At a time when the environment is of growing concern to students and general readers, nature writing is especially meaningful. This book profiles the literary careers of 52 early American nature writers, such as John James Audubon, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Caroline Stansbury Kirkland, Thomas Jefferson, Henry David Thoreau, and Mabel Osgood Wright. Each entry is written by an expert contributor and discusses the writer's life and works. Entries close with primary and secondary bibliographies, and the encyclopedia ends with suggestions for further reading. Global warming, pollution, and other issues have made the environment a topic of constant discussion these days. Many environmental concerns were treated by early American nature writers, who recognized the beauty of the natural world in an age of commercial expansion. Some of the most famous writers of the 18th and 19th centuries wrote about nature, and their works are stylistic masterpieces. At a time when students are being encouraged to read and write about nonfiction, these masterworks of early American nature writing are all the more important. This book gives students and general readers a welcome introduction to early American nature writers. The volume begins with an introductory essay on the history of early American nature writing and its anticipation of present day concerns. The book then provides alphabetically arranged entries on 52 writers, including: Elizabeth Agassiz, John James Audubon, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Caroline Stansbury Kirkland, Thomas Jefferson, Meriwether Lewis, Edith M. Thomas, Henry David Thoreau, Bradford Torrey, and Mabel Osgood Wright.

'An absorbing self-portrait of an exceptional cook.' Harold McGee Daniel Patterson is the head chef /owner of Coi (pronounced "Kwa"), a two-Michelin-starred restaurant in San Francisco. At Coi, Patterson mixes modern culinary techniques with local, wild and cultivated ingredients to create original dishes that speak of place, memory, and emotion. It's an approach that has earned him a worldwide reputation for pioneering a new kind of Californian cuisine. Patterson is also known for his original food writing, and he has been published in recent years in The New York Times, Bon Appetit and Lucky Peach. Now, in his highly anticipated new book, Coi: Stories and Recipes, Patterson writes a personal account of the restaurant, its dishes and his own unique philosophy about food and cooking. Beginning with a look at California - how Patterson arrived from the East Coast and how he became to feel more at home as the years progressed - the book takes the reader into the Coi kitchen, and through 70 of the restaurant's original dishes such as Chilled Spiced Ratatouille Soup; Carrots Roasted in Coffee Beans, Monterey Bay Abalone with Nettle-Dandelion Salsa Verde; Inverted Cherry Tomato Tart and Lime Marshmallow with Coal-Toasted Meringue. The dishes are explained through a series of personal essays and narrative recipes, offering insight into Patterson's life, family, and inspirations. Coi: Stories and Recipes includes 150 color photographs showing the finished dishes as well as atmospheric images of the restaurant, the California landscape, and portraits of Coi's staff and suppliers. The book features forewords by Peter Meehan and Harold McGee. It is sure to be one of the most talked about cookbooks of the year.

John James Audubon's journal of 1826 details the months leading up to his creation of The Birds of America, one of the greatest works of natural history and art of the nineteenth century. The first accurate transcription of Audubon's 1826 journal, this edition corrects many of the errors, both intentional and unintentional, found in previous editions. Such errors have obscured the figure of Audubon as a man struggling to realize his professional and artistic dreams.

Featuring the collection of airplanes, art, photographs, and memorabilia of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, this magnificently illustrated book tells the story of the beginnings of flight, through the creation of the U.S. Air Force as a separate branch of the military, to the unbelievable technological achievements of what is the preeminent air power in the world today. Here are combat aces, Medal of Honor recipients, crusty generals, and average citizens who served in the Air Force. There are philosophers, airplane designers, test pilots, rocket scientists, armorers, and grease monkeys. More than 250 color and 150 black-and-white illustrations and photos and insightful text present the story of the U.S. Air Force of yesterday, today, and tomorrow, published on the occasion of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United States Air Force.

Published here for the first time, the diary of George Lloyd (1642-1718) presents a richly detailed account of the everyday life of an unremarkable man during two phases of his life: his attempt, between 1675 and 1678, to establish himself as a schoolmaster in Colchester; and the twilight of his career as a Customs officer at the Port of London in 1711-12. Virtually unknown to scholarship, Lloyd's diary is not a record of notable events, political upheavals, or religious controversies. Rather, it is a uniquely quotidian text consisting of regular daily entries documenting the activities and experiences of an individual far removed from - and largely unconcerned with - the great events of history. This diary will be an invaluable resource for scholars studying many aspects of early modern English social and cultural history, including sociality, fashion, religious observance, courtship, food and drink, and working life.

John James Audubon, an early American naturalist and painter, produced one of the greatest works of natural history and art of the nineteenth century, The Birds of America. As the record of the interior story of the making of this monumental work, his journal of 1826 is one of the richest documents in the history of American culture.  The first accurate transcription of Audubon’s 1826 journal, this edition corrects many of the errors, both intentional and unintentional, found in previous editions. Such errors have obscured the figure of Audubon as a man struggling to realize his professional and artistic dreams. When Audubon embarked for Liverpool from New Orleans in 1826, he carried with him more than 250 of his watercolor drawings in a heavy case, a packet of letters of introduction, and many a good reason to believe that he was a fool to be gambling his family’s fortunes on so risky and grandiose a venture. These journal entries, conveying with energy and emotion Audubon’s experience of risking everything on a dream—“Oh, America, Wife, Children and acquaintances, Farewell!�—document an American icon’s transformation from a beleaguered backwoods artist and naturalist to the man who would become America’s premier ornithologist, illustrator of birds, and nature essayist.