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NEW
LIBRARY ACQUISITIONS FOR MEMBERS'
LENDING
December
-- 2000
California Academy of Sciences Library
Pub. BL439
.R36 2000
Animal Grace: Entering
a Spiritual Relationship with Our Fellow Creatures / Mary Lou Randour.
Novato,
CA: New World Library, 2000.
This book, authored by a
professional psychologist, the director of programs for Psychologists for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals, asks the reader to make two basic commitments.
One, expand your awareness of animals and the roles they play in your life.
Two, take compassionate action on behalf of animals. The chapters included in
the volume are "What Animals Can Teach Us about Spirituality," "Entering
a Spiritual Relationship with Animals," "The Peaceable Kindom,"
"The New Kashrut: The Spiritual Depth of Vegetarianism," "Ahimsa:
Cultivating Nonviolence toward Animals," "The Souls and Spiritual
Lives of Animals," and "The Parallel Worlds of Human and Nonhuman
Animals."
The book contains notes by chapter and an index.
Pub. E99
.F7 Y688 1992
Black Eagle Child:
The Facepaint Narratives / Ray A. Young Bear. Iowa
City, IA: University of Iowa Press, 1992.
Ray A. Young Bear, a writer,
musician, and poet, uses himself and his story alter egos to present his autobiography.
The narratives contain fascinating composite characters, and trace life through
anecdotes from 1965-1989.
Pub. QL84.2
.W53 1999
The Condor's Shadow:
The Loss and Recovery of Wildlife in America / David S. Wilcove. New
York: W.H. Freeman and Company, 1999.
In this book, the author,
a Senior Ecologist at the Environmental Defense Fund, writes of the state of
wildlife in America today. In discussing where we stand today and how we got
there, he puts across key issues and obstacles that we face in maintaining biodiversity
in the United States. There are over 100,000 identified species in the US. Of
those, it is likely that 16,000 are in danger of extinction right now. Most
of those species are located in four regions of the US: Hawaii, southern California,
the southeastern coastal states, and the southern Appalachians. What these places
all have in common is endemic species, large numbers of species, and an increase
in development. It won't easy, but Wilcove believes it can be done, and that
it's worth the effort to fight.
The book contains notes by chapter, literature cited, and an index.
Pub. GV200.5
.G78 1998
Desert Hiking Tips:
Expert Advice on Desert Hiking and Driving / Bruce Grubbs. Helena,
MT: Falcon Publishing, 1998.
The author, a veteran outdoorsman,
provides recommendations on techniques and equipment to help you feel comfortable
and prepared to hike the desert. In sections titled Desert Tips and Leave No
Trace, he discusses trip planning, maps, water, clothing, using maps and compasses,
vehicle preparation, trail and off-trail hiking, emergency signals, blisters,
hot and cold weather, lightning, picking a campsite, going without fire, keeping
food safe from wildlife, and breaking camp.
The book also includes a list of suggested reading, a sample backpacking checklist,
illustrations, and more.
Pub. GV838.673
.C86 W55 1999
Diving & Snorkeling
Cuba / Diana Williams. Melbourne,
Australia; Oakland, CA: Lonely Planet Publications, 1999.
Pub. GV838.673
.D6 L39 1999
Diving & Snorkeling
Dominica / Michael Lawrence. Melbourne,
Australia; Oakland, CA: Lonely Planet Publications, 1999.
How about a dip in the sparkling
blue waters surrounding Cuba or Dominica? Don't forget your gear! Along with
the other information that Lonely Planet consistently provides, the Cuba
book has a section that is specifically for United States citizens traveling
to the "forbidden island."
Background historical information for the islands is just the beginning of the
information that the guides provide. All of the practicalities are covered,
including how to get there and where to stay. General maps are included, as
well as maps and information about specific dive sites. Easy to understand icons
are used to indicate experience levels and requirements. Make sure you look
at the color photographs of the marine life you're likely to encounter, as well
as the hazardous marine life that you want to avoid!
Pub. GF75
.E56 1991
Environment in Peril
/ Edited by Anthony B. Wolbarst. Washington,
D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1991.
