Product Description
Rise, Ye Sea Slugs!is a book of many faces.
(1)It is a book of translated haiku and contains over 900 of these short Japanese poems in the original (smoothly inserted in the main body), with phonetic and literal renditions, as well as the author’s English translations and explanations.All but a dozen or two of the haiku are translated for the first time.There is an index of poets, poems and a bibliography.(2)It is a book ofsea slug haiku, for all of the poems are about holothurians, which scientists prefer to call "sea cucumbers."(The word "cucumber" is long for haiku and not metaphorically suitable for many poems, so poetic license was taken.)With this book, the namako, as the sea cucumber is called in Japanese, becomes the most translated single subject in haiku, surpassing the harvest moon, the snow, the cuckoo, butterflies and even cherry blossoms.(3)It is a book of original haiku.While the author’s original intent was to include only genuine old haiku (dating back to the 17th century),modern haiku were added and, eventually, Keigu (the author’s haiku name) composed about a hundred of his own to help fill out gaps in the metaphorical museum.For many if not most of the modern haiku taken from the web, it is also their first time in print!(4) It is a book of metaphor.How may we arrange hundreds of poems on a single theme?Rise divides the poems into 21 main metaphors includingthe Cold Sea Slug, the Mystic Sea Slug, the Helpless Sea Slug, the Slippery Sea Slug, the Silent Sea Slug, and the Melancholy Sea Slug, giving each a chapter, within which the metaphors may be further subdivided, and throws in an additional hundred pages of Sundry Sea Slugs (scores of varieties including monster, spam, flying, urban myth, and exploding).(5) It is a book on haiku.Editors usually select only the best haiku, but, Rise includes good and bad haiku by everyone from the 17th century haiku master to the anonymous haiku "rejected" in some internet contest. This is not to say all poems found were included, but that the standard was along more taxonomic or encyclopedic lines: poems that filled in a metaphorical or sub-metaphorical gap were always welcome.Also, the author tries to show there is more than one type of "good" haiku. These are new ways to approach haiku.(6)It is a book on translation.There are approximately 2 translations per haiku, and some boast a dozen.These are arranged in mixed single, double and triple-column clusters which make each reading seem a different aspect of a singular, almost crystalline whole. The author’s aim is to demonstrate that multiple reading (such as found in Hofstadter’s Le Ton Beau de Marot) is not only a fun game but a bona fide method of translating, especially useful for translating poetry between exotic tongues.(7) It is a book ofnature writing, natural history or metaphysics (in the Emersonian sense).The author tried to compile relevant or interesting (not necessarily both) historical -- this includes the sea slug in literature, English or Japanese, and in folklore -- and scientific facts to read haiku in their light or, conversely, bring or wring out science from haiku.Unlike most nature writers, the author admits to doing no fieldwork. He sluggishly stays put and relies upon reports from more mobile souls.(8) It is a book about food symbolism.The sea cucumber is noticed by Japanese because they eat it; the eating itself involves physical difficulties (slipperiness and hardness) and pleasures from overcoming them.It is also identified with a state of mind, where "you are what you eat" takes on psychological dimensions not found in the food literature of the West.(9) It is a book about Japanese culture. The author does not set out to explain Japan, and the sea slug itself is silent, but the collection of poems and their explanations, which include analysis by poets who responded to the author’s questions as well as historical sources, take us all around the culture, from ancient myths to contemporary dreams. (10) It is a book about sea cucumbers.While most species of sea cucumbers are not mentioned and the coverage of the Japanese sea cucumber is sketchy from the scientific point of view, Risetries to introduce this animal graced to live with no brain thanks to the smart materials comprising it and blessed for sucking in dirty sediment and pooping it out clean. (11) It is a book about ambiguity. The author admits there is much that cannot be translated, much he cannot know and much to be improved in future editions, for which purpose he advises readers to see the on-line Glosses and Errata in English and Japanese.His policy is to confide in, rather than slip by the reader unnoticed, in the manner of the invisible modern translator and allow the reader to make choices or choose to allow multiple possibilities to exist by not chosing. (12)The book is the first of dozens of spin-offsfrom a twenty-book haiku saijiki (poetic almanac) called In Praise of Olde Haiku (IPOOH, for short) the author hopes to finish within the decade. (13) The book is a novelty item.It has a different (often witty) header (caption) on top of each page and copious notes that are rarely academic and often humorous. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Sea Slug-Fest
Mr. Gill has a knack with translating haiku.His technical prowess is top-drawer!It is a brilliant slant on sea slugs, a foil, to explore the layered depth and soft heart of haiku.

