This book is awesome! It gives easy to identify fish types and even gives you diagrams and pictures. I found this book very helpful in identifying the different types of fish I was catching and eating!Also the facts are amazing! I was greatly intriqued to hear the fastest and largest fish.

A terrific collection of stories and tales and poems about the sea, from all the usual suspects plus some you might not have thought of--Thoreau, for example, on the wreak of an immigrant ship, or Langston Hughes on his trip on an old cargo ship to Africa--and some you won't have read but really should--like Fanny Kemble's diary notes on her trip "over" to the new world, and what the weather was like, how the food was, who she met and what they spoke of . . . this is a magnificant collection of American authors.

I read this collection of interrelating stories straight through with fascination -- couldn't put it down! The author's stories, starting with Pearl Harbor, then weaving through his varied medical career both in and out of the military, on through and beyond Vietnam, are each a gem of objective journaling.

Being a military retiree, I thoroughly enjoyed re-living experiences recounted by the author, which in many ways parallel my own as a retired military officer. This is a book I highly recommend, both for its historical content over a critical 50 year period, the insight it offers regarding a physician's life, and, especially, for the entertainig style in which it is written.

As a 1st Grade teacher, I have a wide range of reading and handwriting abilities. Keeping them all motivated can be a challenge. I have yet to meet a child, however, who will not jump at the chance to draw. I have the Draw Write Now series and am anxiously awaiting Book 7. No matter what the child's level, they can experience instant success in this program. The step-by-step directions are clear and easily understood. I find that after the writing and drawing, the students are motivated to extend their lesson with other reading and writing experiences, as well as with a variety of art projects.

This classic masterpiece deserved reprinted more than anything else and it is done with an excellent expansion, especially on narrated accounts of travellers and geographers of the time. Inside you'll find an interesting correlation proposed between Islamic trading activities and their mastery of the Indian Ocean, its height and downfall until the 1000 AD. Buy it, especially if you're an Indonesian Muslim.

This short book written by the nephew of K offers some beautiful and very sincere reflexions about Krishnamurti.

As the 20th century draws to a close, the Asia-Pacific region is establishing itself as a leading economic powerhouse. Half a millennium ago, the world's economic centre shifted from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. Today, it has moved again; this time to the Asia-Pacific region. Asia Pacific: Its Role in the New World Disorder provides a contemporary insight into a much misunderstood region. The Asia-Pacific region, according to M.S. Dobbs-Higginson, includes China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, India, Brunei, Indochina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, and excludes Canada, the United States, Mexico and Latin America. With the passing of the Cold War and of the superpower rivalry since World War II, we are now grappling with "a completely new set of operating conditions that most people haven't really begun to comprehend the ramifications, either in political or, more importantly, in economic terms." The circumstances facing the region in the 1990s and beyond will be different from those encountered in the past. The region must therefore respond and adapt to changing circumstances by embracing new and innovative measures. Basing his views on the history, culture and politics, rather than on the economics, of the countries in the region, Dobbs-Higginson colours them with his Buddhist philosophy of balance. He sees the world "in terms of whether or not it is balance .... Everything one does, or the world does, affects and is also affected by whether the world, and oneself within it, is in a state of balance or not. Unless one understands oneself within oneself, oneself within the world, and then the world around one, how can one possibly achieve this balance in order to live (and work) effectively? Without proper balance, considerable energy needs to be used either to compensate for such imbalance or to attempt to achieve such balance .... with proper balance, considerable energy is freed up and can be used productively for achieving other, more rewarding, internal and external goals of both a spiritual and worldly nature." Dobbs-Higginson provides an historical overview of each country's business culture. He intertwines anecdotal asides with bold analyses of the political and social developments over the recent years, and outlining each country's strengths and weaknesses. Besides developing a detailed argument on how and why the countries of the region should come together to create a regional forum, he alludes to the reasons each country would benefit from supporting such a forum and the consequences of not doing so. He believes that Southeast Asian countries, especially Asean countries, will play a catalytic role in uniting the region in the future. With the end of communism and the fading away of opposing ideologies, and increased communication amongst countries within the region, opportunities for co-operation have become wider. Dobbs-Higginson demonstrates how much each country can benefit by participating in a union with the rest of the region. The best way for Asia to present a common voice and be heard in the world on matters related to trade, security and human-rights issues is to construct a structure similar to that of the European Union. "Trade liberalisation, essential though it is, is not enough in itself ... There must be some other political dynamics as well. There should be fundamental cooperation in regional security, but also in many other fields. Asia Pacific needs permanent institutions to guarantee the future: a rotating presidency, perhaps some form of parliament, a council of ministers, a secretariat, and a structure for dealing with legal disputes." These structures could emanate from ASEAN, which he believes is the region's most mature political organisation. Dobbs-Higginson reiterates that Asia could forge this integration because of two distinct reasons: growing economic linkages, especially intra-regional trade, and common cultural heritage. Though Asia is divided by language, religion, culture, belief and past animosity, it is nevertheless united by common historical experiences and shared values and social institutions. Such differences may not be as profound, but they nevertheless exist. Differences should be grounds for unity more than divisiveness: "... the countries in this area are too diverse, too hostile to one another, and too geographically separated ever to come together as a coherent regional force. However, it is not often recognised that far from being divided, the region's peoples have benefited from a gradual blending of ethnic groups over the last two millenniums .... Despite their variety, the religions and other philosophical beliefs of Asia Pacific share the same ideas of kinship, discipline, tolerance, and death .... Although there still remain significant barriers of understanding and there are many different national objectives, far less now divides Asia Pacific than ever before." He identifies these changes and suggests how remaining barriers are eroding in such a way that some of these national objectives have or will become common ones soon. Dobbs-Higginson does not fall short when it comes to argumentation and recommendations; not only does he raise crucial questions, he also thinks them through thoroughly. A more contemporary analysis of the Asia-Pacific region couldn't have come at a better time than now, when economic prowess, not military might, are the determinants of national strength.

Even if this book is currently somewhat harder to come by, this is definitely the book to read if you want insight in this all-important part of WW II as well as an eminently readable book. Mr. Van der Vat's background as a journalist clearly shows, as well as his and his wife's thorough research on the subject. One of the few of my history books that stands re-reading without losing its grip.

The mix of geography, social studies and environmental science is wonderful. The book starts the reader out in Maine and ends up down in Florida. It covers rocky coasts, sandy beaches, estuary, salt marshes and coral reefs. The material is age 9-12 age appropriate while using the appropriate vocab; such as organism, habitat, biological community etc. The information will prepare, (introduce), the student for 8th grade science. The bits of information are teasers to learn more. "Fewer oysters are able to filter less water. The bay [Chesapeake] once held enough oysters to filter its water in three to six days. The oysters that live in the bay today would take more than a year to do so." How do they do that? Read another book to find out.

The volume lists, by nation, all the famous and not so famous trans-Atlantic liners from 1900 till the last of her kind, the QE 2. Information such as ship size, maiden voyage dates, builders, last know dispostion , etc is given for each vessel.