"Lavender, basil, hyssop, balm, sage, rue - the thinking gardener's guide to herbs. Writer/naturalist Henry Beston, a founding father of the environmental movement, believed that a strong connection to nature is essential. "It is only when we are aware of the earth and of the earth as poetry that we truly live," Beston says in his now-classic Herbs and the Earth. In this book, Beston shares one of those connections as seen through the oldest group...

"On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln became the fluky victor in a tight race for president. The country was bitterly at odds; Southern extremists were moving ever closer to destroying the Union, with one state after another seceding and Lincoln powerless to stop them. Slavery fueled the conflict, but somehow the passions of North and South came to focus on a lonely federal fortress in Charleston Harbor: Fort Sumter. Master storyteller Erik Larson...

Chronicles the life of the creator of one of America's most stunning museums--an American original whose own life was remade by art; includes archival photos of her world, museum and the art she collected.

"On January 28, 1986, just seventy-three seconds into flight, the space shuttle Challenger broke apart over the Atlantic Ocean, killing all seven people on board. Millions of Americans witnessed the tragic deaths of a crew including New Hampshire schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe. Like the assassination of JFK, the Challenger disaster is a defining moment in 20th century history--one that forever changed the way America thought of itself and its optimistic...

Award-winning author and "green leader" (Grist) Ben Hartman shares practical how-to tips, personal stories, and surprising examples of cutting-edge farmers and innovators around the world to show us how. In the early 1970s, US Agriculture Secretary Earl Butz infamously commanded farmers to "get big or get out." In The Lean Micro Farm, author Ben Hartman rejects that disastrous suggestion and instead takes up the charge of the late agrarian thinker...

"This heartfelt and wry career memoir from the director of Blood Diamond, The Last Samurai, Legends of the Fall, About Last Night, and Glory, creator of the show thirtysomething, and executive producer of My So-Called Life, gives a dishy, behind-the-scenes look at working with some of the biggest names in Hollywood."--Amazon.

There are over 20,000 species of bee worldwide, of which just seven species are honeybees. In the US alone, there are over 4,000 species of bee, whereas Europe only have nearly 2,000 bee species and the UK has 275. The Wild Bee Handbook is a practical, illustrated guide that will introduce you to the common wild bees you might find in your garden. Through a handy directory, learn how vital wild bees are to the ecosystem and discover how we can garden...

"Why did white pine help spark the American Revolution? How did balsam aid the development of germ theory? What does hemlock have to do with making leather? In Conifers of the New England-Acadian Forest, microbiologist Steve Keating explores how conifers influenced the course of human history, writing in a style that is both scientific and accessible. Keating's study focuses on one of the most forested and wild ecoregions in North America, which extends...