My wife and I had a lot of fun reading this book - the author has a real appreciation of people of all stripes, and a good sense of humor. We visited a lot of weird and wonderful places in Arkansas a few years ago, but now it's obvious that Missouri has even more wackiness to offer.

This is a great read: not only does it give practical advice for the MO tourist wishing to stray from the beaten path, it's also a great read for anyone interested in reading a bunch of darn good stories. Highly recommended.

I liked the book. Its packed full of useful information. I'm a hobby gardener, not an expert and I found lots of useful hints. I'm sure I'll be able to follow the steps. Charts are used to give the reader find condensed information on specific plants. Its not a book of pretty pictures but the layout is easy to read and the pages are attractive. At first, I was surprised at the use of "Brand names" but decided that recommendations are always welcome and I can always find substitutes if I want to. I have only one complaint. There's no index. I saw some information on mildew but spent over an hour trying to locate it again. The table of contents is helpful in a general way but the book would be more useful if it were indexed. I'm going to have to use bookmarks to mark things I'm interested in - there are lots of those.

This book presents month-by-month plans for growing your garden in Illinois. It gives tips on such activities as planting, pruning, fertilizing, and so much more. The plans are organized into categories, including annuals, bulbs, herbs, vegetables, houseplants, lawns, perennials, roses, shrubs and trees. I love this book, and recommend it wholeheartedly!

Funny, well written, and very complete

Nina's book goes far beyond the "where to eat, where to shop, where to stay" standard of so many guides. It talks about the shipwrecks of Lake Superior, the geological landscape, rivers and waterfalls, outdoor activities (including curling and watching the stars) and where to locate the nearest liquor store! It is obvious that she loves her neighborhood, and this book helps you to explore more than the surface. A must read for anyone headed up Highway 61 - and a great gift for those who live there.

This memoir of service with the First Minnesota recounts the sojourn of James Wright, from Red Wing, Minnesota through the battle of Gettysburg. Wright wrote the book long after his service, and his over-long monograph sat in the Minnesota Historical Society until edited and published in this book. The book starts as a slow read, but picks up and eventually begins to mesmerize the reader.

Think of any major event of the day -- September 11th in New York, for example. How valuable will first person accounts be? A first person account of a major past event is very interesting for the details, the feel, the point of view.

Company F was Wright's home. He missed the famous charge of the First Minnesota at Gettysburg, as his Company was off to the side suffering severe casualties of their own during the battle. The story is as grand, even with this "missed" moment.

The editing is good, and preserves the author's tone. The book could have been even shorter, but with some effort during the opening chapters, the reader is well rewarded.

I was pleasantly surprised at the quality and content of this book. The author is Sergeant Wright of Co. F, First Minnesota Regiment. His writing is excellent. The editor has chosen to primarily include first person accounts while excluding most of the post war years analysis that often creep into such accounts.

This book so effectively complements "The Last Full Measure - The Life and Death of the First Minnesota Volunteers" by Richard Moe. The Moe book uses first person accounts though it focuses on the broader picture. This book, written by a soldier, effectively details the life of the soldier - including day to day activities from finding food, water, and shelter to the incredible hardships of the march and battle.

The First Minnesota Regiment fought in most of the civil war eastern battles from 1861-1863. It is noted for the highest union casualties at First Bull Run, as well as the highest casualties of any union regiment in the war (80%) at Gettysburg. The regiment has a brief appearance in the 2002 motion picture "Gods and Generals" - I was there for the filming although waiting to see the final production - fall 2002.

The book also contains interesting events not in the Moe book including a great chapter detailing the time in New York city during the draft riots and the eventful winter trip back to Minnesota.

If you live in or around the prairie areas of Oklahoma, you probably know about the diverse conditions we have and how difficult your gardening can be. Well, here's the answer. Given to me by my landscaping brother at Christmas, the Oklahoma Gardener's Guide : The What, Where, When, How & Why of Ornamental Gardening in Oklahoma has been very helpful to me, a novice gardener at best. Full of ideas about trees, shrubs, vines and flowers, it helped me decide what would work in my landscape. "A-Ha" was my expression as I quickly discovered why things I had tried in the past had failed. Easy to understand and accompanied by full-color thumbnail pictures, it gave me a blueprint to go by. I even carried my bookmarked copy to the nursery when I picked out new spring plants and trees. The bottom line... it works. Now I'm planting with success. This Oklahoma author has done his homework. You should benefit from it.

I just moved into my first house with a yard and now have to figure out how to take care of it. This book was heavily recommended by the local nurseries, friends and the county extension office. I now know why. It has nice, although small, color pictures of all the plants the author highlights. I really appreciate the author's willingness to speak his mind about certain plants and techniques. It's also very good that the book is specific to Oklahoma since many books spend time on plants that just can not handle red clay, 110 degree summers, drought, 10 degree winters and steady 25 mph winds - and that's just the months of September and October!

The book is a great reference although I ended up reading it cover to cover. It's very easy even for me to understand. It has a fine index for finding things later. The only complaint, and it is minor, is the size of the photographs. They are only thumbnail sized and kind of tough to see. But, I have other books that give me good pictures for cross-reference.

