I bought this book after taking classes in making lightship baskets locally, and must admit that without it I would not have been able to continue making them at home. The history of the baskets is excellent, and colored photographs of baskets as well as the island of Nantucket are numerous throughout the book. If you are at all interested in baskets, this book is a must!

I took a class by Martha Two yrs. ago that was great to. It was at the MBA in Grand Rapids MI. The book is just as good if not better. The history is something I always wanted to know about . Thank You Martha for such a wonderful book . C. M. Miller Bay City MI.

The major obstacle which hinders the performance of Lonely Planet and other guidebooks is that they often try and cover a very wide country or region, such as "Lonely Planet China" or "Lonely Planet USA", not to mention things like "Lonely Planet Africa on a shoestring". This often means that, in over 800 pages of a bulky book, only few are really relevant to what the reader is looking for. Indeed, the reader can be lost among lots of information, data, etc., which she or he has no interest in: if I find myself in Nairobi and am looking for a restaurant, do I really need to find myself browsing information about the visa procedures for Cameroon or the hotels of Sierra Leone ? Luckily, Bermuda is a much smaller place, and this has enabled the author and editors to truly produce a well-focused, condensed and overall excellent guidebook. The information for the visitor is complete and accurate, up-to-date, and indeed extremely useful (even in a place which does not present particular cultural or social obstacles for the average visitor): while Bermuda may still be possible to get to know on one's own, the aid of this little guidebook will be paramount. Its sections on hotels, restaurants, entertainment, are excellent. Coverage of things to see and do, sports and other activities, is down-to-the-point and very full. The sections on history and culture are also of great value, excellently written, easy-to-read in a captivating and pleasant prose, making this truly enjoyable and worthy reading for everyone. It is indeed a book one should surely pack before setting off to Bermuda.

I spent two weeks in Bermuda, and was very glad I brought this book along with me. I doubt very much that there are many interesting corners of the country that have been overlooked by the authors of this guide -- some of which I never would have thought to investigate had this book not alerted me to their existence. I especially appreciated all the historical and cultural details, and found that it was an invaluable tool in keeping costs down in a country where just about everything is VERY pricey. This book has since been re-used by other members of my family on their own trips to Bermuda, and has paid for itself several times over.

Another book by the "archeological privateer" Barry Clifford, the oceanic excavator who found the wreck of Black Sam Bellamy's ship the Whydah in the sands off Cape Cod. His writing has improved since he wrote "Expedition Whydah," though he's still not a master with words. No matter, his subjects are always facinating enough I don't mind that the prose can be a bit clunky.

This one traces his team's discovery and exploration (underwritten by Max Kennedy, the BBC, and the Discovery Channel) of a wreck of an entire fleet of ships--5 French warships and two pirate ships the French fleet hired to assist them in warfare--on the reef of Los Aves off the coast of Venezuela. In a similar vein to the Whydah book, Clifford intersperses his text with photographs, maps, and drawings, and alternates the story of his expedition with history about the pirates involved in the wrecks.

In this case, he does the opposite of the Whydah story (which traced Sam Bellamy's rise to captainship and followed him until his demise), and instead follows the lives of the documented pirates who *survived* the massive wreck at Los Aves, among them a famous and ridiculously lucky mulatto captain named Laurens de Graff, and a New England pirate named Thomas Paine who later went on to return to his home and established himself as a powerful and corrupt politician (not the same Thomas Paine that wrote the "Common Sense" political publication, this was a few decades earlier). The historical portions of the text offer a lot of great insight into the piratical/buccanneer climate (political, economical, etc) of the mid- to late-17th c. in the Caribbean and Spanish Main.

Most interesting is the existance of a period map he brought with him, drawn by the leader of the shipwrecked fleet from shore where he survived the wreckage, outlining the positions of each wreck and labelling them by name--his accuracy was apparently quite high, so it functioned like a literal 'treasure map,' showing the explorers exactly where they would find the wrecks of which ships! There's not as much info on artifacts in this one, since they merely mapped and filmed the wrecks and haven't excavated yet (unknown if they will, in fact, due to most of the wreckage having become an integral part of the ecosystem of the reef by now), but there's a lot of really new discoveries on the research front (pub date on this is 2002) about the various pirates involved, most of whom are lesser known names (as opposed to the more "famous" pirates like Blackbeard and Captain Kidd, who came later...these were the pirates operating on the cusp of the Golden Age of Piracy).

So, if you want to read some detailed info about pirate captains of the pre-1700 era, this is a good book to check out!

