gardening, and a few others. Otherwise you'll buy too deeply into what Edey is trying to sell.
   
   If you are pretty well read on the topic and have gardening/mini-farming experience, then the book is a reasonable weekend read.
   
   Either way, unless you're extremely flush with cash, I wouldn't buy the book, I'd only spend time on it if it's available from the library.
   
   The title is misleading, the "How To Grow $500,000 On One Acre" is catchy, but not realistic. The author says that her "gross income was up to $50,000 a year," (pg 158). "up to" ought to raise an eyebrow. I'm supposing that the reader is supposed to assume that the author grossed $50K, but that's not what it says. It also wasn't indicated how many years this was achieved, though there was an earlier reference to the author working at it for 8 years. There wasn't also a hard indicator regarding how long it took to build up to this, the term "soon" was used, but could mean just about anything.
   
   The author then made some seriously goofball (in my opinion) extrapolations: that if the set up had been run more professionally, the author would have been earning well over $100k; that if a full acre was used, then that would obviously mean earnings would be over $500k. There's nothing to support such claims. In fact, at one point she indicated that "gross income never did reach much beyond the $50,000." Throw in the fact that this is gross income, and suddenly the whole agribusiness angle of "Solviva" doesn't look so great, despite what the author "believes."
   
   There are a lot of other places in the book that don't read that well. For example, many other books address composting more thoroughly and clearly. At one point the author discussing composting toilets, incorrectly refers to humanure and nightsoil as being the same thing, and discusses what she "believes" to be the best way for handling it. Want to read about the best ways of handling human waste, that are based on actual research and experimentation? Read the Humanure Handbook, it explains the whys and wherefores much better and more clearly than Solviva.
   
   There were a lot of things like that, such as her assumption that because she was having an insect pest explosion and suddenly the problem decreased that it must be beneficial predator insects catching up. This was just some assumption that she decided was true, based on her deciding it was so, when in fact there could have been many different reasons.
   
   I will say this about the book: there was a lot of stuff about the authors opinions about the state of the world. If you're interested in Edey's world view, then certainly this is the book for you. If you're looking for a guide for small farming or gardening, I'd say pass. If you're interested in reading about the topic, there are way better books to put your money and time into. But if you've already read all those, and Solviva is available in the local library, maybe it's worth some time.



3. I finally bought this book after hearing about it years ago. I regret not buying it back then. I love this book.



4. Book covers in general terms information about a passive solar home and greenhouse. Heavy on sustainable living and growing but light on construction details and author only theorizes that one could make $500,000 on an acre but never did it. Despite those short comings it still is a great book with ideas and experiences that will simulate the environmental conscious person.



5. Solviva is a book everyone should read if they are interested in growing their own food, and to learn other methods to live a sustainable life.

5 comments about Organic, Inc.: Natural Foods and How They Grew.

1. Can big agribusiness and local organic farming co-exist and thrive? Samuel Fromartz' new book, Organic, Inc., is a fascinating journey through American agricultural movements, starting around the turn of the century, when farming was still a small-town venture and tracing its development into agribusinesses whose products are now found on most American tables - and the movement into locally grown, organic foods, which represents not so much a return to the past as a return to wholeness and healthy living.
   
   The problem seems to be that the organic movement itself is being challenged by the very agribusinesses it once eschewed. There are really few ways to farm sustainably (which will in most cases mean organically and without genetically modified foods or chemicals) AND use the systems that have come to mean "factory farms" - livestock confined for their entire lifetimes in areas so small they cannot turn around or lie down (chickens, for instance, and pigs), never mind see the sunshine or walk around and enjoy fresh air, eating what they would eat if humans were not around.
   
   Agrisystems, as they exist today, are basically unhealthy - and unsustainable. But they are profitable, and make it easy for "food" (if you want to call it that) to arrive at your table packaged neatly and processed to death. Rare are the children being raised today who knows what "food" looks like in its natural state. Do they know what a carrot or beet looks like, while it's growing in the ground? Do they know that the hamburger they eat comes from a being that has a face and makes sounds, and may (depending on your viewpoint) be sentient?
   
   Being removed from the source and sight and smells and knowledge of how your food comes to you - how it was grown, and what has happened to it all along the way - makes for some dangerous possibilities. We cannot know (or control very well, despite so-called legal safeguards meant to protect us) where our food has been, before it reaches our table, unless we have grown it ourselves (which is not easy or possible for most people) or have bought it from someone in our community whose farming practices we know - and could actually go there and see.
   