Rise Ye Sea Slugs is a thick and rich treatment that will take time (and you should take time) to enjoy.

As a student of haiku, I find his treatment of the Japanese language invaluable in giving context to its use in poetry.I will continue to use his work(s) as helpful and joyful references.

Delectable!
Sea slugs (in this case "sea cucumbers") may not be everyone's cup of tea, but this collection warrants a good read by anyone interested in pure fun, not to mention haiku and senryu, marine biology, the hair-raising problems of translation and cross-cultural communications, and, more fundamentally, what the heck a seasonal reference in a haiku might mean.

For those already familiar with R. H. Blyth's 4-volume Haiku or my own Haiku World, Rise, Ye Sea Slugs! offers a deep view of the place of seasonal phenomena in Japanese haiku and senryu. Robin Gill brings some 1,000 poems to demonstrate the tremendous range and depth inherent in one modest Japanese seasonal topic, namako, and in so doing shows us how incredibly rich the inclusion of a season word can make one of these short poems. Also, his method of multiple, pungent translations of many of the poems gives a more rounded view of each than that achieved by most translators in the field.(Perhaps only 10-20 of these poems have been previously translated into English. Gill includes original Japanese and romanized texts, as well as word-for-word trots of each poem, along with his witty and usually dead-on translations.)

The ultimate worth of this book will be the striking questions it raises about the (im)possibility of bridging cultural and linguistic gaps, and the wonderful fun to be had along the way. It also forms a tutorial on the packed meanings of well-written poems in the tradition, and challenges those of us who think we write "haiku" in other languages to revise our views of that enterprise. ... Read more

Product Description
Sluggy Slug will not go because he is sluggy.Amazon.com Review
Sluggy Slug won't budge, not even when lured with a pinklollipop. That pretty much sums up the plot of this small, charming,square book, but Chris Raschka's simple brushstrokes speak a thousandwords. Nobody could make a recalcitrant slug seem as vivacious as thecreator of the Caldecott Honor book Yo! Yes? and Like Likes Like.Designed for children just learning to read, the Thingy Thing booksall reinforce simple sounds and word repetition. Don't miss the restof the books in the series: Wormy Worm, Moosey Moose, andWhaleyWhale. Kids will adore these wonderfully absurd tributes tocreatures great and small, but adults may like them evenmore. (Preschool to beginning readers) --Karin Snelson ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Strange little book, strange little series.
This book is about one unmotivated slug. Sluggy Slug just won't go. Not even a lollipop will get it to move. It is a super-simple story with only 12 different words. The simple sounds and word repetition make it a good read for the toddler crowd (18 months to three-ish.) Older kids will want a little more story than this one offers. The text, however, would make for a great script for a little person puppet show needing only two puppets; the slug, and the lollipop, and would allow for plenty of "acting" by the children.

Of the many children's books I have read this one (well, more like whole series; "Whaley Whale", "Doggy Dog", "Wormy Worm", etc.) and "Arlene Sardine", also by Chris Raschka, have generated the most comments by adults who have read it. Most of the comments go like, "Somebody got paid to write that?", or, "Is that all there is?" The story is almost a Zen koan with its power to throw off the adult mind and its preconceptions of what a story should be. Little ones, whoever, just go with the story flow and like the opportunities for the adult reader to add whatever inflections and additions to make it fun to them to listen to.Recommended but may not be everyone's style of book.

