books by North Point Press     books:       The Birds of Heaven: Travels with Cranes14 reviews Peter Matthiessen, Robert Bateman North Point Press, 2001 Fantastic, well-illustrated book on all things crane _The Birds of Heaven_ by Peter Matthiessen is a well-written and informative account of the fifteen living species of crane. Matthiessen chronicled in the book his years of experience with these birds, traveling to Russia, China, Mongolia (where six species have been recorded), India, Bhutan, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Africa, England (where the Eurasian or common crane, extinct there since ...             But Beautiful: A Book about Jazz16 reviews Geoff Dyer North Point Press, 1997 A Must for Those Who Appreciate Jazz and/or Exquisite Prose Picture this: "Onstage at Birdland, eyes shut, one arm hanging at his side....trumpet raised to his lips like a brandy bottle--not playing the horn but swigging from it, sipping it." Geoff Dyer's employs his exquisite imagery as a starting point for his "imaginative criticism" of the celebrated and tragic lives of several iconic jazz musicians (including figures such as Chet Baker, Lester ...             Mrs. Bridge: A Novel16 reviews Evan S. Connell North Point Press, 1990 Brilliantly Wrought Fiction of Upper Middle Class Ennui Evan S. Connell's "Mrs. Bridge" is one of the truly outstanding works of Twentieth century American literature, a restrained, yet brilliantly wrought fictional portrait of upper middle class married life in the decades surrounding World War II. Connell tells the story of India Bridge in 117 short chapters, each a spare vignette of her enervated life in the perfectly manicured "country-club ...             Living on the Wind : Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds19 reviews Scott Weidensaul North Point Press, 1999 Vivid and poetic language The information on bird migration is absolutely engrossing. However, the language Weidensaul uses is even more enjoyable. I kept the computer dictionary next to me while reading the book to check the beautiful language used to describe bird behavior and their habitats. This book is inspiring and thought provoking even for non-birders like me (I am likely classified as a computer geek).             Lush Life: A Biography of Billy Strayhorn13 reviews David Hajdu North Point Press, 1997 a lush story... one of the most interesting biographies I've ever read. When Billy Strayhorn was growing up in Pittsburgh he met Duke Ellington in the back of the theatre after a concert Duke performed at. He blew Duke away when Billy played the piano for him. Years later Duke would remember him and asked Billy to come out to NYC to see him. When Billy asked for directions Duke would write on a piece of paper, ...             Return to Wild America: A Yearlong Search for the Continent's Natural Soul12 reviews Scott Weidensaul North Point Press, 2006 A Reason for Hope(?) Author Scott Weidensaul does a wonderful job in documenting his journey as he retraces the path blazed 50 years earlier by Roger Peterson and James Fisher as documented in their book, "Wild America". Mr. Weidensaul paints a vivid picture of what he saw during his 9 month journey along the edges of North America; from Newfoundland to the Pribilof Islands of Alaska. There are several places near my ...             Olives: The Life and Lore of a Noble Fruit14 reviews Mort Rosenblum North Point Press, 1996 Delightful book on all things olive _Olives_ by Mort Rosenblum is a well-written, witty, and engaging book on all things olive, thorough in its coverage. Rosenblum became an olive aficionado after acquiring five acres of land in the Provence region of France, site of an abandoned farmhouse and two hundred half-dead and heavily overgrown century-plus olive trees, long neglected. From that point on he became not only committed to ...             The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma28 reviews North Point Press, 1989 from the beginning After years of practice I have just started reading the sutras feeling now as if I'm finally getting to the heart and soul of Buddhism. What a revelation! As I told someone, I feel I've had the menu and now get to taste the food! So if you want to really know Buddhism from the beginning and especially Zen, read Red Pine aka Bill Porter. I first met Bill when he lived here at CTTB and showed ...             The Ghost with Trembling Wings: Science, Wishful Thinking and the Search for Lost Species13 reviews Scott Weidensaul North Point Press, 2002 A gorgeous mind-opener For 310 of the most engrossing pages about things that live on earth, you won't do much better than Scott Wiedensaul's The Ghost With Trembling Wings. I came at the book with virtually no science ability and only a passing knowledge of naturalism or species conservation, but it doesn't matter - Trembling Wings works so effectively because all it really requires to catch onto Wiedensaul's point ...             The Ramayana: A Modern Retelling of the Great Indian Epic26 reviews Ramesh Menon, Valmiki North Point Press, 2003 An "Indian classic" that deserves to be a "world classic" Many classics of literature speak for themselves, but the Ramayana is a tale which is sadly little known or read in the West. Personally, I was very glad to have come across this epic, which can stand proudly with the better known epics in the western tradition, such as the Iliad or the Odyssey. Indeed, the Ramayana has aspects which will be familiar to those acquainted with such western epics ...             