I first remember seeing one of Richard Brown's spectacular photographs on he cover of Country Journal, a magazine devoted to celebrating rural life styles that ran a span of several years in the early to late 1980s. Brown's stunning photographic style showcased the day-to-day confluence of ordinary Vermonters living their lives in the rural splendor of the Northeast Kingdom in the far reaches of the lovely "People's Republic Of Vermont". Often Country Journal would feature a number of his photos inside each issue, so one subscribing the magazine began to look for them both on the cover and inside, as well. Indeed, his work was what made me search for the latest issue at the beginning of each month.

Here he stuns us with the majesty of Vermont as it transpires through its incredibly beautiful cycle of seasons in a way that only a photographer of such obvious abilities could. Herein he shares many of his favorites, and several of these I have seen before in other venues. The problem with a book filled with such gorgeously shot, developed and produced rural photographs is that one is tempted to carefully extract them for framing on the wall. They are really that terrific! Photographs range from shots of landscapes to silhouettes of a farmhouse steaming against the winter cold, from children walking down a dirt-covered tree lined country road exploding into autumn's extravagance to an elderly gentleman leaning against a barn with his favorite cat. One sits transfixed by the sheer variety of scenes and colors so native to the rural landscapes and personal portraits. This is a wonderful travelogue into the heart of New England.

Brown shows us all of the changes that transpire in the North country, a place where the changes are so frequent and so momentous that they comprise six seasons, adding both the dreaded mud season of early springtime on the one hand, and the so-called 'off-season' after the autumn glory has been swept away, leaving cold bare trees and a hauntingly spare and vacant atmosphere to settle over the region on the other. Listen a few times to folksinger Tom Rush's rendition of "Urge For Going" a few times on the CD player and you will get the idea. Brown's imaginative hand is lovingly apparent in this book, displaying both the soulful visages of local inhabitants and the unique flavor of the haunting ever-changing scenery so typically Vermont. This is a distinctive and memorable recreation of what we love so much about being native new Englanders! Enjoy!

Reviewing a book such as this again supports the truth of that old bromide, "a picture is worth a thousand words." At least no words of mine can do full justice to Brown's talent as a photographer. He settled in Whitingham in 1968 and began to teach in a small rural school. During the years since then, he has taken thousands of photographs of Vermont in search of what is, to his own eye, that state's unique character. As he explains in the Introduction, over time he shifted his attention from Vermont's natural beauty to what he calls "the cultivated landscape." A preponderance of the photographs in this volume (many of which not previously published) were taken in the "Northeast Kingdom." He organizes his work according to the seasons which include the "Off-Season" from late-October until Thanksgiving. For at least a few of those who read this review, my comments about Brown may be of some interest but, I realize, merely suggest a context for the creation of works of art which I lack the talent to describe. If you cannot visit Vermont in person, do so by seeing it through Brown's eyes. If you cherish his book as much as I do, you will also want to have a copy of The Beauty of Vermont, edited by Tom Slayton. As both books clearly indicate, the soul of Vermont is its beauty...and beauty its soul.

I was born and raised in Vermont, have lived out of the state for years, visiting annually. This book really did bring me home to the Soul of Vermont. The photographs are wonderful. They just take you in. If you want to spend some time in Vermont and can't make the trip, this is THE book for you.

Iam amazed that SOUP CITY BLUES is Mr. Brown's first book. It reads fast, and so powerful that I could feel the pain that each boy must have experienced. I think that every young boy should read the book. Too many young boys are growning up with no direction in their lives and no one that understands what they are feeling except their friends. SOUP CITY BLUES proves that there's a better life and a way out. The message is clear in the book. I do hope that Mr. Brown will continue to write other books because his style in writing is unique and realistic.

I absolutely loved Mr Browns book! It should be required reading, especially for male youth. His book gives the reader a real inside view of male teens transitioning into adulthood.

Soup City Blues gives the outsider, an inside view of male teens and how they characterize the world around them. Four young men share descriptions of family, friends, school, community, industry, culture and a transitioning of American culture. Many of thier descriptions placed me accurately in my own youth and community.

Mr. Brown writes in a way that allows us an inside take on the views and conversations young men have. He eloquently shares their experiences with us so that we vicariously place ourselves into their fantacies, fears, pain and pure amusement of life.

At times I felt the story very real and personal; it touched my life and gave me more understanding of young men today in their quest to find an identity and a place in this world. A world where everyone expects a young man to know who and what he will be before he even understands himself or the world.

It was a gripping tale of young men coming of age at the same time the new world itself was coming of age. It was far too short, I wanted more and will eagerly await the sequel or more from this author. I like his witty, inciteful and brutally honest writing. Mr. Brown is well on his way to helping us all understand ourselves. He has also found an intelligent voice from which we really hear and understand American youth.