   Fromartz comes from a reporting background, and knows how to dig out factoids that will leave you breathless for the sheer scope of what has happened to our food and our food production systems. It should leave you with both concern and hope, at the end.
   
   Organic, Inc. Is not exactly the "story of food" but it truly is the tale of two different visions for how food is produced and made available to consumers. One (local biodynamic farming) is sustainable; the other (multinational, corporate agribusiness) is not.
   
   Fromartz carefully traces how we got where we are, without suggesting where we will go in the future. However, his bias for a sustainable natural foods future is clear - and it's one I share. If you care about what you eat, how it got here, and whether you will be able to find more like it tomorrow, you should read this book, think about what it means, and DO something about what you believe is the best course of action for a world where what we eat determines how healthy we and our future generations will be.
   
   Yours for extraordinary dining -- for everyone,
   
   Nancy Boyd
   www.find-great-organic-gourmet-foods.com



2. I enjoyed this book. It was a great introduction to the organic world.



3. When you think of organic foods, do you mentally picture aging hippies in co-ops, small roadside stands, and stores with counter-cultural values? That image was probably valid until the 1980's, but has rapidly been displaced since.
   
   Organic foods sales grew at 20 percent per year during the 1990s, attracting the attention of the food business. In the process, organic went mainstream and became an accepted niche market at grocery chains and even big-box retailers such as WalMart and Target. The author's real question is whether this represents "progress" or "problem" for fans of simpler lifestyles and all things organic.
   
   The documented answer is some of both. Fromartz is a highly accomplished business journalist who takes a (mostly) unsentimental look at the business of marketing organic foods. Interviewing small and large merchants plus the `man on the street,' Fromartz discovers that organic is profitable and growing, yet at the same time poses a risk to traditional fans who are unlikely to shop at big boxes for the food they know and love. While the mainstream consumer `discovers' organic, the core organic customer may be wondering if she can trust anyone, anywhere, any more. This dilemma, the author notes, resembles putting up "a neon sign for an organic Twinkie."
   
   After an entertaining and excellent investigative look at the business of organic, Fromartz holds out hope that both kinds of organic - mass market and small market - may find ways to thrive. For the core customer, related values like humane treatment of animals, fair market pricing, and sustainable agriculture may become more relevant indicators of value than the simple phrase `organic.' These savvy shoppers may continue to trust the small, unique brands and identities of traditional organic suppliers.
   
   Meanwhile a certain amount of industrialization, mass-market methods and persuasive advertising messages can be expected to boost sales of anything termed `organic' in the aisles of a mega-retailer near you, where the organic business is currently booming.
   
   Whether you like your organic "all natural" or with "always low prices," you'll be likely to find it readily available. Which type you choose will say a lot about your personal values and expectations.
   
   Armchair Interviews say: The good news, from the author's point of view, is that at least you'll get to choose! In a free market, our choices define our future opportunities.



4. I have been very ambivalent about the organic culture and wanted to understand more about the origins of the organic movement, its significance, and the trends I observe it to be following.
   
   Samuel Fromartz's account of the organic industry (as I have come to see it) was a solid introduction that I will have to probably reread to fully take in. Peppered with facts, figures, vignettes, anecdotes, and opinions, it is clearly the writing of the converted, rather than a deliberately skeptical examination. Nonetheless there is room for reflection and critical analysis - I flagged dozens of pages that gave me points to ponder and further examine. The book touches on related topics like local agriculture without straying too far from the topic at hand.
   
   My one criticism, after moving on to other books about food agriculture, is that this book, when it was dealing with facts and figures, seemed get weighed down, but at the same time, seemed to leave identifiable voids of information. How a book could be both occasionally tedious, and occasionally too light, I'm not entirely sure.



5. "Organic Inc" by Samuel Fromartz offers a good introduction to the natural food movement. Written primarily for a popular audience, the book combines research with short histories, case studies and profiles of prominent personalities and companies that have shaped the industry. Although the author's frequent interjections about his own personal experiences and infatuations with organics becomes somewhat annoying, overall the book succeeds in granting insight into the organic movement, its foundational ideals and the possibilities for the future.
   
