Before the drought of the early twenty-first century, the dry benchmark in the American plains was the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. But in this eye-opening work, Kevin Z. Sweeney reveals that the Dust Bowl was only one cycle in a series of droughts on the U.S. southern plains. Reinterpreting our nation's nineteenth-century history through paleoclimatological data and firsthand accounts of four dry periods in the 1800s, Prelude to the Dust Bowl demonstrates the dramatic and little-known role drought played in settlement, migration, and war on the plains. Stephen H. Long's famed military expedition coincided with the drought of the 1820s, which prompted Long to label the southern plains a ""Great American Desert"" - a destination many Anglo-Americans thought ideal for removing Southeastern Indian tribes to in the 1830s. The second dry trend, from 1854 to 1865, drove bison herds northeastward, fomenting tribal warfare, and deprived Civil War armies in Indian Territory of vital commissary. In the late 1880s and mid-1890s, two more periods of drought triggered massive outmigration from the southern plains as well as appeals from farmers and congressmen for federal famine relief, pleas quickly denied by President Grover Cleveland. Sweeney's interpretation of familiar events through the lens of drought lays the groundwork for understanding why the U.S. government's reaction to the Dust Bowl of the 1930s was such a radical departure from previous federal responses. Prelude to the Dust Bowl provides new insights into pivotal moments in the settlement of the southern plains and stands as a timely reminder that drought, as part of a natural climatic cycle, will continue to figure in the unfolding history of this region.

Into Woods is an exuberant, profound, and often wonderfully funny account of ten years in the life of author Bill Roorbach. A paean to nature, love, family, and place, it begins with his honeymoon on a wine farm in France's Loire Valley and closes with the birth of his daughter and he and his wife's return to their beloved Maine. These essays blend journalism, memoir, personal narrative, nature writing, cultural criticism, and insight into a flowing narrative of place, a meditation on being and belonging, love and death, wonder and foreboding.

Bob Mander was born in 1939. He considered himself fortunate to be educated at Birkenhead School and afterwards at Southampton University where he studied for a B.A. Honours degree in Geography with ancillary History. His main interest was in geomorphology, the structure and formation of the landscape features of the earth. After an education course, he took up a career in teaching, during which he undertook a further education course and one in geology. He spent his whole teaching career with Liverpool Education Authority before taking early retirement in 1996.
In retirement he took a more spiritual approach to life encouraged by his wife, Avis, and others. This led on to a consideration of the effect that the landscape of Britain had on the lives of our ancient peoples and vice versa. This in turn led on to a study of our sacred landscape and the religious experiences of Neolithic and Bronze Age man in Britain.
This book is not a treatment of the archaeology of the British Isles but rather an attempt to draw together the disparate strands of what goes into the making of the sacred landscape and what went into the makeup of the religion of our early ancestors.

Ecologists are aware of the importance of natural dynamics in ecosystems. Historically, the focus has been on the development in succession of equilibrium communities, which has generated an understanding of the composition and functioning of ecosystems. Recently, many have focused on the processes of disturbances and the evolutionary significance of such events. This shifted emphasis has inspired studies in diverse systems. The phrase "patch dynamics" (Thompson, 1978) describes their common focus.
The Ecology of Natural Disturbance and Patch Dynamics brings together the findings and ideas of those studying varied systems, presenting a synthesis of diverse individual contributions.

Why Animals Talk is a scientific journey through the untamed world of animal communication. From the majestic howls of wolves and the enchanting chatter of parrots to the melodic clicks of dolphins and the spirited grunts of chimpanzees, these diverse and seemingly bizarre expressions are far from mere noise. In fact, they hold secrets that we are just beginning to decipher.

For example, wolves – just like humans – possess unique accents that distinguish their howls, and not only do dolphins give themselves names, but they also respond excitedly to recordings of the whistles of long-lost companions.

Chapter by chapter and animal by animal, Kershenbaum draws on his extensive research and observations of animals in the wild to explain the science behind why animals are communicating. Also revealing profound insights into our own language and why it is different, Why Animals Talks tells the comprehensive story of communication and how it works across the entire animal kingdom.

