At the age of 63, in August 2008, the author withdrew from the practice of law to go back to Kindergarten and observe his wife, Karen, commence her 33rd consecutive year teaching Kindergarten in Room 1 at Grover Beach Elementary School and where, over the next three years, until her retirement in June of 2011, he confirmed her beatific nature, the majesty of her teaching and the beauty of the angels in her care. The one hundred and eighty-four stories in this book are a tribute to a magnificent teacher and her little angels. WHERE ABRAHAM LINCOLN DIED In the week of, and before, Abraham Lincoln's birthday, Karen gave the angels a brief synopsis of the life and importance of Abraham Lincoln, to help explain why he is so revered in American life and forever remembered by the glorious Lincoln Memorial and the national day of celebration to honor his birth. She told them about his childhood in a log cabin; his love of learning, reading by the flickering light of a candle; his prowess as a rail splitter; his exceptional ability as a lawyer; how he became president of the United States; how his leadership won the Civil War; how he freed the slaves; his indelible speeches at Gettysburg and at the second inaugural; and how he was killed just after the war had ended, shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC. Immediately after Karen finished, an inattentive angel asked: "Is he still alive?" Another angel spontaneously responded: "He died at the movies."

Describing all of Colombia's birds, Steven Hilty and William Brown bring together information on one of the world's largest avifaunas-nearly 1,700 species. Over half of all the species of birds in South America are included, thus making the book useful in regions adjacent to Colombia, as well as in the country itself. The primary purpose of the work is to enable observers to identify the birds of the region, but it also provides detailed species accounts and will serve as an important handbook and reference volume. Fifty-six lavish color plates, thirteen halftone plates, and ninety-nine line drawings in the text illustrate over 85% of the species, including most of the resident birds. Notes on the facing-page of each place, and range maps of 1,475 species, facilitate identification. Written with the field observer in mind, the text gives special attention to comparisons of similar species, transcriptions of voices, and comments on behavior, status, and habitat. It also provides ranges, breeding data, and references. Notes outline taxonomic problems and briefly describe species that eventually may be found in Colombia. Introductory chapters and photographs highlight Colombia's geography, climate, and vegetation, and discuss migration and conservation questions, and the history of Colombian ornithology. Appendices contain a large bibliography, a section on birding locations, and coverage of two of Colombia's far-flung island territories, Isla San Andrés and Providencia. Maps depicting vegetation zones, political boundaries, national parks, and the most text localities are included.

Remarks by JVS. Volumes 1 and 2 of Feldspar Minerals were published in 1974, but Volume 3 was not completed because I was forced to devote 3 years to the resolution of unforeseen problems in the construction of an ion probe. By 1977, the incomplete draft for Volume 3 had become obsolete because of the enormous advances in knowledge of feldspars, particularly those in lunar rocks and meteorites, and in both deep-seated and ancient terrestrial rocks. Furthermore, it soon became obvious that a completely new version of Feldspar Minerals was needed because of the important new results on the physical and chemical properties. I had kept up with the interesting but tedious chore of weekly reading of the incoming literature and maintenance of the files. By 1980, the intense day-to day pressure had gone from my research programs on lunar rocks and on the development of the ion microprobe as a quantitative geochemical instrument, and I began preparation of a second edition of Feldspar Minerals.

A Land of incredible natural resources, the South American continent is rich in plant and animal species. Among birds alone, over 3,100 species are either resident or migrant. Birds are some of South America's treasures and also one of its most endangered resources. Hence the need for a descriptive record of South American birds that will serve both professional and amateur bird students and encourage conservation of these magnificent species. The Birds of South America, when completed, will be a four-volume work. The initial volume, The Oscine Passerines, is the first modern field handbook for all the true songbirds, encompassing over 700 species. Thirty-one color plates by Guy Tudor, meticulously researched for soft-part colors and perching attitudes, provide a definitive visual record of most of the species included and are arranged to show relationships of different species to each other. The text by Robert Ridgely provides extensive information on the habitat, range, habits, and voices of the birds. Over 700 specially prepared distribution maps, based on published sources and recent observations, enhance the volume's usefulness in the field. The other three volumes in the series will repeat this format.