Books published by publisher Voyageur Press

Suddenly, anyone with a cell phone is a photographer. This book takes the basics of digital photography and makes them the tools for creative, interesting, and artistic picture-taking. Illuminating the most popular of 4-H projects, Daniel Johnson instructs beginners in the basics of composition, lighting, and the use of flashes--among other fundamentals of capturing a picture that’s more than just “flash.” With step-by-step, illustrated directions, along with spectacular examples, this book is the perfect starting point for 4-H’rs taking up digital photography--and for anyone who wants to learn how to take superior digital pictures.

"This book is a testament to these vital relationships [between chefs and farmers] and to the momentous transformation that brings food—grown, raised, or gathered wild—directly to the table."—Paul Bertolli, from the Foreword Local. Seasonal. Sustainable. Farm fresh.Restaurants all over the Bay Area of San Francisco try to boast at least one of these adjectives, but to the farmers and chefs profiled here, these are more than just buzzwords. They are a way of life. These farmers rise before the roosters to bring fresh produce, meats, and cheeses to area farmers’ markets. These chefs kick off the day with an early trip to the market and wrap it up in the wee hours of the night after feeding hundreds of appreciative diners. In The Bay Area Homegrown Cookbook, you’ll find the stories behind some of the San Francisco Bay Area’s most buzz-worthy chefs, including Michael Tusk of Quince, Amaryll Schwertner of Boulette’s Larder, Laurence Jossel of Nopa, Peter Chastain of Prima Ristorante, and Phil West of Range. The chefs featured here work with area farmers to bring the freshest locally grown, sustainable foods to their menus. With more than 65 outstanding recipes from these dedicated chefs and farmers, we hope you’ll enjoy bringing a little homegrown food into your own kitchen.

From majestic Bald Eagles to tiny Elf Owls, raptors are nature’s most fascinating and powerful birds. As predators with wide ranging habitats and food sources, raptors also serve as a litmus test for the health of their ecosystems. To preserve a species such as the Everglade Kite or Spotted Owl is to ensure the survival of many other creatures. Ornithologists Noel and Helen Snyder have spent nearly fifty years studying and photographing birds of prey in their natural habitat. The result of decades of firsthand field studies combined with key biological and conservation studies by other experts, Raptors of North America presents a comprehensive and captivating account of our continent’s birds of prey. Readers will meet the nocturnal raptors, the owls, and the diurnal raptors: hawks, harriers, kites, falcons, eagles, ospreys, vultures, and condors. This book was an editor's choice of the Scientific American Book Club.

Postcards from Route 66 is a visual reference that documents the evolution of the famous highway and its equally famous roadside stops, as well as a historical record of the time period, complete with many notes both hastily scribbled and thoughtfully composed by Route 66 travelers through the decades.Route 66 historian Joe Sonderman has curated the 400 very best out of his 20,000 postcard archive to document a journey through the decades.Year by year, state by state, from East to West, visit landmark stops like the Rock Village Court, the Meramec Caverns, Mule Trading Post, and Wigwam Village in cities that include Chicago, Springfield, Amarillo, Tucumcari, Flagstaff, Barstow, Santa Monica, and many, many more.

Follow every step of David Bowie’s career; from Ziggy Stardust to Tin Machine, from “Space Oddity” to Let’s Dance to Blackstar, in Bowie: The Illustrated Story. David Bowie released an incredible 27 studio albums, beginning with his eponymous 1967 debut and ending with Blackstar, released just two days before his untimely death in January 2016. Widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians and performers of the previous five decades, Bowie demolished what were thought to be the limitations of stagecraft in rock music, as well as proving it possible for an artist to constantly--and successfully--redefine himself. As a result, Bowie has been credited with inspiring genres as disparate as glam and punk rock. This sharply written and gorgeously designed retrospective follows Bowie’s career from the folkie baroque rock of his debut, to his breakthrough single “Space Oddity,” and on to his flamboyant glam rock alter ego, Ziggy Stardust. Author Pat Gilbert continues through Bowie’s soul phase, his electronic Berlin trilogy, his massive pop success in the 1980s, and his turn to electronica in the 1990s, as well as subsequent tours, notable performances, collaborations, and accolades. Nearly every page is illustrated with stunning concert and candid offstage photography, including gig posters, 7-inch picture sleeves, concert ticket stubs, and more. The result is a fitting tribute to one of the most influential and admired stars in rock history.

A comprehensive history with descriptions of the world's most significant aircraft employed as "eyes in the sky."For as long as there has been sustained heavier-than-air human flight, airplanes have been used to gather information about our adversaries. Less than a decade after the Wright Brothers flew at Kitty Hawk, Italian pilots were keeping tabs on Turkish foes in Libya. Today, aircraft with specialized designs and sensory equipment still cruise the skies, spying out secrets in the never-ending quest for an upper hand.Spyplanes tackles the sprawling legacy of manned aerial reconnaissance, from hot air balloons to cloth-and-wood biplanes puttering over the Western Front, and on through every major world conflict, culminating with spyplanes cruising at supersonic speeds 85,000 feet above the Earth's surface. Authors Norman Polmar and John Bessette offer a concise yet comprehensive overview history of aerial recon, exploring considerations such as spyplanes in military doctrine, events like the Cuban Missile Crisis and the downing of Francis Gary Powers' U-2, the 1992 Open Skies Treaty, and the USAF's Big Safari program.Polmar and Bessette, along with a roster of respected aviation journalists, also profile 70 renowned fixed-wing spyplanes from World I right up to the still-conceptual hypersonic SR-72. The authors examine the design, development, and service history of each aircraft, and offer images and specification boxes that detail vital stats for each. Included are purpose-built spyplanes, as well as legendary fighters and bombers that have been retrofitted for the purpose. In addition, the authors feature preliminary chapters discussing the history of aerial surveillance and a host of sidebars that explore considerations such as spyplanes in military doctrine, events like the Cuban missile crisis and the downing of Francis Gary Powers' U-2, the 1992 Open Skies Treaty, and the USAF's current Big Safari program.From prop-driven to jet-powered aircraft, this is the ultimate history and reference to those "eyes in the skies" that have added mind-bending technologies, not to mention an element of intrigue, to military aviation for more than a century.

