This is a wonderful book. I constantly use it as a reference and keep meaning to bring it with me when I go to the nursery. (Otherwise I come home with plants like Larkspur, which look beautiful now, but might not make it through the winter.) It is divided into three sections. The first, Portfolios of Designs is full of plans for every location, sun or shade. The Guide to Installaton shows you how to do everything from making wooden planters, building a retaining wall, creating paths and walkways, to installing a pond. The third section, Plant Profiles, gives descriptions and care information for all of the plants in the designs.

I have only one criticism. Cost doesn't appear to be a factor in any of these designs, most call for dozens of plants. It would be nice if they had a few designs for those on a smaller budget.

I have purchased a great many books on this subject and this is far and away the best. Helpful tips on what plants to put in different conditions, settings and combinations, as well as plans to help get you started. I've used it over and over and have given copies to numerous friends.

This book offers everything a gardener in the northeast needs to easily plan, design, plant, and maintain wonderful landscaping.

The bulk of the book offers design plans--photos & drawings of landscaped areas, together with a description of each of the plants shown and a mapped-out grid to assist you in recreating the design in your own garden. Substitute plantings are suggested, and in most places the design is shown as it appears in different seasons. And the designs are DEFINITELY not difficult to follow! So many gardening books offer plans that I couldn't hope to recreate--this book stands out for its ease of use.

Examples of the twenty-three different designs: 1) Enclosing a patio with foliage & flowers; 2) creating a welcoming walkway to your front door; 3) enhancing your curbside strip; 4) using a two-tier garden to replace a short slope; 5) creating a no-mow slope; 6) creating a shady hideaway; and 7) fitting a formal garden into your backyard.

I planted one of their designs myself--"A Neighborly Corner." I was worried about how to define the corner lot line of my odd-shaped lot, especially since I live in a neighborhood with few fences and no obvious divisions between properties. My next-door neighbors love what I did, and several others have stopped to ask what the various plants are so they can try them in their own gardens.

Even if you don't have large areas to plant, but merely want to fill in holes in your garden or improve the overall look of your property, this book is wonderful. The last 25 pages of the book consist of plant profiles, all of which work wonderfully in the chilly northeast. And there are several sections on designing walkways, building trellises, planting basics, etc.

I found this book to be well worth the price, and several of my neighbors have gone out to buy their own copies after borrowing mine. I've used it over and over and recommend it without hesitation.

Our family has owned a patch of shore/forest land in Wisconsin for 20 years although none have been birders. With this disk we easily learned to identify species and discovered the diversity that we never noticed previously. The call/naming/call format of this disk is excellent for new birders and the numbers of species covered is ideal. I use the Stokes disk set as a reference but the name/call format and large number species covered does not facilitate learning the calls.

John Feith's Bird Song Ear Training Guide is a unique and impressive CD audiobook providing instructions on how to recognize songs of birds common to the states of the Midwest and Northeast (including Wisconsin where almost all the bird songs were recorded and the post-production work was done). Each distinctive bird song is followed by a mnemonic or a short description. The bird is identified and a review sound is played again that fixes the song's identity in the mind of the listener. The Bird Song Ear Training Guide is enhanced with a quiz format which will aid the listener to focus on learning how to identify the bird songs. A complete list of bird species and mnemonics is included in an insert. All profits from this enthusiastically recommended CD instructional for birdwatchers will go to the Nature Conservancy and the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology.

Actually you'll find it useful and accurate too. Fun to use, lots of songs, and my two feline birders went bananas. Who would know better? Good value for the money and the proceeds go to a good cause.

No mere Peterson field guide, this scholarly work is a concise encyclopedia of all the trees native to the northeastern United States, with descriptions that can truly be used to tell them apart (a unique feat). Belongs in the backpack of any hiker who wants to learn trees. Fits in a half-gallon Ziploc. Remember you need a magnifying glass and a sharp knife to use the book properly.

As a wetland delineator in PA, this book proves invaluable for field identification of trees, shrubs, and vines. Especially useful is are the keys for identification of these plants in winter when leaves and fruiting bodies are non-existant. I have several other tree books for reference, but they rarely are worth carting along in the field now that I have this book. I highly recommend it.

Follows the fine tradition of Peterson Field Guides. Enough said.

"Native Son" was great, barring the party-line that marred the last third. "Black Boy" haunts. His existential stuff is first-rate. But.... But here is Mr. Wright's best. We find here the story of poor Fishbelly, whose father holds the highest position possible for the Mississippi oppressed at the time: undertaker. The events that overtake him strike the reader across the face as rudely as those in previous novels; the civilized are outraged. Read this in the name of liberty.

The Long Dream is one of those forgotten novels by a great writer. But it shouldn't be. It's a mature novel and deals with the reality and futility of being a black man in the Jim Crow south. I think the other reviewer describes the story well, but I just want to add some weight to the reviews for a VERY hidden classic!

