This book is a great guide to the many rivers I have spent time on in Michigan. It is not going to put you on the honey-holes, but it will provide you with good maps and the right strategies to have a sucessful day on the river. It also provides area business #'s, which I have found helpful on several occassions. Jim Bedford knows what he is taking about. Great investment.

Being fairly new to fly fishing for trout, I was looking for some help in where to go and what to use so I would not have to start from scratch. Jim has obviously been there and done that. His tips, techniques, and sites are outstanding. This book is a must for anyone getting started and a great asset to those who are looking for additonal information. Thank you for sharing your experiences in such a great book.

I have lived in Minnesota for 23 years and grew up on the border in Grand Forks, North Dakota. As a kid, our family vacationed annually in Minnesota's lake country around Walker. So I have been fishing in Minnesota since before I can remember. With that in mind, I think Johnson has come up with a great book.

There is a good balance of waters and fishing opportunities described that will be useful to out of state visitors and Minnesotans alike. Johnson has included everything from the giant muskie lakes like Leech to small brook trout streams like Gribben Creek. Usually flyfishing books and articles only pay attention to the Southeastern Minnesota trout streams. But Johnson points out good opportunities for bass, panfish, northern and other species.

The organization of the book is easy to use and handy for fishermen on the road. The lakes and streams are presented by region with a good sampling of waters. Two or three big name waters are described for each region, followed by a handful of less well known waters. The waters in each chapter are within easy driving distances of each other so you could try them all out if you had a few days and set up camp near one of the hub towns.

Reading the summary of the waters that I have fished, the information is accurate and there are a lot of good tips, but neither has Johnson given away the store on all of the best opportunities available. So people scared that their favorite spots have been given away can rest easy.

Mickey Johnson's Flyfisher's Guide To Minnesota is 447 pages of detailed information about Minnesota lakes, rivers, fish, and accommodations designed specifically for the angler. Featured are more than 120 lake and river maps revealing lake depths, river access, campsites, and areas of special interest, as well as hatch charts, stream facts, and even recommended flies! There is a wealth of practical, trip-planning information on hotels, motels, campgrounds, fly shops, restaurants, campgrounds, car repair and rental resources, hospitals, airports, and more! Whether in search of Minnesota's walleye, large- or small-small mouth bass, northern pike, panfish, muskellunge, trout, or salmon, Flyfisher's Guide To Minnesota will prove an invaluable reference for a successful trip.

I don't fish at all, but this book made me understand why someone would want to. Even if you aren't interested in fishing, the author gives wonderful descriptions of the backwaters of the state. Canoers and hikers will find this book of use. The author obviously has a deep love for nature and the places in this book, and it is very infectious.

An enormous book. It's certain to become the de facto fishing guide for the state, and not just for fly fishing (though that is the main focus). The author covers just about every puddle and stream (he's obviously done his research). Amazingly, it's actually quite an entertaining read: well laid out, with good area maps and illustrations, nice photos and pretty good tips on where to stay, eat etc. along with the occasional anecdote by the author. If you need a guide book for a trip to Wisconsin then this is without question the one to get.

This book is very usefull when visiting Chicago with kids. It has neat ideas and places to go with kids, apart from the traditional Chicago highlights. It made our stay very fun and interesting, we really recommend it!

I found this book to be MOST helpful in planning a visit to the Windy City with my children, ages 5 and 9. The book lists over sixty activities found in and around Chicago, and includes prices, age appropriateness, hours, phone numbers, and even kid-friendly eateries in the area. I recommend this book to anyone traveling with children. It is also a great gift idea if you have family or friends living in the Chicago area. Happy Traveling!

This book is fantastic! I love how it is written in short stories/memories. It makes for an easy read leaving you with anticipation for the next memory. I borrowed it from the library (Cicero, Indiana). I loved it as I stated before but am going to buy a copy for my Father-in-Law who also grew up during the depression on a small farm in northern Indiana. I'm sure he will enjoy it much, much more than I and will recall fond memories for him as well. He is in his 80's and is still living in the house where he was born and farming the farm. The author is brilliant is his writing!

Hi Uncle Bill. I loved the book. I had it read it within 3 days. I could not put it down after I started it. I can not wait for the next book to come out that you write. Love, Lori LaFollette (Rensberger)

This book gives general principles of gardens with prairie plants, examples of actual gardens, a few plans and lots of information on specific plants. The information on the plants is the highlight of the book. The plans that they show are excellent.