These essays, arising from
seminars conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency, speak to broad environmental
issues and emphasize how government can and must act to preserve the planet
and its biodiversity before it's too late. The essays included are from such
well known figures as Ralph Nader, Carl Sagan, Paul Ehrlich, Jacques Cousteau,
and others.
Pub. GF75
.E56 1991
Environment in Peril
/ Edited by Anthony B. Wolbarst. Washington,
D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1991.
These essays, arising from
seminars conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency, speak to broad environmental
issues and emphasize how government can and must act to preserve the planet
and its biodiversity before it's too late. The essays included are from such
well known figures as Ralph Nader, Carl Sagan, Paul Ehrlich, Jacques Cousteau,
and others.
Pub. QK929
.T48 1993
Faith in a Seed /
Henry D. Thoreau. Washington,
D.C.: Island Press, 1993.
This volume contains the
first publication of Thoreau's last manuscript, The Dispersion of Seeds
which describes ecological succession of plant species through seed dispersal
and refutes the theory, accepted at the time, of a spontaneous life of plants
independent of seeds, cuttings, or roots.
Other works contained in the volume are Thoreau's Wild Fruits, Weeds
and Grasses, and Forest Trees. The book also includes margin illustrations,
a chronology of Thoreau, editor's notes, and an index.
Pub. QP624
.E34 1998
Francis Crick &
James Watson and the Building Blocks of Life / Edward Edelson. New
York; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.
Crick and Watson, names
forever linked in the minds of the world, were involved in one of the most important
scientific discoveries of all times. They were the first to describe the structure
of DNA, and in so doing set off scientific discovery that has led to the detection
of diseases caused by genes and even cloning. This book is a biography of both
men, as well as a history of modern molecular biology. It also includes what
happened to the men after 1953, the time of their groundbreaking work.
The book also includes a list of further reading, an index, and a chronology.
Pub. GB661.2
.P54 1998
Fresh Water /
E. C. Pielou. Chicago,
IL: University of Chicago Press, 1998.
Fresh Water is an
examination of the role of non-saltwater in the natural world. The book begins
with the water cycle, without which, life as we know it could not exist. Each
type of fresh water is given a different section. The sections include water
below the ground, flowing water, rivers at work, lakes, water in the atmosphere,
and ice.
The volume makes a point of focusing on the importance of fresh water along
with descriptions of habitat and location. The book includes charts, graphs,
illustrations, notes, and an index.
Pub. GB1203.7
.G54 2000
The Gift of Rivers:
True Stories of Life on the Water / Edited by Pamela Michael. San
Francisco, CA: Travelers' Tales, 2000.
This book is comprised of
individual essays from a mix of fiction writers, nature writers, and more. Each
of the essays examines the authors experiences on a river of the world. Isabel
Allende writes of the Amazon River in Brazil, and others tackle the Mississippi,
Ganges, Yangtze, and many others. All of the essays are nonfiction accounts
of personal experiences with the rivers in question.
Also included in the volume are a selection of recommended readings, contact
information for river organizations, an index of contributors, and a general
index.
Pub. L737
.C27 R87 2000
Grizzly Country /
Andy Russell. New
York: The Lyons Press, 2000.
The author, a noted naturalist
and wildlife photographer, introduces this reissue of his work. In it, he details
his travels through bear country, observing the grizzly, his habitat, and his
natural history. It is very clear that he has a strong respect for the bear,
and he uses the book to help refute myth and legend that surround the "ferocious"
grizzly.
Pub. E169.04
.P32 1999
The Heart of America:
Our Landscape, Our Future / Tim Palmer. Washington,
D.C.: Shearwater Press, 1999.
This volume is an exploration
and assessment of the American landscape. Geography, history, and ecology are
woven together to form ideas on how landscapes can be protected and restored.
The author also examines the ways in which the American landscape has shaped
the American people.
Each area is given separate treatment, from mountains, to forest, to grassland,
to deserts, to rivers, to lakes and wetlands, to seashores. Through the reading,
we discover how we feel about the habitats and look at our own perceptions.
