2016, ISBN: 9781616206420

Hardcover

New York: Pantheon Books, 2006. First edition, first printing (full number line). Hardcover. Very Fine in Very Fine DJ ; As New. Small quarto in white DJ; xxxii, 603 p. : ill., maps ; 2… More...

New York: Pantheon Books, 2006. First edition, first printing (full number line). Hardcover. Very Fine in Very Fine DJ ; As New. Small quarto in white DJ; xxxii, 603 p. : ill., maps ; 25 cm. "Informed by access to still-secret documents, interviews with top field commanders, and a review of the military's own internal after-action reports, this is the definitive chronicle of America's invasion and occupation of Iraq--a conflict that could not be lost but one that the United States failed to win decisively. From the Pentagon to the White House to the American command centers in the field, the book reveals the inside story of how the war was actually planned and fought. Drawing on classified United States government intelligence, it traces the interactions among the generals, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and President George W. Bush; provides an account of how Saddam Hussein and his high command developed and prosecuted their war strategy; reconstructs the principal battles from interviews with those who fought them; and documents with precision the failures of American intelligence and the mistakes in administering postwar Iraq." --From publisher description. || Chapters entitled: Snowflakes from the Secretary. -- The generated start. -- Smaller is beautiful. -- The other side of the hill. -- Back to the future. -- 'Round and 'round we go. -- The red line. -- A little postwar planning. -- Dora Farms. -- The opening gambit. -- Objective liberty. -- Everyone loves a parade. -- Task Force Tarawa. -- Vampire 12. -- A sanctuary for the Fedayeen. -- Back to the drawing board. -- Team tank. -- The red zone. -- The thunder run. -- The accidental victory. -- The second battle for Baghdad. -- Saddam's great escape. -- Hello, I must be going. -- Starting from scratch., Pantheon Books, 2006, 5, Algonquin Books, 2016. Trade Paperback. A new copy. Winner of The Saroyan International Prize for Writing, the John Burroughs Medal, and the National Outdoor Book Award in Natural History Literature "Brilliant." --The New York Review of Books "Exquisite." --The Huffington Post "Magical." --Minneapolis Star Tribune In a work that beautifully demonstrates the rewards of closely observing nature, Elisabeth Tova Bailey shares an inspiring and intimate story of her encounter with a Neohelix albolabris--a common woodland snail. While an illness keeps her bedridden, Bailey watches a wild snail that has taken up residence on her nightstand. As a result, she discovers the solace and sense of wonder that this mysterious creature brings and comes to a greater understanding of her own place in the world. Intrigued by the snail's molluscan anatomy, cryptic defenses, clear decision making, hydraulic locomotion, and courtship activities, Bailey becomes an astute and amused observer, offering a candid and engaging look into the curious life of this underappreciated small animal. The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating is a remarkable journey of survival and resilience, showing us how a small part of the natural world can illuminate our own human existence, while providing an appreciation of what it means to be fully alive., Algonquin Books, 2016, 0<