Wow! What a book. The book was written so percisely that I felt that I was reading a true story. I felt that the characters were real people facing racism in the south during the 1940's. I read his first novel Native Son and loved it! I just happened across this book (The Long Dream) and decided to try it out. I'm so glad I did. Although this was a book of fiction, it was written in such a way that it made you believe that it was a true story. Fishbelly, the main character dealt with the inner struggle of hatred toward white people and people of his own race. He watched how his father bent his knees, dropped his shoulders and shuffle his feet when talking to white people. Fishbelly felt his father was coward for acting that way in front of whites, therefore, hating his father for acting so cowardly, and hating white people for having that kind of power over black people. His father tells him that "A black man's a dream, son, a dream that can't come true." Only later when Fishbelly was falsely accused of raping a white woman did he realize why his father behaved the way he did. The plot thickens at the turning of each page. This book is well worth taking the time to read, you won't regret it.

Natural Landscaping is an essential resource for anyone interested in landscaping with native plants. The importance of learning to use native plants is so important as we face continuing droughts in various parts of the country, including here in Williamsburg, VA. The book is so full of information that I find myself going back to it often. Many thanks to the authors for this fine volume.

Now in an updated and expanded second edition, Natural Landscaping: Designing With Native Plant Communities by licensed architect and landscaping authority John Diekelmann and natural plan restoration expert Robert Schuster is a fascinating, "user friendly" instructional guide on basic landscaping principles, as well as cogent, authoritative advice on how to restore wetlands and introduce native plant species for wetlands, grasslands, forests, and more. Black-and-white photographs as well as an inset section of color plates wonderfully illustrate this meticulous, fact-filled, professional quality, highly recommended "how-to" guide for anyone aspiring to enhance or restore native plant communities.

I have the 1982 edition of this book - I stumbled across it and have been amazed ever since that such a book was written in 1982 before this approach to gardening/landscaping was popular.
It is tailored to the midwest, but the technical solidity and sound design concepts should apply anywhere.

In Separate by Degree, Prof. Miller-Bernal brings to life the history of women's higher education at different institutions. The various approaches to educating women and the changes along the way are presented in a well-rounded manner and make for interesting reading. A lot of ground is covered here and some hallowed halls of learning get tough scrutiny. Insightful, well-written and pertinent for many different kinds of readers, I recommend this book. As a Wells graduate who took part in the four-year study, the second half of the book was of special interest to me. There were a couple of surprises when I got to review how my fellow students had responded to questions posed to us over ten years ago and a bit of regret that I can't exactly remember how I responded myself! The actual data from the four year survey may not be for everyone, but Prof. Miller-Bernal presents it clearly and draws some thoughtful conclusions that are relevant to the endangered status of women's single-sex education today.

Choosing the right college is a difficult decision. For many it is based upon reasons that may not be totally valid. For some, the choice is not given much thought at all. For this reason, Professor Miller-Bernal's new book, Separate by Degree, should be on the reference shelves of our libraries and in the guidance offices of our high schools, for Professor Miller-Bernal gives some cogent reasons why single-sexed education might be a more suitable option for many of our young women.

Professor Miller-Bernal has done extensive and well-documented research on the treatment of women in four different kinds of colleges. She takes us to Wells (a small single-sexed institution), Middlebury, (a long-time coeducational college), Hobart and William Smith ( a coordinate school), and Kirkland/Hamilton (once a coordinate school and now a coeducational institution). She is totally honest about the good and bad points of all four colleges and has thoroughly researched what is happening to the women who graduated in the class of '88. She also tells us about the academic and social opportunities for women at these different institutions and how women fared in positions of leadership and responsibility in campus life. She shares suggestions on how all four colleges might better serve their female populations.

Professor Miller-Bernal has also done extensive research into the history of women's colleges. The cliche, "You've come a long way, baby," really does say it all in this case. Fortunately, society's reasons for educating women have changed, and truly it is only in recent years that women are finally receiving some sort of equitable treatment in higher education. Anyone interested in learning about women's struggle for rights will find this book enlightening and informative.

Madeline Nelson Teacher West Islip Public School System

Leslie Miller-Bernal's Separate By Degree is a timely, engaging and accessible book about the important differences in the educational experiences of women who attend women's colleges compared to those who attend coeducational institutions. The book is timely because it calls on the reader to reconsider the value of single-sex education at a critical moment of decline in the history of women's colleges. The book is engaging because Miller-Bernal tells an exciting and frustrating story of the struggle of women for gender equity in higher education. And the book is accessible, thanks to the easily understood manner in which the author writes.

