Columbia Reviews

I don't fish. some time ago I gave it up, but fish are interesting animals. Mr. Biser gives an interesting read into the Kokanee. I especially like the fact that he doesn't try to come through putting himself forward as the expert of all experts on Kokanee, but presents what is some careful research from the people for whom Kokanee are a passion. If you fish or if you don't, this is well worth reading.

This book knocked my socks off. All I knew about kokanee when I started was a desire to fill my smoker with them. Now I feel I know more about these critters than I do about trout - and I've been fishing them for the last 5 years. Perfect blend of biology, technique, and expereince to make Kokanee fishing a reality for anyone who'd like to try. Now all I have to do is find a boat...

I am an avid California fisherman and spend most of my time fishing for the elusive Kokanee. Dave Biser has written a book that will greatly increase my Kokanee hook up this 2000 fishing season. I appreciate his detail in discussing the many types of lures, presentations, and miscellaneous tackle. Also, at the end of the book is a listing of addresses and phone #'s where the reader can contact a manufacture listed in the book. Pay attention to the chapter on scents because using "pro cure" is an idea I've never heard of until I read this book. It was easy to relate to Daves first experience in the small 14' aluminum boat, with the smoke belching 2-stroke, the big pen reels and lead-core. I've fished that method a hundred times.

Maps and dreams is a special book. As the lector, we can understand a reality that is far from us. The writter give us the chance to know somme people by is experience. He also explain the politic context in which this people lives and why they have somme specials demands for their communauties. The book is not perfect, but he propose to the lector a series of questions that only the lector could answer or the autochtones themselves.

The Big Boys planned to build a pipeline from Alaska down to the US Midwest, bringing energy from source to consumer. The line had to cross some hundreds of miles of British Columbia, over land that had once belonged exclusively to Indians, but which had already been invaded by trappers, sport hunters, ranchers, oil and gas explorers, loggers, drillers, and the beginnings of suburbia. By some miracle, somebody thought that it might be a good idea to see what the Indians thought about this. It seems they had never been consulted up to then. Treaties had been made, then subverted---the old North American pattern. In general, nobody had paid much attention to the Indians of northeastern British Columbia. It was believed that their way of life was kaput, that they were all alcoholics living on welfare, and that they hadn't kept their traditions. It seems they had been living for centuries in an "energy corridor" without a viable way of life. But now they were seriously in the way. Enter Hugh Brody, a British anthropologist.

In MAPS AND DREAMS, Brody accomplishes the near impossible. He writes a marvelously sensitive, interesting report, incorporating such often-boring details as hunting and land use maps, and accounts of meetings. Not only does he show that the culture of the Athapaskan Indians was alive in 1979, he allows them to speak, describes the land use situation from their point of view, and connects their economy with their culture and daily lives. His book is at once a report, an answer to those who had written off the Indians, and a readable work of anthropology. White man's dreams of ever bigger projects, ever more exploitation of the land, he says so exactly, "are the most established carcinoma of the North American imagination". They are ever poised to crush the Indian dreams. The Indian dreams, of how to find game, how to find their way to Heaven, stand in the way of the white man's maps---the maps that show where to put the pipeline, where to drill, where to stake out more claims. Both the Indian maps on paper, which showed how they used the land and their traditional dream maps, showing the way to the Beyond, stood in the way of the white man's dreams. A few thousand souls against the tide of Western visions of "progress". We don't find out what happened, but it wasn't looking hopeful. Different maps, different dreams. For good anthropology, for deeper understanding of the problems of the Far North, for just a fascinating book, you can do a lot worse than read MAPS AND DREAMS.

I came to this book in an effort to understand how First Peoples adapted to the landscape they live in. Mr. Brody eloquently presents the people, their land, and their inherited way of life. It is heartbreaking to read how their claims to this way of life have been ignored in the past hundred years under the impact of colonization. I lived in this area as a child and it is difficult to describe the impact of this book - it presents aspects of experience so many in our inherited colonial culture wish to either eradicate or to ignore. This book is a powerful indictment of the way the people and the land in this province have been abused.

I would just add a few more points to the review that was already written on this book.

Most books that attempt to portray a history of British Columbia will undoubtedly be contrasted against Margaret Ormsby's 1958 "B.C.: A History". Barman's book is no different. I agree that it does provide an excellent regional history of this province (thus making it a staple textbook for many university classes), yet it can also be viewed in the context of the changing historiography of British Columbia. Barman has chosen to focus on the many social aspects of B.C.'s history that may have been neglected in past works. The previously mentioned work by Ormsby would be a case in point - "B.C.: A History" spent a disproportionate ammount of time on BC's pre-confederation, colonial past. Where Ormsby's emphasis was put on individual accomplishment - usually by white men - to the detriment of other facets of society (such as Natives, Women, Immigrants, etc. . . ), Barman, and the new generation of historians since the 1950s, have sought to write a more inculsive history. And this is what "The West Beyond The West" is. Unfortunately, I believe it has gone to far.

