The Log Cabin: An Adventure in Self-Reliance, Individualism, and Cabin Building

Book Description

Almost every man (women are saner) dreams, at least once in his life, of getting away from it all, deep into the woods, and going it alone. Expert tracker and woodsman Len McDougall shows us the way in THE LOG CABIN .
In the Spring of 2001, Len packed a grubstake and a couple of loads of handtools, and went deep into the North Woods. Using only the materials available on site and what he could carry in on foot, he pitched a tent to tide him over until the roof was up. Then he cut a few trees, built his own cabin, dug his own well, and lived a year in splendid isolation before returning to the hubbub and pleasures of Petoskey, Michigan. He had no phone, no electricity, no computer, no distractions of civilization--not even a radio (until he dragged in a car battery to power one). An inspiring narrative of self-reliance redolent with a rugged individualism that hasn't yet entirely vanished from the fabric of American life, suffused with a deep love for nature and its creatures, THE LOG CABIN is both the journal of that adventure and a great reference for building your own retreat.

Customer Reviews:

Not a helpful book.......2006-01-03

I hoped this book would give me some kind of help building a log cabin. Instead, it was a series of examples of just how stupid a person can be. (...I have built up my body's tolerance to smoke, so I wasn't in any danger... duh!)

If you want any useful insight into survival, or building a log cabin, take a pass on this book. If you want to see Darwin's theory in action, this can be an amusing story.

Not Impressed........2005-12-09

I just got back from 3 weeks at camp for Pennsylvania's bear and deer season. While at camp, I had the opportunity to read several books that were in the camp "library". This is one of 3 Len McDougal books I read during my stay. I was disappointed in this book as I feel the author was not all that isolated and in fact had way to many modern tools and conveniences at his disposal. Being able to drive into town at will was just too much. I don't think the early homsteaders had that choice. Modern firearm, tools, and other top of the line supplies made his "adventure" so much more pleasant that it was for those who had to do it for real. Had he stuck to the tools and hardships of others before him then I might have been impressed.

One thing I noticed is someone mentioned in the book actually has a review here too, in fact a number of reviews of Lens books. Further research reveals that this person is Len McDougal's business partner. It makes me suspect of her glowing reviews of his books.

couldn't put it down!!!.......2005-10-24

I received this book in the mail on a Friday and finished it by Sunday! McDougals' whole experience in the woods was absolutely fascinating! Order this book right now, you'll love it!!

Great Book - A Must Read!!!.......2005-09-09

This was one of the best books I have ever read. Len did a great job in relating all of his experiences in both an entertaining and informative way. This book inspired me to learn more about the author and search out other books he may have written. In doing so, I found out that Len actually lives in Paradise, Michigan and runs a wilderness adventure business in between writing assignments [Timberwolf Wilderness Adventures 906.492.3906]. This said, I actually visited Len this summer (2005) and took his 3-Day backpacking and survival course - wow, what a great time! The things I learned about building shelters, catching game and what plants are beneficial to survival cannot be matched through just reading about it - Len is an author who lives it everyday. I am amazed at how much information Len was able to pack into a 3-Day trip. Actually, it felt much more like just having fun with good friends vs. me being there to learn - Len's outdoor knowledge seems to sneak its way into every conversation. I plan on visiting Len this winter for his snow shooing/winter camping course and if I am lucky, we will take out his resident sled dog team. Read the book.

Great insight........2005-08-28

This book is awesome. I cant imagine many have done this before and i'm glad Len not only did it, but documented it as well so we could all experience it. I couldn't put it down and (unfortunately) finished it in 2 days hungry for more.

Book Description

One of over 400 titles in the Insight series,

Insight Guide Malta. This 312-page book includes a section detailing Malta's history, 7 features covering aspects of the island's life and culture, ranging from its ribald sense of humour to its aged fleet of rusting workhorse cars, a region by region visitor's guide to the sights, and a comprehensive Travel Tips section packed with essential contact addresses and numbers. Plus many complementary photographs and 9 maps.

Customer Reviews:

This review of the larger 310 page book.......2003-08-19

As usual, the Insight Guide relies heavy on photography for a visual feel of the country, probably 40% of the book is photographs, the quality of which is good to very good. With 80 pages of Maltese history, you will get more in depth history here than with any of the other travel guides.
The text does not pull any punches with discussing Malta & its people when it comes to their love of killing birds, leaving trash around, stealing car parts, overbuilding the island, being stubborn, or being horrendous drivers. But there is also an understanding and appreciation for the natives. The essays on Maltese people, their vehicles, the architecture, and superstitions are good. The last 20 pages of travel tips are helpful, the hotel recommendations adequate, the description of the various areas of interest detailed.
This book is too cumbersome to take along, this is more for pre-trip research. A good book if you are heavy into the history end...

