SUMMER
READING SUGGESTIONS FROM
THE ACADEMY LIBRARY'S MEMBERS' LENDING COLLECTION, 2001
And Videos, Too!
California Academy of Sciences Library
Summer is a perfect time to do a little reading by the pool, in the comfort of your own home, on the bus on the way to work, or just about anywhere!
The books and videos
below have been selected not with summer in mind,
but to provide a great experience any time of the year!
Pub. SK592 .U6 G74 1999
Animal Underworld: Inside America's Black Market for Rare and Exotic Species
/ Alan Green and The Center for Public Integrity. New York, NY: PublicAffairs,
1999.
This work is an examination and exposé of the illegal trade in exotic and sometimes
endangered species. What makes this volume different from other works on the
same subject is, the author alleges, the complicity of world renowned zoos and
research institutions. The black market in animals is investigated, including
how they get their animals and what becomes of them.
The book includes an index and photographs.
Pub. GF8 .A7 1999
At Home on the Earth: Becoming Native to Our Place / Edited by David
Landis Barnhill. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1999.
This volume contains essays from contemporary American writers on discovering
a sense of place. The collection, a multicultural anthology, includes essays
by Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans,
and women. The book is divided into two sections: Living in Place, and Places
to Live. Authors of the essays include Sue Hubbell and Alice Walker.
Pub. F1246 .M253
2001
Journey with a Baja Burro / Graham
Mackintosh. San Diego, CA: Sunbelt Publications, 2001
"He was the best of burros; he was the worst of burros!" Thus starts
this entertaining account of a man, a landscape, and a burro. This book follows
the author and his pack burro, Misión, on a 6 month journey of over 1000
miles through Baja California. Along the way you meet the people who live in
the area now, learn about the history and natural history of the area, and enjoy
the author's encounters with the world around him.
Color photographs, a map of the journey, and bibliography are also included.
Pub. QK569 .C37 M4513 1999
Killer Algae: The True Tale of a Biological Invasion / Alexandre Meinesz.
Chicago, IL; London: University of Chicago Press, 1999.
This volume is the story of Caulerpa taxifolia and its journey from the
Oceanographic Museum in Monaco to its current status as an unparalleled biological
threat in the Mediterranean Sea. From a one square meter area found in 1984,
this alga had grown to a 10,000 square meters in 1989, covering more than two
acres. The invader has left Monaco waters, and was found in France in 1990.
The author, a professor of biology at the University of Nice, advocated immediate
removal of the Caulerpa taxifolia when it was first discovered in the Mediterranean
Sea and possibly still manageable. No one was willing to take responsibility.
Now it has grown to become an astronomical problem, as evidenced by several
color photographs included in the volume. This book is a "biological and political
horror story of invasion."
Pub. QP82 .A75 2000
Life at the Extremes: The Science of Survival / Frances Ashcroft. Berkeley,
CA: University of California Press, 2000.
The author, a professor of physiology at Oxford University, has put together
a fascinating account on the possibilities and limitations of the human body
in a variety of habitats and situations. She takes us underwater, the tops of
mountains, Antarctica, harsh desert, and even outer space. In her examination
of the body, she uses actual situations, some her own, to introduce and illustrate
her physiological explanations.
It is not every book that could examine frostbite, mountain sickness, the bends,
and extreme temperatures and make it appealing to the general reader. Ashcroft
has managed this admirably. The book also contains notes by chapter, selected
references, and an index.
Pub. QL31 .N23 J644 1999
Nabokov's Blues: The Scientific Odyssey of a Literary Genius / Kurt Johnson
and Steve Coates. Cambridge, MA: Zoland Books, 1999.
While this book is partly a biography of Nabokov, the writer perhaps best known
for his work Lolita, it is also a chronicle of his work as an informally taught
lepidopterist. In the 1940's Nabokov was holding a post as a curator at Harvard's
Museum of Comparative Zoology. During this period of time, he published a radical
new classification of Blues, butterflies from a little studied area of South
America. The article was forgotten by many, but after fifty years, some scientists
decided to take up where Nabokov had left off, and they traveled to South America
and found that he was right!
