The Enduring Shore: A History of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket

Book Description

Even before the Pilgrims landed in 1620, Cape Cod and its islands promised paradise to visitors, both native and European. In Paul Schneider's sure hands, the story of this waterland created by glaciers and refined by storms and tides -- and of its varied inhabitants -- becomes an irresistible biography of a place.Cape Cod's Great Beach, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket are romantic stops on Schneider's roughly chronological human and natural history. His book is a lucid and compelling collage of seaside ecology, Indians and colonists, religion and revolution, shipwrecks and hurricanes, whalers and vengeful sperm whales, glorious clipper ships and today's beautiful but threatened beaches. Schneider's superb eye for story and detail illuminates both history and landscape. A wonderful introduction, it will also appeal to the millions of people who already have warm associations with these magical places.

Customer Reviews:

Easy history for vacation reading.......2005-07-14

This is the perfect book to take with you on your Cape Cod vacation. It offers lots of interesting tales and stories about life on Cape Cod and the Islands from pre-Colonial times through the present, and also is one of the few books that actually treats the Native Americans in enough depth to provide the reader with an appreciation for how essential the natives' contributions were to the survival of the early European settlers. It also makes it quite clear that the natives no doubt regretted their helpfulness in short order, having been kidnapped, stolen from and otherwised abused by the newcomers very soon after they landed.

I always enjoy reading books about the places I visit while I'm there, so The Enduring Shore was perfect for my vacation to the outer Cape earlier this month. Schneider's discussion of the geology of the Cape is fascinating, and I will look at its cliffs and sandy beaches in a more knowing, deeper way henceforth.

I like to have two or more books going at once, usually one nonfiction and one fiction. A good complementary novel to read in conjunction with The Enduring Shore is William Martin's Cape Cod, which offers an abundance of useful and interesting facts about the Cape while delivering them in the context of a family saga that is perfect for beach reading.

I reecommend The Enduring Shore for anyone who is interested in how the Cape got that way and why it matters to so many of us today.

MUCH MORE THAN JUST A REGIONAL HISTORY.......2005-06-10

As a regular visitor to the Vinyard - I grabbed this book to get more depth in understanding the local history. I was pleasantly surprised to find a book that provides insights into early American history that would be of value to any one with interests in the topic.

Undermining the "myth" of the "new" world's "virgin forests", Schneider's description of the impact of European explorers on the native populations and the profound consequences of these early interactions a good CENTURY BEFORE the Mayflower -- explodes the simplistic history still understood by many. His description of the robust, healthy natives whose populations were devastated long before the sickly, weak European's began settlements - will turn history on its head for many. It provides a great complement to anyone interested in books such as "Guns, Germs and Steel" by Jared Diamond. I also found his descriptions of issues such as the early development of the whaling industry to be of interest to a far broader audience than one would assume for a "regional" history book.

I found his writing style engaging and was frequently amused with his turns of phrase - which was a plus I did not anticipate from on local history book.

Though others have been critical of how he weaved his personal, contemporary experiences with the historical narrative - I found it rather engaging -- though these parts of the book may be of more interest to local readers and less engaging for those with out a personal tie to the region.

In short, I would highly recommend this to anyone with an interest in early American history - especially with an ecological/anthropological bent. Especially if one has never been exposed to ideas presented in books such as "Changes to the Land". If you are traveling or live anywhere near the southern/central New England coast or have an interest in colonial history of the northeast - this is a must read for you.

Cape Cod Ramble.......2001-10-04

This is an excellent book about the Cape and its history.
There are lots of nuggets of interesting and original information. The book, however, suffers from its rambling and discursive format. It really is a ramble.

Cape kid liked the book despite problems.......2001-01-05

I thought that Schneider attacks this book with the best of intentions and scores on many points, specifically the history of the Naussets, Champlain's adventure on the Cape and early whaling ships (including the Essex). Where he failed was in the telling: too often he jumped from event to event in a disjointed history or re-related events in a clumsy narrative. Too skimpy to be history, too spotty to cover the entire Cape, I liked this book despite its problems because it gave me some great historical perspectives of the beaches and sea where I live.