Malta in Miniature.......2002-02-18

Probably the best available guide book about Malta, written by natives of the island and others with close connections. as usual with the Insight Guides, it succeeds in giving an authentic flavour of the place in miniature, and I have found it very useful throughout several trips there. Photography is very atmospheric, and almost faultless, though my only gripe is that the latest edition has replaced the Passionist 'cover boy' and his lantern - so typical of religious processions on the Island -with an ordinary, though very attractive, Maltese lass. The boy seemed to sum up perfectly the mixture of youth and devout Catholic faith of Malta. This apart, you will not need another guide to the Island if you have this one.

Insight Compact Guides Malta (Insight Compact Guides)

Average customer rating:

Insight Compact Guides Malta (Insight Compact Guides)
Wolfgang Thoma
Manufacturer: Apa Productions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | Travel | Subjects | Books

Malta | Europe | Travel | Subjects | Books

Insight Pocket Guide | Guidebook Series | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0395734304

Average customer rating:

Good-looking but hard to lug

Insight Malta (Insight Guide Malta)
Insight Guides
Manufacturer: Hungry Minds Inc,U.S.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Malta | Europe | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0134719883

Customer Reviews:

Good-looking but hard to lug.......1997-05-19

Insight's City Guides combine stunning photography with literate text and a smattering of basic travel information. The Insight Venice guide is worth adding to your bookshelf, but its practical advice is getting a bit long in the tooth and its heft makes it less than ideal as a take-along guide. - Durant Imboden, Venice for Visitors, http://govenice.miningco.co

Malta Insight Compact Guide (Insight Compact Guides)

Average customer rating:

Malta Insight Compact Guide (Insight Compact Guides)

Manufacturer: APA Publications Pte Ltd,Singapore
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | Travel | Subjects | Books

Malta | Europe | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 9812343725

Average customer rating:

Malta Insight Compact Guide (Insight Compact Guides)

Manufacturer: APA Publications Pte Ltd,Singapore
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | Travel | Subjects | Books

Malta | Europe | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 9812348824

Average customer rating:

Malta Insight Guide (Insight Guides)

Manufacturer: APA Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | Travel | Subjects | Books

Malta | Europe | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 9812340866

Average customer rating:

Malta Insight Guide (Insight Guides)

Manufacturer: APA Publications Pte Ltd,Singapore
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | Travel | Subjects | Books

Malta | Europe | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 9812586652

Malta Insight Guide (Insight Guides) (Insight Guides)

Average customer rating:

Malta Insight Guide (Insight Guides) (Insight Guides)

Manufacturer: APA Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 9624211248

Average customer rating:

Malta Insight Pocket Guide

Manufacturer: APA Publications Pte Ltd,Singapore
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | Travel | Subjects | Books

Malta | Europe | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 981234148X

Book Description

All bodily activity is the result of the interplay of vastly complex physiological processes, and all of these processes depend on temperature. For insects, the struggle to keep body temperature within a suitable range for activity and competition is often a matter of life and death.

A few studies of temperature regulation in butterflies can be found dating back to the late 1800s, but only recently have scientists begun to study the phenomenon in other insects. In The Thermal Warriors Bernd Heinrich explains how, when, and in general what insects regulate their body temperature and what it means to them. As he shows us, the ingenuity of the survival strategies insects have evolved in the irreducible crucible of temperature is astonishing: from shivering and basking, the construction of turrets (certain tiger beetles), and cooling with liquid feces to stilting (some desert ants and beetles), "panting" in grasshoppers and "sweating cicada," and counter- and alternating-currents of blood flow for heat retention and heat loss.

In The Thermal Warriors Heinrich distills his great reference work, The Hot-Blooded Insects, to its essence: the most significant and fascinating stories that illustrate general principles, all conveyed in the always engaging prose we have come to expect from this author.

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating!!!.......2003-09-08

Really neat info on how insects keep warm/cool down and why they move in those ways - shivering, bouncing, etc. The text is really easy to read and interesting to get into - the drawings sprinkled in throughout help make understanding that much easier. I don't have a science background - just have an insatiable hunger to learn about our natural world and this book definitely filled one corner of that hunger......Ever see a dragonfly stand up like its doing a headstand? Well its not because it like the head rush (or maybe that too but the book doesn't talk to that) - the reason they do that is on p. 66 - "When the sun is directly overhead some dragonflies assume the 'oblisk' position, which minimizes surface area exposed to solar heating while maximizing the area available for convective cooling." ....all to say, it was a hot day and the dragonfly needed to cool down :) Excellent book!

