Where Kaplan's "Coral Reefs" manages to take a difficult field guide topic and conquer it, "Southeastern and Caribbean Seashores" Takes an impossible task and muddles it. I don't know what the people at Peterson's Field Guides was thinking! The topic is far to broad to include in one book, and Kaplan seems to try and make it broader. He includes coral reefs and things distinctly NOT on the shore as well as including topics already in other field guides. I do NOT want to belittle Kaplan (whom I enjoy) or Peterson's (who I think makes the best mass consumption field guides available) but unless you really need it, I would stay away from this book. It does win points for it's illustrations and Kaplan's knowledge and writing style.

I have taken Kaplan's field guide to seashores to Florida Keys, the Bahamas, the USVI, The BVI, Bonaire, Puerto Rico, Jamaica and Curacao, and have found the book to be indispensible. No matter which island, each seashore seemed familiar, and with a little judicious reading beforehand,I understood whatever natural phenomena I saw, from snorkelling in the shallows to walking the rocky shore to crawling around the red mangrove roots. I would no sooner leave this field guide home when I go to the Carribbean or Florida, than leave home my Michelin Guide to Europe when I go there. I recommend the Field Guide to Seashores to all nature lovers and snorkelers who want to make the best of their trip to the the Caribbean or Florida.

This is the fourth novel, chronologically, in the Richard DeLancey series. The first, "The Guernseyman," covered the beginning of his career in the Royal Navy. The next two, "Devil to Pay" and "The Fireship," covered his service as a lieutenant. The present novel starts with his promotion to command the sloop Merlin in early 1799 after serving 16 years as a lieutenant. Some officers were promoted due to connections and influence (see Frederick Marryat's "Frank Mildmay or the Naval Officer"), some by surviving and being at the right place when someone was needed (see Frederick Hoffman's "A Sailor of King George"), and some like the fictional DeLancey or Forester's Horatio Hornblower for exceptional action against the enemy.

The Merlin is assigned to dreary convoy duty and carrying dispatches, but eventually sees action with the fleet at Malta in the capture of Valletta (see Showell Styles "The Malta Frigate" for more details about Malta). That is followed by further action and a brief meeting with Commander Lord Cochrane. DeLancey makes a side excursion which takes him to a slave market on the North African coast, before eventually arriving at Gibraltar in time for Rear Admiral Saumarez's attack against the combined French and Spanish fleets in July 1801 (a fictional account of that action will also be found in Patrick O'Brien's "Master and Commander," where he has replaced the real life Cochrane with the fictional Aubrey). Ordered home to England, DeLancey makes a detour for his own profit with some help from his old smuggler friend Sam Carter.

The cover illustration, for unknown reasons, shows what appears to be a single masted cutter which seems to play no part in the story. There are a few technical glitches. The sloop Merlin is described as having 121 men and 24 guns, but later is said to have 9 men in each gun crew.

As an added note, W. P. Gosset's "The Lost Ships of the Royal Navy" shows Commander Lord Cockrane's brig sloop Speedy was captured by the French fleet under Rear Admiral Linois on 3 July 1801, and taken into Algeciras two days before the British attack on the anchored ships on 5 July 1801 during which the Hannibal was lost.

This is the 3rd book in the Richard Delancy series by Parkinson. I had heard of these books for several years but until recently was not able to obtain one. Most of the action takes place in the Mediterranean Sea in 1799. Delancy, Captain of the sloop HMS Merlin, is sent on several escort missions, and encounters Lord Cochrane and his ship the sloop Speedy. Cochrane tries to enlist his aid in a little ambush of French sloops raiding British commerce...Not as epic in proportion to other books of this genre, but by all means a most excellent read.

I found Ellison's stories to be concise, entertaining and insightful. "Wet Wonders", the novel, in particular is a good read. It's an insider's peek at merchant marine life.
I was taken by the opening vivid image a newly enlisted Merchant Marine walking past the massive bow of the "Annabel Lee". It felt like an omen of something overwhelming on the horizon: a great way to set the stage for the bigger that life event about to happen.

In "Wet wonders" I liked how Ellison used the backdrop of life on board a merchant ship to explore the human condition. The parallel of huge decisions made by the leaders of nations and the seemingly insignificant personal choices of his main characters fascinated me. Though seemingly insignificant, Ellison hints to how these choices weighed heavily on their personal futures and fortunes.

The choice of action, as well as a caution to the consequences of non-action, is a reoccurring theme in his short stories as well. Ellison makes a good argument for the idea that freewill isn't a state of mind but an action. I would highly recommend this book.