Pub. RC649
.K75 2000
Hormonal Chaos: The
Scientific and Social Origins of the Environmental Endocrine Hypothesis /
Sheldon Krimsky. Baltimore,
MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000.
The author, a professor
in the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy at Tufts University, examines
the environmental endocrine hypothesis. The book shows how the hypothesis, an
assertion that certain chemicals interfere with the functions of hormones in
animals and humans, was reached by scientists doing research independent of
each other. The science behind and the responses to the hypothesis are also
discussed. The book also traces the route from science, to media, to politics.
Also included in the volume are a chronology of key events, notes by chapter,
references, and an index.
Pub. QL467
.M396 2000
Insects, Spiders,
and Other Terrestrial Arthropods / George C. McGavin. New
York: Dorling Kindersley, 2000.
If you want to identify
an insect, you might want to start with this fantastic recognition guide to
insects, spiders, and land arthropods. Photos and illustrations are provided
for more than 500 species. Start with the practical identification key to main
groups to find the proper section, then find your specific entry.
Each entry has a concise description, annotated photographs or illustrations
to highlight physical features, information on life cycle, habitat, and larval
stages.
Pub. QE721.2
.S7 G44 1999
In Search of Deep
Time: Beyond the Fossil Record to a New History of Life / Henry Gee.
New
York: The Free Press, 1999.
The chief science writer
for Nature, the author has set out to examine and clarify a revolution
occurring in the field of paleontology: cladistics. Cladistics looks at the
patter of history of life, but does so without assuming knowledge of how that
history evolved. The cladistic analysis being used today involves a comparison
and measurement of genetic and anatomic variation between species.
Spending time with scientists in both the field and the lab, the author examines
and explains the use of cladistics, and how it is changing the ways that scientists
view the past, present, and future.
Pub. QC981.8
.G56 P48 1998
Is the Temperature
Rising: The Uncertain Science of Global Warming / S. George Philander.
Princeton,
NJ: Princeton University Press, 1998.
A professor of geosciences
at Princeton University, the author attempts to help the public gain an appreciation
for how human activity, technology, and creation is, to a significant degree,
changing the chemistry of the Earth's atmosphere. Geosciences integrates aspects
of geology, biology, meteorology, and oceanography to answer questions about
the Earth. Geosciences are used in the book to provide an introduction to basics
about the Earth's climate and weather.
Along with the main sections of the book, a glossary, references, an index,
charts, graphs, images, and thirteen appendices cover topics as diverse as the
cycle of seasons, the ozone hole, and global warming.
Pub. QP82
.A75 2000
Life at the Extremes:
The Science of Survival / Frances Ashcroft. Berkeley,
CA: University of California Press, 2000.
The author, a professor
of physiology at Oxford University, has put together a fascinating account on
the possibilities and limitations of the human body in a variety of habitats
and situations. She takes us underwater, the tops of mountains, Antarctica,
harsh desert, and even outer space. In her examination of the body, she uses
actual situations, some her own, to introduce and illustrate her physiological
explanations.
It is not every book that could examine frostbite, mountain sickness, the bends,
and extreme temperatures and make it appealing to the general reader. Ashcroft
has managed this admirably. The book also contains notes by chapter, selected
references, and an index.
Pub. GA105.3
.W49 2000
The Mapmakers. Revised
Edition / John Noble Wilford. New
York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2000.
Two time Pulitzer Prize
winning science correspondent John Noble Wilford has written for the New
York Times since 1965. This book is an updated version of his classic on
the history of cartography. He takes us on a journey from stick and twig maps,
to the mention of an illustrative map in a 1020 b.c. Chinese document, to the
mapping of planets other than our own.
Along the way, he talks about how map making likely evolved independently among
various cultures and peoples around the globe. When Cook made it to Tahiti,
the indigenous people he found there were already familiar with maps. He also
discusses how increases in the sophistication and technology of maps has been
used to create more and more detailed maps for centuries, including the current
use of the Global Positioning System designed by the Pentagon and now used by
civilians, as well. The book contains bibliographical notes by chapter, maps
and images, and an index.