The book includes a list of Nabokov's eight scientific publications on Blues
published between 1941 and 1954 and the major publications that are completing
his work on the neo-tropical Blues. The volume also includes a general bibliography
and an index.
Pub. QL667 .N38 2000
Nature's Fading Chorus: Classic and Contemporary Writings on Amphibians
/ Edited by Gordon L. Miller. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 2000.
This volume brings together a collection of 37 writings that range in date from
Aristotle in the 4th century BC to Virginia Morell and Jocelyn Kaiser in 1999.
The book is divided into sections: Interpreting the Cosmos, Reclaiming Paradise,
Telling Naturalistic Tales, Remembering the Earth, and Reading the Signs of
the Times, which discusses issues like amphibian decline and deformity.
The book also contains notes, sources used and consulted, about the authors,
and an index.
Pub. SB61 .H36 2000
Orchid Fever: A Horticultural Tale of Love, Lust, and Lunacy / Eric Hansen.
New York: Pantheon Books, 2000.
An entertaining and educational look at the world of orchid growers and the
problems in blending a desire for new orchids, conservation and science with
existing laws on trade in orchids. At times absurd and appalling, Orchid Fever
will change the way you think and feel about bureaucracy.
A bibliography is included.
Pub. QL623.4 .L68 1996
Probably More Than You Want to Know About the Fishes of the Pacific Coast
/ Milton Love. Santa Barbara, CA: Really Big Press, 1996.
The author, a marine biologist (with the tattoos to prove it!) at the Marine
Science Institute at the University of California Santa Barbara, has put together
a fantastic book on the fishes of the Pacific Coast. Both humorous and educational,
the book contains an individual entry for each fish included. Line drawings
of each species are also included. Each entry also contains information on the
names of the fish, including the meaning of the scientific name, identifying
characteristics, distribution and biology, fishery information, and the author's
remarks.
The very entertaining and informative book features a section of color plates
and an index.
Biodiv. SB108 .U6 C28 1999
True Gardens of the Gods: Californian - Australian Environmental Reform,
1860-1930 / Ian Tyrell. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1999.
The author, a professor of history at the University of New South Wales, Sidney,
describes in this book how California and Australia shared resources and created
a kind of environmental exchange. Both areas were decimated by the aftermath
of separate gold rushes. Because they share similar climates, California and
Australia were able to help each other make environmental. One of the most noticeable
exchanges was eucalyptus coming to California and the Monterey Pine and other
California softwoods heading to Australia.
This book is a comparative history of ideas and actions made between countries
through a series of interactions and exchanges. The book has extensive notes
by chapter, a bibliography, and an index.
Pub. Juv GB601.2 .S53 2000
Cave / Text by Diane Siebert and illustrations by Wayne McLoughlin. New
York: HarperCollins, 2000.
Beautiful illustrations and elegant text are featured in this book that describes
and illustrates the formation of a limestone cave. How the cave was formed,
the life that evolved to live in the cave, and a sense of wonder are all conveyed
gracefully.
Pub. Juv QE714.5 .R33 2000
The Deep Time Diaries: As Recorded by Neesha and Jon Olifee and Transcribed
by Gary Raham / Gary Raham. Golden, CO: Fulcrum Resources, 2000.
Written in the guise of the "discovered" journals of time traveling family,
this entertaining book connects children to science. Journal entries from the
son and daughter, along with their sketches, present factual and theoretical
information in an entertaining and gripping manner.
References, resources, maps, and a glossary are all included in the work. This
is a very clever and entertaining book!
Pub. Juv QE862 .D5 Y64 2000
How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? / Jane Yolen and Mark Teague. New York:
The Blue Sky Press, 2000.
If you were a pteranodon, how would you say good night? Would you pout, roar,
throw things, or go give a hug and go nicely to bed? Join many different kinds
of dinosaurs, all named in the pages, as they and their parents get ready for
bed time.
