Alan M. Cvancara, Ph.D., is a retired Professor Emeritus of Geology at the University of North Dakota. His other popular nature books include "A Field Manual for the Amateur Geologist, Sleuthing Fossils, Edible Wild Plants and Herbs, At the Water's Edge, "and" Exploring Nature in Winter". The "Field Manual" is a more in-depth handbook of geology, and can serve as a companion volume to "Bare Bones Geology". Alan has also co-authored two books with his wife, Ella: "Windows Into Legacy", a collection of poems and accompanying photographs, and "Back Trip: A Journey Into Perseverence", a self-hope