3 comments about A Lion Called Christian: The True Story of the Remarkable Bond between Two Friends and a Lion.

1. I am trying to find the original book called christian the Lion written by John Rendall and Tony Bourke.



2. i understand john rendall wrote a book about his raising christian the lion in 07 or 08,
   the title may be " christian the lion who lives in my london living room "?
   can't find it anywhre.
   help ?!!!!!!!!



3. [...]
   
   I have an original copy of this book, A Lion Called Christian. It is a hardcover book.
   
   This book recounts the experiences of two men who owned a London boutique, bought a lion cub to try to attract customers to the store, and when the lion outgrew their ability to responsibly maintain him, they took responsibility for his future by taking him to George Adamson in Kenya to be rehabilitated to the wild.
   
   George Adamson was the ex-husband of Joy Adamson, author of the famous Born Free books. They were the pioneers of the practice of successfully rehabilitating captive animals to the wild.
   
   The story is excellent and is attracting new interest today because of videos on youtube, of the reunion of the owners and Christian after Christian was living as a fully rehabilitated wild lion.
   
   This story is the epitome example of people taking full responsibility for the welfare and future of the big cat they bought as a pet, when that cat outgrew their facilities and resources to keep him adequately for his needs.
   
   It is a beautiful moving story and also shows just how much loyalty and love that animals can have toward humans who genuinely care about them and relate to the animals in positive fair ways that the animals understand.

5 comments about The Encyclopedia of Grasses for Livable Landscapes.

1. In depth, beautifully photographed and written by someone who obviously cares a great deal about the subject. Great for reference -- also great just to peruse.



2. This book is the bible of all ornamental grasses, great pictures for referance and identifacation of grass plants !!!!!!!!!!



3. Excellent for the experienced and inexperienced grasses' growers. Beautiful photographs and readable, informative text. We live in Maine and have planted many grasses. This book helped us understand soil conditions and care.



4. This is an awesome book. I own another of Rick Darke's grass books, the Timber Press pocket guide, which is also excellent as an overall reference. This one, though, goes in to a depth I didn't know I needed until I saw it! I find I am reading every page, after having skimmed every beautiful photo. I particularly admire the wisdom behind the design theory (see the chapter on design)--a true artist's understanding of color, form and line. Why use grasses in a garden design? And how to do so? The topic is eloquently covered. So well in fact that I have had a bit of a paradigm shift.
   
   In addition to Darke's exquisite artistic sense, his horticultural, encyclopedic knowledge of all these plants is very appreciated. I can trust what he tells me. The only thing missing (and missing from almost all--dare I say ALL--ornamental grasses books) is the width size for grasses listed. One needs to try to extrapolate a probable width from the height which IS given for every plant. Granted this piece of info must be hard for authors as there may be two or even three width sizes for grasses--the basal clump in spring, the foliage fully expanded in summer, and tip-to-tip spread IN BLOOM in fall, for example. And there is the question of time as well: e.g. a 3-year size vs. a 10-year size. Still, a gardener needs to know these things: what sort of space to give a grass for its best look to be achieved.
   
   The above is a small point for an overall excellent book. It covers ornamental grasses from every angle, from a man very experienced in the genre.



5. Encyclopedia of Grasses is a very beautiful, and at first glance comprehensive, book. However as I got into the details of both the book and my current landscape project I was somewhat disappointed. The book contains beautiful photographs and descriptions but has a limited usage as a reference book. In particular, I was looking for information on plant hardiness, appropriate zones, size, care, pairing with other plants etc. In addition, it is difficult to cross reference from common plant names to genus species names and there were a number of grasses which are common in Northwest nurseries that I could not find in the book.
   
   As a landscaping resource book I would rate this book as a 3; however the book itself is of extremely high quality, the photographs are beautiful and the narrative is close to lyrical. If you are looking for a pure reference book on grasses I would not recommend this as your first choice. If you are looking for a very attractive coffee table book or gift, this is definitely a 5.

5 comments about Complete Book of Cacti & Succulents.