I found Ellison's stories to be concise, entertaining and insightful. "Wet Wonders", the novel, in particular is a good read. It's an insider's peek at merchant marine life.
I was taken by the opening vivid image a newly enlisted Merchant Marine walking past the massive bow of the "Annabel Lee". It felt like an omen of something overwhelming on the horizon: a great way to set the stage for the bigger that life event about to happen.

In "Wet wonders" I liked how Ellison used the backdrop of life on board a merchant ship to explore the human condition. The parallel of huge decisions made by the leaders of nations and the seemingly insignificant personal choices of his main characters fascinated me. Though seemingly insignificant, Ellison hints to how these choices weighed heavily on their personal futures and fortunes.

The choice of action, as well as a caution to the consequences of non-action, is a reoccurring theme in his short stories as well. Ellison makes a good argument for the idea that freewill isn't a state of mind but an action. I would highly recommend this book

This was a pretty good book. I liked how that was all based around a seven day cruise in the Caribbean. The plot was about how Amos Binder and Dunc win a contest, and win a cruise. Next, they are watching the news and it says two thieves are onboard. Some screw up happened and the two boys have the thieve's luggage, and the thieves want it back. Overall I enjoyied this book. It was well written.

It's extremely cool when Amos and Dunc jump out their window risking their lives to get to the captain's ball. It was pretty cool.

A beautiful book of poetry that speaks to your heart and soul.

if you like any of rucker's books and want to know more about him this is an excellent choice. i havn't read the poem section tho. sometimes forgot it was nonfiction (just love that rudy). on the zig-zag scale, it scores an unprecedented slo-burning kut-kornered 9!

In the style of Howard Chappell (but more readable), this book provides a thorough history of American steamships which plied Atlantic waters from the "Savannah" in 1819 to the "Guiding Star" in 1870. Numerous lines plans, rigging plans, and black and white artwork reproductions bring these pioneering ships back to life. Exhaustive research is well presented and the reader would be hard pressed to come up with questions which are not already answered. In addition to describing the development of the hull and rigging, this volume includes much hard-to-find information regarding the steam boilers and engines. This volume is a must for the hard-core amateur marine history affeccionado. This excellent book would easily earn five stars were it not for the abominable editting - numerous typographic errors are temporarily distracting but do not detract from the reference value of this work.

I was one of the scientists whose work was featured in the book. It will give all readers an idea of the difficulities and rewards of research in the arctic. The figures are wonderful and the text informative and interesting and will instill an appreciation and wonder for this unique environment.

K.N. Chadhuri is an economic historian whose "Asia Before Europe: Economy and Civisation of the Indian Ocean from the Rise of Islam to 1750" is a 434 page detailed study of the Indian Ocean trading network during the millenium preceding its fall under European hegemony. It further develops the thesis he first presented in his 1985 book, "Trade and Civilisation in the Indian Ocean from the Rise of Islam to 1750." In that earlier work he presents the argument that "Asia" is a word of European origin with little real meaning other than tthat it refers to the non-European part of the vast Eurasian landmass and that the Indian Ocean basin is the real unifier and transmitter of cultural exchange and integration. In this work he refers to Fernand Braudel's work on the Mediterranean basin economy and Chaudhuri extends that methodology to the Indian Ocean. Just as Braudel insisted that the Mediterranean economy extended to, influenced, and even included subsidiary areas as far north as the Baltic and as far south as the saharan Sahel; Chaudhuri includes the economies of East Africa (inadequately treated), the East Indies, Malaya (Malacca), and the subcontinent, but he does not stop there. He insists that the "isthmus" of the Middle East, South China and even the Silk Road and North China are as related to the Indian Ocean as the Braudel's Baltic was to the Mediterranean. He then discusses in some detail the societies, clothing, agriculture, nomadism, industry, and urban areas; devoting a full chapter to each. He discusses the uniqueness of each area and the exchanges with copious use of primary sources. All this is done to prove that the Indian Ocean economy was dependent upon the tacit cooperation of Dar al-Islam and the Hindu and Buddhist states; and that commerce was the driving force that made the local economies prosperous, expansive and efficiently developing. He posits that the European incursion stifled this exchange and Europe's disruption, ignorance and violent arrogance made the basin prone to conquest. He concludes that European hegemony resulted in the area's relative poverty.

We've been reading this book for over two years - my four year old still requests it at bed time. He is very interested in those sea slugs, periwinkles, and anemones - so perhaps the Horn review missed the point, it is for kids isn't it? and it is also written by a 12 year old. There are some fun sea creature facts and vivid illustrations!!! :)