The book provides a background-both historical and biological-for visitors to the Big Thicket. "Once a refuge for bandits, the jungly groves and swamps of the Big Thicket . . . now are an ecological treasure. In this book, the Big Thicket's human and natural history unfold with anecdotal intimacy and many good stories about crusty backwoodsman. A hefty section on hiking makes this the premier book on an area famed for orchids and alligators, turkeys and bears."-Books of the Southwest.

Navigate the hazards of boat ownership with absolute confidence

Next to your house, your boat may well be the biggest investment you ever make. Buying and owning a boat involves one baffling decision after another. Yet informed, impartial guidance is almost impossible to find--until now, that is.

This essential manual provides a method to the madness of boat buying and ownership, plotting a straight course through an ocean of confusion while it answers such questions as:

• Why fractional ownership often makes sense
• How to avoid buying a boat you'll never...