What does it mean to be a hero? In The Heroic Heart; Tod Lindberg traces the quality of heroic greatness from its most distant origin in human prehistory to the present day. The designation of “hero†once conjured mainly the prowess of conquerors and kings slaying their enemies on the battlefield. Heroes in the modern world come in many varieties; from teachers and mentors making a lasting impression on others by giving of themselves; to firefighters no less willing than their ancient counterparts to risk life and limb. They don’t do so to assert a claim of superiority over others; however. Rather; the modern heroic heart acts to serve others and save others. The spirit of modern heroism is generosity; what Lindberg calls “the caring will;†a primal human trait that has flourished alongside the spread of freedom and equality.Through its intimate portraits of historical and literary figures and its subtle depiction of the most difficult problems of politics; The Heroic Heart offers a startlingly original account of the passage from the ancient to the modern world and the part the heroic type has played in it. Lindberg deftly combines social criticism and moral philosophy in a work that ranks with such classics as Thomas Carlyle’s nineteenth-century On Heroes; Hero-Worship and the Heroic in History and Joseph Campbell’s twentieth-century The Hero with a Thousand Faces.
#74063 in Books Adventure Publications Inc. 2007-05-16Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 6.00 x 4.50 x .75l; .69 #File Name: 1591931991332 pages
Review
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Convenient pocket size; easy to use; covers 153 tree speciesBy A. RoseLike the "Wildflowers of the Carolinas" and "Birds of the Carolinas" field guides; this is a neat little (postcard-sized; about 5/8 inch thick; 10.5 oz) book that easily slips into your coat pocket to carry on a hike. It looks to be very easy to use by the lay person with little or no background in botany. The plants are organized by leaf shape and arrangement (e.g. needles; simple opposite; lobed alternate etc.) with a small schematic on each page depicting the arrangement to give a visual for those unfamiliar with the botanical terminology. A couple of the terms are explained with drawings in the beginning of the book; and a glossary in the back provides further explanations.Each tree species is represented on two opposing pages: The left page consists of a full-page nice quality photograph showing the leaves and often in little inserts the bark; fruits or other identifying features. The right page contains a description including a little icon of a winter tree silhouette accompanied by a two-story house to indicate the average size of a mature tree; and leaf shapes are shown with an icon underneath the page numbers. While not comprehensive; the book covers a good proportion of the tree species you may find in the Carolinas. There is a checklist/index in the back that lists common names; but there is no index for scientific names though they are listed on the individual species pages.My main criticism is that the focus of the book seems to be on identifying trees mainly in summer. Fall colors are mentioned in the descriptions; but not shown in pictures. Flowers and fruits are often depicted to help during spring and fall. However; no information is given about e.g. bud shapes or leaf scars; making the book pretty useless for winter hikes when there are no leaves on the trees. The only indications are the icons which show winter silhouettes (leafless for deciduous trees; with leaves for evergreen trees).In conclusion; this is a very easy to use "beginner's field guide" for the botanical lay person seeking to identify common trees. Its compact size makes it handy to carry around. For the winter you are better off with a different field guide though.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great resourceBy Phil JorgensenI luckily borrowed one from my local library to test before buying; but found it so helpful to a novice in a new landscape; I just bought my own before I even returned the loan. Sure; it doesn't have everything; but for my level of interest and knowledge; this book is awesome. It is teaching me a lot.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Indespensible guideBy Nancy JohnsonLike the bird and wildflower books we bought after our relocation from the Pacific Northwest; this volume is invaluable. Not only helps identify species; but has tons of worthwhile info on size; growth rates; life spans; and beneficial attributes. We use it almost every day on our walks.