As entertaining as it is informative, this comprehensive field guide describes the many different types of snowflakes, where and how to find them, and what can be learned from their intricate structures and patterns. Also included are handy tips for intrepid snowflake hunters, including what type of snowflakes to expect during certain weather conditions, and opportune ways for capturing them (the author prefers the brightly-lit tops of parking garages at night, for example). Illustrated with Libbrecht's own remarkable microphotographs of real snowflakes, the book is itself a work of art, as delightful to look at as it is to learn from, and as full of wonder as it is rich with answers. An excellent guide for snowflake lovers, classrooms, family fun, as well as the serious scientist. Snowflakes are temporary works of art, tiny crystalline masterpieces, each as different from the next as one person is from another. If you would like to look closer at these marvelous creations and understand their patterns, this handy, pocket-sized book will serve as your introduction to the art and science of the snowflake. Publisher's note: Congratulations to Ken Libbrecht on the selection of his snowflake microphotographs for the Holiday 2006 US Postal Service line of postage stamps!

An enchanting portrayal of northern India along the banks of her holiest river, stretching from the Bay of Bengal up into the Himalayas.The pilgrimage took seven months; Dennison Berwick writes, "The idea of walking the length of the Ganga fixed itself in my mind suddenly one morning while gazing over the Nile, but it was several years before I felt myself ready to undertake the journey. My motives and ambitions were mixed. I wanted to make a great walk, to set off with no prospect of ending for months. I wanted to see the land that had fired the British imagination for generations. I wanted to travel at the pace of rural India, where four out of five Indians live, and to walk in the footsteps of the peasants.And why the Ganga? I was searching for answers to one question: How could a river also be a goddess? For millions of Hindus, the river Ganga is the physical expression of the goddess Ganga; bathing in her waters is both spiritual ritual and necessary ablution. We have learned so well in the West to separate sacred from secular that the very notion of their being indivisible, like the Ganga, seems absurd.However, the Native Indians of Canada have a saving. ‘Never judge a man until you've walked a mile in his moccasins,’ and this was something I took literally. I was determined to wear village clothes, eat local foods, adopt local customs for washing and toilet and as much as possible speak the language. I felt that meeting India's people and walking through her villages and beside her most sacred river was the only way to learn about the country. Perhaps then, I thought, I might begin to understand something of the relationship between the Ganga and her devotees and might find answers to my question.My walk beside the Ganga was also being used as a money‑raiser by Save the Children Fund in England. 'If you're crazy enough to make the walk, can we use it to raise money for our work in India?' the Fund's head of public relations had asked. Project Ganges was thus born under the direction of my mother, who was vice‑chairman of the Fund's United Kingdom Committee at the time. This aspect of the journey was to become more and more important to me as the walk continued and I saw the conditions of some of the poorest people in India."

A cute giftbook packed with glorious color microphotography of real snow crystals by Dr. Snow—Caltech physicist Kenneth Libbrecht. His photos of snowflakes have appeared in National Geographic, the New York Times, and on Martha Stewart’s TV show, as well as numerous other places. This thick “cube” book is packed with a blizzard’s worth of amazing images as well as literary quotes on the beauty of snow.

“I got your letter yesterday, and it is a good thing you are putting onto this job a real high-powered salesman like me, rather than one of your ordinary men. When I explain the situation here, you will see that any ordinary man would have quit cold. But not Alexander Botts. . . .” And so begins "Alexander Botts Rides Again", the stories of this “natural born salesman,” who, despite little to no sales experience, lands a job selling Earthworm tractors through sheer gumption. What follows is mayhem as the tractor salesman extraordinaire tries to explain his way out of many a disastrous situation. Whether you remember reading William Hazlett Upson’s tales or you’re just discovering the antics of his memorable character, the amusing adventures in Alexander Botts Rides Again will delight and entertain.

What happens when a parent becomes traumatically injured? In Our Daddy Is Invincible! Alexis and Eric find out that their Daddy was badly hurt, something they thought impossible. They are scared for him and wonder how his injuries will change their lives. They learn that his love for them continues to be strong and that life goes on. There are people to help in their daddy's recovery, new adventures to be found, and new ways to find enjoyment together as a family. Turn the pages of this beautifully illustrated, hope-filled book and discover the possibilities. Our Daddy Is Invincible! is based on the true story of a Wounded Warrior and American hero and his family. This best-selling educational and inspirational book is now available in paperback.

The perfect geometry and exquisite beauty of nature is nowhere so clear to us as in the snowflake. But how have we been able to appreciate this infinitesimal wonder in all its crystalline glory? This book, as much a work of art as a testament to science, reveals how one of the snowflake’s most inspired photographers came to such intimate knowledge of his craft and its fleeting focus. Beautiful pictures illustrate Kenneth Libbrecht’s story of the microphotography of snow crystals, from the pioneering work of Wilson Bentley in the 1890s right up to Ken’s own innovations in our age of digital images. A breathtaking look at the works of art that melt in an instant, this is a book to page through and savor, season after season.