Pub. QL31
.N23 J644 1999
Nabokov's Blues: The
Scientific Odyssey of a Literary Genius / Kurt Johnson and Steve Coates.
Cambridge,
MA: Zoland Books, 1999.
While this book is partly
a biography of Nabokov, the writer perhaps best known for his work Lolita,
it is also a chronicle of his work as an informally taught lepidopterist. In
the 1940's Nabokov was holding a post as a curator at Harvard's Museum of Comparative
Zoology. During this period of time, he published a radical new classification
of Blues, butterflies from a little studied area of South America. The article
was forgotten by many, but after fifty years, some scientists decided to take
up where Nabokov had left off, and they traveled to South America and found
that he was right!
The book includes a list of Nabokov's eight scientific publications on Blues
published between 1941 and 1954 and the major publications that are completing
his work on the neo-tropical Blues. The volume also includes a general bibliography
and an index.
Pub. QL737
.C22 B365 1998
The New Wolves: The
Return of the Mexican Wolf to the American Southwest / Nick Bass. New
York: The Lyons Press, 1998.
These wolves once roamed
freely through Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. They were one of the most commonly
distributed carnivores in the world, and now they are among the rarest. They
have been hunted almost to extinction, with a surviving population mostly contained
in zoos. This book is a chronicle of disappearance, research, land and land-use,
ranchers and ranching, and government policies that affect the wolves. It also
allows the reader to learn about some of the individual wolves that were eventually
released, including, in the "Epilogue," the first known birth of a
Mexican wolf pup in the wild in the US in over fifty years.
Pub. GV783
.R58 1997
Rivers Running Free:
A Century of Women's Canoeing Adventures / Edited by Judith Niemi and
Barb Wieser. Seattle,
WA: Seal Press, 1997.
These journals, stories,
and essays are by and about women canoeing. They cover first experiences, reminiscences,
hardships, joys, and adventure. The selections are divided into five sections.
"The Companions of Her Days" includes stories of women finding joy
and strength in each other. First time trips, hard trips, purposefully taken
challenges, and wilderness skills and life lessons are covered in the section
"The Whitewater of Life." Stories about non-wilderness canoeing are
shared in "Urban Wilds." "The Very Poetry of Travel" takes
us on a journey of words that create images of the trips. The final section,
"Listening," reminds the reader that it's all taking place in nature,
and that women need to listen to themselves, as well.
Pub. F787
.C47 2000
The Secret Knowledge
of Water: Discovering the Essence of the American Desert / Craig Childs.
Seattle,
WA: Sasquatch Books, 2000.
As the book tells you, "There
are two easy ways to die in the desert: thirst or drowning." The book examines
this dichotomy by exploring the meaning of water in a dry place. The book attempts
to discover the essence of water in the desert of the American west.
The work includes a bibliography and an index.
Pub. QH366.2
.S492 2000
Shaking the Tree:
Readings from Nature in the History of Life / Edited by Henry
Gee. Chicago,
IL: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
Edited by a senior editor
at Nature, this book contains nineteen review articles, previously published
in Nature, on the history of life on Earth. The articles were written
over the last ten years by leading figures in evolution and paleontology, they
serve to remind that science is not a static discipline. Science, like life,
evolves and changes. Scientists passionately defend their theories.
The collection is divided into five parts. Each portion is introduced by Gee
and contains updated references. An index is also included.
Pub. DS566.2
.C86 1998
Thailand's Islands
& Beaches / Joe Cummings and Nicko Goncharoff. Melbourne, Australia;
Oakland, CA: Lonely Planet Publications, 1998.
Just your average Lonely
Planet book, which means its ahead of all the others and a fantastic resource.
The guide contains facts about the country, including history and information
about the 1991 coup, information regarding geography, climate, ecology, government,
economy, population and people, arts, and religion. A handy feature is the language
section, which includes common phrases that you would find handy while traveling
in Thailand.
The Facts for Visitors portion of the guide includes tips on what to pack, how
to get there, and how to get around once you've arrived. Sections about food,
including a food glossary, are exceptionally handy. Where are you going to stay?
