Cultures of Habitat: On Nature, Culture, and Story

Customer Reviews:

human devastation is not the norm.......2007-03-11

beautiful collection of generous essays -
as we enter into this crushing time of widescale ecological collapse
it is imperative, if we are to holdon to anything - that we recall that human beings are not inherently the cause - that this devastation is the work of a very narrow slice of the world's culture - that mostly people have lived with plants and animals in mutually beneficial ways - a very important book.

Hauntingly beautiful without the least bit of romanticism.......2003-02-28

Gary Nabhan's book has images in it that are complex and, judging by some of the reader's reviews, too fine-grained for some people's tastes. Like all great written works, Gary has taken the time not to oversimplify or over-generalize, but the resulting ambiguities and lack of forcing these essays into a pre-ordained thread has left me with images that will stick with me for a long time. They, like the ecosystems and cultures that he describes, point to a complexity which reveals itself slowly and over time--lifetimes, in some cases. It is this complexity that he celebrates and mourns the loss of as the cultures and languages that have evolved close to the land become increasingly diluted and discarded in the rush of assimilation that has overtaken so many cultures,languages and landscapes. His case for breathing life back into our landscapes THROUGH our culture and language is compelling, and a challenge to us all, wherever we live.

Interesting ideas but too loosely written.......2002-10-03

While I found his concepts very interesting and many of his stories beautiful in and of thesmelves, Nabhan fails to bring his book into a cohesive argument. He vaguely alludes to his concepts of the importance of biodiversity to cultures, and how a diversity of cultures promotes biodiversity, I felt as if I were drowning in nostalgia as he told this and that tale without making their significance clear and... significant.

There were interesting thoughts and stories, but as an entire book, it disappointed me.

We all need to see culture this way.......1999-07-20

So few nature writers (Barry Lopez being one notable exception) are concerned with dissolving the artificial wall between humanity and nature. Nabhan takes this objective one step further by showing that biodiversity actually depends on the survival of human communities. In specific, human communities that have adapted to and depended upon natural systems for their own survival. For those who are interested in conservation, environmental science, human cultures, Native American societies, ethnobotany, archaeology, and anthropology, this book is a must-read.

Endangered interactions between humans and the natural world.......1999-05-19

What is the proper term for someone like Gary Nabhan? Ethnoecologist? I found this to be a well written, thoroughly enjoyable book. I don't usually make it all the way to the end of a book of essays, but I read every one of these. I found Nabhan a pleasant traveling companion as I tagged along with him through the Sonoran Desert of Arizona and northern Mexico, sleuthing out the tatters and remants of native peoples' relationships with the habitats in which their cultures evolved. Nabhan is largely concerned with what Dan Janzen has called "the most insidious kind of extinction -- the extinction of interactions." Through visits with fascinating people in fascinating places, he explores what have now become highly endangered interactions between rare desert plants and their even rarer insect or mammal pollinators, between wild plants and their domesticators, between competitors for scarce natural resources (be they human or hummingbird), and between story tellers and their children and grandchildren. This is a book that will make you want to get to the roots of your relationship with the natural world by talking to your parents and grandparents about their own childhood experiences in nature. Whether your interests run primarily to botany, to zoology, or to anthropology, you will find much in these essays to please, sadden, and stimulate you.

Book Description

Packed with stunning photographs, easy-to-use maps, and all the information you really need to get the most from your visit! In this compact guide, our writers help you plan itineraries for short and longer stays. Complete with must-see sights on and off the beaten track as well as current hotel and restaurant recommendations. And the convenient size of the guide allows you to take it along in your pocket or handbag. Take the world in your pocket next time and travel with this handy Berlitz guide.

Customer Reviews:

A shoestring traveler's review.......2007-06-20

The selection of a guidebook these days results in mixed feelings at best and often outright disappointment. Since the publishers which historically targeted backpackers are now neglecting that demographic, I wanted to explore other options. In addition to the The Rough Guide to Hong Kong & Macau I got the slightly smaller Berlitz guide (tenth edition 2003, updated 2006). Well, the guide will work for some tourists, but it's not ideal.

