Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

Master story teller Charlie Elliott says it perfectly in this book for all fishermen: "Whether you are a fresh water Walton or the owner of a yacht, plowing the depths beyond the sight of land for a long-billed monster of the sea, you are seeking out the quiet aquatic spaces of the earth for a reason more compelling than to satisfy your stomach juices. "Whenever you assemble your tackler, there are latent questions in your mind. What adventure awaits you just beyond the river bend, or when you beach your boat where the forest marches down to meet the laek? What delightful memory will you bring home, or what bizarre hair graying thrill could encounter you unexpectedly where the water trails run out and stop? "Those are not the only reasons you fish, by any stretch of nylon thread. Whether you are out for salmon or for lunker bass, of grayling or bonefish, your premeditated design of the day calls for out-thinking, out- maneuvering and then out-battling some wary old mossback of the depths or shallows. But as an adjunct to this high ideal, you are also seeking many other things which add immeasurably more to your day than meant on your table. You're looking for sunshine on the water, the refrigerated glades, the bonds of friendship between strong men. Your diversions of the day include a hundred adventures not listed in a fishing guide."

This delightful collection of wisdom, insight and humor, from Diane Ackerman to Emile Zola, captures the essence of the world's most popular hobby. Here are over four hundred quotations -- not only one-line zingers but stanzas of verse and full paragraphs of narrative -- on the endless fascination of gardening. The great gardening writers of past and present are amply represented, but these varied selections also range the entirety of recorded literature, from the Bible and the tenth-century Japanese diarist Sei Shonagon through Chaucer, Shakespeare, Dickens, Walt Whitman, and even Prince Charles.

For anyone who counts their hours in the soil as their most valued, "The Quotable Gardener" is the ideal gift -- an invaluable inspiration during the gardening months, and a treasured companion during the long, desperate winter.

Among the great joys of gardening, as this book demonstrates, are changing one's mind, striking out in new directions, and trying something new. In short, Lloyd encourages all gardeners to be adventurous and offers ways to make new and exciting such familiar chores as weeding, taking cuttings, reseeding, and pruning roots and branches. Both the neophyte and the experienced gardener will benefit from Lloyd's advice and inspiration.

From the question of why England is so wet - or, in the view of a dripping American, seems to be - to an account of the great Charles Darwin's favorite obsession (it was earthworms), The Transplanted Gardener contains a sparkling set of essays exploring the history, practice, and eccentricities of gardening in "the world's greatest potting shed," England. (6 X 9, 240 pages)

"There is something about a treasure," says Joseph Conrad in Nostromo, "that fastens on a man's mind." And, yes, there is something about the subject of treasure hunting that continues to fascinate us. One only needs to browse the Web to discover a whole netherworld of treasure-hunting magazines, metal-detector clubs, and lost-mine information exchanges that apparently engage the funds and spare time of thousands of hopefuls. But digging up tin cans and discarded horseshoes or crashing through the Superstitions in a "recreational vehicle" somehow goes against the romantic grain. Charles Elliott recaptures the essential romance of the search in this collection of classic stories. Many are true - or purport to be. They encompass all the great themes - obsession, tragedy, danger, crime, frustration, terrible physical challenge, success and disappointment. They take place under the sea, in jungles, on desert islands, even in the attics of old houses. The treasure itself is not always gold, silver, and diamonds - it may be lost documents, the solution to a historical puzzle, or an unexpected archaeological discovery. What is common to them all is the excitement of the chase and the possibility - irrational, perhaps, but unavoidable -that treasure really is there for the finding.

Tales of the botanist explorers who enriched our gardens.

"The Well-Tempered Garden is for gardeners who have not been dragged into this pursuit but are here because they love it." So writes Christopher Lloyd in the Introduction to this superb book. Here the beginning gardener will learn the basic skills of planting, pruning, weeding, staking, and deadheading. More advanced gardening enthusiasts are guided through ways to propagate plants, to select and care for different kinds of plants - perennials, shrubs, climbers, bulbs - and are also offered ideas about the many different kinds of gardens one might keep. He offers advice on roses, vegetables, fruits, ornamental plants, wild gardening in grass, and more. A strong-minded instructor, Lloyd knows that errors are inevitable, and rather than scolding encourages learning through experience. He opens our eyes to the beauty of the unexpected surprises that happen in the garden, whether on the part of the "fallible plant" or the "fallible gardener." All this from the man Henry Mitchell called "possibly the best garden writer alive." (6 X 9, 480 pages, illustrations)