This book together with Heat Zone Gardening are my main references.

In an age when one is quick to act, our causes often loss energy, no matter how important the issues at hand are. Be prepared and be ready for the changes that need to be made. Read this once or twice and always keep it handy. I often review it after meetings or when I need to think of a way to empower the people.

This book is based on the organizing model of the Midwest Center for Labor research, but could be useful in any type of organizing -- from citizen's groups to national policy campaigns. The book takes you through a step-by-step organizing model that helps you to define your goals, choose an issue and think of strategies and tactics for accomplishing your goals. It contains many worksheets that would be useful for group decision-making processes. Unlike most organizing manuals, this one is clear, concise, and very helpful

The format of this good looking book is very useful: each plant on a page, with a facing page picture. Haggard isn't trying to be exhaustive, but point out the 100 of so perennials he has found work best in the Lower Midwest. As such, its very useful, and has been a major resource for my garden. Each page is well written so it doesn't feel like a boring reference work. He still manages to get the information on sun, soil and water needs for every plant. It's a bit dated now, there are newer varieties that might work better. But still, for a beginning gardener, this is the place to start. One note, this book doesn't contain roses or shrubs, but his newest book tackles them.

I found this book to be very informative and well organized. I have found few books that address gardening for the lower midwest ( I live in Southeast Missouri). While this book addresses only perennials, it is worth adding to your gardening library if you live in this area

The author manages to make his various topics (glaciers and their effects on our world here in Ohio, development of flora and fauna of the region through history, etc.)very accessible to the lay person. He has a sense of humour about nature and a beautifully descriptive eye.

Sherman's excellent book was recommended to me by a colleague while I was preparing to teach a college course in bioregional biographies, and it is clearly the best I've seen. His rendering of geological, botanical, and biological information is both lucid and lyrical, and--unlike David Raines Wallace, whose Klamath Knot is also a wonderful model of this sort of writing--Sherman needs no incidental narrative device to hold the layers of deep history together. Mr. Sherman is a gifted writer and naturalist, and A Place on the Glacial Till is clearly a classic of natural history writing.

For someone born and raised in the neighborhood that now surrounds this once country home of Rubber Baron F.A. Seiberling, this book is a wonderful rememberance of one of America's fine castles.

The Foreword is written by John F. Seiberling, F.A.'s grandson, who spend his childhood growing up on the estate. He provides a wonderful account of the history of this family home which is interwoven with old family photos.

Steve Love's text provides a wonderful account of the house and it's history. For us neighbors, Love sets some of the myths we had learned about the house and contents straight. He provides us not with the story of a house but the tale of a family and their home. Love also paints a picture of very wealthy man who had not forgotten respect for nature he learned as a boy growing up on a nearby farm and as a man who shared prosperity with his workers as he employed his landscape architect to lay out communities for his workers as well as his executives. Seiberling's contribution to the Akron area in parks and community planning have shaped much of the area today. It seems only proper, upon FA's passing at 95, the community gathered to for the Foundation which has kept this estate intact and preserved it's beauty for us to share.

Photographers Ian Adams and Barney Taxel take us on a pictorial tour of the estate and choose to organize their work by the seasons. This seasonal account continues to present the estate as more than a building but as a family home capturing the beauty of the fabulous landscape throughout the year. The colors and clarity of their work captures this marvelous old home at it's very best. We see the inside and outside in great detail,thus sharing the spendor of this great manor.

This book should be a required reading for all Ohio school children as part of required Ohio history studies. For those who enjoy history of the industrialists of the last century this is a delightful read. For those those who have an appreciation for architecture, interior design and landscaping, this book capture the essence of this home. This book can prepare one for a visit to the estate, serve as a keepsake for those who have been there, or provide a tour to those who don't have a chance to visit our neighborhood.

This book perpetuates the Seiberling family motto - Non Nobis Solum (Not for us alone) as this wonderful photographic and verbal account of this family home serves to further share the beauty of this magnificent estate with all who read.

This is an outstanding book that describes a beautiful mansion and archtectural treasure in terms of the family that built it, lived in it, enjoyed it, shared it, and ultimately saved it. The photography is excellent and the story of the family - with its ups & downs - fascinating.

I've never been to Tower Grove Park in St. Louis, though after reading this book I feel I know it well. Robert Knittel reminds his readers of the joys and rewards of walking for pleasure, stopping to observe and breathe in details, taking detours recommended by a curious canine guide (the author's airdale Herb believes in taking the trails less traveled). In this fast-paced world, we need guides like this, which encourage us not to squeeze all the top sites into one frantic touring afternoon, but to savor and discover our most familiar surroundings through the seasons.

While this book is about 20 years old it tells a good story about Tower Grove Park. This park is one of only four in the Unitrd States designated as a national historical park. At the present time the park is being restored and new trees being added. With this,new walks are being established and will be known as the Discovery Forest. The Discovery Forest is being dedicated on 16 April 1999 and Mr.Knittel has been invited to participate.