The Old English Sheepdog - A Complete Anthology of the Dog gathers together all the best early writing on the breed from our library of scarce, out-of-print antiquarian books and documents and reprints it in a quality, modern edition. This anthology includes chapters taken from a comprehensive range of books, many of them now rare and much sought-after works, all of them written by renowned breed experts of their day. These books are treasure troves of information about the breed - The physical points, temperaments, and special abilities are given; celebrated dogs are discussed and pictured; and the history of the breed and pedigrees of famous champions are also provided. The contents were well illustrated with numerous photographs of leading and famous dogs of that era and these are all reproduced to the highest quality. Books used include: My Dog And I by H. W. Huntington (1897), Dogs Of The World by Arthur Craven (1931), The Book Of Dogs by Stanley West (1935) and many others.

Gigantic hieroglyphics at the Peruvian desert, ancients civilizations and marvels of the universe to admire, study, preserve, emulate and share the knowledge for future generation's to come.

The Newfoundland - A Complete Anthology of the Dog gathers together all the best early writing on the breed from our library of scarce, out-of-print antiquarian books and documents and reprints it in a quality, modern edition. This anthology includes chapters taken from a comprehensive range of books, many of them now rare and much sought-after works, all of them written by renowned breed experts of their day. These books are treasure troves of information about the breed - The physical points, temperaments, and special abilities are given; celebrated dogs are discussed and pictured; and the history of the breed and pedigrees of famous champions are also provided. The contents were well illustrated with numerous photographs of leading and famous dogs of that era and these are all reproduced to the highest quality. Books used include: My Dog And I by H. W. Huntington (1897), The Kennel Encyclopaedia by J. Sidney Turner (1910), Hutchinson's Dog Encyclopaedia by Walter Hutchinson (1935) and many others.

Humankind has sought a simple, universal theorem representing the ultimate building block of nature. In searching, we have learned that energy and matter are complementary states of reality. Self-Utility - A Theory of Everything explains how within this universal design principle, "process" is also a complementary state of this same reality. Within this informational framework lies this unifying theory of existence - Self-Utility. Self-Utility represents a model of internal attributes that initiate causal outcomes. Self-Utility is an intrinsic determinism that wills its host's animation, wellbeing, and its existence Self-Utility is inherent in humans, animals, plants, social systems, institutions, organizations, rocks, atoms, energy, ideas and even the cosmos itself. Self-Utility unites a diversity of "-ologies" under its common discipline. Personal application of this theory empowers us with a cognitively heightened sense of understanding, of insight, and of control over our behavior and ultimately of whom we are. Embracing the concept of Self-Utility gives us a reference to understand the dynamics of vast interacting networks of any type. It allows us to predict values and allegiances, thus ultimately predicting the behaviors of people, organizations and objects. And it empowers us to direct our being through interrelating cycles of influence. Self-Utility brings order to our whimsical World of whirling dervishes as if in a mystic circus.

Now in paperback! A dual biography of two of the most compelling elements in the narrative of wild America, John Muir and Alaska. John Muir was a fascinating man who was many things: inventor, scientist, revolutionary, druid (a modern day Celtic priest), husband, son, father and friend, and a shining son of the Scottish Enlightenment -- both in temperament and intellect. Kim Heacox, author of The Only Kayak, bring us a story that evolves as Muir's life did, from one of outdoor adventure into one of ecological guardianship---Muir went from impassioned author to leading activist. The book is not just an engaging and dramatic profile of Muir, but an expose on glaciers, and their importance in the world today. Muir shows us how one person changed America, helped it embrace its wilderness, and in turn, gave us a better world. December 2014 marked the 100th anniversary of Muir's death. Muir died of a broken heart, some say, when Congress voted to approve the building of Hetch Hetchy Dam in Yosemite National Park. Perhaps in the greatest piece of environmental symbolism in the U.S. in a long time, on the California ballot last November was a measure to dismantle the Hetch Hetchy Dam. Muir's legacy is that he reordered our priorities and contributed to a new scientific revolution that was picked up a generation later by Aldo Leopold and Rachel Carson, and is championed today by influential writers like E.O. Wilson and Jared Diamond. Heacox takes us into how Muir changed our world, advanced the science of glaciology and popularized geology. How he got people out there. How he gave America a new vision of Alaska, and of itself.

