314 Northeastern Naturalist Vol. 16, No.2 314 Noteworthy Books Received by the Northeastern Naturalist, Issue 16/2, 2009 Coast Lines: How Mapmakers Frame the World and Chart Environmental Change. Mark Monmonier. 2008. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL. 224 pp. $25, hardcover. ISBN 9780226534039. In the next century, sea levels are predicted to rise at unprecedented rates, causing flooding around the world, from the islands of Malaysia and the canals of Venice to the coasts of Florida and California. These rising water levels pose serious challenges to all aspects of coastal existence—chiefly economic, residential, and environmental— as well as to the cartographic definition and mapping of coasts. It is this facet of coastal life that Mark Monmonier tackles in Coast Lines. Setting sail on a journey across shifting landscapes, cartographic technology, and climate change, Monmonier reveals that coastlines are as much a set of ideas, assumptions, and societal beliefs as they are solid black lines on maps. Whether for sailing charts or property maps, coastlines challenge mapmakers to capture on paper a highly irregular landwater boundary perturbed by tides and storms and complicated by rocks, wrecks, and shoals. This book is peppered with captivating anecdotes about the frustrating effort to expunge fictitious islands from nautical charts, the tricky measurement of a coastline’s length, and the contentious notions of beachfront property and public access. Combing maritime history and the history of technology, Coast Lines charts the historical progression from offshore sketches to satellite images and explores the societal impact of coastal cartography on everything from global warming to homeland security. Monmonier ably renders the topic of coastal cartography accessible to both general readers and historians of science, technology, and maritime studies. In the post-Katrina era, when the map of entire regions can be redrawn by a single natural event, the issues he raises are more important than ever. A Photographic Guide to Seashore Life in the North Atlantic: Canada to Cape Cod. J. Duane Sept. 2008. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. 224 pp. $19.95, softcover. ISBN 9780691133195. The tides of the North Atlantic are the world's highest, and they reveal a world of amazing seashore life—from jellies and sea anemones, to clams and crabs, to seaweeds and lichens. With some 300 crisp, vibrant color photographs and brief, precise descriptions, this field guide makes it easier than ever to identify Atlantic seashore life from Canada to Cape Cod. Duane Sept covers more than 225 common intertidal species found on rocky shores, sandy shores, mud beaches, and floating docks, and explains the natural history of these specialized organisms. He also describes tidal habitats, tells how to explore the seashore in a safe and environmentally responsible way, and provides extensive information on some of the best places in the North Atlantic to view seashore life. Both casual and dedicated beachcombers will find this a handy, enjoyable, and reliable guide. Owls of the United States and Canada. A Complete Guide to Their Biology and Behavior. Wayne Lynch. 2007. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD. 264 pp. $39.95, hardcover. ISBN 9780801886874. There is no group of birds more mysterious and fascinating than owls. The loudmouths of the raptor world, they peep, trill, toot, bark, growl, shriek, whistle, chittle, whoop, chuckle, boom, and buzz. Indeed, very few actually "hoot." They have become the stuff of lore and legend—from the Roman myth that an owl foot could reveal secrets to the First Nations belief that an owl feather could give a newborn better night vision. But the truth about owls is much more exciting. In this gorgeous book, celebrated natural history writer and wildlife photographer Wayne Lynch reveals the secrets of these Noteworthy Books 2009 315 The Northeastern Naturalist welcomes submissions of review copies of books that publishers or authors would like to recommend to the journal’s readership and are relevant to the journal’s mission of publishing information about the natural history of the northeastern US. Accompanying short, descriptive summaries of the text are also welcome. elusive species with stunning photographs, personal anecdotes, and accessible science. The photos alone are masterpieces, the vast majority of which were taken in the wild—a product of the authorphotographer's incredible knowledge and patience. Lynch complements the photos with a wealth of facts about anatomy, habitat, diet, and family life. For each of the nineteen species that inhabit Canada and the United States, he provides a range map and a brief discussion of its distribution, population size, and status. Lynch debunks myths about owls’ “supernatural” powers of sight and hearing, discusses courtship rituals, and offers personal tips for finding owls in the wild. From the Great Horned to the tiny Elf Owl, this amazing volume captures the beauty and mystery of these charismatic birds of prey. The Better to Eat You With: Fear in the Animal World. Joel Berger. 2008. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL. 360 pp. $29, hardcover. ISBN 9780226043630. At dawn on a brutally cold January morning, Joel Berger crouched in the icy grandeur of the Teton Range. It had been three years since wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone after a sixty-year absence, and members of a wolf pack were approaching a herd of elk. To Berger’s utter shock, the elk ignored the wolves as they went in for the kill. The brutal attack that followed—swift and bloody—led Berger to hypothesize that after only six decades, the elk had forgotten to fear a species that had survived by eating them for hundreds of millennia. Berger’s fieldwork that frigid day raised important questions that would require years of travel and research to answer: Can naive animals avoid extinction when they encounter reintroduced carnivores? To what extent is fear culturally transmitted? And how can a better understanding of current predator-prey behavior help demystify past extinctions and inform future conservation? This book is the chronicle of Berger’s search for answers. From Yellowstone’s elk and wolves to rhinos living with African lions and moose coexisting with tigers and bears in Asia, Berger tracks cultures of fear in animals across continents and climates, engaging readers with a stimulating combination of natural history, personal experience, and conservation. Whether battling bureaucracy in the statehouse or fighting subzero wind chills in the field, Berger puts himself in the middle of the action. The Better to Eat You With invites readers to join him there. The thrilling tales he tells reveal a great deal not only about survival in the animal kingdom but also the process of doing science in foreboding conditions and hostile environments. Narnia and the Fields of Arbol: The Environmental Vision of C.S. Lewis. Matthew Dickerson and David O’Hara. 2008. University Press of Kentucky, Lexington, KY. 320 pp. $35, hardcover. ISBN 9780813125220. Scholars have discussed the work of C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) for decades, but they have focused on Lewis’s Christian and pagan allusions and have largely ignored his other important themes. This is the first book dedicated to Lewis’s vision of our relationship to nature and the environment. Dickerson and O'Hara examine The Chronicles of Narnia and the Ransom books, as well as The Great Divorce, The Abolition of Man, and Lewis’s essays and personal correspondence, connecting his writing with that of authors more traditionally associated with environmentalism, such as Wendell Berry, Aldo Leopold, and Gary Snyder. Narnia and the Fields of Arbol offers a fresh way for readers across disciplines to understand the work of this literary legend. 316 Southeastern Naturalist Vol. 16, No.2