Pub. Juv E99 .C85 D4 1996
The Legend of the Bluebonnet: An Old Tale of Texas / Tomie dePaola. New
York: The Putnam & Grosset Group, 1996.
This lovely book is a retelling of the origin of the Texas state flower, the
bluebonnet. She-Who-Lives-Alone and the rest of people in Comanche tribe are
in trouble. Drought and famine have taken the lives of many of their people.
The people ask the Great Spirits for help, and are told that only through giving
up that which they love will their land be restored. Only one person is brave
enough to give up her most prized possession, and in doing so she becomes One-Who-Dearly-Loved-Her-People.
Find out what she gives up, what happens when she does, and why she is alone.
Pub. Juv QA113 .F73 2000
One Lonely Sea Horse / Sacton Freymann and Joost Elffers. New York, NY:
Arthur A. Levine Books, 2000.
From the people who brought the world the definitive book on playing with your
food, comes this wonderful counting book. This charming and fun book follows
a lonely sea horse as she discovers friends in the sea. All of the characters
in the book are made from fruits and vegetables. The characters include banana
octopi, bell pepper angelfish, and, our main character, a chioggia beets sea
horse.
Pub. Juv QL666.O69 A76 2000
Rattlesnake Dance / Jim Arnosky. New York: Putnam, 2000.
It's hot in the sun, so the rattlesnake looks for a place to cool down. The
snake finds a cave, and other snakes are there already resting from the heat.
Suddenly the snakes are in a trance, swaying from side to side, and dancing.
More and more snakes join the dance, and soon it's just like a rattlesnake ball!
The best part is, it'll all happen again at the same time next year.
The book is filled with vivid images, a song score that matches the text of
the book, great illustrations, and wonderful color.
Pub. Juv QL668 .E24 C685
1999
Red-Eyed Tree Frog / Joy Crowley. New York: Scholastic Press, 1999.
"Evening comes to the rainforest." Some animals go to sleep in the evening,
but for others, the night is their time of day! The red-eyed tree frog is just
falling asleep as the sun comes up, so by evening he's ready to be awake. Learn
about the frog in this book filled with amazing, close-up, color photographs.
Watch as he evades a snake and an iguana, eats a moth, and sleeps as morning
comes. After the story is over, learn more factual information about the tree
frog.
Pub. Juv QL676.55 .M4 L37
1997
She's Wearing a Dead Bird on Her Head! / Kathryn Lasky. New York: Hyperion
Paperbacks for Children, 1997.
When Harriet and her cousin Minna noticed that fashion in 1896 meant women wearing
hats that had dead birds on them, they knew that they needed to do something
to change the style and save the birds! But women in 1896 didn't have much power,
so what could they do?
They did plenty, and in doing so they created a powerful force that has worked
since then to protect birds and the environment. Find out about these brave,
intelligent, and independent women by reading this charming book filled with
fun, facts, and fantastic illustrations.
Pub. Juv PS3515 .U274 S94
1994
The Sweet and Sour Animal Book / Langston Hughes. New York: Oxford University
Press, 1994.
The text in this volume is from previously unpublished verse by Langston Hughes,
while the illustrations have been provided by mostly 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders
at Harlem School for the Arts. The work was found among his papers, and has
been published with gorgeous and colorful illustrations of such animals as apes,
elephants, kittens, newts, turtles, and zebras.
Pub. AV&M QB98.2 .C74 1995
The Creation of the Universe. Atlanta, GA: Turner Home Entertainment,
1995.
This 92 minute video explores the history and origin of the universe, the structure
and life of the atom, and much, much more. Explained at an easy to understand
level, the information provided in the video brings the viewer to an understanding
of science that is both entertaining and educational. Cosmologists, physicists,
and astronomers are all included as they discuss their work and its implications
on the beginning of the universe. Some of the areas covered during the program
include the Big Bang, atoms, stars and the body, the history of the particle
accelerator, and more.