Sluggy slug-cutey cute
I bought this book for my baby boy for his first birthday. While the book is small and short, it is very cute. The slug is hilarious and that it worth it. Its a good book for a baby. ... Read more

Product Description
Do you ever receive compliments that leave you feeling insulted? The co-worker who says, "I really admire the kind of work you do. My pride would get in the way." Or the relative who prefaces a remark with "You know I wouldn't say this if I didn't love you." Dr. James's humorous, helpful guide exposes dozens of zaps, barbs, and cutting remarks and shows how to let go of old insults and sidestep new ones. ... Read more

Product Description
On a hot summer night just after the Obon holidays, a young Japanese woman is coaxed into a tryst with an otherworldly god.

A touch of hentai sex with tentacles. 3600 words. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Not for the squeemish...unless you like a bit of squeem now and then
Made in DNA is the author of a lot of dark and erotic fiction, either taking place in Japan or containing strong elements of Japanese culture.But that is not to say that his writing lacks for variety.

Slug Orgy is a good example of this.He takes a simple (and somewhat disturbing) image and develops it into a tale that you want to stop reading at some point, but somehow just can't bring yourself to.Reading Slug Orgy is like looking in rapt fascination at a traffic accident.You feel a little guilty, maybe even a bit dirty, when your finished, but you still can't help but ask, "So what else has this guy written?"

If you like your fiction unique and a bit on the unsettling side, then here is an author you should check out.Slug Orgy is a good first step into the seedier side of the human imagination.

Good stuff
I've known Brent for awhile now, and his method of getting into the bizarre and weird for sex stories, is unparalled.Humorous, and also serious this is a good read for entertainment... ... Read more

Product Description
This remarkable collection of eight essays offers a rare perspective on the issue of cross-cultural communication. Greg Sarris is concerned with American Indian texts, both oral and written, as well as with other American Indian cultural phenomena such as basketry and religion. His essays cover a range of topics that include orality, art, literary criticism, and pedagogy, and demonstrate that people can see more than just "what things seem to be." Throughout, he asks: How can we read across cultures so as to encourage communication rather than to close it down?
Sarris maintains that cultural practices can be understood only in their living, changing contexts. Central to his approach is an understanding of storytelling, a practice that embodies all the indeterminateness, structural looseness, multivalence, and richness of culture itself. He describes encounters between his Indian aunts and Euro-American students and the challenge of reading in a reservation classroom; he brings the reports of earlier ethnographers out of museums into the light of contemporary literary and anthropological theory.
Sarris's perspective is exceptional: son of a Coast Miwok/Pomo father and a Jewish mother, he was raised by Mabel McKay--a renowned Cache Creek Pomo basketweaver and medicine woman--and by others, Indian and non-Indian, in Santa Rosa, California. Educated at Stanford, he is now a university professor and recently became Chairman of the Federated Coast Miwok tribe. His own story is woven into these essays and provides valuable insights for anyone interested in cross-cultural communication, including educators, theorists of language and culture, and general readers. ... Read more

Product Description
Lift the flaps to look behind leaves and under stones, open out the patterned wing of a butterfly, or follow the shiny trail of a snail. This series of innovative flap books uses the elements of discovery and delight to inform youngsters about the world.' ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Wants to look at this book every night before bed
Our son is 18 months old and has been loving this book for the past two months. He insists on us reading it together each night before bed. He lifts the tabs, makes buzzing noises, and turns the pages.I appreciate that there is good information within the book - he appreciates the bright colours and interaction with the flaps and tabs.I highly recommend this text.

Great Science Book for Young Readers
This is a wonderful book for young children.The detailed, brightly colored illustrations draw children's interest immediately.Once they have opened the book, lifting the flaps keeps them hooked!The information given about various insects is simple and easy for young children to understand.My children ask to read this book over and over again. ... Read more

Product Description
The slug test is currently the most common method for the in situ estimation of hydraulic conductivity at sites of suspected groundwater contamination. However, inappropriate procedures in one or more phases of a slug test can introduce considerable error into the resulting parameter estimates. This book remedies this problem by answering virtually every question regarding the design, performance, and analysis of slug tests. This is the first book to provide detailed information on the practical aspects of the methodology of slug tests. All major analysis methods are described in The Design, Performance, and Analysis of Slug Tests. Each analysis method is outlined in a step-by-step manner and illustrated with a field example. The major practical issues related to the field application of each technique are also discussed. This book will help the reader get more reliable parameter estimates from slug tests and increase the utility of slug test data. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A MUST-HAVE for the practicing hydrogeologist
Slug-testing is the quickest and most cost-effective way of characterizing aquifer characteristics, and this book straightforwardly and concisely discusses the theory, performance, and analysis of the test methods most commonlyused today.Planning of multi-test programs is also discussed, as are the limitations of each method and of slug testing in general. Whether in the fields of academia, consulting, planning, or exploration, in the public, private, or government sectors, this book is sine qua non for the practicing hydrogeologist.