Barry Clifford has written an interesting book on a fleet of French ships that were in pursuit of Dutch ships which led the French into the treacherous waters of the reef off of Las Aves Island near the coast of Venezuela in 1678. He states the wreckage of the French fleet on Las Aves was the beginning of some of the greatest pirate careers in history. British and French ships would attack Spanish ships as they returned to Spain after loading up on riches in the New World. Many pirates, Clifford states, met a brutal demise and he goes into detail in regard to a number of pirates to illustrate his point while one in particular, Thomas Paine (not the one of Common Sense fame), managed to retire and lead a somewhat respectable life. Clifford organized a team to visit the site in 1998 and locate the fleet for purposes of drawing and photographing whatever he may find of the remains. He was not interested in disturbing the reef by removing artifacts. Clifford goes into interesting detail on his team's visit to Las Aves as they go about doing their assigned work. Clifford alternates throughout the book covering piracy during the 1600's and his visit to the site during 1998. I took a chance on buying this book through the History Book Club not really knowing what I was getting. I found this book to be very worth while to read and it will have a permanent place in my library.

This is a modern masterpiece, much neglected even in Canada. MacLeod's writing is full of the "blas" (gaelic for "taste") that is or was Cape Breton. These stories are contemporary and ancient. Though they deal with modern issues and people, you can't help feeling these stories are very old. They reveal things unearthly and magical without ever taking their feet off the ground or closing their eyes. And there is a sad sense of loss that everyone close to things old and beautiful must feel in our modern culture.

The raw emotional power I encountered within these stories sprang the off page like a fist, fracturing my complacency over and over. Nothing but Hemingway compares to Macleod's writing style.Uncomfortable truths lie here, expressed with such skill and economy that they elude memory, leaving the uneasy feeling that one has looked too deeply into a troubled soul and seen more than one should; it's hard to believe that the events described didn't happen, if not to the author, at least someone known to him.I believe there is no other writer in the English language with this mastery of short fiction.

The fragments themselves are quite beautiful, but I found the commentary much more interesting. Since so little is known about the subject, the translator provides notes along with each fragment that lets the reader know from where the fragment came. The commentary also includes citations from many writers of Greek lyric poetry. The result is not a work that gives one man's perspective of Sappho but a work that says: "here -- this is what scholars today say about Sappho and her native Greece." The book also includes an interesting essay by the translator, cute sketches, and a glossary of people and places.

Sappho was the greatest lyric poet of Greece, and any modern reader of her poetry can easily see why. Although she admittedly suffers in translation, one must learn to ignore the frustration caused by the occasional awkward translation. One must also try to ignore the fragmentary nature of her poems. There was once a definitive edition which consisted of nine books, but it was burned in hte Middle Ages because of the lesbian love poems. The poems we have now are just papyrus fragments or quotations. However, even in English, even with only a few extant pieces, Sappho's poetry is vibrant and beautiful.

In Robert Borofsky's, Making History, there is a fresh look into the lives of pacific islanders. Borofsky exquisitely shows us the pride the Pukapukans take in knowledge of their ways. Pukapukans have specific ways for attaining knowledge as well as for letting you know when your view of that knowledge is wrong. Robert Borofsky has opened a door to an aspect of pacific life that most anthropologists have a tendency of overlooking. While in the process of sharing the ways of Pukapukans, Borofsky raises the question as to, who has the right to speak for whom? Do Anthropologists have the right to go to another country and critique the lifestyle of the people? In this book, Robert Borofsky doesn't answer that question, but, what he does do is give us an unbiased, un-opinionated view of the culture on this island and leaves it up to you to decide the answer to the question. Pukapukans have their own way of doing things and Borofsky portrays their lifestyle clearly and effectively without swaying the reader's opinion to match his. It is an excellent piece of work and I would recommend it to anyone who likes to think.

In Robert Borofsky's, Making History, there is a fresh look into the lives of pacific islanders. Borofsky exquisitely shows us the pride the Pukapukans take in knowledge of their ways. Pukapukans have specific ways for attaining knowledge as well as for letting you know when your view of that knowledge is wrong. Robert Borofsky has opened a door to an aspect of pacific life that most anthropologists have a tendency of overlooking. While in the process of sharing the ways of Pukapukans, Borofsky raises the question as to, who has the right to speak for whom? Do Anthropologists have the right to go to another country and critique the lifestyle of the people? In this book, Robert Borofsky doesn't answer that question, but, what he does do is give us an unbiased, un-opinionated view of the culture on this island and leaves it up to you to decide the answer to the question. Pukapukans have their own way of doing things and Borofsky portrays their lifestyle clearly and effectively without swaying the reader's opinion to match his. It is an excellent piece of work and I would recommend it to anyone who likes to think.