Unusual topic well presented.......2002-11-27

The thermodynamics of insects, from flight and thermoregulation to "thermal wars" between predator and prey. This is fascinating hard science presented in a user-friendly format. Short and pithy.

Excellent information, easy to understand.......2000-10-18

Bernd Heinrich has brought us yet another book that appeals both to the complete layperson and the scientist and provides enough detail and entertainment to keep both happy. The Thermal Warriors provides a fascinating look into the details of insect thermodynamics. Did you know that bees and most other flying insects have to shiver their muscles to warm-up their engines before flying because their flight muscles are adapted to work best at flight temperatures? Did you know that some butterflies have to stop and rest frequently on even moderately sunny days to keep from overheating?

Heinrich has taken his in-depth experience in this field and created a summary version for those that want to know more, but don't have any interest in wading through a 600 page monolith. The book is split up into different "problems" that insects must overcome to achieve flight, be active in different environments, and utilize different body shapes and sizes. He explains the physics of the various problems encountered and adaptations to overcome the problems in an easy to read manner. He frequently uses car engine analogies to help things make more sense.

My only qualm with this book is that it was over too soon!

Book Description

The C.I.M.E. session on Mathematical Problems in Semiconductor Physics, was addressed to researchers with a strong interest in the mathematical aspects of the theory of carrier transport in semiconductor devices. The subjects covered include hydrodynamical models for semiconductors based on the maximum entropy principle of extended thermodynamics, mathematical theory of drift-diffusion equations with applications, and the methods of asymptotic analysis.

Multiscale Problems and Methods in Numerical Simulations: Lectures given at the C.I.M.E. Summer School held in Martina Franca, Italy, September 9-15, 2001 ... Mathematics / Fondazione C.I.M.E., Firenze)

Average customer rating:

Multiscale Problems and Methods in Numerical Simulations: Lectures given at the C.I.M.E. Summer School held in Martina Franca, Italy, September 9-15, 2001 ... Mathematics / Fondazione C.I.M.E., Firenze)
James H. Bramble , Albert Cohen , and Wolfgang Dahmen
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books

Mathematical Analysis | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books

Number Systems | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Professional & Technical | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Science | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books
ASIN: 3540200991

Book Description

This volume aims to disseminate a number of new ideas that have emerged in the last few years in the field of numerical simulation, all bearing the common denominator of the "multiscale" or "multilevel" paradigm. This covers the presence of multiple relevant "scales" in a physical phenomenon; the detection and representation of "structures", localized in space or in frequency, in the solution of a mathematical model; the decomposition of a function into "details" that can be organized and accessed in decreasing order of importance; and the iterative solution of systems of linear algebraic equations using "multilevel" decompositions of finite dimensional spaces.

Average customer rating:

Two-thirds of an amazing trilogy

From Work To Wealth, The Snopes Saga

William Faulkner: Novels, 1957-1962: The Town / The Mansion / The Reivers (Library of America)
William Faulkner
Manufacturer: Library of America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Faulkner, William | Classics | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Classics | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Collections & Readers | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Faulkner, William | ( F ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

William Faulkner : Novels 1942-1954 : Go Down, Moses / Intruder in the Dust / Requiem for a Nun / A Fable (Library of America)

William Faulkner : Novels 1936-1940 : Absalom, Absalom! / The Unvanquished / If I Forget Thee, Jerusalem / The Hamlet (Library of America)

William Faulkner : Novels 1930-1935 : As I Lay Dying, Sanctuary, Light in August, Pylon (Library of America)

William Faulkner: Novels 1926-1929: Soldiers' Pay / Mosquitoes / Flags in the Dust / The Sound and the Fury (Library of America)

Steinbeck Novels 1942-1952: The Moon Is Down / Cannery Row / The Pearl / East of Eden (Library of America)

ASIN: 1883011698

Book Description

William Faulkner's fictional chronicle of Yoknapatawpha County culminates in his three last novels, rich with the history and lore of the domain where he set most of his novels and stories. "The Town" (1957), the second novel of the Snopes trilogy that began with "The Hamlet," charts the rise of the rapacious Flem Snopes and his extravagantly extended family as they connive their way into power. In "The Mansion" (1959), the trilogy's conclusion, a wronged relative finally destroys Flem and his dynasty. Faulkner's last novel, "The Reivers: A Reminiscence" (1962), distinctly mellower and more elegiac than his earlier work, is a picaresque adventure that evokes the world of childhood with a final burst of comic energy. "Novels 1957-1962," like previous volumes in The Library of America's edition of the complete novels of William Faulkner, has been newly edited by textual scholar Noel Polk to establish an authoritative text, that features a chronology and notes by Fau! lkner's biographer Joseph Blotner.

