British Columbia is Canada's most biologically diverse province. If you want a great introduction then there is no better book than this award winning volume. Buy it.

Florence Agassiz was my great grandmother. I've heard stories over the years about her courage and strength of character (not mentioned in Ms. Bridge's version is the fact that she went on to bear John Goodfellow's eleven children)and it's a thrill to read about her in such an exciting book. The hardships of her mother's life, not simply endured but overcome by a deep need to provide a strong and proper upbringing for her children, are the most compelling theme of this story. Amazing!

Can the Kennedys ever have a bad photograph taken of them? It is appears not, as this book illustrates. CAMELOT AT DAWN is kind of an artsy photojournalism feast for the eyes, and although at first glance the text will seem to have general information that we all know about, it too is a treat.

Orlando Suero had his first big assignment taking pictures of Jacqueline Kennedy for McCall's magazine for an article. It would turn out that most of his shots would not be used because the press felt that the Kennedys had been overexposed in the media due to their wedding--so it is only now in this book that most of the pictures taken for that assignment have been published.
Suero says that JFK manages to sneek himself into most pictures, and so the final result became as much as about him as Jackie...but we also see the Bobby Kennedys as well as the former President Trumans.

Some of these pictures have been published in other books, so not all of them are seen here for the first time, but seeing them within the context that they were shot makes the photos that have been seen before all the more interesting. However, it is only a few--most of these are just being seen for the first time.

As for the text, some of it is "well duh" text because it is known by everybody:"Jackie was a silver-and-Sevres kind of girl, whereas Jack was a milkshake-and-hamburger kind of guy." (I am not cutting on Anne Garside's writing--because the book is actually quite good, I am just trying to point out that some of the information that she writes everyone knows in their sleep...as that is how famous Jack and Jackie have become.) Now don't take this sentence of Garside's alone--you have to read the whole book before you dare judge her writing, and in my estimation she has succeded in the overall scheme in making two well known sujects seem like new again. How does she do this?
For example, there is information about the renting of Dent Place--where these photographs are taken as well the Kennedys first home--which is interesting because we get to see excerpts from Jackie's letters to the Childs (the people who the Kennedys were renting the house from.)
Also information about Evelyn Lincoln's calender is given as to what the Kennedy's were doing the week the photos were taken, as well as little details spread out throughout the text that make the book an interesting read.

I believe that this is a standout book published on the Kennedys. It is informative and orginal in text, and the pictures easily give Lowe, Avedon, and Shaw a run for their money. You can and will enjoy this book if you give it a chance--don't get stuck on the information about the JFKs that we all know or the pictures that we have all seen--read the entire book and appreciate the entire book!

Harvey describes in considerable but not tedious detail the factors that led to the past and present tranportation corridors in southern British Columbia, spanning a period from the mid-nineteenth century, into the second half of the 20th. Every citizen should become familiar with the shenanigans of the big corporate and government interests that retarded transportation development, and the settlement and livelihoods of the ordinary working people in this part of the west. This account is a good start. The author takes us into the stupid and expensive competition between the early railroaders and the steamboat companies, and the struggle to build roads across the land from east to west. He describes the immense difficulties in creating east-west transport links across a rugged land of north-south valleys, and terrible mountain passes. Given the love/hate relationship many westerners have had with the big railroad interests, Harvey debunks the legends of some of the construction personalities, including the americans J.J.Hill and W.C. VanHorne. He is critical of the short-sighted company and government decisions that led to great inconvenience and delays in development of the interior of the northwest that lasted decades. Clearly a fan of the Sternwheelers in the west, he dwells upon their charms and gives us a clear sense of the romance of traveling the interior lakes, and on the Columbia, Fraser, and Kootenay rivers. He gives us an implicit warning here too, of the dangers of applying yesterday's technology to tomorrow's transportation needs. Harvey knows his stuff, at least partially a result of his long time employment in government Public Works. He has included maps, fascinating photos, good chapter notes, a bibliography, and an index in this well-edited book. This volume is written for the general reader in B.C. and western frontier history, and is recommended for those old enough to remember nothing but dusty gravel roads in the west, youth who think highways and railways have always just been there, rail and steamboat fans, and anyone who wonders why the northern Pacific coast is the way it is! This was an excellent historical read, very entertaining, and hard to put down. Together with it's companion volume, "Carving the Western Path - By River, Rail, and Road Through Central and Northern B.C.", Harvey has written a very good 'popular history' account of the coming of modern transportation and its' enormous effects on settlement and industry in the far west.