If you're like me, you stay for free with local hosts from Internet hospitality associations instead of in impersonal hotels or hostels. You also eat in whatever little hole in the wall seems an authenthic local dining experience instead of some totally charmless restaurant. So, the first thing to do with the Berlitz guide is cut out the several pages of lodging and restaurant listings at the back, handily recognizable since they are printed on yellow paper. These are for people willing to pay several hundred euro a night for a hotel room, which few independent tourists would suffer. The restaurant recommendations are also only for houte coutre dining experiences.

So, if you're the sort of traveler who is not going to use the restaurant and hotel listings, there's still the tourist direction itself. The guide covers the sort of things that you'll want to see in the centre of Hong Kong, from British remnants to the Cantonese neighbourhoods. Maps of Central and Kowloon are provided, though they aren't especially readable. However, the Berlitz guide neglects a huge amount of the places a tourist could see in this exciting area. Only Central and Kowloon get much attention. The other parts of Hong Kong Island get scanty coverage, the New Territories are hardly mentioned, and the advertised "Excursion" chapters to Guangzhou and Shenzhen turn out to be single pages each with no practical information, just a recommendation to visit. Macau gets some attention, perhaps enough that a tourist could go there using only the book, but all in all it's not much.

The guide has other problems as well, from a peculiar transliteration of Cantonese phrases that totally neglects tones, to irritatingly unauthentic and uninspiring photographs. And unlike many other guidebooks, which give a balanced view of the history and current events of a region, the Berlitz guide paints only a rosy view of Hong Kong and mentions none of its considerably current challenges.

Bottom line, the Berlitz guide can't compete with the Rough Guide or Lonely Planet in exhaustively showcasing the true wealth of tourism opportunities available here. I'd recommend it only for wealthy travelers who are going to spend a couple of days only, and will visit only Central (and perhaps Aberdeen) and Kowloon. The Rough Guide inspired me to spend several weeks here, keen to see all kinds of things, while the Berlitz guide makes the place sound like a kitsch destination useful only for a bit of shopping and exotic food.

Berlitz Beijing Pocket Guide (Berlitz Pocket Guides)

Average customer rating:

Berlitz Beijing Pocket Guide (Berlitz Pocket Guides)

Manufacturer: Berlitz Guides
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 283157126X

Book Description

Average customer rating:

Berlitz China (Berlitz Pocket Guides)
Berlitz Guides
Manufacturer: Berlitz Guides
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 2831570492

Book Description

Berlitz Shanghai (Berlitz Pocket Guides)

Average customer rating:

A shoestring traveler's review

Berlitz Shanghai (Berlitz Pocket Guides)
J. D. Brown
Manufacturer: Berlitz Guides
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 9812467815

Book Description

The world's best-selling Pocket Travel Guide series. Packed with stunning photographs and detailed, easy-to-use maps, Berlitz Pocket Guides feature expanded, updated hotel and restaurant listings, destination-specific language tips and phrases, and unique cultural notes. And, with more than 40 million copies sold worldwide, they are the perfect choice for today's travelers.

Customer Reviews:

A shoestring traveler's review.......2007-06-11

The selection of a guidebook these days results in mixed feelings at best and often outright disappointment. Since Lonely Planet has left behind its traditional backpacker demographic, I thought any other guidebook would work just as well, so I passed over its Lonely Planet Best of Shanghai and got the slightly smaller Berlitz guide. Well, the guide works, but it's infuriating.

If you're like me, you stay for free with local hosts from Internet hospitality associations instead of in impersonal hotels or hostels. You also eat in whatever little hole in the wall seems an authenthic local dining experience instead of some totally charmless restaurant. So, the first thing to do with the Berlitz guide is cut out the several pages of lodging and restaurant listings at the back, handily recognizable since they are printed on yellow paper. These are for people willing to pay several hundred euro a night for a hotel room, which few independent tourists would suffer. The restaurant recommendations are also only for houte coutre dining experiences. The guide dissuades the traveler from eating at streetside venues, claiming it requires some special knowledge of Chinese, an outright lie in a country where one can point at everything.

