Search Results: SCIENCE AND NATURE from Back Lane Books (Member of IOBA)

An Account of an Embassy to the Court of the Teshoo Lama in Tibet Containing a Narrative of a Journey Through Bootan and Part of Tibet, Turner, Capt. Samuel. Sub-title: To which are added, views taken on the spot by Lieutenant Samuel Davis and observations botanical, mineralogical, and medicinal by Mr. Robert Saunders. Introduction by Hugh Richardson. Published by Manjusri Publishing House, New Delhi, 1971. Reprint of 1800 Edition. Limited Edition of 1000 copies. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall; xxviii, 473pp. with 13 plates, Appendix. Blue pebbled leather boards with gilt titles, top edge blue, blue endpapers. Ordre des Architects du Quebec stamp to pastedown and contents are otherwise fine without markings, tears or folds. Blue top outer edge has some bleeding not affecting pages; outer edge has very light dusting. Boards are tight and square without rubbing.
In 1786, Samuel Turner (1759 1802), an army officer in the East India Company, was appointed leader of a mission to encourage open trade routes in… Read More

Alaska, 1899, Copper River Exploring Expedition, Abercrombie, Captain W. R., Washington, Government Printing Office, 1900. Senate Document No 306 56th Congress 1st Session. First Edition. 169 pages followed by 168 full halftone photo plates and attached folding map. Half leather over black boards, banded spine with gilt titles; all edges speckled light red; marbled green endpapers with reinforced red hinges. Boards have rubbing to leather with a crack to upper joint line. Map is clean, crisp and white with a small repairable tear to bottom panel outside left margin. Binding tight; contents in pristine condition and appear unread.
In 1989, Capt. W. R. Abercrombie, Second United States Infantry was commanded to lead an expedition to "open up a military road to Copper Center, and from the last-named point by the most direct and practicable route to Eagle City. …. This expedition will cover as much territory as possible, and will collect and incorporate in the reports all information that may lie… Read More

The Architecture of Arthur Erickson, Erickson, Arthur. Tundra Books, Montreal, 1975, Second printing 1976. Card Covers. 11 1/2 by 11 1/2 Inches. 228 pages including plates and credits. Illustrated throughout with black & white and full color photos. Signed, dated and inscribed by Arthur Erickson on title page. Card covers have light wear; contents are in fine condition. " Great buildings that move the spirit have always been rare. In every case they are unique, poetic, products of the heart." Arthur Charles Erickson, (1924 –2009) was an internationally well known Canadian architect and urban planner.

The Ark Before Noah: Decoding the Story of the Flood, Finkel, Irving. Published by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2014. First American Edition. 432pp. with illustrations in color and black and white, appendixes, notes, bibliography, index. Quarter red over tan boards. In fine, unread condition and housed in a fine, unclipped jacket.
The recent translation of a Babylonian tablet launches a groundbreaking investigation into one of the most famous stories in the world, challenging the way we look at ancient history.

B C Studies No 6 7 Fall Winter 1970. Special Issue: Archaeology in British Columbia New Discoveries. Margaret Prang, Walter Young, Roy Carlson, (Editors) University of British Columbia Press, Vancouver, BC. 1970. First Edition. Card covers. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall., 152 pp. Illustrated with charts and photos; includes and extensive bibliography of archaeology in the province. Light wear to covers with original UBC bookstore price sticker; contents are in fine condition without markings, tears or folds.

Basin and Range, McPhee, John. Published by Farrar Straus Giroux, New York, 1981. Second printing. 8vo up to 9½" tall.215pp. Quarter black cloth over beige boards with copper titles, geological chart to endpapers. Light spine lean and otherwise volume is in fine condition; dustjacket has very light edge wear. The first book in the author's Annals of the Former World series which went on to win the Pulitzer Prize as a collected volume.