The Norfolk Spaniel - A Complete Anthology of the Dog gathers together all the best early writing on the breed from our library of scarce, out-of-print antiquarian books and documents and reprints it in a quality, modern edition. This anthology includes chapters taken from a comprehensive range of books, many of them now rare and much sought-after works, all of them written by renowned breed experts of their day. These books are treasure troves of information about the breed - The physical points, temperaments, and special abilities are given; celebrated dogs are discussed and pictured; and the history of the breed and pedigrees of famous champions are also provided. The contents were well illustrated with numerous photographs of leading and famous dogs of that era and these are all reproduced to the highest quality. Books used include: House Dogs And Sporting Dogs by John Meyrick (1861), The Illustrated Book Of The Dog by Vero Shaw (1879), The Dog Book by James Watson (1906) and others.

Portrays the life and work of one of the most famous and influential scientists of the late 20th century - the astronomer Carl Sagan The American astronomer Carl Sagan (1934-1996) was one of the best-known scientists of his time. A prolific writer and television personality, he was creator and host of Cosmos, an enormously popular television series that explained the wonders of astronomy to millions of television viewers. Sagan also opened up the wonders of science to thousands of people through his many books and magazine articles. In addition to his talents as a science popularizer, Sagan was a first-rate scientist. a pioneer in the field now known as astrobiology, a major thrust of NASA's current planetary explorations This book takes a fascinating look at all aspects of the life of Carl Sagan: the working scientist, who was an inspired and creative participant in the forefront of a new and exciting era of astronomy; the advocate for science, who could expound on its beauties and joys, as well as point out the follies and foibles of pseudoscience; and the activist, who helped raise awareness of the perils of the Nuclear Age. Following the arc of Sagan's personal and professional life, this book examines both the man and the provocative ideas he brought to this new era, always seeking to capture the infectious enthusiasm and love of communication that infused Carl Sagan's life and work. Endorsement from Ann Druyan, Carl Sagan's widow and long-time collaborator: Carl Sagan: A Biography comes closer to the Carl I knew than other previous attempts at biography. Authors Moser and Spangenburg capture the drama, passion and integrity of Carl's lifelong quest to know the cosmos. May this work kindle that fire in others. school and undergraduate students A portrait of a scientist famous for his popularization of science and for his activism regarding nuclear perils

The Miniature Black and Tan Terrier - A Complete Anthology of the Dog gathers together all the best early writing on the breed from our library of scarce, out-of-print antiquarian books and documents and reprints it in a quality, modern edition. This anthology includes chapters taken from a comprehensive range of books, many of them now rare and much sought-after works, all of them written by renowned breed experts of their day. These books are treasure troves of information about the breed - The physical points, temperaments, and special abilities are given; celebrated dogs are discussed and pictured; and the history of the breed and pedigrees of famous champions are also provided. The contents were well illustrated with numerous photographs of leading and famous dogs of that era and these are all reproduced to the highest quality. Books used include: British Dogs by W. D. Drury (1903), The New Book Of The Dog by Robert Leighton (1907), Hutchinson's Dog Encyclopaedia by Walter Hutchinson (1935) and others.

Through this collection of delightful essays and beautiful illustrations, long-time contributor to Country Living Gardner Sharon Lovejoy shares the boundless joys of a country garden. Lovejoy has chosen to focus on the natural world to be found just outside the door, including hummingbirds, caterpillars, and dragonflies, but her informative and witty prose also covers traditional plant care. The very titles of her sketches convey pleasure in the vibrant country landscape and the life that teems within it: "The Bumble Bee Rumba," "Faeries in the Fuschias (sphinx moths)," "Holiday Feasts for the Birds and the Beasts," and "Conversations with Sunflowers." This compilation truly is-to borrow another of her titles-"Something to Crow About."