Delavan S. Miller served as a drummer boy in Co. H, 2nd New York Heavy Artillery Regiment; enlisting on April 5, 1862, giving his age as 18 (his true age was 12). The regiment formed a part of the capitol's defenses, its men occupying various fortifications and drilling with the large siege guns in them. The 2nd New York Heavy Artillery became one of the units transferred to infantry duty and assigned to the Army of the Potomac in May 1864. Assigned to the 1st Brigade, 1st Division, II Corps, Miller and his comrades participated in the battles at Spotsylvania Court House, Cold Harbor, Petersburg and Appomattox. By the time of Lee's surrender, the 2nd New York Heavy Artillery suffered 1,140 men killed, wounded, & missing. The unit was mustered out on September 29, 1865. Miller participated in most of the marches and engagements of his regiment, and reenlisted as a veteran volunteer on March 31, 1864 (the same day as his mustering out).

Illustrated with gorgeous black-and-white color photographs and the occasional painting, Duck Hunting on the Fox: Hunting & Decoy-Carving Traditions by duck hunter and decoy maker Stephen M. Miller is a wonderful celebration of the pastime of duck hunting with decoys and other techniques along the Fox River of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Miller deftly demonstrates his love of the sport and vividly recounts his experiences hunting ducks on the Fox since the 1930s. Duck Hunting On The Fox is enthusiastically recommended as an engaging collection of anecdotes about the joy of waterfowling, and would make an excellent giftbook for those who truly love the sport.

It is well-known that Lawrence Durrell and Henry Miller became friends after Durrell wrote a letter to Miller in Paris, praising the latter's 'Tropic of Cancer' when it was still banned both in Britain and the United States. What devolved from this sincere letter of praise is shown in this volume, a successor to the 'Durrell-Miller Letters' of thirty years ago. Of necessity more complete than its predecessor, the 'Durrell-Miller Letters: 1935-80' tells a story in its own right of the lives of two great friends, who met over a book and stayed the course for the next forty-five years.

In these pages we find Durrell, always in exile no matter where he has chosen to settle, be it England, Corfu, Cyprus, Argentinia, Yugoslavia, Egypt or France, writing to Miller, an American first abroad in Paris then returned to the United States, to New York and eventually to Big Sur, where he was to live for most of the rest of his life. Over the course of the letters a remarkable friendship blossomed, one which withstood the tests of distance and age with remarkable fortitude, and which only death eventually ended. The letters are often exuberant, coarse, and amusing; they chronicle the developing literary and personal fortunes of two remarkable men: one the author of some of the most controversial books of the twentieth century, the other author of the much-praised Alexandria Quartet, as well as countless volumes of poetry, drama, and travel writing.

Introduced and annotated by Ian MacNiven, Durrell's official biographer, and completed two years before Durrell's death in 1990, this volume is a marvellous addition to the library of any reader of either Durrell or Miller, or anyone who appreciates seeing at first hand the inner workings of rare and unique minds.

This is just the book to have on the kitchen counter for quick reference while watching the birdfeeder. It's small, but that's an advantage, especially if you're just starting out with birdwatching (when you don't need to know the difference between 50 types of sparrows, but just what that little brown one is called).

The text gives lots of information about what to feed the birds, their songs, why they got their names, and maps of their summer and winter ranges. The the color illlustrations are great and label all the distinguishing features of the birds.

We have a Peterson's Guide, but Early Birds is the book we always look at!

This is one book on ancient Israel that actually delivers what its title promises. In "The Early History of God" Mark Smith systematically sifts through archaelogical and literary data from Bronze and Iron Age Palestine, the Mediterranean, and Mesopotamia to find the earliest evidence for YHWH, his cult, and his context. Chapters include discussions of YHWH and El, YHWH and Baal, Asherah and asherahs, cultic practices, such as communication with the dead and child sacrifice, at the sites where YHWH was worshiped, as well as a brief discussion of the beginnings of monotheism during the late monarchy. Refreshingly for me, Smith frames his argument on available evidence, not on wishful thinking, and the result is provocative and stimulating. The long introduction to this new edition covers the debate that has gone on since the book was originally published over ten years ago, and the extensive footnotes are a wealth of information on every side of the discussion. This is the kind of book that helps keep scholarship in good repute. Don't wait to read it!

Anyone who has ever looked at the night sky, has probably spent some time examining the moon and how it waxes and wanes across the sky. In this book, the author and artist of numerous astronautical, astronomical and science-friction illustrations and texts, examines the latest scientific findings and theories about our nearest planetary body. A significant portion of the book covers the latest and most accepted theory regarding the creation of the moon and its impact on the formation of the Earth. The book also outlines the latest theories on the evolution of life on our planet and the geology of the planet, past, present and future. The book concludes with a brief examination of the current state of the Earth and the manned and unmanned exploration of the moon.

While this book is geared towards teenagers, most adults would definitely learn something as well. By the way, I found this book in my library's adult section.

This is one of those rare gems that you find once in a great while. For the person who in serious about their personal prayer life this book is a must have. Father Bunge critiques the problems of modern Catholic prayer and lays out a plan for individual prayer and shows the basis on the early church fathers. This is an informative and practical book! I highly recommend it.

This book is great if you never used the Internet before. It's easy to read and use, and the step-by-step approach goes into each step in detail.

I've read many diet & nutrition books over the years, looking for help in overcoming my life-long battle with excess weight. This book finally did it for me! While the eating program included in the book is similar to other healthy, low-fat diets, it was the REST of the book which got me inspired. Using a series of questionnaires, Wiatt guides the reader to an identification of his or her own "eating personality." The premise is that different personality types face different challenges to healthy eating, and need to structure their diets accordingly to succeed. This book is fun to read, and quite compelling. I not only enjoyed the read, but I've also enjoyed putting the plan into action...the first diet I've ever been on that doesn't FEEL like a diet!

An excellent book for the principles of ecology, especially community and population ecology. Provides an introduction to all the basic concepts in ecology and reviews all the milestone studies in the field. Further, it indicates recent trends in research in the field. The language has been kept simple and equations listed are explained very well. Graphs, pictures and diagrams support the the text and useful in enlightening the reader on key concepts. I would say that it is currently the best text book available in ecology for students and ecologists