How do you handle money issues? What should you see while you're there? All
these questions, and many that you would never think to ask, are answered in
this guidebook.
Also included are maps, a glossary, an index, and some color photographs. Bangkok
and other destinations are treated to in-depth coverage.
Pub. QE821
.F67 2000
Trilobite! Eyewitness
to Evolution / Richard Fortey. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2000.
This book contains the story
of the beginning of life as seen through the eyes of a trilobite. Through study
of the trilobite, the reader is given a picture of the geologic past and how
the trilobite can reveal the patterns and mechanisms of evolution through their
fossils.
The author, a senior palaeontologist at the Natural History Museum in London,
has written an accessible, entertaining, and educational book. The volume contains
an index, suggestions for further reading, plates, and illustrations.
Pub. QH83
.T84 2000
The Variety of Life:
A Survey and a Celebration of All the Creatures That Have Ever Lived /
Colin Tudge. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.
The Variety of Life
attempts to introduce all the principle groups of creatures that are now believed
to have existed on Earth. The very detailed book is meant to be an introductory
text on the true implications of biodiversity and the ways in which biologists
try to come to terms with it. The author believes that the book can be used
as a reader's guide from no knowledge of the subject to the ability to begin
to understand the scientific journals on the subject by providing background
and context.
Part one of the book is on "The Craft and Science of Classification."
Part two, the main portion of the volume, is "A Survey of All Living Creatures."
The volume contains charts, graphs, illustrations, literature cited and further
readings, a general index, and an index of organisms.
Pub. QH105
.A65 B63 2000
The View from Bald
Hill: Thirty Years in an Arizona Grassland / Carl E. Bock and Jane H.
Bock. Berkeley,
CA: University of California Press, 2000.
Professors of Biology at
the University of Colorado, the authors have worked for years at "the Ranch,"
an area that has been closed to grazing since 1968. The book summarizes the
results of thirty years of grassland research in an ungrazed area. The book
is about grassland ecology, and it becomes readily apparent how important it
is to study when you realize that native grassland, historically one of the
largest biomes in North America, is now endangered.
The research area is located on the Sonoita Plain in the high plains of south
eastern Arizona. Active grazing likely began in the 1880s, and lasted through
1968 when the land was donated for research. The central question of the book
is how has does the ungrazed land differ from the surrounding operating cattle
ranches after thirty years without livestock.
Scientific and common names of plants and animals, notes by chapter, literature
cited, and an index are included.
Pub. GF504
.W35 S56 1999
Visions of Paradise:
Glimpses of Our Landscape's Legacy / John Warfield Simpson. Berkeley,
CA: University of California Press, 1999.
This book attempts to examine
the forces that have shaped the American landscape since 1776. Beginning with
a comparison of the lives of two very different men -- a grown man and self-made
millionaire moving to the Midwest after making his fortune and a child who was
taken captive by a tribe of Native Americans and chose to stay with them in
the same area of the Midwest -- the author uses their vastly different experiences
to trace the transformation of the Midwest and West from wilderness, to farm
land, to suburban and then urban sprawl.
The book also examines the policies and philosophies that led to the mass movement
west and settlement, and the ways we feel about that land. By inserting his
own experiences, the author manages to personalize the stories.
Pub. QL737
.C22 T43 1998
Wolf County: Eleven
Years Tracking the Algonquin Wolves / John B. Theberge with Mary T.
Theberge. Toronto,
Ontario: McClelland & Stewart Inc., 1998.
This book is a product of
a long-running wolf study, 1987-1998, in the Algonquin Provincial Park, a world-famous
wolf sanctuary. The book provides information on wolf natural history, wolf
habitat, and individual wolves. By bringing the wolves to life in his writing,
Theberge has given us all access to the wild.
The book includes a bibliography and an index.
Pub. Juv
QL338 . A69 2000
Australian Animals
/ Caroline Arnold. New
York: HarperCollins, 2000.
