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Deer-Resistant Landscaping:

Proven Advice & Strategies for

Outwitting Deer & 20 Other Pesky Mammals

by Neil Soderstrom (352 pages, Rodale Books, Feb 09)


The most comprehensive guide ever published for

the understanding and control of deer, rabbits,

moles, voles, woodchucks, squirrels, raccoons,

rats, mice, skunks, gophers, bears & more


Here you learn what works, what doesn’t, and why, based on the latest scientific research, advice of landscape and wildlife-control professionals, and the author’s richly anecdotal,

photo-documented observations and testing––all without resorting to poison or firearms.


Features include

• Names of more than 1,000 plants considered deer resistant by a consensus of authorities coast to coast

• Tips on selection, care, and propagation of more than 200 plants that deer and other mammals usually avoid because of natural toxins or other defenses

• Clues for identifying unseen culprits based on damage, tracks, scat, burrows, and nests

• Strategies for every season and every mammal--from low-cost home remedies, scare tactics, and deterrents to live trapping, barriers, and community action

  1. •Tips for making money-saving live traps from buckets, coat hangers, bicycle inner tubes, plastic drainpipe

  2. •Maps showing geographic ranges

  3. •More than 550 color photos of wildlife and resistant plants, as well as control products and techniques--plus dozens of instructive drawings


A 2009 BOOK-OF-THE-MONTH CLUB SELECTION

Boston Globe 10 Best Gardening Books 2009

“This is a must-have book...Soderstrom offers a sane approach to dealing with unwanted garden visitors. Readers learn why these creatures are in our landscapes, what their role in the environment is, and what you can do to discourage their presence or live peacefully with them...[includes] in-depth profiles of nearly 200 plants deer don’t like.”–Mary Lahr Shier, My Northern Garden, Minnesota State Horticultural Society


“Excellent new book...superb photography...one of the most extensive books published that deals with the most common animal pests...”–Jeff Ball, The Detroit News


“Explains everything you ever wanted to know about deer...[also] very useful and interesting details about the habits and dangers of other pesky critters such as skunks, gophers, voles, raccoons, all the way up to bears and armadillos....many beautiful photos of wildlife, most of them by Soderstrom.”–Milwaukee Sunday Journal Sentinel


“This is a big, thick, well-photographed book that takes the guesswork out of dealing with these animals. It aims to help readers understand deer and their behaviors, which is vital to knowing how to deal with them safely and humanely. The book also focuses on other pesky critters...in graphic detail, with extensive instructions on how to cope with their sometimes considerable damage.”–Maureen Gilmer, Scripps-Howard News Service, Crescent-News.com


Neil Soderstrom is author/photographer of three books and countless magazine articles. He is also a widely published photographer and the editor of more than 100 books on gardening, wil
dlife, and home do-it-yourself. Related magazine credits include The American Gardener, Backyard Solutions, Fine Gardening, Garden Design, Garden Gate, Horticulture, Mother Earth News, National Geographic Traveler, Popular Science, Ranger Rick, and Small Gardens. He also serves as author agent and book producer.





Panda: A Guide Horse for Ann

Text by Rosanna Hansen, photos by Neil Soderstrom (Grades 3–5, 48 pages, Boyds Mills Press)


Panda is one of the first miniature horses to be trained as a guide animal. Panda “sees” for Ann Edie, guiding her across busy streets, up and down steps, through crowded buildings, and onto public transportation. Among other loving services, Panda retrieves fallen house keys and patiently waits beside Ann during restaurant meals. Yep, at home Panda is housebroken, ringing a bell when she needs to go out for bathroom brea. Her trainer is world-famous Alexandra Kurland (clickercenter.com).


REVIEWS

“Panda is introduced along with her owner, Ann, and her trainer, Alex, through an engaging text and sweetly intimate photographs.” –The Horn Book Guide.


“a new topic for children’s nonfiction...” [this] “heartwarming, informative book....is very well done, showcasing how the miniature horse helps her owner and was originally trained.”–Ilene Cooper, Booklist


“What a wonderful treatment of a number of issues: being blind, training horses, the life of a guide horse and more. ‘Panda’ explores these areas in more depth than one might think possible in a picture book format, and it does so without ever emotionalizing the topic. The photographs lend clarity to the context, enabling the reader to see what one might not have been able to imagine.”–J. Jacobs, Lincoln Public Schools


Among “The Best Children’s Books of the Year”–Bank Street College of Education


Rosanna Hansen is the author of 17 children’s books on animals, nature, astronomy, and more. She is also a children’s book editor and publishing consultant. Earlier, she was Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Weekly Reader, Publisher of Reader’s Digest Children’s Books, and Publisher of Grolier’s Children’s & Adult Book Division.