1. I've read this book from cover to cover a number of times, always exposing more useful information. Particularly of interest are the many excellent photographs, which help us longtime cactus fans who've bought various cacti through the years without knowing what we've bought, or purchasing packets of mixed seeds, stand a chance of identifying these plants. Even in the photos that suggest planting possibilities, the plants are identified. Perhaps the most useful suggestion is the purchase of an inexpensive moisture meter (I picked one up at a ubiquitous discount chain for less than $5 that is a marvel of invention), which showed me that my watering habits needed rethinking. The book is printed on heavy stock, loaded with luscious photographs and details concerning the needs of any particular group of cacti/succulents - yes, there are omissions - the book covers; also there are planting tips, information on growing medium, fertilizing, etc.. Overall, this is a very worthwhile and valuable book for the cactii/succulent enthusiast.



2. Good book for suculent lovers. Doesn't show every type but shows families. Great instructions for replanting and other care.



3. First off, I have a great addiction for succulents. I love learning as much about them as i possibly can (especially since i work in a plant store) and i was really happy when i purchased this book. Another reviewer was right, it does not have EVERY succulent/cacti in here, which you cannot blame since there are thousands of different kinds. There is a section, on light requirments, soil conditions, potting, propagation, container ideas as well as tons of beautiful/information pictures. My favorite part about this book is that terry hewitt provides the height and width for the next 5 and 10 year span, for each of her plants listed. Its really nice to know how big some of my lovely succulents will be! If you love succulents too, and want very good info, get this book, you'll b happy :)



4. well written, covers the basics and easy descriptions for growing, maintaining and keeping C&S alive and happy



5. This is a nice book to have for the more experienced cactus and succulent growers. I do have to say this book has very colorful pictures of cactus and succulents, however, the specific growing needs for each species is rather short and limited. A beginner to this hobby may experience some difficulties with providing the specific growing conditions with this book for each species. I would certainly consider purchasing this book as a gift for the upcoming holidays, as it would make a nice gift.

5 comments about Birds of Peru (Princeton Field Guides).

1. This book is clearly an incredible achievement. The only reason I am posting a review is to point out that I'd like to see at least some birds' names in Spanish (like the Jaramillo guide for Chile). After all, there are people there too.



2. A fantastic resource for anyone considering a birding trip to Peru.
   Provides hours of great armchair birding as well as you skim through the plates and study the sometimes agonizingly subtle differences between species and sub-species.
   Great distribution maps as well which would prove valuable in planning your trip.
   Enjoy!



3. This new book is excellent and substantial. The text points out field mark details, and describes habitat preference and relative abundance. The bird illustrations (done by a team) are beautifully drawn and look like living birds, not flat representations. Plates are well laid-out and easy to scan, and text and range maps for each species are on the opposite page. Good and often entertaining vocal descriptions are included for every bird.
   
   As a guide to an extremely diverse area this book is pretty thick, but the publisher chose to give it a hard cover, making it just a little heavy for the field. If you want a good desk reference that isn't a problem. If you want to use it in the field and don't mind modifying your book, the hard cover is easy to remove without unbinding the pages and can be covered with something lighter and waterproof (this is what I did with mine). Hopefully future editions will be soft cover.
   
   That said, even if you aren't going to Peru in the near future, this guide will make you consider planning a trip, especially when you take a look inside at the incredible diversity of birds you can find when you go.



4. It is a very good book, because I served as stew for my field research bird as an ornithologist, I wholeheartedly recommend this guide for all fans of the birds as well as those q working with birds.



5. The fact that this is hard cover just makes it more difficult to carry around and a little heavier. The index is terrible on two accounts. The printing is very small and the scientific names are included with the common names. It is very difficult finding the bird in the index. Princeton would have done much better to have followed Cornell's examples of an index.

5 comments about The Elements of Statistical Learning.

1. I'm a machine learning person, and this book provides pretty thorough state-of-art and up-to-date (relatively well) summary of statistical methods being used in lots of pattern classification fields. One thing that does not exist in the book is generative models, although this book is the best of the kind that describes discriminitive models.



