A handsome and informative book featuring Welty among her peers in painting, photography, and other arts during the 1930s

A combination of contemporary watercolors by Marlene McLoughlin and nature writing by the 19th-century French naturalist Jean-Henri Fabre. McLoughlin's watercolors vary from detailed illustrations of Fabre's subjects--birds, insects, flowers --to landscapes showing the France in which Fabre worked. Fabre's writing is similarly varied: at one moment he is giving vivid descriptions of eggs and fungi, at the next he is telling stories about his grandmother or his theories on heredity. Fabre's writings are excerpts from his 1879 Souvenirs Entomologiques. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The Casual Sky Observer's Pocket Guide offers an observing program for occasional amateur observers looking for some quick, fun astronomy adventures under the stars. In the real world, where time for observing is limited, the weather is seldom perfect, and expensive equipment is not an option, amateur astronomy may not be seen as a worthwhile activity. However, portable and quick-to-set-up instruments are available. A pair of binoculars or a small telescope fills the bill. And the way to make the most of these instruments is described in the Casual Sky Observer's Pocket Guide. Not only does the book feature the best and brightest showpieces of the heavens; it also provides a great deal of physical and environmental data as well as lots of fascinating information and beautiful illustrations that provide a unique perspective on the many treasures within and beyond our home galaxy, the Milky Way--stars, star clusters, other galaxies, and nebulae, all within reach of binoculars or a small telescope.