So, if you're the sort of traveler who is not going to use the restaurant and hotel listings, there's still the tourist direction itself. The guide does indeed cover the sort of things that you'll want to see in central Shanghai, from colonial remnants to the weird contemporary architecture of the new Pudong district. The maps work, I got around with them just fine without having to buy any other one. However, what is infuriating about the guide is its total lack of social commentary. Author J.D. Brown cheers on the spread of American chain restaurants and cafes in Shanghai, never questioning whether the decline of locally-owned establishments is a good thing. Brown is also totally uncritical of the Chinese government. At the same time that Shanghai is thriving, China faces many institutional challenges and corruption, but Brown makes it seem as if only the colonial period had downsides, while today's Shanghai is flawless.

Bottom line, the Berlitz guide can compete with the Lonely Planet, since the latter publisher is increasingly resembling the former. However, you'll be irked, and you'll need to supplement some of the guide's advice with Internet resources. Would that the good guidebooks of yore return.

Average customer rating:

China Berlitz Pocket Guide

Manufacturer: Berlitz Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 9812463496

Average customer rating:

Beijing Berlitz Pocket Guide

Manufacturer: Berlitz Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 9812461396

Berlitz China (Berlitz Pocket Travel Guides)

Average customer rating:

Berlitz China (Berlitz Pocket Travel Guides)
Berlitz Publishing Company
Manufacturer: Berlitz
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 2831523249

Berlitz China Pocket Guide (Berlitz Pocket Guide)

Average customer rating:

Berlitz China Pocket Guide (Berlitz Pocket Guide)

Manufacturer: Berlitz Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 9812460039

Berlitz Hong Kong (Berlitz Pocket Guides)

Average customer rating:

Berlitz Hong Kong (Berlitz Pocket Guides)

Manufacturer: Berlitz
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books

Hong Kong | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books

Southeast | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 2831515866

Berlitz Hong Kong Pocket Guide (Berlitz Pocket Guides)

Average customer rating:

Hong Kong in Your Hand

Berlitz Hong Kong Pocket Guide (Berlitz Pocket Guides)
Berlitz Guides
Manufacturer: Berlitz Guides
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books

Hong Kong | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books

Southeast | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 2831563240

Customer Reviews:

Hong Kong in Your Hand.......2000-04-24

The Hong Kong Pocket Guide is a compact version of what a guide book should be. It's size (it really will fit in your pocket) is in direct opposition to the amount of good information it contains. It has all the highlights that you are looking for, without the "fluff". To me, it is the perfect first book to read as I begin my research into this exciting city. I may read other guide books to Hong Kong before I go, but this is the one that will be tucked into my pocket as I walk the streets of the city.

Average customer rating:
The Development of Darwin's Theory: Natural History, Natural Theology, and Natural Selection,1838-1859
Dov A Ospovat, Dov Ospovat
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N7EX3U

Average customer rating:
The Development of DarwinÂ’s Theory. Natural History, Natural Theology, and Natural Selection, 1838-1859.
Dov. [DARWIN] OSPOVAT
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VPZ5G8

Book Description

Published in 1896, The Damnation of Theron Ware or Illumination is a profound psychological portrait of the spiritual undoing of a guileless Methodist minister who is taken in by a rural townspeople’s various progressive ideas, from liberalism to bohemianism, only to be spurned by them for being too conventional. Described by Everett Carter as “among the four or five best novels written by an American during the nineteenth century,” the novel, as Joyce Carol Oates writes in her Introduction, has “shrewd, disturbing insights into the human pysche.”

This Modern Library Paperback Classic is set from the text of the authoritative Harold Frederic Edition.

Download Description

No such throng had ever before been seen in the building during all its eight years of existence. People were wedged together most uncomfortably upon the seats; they stood packed in the aisles and overflowed the galleries; at the back, in the shadows underneath these galleries, they formed broad, dense masses about the doors, through which it would be hopeless to attempt a passage.

