With its soaring azure sky and stark landscapes, the American Southwest is one of the most hauntingly beautiful regions on earth. Yet staggering... population growth, combined with the intensifying effects of climate change, is driving the oasis-based society close to the brink of a Dust-Bowl-scale catastrophe. In A Great Aridness, William deBuys paints a compelling picture of what the Southwest might look like when the heat turns up and the water runs out. This semi-arid land, vulnerable to water shortages, rising temperatures, wildfires, and a host of other environmental challenges, is poised to bear the heaviest consequences of global environmental change in the United States. Examining interrelated factors such as vanishing wildlife, forest die backs, and the over-allocation of the already stressed Colorado River--upon which nearly 30 million people depend--the author narrates the landscape's history--and future. He tells the inspiring stories of the climatologists and others who are helping untangle the complex, interlocking causes and effects of global warming. And while the fate of this region may seem at first blush to be of merely local interest, what happens in the Southwest, deBuys suggests, will provide a glimpse of what other mid-latitude arid lands worldwide--the Mediterranean Basin, southern Africa, and the Middle East--will experience in the coming years. Written with an elegance that recalls the prose of John McPhee and Wallace Stegner, A Great Aridness offers an unflinching look at the dramatic effects of climate change occurring right now in our own backyard. Praise for River of Traps:"Brims with gifts of language and vision."--Barbara Kingsolver, The New York Times Book Review"An irresistibly engaging story...deBuys is a storyteller of poetic breadth with a discerning eye for subtle, sensitive associations."--The Nation

Today the classics of the western canon, written by the proverbial “dead white men,” are cannon fodder in the culture wars. But in the 1950s and... 1960s, they were a pop culture phenomenon. The Great Books of Western Civilization, fifty-four volumes chosen by intellectuals at the University of Chicago, began as an educational movement, and evolved into a successful marketing idea. Why did a million American households buy books by Hippocrates and Nicomachus from door-to-door salesmen? And how and why did the great books fall out of fashion?In A Great Idea at the Time Alex Beam explores the Great Books mania, in an entertaining and strangely poignant portrait of American popular culture on the threshold of the television age. Populated with memorable characters, A Great Idea at the Time will leave readers asking themselves: Have I read Lucretius’s De Rerum Natura lately? If not, why not?

In this dazzling work of history, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author follows Benjamin Franklin to France for the crowning achievement of his careerIn... December of 1776 a small boat delivered an old man to France." So begins an enthralling narrative account of how Benjamin Franklin-seventy years old, without any diplomatic training, and possessed of the most rudimentary French-convinced France, an absolute monarchy, to underwrite America's experiment in democracy. When Franklin stepped onto French soil, he well understood he was embarking on the greatest gamble of his career. By virtue of fame, charisma, and ingenuity, Franklin outmaneuvered British spies, French informers, and hostile colleagues; engineered the Franco-American alliance of l778; and helped to negotiate the peace of l783. The eight-year French mission stands not only as Franklin's most vital service to his country but as the most revealing of the man. In A Great Improvisation, Stacy Schiff draws from new and little-known sources to illuminate the least-explored part of Franklin's life. Here is an unfamiliar, unforgettable chapter of the Revolution, a rousing tale of American infighting, and the treacherous backroom dealings at Versailles that would propel George Washington from near decimation at Valley Forge to victory at Yorktown. From these pages emerge a particularly human and yet fiercely determined Founding Father, as well as a profound sense of how fragile, improvisational, and international was our country's bid for independence.