Be Kind, Be Calm, Be Safe: Four Weeks That Shaped a Pandemic, Dr Bonnie Henry, Lynn Henry. Published by Allen Lane, Canada, 2021. First Edition. 8vo up to 9½" tall., 207pp. Blue boards with black spine titles. Both volume and unclipped jacket are in unread, unmarked condition. Dr. Bonnie Henry has been called one of the most effective public health figures in the world by The New York Times. She has been called a calming voice in a sea of coronavirus madness, and our hero in national newspapers. But in the waning days of 2019, when the first rumours of a strange respiratory ailment in Wuhan, China began to trickle into her office in British Colombia, these accolades lay in a barely imaginable future.... Coincidentally, Dr. Henry's sister, Lynn, arrived in BC for a long-planned visit on March 12 [2020] just as the virus revealed itself as a pandemic. For the four ensuing weeks, Lynn had rare insight into the whirlwind of Bonnie's daily life, with its moments of agony and gravity as well as its… Read More

The Bedside Book of Beasts: A Wildlife Miscellany, Gibson, Graeme. Published by Doubleday Canada, 2009. First Edition. 8vo up to 9½" tall., 368pp., illustrated. Orange cloth boards, dark orange titles, illustrated endpapers. In fine, unread condition and house din a fine, unclipped jacket. The Bedside Book of Birds: An Avian Miscellany, also available.
The intricate, complex connection between the hunter and the hunted has defined animal life on Earth throughout time. In The Bedside Book of Beasts, Graeme Gibson gathers from all eras and cultures works of art and literature that capture the power, grace, and inventiveness of both predators and their natural prey. Here are myths, fables, poetry, generous excerpts from nature and travel writing, journals, sacred texts, and works of fiction. There are vivid descriptions of noteworthy predators — including the big cats, bears, wolves — but also the small but voracious praying mantis. Gibson also brings to life the experiences, strategies, and… Read More

The Bedside Book of Birds: An Avian Miscellany, Gibson, Graeme. Published by Doubleday Canada, 2005. 8vo up to 9½" tall., xiii, 369 pp. with colour illustrations; illustrated endpapers. Green cloth boards. In fine, unread condition; light top edge ruffle to unclipped jacket which is otherwise fine. "… an unprecedented and enchanting treasure trove of paintings, drawings, poems, essays, and scientific observations, beautifully captures the interest and emotions birds evoke. The illustrations range from early cave paintings to Audubon's famous portraits to abstract works created in the twentieth century. There are writings by Shakespeare, Coleridge, Poe, Ted Hughes, and Jorge Luis Borges, among many others. Excerpts from famous scientific works, including Darwin's observations on the tameness of the Galapagos Islands' birds, and popular nature writers as W. H. Hudson, Peter Matthiessen, Farley Mowat, and Barry Lopez."

Better Homes and Gardens New Garden Book -- A Complete Guide for Roses, Trees, Lawns, Shrubs, Soils, Vegetables and LandscapingEditors of Better Homes and Gardens, Meredith, New York,1972. Second edition, 5th printing 1972. Hardcover.Laminated binder with 5 metal-rings, and 17 tabbed dividers for such topics as roses, trees, shrubs, soils, vegetables, fruits, garden flower etc. 400 pages. Light rippling to laminated boards and bump to lower right corner; contents in fine condition without marks, tears or folds.

Blue Heaven: Encounters with the Blue Poppy, Terry, Bill. Published by TouchWood Editions, Victoria B.C., 2009. First Edition. Card covers with French flaps. 8vo up to 9½" tall., 184pp. with index. In fine, unread condition.Bill Terry-a leading North American authority on Asiatic Poppies-tells the story of the enchanting Himalayan Blue Poppy. It begins in 1924 in Tibet, where the renowned plant explorer Frank Kingdon-Ward came upon "a stream of blue poppies, dazzling as sapphires in the pale light." Soon the blue poppy was introduced to cultivation and proved challenging, stubborn, even believed to be impossible to grow. Terry debunks this myth, relating his own encounters with the blue poppy and showing how, given a suitable climate, a patient and persistent gardener can raise this most alluring of perennial plants. Gorgeous photographs accompany the text throughout, leading to a visually stunning collection of images and stories, illuminating this rare and precious flower.

The Body: A Guide For Occupants, Bryson, Bill. Published by Doubleday, Canada, 2019. 8vo up to 9½" tall., 450pp., illustrated. Blue boards, with gilt spine titles. Spine lightly cocked and otherwise both volume and unclipped jacket are in fine, unmarked condition

Born Free: A Lioness of Two Worlds, Adamson, Joy. Published by Collins/Harvill, London, England, 1960. Seventh impression, August 1960. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall; 160pp. with photographic plates; illustrated cloth boards. Newspaper cuttings about Elsa and her cubs laid in as well as a lock of what appears to be lion's fur. Inscription dated 1960 to free endpaper, light pink marks to edge of one page. In very good condition in very good dustjacket.