Customer Reviews:

Difficult to get through.......2007-05-12

This book was good although extremely hard to read and get through. I only finished it because it was for book club. I would not recommend this classic.

Timeless classic.......2006-12-23

Illumination (1896) has been an underground classic among serious writers and readers since its publication. Although it sold well in its day, it was largely lost to mainstream attention for most of the 20th century. Only in the 1980s did it first start appearing in school settings with the first critical edition by Nebraska Press (and Penguin Press editions around the same time). It has been called an "American classic" by more than one critic and writer.

First, an explanation of the odd title. Frederic intended the title to be simply "Illumination", which it was indeed published as in England, but due to some mis-communication at his (soon to be bankrupt) American publishers - a working draft had the internal working name of "damnation" - it was mistakingly published as "The Damnation of Theron Ware". Later publishers in the 1930s then combined the two into the full title "The Damnation of Theron Ware, Or, Illumination".

This is an important novel and can be critically approached from a number of perspectives. Probably most important and timeless (c.f. Richard Dawkins "The God Delusion" (2006)) is Theron Ware's "Illumination" about truth in religion. Is the value of religion based on the belief in a real God, or just a belief in a god that may not even exist - the existence of which doesn't matter - the value in religion comes from _pretending_ to believe. It is unclear in the end if Sister Soulsby, Forbes and others truly believe, or just pretend to believe, and if it even matters.

The narrative technique of writing from Theron's perspective, hearing in the first person about his own "Illumination" and personal growth (a positive healthy thing it seems to him) - which is then re-played at the end of the novel from other peoples perspective, is very powerful and well crafted. It really makes the reader examine times in their own lives when they thought they were on the right and true path. It has a certain Rashomon theme of subjectivity and what is the truth of events from multiple perspectives.

This sleeper classic tops most books written today.......2004-09-08

Although I was a lit major, this book was never on any of my reading lists in college. I chanced upon it when it appeared on my son's required reading for a course..and wow, am I glad I did! It should be a classic, have no idea why it isn't, if only for the detail and insight about church politics and the workings of congregations in the 1800s.
This gem of a novel focuses on Theron Ware, a Methodist minister who has had a less than stellar career, which leads to his current posting in a small, backcountry town. He vows to make a new start and, for a time, things seem to go well. But alas, Theron is less certain than he appears, making him easy prey to those with questionable values and setting him on a parth towards destruction. For the first time in his life, Theron questions his calling, his values and even his marriage.
I couldn't wait to see how this one would end..and I won't give the ending away here. I'll just say that if you pick up this one, you won't be disaapointed.

Something to Remember Him By.......2003-12-30

Okay, granted. In some ways, this is pretty thin soup. A short novel, after all, and not by any stretch of the imagination a major novel, certainly not in the sense that Middlemarch or Ulysses are major. But I'd put this on a list of personal favorites. And there are certain second rate novels which for all their second-rateness should not be lost. Frederic lived not too long, accomplished not very much, saw not everything there was to be seen - but in this little fable of a Methodist preacher who never quite got the point, Frederic himself pretty much gets it right. Not a mean achievement for a lifetime, and so one not to be forgotten.

Faustian Indeed!.......2003-10-20

Although this is a Faustian tale, the redemption is not uncertain-it is completely absent. The much put out Theron faces his new future in the West as a hopeless innocent, only his wife expresses modest doubt about his re-education. Having succcessfully ruined the surprise ending, I can only suggest everyone find a copy of this wonderful novel, set aside a day, and read it straight through. An amazing work from an under appreciated author.

The Damnation of Theron Ware or Illumination

Average customer rating:

The Damnation of Theron Ware or Illumination
Harold Frederic
Manufacturer: Stone & Kimball
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0000EF6U8

Average customer rating:

The Damnation of Theron Ware; or, Illumination
Harold Frederic
Manufacturer: Chicago: Herbert S. Stone & Company, 1898
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000LVCV32

Average customer rating:

The Damnation of Theron Ware or Illumination
Harold Frederic
Manufacturer: Stone & Kimball
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J0EHGO

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books