Wild New Jersey


Book Description

Wild New Jersey brings the reader on a real-life safari through the Garden State's wildlife and natural wonders."-Tom Gilmore, President, New Jersey Audubon Society.




Practical Guide to Pennsylvania's Wild Edible Plants


Book Description

Native Americans have long survived off the land of Pennsylvania's plains and mountain-lands. The many species of trees, bushes and plants throughout the state have provided them with food, medicine and shelter. Whether for survival, curiosity or just for fun, this book will walk you through identifying and utilizing Pennsylvania's natural wonders. If disaster strikes, this book is a must-have; you will be able to confidently walk through urban areas or the deep wilderness and possess much of the knowledge and skill the Native Americans used to survive.




Walking on the Wild Side


Book Description

The most famous long-distance hiking trail in North America, the 2,181-mile Appalachian Trail—the longest hiking-only footpath in the world—runs along the Appalachian mountain range from Georgia to Maine. Every year about 2,000 individuals attempt to “thru-hike” the entire trail, a feat equivalent to hiking Mount Everest sixteen times. In Walking on the Wild Side, sociologist Kristi M. Fondren traces the stories of forty-six men and women who, for their own personal reasons, set out to conquer America’s most well known, and arguably most social, long-distance hiking trail. In this fascinating in-depth study, Fondren shows how, once out on the trail, this unique subculture of hikers lives mostly in isolation, with their own way of acting, talking, and thinking; their own vocabulary; their own activities and interests; and their own conception of what is significant in life. They tend to be self-disciplined, have an unwavering trust in complete strangers, embrace a life of poverty, and reject modern-day institutions. The volume illuminates the intense social intimacy and bonding that forms among long-distance hikers as they collectively construct a long-distance hiker identity. Fondren describes how long-distance hikers develop a trail persona, underscoring how important a sense of place can be to our identity, and to our sense of who we are. Indeed, the author adds a new dimension to our understanding of the nature of identity in general. Anyone who has hiked—or has ever dreamed of hiking—the Appalachian Trail will find this volume fascinating. Walking on the Wild Side captures a community for whom the trail is a sacred place, a place to which they have become attached, socially, emotionally, and spiritually.







Santa Fe Trail and New Jersey Wild and Scenic Rivers


Book Description




Wild Orchids of Florida


Book Description

First published in 2002, Wild Orchids of Florida was the very first field guide for this orchid-rich state, and it inspired many to try their hand at orchid hunting. Because of its overwhelming popularity and in an attempt to provide the latest developments in orchid research, native orchid expert Paul Martin Brown follows up with this newly revised and expanded edition. The guide contains 200 new points of fact, including: · more than 100 new county records established since 2002 · three recently rediscovered species that have not been seen in 100 years · two previously undocumented species, six new hybrids, and several new color forms described and illustrated for the first time · the resurrection and revalidation of the little-used genus of Gymnadeniopsis · 34 revised county distribution maps, 37 new color photos, and three new watercolors by Stan Folsom With its comprehensive yet easy-to-follow treatment, Wild Orchids of Florida remains the essential field companion for professional botanists, native plant enthusiasts, nature lovers, or anyone who wants to learn more about what's growing out in the wilds of Florida.










Jersey Tough


Book Description

This entertaining true crime memoir chronicles one man’s redemptive journey from motorcycle gang enforcer to undercover police officer. The only patch-wearing outlaw biker to become a sworn police officer—and live to tell his tale In 1977, Wayne “Big Chuck” Bradshaw was Jersey tough. He was a member of the outlaw Pagans bike gang, a One Percenter, and had earned his colours in a world of boozing, bloody bar fights, and high-stakes crime. But after getting too close to extreme violence, Bradshaw made the life-threatening decision to change his path. The toughness Bradshaw used to survive biker life led him to a distinguished and heroic career as an undercover narcotics officer for the same New Jersey police department that had once arrested him. Bradshaw tells his story with the truth of the streets, from his time in the U.S. Army to his decision to join the Pagans, to the wild adventures of working narcotic stings. He rode with truly dangerous criminals and then returned to those same places as a cop. He tracks down fugitives in Jersey’s toughest neighbourhoods, risks his life rescuing dozens from a fire in a seniors’ residence, and volunteers in the aftermath of 9/11. Jersey Tough is an unflinching memoir of personal struggle, of battling with darkness, and ultimately of redemption. Praise for Jersey Tough “Bradshaw delivers both unflinching honesty and gritty, raw action in this fast-moving thriller.” —Joe Pistone, a.k.a. Donnie Brasco “Fast-paced, brutally honest, and compelling.” —Lisa Pulitzer, New York Times–bestselling author “As a former sergeant-at-arms in one of the other “Big Four” motorcycle clubs, I can confirm the authenticity of the biker tales graphically revealed on these pages. Epxosing his courage as well as his frailties, Big Chuck bares all with surprising candor.” —Glenn Heggstad, author of Two Wheels Through Terror “[An] immensely entertaining memoir. . . . This fascinating book is true-crime writing at its best and will appeal to anyone interested in the sordid dealings of America's criminal underworlds.”—Publishers Weekly




Action Park


Book Description

"Citizen Kane does Adventureland." —The Washington Post The outlandish, hilarious, terrifying, and almost impossible-to-believe story of the legendary, dangerous amusement park where millions were entertained and almost as many bruises were sustained, told through the eyes of the founder's son. Often called "Accident Park," "Class Action Park," or "Traction Park," Action Park was an American icon. Entertaining more than a million people a year in the 1980s, the New Jersey-based amusement playland placed no limits on danger or fun, a monument to the anything-goes spirit of the era that left guests in control of their own adventures--sometimes with tragic results. Though it closed its doors in 1996 after nearly twenty years, it has remained a subject of constant fascination ever since, an establishment completely anathema to our modern culture of rules and safety. Action Park is the first-ever unvarnished look at the history of this DIY Disneyland, as seen through the eyes of Andy Mulvihill, the son of the park's idiosyncratic founder, Gene Mulvihill. From his early days testing precarious rides to working his way up to chief lifeguard of the infamous Wave Pool to later helping run the whole park, Andy's story is equal parts hilarious and moving, chronicling the life and death of a uniquely American attraction, a wet and wild 1980s adolescence, and a son's struggle to understand his father's quixotic quest to become the Walt Disney of New Jersey. Packing in all of the excitement of a day at Action Park, this is destined to be one of the most unforgettable memoirs of the year.