Borneo and the Indian Archipelago with Drawings of Costumes and Scenery, By Frank S. Marryat, late midshipman from H.M.S. Samarang, surveying vessel. Published by Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, Paternoster-Row, London, 1848. First Edition. 4to up to 12" tall; Pp. (4), [v]-viii,[1]-232, colour chromolithograph frontispiece, colour-illustrated engraved title page, 20 leaves of chromolithograph plates, 37 woodcuts to text. Bound in burgundy half leather with marble paper over boards; banded spine with gilt titles; endpapers and all edges marbled. Contents are in near fine condition with an occasional light thumb mark and very light toning; Cornell University label to pastedown. Boards have surface rubbing to marbled paper, front hinge and joint professionally repaired; rubbing to corners and edges. A collection of drawings made on the last surveying cruise of the H.M.S. Samarang in 1843-46, under the command of Captain Belcher, with an engaging narrative description of people and places such as… Read More

Bricks to Babel: Selected Writings with Comments by the Author, Koestler, Arthur. Published by Hutchinson & Co 1980. First Edition. 8vo up to 9½" tall. Pp.697. Black boards with gilt spine titles. Both volume and unclipped dustjacket (protected in mylar) are in mint condition. Arthur Koestler, CBE was a Hungarian-British author and journalist. Bricks to Babel is a collection compiled from Koestler's lifetime writings follows his progress from seeking political solutions to solve mankind's problems to his attempting to find ultimate meaning in science and philosophy

Carnivorous Plants of the World, Pietropaolo, James; Pietropaolo, Patricia. Published by Timber Press, 1986. vi, 206pp. 16pp colour plates, text illustrations. Mustard cloth boards with gilt spine titles. Stamped name to free endpaper and otherwise volume is in fine condition; unclipped jacket has light scuffing and otherwise fine.

Ceylon, An Account of the Island: Physical, Historical, and Topographical with Notices of its Natural History, Antiquities and Productions, James Emerson Tennent. Published by Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts, London, 1859. Third Edition, Thoroughly Revised. Two volumes. 8vo. Vol. I: pp. xxxix, 643, with wood-engraved frontis; 31 wood engravings; 6 maps; 7 plans and charts. Vol II: xvi, 663, with wood-engraved frontis; 59 wood engravings; 3 maps (2 folding one of which is partly colored); 10 plans and charts. Three quarter leather over marbled paper boards; paneled spines with elaborate gilt design and leather labels in green and maroon; marbled endpapers; marbled edges. This set came from the private Library at Somerhill Park belonging to Sir Isaac Goldsmid; 2 custom bookplates (engraved by Wyon) at pastedowns are inked with the initials I.G. and are presumably his. In overall beautiful condition; binding is tight and square and gilt remains bright; very light rubbing to corners and edges of… Read More

Changing Patient Behavior: A Behavior Modification Manual for Dental Professionals, Fitch, Mary and Moxley, Roy. Published by Ram Press, Lakewood CO, 1978. Second printing. Card covers stapled booklet. 67 pages with black and white graphics, glossary, case studies. light fading to covers and otherwise in fine condition without tears, marks or folds.

Compass, A Story of Exploration and Innovation, Gurney, Alan. Published by W. W. Norton. New York, 2004. First Edition. 320pp. with black and white illustrations. Quarter rust cloth over cream boards, gilt titles. Small bump to top front corner, and otherwise both volume and unclipped jacket are in fine condition.

The Compleat Angler, or The Contemplative Man's Recreation, Walton, Izaak and Cotton, Charles. Published by The Heritage Club, New York, 1938. Subtitled: Being a Discourse of Fish and Fishing for the perusal of Anglers, by Izaak Walton; With Instructions, How to Angle for a Trout or Grayling in a Clear Stream by Charles Cotton. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall; xii,241pp. with drawings by Robert Ball. Green cloth with darker green fishes and lettering; top edge green; mapped endpapers. Heritage Sandglass insert Number 11A entitled Fish in Season, provides history of the angler and author; detailed information on the art, type etc. of volume. Contents are in fine, unmarked condition. Boards have light edge rubbing, two small bumps, light outer edge dusting and a light fade spot to front board; binding is tight and square. Sandglass newsletter has small stain. The Complete (Compleat) Angler was first published in 1653 and remains enduringly popular with 1,097 editions published between 1653 and 2019 in 9 languages.