Finally a readable book for local history.......2000-07-31

The amazing deluge of tourism each summer truly ignores the elaborate history of some of New England's most beautiful coastline. For many of us who live or travel there when time and traffic allow there is this fine book to fill in the grey areas.

Unfortunately, regional history is not as popular to most readers as a spy novel or biography. This book bounces between the author's journeys in Kayak along the islands and coastline and the chronological history of travellers and settlers to the coast. There are humorous accounts of indian encounters, misguided settlers and an all too unpleasant tale of life aboard the Mayflower. Not all as we had once been told in grammar school.

The endnotes are substantial and the book can at times seem more academic than entertaining. However, I passed this on to two friends and we have laughed and shared our favorite stories over beverages. A good book and a nice read.

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The Enduring Shore: a History of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket
Paul Schneider
Manufacturer: Owl Books (NY)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N78IZY

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The Enduring Shore: A History of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket

Manufacturer: Henry Holt
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HJKVHQ

Book Description

Colorado has five different life zones, each growing its own garden of wildflowers. Some wildflowers even grow in many of the different life zones. Look carefully and you'll find everything from the delicate king's crown to the spiny prickly pear. In Colorado Wildflowers you'll discover that even the most common flowering plants have interesting stories to tell. For example, did you know... Blue flax has been used as a salve to treat burns. Native Americans made chewing gum from the stalks of pussytoes. Shrubby cinquefoil is used by wildlife biologists as an indicator of game populations. Learn this and much more in Colorado Wildflowers, one of a series of state wildflower guides for aspiring naturalists. Other books in the series feature the wildflowers of Arizona, California, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oregon, and Texas. With them, you'll learn to appreciate the blossoms that decorate your favorite corner of the world.

Meet the natives: A beginner's field guide to Rocky Mountain wild flowers, trees, and shrubs

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Hard-to-find classic for native plan lovers

Meet the natives: A beginner's field guide to Rocky Mountain wild flowers, trees, and shrubs
M. Walter Pesman
Manufacturer: Pruett Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Customer Reviews:

Hard-to-find classic for native plan lovers.......2006-08-01

If you're a student of native plants in the Western US, this is a must have book. Written by M Walter Pesman of the Denver Botanic Gardens, the book is organized by life zones ranging from plains to timberline. It's designed for the amateur botanist.

There were 10 editions of the book between 1975 and 1992. The illustrations are fine examples of the classic pen-and-ink botanical style. They are derived from 200 original works by Emma A. Ervin.

Copies are downright hard to find, so if you find one, I recommend snapping it up.

Wild Flowers of Missouri...a Beginners Guide

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Wild Flowers of Missouri...a Beginners Guide
Theresa C. Rickett
Manufacturer: Agriculral Extension / University of Missouri
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JJWE6U

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Beginner's guide to wild flowers
Ethel Hinckley Hausman
Manufacturer: G.P. Putnam's Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

The spring wildflowers of Indian Run Creek, Dublin, Ohio: A guide for beginners

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The spring wildflowers of Indian Run Creek, Dublin, Ohio: A guide for beginners
Susan B Long
Manufacturer: Sue B. Long
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Wild flowers of Missouri;: A guide for beginners (Circular)

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Wild flowers of Missouri;: A guide for beginners (Circular)
Theresa C Rickett
Manufacturer: University of Missouri
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Book Description

The fifth edition of Footprint's South Africa Handbook has been thoroughly revised and up-dated and is the most comprehensive travel guide to these three fascinating countries. It includes highlights of the region illustrated with colour photography, a colour section on wildlife with animal location chart, extensive listings for all budgets from back-packer hostels, guest farms, guest houses to luxury safari camps, comprehensive coverage of national parks (access, activities and accommodation), a special feature on how to plan a trip with suggested itineraries, plus newly accessible areas, detailed and indexed information on hiking and hiking trails and all aspects of the outdoor life plus a unique and fully indexed colour map section.