The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: A New Edition, Translation, and Commentary8 reviews Edwin F. Bryant North Point Press, 2009 Essential reading There's a growing selection of commentaries on the Yoga Sutras but this one stands out as a useful crossover between more scholarly texts and those aimed at more 'everyday' students. Edwin Bryant has chosen a selection of classical commentaries to reference in his own commentary, including Vyasa and Vijnanabhiksu, making this an invaluable 'one stop shop' for reference. In addition to the ...             Butter Beans to Blackberries: Recipes from the Southern Garden7 reviews Ronni Lundy North Point Press, 1999 Bravo!!! This is a cookbook you read. Every word! It has also reminded me that there are no meat-and-three cafes in all of California that I can find. And all the cornbread tastes like cake. Somebody is missing the boat here. You would make a good living if you opened this type of restarant. You could use this cookbook to get started!             Moon in a Dewdrop: Writings of Zen Master Dogen11 reviews Eihei Dogen North Point Press, 1995 Five Star all the Way "moon in a dewdrop" is a collection of writings by Eihei Dogen, the founder of Soto Zen. The text is divided into four sections, which are clear and easy to understand. There are notes and a glossary so that the meaning of the text can be clearly grasped. The book is a five star raft. Now to the writing, Dogen speaks from experience, insight gained through deep meditation, lived every day. The ...             Riprap and Cold Mountain Poems9 reviews Gary Snyder North Point Press, 1990 The Zen Master Of "Beat" As circumstances would have it I recently have been going through a reading, or in most cases a re-reading, of many of the classics of the 1950's "beat" literary scene as a result of getting caught up in marking the 40th anniversary of the death of Jack Kerouac. Thus, I have re-read Kerouac's classic "On The Road", Allen Ginsberg's great modernist poem, "Howl", and the madman of them all, William ...             Yoga Mala10 reviews Sri K. Pattabhi Jois North Point Press, 2002 yoga mala This book is a must for ashtanga practitioners, having been written by the guru of this form of yoga, Sri K Pattabhi Jois. The forward by Eddie Stern provides an interesting background of the life of Pattabhi Jois and how he came to teach western students. The opening chapter describes what is meant by 'ashtanga' (eight limbs) of yoga, with valuable information regarding yogic philosophy, ...             Mr. Bridge9 reviews Evan S. Connell North Point Press, 1990 a masterpiece simply one of the best books I've ever read. India will exasperate you and enlighten you. Through her and the other characters in Connell's masterpiece, you will have a feeling that your own life is unfolding before your eyes, complete with a beginning, a middle, and an end. It is simultaneously a disturbing and reassuring experience. Don't miss it.             Cultivating the Empty Field: The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi7 reviews Cheng-Chueh, Zen Master Hongzhi, ... North Point Press, 1991 Great early Chan writings I read this shortly after it first came out. It seemed OK and I put it aside. Several years ago --and after more sitting practice and retreats-- I reread it and now I think it is a treasure. In the translated passages/poems, Hongzhi is speaking consistently from a deeply enlightened experience. Someone new to Zen may find this collection of talks from a twelfth century Chinese master fuzzy ...             Unborn: The Life and Teachings of Zen Master Bankei, 1622-16939 reviews Bankei North Point Press, 2000 The Direct teachings of Master Bankei A great gem of a book for any seeker. Master Bankei's teachings revolved around the principal that we are all a part of the Unborn-here and now and that once we abide in that no other knowledge or practice is really necessary. His teachings mainly point this out from many angles based on peoples questions and issues at the time. After many years of his own struggle as a seeker he came to the ...             The Whale and the Supercomputer: On the Northern Front of Climate Change9 reviews Charles Wohlforth North Point Press, 2004 Global warming given a personal perspective This book tells many stories centered on the theme of climate change as seen in Northern Alaska. The Iñupiat people have lived around what is today Barrow, Alaska for over a thousand years. As with many indigenous peoples, they have a keen awareness of their natural surroundings. For the Iñupiat, knowledge of weather, ice and whale behavior is a matter of life and death, both moment to moment in ...             The Hidden West: Journeys in the American Outback (Hidden West Paper)7 reviews Rob Schultheis North Point Press, 1983 CANNOT RECOMMEND THIS ONE HIGHLY ENOUGH I first read this one in 1982 and have returned to it time and again. I, like a couple of other reviewers, cannot understand why this book has not recieved more attention. It is well written, funny, informative and just simply fun to read. It is a collection of tales, stories, or what have you, of the western portion of our country. The author has wonderful insight and certainly knows his ...              search for books 1622-1693, american, beautiful, biography, blackberries, bodhidharma, commentary, continent, cultivating, edition, hemisphere, illumination, journeys, migratory, mountain, northern, patanjali, ramayana, retelling, science, southern, strayhorn, supercomputer, teaching, teachings, thinking, translation, trembling, writings, yearlong books:    Kindle - Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device This is the future of book reading. I have used it and love it! randomly chosen book: 1984-1988 Jeep Cherokee/Wagoneer Body Manual Original--M.R.247 home  impressum - about us