I thought the book was an excellent description about how some teenagers grow up in an urban environment. It aptly describes what can happen when teenagers are unsupervised for long periods of time.

This book will serve as a motivational source for not only African American youth, but for all minorities. By reading this book, they will learn that it is necessary to have a strong belief that they can succeed in life if they put forth the effort.

Our youth must learn that there is a place for them in our society. It is our responsibility to make sure, through books like Soup City Blues, that they know that they can become successful. We must make sure they learn the importance of believing in themselves.

I've taught an undergraduate statistics class in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Florida for a few years and found that this book works the best. Even students who tell me they have high math anxiety have enjoyed the text because it explains complex things in a simple and easy to understand way.

I have been taking and teaching statistical concepts for almost 10 years now and have never found a better, more concise intro to modern statistics. I sugggest that anyone trying to learn statistics have a copy of this valuable text.

Although this is an intro text, it is a programming text that trains the reader to comprehend basic statistical concepts. This is especially important if the users "think" they have a "math" problem. It clearly explains in a step by step fashion "how to do it".

My husband and I invested in a Purple Martin House, but didn't have a clue how to entice them to our back yard! I have several of the Stokes bird books and have always found them informative, easy to use, and excellent photography. I found all of this to be true in their Purple Martin Book.The book starts with Purple Martin basics, how to attract, and something I hadn't even thought of, when to expect their arrival. Each section of their breeding range has a different date, the Gulf Coast being approximately Feb. 1st, so I need to get ready in a hurry! Also covered, is their behavior, selecting housing, egg laying to leaving the nest. Dealing with predators and parasites. I don't think there was a "stone uncovered"!If you just enjoy learning about birds, this book is a joy. For me, I am hoping in a few short weeks, I'll be a Purple Martin landlord!

Educate yourself before you buy a Purple Martin house. Reading this book is a great beginning. Many houses sold are not suitable and you will end up with a sparrow house. The Stokes have thorough information and nice photographs in their book. I also recommend you join the PMCA (Purple Martin Conservation Association), Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, Edinboro, PA, 16444 if you are serious about being a martin landlord.

Feeding wild birds has always brought me pleasure. When I decided I would like to attract a colony of purple martins to my backyard I thought it would simply be a matter of buying a martin house and enjoying the birds once they moved in. I soon found out that becoming a purple martin landlord is a bit more complicated. This book provided a wealth of information about all aspects of attracting and keeping purple martins. From the book, beginners to this hobby learn about various housing types, placement of houses, as well as when and how to successfully attract martins. This book is beautifully illustrated with full color photographs of adult martins and nestlings.I think this book is a valuable resource for anyone interested in keeping purple martins as a hobby.

As we learned from the example of Americo Vespucci, make a really good map and half the world can be named after you. In "The Story of Maps," Lloyd A. Brown provides an authoritative history of both maps and mapmakers, from the work of Strabo and Ptolemy to the 19th-century. Brown's treatise on the science of cartography and the men who set out to map the World was originally published in 1949. "The Story of Maps" is one of the standard early references for map collectors and a basic work in any cartographic reference collection. Brown covers both why maps were necessary and how they changed the world they were mapping out by impacting the economics and politics of nations (Brown's critique of the Portuguese is particularly compelling). This book contains over 80 illustrations, both photographs and drawings, which, unfortunately, suffer from being reduced in such a small format, especially for someone like me whose eyes and not what they once were, because once Brown explains the history behind such maps they are eminently more fascinating to pour over (albeit with a magnifying glass in my case).

Extremely well written and entertaining book. Anyone who is interested in maps should read it.

Brown traces the history of cartography from antiquity to the early twentieth century. The writing style is quite eloquent and lucid. The astronomical, trigonometric, and geometric factors that were influential in the evolution of mapmaking are presented in a mannner that does not exclude the general reader from appreciating the importance of these sciences in the development of geographical mensuration and surveying techniques. The book is replete with fascinating anecdotes of the cartographers themselves, along with intriguing accounts of how these individuals helped to determine the commercial and political successes of their governments and patrons. If you've ever wondered how influential Ptolemy's Almagest was on the Renaissance mind, or have been drawn to the sheer beauty of Mercator's craftsmanship; if you've ever been curious about how quadrants and theodolites functioned, or wondered about the importance of determining longitude for maritime trade, then this is a must read. The book is a Dover reprint of a classic scholarly work and is filled with 86 gorgeous black and white illustrations.