If I am not mistaken this book is an extension of the Masters' thesis that Loenen did at the University of British Columbia a couple of years ago. The thesis, in turn, was inspired by Loenen's time in the provincial government of British Columbia's Bill Vander Zalm from 1986-1991.

The main argument of Loenen's book is that the first-past-the-post electoral system (also known as the "Single Member Plurality") has instilled in Canada a political system that is almost dictatorial in nature. He sees power as having become concentrated at the executive (or Cabinet) level, with citizens - and even back-bench MP's - having little real say in how government is run. The solution that is offered is a move to a "Single Transferable Vote" (STV). Which in reality is a move to the Proportional Representation, in which it is beleived that each vote will carry more wieght and be more fairly represented than is currently the case.

Events from the early 1990s seem to be employed by Loenen to back-up his contention that the average citizen is not guaranteed a say within the current system. These are the Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords - both of which were soundly defeated by public opinion. The point that is drawn is that is that poiticians were completely out of step with their constiuents on these iniatives. The implication being that a different electoral system might have helped prevent these divisive Accords.

Loenen uses British Columbia as a case study for the book to show how STV would have the potential to open he possibilty for new forms of political behaviour. His chapters deal with issues such as the legislature, the relationship between the Cabinet and the legislature, political parties, and all the different types of voting systems.

My own personal opinion of this book is that it is a very well thought out and argued case. Yet, I personally am a little reluctant to be swayed by the case for proportional representation. I beleive it is simply the substitution of one set of problems for another - with there being no guarantee that STV could be any more democratic than FPTP. Both system have their weaknesses and both are prone to manipulation and detachment from the citizenry. Nevertheless, I still highly recommend the book!

'Classic Hikes' is one of only a few highly detailed and informative books on the subject of hiking the West Coast of Canada.

It is surprisingly detailed in the amount and variety of information it presents to hikers\ of of all abilities, from extremely precise hiking maps extending to information about area climate, blister first aid, hiking boots, keeping clean and basic hiking survival.

The photographs were taken by the writer and give a realistic and colorful view of the area being hiked. The sidebars are one of the highlights of the book, giving some valuable and fascinating information on things that you may see and do along your hike not normally mentionedd in a book on hiking. The topics may vary from Ice Worms to rock climbing to surfing and cycling.

The crowning highlight of the book is its feature on rarely known information concerning the world famous West Coast Trail hike, such as mandatory registration and limited allowable group size. The variety and scope of the hike is fully explored from the mafnificant coastline to the caves, lush rainforests, waterfalls and rich wildlife.

The information presented in the book is sensible, humurous and easily understood by the beginng hiker while not boring the more advanced hiker interested in specific information such as hike ratings and emergency shelter huts.

It is rare to see a hiking book that combines all of the above mentioned information written in a unique and humuorous style for the hiker interested in hiking the West Coast of Canada.

This is a great book for the novice botanist. As a person who just recently started trying to identify wildflowers in the Monterey area, I found this book a great guide. I already have a couple of other books, including the ones from the Audubon Society and from the California Native Plant Society, but this one is so simple and covers most of the flowers you commonly see. It's easy to flip through, the pictures are clear and in color, and it certainly doesn't overwhelm you with technical jargon. I was only sorry it doesn't include some of the smaller/tinier flowers I see around. Maybe in the next edition. A great gift!

Any book written by Nigel Tranter is a treasure. It is too bad that he passed away at 90 years old in January of 2000, because he has been writing about Scotish History since the 1930's. From the beginning of time with Druid Sacrifice, covering every Scotish monarch and history until the 1950's; his characters are rich and real, and his descriptions of this beautiful country with it's exciting history comes alive! He has written about 140 books. Many are out of print and hard to find, but many are being reprinted. Once you start, you are hooked. His tales of Robert the Bruce and William Wallace are hard to put down. It is another Lord of the Rings but based on factual information. Beware buyers. Sellers know how hard it is to purchase these books and will try to swindle you. Someone is actually selling this book, Columba, for..., taking advantage of reader's enthusiasm for this writer.

This anthology presents a superb cross section of Chinese literature, from the time of Lu Xun to the present. The editors have included works from the mainland, as well as Taiwan, and the scope of authors and genres is tremendous for a single volume. A good starting point for anyone interested in Chinese literature, as well as those already familiar with it.

This book is not only about human rights abuses. It also documents the absence of justice in Colombia. The state must take responsibility for much of the violence in Colombia. The armed forces must be sanitized of criminal elements. Until this is accomplished the nation will continue to live with revolution. The bloody assault of all political parties in Colombia, particularly the Patriotic Union is a disgrace and a blemish on leaders in Bogota.