2. i really like this book. i haven't finished reading yet. it's extremely dense. by that, i mean every page, every paragraph is packed full of information. it makes for slow but very rewarding reading. i bought the book because
   
   i wanted to learn something about the topic. i've got a math and statistics background, but i haven't dealt with the broad topic of data mining or statistical learning. the book suits my needs very very well.
   
   it's clearly written. i haven't found any grammatical or technical errors. it's pacing is ambitious, but i find i can follow it. i do think some math and statistics background is required to make the book readable and useful.
   
   i wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to someone with the appropriate background.



3. Data mining is a field developed by computer scientists but many of its crucial elements are imbedded in important and subtle statistical concepts. Statisticians can play an important role in the development of this field but as was the case with artificial intelligence, expert systems and neural networks the statistical research community has been slow to respond. Hastie, Tibshirani and Friedman are changing this.
   Friedman has been a major player in pattern recognition of high dimensional data, in tree classification, regularized discriminant analysis and multivariate adaptive regression splines. He has also done some exciting new research on boosting methods.
   
   Hastie and Tibshirani invented additive models which are very general types of regression models. Tibshirani invented the lasso method and is a leader among the researchers on bootstrap. Hastie invented principal curves and surfaces.
   
   These tools and the expertise of these authors make them naturals to contribute to advances in data mining. They come with great expertise and see data mining from the statistical perspective. They see it as part of a more general process of statistical learning from data.
   
   The book is well written and illustrated with many pretty color graphs and figures. Color adds a dimension in pattern recognition and the authors exploit it in this book. It is really the first of its kind that treats data mining from a statistical perspective and is so comprehensive and up-to-date.
   
   The important statistical tools that are covered in this book include under the category of supervised learning; regression, discriminant analysis, kernel methods, model assessment and selection, bootstrapping, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference, additive models, classification and regression trees, multivariate adaptive regression splines, boosting, regularization methods, nearest neighbor classification, k means clustering algorithms and neural networks. These methods are illustrated using real problems.
   
   Similarly under the category of unsupervised learning, clustering and association are covered. They cover the latest developments in principal components and principal curves, multidimensional scaling, factor analysis and projection pursuit.
   
   This book is innovative and fresh. It is an important contribution that will become a classic. The level is between intermediate and advanced. Good for an advanced special topics course for graduate students in statistics. A comparable text is the text by Mannila, Hand and Smyth.
   
   This book made effective use of color and maintained a competitive price. This had a major impact on publishers like Wiley that could not sell a book at this size and initial price. Wiley is still looking for a book comparable to this one that they can use to compete with Springer-Verlag. I know this information because I heard from the Wiley acquisitions editor that I worked with on my two books.



4. It gives a complete overview and middle-depth discussions on a wide thematic statistics. Additionally provides methodological elements for making decisions on the implementation of specific techniques. Very good book. I'm an economist and statistical and I was very useful.



5. The book is really helpful and was being delivered to me in a timely fashion.

5 comments about cosmic code: Book VI of the Earth Chronicles (The Earth Chronicles).

1. For all those praising the academic/scholastic merit of this work, yours must have a detailed references section that the one I picked up seems to lack. I would give him a D- and a "See Me!" had this had shown up on my desk. Someone should point out to him that evolution has no direction, as if we were destined to get to this point and are no longer evolving. Be careful of the plethora of misunderstandings and baseless assertions that can destroy a person's capacity to think about humans at all scientifically, historically, or otherwise. If you're incredulous of my own assertions, please research anything in Sitchin's works. You will have done more research than he likely did, and could even cite it. Don't take one sourceless book's word for it! You'll find planet X (Tiamat?) prophesies, space stations made of rocks, and millions of years of evolution very slightly co-opted by extra-terrestrials less believable than you once did. There are, after all, enough actual mysteries in the world. We don't need another convoluted theory that creates far more problems than it solves. It's no fluke that these books have made no waves in challenging any anthropological or historical constructions of earlier periods of humanity, areas of knowledge that are constantly modified by actual scholarship. It's also no fluke that these books are marginally profitable, and they keep being released, expanding upon the baseless foundation with even more baseless structure rather than defending the indefensible first works. As far as I'm concerned, if he's one of the few who can decipher those texts, he's abusing his position for financial gain, and could easily be ousted in the genre by a legitimate scholar.