I definately plan on taking this map with me to Dublin. A couple of things you should know, however: It only covers Dublin city center... it DOES NOT cover much of the suburbs. It folds up in a way that allows you to open up it up just partially to the section that isolates the part you want. Why is this important? Because I don't want to be completely obviously a tourist with one of those huge conspicuous maps that tries to fly away in the wind. It's a very compact, very well labeled map that is a must have. Hope this helps!

All of the streetwise maps are fantastic. They're indestructible, they clearly show downtown areas without all the extra suburbs you don't need to see, they're indexed, they're a good size to tuck in a purse or bag, and they often show subway maps as well. Streetwise Dublin was my first and can't be beat, and now I buy a streetwise map for any city I go to. I highly recommend any of the streetwise maps.

One of the handiest maps you can get your hands on! Laminated to get you around Dublin on those "rare" rainy days and easy to read so you can find your way back home after a couple of pints. I've used it every time I've been to Dublin, and I'd recommend studying it a bit before you land!

I studied under Mark DeKay, using the first edition of this book. The second edition adds all of Mark's lectures into what was already a great book, full of very helpful rules of thumb for orientation, materials, siting, and a lot of other design recommendations. A great book made even better the second time around!

A very comprehensive book which leaves you with shortness of breath after each page, covers very well all the aspects of the title and their interaction and effect on planning a building or project of any kind, and gives u alot of new ideas on how to find out the effects of sun,wind and light and from where will the effect be more and how to make advantage of each one of these elements. keeps you woundering whether what you have ever designed before was valid or not. rich in figures and examples, slightly difficult regarding the laguage. but it is worth every penney.

This book is very helpful in determining the siting of your building (or gardens)with respect to wind patterns, and sun patterns of your area. As a designer of both indoor and outdoor spaces I found it to be a practical resource for helping ensure the success of a design. When I want shade, I now know where shade will fall; when I want to fill a space with light, I now know where and when light will be there and can adjust my design accordingly. Great book! Would reccommend it to architects, landscape architects and anyone wanting to see how their designs integrate into the daily and seasonal climate, wind, and light patterns of their area. The Sun Peg Charts are especially helpful. Good starting and reference point for all designs. Definitely add this one to your library.

It's a very good read and I think the bright yellow
colour says it all - very upbeat, very inspirational.
I really enjoyed it!

By writing a thought provoking book, That Perception Thing, Dawn Brown challenges the reader to think and rethink about life's experiences. Brown invites the reader to probe within himself and to see when to leave the comfort zone. I found the book refreshing and uplifting. That Perception Thing forced me to look at things differently. The book is filled with anecdotes of how Brown herself looks at life another way after helping others to help themselves. I must say that the book opens several little doors inside your head as you read along. I truly recommend it.

This book is indeed even more special than its delightful cover. It is a book to read and savor slowly. And, it is the kind of book that flows gently through you and into your soul.

Dawn Brown has permeated this book with powerful but gentle messages...it is a book for us all to interpret (and perceive!) with our unique set of glasses. And even after you set down your glasses after the last word, the messages go on.

Bravo!

IWANT SEE PART FROM THE BOOK

This book should be in every Landscape Architect's libarary. If you're studying for the licensure exam, this book is essential.

It should be in the bookcase of any landscape architecture firm. Landscape Architectural students also should have it.

This is a must have book for the Tomcat lover. Not only does it list all the aircraft Bureau numbers, it has over 700 photos to compliment every aircraft. David Brown has gone extensive lengths to bring us EVERY Tomcat made with a brief description of each aircraft and their current status. The Iranian Tomcat photos in their desert camouflage schemes are a special treat, considering the difficulty in obtaining them. Of particular significance are the squadron patches of every squadron; active or disbanded, east or west coast. The book is a bit pricey, but well worth it.

Tomcat Alley is in a word, outstanding! As a former F-14 pilot and military photo enthusiast, I found this publication fantastically complete in its inclusion of every F-14 aircraft ever made and the subsequent dispositions of these aircraft as they either continue their services lives or have retired. Anyone who is doing research on a particular USN F-14 by bureau number will find this book invaluable; those who are interested in the F-14 on a more casual basis will find the book equally entertaining. It's a MUST HAVE publication!

In compiling a complete pictorial accounting of the US Navy's quintessential fighter plane, author Brown and editors Lebaron and Kaston have created a treatment of the F-14 that is as enjoyable and readable as it was exhaustively researched. In the increasingly crowded field of popular military aviation literature, Tomcat Alley is unique in that it will equally engage the historian, the airplane buff, and -- of course -- the F-14 enthusiast. Tomcat Alley sets the bar for all future aviation 'roll-call'-style references. Well done!