Professor Miller-Bernal argues that single-sex education still has advantages for women. Those advantages include: a high proportion of women faculty who can act as role models for students; more opportunities for young women to develop leadership skills; and a supportive atmosphere where women do not have to defer to men. Her argument is based on quality research, including longitudinal surveys of women students at four Northeastern colleges: Wells, Middlebury, William Smith and Hamilton. The histories of the colleges are described in rich detail, the differences in the experiences of women students at the four institutions are carefully compared and contrasted, and the most recent literature on single-sex education is well presented and thoughtfully critiqued.

Although Professor Miller-Bernal asks the reader to reconsider the value of single-sex education for women, she does not fall into the nostalgia trap. She recognizes some of the past and current limitations of women's colleges, and she details the many factors that have made coeducational institutions more viable than women's colleges. She ends Separate By Degree with a set of recommendations for applying the beneficial aspects of women's colleges to coeducational institutions and a caveat--If colleges are really concerned about women and equality, they will have to attend carefully to meeting the needs of all women students and never waiver from the goal of achieving gender equity.

This was a text in a Stone Age Nomadics course I took. She is right on the money. Tom Brown's Field Guide to edible plants is longer, however, hers is the best book of its type.

The big problem with cooking with wild foods is that they are seasonal, and we eat all year long. The solution is to be found in this book. It shows how to preserve edible wild foods no matter where you live. This is one of the most empowering books I have ever read. There is no doomsday. Look down and eat up! Good companion to her Lawn Food Cook Book.

This creative research was actually a way of life for this author. She is a wonderful expert in the field of common plants and she also gives us an insight into the benefits of understanding the health and joy, that each living organism has to offer us. God gave everyone the abundance to share in this knowledge and I feel blessed to have come across one, who felt compelled to live it.

Very fine, with great pictures and identification tables in the back that help you tell the difference between similar varieties of weeds. In fact, it's the best book I've found for identifying weeds. My only complaints are that it's a bit scientific and dry, and garlic mustard - a very destructive weed - is not included.

Great book for the homeowners and horticulturalists. Great pictures and descriptions. The weed "Bible".

This book is a treasure. I own and use many dozens of "weed" and plant books and this is one of the most comprehensive and useful. The written presentation for each plant includes information on its propagation, seedlings, roots, flowers and fruits and habitat, and more. The photographs are excellent and show the habit, seedling, leaves, flowers/fruits and seeds. Some grasses are also included.

I hope that the authors will eventually expand the geographical coverage and the number of species. I'll be first in line to buy a new edition!

This review is written by a connoisseur of travel guides who has been a globe-trotter for over 50 years, and a resident of the northeast for much of her life prior to becoming an innkeeper in the Caribbean. The book is exceptionally well researched and beyond compare in its meticulously researched and presented contents. It picks and chooses the most interesting inns, richly describing each one in an enchanting and easy-to-follow format. It inspires the reader with additional information about hiking groups, farmers' markets, environmental action groups, web sites, and other items of interest rarely included in similar, but more expensive, travel guides. Reading this book is like being taken care of by the best of the best inn-keepers. The illustrations are methodically detailed and beautiful to look at, as are the photos. Buy it, you'll like it! And give it as a gift, too!

From Planeta Journal - Guide to "green" hotels in the U.S. Northeast. The author provides a selection of hotels desgined and operated in harmony with the environment. Establishments in this guide strive toward being earth-frinedly via the use of solar heating, innovative recycling programs and/or organic gardens. The author describes these hotels and inns and provides rates, credentials and - most notably - lively histories of each hotel's origins and the owner's current work. Chapters include information about nearby earth-friendly restaurants, natural food stores, farmers' markets and destinations for low-impact recreation. This is the first in a series. Highly recommended.

Dennis Dahlin has compiled a delightful and unique guide of interesting places to stay with an environmental or 'earth-friendly' element. The book is a dynamic resource with an update page available on their website. The book is enhanced with beautiful sketches primarily drawn by the author. Other environmental travel guides are in the works. We enjoyed the relaxing read and look forward to exploring the many inns he has discovered and shared with us. .....

Having spent a lot of time looking for information on imaginative & fun (and sometimes luxury) travel with kids, I can tell you that this is a really unique book. It is comprehensive, carefully researched and well written with loads of practical tips. Some 'travel with kids' books might as well just be bland advertising copy, this one really provides good editorial content, with positive and critical comments. It is a pleasure to read and we will use it for a long time. Fodor's should publish more of these for other parts of the US/world.

I loved this book and would recommend it to any family wanting to travel in the northeastern United States. The writers offer tips and reviews on places of interest, resorts, and campgrounds in a wide range of prices. In fact, we have visited some of those places and found a brand new vacation prospect in Lake George which we will be trying out this summer! Definitely one of the most informative travel books on the market today -- entertaining even if you do not go to these places.

I've been searching for a book like this for several years and haven't found one that fit the bill until now! I had a great time reading it - so well written - and got more useful information than I'll ever be able to use in one lifetime! Thanks so much to the writers and publishers!