2. Another great book by Zachariah Sitchen, I have read all eight books of his Earth chronicles and they are all very mind boggling.



3. If it is written by Sitchin then you should read the book. If he is just 50% right it stands as Awesome.



4. Another great book by Sitchin..more than a code, a Cosmic Message. Remarkable exploration of the hidden parallel word. A good exercise for your intellect. Buy it!



5. You may not agree with the visions and interpretations of this outstanding author. This is your privilege, but at least consider all the possibilities if you have an open mind. Otherwise, stick your head deep in the mud!

5 comments about The Man-Eaters of Tsavo (Peter Capstick Library Series).

1. The author gives the true account of the Tsavo Lions. He seems to downplay the story at times, but it makes for very interesting reading. The last 2/3 of the book are about his other hunting adventures while in Africa. Worth your time for sure.



2. "The Man-Eaters of Tsavo" (also available in this edition The Man-Eaters of Tsavo (Peter Capstick Library Series)) is a fascinating book that tells of a time on the continent of Africa that is now long past. When the author, John H. Patterson, an engineer for the British Empire at the peak of its power, arrived in the southeastern African region of Tsavo, wild game, including dangerous, predatory man-eaters abounded with such profusion that a man armed with a rifle could sling up and shoot from virtually anywhere, for animals of all kinds densely populated the land. As an engineer in charge of planning and building the railroad and the necessary bridges, Patterson also had the responsibility of managing the workers, primarily Indians imported into Africa from India, their country also being under British rule at that time. Patterson's workers began to become unmanageable when huge, man-eating lions in the Tsavo region began eating the workers on a regular basis, somewhat dampening the coolies' enthusiasm for the already backbreaking job at which they toiled in brutal heat amidst vicious biting insects--though the prospect of the bite of the lions understandably troubled them more. Patterson's book is an enthralling, well-rounded account of his experience there and not merely a hunting tale.
   None of this life of relatively unrestrained high adventure could take place in today's Africa, which is dominated by third world dictators who, with the evil assistance of IANSA, heavily restrict the right to bear arms in general and hunting in particular. Anyone interested in this time period should read With the Judaeans in the Palestine Campaign and Warrior: The Legend Of Colonel Richard Meinertzhagen.
   The world of that time is long gone, as are most of the individuals of that type. More's the pity on both counts.
   The edition referred to here is an inexpensive paperback reprint with poor photographs.
   Had I known about the Capstick edition (see above) prior to ordering, I would have chosen it instead.
   Nevertheless, this "low budget" edition of "The Man-Eaters of Tsavo" is well worth the read.
   But be warned: you'll want to read more stories like it when you finish . . . and you might even develop a yen to hunt large, dangerous, predatory, man-eating game in the long grass that grows in the vast silent places of what was once the "heart of darkness."



3. I read this book several years ago before purchasing it and thoroughly enjoyed the story of the lions of Tsavo. The historical account of the facts behind this story are fascinating. I purchased this book as a Christmas gift, and was very disappointed with the paper stock on which it was printed. Had I seen this book in a store I would not have purchased this edition because the paper and printing reproduction are of such poor quality. If I didn't need it for a Christmas gift, I would have returned the item.



4. A fascinating snapshot in a small hiccup in the giant that was the British Empire. "Progress" is stopped by two lions who have developed an appetite for tender meat. Patterson is an engineer and really not a hunter. Nevertheless, he struggles manfully and heroically to protect his workmen and advance the empire.
   
   He's ultimately successful but not without failures. Despite his impressive efforts, the lions devour Indian workers, native tribesmen and even Europeans. Clearly these cats aren't racist. Everything is turned into lion scat.
   
   Perhaps "Maneaters" isn't the best-written book in the world but it is documentation of a world long past and to the courage and endurance of a very brave man.
   
   Ron Braithwaite author of novels--"Skull Rack" and "Hummingbird God"--on the Conquest of Mexico



5. Excellent book about actuall events in the late 1800's of a British Officer in Africa. The events with the two man-eating lions represents a small portion of the adventures of Patterson.