Sean K. Patrick, L.G.

A useful reference for the practicing hydrogeologist
The Design, Performance, and Analysis of Slug Tests is a text which walks the reader through all the necessary steps for obtaining information about the transmissive nature of formations through slug testing.Butler givesnot only a theoretical understanding of the slug test in this book, but healso gives many caveats and pitfalls which may be encountered when usingthe method.Butler explains to the reader which field methods and analysismethods are best suited for various situations.He also gives specialreccomendations for formations of high and low hydraulic conductivity. This book is not meant to be read from cover to cover, but is an excellentreference for the field hydrogeologist.The topic is limited in scope - afact which allows the coverage of the material to be superb. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

On my list of favorite books
I first discovered this book at my local library, and read it two times, and shared it with my husband to read before returning it, reluctantly, to the library's collection. I hastily decided that I had to have my own copy, and ordered one here, in the bundle with "From the Ground Up" which I also recommend.
Meg DesCamp takes you on a journey from the beginnings of home ownership, with mild self depricating humor similar to author Anne Lammott. Through interior decorating mishaps, adventures with her cats, sisters and husband, and adventures in gardening, we're there as her first garden becomes part of her family.

I learned so much about gardening from this book, and especially appreciate its Pacific Northwest climate references-being set in Portland, OR. I enjoyed her approach and prose, and look forward to another book by this great storyteller.

Bad gardeners unite!
Plant journals may sound dull, but if you find the right one to read you will not only laugh your head off, but you'll learn a lot about plants as well. After reading Gayla's Plant Journal on YouGrowGirl.com, and then attempting to write my own, I was lucky enough to find this book crammed in the back of the gardening section of my favorite used bookstore. Slug Tossing: And Other Adventures of a Reluctant Gardener by Meg DesCamp is the hilarious saga of her attempt to grow flowers at her home in Portland. While she learns about soil, compost, feeding plants and so on, you do too. It's like taking a horticulture class where you spy on the worst student in the room. You'll find yourself giggling while reading about evil slugs, peat moss (as DesCamp says, "Peat moss. What the hell is peat moss?"), ladybugs and weed pulling. By the way, this is a great book to give as presents for your gardener pals.

I couldn't stop laughing
I read this book in one day, and could not stop laughing.I learned a lot about gardening in the process.I think many of us come to love gardening in the same way.Great book!

Great book--far too short
I fell in love with the book by page 13 and highly recommend it to all writers and gardener.The only problem with this charming book is that it's too short--I wanted, no needed more.Thank you, Meg, for sharing yourgarden and thoughts.PS:I love roses, cliche or not, and Cecile is myfavorite (okay, so I have an addiction but only 3 Ceciles, and okay 70 plusroses).

Absolutely charming!!
This is one of those books that,"You have had to be there.. to appreciate!! It was so much of my life and how my gardens started.. Right down to Starbucks coffee, the tree "experts",and when they went looking for warmth and got off the plane in Palm Springs!!!!I knew someone had been peeking at my life! Couldn't put it down until I had finished and am sharing it with other garden friends..My sister gave it to me for my birthday and asked, "Did you write this?" ... Read more

Product Description
The most comprehensive guide to Indo-Pacific nudibranchs and sea slugs, from South Africa to Easter Island and from southern Japan to northern Australia. More than 1200 species and 1500 photographs, including descriptions of distinctive characteristics, natural history, size and geographic distribution. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

All the nudibranchs you'll ever see
A very well done catalog of most - if not close to all - species of nudibranch and related mollusks from the waters of the tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific. The authors are internationally recognized experts on these animals, and this shows. The book is at the same time a good resource for the interested scuba diver to look up what she saw, a scientific achievement compiling a lot of information on the diversity of a fascinating group of animals, and an aesthetic delight with many impressive photographs of these beautiful slugs.
The book also contains a general introduction to nudibranch biology and a lot of interesting information about the ecology, feeding habits and distribution of many of the individual species.
What is also noteworthy is the high quality of the paper and of the photo reproductions - hence the somewhat high price.