   Mr. Fromartz provides a brief history of organic farming as an alternative to a deeply flawed agro-industrial production system. We learn that organic methods were developed for ideologically diverse reasons but tends to produce nutritionally superior foods when compared with conventional farming practices. Although yields are usually smaller, the author discusses how organic strawberry farms in California are an example of how organics can outperform when allowing for decreases in energy and fertilizer input.
   
   Mr. Fromartz profiles some of the small organic farmers whose deference to health, environment and community were shaped by the 1960s counterculture. A small but vital network of farmers, distributors and retailers supported a fledgling movement that defined itself by remaining outside the conventional food system. The author describes how such farmers often devised creative marketing strategies by catering to specialty restaurants or selling their produce directly to the public at farmer's markets. As health and safety concerns about pesticides and rBGH growth hormones caught the public's attention, organic farming has become more widespread, emerging as an increasingly important survival strategy for more and more beleagured family farmers.
   
   Mr. Fromartz traces the rise in popularity of pre-packaged salads and refrigerated soy milk to discuss how mass market success has created divisions within the organic community. The development of large-scale organic enterprises has intensified competition and shut down smaller, less efficient producers. Regulation has become a contentious issue, with small farmers seeking to hold large farmers accountable to maintaining high standards. As supermarkets such as Safeway and Wal-Mart have begun to add organic sections to their stores, issues of local production, fair wages and sustainability are heightened. Yet, the author is upbeat in his assessment that small farmers can continue to find their niche by satisfying the needs of the more sophisticated organic consumer.
   
   I recommend this highly readable and informative book to everyone.

5 comments about Texas Bug Book: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

1. This behemothian piece of excrement is a slap in the face of any ligitimate work on insects in general, or growing organic gardens specifically. The book is fraught with inaccuracies and outright misinformation. Case in point, the kissing bug did not get its name from biting people when it accidently flies into your face, it got it from its habit of biting sleeping people on the lips. This information is not critical to the book, but it exemplifies the slothful approach to gathering information the authors obviously used to write this book. The "Stories" are nothing more than opinionted drivel, although some of them are slightly humorous. The authors have no credentials in Entomology (they state that in the Introduction) and although they claim to have consulted "...many other books and research papers..." on the subject, nowhere did I find a reference to such information when something other than common fact was stated (as is necessary in REAL science books), such as aphids "...help to eliminate unfit plants." That is the single most ludicrous thing I have heard in a decade or more! Fortunately for me I didn't buy this waste of sawdust or recycled paper (whatever the case may be), but obviously some did because this "thing" is now in its fourth printing. The one good thing about this book is that the authors advocate the use non-chemical control. Believe me, save your money, you can get much better, less opinionated, advice from a simple Internet search.



2. My wife and I agree this book is worthless as a reference book, but it does have some pretty pictures. Great as a coffee table book, but you will never use it as a reference book.



3. It is important to know what bugs are beneficial and which are harmful. This book does just that! Not only does this book include many great photos, it also provides wonderful recommendations on how to manage the ones that are pests.
   As for the only spiders one should be weary of in North America: the Brown Recluse and the Black Widow, this book has great photos for proper identification. Furthermore, valuable information is included on the nature of these two spiders and has great suggestions on what to do should you happen to encounter one.



4. I've been an organic gardener for years and this book is one of my "Bibles". You cannot maintain an organic garden or landscape without knowing the beneficial bugs from the harmful ones. My husband and I really enjoy being able to identify what's in our landscape and seeing them in action. The world around us is a remarkable, complex place and sometimes you have to look at bugs to have it really hit home. This is a great book, along with all of Howard Garrett's others.



5. While this book includes common arachnids that are not truly "bugs" along with the insects, it is the one book I would want to have if I could have only one for use by non-scientists. It is engaging, good science that is written and illustrated in a way that the layman can understand, use and enjoy. A key strength, in my opinion, is that color illustrations are included on the same page as the text, making it easy to identify and associate a particular type of insect with a discussion of it. A second strength is that the multiple common names of Texas insects are included and indexed, which makes the book very easy to use.
   
   The authors focus heavily on a completely organic approach to Texas wildlife and gardening, with a substantial amount of information about organic methods of pest management. This may be useful to the reader; however, for the reader not ready to go organic, this information does not in any way detract from the value of the book as an extremely useful guide to Texas insects.