There are lots of good books to help you enjoy your winter reading including the following for various ages.
Art & Nature: Three Centuries of Natural History Art from Around the World
Judith Magee
Greystone Books
2009, 256 pages
ISBN: 9781553655176
If you like art and nature, you will likely enjoy Judith Magee's book Art & Nature: Three Centuries & Natural History Art from Around the World which "...looks at natural history illustration continent by continent." Some of the great natural history artists featured include Alfred Russel Wallace, John Gould, Ernst Haeckel and John James Audubon. It is interesting looking through art of the natural world from different eras and which covers The Americas, Australia, Asia, Africa and Europe.
Art & Nature will appeal to those interested in art as well as anyone with an interest in the natural world.
Seeds: Time Capsules of Life
edited by Alexandra Papadakis
Firefly Books
2009, 264 pages
ISBN: 9781554075584
Seeds are both fascinating and vital and Seeds: Time Capsules of Life provides an interesting look at seeds including great photographs. The illustrated guide covers such topics as what a seed is and seed evolution, naked seeds, dispersal of seeds (e.g. wind, water, animals) and the Millennium Seed Bank. An extensive glossary and bibliography are also included.
Seeds are a vital part of life and learning about them as well as protecting and preserving them becomes increasingly important as our species destroys habitat and threatens plant species worldwide.
Seeds: Time Capsules of LIfe is an impressive source that provides the reader with informative text and beautiful photographs about these incredible future plants.
The Historical Atlas of World Railroads
John Westwood
Firefly Books
2009, 400 pages
ISBN: 9781554075232
Those who like trains will enjoy The Historical Atlas of World Railroads by John Westwood.The impressive coffee-table-style book is packed with information pertaining to "...the rise, fall and revival of world railroads over the course of 200 years." Great photographs and maps along with interesting text provides the reader with a fascinating journey by rail around the world. Westwood covers such topics as "The Beginning of Railroads, 1700-1824", "Railroads of Britain and Ireland, From 1852", "The Orient Express, A Glorious Past" and "Railroads in Canada, From 1836".
While The Historical Atlas of World Railroads will be appreciated by train enthusiasts, it is also for those with an interest in travel, transportation and history. It also makes a good coffee-table book for visitors to peruse.
The Firefly Mini French/English Visual Dictionary (second edition)
Jean Claude Corbeil and Ariane Archambault
Firefly Books
2009, 594 pages
ISBN: 9781554074938
Whether you are a student taking French or planning on visiting a French-speaking area, you will likely benefit from The Firefly Mini French/English Visual Dictionary that "...uses pictures to define words." The dictionary is designed "for the general reader and students of language" and is divided into sections such as: vegetable kingdom, animal kingdom, food and kitchen, science and sports and games - to name a few. Good, colour illustrations contain both the English and French spellings of single objects. Larger objects, such as a restaurant or hotel rooms will contain a diagram of the various items typically located within them along with the French and English names of each item.
The Anti-War Quote Book
edited by Eric Groves, Sr.
Quirk Books
2008, 176 pages
ISBN: 9781594742293
You don't have to be opposed to war to enjoy the quotations found in The Anti-War Quote Book - but it helps.
I enjoy reading quotations and I enjoyed reading the intelligent thoughts found in The Anti-War Quote Book. Some of the quotations I particularly enjoyed include:
"Who is a hero? He who turns his enemy into a friend." - The Talmud
"Blind faith in your leaders or in anything will get you killed." - Bruce Springsteen
"The real and lasting victories are those of peace and not of war." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
"The time not to become a father is eighteen years before a war." - E. B. White
"It is hard for me to understand a culture that spends more on wars and weapons to kill than it does on education and welfare to help and develop." - Dan George
"There never was a good war or a bad peace." - Benjamin Franklin
Grateful Dead Scrapbook: The Long, Strange Trip in Stories, Photos, and Memorabilia
Ben Fong-Torres
Chronicle Books
2009, 64 pages
ISBN: 9780811870894
Dead Heads will be interested in the book Grateful Dead Scrapbook: The Long, Strange Trip in Stories, Photos, and Memorabilia. While it is only 64 pages, this is somewhat deceiving as the book is filled with lots of information and cool stuff. Chapters look at "The Birth of the Dead: Through 1965" (Chapter One) and continues through "Summer's Comin' In: 1966-1967" (Chapter Two), "Shakedown: 1974-1978" (Chapter Six), "Dead Reckonings: 1979-1984" (Chapter Seven) and "So Many Roads: 1992-1995" (Chapter Ten) to name some.
Accompanying the informative text about this very popular band are excellent photographs, reproductions of backstage passes, fold-out posters and a variety of other material including, "The full program from the Dead's unprecedented Egyptian concerts", "An early bumper sticker" and an audio CD with "never-before-heard interviews with Jerry Garcia".
Shapes That Roll
Karen Nagel, illustrated by Steve Wilson
Blue Apple Books
2009, 36 pages
ISBN: 9781934706817
ages 2+
Shapes That Roll is a fun book for young children that shows them various shapes and colours. The colourful illustrations will keep children entertained as they learn to identify arrows, circles, squares, stars, hearts, ovals, triangles, rectangles, diamonds, crescents and more.
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