Customer Reviews:

A five star travel companion: full of stories..........2001-05-15

we just came back from our south africa tour using the footprint handbook to zig zag more than 10 000 kilometres through the country. this book is a five star travel companion: very much up to date in sections like accommodation addresses, price categories, timetables - and the footprint kept us entertained as well. With little personality stories and well researched history background. the best thing for us: footprint calls it a handbook and not a guide book and that is what you need if you are self sufficient travellers like us in our vw kombi. look up the little sleepy karoo towns you are passing through on your way to major tourist destinations and even there you will find interesting details about the country. also well researched are the route descriptions if you are tending to go off the beaten track and for instance go off exploring some of the winding roads, that thomas baines designed more than 100 years ago along the garden route. if you use this book as a reference book while having your own ideas what to see and where to go, you won't get lost. instead you will get an idea what living in the rainbow nation is all about. one regret: a pity that the cool story about johnnie, the cave man, who explored big parts of the oudshoorn cango caves, got shortened in the new edition.

Footprint leaving all others behind..........2001-04-27

It is rare to find such a well written, comprehensive and detailed guide. The maps are excellent and cover more than just the essential. Information is as up to date as you can get it - this guide gets reprinted yearly. I also understand that from the time editing is finished it appears on the shelves within 3 months. The print is smallish and the paper is thin. However, the information is absolutely incredible - about 8 times more comprehensive than its nearest rival! From hiking trails to detail on less frequented places. This is deservedly the no. 1 selling book for South Africa - probably as timetables of trains, busses and Baz Bus is published and it makes trip planning really easy. It is also not written only for budget travellers - it is a book for everyone. Highly recommended.

The best guide to South Africa.......1999-04-18

This is by far the best guide to South Africa. The information is very comprehensive, accurate and informative. The format is a sturdy hardback that's small enough to be easy to pop into your bag but won't get battered easily.

South Africa Handbook: With Lesotho and Swaziland (Serial)

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South Africa Handbook: With Lesotho and Swaziland (Serial)
Rupert Linton
Manufacturer: NTC/Contemporary Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0844247863

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Fiji (The First Book of Series)
Betty Cavanna
Manufacturer: Franklin Watts, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: School & Library Binding
ASIN: 0531005305

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The first book of Fiji
Betty Cavanna
Manufacturer: F. Watts
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: B0006BYQUI

Book Description

Our basic question is: Given a collection of DNA sequences, what underlying forces are responsible for the observed patterns of variability? To approach this question we introduce and analyze a number of probability models: the Wright-Fisher model, the coalescent, the infinite alleles model, and the infinite sites model. We study the complications that come from nonconstant population size, recombination, population subdivision, and three forms of natural selection: directional selection, balancing selection, and background selection. These theoretical results set the stage for the investigation of various statistical tests to detect departures from "neutral evolution." The final chapter studies the evolution of whole genomes by chromosomal inversions, reciprocal translocations, and genome duplication. Throughout the book, the theory is developed in close connection with data from more than 60 experimental studies from the biology literature that illustrate the use of these results. This book is written for mathematicians and for biologists alike. We assume no previous knowledge of concepts from biology and only a basic knowledge of probability: a one semester undergraduate course and some familiarity with Markov chains and Poisson processes. Rick Durrett received his Ph.D. in operations research from Stanford University in 1976. He taught in the UCLA mathematics department before coming to Cornell in 1985. He is the author of six books and 125 research papers, and is the academic father of more than 30 Ph.D. students. His current interests are the use of probability models in genetics and ecology, and decreasing the mean and variance of his golf score.

Customer Reviews:

complicated genetics explained through probability.......2002-08-30

Rick Durrett was a graduate student in operations research at Stanford. Rick was Iglehart's prize student and was even then predicted to surpass Iglehart in his achievements.

Rick has been an academic his entire career and has made major contributions in applied probability. He also explains things in very intuitive ways and has thus been able to publish a number of successful books on various aspects of probability theory and stochastic processes. In this book Rick presents a variety of probability models to explain the evolution of DNA sequences that are found in humans. This represents an interesting and important area of research that has tremendous impact on medical treatments, pharmaceuticals and genetic engineering. Most of all it has the rigorous touch that Rick always gives to his work.

Book Description

Computing all the zeros of an analytic function and their respective multiplicities, locating clusters of zeros and analytic fuctions, computing zeros and poles of meromorphic functions, and solving systems of analytic equations are problems in computational complex analysis that lead to a rich blend of mathematics and numerical analysis. This book treats these four problems in a unified way. It contains not only theoretical results (based on formal orthogonal polynomials or rational interpolation) but also numerical analysis and algorithmic aspects, implementation heuristics, and polished software (the package ZEAL) that is available via the CPC Program Library. Graduate studets and researchers in numerical mathematics will find this book very readable.

