Ya gotta love a guy who once had a pet slime mold.  Mark Moffett, author of Adventures with Ants, not only never lost his childhood fascination with creepy-crawly critters, but developed it into an exciting career.  His book, mainly an account of ant behavior but sprinkled with entertaining fieldwork anecdotes, would be an inspiring gift for a young person with similar interests.  Written for the general public and illustrated with amazing photos, the book also includes endnotes with references for the benefit of serious students of the field.  I especially liked that the exotic locations he visited included California.  (We here in the Bay Area are within the territory of the Very Large Colony of Argentine ants.)  There are several books for myrmecophiles–by which I mean ant-lovers, not symbiotic ant nest inhabitants–on UPB’s shelves at present, and after enjoying this one so much I plan to check out some others.  Sorayya Carr, UPB

A premier Bay Area woodcut artist and one of our greatest living American poets collaborate on the most beautiful book I’ve seen this year—already a local bestseller because we should all own one. It is history, it is poetry, it is the history of local poetry and the art of local natural history. The woodcuts are the best Killions you’ve ever seen, 72 views of Mt. Tam, in prints a la Japonaise. Just the cover is a thrill, and that’s just the start.  Christina Creveling,  UPB Manager