FOURTH EDITION NOW AVAILABLE - Search ISBN: 1478194693 or see Author page (above) to Look Inside or to order. The Fourth Edition incorporates the... revised Wetland Indicator Status classification of the National Wetland Plant List (June 2012); this replaces earlier lists developed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and is the new standard to be used in wetland delineation studies. A Great Lakes Wetland Flora (Third Edition) is the only comprehensive field guide to the vascular plants found in the wetlands of the Upper Midwest—the plants of bogs, fens, swamps, marshes, wet meadows, and low prairie—plus the aquatic plants of lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams. The Third Edition has been updated to incorporate conservation status changes and includes many new illustrations. The Flora’s thoroughness, ease-of-use, and detailed drawings have made it a favorite reference with botanists, natural resource managers, environmental consultants, students, educators, or anyone simply wanting to learn more about these fascinating habitats. Contents • Complete coverage of aquatic and wetland plants of the Upper Midwest—Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, northern Illinois, and northern Indiana—with general applicability to surrounding areas (including the Dakotas, Iowa, Ohio and western Ontario). • Over 900 plant species in 114 plant families; each species described (including habitat and range information) and illustrated. • Descriptions of the major wetland types of the Great Lakes region. • Identification of plants of conservation concern in the region (state or federally endangered or threatened). Also included are U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wetland status indicators. • Alphabetically arranged by plant family within four major plant groups—Ferns and Fern Allies, Conifers, Dicots, and Monocots—for quickly finding and identifying plants. • Easy-to-use keys to each plant family, genus, and species.

Early childhood program administrators often have a global impression that things are going well or not so well at their centers, but they lack specific... feedback on just what areas of the organization contribute to those impressions. This excellent book helps directors define more precisely how different dimensions of the center contribute to the quality of work life for staff.

Hailed as "absorbing" by the New York Times and "suspense-filled" by Foreign Affairs, Patrick Tyler's A Great Wall became an instant classic; a... must-read for anyone concerned with the complicated and combative relationship between the world's biggest and the world's most powerful nations. And no one could tell this story better than Patrick Tyler, veteran journalist and former Beijing bureau chief of the New York Times. Using brilliant original reporting from his years in China; interviews with presidents, secretaries of state, Chinese officials, and other key leaders; and 15,000 pages of newly declassified documents, Tyler illuminates a relationship usually shrouded in secrecy, miscommunication, rivalry, fascination, and fear. A Great Wall is essential reading for anyone interested in China and anyone concerned with the shifting dynamics of post-Cold War geopolitics.

This book offers an ideal first reader for students of ancient Greek ready to advance beyond the stage of absolute beginners. It presents twenty... extracts from a comprehensive range of Greek authors--Homer to Plutarch--and includes vocabulary and grammatical assistance. The passages have been chosen for their interest and variety and brief introductions set them in context.

Described as an "invaluable reference work" (Classical Philology) and "a tool indispensable for the study of early Christian literature" (Religious... Studies Review) in its previous edition, this new updated American edition of Walter Bauer's Wörterbuch zu den Schriften des Neuen Testaments builds on its predecessor's staggering deposit of extraordinary erudition relating to Greek literature from all periods. Including entries for many more words, the new edition also lists more than 25,000 additional references to classical, intertestamental, Early Christian, and modern literature.In this edition, Frederick W. Danker's broad knowledge of Greco-Roman literature, as well as papyri and epigraphs, provides a more panoramic view of the world of Jesus and the New Testament. Danker has also introduced a more consistent mode of reference citation, and has provided a composite list of abbreviations to facilitate easy access to this wealth of information.Perhaps the single most important lexical innovation of Danker's edition is its inclusion of extended definitions for Greek terms. For instance, a key meaning of "episkopos" was defined in the second American edition as overseer; Danker defines it as "one who has the responsibility of safeguarding or seeing to it that something is done in the correct way, guardian." Such extended definitions give a fuller sense of the word in question, which will help avoid both anachronisms and confusion among users of the lexicon who may not be native speakers of English.Danker's edition of Bauer's Wörterbuch will be an indispensable guide for Biblical and classical scholars, ministers, seminarians, and translators.

This is part one of a four-part prose reading course designed for beginners in Greek and other learners wishing to consolidate their reading skills.... Particular attention is paid to idiomatic usage (both in Greek and English), word order and the use of particles and particle-combinations, while practical guidance is given on mastering the verbal systems and other features of the language which beginners generally find problematic. The four units may be studied in succession as part of a progressive course, but each unit is sufficiently self-contained to permit the persuit of particular interests.