This is a similar point that has been made by Robin Fischer (another BC historian) on a variety of other occasions; that the emphasis on "social" history in this province has come at the expense of a greater understanding of "political" history. If you are thus going to be reading "The West Beyond The West" to try and find a deeper understanding of BC's political tradition you are going to be hard pressed to find it in this book.

Up until I read this book I did not understand BC politics or Native issues. The early workings of the political parties are uncovered along with their philosophies. Barman graphically describes British Columbia over the century capturing the spirit of what it means to be a British Columbian.

This is one of the best regional histories that this reviewer has ever read. The book imparts a real flavor of the overall history of the Province of British Columbia.

British Columbia, Canada's most western province, is part of the Pacific rim with Chile, Peru, California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Japan, China, South East Asia and Indonesia. As such, British Columbia tends to share with more history with those areas that it does with the more easterly parts of Canada and the United States.

Until recently the western regions of the United States and Canada have suffered from a lack of adequate regional histories. Barman's book neatly fills this void in regards to British Columbia and brings the reader right up to the present with the resignation of Michael Harcourt as the premier of the New Democratic Party government in 1996. The charts in the Appendix of the book add a great deal to the historian's appreciation of this book.

This is a text book type look at the weather systems that are common in British Columbia and the Yukon. Very well researched and documented with facts as well as anecdotal observations. A must for pilots venturing into this vast wilderness area.

Very good book about weather hazards for B.C. and the Yukon. A must have if you are planning to do any flying in this mountainous region.

This is a very good view of the overall career of Norm Stewart at Mizzou. It is unique in it is a compilation of articles from the Columbia Tribune starting with a game in February, 1956 through his retirement this past April, 1999. For the avid Missouri basketball fan it will bring back alot of fond memories and things long forgotten. For the newer fan, it will point out just what kind of coach Norm Stewart was and bring out a side of him alot of people don't know about. For just the rabid basketball fan, it is an interesting look at some of the great upsets by Missouri basketball teams, such as over Notre Dame in 1980 in the NCAA and Louisville in 1982, along with the battles within the Big 8. It's an easy read with alot of good pictures.

This should win a Pulitzer this year. The content is tremendous, full of insightful garb about the most cantankerous coach to ever pace the hardwood sideline. Plus, one writer in particular really bolsters this literary masterpiece, James D. Horne. Buy this book while supplies last.

I throughly enjoy this book on a daily basis. It has extreme quotations from a wide variety of interesting and exciting people from the past and present.

I have learned that even though you might not agree with what everyone says, that people are entitled to their opinion, and that is why we as a people are so lucky to have freedom.

I highly recommend this book to people of all ages. It will keep you entertained and it is a wonderful way to get to know yourself in the process.

THE COLUMBIA DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS. By Robert Andrews. 1092 pp. New York: Columbia University Press, 1993. ISBN: 0231071949 (hbk.)

This is a marvelous book that one can spend many happy hours with. It contains over 18,000 remarks, witticisms, judgments and observations on 1,500 alphabetically arranged subjects. Some people like to keep such books around for when they need a quotation for a specific purpose, writers and speakers for example. But a far better use for this one is to have it handy for occasional browsing. More than 11,000 of its quotations have never appeared before in a quotation book, and all have been chosen not for their familiarity but for their quality and relevance to the times. They range from the funny and memorable through to the profound, and Andrews has made such an excellent choice that one's greatest wish while reading this book is for a photographic memory. Passages will be found here from Shakespeare and Malcolm X, Lenin and Salman Rushdie, Emily Dickinson and Camille Paglia, Oscar Wilde and Frank Zappa, and a host of others. It's the perfect book for a certain kind of moment, and there's enough here to keep anyone intrigued and entertained for a very long time.

An excellent quick synopsis of modern China. Gives an historical overview, biographies of the major players, and descriptions of all the recent historical trends that make China what it is today, all in 300 pages.

My only reason to withhold five stars is that I felt the treatment of the last forty years or so was a bit cursory. But then, this is a history book, and not a current events review. I'd recommend it to anybody who is looking for a quick but thorough treatment of the subject.

If you are considering doing business in China, are concerned about global geopolitical developments, or just interested in history and current affairs, this is the book for you. It presents a thorough, yet highly engaging overview of the developments that have led to the modern Chinese State. If you are only going to read one book on China, this would be the one.

Frommers now has numerous books that cover British Columbia as part of larger guides. I have the British Columbia/Canadian Rockies one, but they all contain the same text, which has been repackaged into different titles. As to this book itself, the layout is easy to find your way around and the information is reliable and has obviously been well researched. The hotel listings are especially detailed, down to descriptions of inroom curtains. This formula obviously appeals to many travelers and while I often pass up their hotel listings (too expensive for me), their restaurant descriptions are extremely helpful for me when on the road. They often describe actual dishes giving me a great feel of what to expect in each restaurant.