Customer Reviews:

Two-thirds of an amazing trilogy.......2006-04-17

The Library of America (LOA) has done a wonderful job of publishing all of Faulkner's novels in five compact, uniform editions. Besides being handsome, beautifully typeset volumes, they contain the texts of one America's most brilliant authors in versions that are as authoritative as can reasonably be expected. All five volumes were edited by two of the foremost Faulkner scholars--Noel Polk and Joseph Blotner; and each volume contains their notes on the text and a detailed chronology of Faulkner's life (In case you ever find yourself wondering when Faulkner entered first grade, the year was 1905; he enjoyed drawing and painting.) The scholarship and care that went into the preparation of the LOA Faulkner is impeccable.

Within the LOA series, the novels are arranged chronologically (though the volumes were not released in sequence). Consequently, the present volume contains the last two novels (The Town and The Mansion) in Faulkner's great trilogy, The Snopes. To get the first (and critically proabably the best) novel in the trilogy, The ;Hamlet, you'll have to purchase William Faulkner: Novels 1936-1940 (ISBN 0-940450-55-0). Since that volume also includes Faulkner's masterpiece Absalom! Absalom!, it is worth the purchase price. In my opinion, it is impossible to overpraise The Snopes trilogy, and it is difficult to summarize its themes. Suffice it to say, the trilogy encompasses many genres (myth, folklore, legend, realism, epic) while provideing an insightful and scathing commentary on the American dream, society, and the tension between traditional values and modernity. (Faulkner's insights make Theodore Dreiser look like an entertainment Tonight! reporter.) Although The Town has been called a "weak plank between two substantial boulders," I have to confess a fondness for its depiction of the goofy and sexually naive town lawyer, Gavin Stevens (also the hero of Faulkner's Knight's Gambit short stories). I would also venture to say that readers' uncomfortability with The Town may also be a reflection of the fact that this part of the trilogy represents the "real world of the present"--not our mythic past which we nostalgically recast to flatter our self-image (The Hamlet), nor an expression of our "wildest dreams," what we expect our life to be like "when our ship comes in" (The Mansion). Most of life, in other words, is taken up not with valiant struggles and bold accomplishments, but with the pettiness of domestic life and trying to get along with others. The Town (published in 1957), therefore, can be seen as the flip side of Father Knows Best, Leave It to Beaver, and all the other 1950s family sitcoms. Taken in that vein, I think it's a good satire and a delectable opera bouffe between two grand operas.

Daniel J. Singal in William Faulkner: The Making of a Modernist (1997; Univeristy of North Carolina Press) pinpoints November 1940 as the date when Faulkner's genius and talent began to irreversibly fade. While on a camping trip Faulkner, always a heavy drinker and surely already an alcoholic for many years, suffered brain damage when he passed out while drinking. If this is true, that means all three novels collected in Novels 1957-1962 were written during the Nobel laureate's waning years. Concerning the many passages of brilliant writing in The Mansion, Singal notes that many of these had been previously published as short stories and only reworked to become part of the novel. It is hard to imagine how The Mansion could have been better (though I'm sure there is no shortage of Faulkner scholars willing to suggest some scenarios). As far as The Reivers goes, I have long recommended this novel to friends who want to read something by Faulkner but are intimidated by the structural challenges of The Sound and the Fury or Absalom! Absalom! The Reivers is a nostalgic look at the early days of Jefferson (the key town in Faulkner's invented Yoknapatawpha County) told mostly through the eyes of a young boy. The story is linear and easy to follow, and the humor is some of Faulkner's funniest and most heart-warming. If this is Faulkner at his most diminished, most American novelists writing today should be so diminished!

So buy both Novels 1936-1940 and Novels 1957-1962 and treat yourself to The Snopes trilogy. Then, after you've finished it, rent "The Long Hot Summer" and see what a mangle Hollywood made of Faulkner's richly imagined world.

From Work To Wealth, The Snopes Saga.......2000-04-03

It is too bad that the first novel "The Hamlet" is not included (it appears in an earlier volume of this excellent series of The Library Of America) with "The Town" and "The Mansion" in this wonderful tale of growth and maturity of the outcast Snopes clan to a Snopes family of civic prominence. The three novels need to be read in their order to feel the strength of uneducated and poor individuals struggling for opportunities to better themselves, successfully, to claim the privileges of wealth that only the aristocracy of landowners enjoy. This is the new Yoknapatawpha County of automobiles and areoplanes. The old wilderness of the bear hunters was long ago paved over for speed. "The Reivers" is a long hearty laugh at innocence in a whore house. Told from a boy's viewpoint, the action is very adult and funny as adults pursue their urges for sex and gambling. The horse race is a fine piece of sustained Faulkner writing. Buy this book. It is a keeper.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books