Pub. AV&M GV199.44 .E85
E93 1998
Everest: The Death Zone. Boston, MA: WGBH Educational Foundation, c1998.
This video, narrated by Jodie Foster and produced for the PBS series NOVA, takes
you to a place that few people go. Mount Everest is dangerous, and no one knows
that better than David Breashears, a member of the IMAX crew that was on the
mountain in 1996 when eight people died in one day. He's back on the mountain
the next year, however, to help with tests about how altitude effects the mind
and body.
For every six successful attempts on Everest, one person will die. That fact
is one of the reasons that scientists at the University of Washington are helping
to conduct tests at high altitude. The first tests take place at sea level before
the climbers leave, and not only are they establishing a baseline, they are
also hoping to predict who will do well at high altitude. One of the primary
questions is: Does climbing in high altitude cause brain damage? We watch the
climbers take their tests at basecamp and then further up the mountain at camps
1, 2, 3, and 4. It is very obvious as they take the psychometric tests that
there is deterioration in cognitive ability as they get higher up the mountain.
The tests include memorization, true/false, and comprehension.
The viewer also gets descriptions of what is happening to the body at various
altitudes from the high altitude physicians involved in the project. During
the filming, one of the climbers became very ill and that made for even more
drama! NOVA produced a web site to go along with the program, and it's still
available at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/everest/expeditions/97/.
Among other information, it provides access to the dispatches from the journey.
Biodiv F3741 .G2 G343 1996
Galapagos: Beyond Darwin. Bethesda, MD: Discovery Communications, Inc.,
1996.
During an expedition to the Galapagos Islands in the mid-1990s, more than two
dozen new species were found. 55 deep dives were accomplished via a submersible,
and an even higher number of shallow dives were completed by SCUBA. This 100
minute video documents that month long trip and takes you on a fantastic journey
from caves on the Islands to 3,000 feet below the surface of the water.
The Academy's own John McCosker was a member of the expedition, and he provides
some of the scientific information during the video. Not only do we get to see
the exploration itself, but we also are privileged to watch the scientists interact
with each other. History of the Islands and scientific exploration in the Galapagos,
starting with Darwin, are woven throughout the program.
Pub. AV&M QL737 .P95 L45
1999
Lemurs with John Cleese. Burbank, CA: PBS Home Video, 1999.
John Cleese adores lemurs. In fact, he likes them so much that he not only raised
money to send five lemurs raised in captivity, the Carolina Five, to the wild,
he was willing to travel to the rainforests of Madagascar without a spot of
tea in sight to see how they were fairing five months later.
The video follows John Cleese as he spends time at a private lemur reserve and
meets a variety of different species and specializations of lemur. We see the
Aye-aye, the largest nocturnal primate, and watch as he uses his specially adapted
finger to remove grubs from bamboo. We're also treated to the glorious sights
and sounds of John Cleese, as he learns about lemurs, and teaches us a thing
or two in the process.
Pub. AV&M QH86 .M36 1997
Manu: Peru's Hidden Rain Forest. Burbank, CA: PBS Home Video, 1997.
Narrated by Edward James Olmos, this video on Peru's hidden rain forest comes
from the popular "The Living Edens" series on PBS. The filmmakers spent a great
deal of time in a barely explored and remote area of Peru along the river Manu
in the Manu Biosphere Reserve. Interesting facts are revealed throughout the
video, including that there are thirteen species of monkey in Manu, more than
anywhere else in the world.
This video includes beautiful footage of wild parrots in flight, caciques, sloths,
howler and spider monkeys, jaguar, and the giant anteater. Giant river otters,
also known as river wolves, are predators in the Manu, social carnivores. Time-lapse
footage of leaf cutter ants destroying a plant is a fascinating segment, and
the crew followed a harpy chick from its helpless dependence to branch-walking
to first flight.
All of the materials above are available for loan to Academy members.
For more books and videos, try this link to the lending page!
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June 13, 2001.