4 comments about Human Body (DK Visual Dictionaries).

1. I am very glad that I purchased this book. I am taking an intro. level Biology class and this book was perfect for it. This book is well-rounded. It conists of a basic overview of Biology. The most important component of this book is that it has A LOT of pictures (which is vital for one studying the anatomy).



2. This books is a real winner with my 19 month old. She loves the pictures and has learned so many new words. As she grows up the book will grow with her, as it has great basic anatomy knowledge.



3. Out of all the body books I purchased, I thought this one was the most informational for my children. Definitely worth the money!!



4. This book is a great presentation of the human body. I purchased it as a gift for one of my students in High School, he loved it. It has enough detail for anyone to inquire more and the systems are separated and presented sequentially. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to create a sense of wonder at the beauty of the human body.

5 comments about A Field Guide to Cows: How to Identify and Appreciate America's 52 Breeds.

1. I was hoping it would show colored pictures of the different breeds of cows. The inside, unlike the cover, was not in color and showed parts of the cow more than breeds. Guessed wrong on what I wanted to buy.
   
   My husband and I really like Amazon though.



2. The book had lots of good information, but only line drawings of the cows. I was disappointed in not having color photos since this was an identification book.



3. An encounter with a herd of "Oreo cows" prompted me to buy this book. What's an Oreo cow? Why a Dutch Belted, as is easily determined using this book.
   
   This slightly tongue-in-cheek guide has many of the features associated with quality field guides:
   - a diagram showing the terminology for the various parts, or points, of a cow
   - a short essay on how to study the cows in question to make identification easier
   - instructions on how to use the Guide
   - a Key which groups cows by the easiest feature to identify: color
   There's even a Life List checklist -- which any serious nature watcher knows is essential for keeping score in the friendly contest of "Who's seen the most kinds?" Also included are a glossary, a bibliography, a list of breeders' associations for many of the breeds featured, and all kinds of cow-related facts and graphics.
   
   (I could have done without the "Cow Call" -- a silly cut-out cow mask on the back page of the book)
   
   Several other reviewers objected to the lack of photographs in this book. I have used various types of field guides with various subjects over the years and have found that a good black-and-white line drawing with good accompanying text describing the colors is nearly always superior to a photograph. That said, a few photographs would have been nice to give some idea of the actual colors of the red and brown breeds -- black and white are pretty much black and white ;-)
   
   Anyone who prefers using secondary roads to the interstate highways has passed many a herd of cows/cattle on their journeys. This book is an excellent companion to take with you on those trips so you can be informed as to just which kind of cow you are looking at.



4. I got this as a gift for my son for Christmas, because he loves cows. The book came on time and he was very happy with it.



5. Having previously read Pukite's "A Field Guide to Pigs", I was interested in trying out another. I found myself smiling as I read through the "cows" book, and enjoying pointing out passges to guests as they flip through as well. Filled with information, but written with words for interest. Now we can all appreciate the 52 breeds!

5 comments about Silence & Solitude: Yellowstone's Winter Wilderness.

1. I've always loved Yellowstone in Winter. Since 20 years I fly from Germany to Montana to spend several freezing months each year in Yellowstone, because I'm under the spell!!! Reading this book and looking at the absolutely beautiful photos from Tom Murphy makes me want to jump into the next plane and fly to the land of fire and ice.
   There are a lot of books out there about Yellowstone, but nothing captures more the magic of silence and solitude than this one.



2. Exactly what I hoped it would be - beautiful photographs. For someone who enjoys both Yellowstone and the winter season beauty, I recommend this book.



3. Very nice photos. Exposition moderately good for this sort of book. Too much "I shot this when....." Makes a nice complement to more serious works, but certainly not part of the core literature.



4. These books are amazing. His whole series is gorgeous. If you can't come to Yellowstone personally, you must see them. Even if you can, Murphy is getting photographs of things no one else can see! Just beautiful.



5. All photographers have a handful of great photos and Tom Murphy's great photos are dynamic and worth the price of this book. Many of the photos in this book are just average. However, I admire him for trekking through and camping in Yellowstone in the Winter. To even get average photos in this setting is commendable.