NEW NUDI BOOK
I BELIEVE I HAVE JUST ABOUT EVERY SEA SLUG ID BOOK FOR THE INDO PACIFIC AND THIS IS BY FAR THE BEST. I HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH SEA CHALLENGERS FOR MANY, MANY YEARS AND THEIR PUBLICATIONS ARE ALWAYS TOP NOTCH.

great nudis!
This book really helped me try to identify the nudis I saw on a recent dive trip.

A must have for Nudibranch lovers
This book is a "must have" for anyone serious about Nudibranch identification. My wife and I travel quite a bit for scuba diving vacations, and are avid video and digital photographers.

We operate a small dive charter business in Kona Hawaii - Underwater Adventures Hawaii - and as dive professionals, can highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in high quality pictures and great descriptions of each Nudibranch.
... Read more

Product Description
Provides information on the identification, life cycle, and habitats of slugs and snails, as well as on how to collect and care for them as pets. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

yeah!
this was a great book it was lots of fun reading to my kids! ps i enjoyed it! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

This One's on You, Amazon!
I think we need more info so we don't buy a children's picture book when we are looking for something more sophisticated.This book is 21 pages!Even a page count with the listing might have tipped me off.I am really displeased, and it is not on the seller's head.Amazon let me down here. ... Read more

Product Description
"190 creative word problems about interesting facts and everyday situations challenge kids to give their math skills a workout. Cartoon illustrated, these lively books will have kids calculating the length of a day on Jupiter, discovering out how far a gra" ... Read more

Product Description
This is the definitive reference work on the biology of terrestrial slugs. It covers their anatomy, physiology, ecology, behaviour, life cycles, slugs as transmitters of disease, slug crop damage and the control of slug pests. It contains an extensive bibliography. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An excellent book
This book is an excellent and thorough review of all aspects of slug biology, as well as their pest status and control. This is by far the best slug book currently available, and is a must for anyone studying these little creatures. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

LESS THAN 20 COPIES REMAINING
Line art illustrations of more than a hundred and fifty mollusk sea slugs from Panama to Alaska. Price each is 10 bucks. Nearly 30 some copies remain. Perfect bound. Gave a copy that personally colored in with the Chromacolor Pencil set to Queen Elizabeth and a couple to their grand children. She visited the Univeristy of California Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The Regents presented here a gift of a book of 8 by 10 color photos of Sea Slugs or Opisthobranchs. The other way to see these colorful critters is by a line drawing. Then match their color in this case using 80 Chromacolor Pencil set. ... Read more

Product Description
Rivers make beautiful music - from the trickle of snowmelt to the burble of a full-flowing stream. Here the famed children’s musical ensemble, the Banana Slug String Band, celebrates rivers as a fascinating, ever-changing source of life and joy. The attached CD includes their vibrant rendition of "River Song." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Perfect Nature Book for Kids and Little Kids
This book is great for teaching many concepts. You could use it to teach sequencing, the water cycle, appreciation of nature, word choice in writing...and I'm sure I will think of more later. The pictures are captivating and the music of the CD makes it a book that can be enjoyed by small children, as well as those who are a little older.

parent review
"Katherine's artwork is breathtaking.
> There is so much going on in each picture, that I often catch my daughter
> sitting alone with the book and just staring at the pictures.Art needs to be
> exciting enough to engage.The colors are fabulous, and the detail is
> wonderful!" ... Read more

Product Description
The Let Me Read series fills the gap between board books and picture books for emergent readers.Bright, crisp pictures invite young children to read on their own with predictable story patterns, memorable rhymes, and comforting repetition.Tips at the back of the book guide parents in reading books with their children.Reading Recovery levels are available for most titles.Reading Recovery is a registered service mark of the Ohio State University.Hardbound.Reading Recovery Level 7 ... Read more