Not to seem ungrateful or anything, but when Jonathan Nicholas (Oregonian, November 1, 1992) and others announced or mentioned the release of our first issue, we shuddered a little when they almost invariably used the term "literary review" to describe this magazine. As those of you who saw the first issue-or perused the rest of this one before bothering with this column-know by now, we're strictly concerned with book reviews. Okay, not strictly, but for the most part, what you're going to find in Plant's Review of Books is covered in the magazine's name. That is, after all what the title of a publication is supposed to reflect. If we just called it Plant's you might have thought it was some sort of poorly-punctuated gardening journal. If it was Plant's Review it could well have been mistaken for a literary review until the cover was opened but it could just as easily posed as a review of movies, art, theater, or-yes-even "The Poorly-Punctuated Guide to Botanical Options." The name, however, says it all. There is no shame in our humble categorization as a "book review," and while we may sometimes stray a bit beyond the boundaries of what is traditionally expected of a review (as with the fine photographs by A.J. Zelada in this issue), we feel that term best describes what we are doing with our dedication to provide readers a suite of interesting, provocative, and entertaining essays about books and reading every three months. Let us know how well we're doing our job. See you again in May.


Just Deserts   -Brad Yazzolino
Topsoil and Civilization by Vernon Gill Carter and Tom Dale
Changing the Balance   -David Oates
Earth in the Balance by Albert Gore, Jr.
Sustained Resource   -Darrel Plant
Wildmen, Wobblies & Whistle Punks:
Stewart Holbrook's Lowbrow Northwest by Stewart Holbrook,
edited and introduced by Brian Booth
An Interview with Brian Booth
Downtown Portland Reading Spots
Bridge Anatomy
photos by A.J. Zelada
Apocalypse by Design   -Doug Rennie
Making History by Carolyn See
Slow Boat to Nowhere   -Bob McCullough
Boat of Stone by Maureen Earl
The Monster Within   -Bob McCullough
Her Monster by Jeff Collignon
Where the Wild Scientists Are: 1993   -Doug Rennie
Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman
by James Gleick
Lady of the Camille   -Brian Wry
Camille: The Life of Camille Claudel by Reine-Marie Paris
America's Killing Field   -Doug Rennie
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
Power to the Demos   -Bob Mayfield
The Honey & the Hemlock:
Democracy and Paranoia in Ancient Athens
and Modern America by Eli Sagan
Margie, Mike, & Me   -Darrel Plant
How long can this go on?
Railroad Trip   -Gregg Morris
The Orient Express by Gregor von Rezzori
covers   -Eric Rewitzer
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Last Modified: 23 July 1995 by Darrel Plant
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