This is part two of a four-part prose reading course designed for beginners in Greek and other learners wishing to consolidate their reading skills.... Particular attention is paid to idiomatic usage (both in Greek and English), word order and the use of particles and particle-combinations, while practical guidance is given on mastering the verbal systems and other features of the language which beginners generally find problematic. The four units may be studied in succession as part of a progressive course, but each unit is sufficiently self-contained to permit the persuit of particular interests.

In a time of darkening environmental prospects, frightening religious fundamentalism, and moribund liberalism, the remarkable and historically... unprecedented rise of religious environmentalism is a profound source of hope. In A Greener Faith , Roger S. Gottlieb chronicles the promises of this critically important movement, illuminating its principal ideas, leading personalities, and ways of connecting care for the earth with justice for human beings. He also shows how religious environmentalism breaks the customary boundaries of "religious issues" in political life. Asserting that environmental degradation is sacrilegious, sinful, and an offense against God catapults religions directly into questions of social policy, economic and moral priorities, and the overall direction of secular society. Gottlieb contends that a spiritual perspective applied to the Earth provides the environmental movement with a uniquely appropriate way to voice its dream of a sustainable and just world. Equally important, it helps develop a world-making political agenda that far exceeds interest group politics applied to forests and toxic incinerators. Rather, religious environmentalism offers an all-inclusive vision of what human beings are and how we should treat each other and the rest of life.Gottlieb deftly analyzes the growing synthesis of the movement's religious, social, and political aspects, as well as the challenges it faces in consumerism, fundamentalism, and globalization. Highly engaging and passionately argued, this book is an indispensable resource for people of faith, environmentalists, scholars, and anyone who is concerned about our planet's future.

In A Green Place, A Good Place, David Schoenbrun depicts a complex dynamic of historical transformation characterized by the interplay of environmental,... social, and philosophical change. This interplay of historical forces developed around an enormously varied tapestry of forms of power which Great Lakes peoples understood to work in their world. Schoenbrun elegantly weaves the diverse methodologies of historical and comparative linguistics, and comparative ethnography and archaeology, into a broadly conceived social history of interlacustrine peoples' ideas about health, politics, gender, and social life. This book suggests new ways to compose histories of societies for which there exist no written records, oral traditions, or conscious memories. Schoenbrun's research strategy demonstrates his extraordinary capacity to recover the achievements of ancient Africans. His book will be required reading for Africanist scholars across disciplinary boundaries. Other scholars interested in the effectiveness of interdisciplinary research methodologies will find the book highly valuable as well.

'A Green Vitruvius is a wonderful resource that certainly lives up to its subtitle' Environmental Building News 'Provides an excellent holistic... approach to the subject' Eco Tech 'This publication has much to recommend it, and is one of a number of good books on sustainable architecture produced by the science publishers James & James' The Architectural Review Green, or sustainable, or environmentally-friendly architecture is not simply an environmental benefit. It is place-sensitive; in a globalising world it leads to location-specific architecture by responding to local climatic conditions and using local materials. It also offers better architectural quality with more natural and fewer artificial inputs; not only is less more, less is also beautiful. The book is in independent parts. Four sections structure advice in accordance with the design and construction process, the issues to be considered, the strategies to be adopted and the elements of green design. A fifth section advises on design evaluation. Sustainability is one of many considerations for the practising architect. This book is for the experienced practitioner anywhere who wishes to make a more sustainable architecture whether or not they have yet acquired any particular expertise in the subject. It will also serve as a valuable introduction to the subject, and provide a clear and attractive text for students.

Stumped by a metric conversion? Wonder how many bushels of grain are in a pile? Confused about which gage electric wire to install? This handy reference... guide is as indispensabe as a pocket knife or vice-grips the perfect size for the glove box of every truck. Size, speed and power equivalents, crop porduction formulas, material measurements and quick facts for the farm. Information that never changes. This book will never go out-of-print.