On the downside, so much space is given to accommodations and restaurants that the most important part of traveling is as good as ignored-what there is to see and do. The reason I travel and that BC is so popular as a destination is the great outdoors. I want to read about what there is do and what to see-the best hiking trails in the national parks, why it's worth my money to go whalewatching, etc. Many marvelous places in the province are missing completely. The book also lacks photos and the maps are poor or outdated (nothing that a good map from a gas station will fix!).

In conclusion, I like the look and feel of the Frommers book and have found that I can rely it when it comes to dining information. I always carry the Moon book as a reference for the ins and outs of each town and together the two books make perfect partners for my travels.

I am just several days before spending my holiday in British Columbia and the Canadian rockies, and this book really gives a lot of pre-fun. Very informative, very useful information (with places to stay, places to dine, must see attractions etc.) and an enthusiastic style make it a pleasure to read. I am sure that it will be of great value for every tourist who will visit this part of Canada.

Mr. Lawrence draws deeply on his life experience with nature and writes true facts about the cougar and how it lives life day in and day out.

This has to be one of my most favorite books of all time! R.D. Lawrence not only gives a factual accounting of the lifestyle of the mountain lion in situ, he does it with an incredible empathy. His description of the wilderness habitat of the cougar and its fellow inhabitants is breath-takingly painted with masterful wording; it draws you in, it brings you THERE. His feeling for the object of his study is incredibly personal,insightful,concise, and haunting in its attitude of acceptance of the almost mystical relationship he feels with the species. When he first physically encounters Ghost,"his" cougar,he speaks of feeling as if he was two separate entities: the factual,observant scientist and the curious,awe-struck, vulnerable human. He DOES give much information on the cougar,but you can also sense the terrible anguish he feels,personally, about the loss of each one(in other parts of the book) and his tremendous concern in the survival of the species as a whole. Mr. Lawrence treats each individual cougar AS a TRUE individual;a creature with its own personality, not with just the cold,impersonal categorizing title of "animal". The vibrancy of his attitude of "fellow-creature" towards this wonderful big cat makes me wonder if he isn't really a cougar in part, inside his soul. Mr. Lawrence, you have one very staunch fan and fellow lover of the mountain lion right here!

I knew next to nothing about the Pacific Northwest, having only spent a few days there as a kid for the Spokane World's Fair. William Dietrich's Northwest Passage: The Great Columbia River filled much of my knowledge gap with a fascinating and well-told story. Dietrich recounts the history of the Columbia, from its original creation through geologic forces and its discovery by Lewis and Clark and other explorers, to development of the river and the region by forestry, fishing, and industrial interests, harnessing of the river through multiple dams (including the huge Grand Coulee dam), decimation of the salmon population and later attempts by environmental and Native American interests to revive the salmons, and turf wars between various interest groups. Dietrich's book is extremely well researched and annotated, but reads not like laborious scholarship but like a labor of love. He clearly loves the region he writes about and is troubled by its many changes; he conveys both his enthusiasm and in-depth knowledge through this graceful book.

Really enjoyed reading the numerous stories of Columbia River history and the competing uses of the river. Towards the end the author gets a little too dramatic about wild salmon and native Americans and seems to lose the balanced views presented thoughout most of the book.

I have taught Pacific Northwest History at high school and college levels, and found this book one of the best regional histories published. Although focused on the Columbia River, it presents more of the general history of the interior Northwest (east of the Interstate 5 corridor) than any other history of the region. Of course, the Columbia River and its tributaries are central to Northwest history from the fish that archaeologists discovered to be the core of Kennewick Man's diet to the present Kaiser Steelworkers lockout and the controversy over Snake River dams.

The story of human modification of the Columbia River is one of heroism and greed, boom and bust, promotion and fraud, and the winners and losers that go along with the competition among interest groups. Dietrich tells the story with drama, fairness to competing interests, and the kind of focus that requires a point of view. His history is honest, rather than objective; committed, rather than unbiased. It is rich in details, but doesn't lose sight of the big picture. This is newspaper-style feature writing at its best.

At the core of this book is a story of a peoples' faith in progress, the achievement this faith enabled, and the blind spots this faith nurtured. Immense benefits and enormous failures have resulted from this faith. Now, as Dietrich makes clear, we must reexamine our basic assumptions and redetermine our priorities.

Not every reader will agree with Dietrich's priorities and perspectives, but few can identify critical points that he missed. His facts are sound. My only complaint is that too little accommodation is made for readers who want to track down and verify some of his statements of fact. The book has a bibliography and index, but no endnotes. It is published by a university press, but lacks the usual scholarly apparatus.