[Gardening with Prairie Plants by Sally Wasowski], Native Plant Society of Texas News, 20 (March April 2002): 5.

Convincing people that native flora are ideal for their home landscape should be easy. Colorful native plants flower as early as late February and continue to bloom until late June. After a respite during the intense heat and withering drought of summer, a riot of blossoms emerge again from September until the first frost of late autumn. Few gardens comprised of commercially popular non-native plants can compete with the duration of such a showy display. And few can match the low maintenance, the reduced water requirements, and the environmental benefits of native-flora horticulture.

Sally Wasowski's latest book, Gardening with Prairie Plants, is aimed at converting skeptics who doubt that native-plant landscapes can make any difference in the world. These are people who argue the futility of trying to reverse the course of things in any given region. In reply, Wasowski points to native-plant landscaping as one way to preserve biodiversity. Biodiversity is like the human auto-immune system; it provides an eco-system with the means for successfully adjusting to disruptive new conditions.
Wasowski has a good chance of succeeding against the skeptics because her volume-reasonably-priced and readily available in Texas bookstores-is excellently produced. Not only is her well-informed commentary accessible to the average reader, but Andy Wasowski's accompanying color photographs are spectacular. The publisher wisely opted to print large illustrations, and the 241 that appear in Gardening with Prairie Plants prove the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words. Since Texas is a prairie state, there are attractive photos of Brown County, Quitaque, Gruene, Fort Worth and Lubbock, among other Lone Star State locales.

Gardening with Prairie Plants commences with several instructive definitions, such as the difference between short-grass prairies, which tend to be found in dry regions subject to very hot weather, and long-grass prairies, which tend to be found in wet regions subject to very cold weather. But such distinctions can become somewhat more complex, and Wasowski negotiates various qualifications in an easy-to-understand way. Her book then proceeds to consider the design, installation and maintenance of prairie gardens. This section is highlighted by photographs of homes, schools and museums exemplifying successful transitions to native landscaping. The impressive experiment at Selah Ranch in Johnson City is also featured.

Most of Wasowski's book is devoted to plant profiles, which comprise a richly illustrated section of the volume and are accompanied by helpful horticultural data and numerous floral distribution maps. The flowers populating this portion of the book are so appealingly presented that it will be hard for some readers to resist wanting to adopt all of them. Consider, for example, the allure of the beautiful photograph of needle-and-thread (Hesperostipa comata), accompanied by this description: "Needle-and-thread sways in the slightest wind with a motion like water, and the awns have a silvery cast. ... Wind blows the 'needle' onto the soil. The threadlike 5-to-8-inch awn is twisted behind the needle, and as it unwinds, the seed is literally drilled into the soil."

Gardening with Prairie Plants is an admirable work. It will be cherished by anyone devoted to native flora, but it will appeal equally to those who have as yet made only a modest foray into native-plant landscaping. Gardening with Prairie Plants is not only extraordinarily useful, it is also exceptionally beautiful-a lavishly designed book for enthusiast and dreamer alike.

William J. Scheick, a former NPSOT vice-president, is also a member of the Central Texas Horticulture Council and a frequent contributor to Texas Gardener.

This book made tangible the hopes and dreams of the men and women who moved west in search of better lives. Fitzgerald has included maps, photographs and layouts of towns that illustrate the optimism (and in some cases, the deceptiveness) of investors and town founders who hoped to establish new communities. I have lived in Kansas most of my life, but never appreciated why earlier generations moved here, and ultimately why they thrived or failed. Fitzgerald clearly demonstrates how county seats, mines, railroads, rivers, and interstates can save or kill a town. In addition, he has included where to find the town's remains - if there are remains to be found. This book is easy to read in little snippets. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in Kansas history and the history of westward expansion, as well as anyone who enjoys good anecdotes that build connections to those who have come before us.

I know the author personally. As I see above that Joseph W. Snell is listed as designer. Not so. He only did an introductory page. I typed & edited the manuscript. A sequel that is doing just as well is "Faded Dreams, More Ghost Towns of Kansas". Both volumes contain at least 100 old KS towns & histories, with maps and many pictures. Both are of great interest to the western history buff.

Thanks.