Approximation With Rational Functions (Regional Conference Series in Mathematics, No 41)

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Approximation With Rational Functions (Regional Conference Series in Mathematics, No 41)
Donald J. Newman
Manufacturer: American Mathematical Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

This series of lectures treats certain amusing and interesting aspects of rational function approximations, striving for variety and diversity rather than depth or thoroughness. Graduate students and faculty, knowledgeable in the elements of real and complex analysis, should gain insight into recent developments in the field.

Modelling and Identification with Rational Orthogonal Basis Functions

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Modelling and Identification with Rational Orthogonal Basis Functions

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 185233956X

Book Description

Models of dynamical systems are of great importance in almost all fields of science and engineering and specifically in control, signal processing and information science. A model is always only an approximation of a real phenomenon so that having an approximation theory which allows for the analysis of model quality is a substantial concern. The use of rational orthogonal basis functions to represent dynamical systems and stochastic signals can provide such a theory and underpin advanced analysis and efficient modelling. It also has the potential to extend beyond these areas to deal with many problems in circuit theory, telecommunications, systems, control theory and signal processing. Nine international experts have contributed to this work to produce thirteen chapters that can be read independently or as a comprehensive whole with a logical line of reasoning: Construction and analysis of generalized orthogonal basis function model structure; System Identification in a time domain setting and related issues of variance, numerics, and uncertainty bounding; System identification in the frequency domain; Design issues and optimal basis selection; Transformation and realization theory. Modelling and Identification with Rational Orthogonal Basis Functions affords a self-contained description of the development of the field over the last 15 years, furnishing researchers and practising engineers working with dynamical systems and stochastic processes with a standard reference work.

Orthogonal Rational Functions (Cambridge Monographs on Applied and Computational Mathematics)

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Orthogonal Rational Functions (Cambridge Monographs on Applied and Computational Mathematics)
A. Bultheel , P. Gonzalez-Vera , E. Hendriksen , and O. Njastad
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0521650062

Book Description

This volume generalizes the classical theory of orthogonal polynomials on the complex unit circle or on the real line to orthogonal rational functions whose poles are among a prescribed set of complex numbers. The first part treats the case where these poles are all outside the unit disk or in the lower half plane. Classical topics such as recurrence relations, numerical quadrature, interpolation properties, Favard theorems, convergence, asymptotics, and moment problems are generalized and treated in detail. The same topics are discussed for a different situation where the poles are located on the unit circle or on the extended real line. In the last chapter, several applications are mentioned including linear prediction, Pisarenko modeling, lossless inverse scattering, and network synthesis. This theory has many applications both in theoretical real and complex analysis, approximation theory, numerical analysis, system theory, and electrical engineering.

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Modelling and Identification with Rational Orthogonal Basis Functions
Heuberger Peter S. C.
Manufacturer: Springer-Verlag New York, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MV28FM

Customer Reviews:

The Essential Stringfellow.......2004-12-23

This collection of William Stringfellow's writings serves as a superb introduction to and summary of his provacative and fascinating thought. Stringfellow's work, perhaps more than anyone else's has served to bring the biblical concept of the principalities and powers to the front of contemporary thought. Stringfellow's own experience of and work within the powers of American society and culture as an attorney in Harlem lend particular credibility to his biblical readings of American history and politics.

This book brings together Stringfellows central biblical, political and theological writings in a well-organized volume that no one interested in the relation between Christ, church and politics can afford to ignore. Highly recommended.

This Fellow's Writing is Timeless........2000-03-07

Stringfellow's prose is a joy to read. His thoughts on justice are timeless. Though he died in the mid-eighties, his comments shed light on social issues commonly discussed today. A Harvard educated lawyer going to practice in Harlem in the late forties was absolutely revolutionary at the time.... probably still is. A wonderfully droll sense of humor gives this social activist ornery Episcopalian a great edge. This book also gives one an interesting review of what was happening in the 60's and 70's among theologically aware folks.Hard to put down, it's very much a personal memoir within essays.

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