John Rush gives us a present day triumph of faith. The book is masterfully written in a personal down to earth style. The author takes you from the California gold country, to the most remote location on earth to a little island in vanuatu which is home to an an amazing tribe of people. He tells the true story of a young man's struggle to come to grips with the reality of God, and the blessings that come from obedience to God.

Mr. Rush presents us with a thrilling account of faith and a journey to an isolated island. The book is a masterpiece, detailing an early life as an atheist to a switch to a missionary to the islands around Vanuatu. Everything from being made a temporary pastor to avoiding drive-by shootings. This book proves that God is active in the world today, and deeply cares for those unreached people in the world. A true-life account of a missionary, and a wonderful example of God's work in our world.

I met Mary Parker Buckles 20 years ago and immediately fell for her. Articulate, witty and graced with the style of a native Southerner, she enthralled me. After reading her book on Long Island Sound, I just fell for her again. It's an articulate, witty and graceful look at all that grows along and in the sound.

This is a beautiful and enchanting book. Mary Parker Buckles initiates the reader into the teeming vitality, ceaseless creativity, and mesmerizing wonder that is Long Island Sound. The familiar, but oh so strange world of owls and ospreys, barnacles and crabs, bivalves and boats, are engagingly explored by Mary -- a true natural scientist, but with a poet's eye. I cannot recommend this book enough. It is superbly well written, and in her elegant, imaginative, playful, even rapturous style Mary helps the reader to discover the magic that lies hidden in plain sight throughout this natural habitat. Mary seems to pour her soul into the Sound, and what emerges is a lyrical voice that speaks of wonders too fair for words.

I picked up this book at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu and read it while touring around Oahu and Molokai in late 2001. Having been to all the islands of Hawaii I can say this work really catches the flavor of the place. Twain narrates his own adventures as well as providing his unique commentary on the customs, culture and history of the islands.
A very entertaining piece, particularly for those who have been to Hawaii or are planning a trip.

This is a book taken from the letters of Mark Twain during his visit to the Sandwich Islands,which are now Hawaii. It is a very interesting and informative look at Hawaii in the 1800's. Mark Twain uses his usual humorous and lively writing to tell of his experiences and adventures while there. Experiences from the humorous writing about his horse "Oahu" to his adventures touring the islands and volcanos by horseback and entering an active volcano crater at night! He also tells of the great beauty of the islands and rain forests. Very good book and easy to read and understand.

I found this biography to be useful and interesting. It is an easy read and at the same time very informative and inspiring. I feel this book came out at an approrpriate time, a time when people need to appreciate nature and the environment and enjoy all around us in an ever changing world. Eileen Monreale, the author reminds us to seek pleasure and preserve the beauty in nature.

Biography may be the lowest-paid written endeavor, but it can be enormously valuable. In recounting the tale of an individual's life, a biographer can tell the story of an institution, a movement, or a community. In Mathilde Weingartner: A Staten Island Naturalist, Eileen Monreale explores the life of her enigmatic yet endearing "Tillie," and in doing so, encapsulates the twentieth century environmental movement on Staten Island.

A fluid blend of archival research and roughly 150 personal interviews, the story of Weingartner's life practically tells itself. A multitude of voices provide both fond reminiscences and nuanced details, which is reflective of Monreale's gift for memoir.

"Interconnectedness," a theme integral to today's environmental ethos, recurs throughout Monreale's biography. Weingartner (1907-1989) as both a woman and a naturalist, was truly ahead of her time. She realized that birds and trees were connected, so she would see them both and tried to learn as much as she could about each. Aside from her understanding of interconnectedness of nature, Tillie's role in networking and connecting people has made her a notable naturalist. Despite a seemingly gruff and abrupt demeanor, Tillie was a caring person and a great cook whose dinners provided a great opportunity to share scientific knowledge.

Tillie served as an important bridge between the present and the past. Her path having intersected with the "who's who" among local naturalists, she carried on a tradition inherited from William T. Davis and passed the torch to present-day naturalists, including Joe Fernicola, who was instrumental in preserving Clay Pit Ponds, and Howard Fischer, a licensed bird bander whose poignant account introduces Monreale's work.

Hopefully this biography inspires not only Staten Islanders, but people from other communities, to delve deeper into their local history and celebrate noteworthy figures and their accomplishments.