In this first volume of "Glaciers Secrets", George Ostrum delights readers with humor, excellent photography, and some very intriguing insight into one of the most beautiful places in the world; Glacier National Park- which he has hiked and explored his entire life. One becomes aware upon reading this book, that there is an emotional connection between the author and his special place. It produces some fun reading, and the adventurous will be prompted to explore the trails of the "Crown of the Continent" for themselves.

This book is thoroughly enjoyable from the first page. Local hero George Ostrom and his trailblazing geezer friends "the Over-the-hill gang", hike to incredibly beautiful places that most of us will never see.

that not that long ago in this country someone was found wandering the streets and there were no means to identify him. How sad that someone had raised him for 16 years and then "lost" him. This is a story about one man's dignity. Unlike a lot of stories involving institutions, it seems as though John encountered an awful lot of caring people employed at these places. I find it interesting that although he learned to communicate with others, he never discussed his past or gave any real clues as to his beginnings.

It's a well written book about a sad subject. I recommend it.

On October 11, 1946, a black boy of indeterminate age was found wandering the streets of Jacksonville, Illinois. When police discovered he was deaf, mute, and suspected to be retarded, he was sent to the Lincoln State School and Colony, a state facility that bore little resemblance to its name. Had he been permitted to stay at the School for the Deaf, his life would have been completely different, but that school was not permitted to take retarded people.
The Lincoln School was a self-contained city having a farm with price-winning cattle and a dairy processing plant. It generated its own power and returned thousands of dollars to the state treasury, thanks to the free labor provided by the residents (really inmates). These people varied from the very severely retarded to those of borderline intelligence. The place was vastly overcrowded, and the pecking order among residents was often established violently.
John Doe, as he was called since they were unable to identify him at all, was given an I.Q. test, but much like any test, if you don't understand the value or importance of the test, there will be little incentive to do well, even assuming you can understand what is expected of you. A special test was used that had been designed for the deaf, but the examiner had difficulty conveying the purpose and instructions for the various tests that were disguised as games or puzzles. John's deafness and inexperience were a huge impediment, and, not surprisingly, he scored very low on the test. This result was to haunt him for years to come. After several unsuccessful escape attempts, John gradually adapted to his surroundings. He had no known relatives so there was no one to claim him nor to send him packages or money that might help alleviate his situation.
By the mid-sixties, thanks in part to JFK's commitment to improving conditions and education for the mentally retarded and an Illinois commission, facilities and conditions were improving at the Lincoln School. John Doe had now been there close to two decades. Unfortunately, it was also the time of Chlorpromazine that the psychiatric profession had discovered could turn unruly or violent patients into virtually catatonic, but untroublesome, individuals. It soon became the drug of choice for nearly everyone in an institution. Despite regular doses, John was becoming one of the best students in the ASL class that had been started for the deaf residents. He became a trustee and was placed in charge of several other patients, helping them to dress and to get ready for the day.
By 1973 the side effects of the drugs began to manifest themselves and John was inflicted with diabetes and glaucoma. In 1975, the Lincoln School was converted into a state prison, and John was sent to the Jacksonville Developmental Center. He was now totally blind, but thanks to a few dedicated individuals, his talents were recognized and he was sent to the Helen Keller School. This provided him with the skills he needed to subsequently live in a series of group homes.
He died a few years later, but to this day no one has still been able to track down his identity.

Home and commercial growers in the Upper Midwest (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and the Dakotas) face major challenges in getting steady crops of quality fruit. Tree fruits, berries, and the like are better adapted to warmer areas. Most commercially available cultivars are not well adapted to the cold climate in and around Minnesota.

In this volume, Gordon combines the history of fruit growing in the area, basics of culture, and hardiness history of major varieties. This last piece of information is not available in any other source I have seen and by itself is worth more than the purchase price of the book to anyone contemplating a new planting of fruit trees, vines, or bushes.

Hardiness information is broken down by regions within each state, providing a more detailed look at the winter survival characteristics than can be gained by USDA hardiness zones alone.

In addition, Gordon provides some interesting historical ancedotes and cultural information. The cultural recommendations are the same as for other parts of the country, by and large, but the information is useful to the beginner.

Don covers all the basics of all fruit varieties you can grow in the upper midwest. A book of reference fro anyone interested in growing an orchard in their yard