Join me on a tour of the
island continent's fantastic and amazing animals in this great book. Clearly
written text accompanied by large color photographs illustrate the animals at
home in their habitats. In fact the book is separated by habitat, with animals
in like habitats grouped together, showing niches, and using maps to help you
figure out where these animals occur in the wild. All of your favorites are
in the book, including the kangaroo, koala, and platypus, but don't forget to
learn about quolls, sugar gliders, bilbies, and the world's smallest penguins,
only 15 inches tall!
Pub. Juv
GB601.2 .S53 2000
Cave / Text
by Diane Siebert and illustrations by Wayne McLoughlin. New
York: HarperCollins, 2000.
Beautiful illustrations
and elegant text are featured in this book that describes and illustrates the
formation of a limestone cave. How the cave was formed, the life that evolved
to live in the cave, and a sense of wonder are all conveyed gracefully.
Pub. Juv
QE862 .D5 A39 1989
Dinosaur Days in Texas
/ Tom Allen, Jane D. Allen, and Savannah Waring Walker. Dallas,
TX: Hendrick-Long Publishing Co., 1989.
Dinosaurs may not have lived
in California, but they sure lived in Texas! In this book, you can find out
about the fossil remains and footprints that scientists have studied in Texas.
Lots of maps, charts, graphs, and illustrations are featured as you find out
about the science of studying dinosaurs and learn about the species that lived
in Texas so many years ago.
Pub. Juv
QA95 .P472 2001
Math Trek 2 /
Ivars Peterson and Nancy Henderson. New
York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2001.
Play games and solve puzzles
to learn math and math skills in this entertaining book. Use Pascal's triangle,
rope, and tic-tac-toe to learn and have fun at the same time!
The book contains clear instructions, a glossary, further readings, an index,
and illustrations.
Pub. Juv
PS3563 .O622 P63 1997
Poems have Roots /
Lilian Moore. New
York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 1997.
Along with the seventeen
poems about or influenced by nature that are presented in this volume, a fantastic
feature of this work is the section of notes located at the end. The notes describe
the scenes, settings, and events that inspired the poems. The poem "Frogs
are Disappearing," for instance, was inspired by the author hearing about
the mysterious disappearance of frogs in Yellowstone National Park, a protected
environment.
Pub. Juv
QL676.2 .J64 1996
Simon & Schuster
Children's Guide to Birds / Jinny Johnson. New
York: Simon & Schuster, 1996.
Beautiful and colorful illustrations
are a highlight of this book. Along with an explanation about what a bird is,
the information is divided into sections on ground birds and game birds, seabirds,
waterbirds and cranes, wading birds, owls and birds of prey, birds of the trees
and masters of the air, and songbirds. Each section then provides information
about how the birds live, where they live, the kinds of birds that fit the categories,
including scientific names and range, and places a spotlight on one of the species
within the group.
Pub. Juv
PS3515 .U274 S94 1994
The Sweet and Sour
Animal Book / Langston Hughes. New
York: Oxford University Press, 1994.
The text in this volume
is from previously unpublished verse by Langston Hughes, while the illustrations
have been provided by mostly 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders at Harlem School for
the Arts. The work was found among his papers, and has been published with gorgeous
and colorful illustrations of such animals as apes, elephants, kittens, newts,
turtles, and zebras.
Pub. AV&M
QL737 .P95 L45 1999
Lemurs with John
Cleese. Burbank, CA: PBS Home Video, 1999.
John Cleese adores lemurs.
In fact, he likes them so much that he not only raised money to send five lemurs
raised in captivity, the Carolina Five, to the wild, he was willing to travel
to the rainforests of Madagascar without a spot of tea in sight to see how they
were fairing five months later. The video follows John Cleese as he spends time
at a private lemur reserve and meets a variety of different species and specializations
of lemur. We see the Aye-aye, the largest nocturnal primate, and watch as he
uses his specially adapted finger to remove grubs from bamboo. We're also treated
to the glorious sights and sounds of John Cleese, as he learns about lemurs,
and teaches us a thing or two in the process.
No titles in December.
All of the materials above are available for check-out to Academy members.
This page will not be complete until the end of December. Please check back for more materials and reviews.
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Last update: December 29, 2000.