 

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WINNERS!!!

2010 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Gardner-Lasser Aerospace History Literature Award


Preludes to U.S. Space-Launch Vehicle Technology

  Goddard Rockets to Minuteman III (469pp)


U.S. Space-Launch Vehicle Technology

     Viking to Space Shuttle (453pp)


By J.D. Hunley (University Press of Florida)


These two volumes address a significant gap in the

literature about access to space, tracing system by system how the technology evolved from its beginnings with American Robert Goddard and with German V-2 missiles all the way to Space Shuttles at the end of the Cold War. Along the way, the author challenges the cliché “rocket science,” showing that developments have largely been based on theory and trial-and-error testing, in other words more on “engineering” than on “science.”

    Both volumes Include many documentary photos and technical drawings.


REVIEWS

“Unquestionably the most definitive––and readable–––work on the evolution of U.S. launch vehicle technology and thus is an invaluable contribution to the history of U.S. technology”––Frank H. Winter, author of Rockets into Space


“Tells the compelling story of the events, people, and technology that evolved from the missile programs to the U.S. space boosters that impact every aspect of our daily lives.”––Robert L. Geisler, Air Force Propulsion Laboratory (retired) 


"Hunley makes the connection between military and civil space vehicles by informing readers that NASA's launchers were originally long-range military ballistic missiles."--Jacob Neufeld, editor in chief, Air Power History


“No historian of technology possesses deeper insights into the development of space-launch vehicles in the United States than the esteemed J.D. Hunley. Anyone interested in how American missiles and launch vehicles came into being, and for what purposes, must have this compelling and encyclopedic book [the second volume] in his library.”––James R. Hansen, author of First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong.


“While I question the possibility of ever writing a "definitive" history of anything, [these books] come as close to this ideal as we are likely ever to see....a benchmark in the process of the invention of space flight and its evolution throughout time."––Roger Launius, Quest  


J.D. Hunley, PhD, is a retired Chief Historian for the NASA Dryden Flight Research Cente
r. Earlier, he was a NASA Headquarters historian, a historian for the U.S. Air Force, and a Ramsey Fellow at the Air and Space Museum. He is also author of The Development of Propulsion Technology for U.S. Space-Launch Vehicles, 1926-1991 and has written or edited a large number of articles about various aspects of aerospace history. For an earlier version of the propulsion book, he won the 2006 History Manuscript Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.





Deer Hunting Tips & Techniques

By Leonard Lee Rue III


The text is based on Lennie Rue’s question-and-answer column in Deer & Deer Hunting magazine––important questions like these:  What triggers the rut for does? Can weather affect rut activity? How should I use a grunt call during the rut? What scents should I use during the rut?  Are buck and doe droppings different? What do deer tail movements indicate? Can whitetails and mule deer interbreed? Do deer sleep with their eyes open? Can deer hear while chewing? Is salt healthful for deer? How long can deer live? All illustrated by his and wife Uschi’s stunning full-color photos.


Leonard Lee Rue III is a leading authority on North American deer. For his more than 30 books on deer and other wildlife, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Colorado. The Outdoor Writers’ Association of America awarded him “Jade of Chiefs” and “Excellence in Craft” awards. The North American Nature Photographers’ Association bestowed its highest honor: “The Lifetime Achievement Nature Photographer Award” Lennie’s articles and columns have appeared in many magazines, including Outdoor Life, Field & Stream, Deer & Deer Hunting, The American Rifleman, and Outdoor Photographer. He is currently completing his autobiography and a comprehensive book on whitetails. He and wife Uschi sell their autographed books and photo prints at ruewildlifephotos.com





The Great Family Songbook

By Dan Fox & Dick Weissman


This 272-page treasury includes songs from virtually every genre in America’s rich musical heritage: Folk, Pop, Blues, Barbershop, Patriotic, Protest, Children’s, Hymns & Gospel, Christmas & Holiday, Western & Cowboy, Film & Show, as

well as songs adopted from other lands.

    Each song has complete lyrics and chord symbols, with a paragraph explaining the song’s historic origin. Music is skillfully arranged for keyboard and guitar for players with even modest skills. For the guitar, two pages explain right-hand picking techniques (strums).



AMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEWS

"The Great Family Songbook is a winsome effort that appears to have been inspired by a beautiful 50s book, The Fireside Book of Folk Songs. I have ached for a successor to Fireside, and it appears we finally have it. The printing and selection of music are exciting and diverse, and the arrangements quite suitable for both novice and accomplished musicians.”––Charles H., Newton, KS


"This is a must for family entertainment. As a teacher I use it in the elementary classroom all year long, and after school at the nursing home where the clients love to hear the traditional songs that made America great."––E. Teixeira, Fall River, MA


"I originally checked this book out at the library. My family and I LOVED the great variety of songs, each of us found many songs that we enjoyed! Which, honestly, doesn't happen often! Since the book was returned to the library we have missed having the book around. I was pleased to find it at Amazon for such a reasonable price."––by Melamom


"What a find in a bountiful library when you're snowbound in

a warm spacious vacation rental during a blizzard! It provided a variety of songs to sing around the fireplace while watching the snowflakes whirl outdoors. There's a song for everyone, young or the well seasoned seniors."––Charlotte W., Los Angeles


THE AUTHORS

Dan Fox has probably written and sold more popular music books than any other author in recent times––more than 20 million copies. His bestsellers include 17 songbooks for Reader’s Digest Books, The John Denver Songbook, and The Complete Beatles, as well as songbooks for Billy Joel, Kenny Rogers; Peter, Paul & Mary; and dozens of other stars of rock, folk, and country music, as well as the "World's Greatest..." series for Alfred Publishing. Dan has also written instruction books for guitar and mandolin; Write It Right, a guide for arrangers and copyists; The Rhythm Bible; The Great Family Songbook (with Dick Weissman); and songbooks for children, including In and Out the Window for New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. In the classical field, he has published arranged works for world-class musicians Richard Stoltzman (clarinet) and Sir James Galway (flute) as well as a vocal arrangement for legendary tenor Luciano Pavarotti. Dan recently completed a three-act opera based on the life of jazz pioneer Buddy Bolden and is working on a book of chord progressions to be published in spring 2010.


Dick Weissman has written 18 books on music and the music industry. As a musician, Dick was a member of the folk trio, The Journeymen, with John Phillips and Scott Mckenzie. Dick is also a solo live performer and an accompanist. He has played in hundreds of recording sessions, produced numerous albums, and written numerous recorded songs and instrumental pieces, as well as two feature-film scores. Dick teaches at various universities. He has won the Deems Taylor ASCAP Music Critics Award, and was a finalist for the Oregon book award in nonfiction writing. His website:  dickweissman.com





Teach Yourself Visually POKER

By Dan Ramsey


Do you feel like you're up the river at a poker table? Can you tell a bad hand from a good one? Do you know a kicker from a Joker? With this book, you can become an ace player in no time, whether you play at home, in a casino or club, or online! You'll learn the basic rules, terms, and strategies for such popular poker games as Draw, Stud, Texas Hold'em, and Omaha. Step-by-step plays teach you how to read your opponents, how to tell when to hold or fold, and how to bluff like a pro. Hand-ranking and odds charts help you to take your game to a whole new level.

    Concise two-page lessons show you all the steps to playing the game and are ideal for quick reference

   

    •Color photos make learning hands, strategies, and variations a sure thing

    •Step-by-step instructions walk you through betting strategies and the play of typical hands

    •Helpful tips provide additional guidance


Dan Ramsey is author of dozens of home how-to books, explaining complex topics in simple terms. Books include 11 Complete Idiot's Guides. In addition to writing and photographing Teach Yourself VISUALLY Poker, he and wife Judy wrote and photographed Teach Yourself VISUALLY Car Care & Repair. Dan has written many books on careers and starting small businesses. His latest project is publishing more than 100 Fix-It Guides, "Common Repairs Made Easy." Dan is a past president of the National Association of Home & Workshop Writers. He also has been a Nonfiction Writing Instructor for Writer's Digest Schools.






 

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Songs arranged for piano & guitar

by Dan Fox & Dick Weissman  

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Boston Globe

“10 Best Gardening Books” for 2009. Also Book-of-the-Month Club Selection.

Text & photos by

Neil Soderstrom

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SAMPLE PHOTOS TO COME

Hermann Oberth, foreground, with officials of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency in 1956. Right: Wernher von Braun. Top: Maj. Gen. Holger N. Toftoy. Left: Ernst Stuhlinger. Below: Delta 900. (Both, NASA)

Winners!!!

2010 American Institute

of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Gardner-Lasser Aerospace History Literature Award.

By J. D. Hunley

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For kids:

Text by Rosanna Hansen; photos by Neil Soderstrom.

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