Part guidebook and part natural history, Newsday's Guide to Long Island's Natural World reveals in words and color photographs the diverse and fascinating environment of Long Island, New York. Based on the award-winning Newsday series.

"A singularly effective guide. Inspired concept. Highly recommended " George Plimpton noted on the first edition of John Turner's classic guide to the natural world of Long Island. Now Turner, one of New York's most knowledgeable and eloquent naturalists, has produced a new edition, greatly expanded and thoroughly updated. With more than 80 photos by leading nature photographers and 24 line drawings by artist Maria T. Hoffman, the new edition offers a rich experience of the "Other" Long Island-the one far removed from the malls and highways, developments and office parks. It's remarkable that so much of the natural world remains to explore in this limited space that is also home to nearly eight million people (as well the native fauna Turner so affectionately describes). Turner discusses nearly 300 species of flora and fauna that call Long Island home-an abundance that is due in no small part to the island's unusually varied ecology. Exploring the Other Island offers 41 chapters and 14 additional essays divided by season. But it is also truly a guidebook. Each section concludes with notes on Where to see what has been discussed, and When. The Index of Species is a valuable reference. The Index of Locations lists a remarkable 116 local, county, state, and national parks and other destinations. If you find yourself, for example, in Caumsett State Park just turn to the Locations Index to discover what to look for. There are also four appendixes to guide you to further study.

The Encyclopedia of New York State is one of the most complete works on the Empire State to be published in a half-century. In nearly 2,000 pages and 4,000 signed entries, this single volume captures the impressive complexity of New York State as a historic crossroads of people and ideas, as a cradle of abolitionism and feminism, and as an apex of modern urban, suburban, and rural life. The Encyclopedia is packed with fascinating details from fields ranging from sociology and geography to history. Did you know that Manhattan's Lower East Side was once the most populated neighborhood in the world, but Hamilton County in the Adirondacks is the least densely populated county east of the Mississippi; New York is the only state to border both the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean; the Erie Canal opened New York City to rich farmland upstate . . . and to the west. Entries by experts chronicle New York's varied areas, politics, and persuasions with a cornucopia of subjects from environmentalism to higher education to railroads, weaving the state's diverse regions and peoples into one idea of New York State. Lavishly illustrated with 500 photographs and figures, 120 maps, and 140 tables, the Encyclopedia is key to understanding the state's past, present, and future. It is a crucial reference for students, teachers, historians, and business people, for New Yorkers of all persuasions, and for anyone interested in finding out more about New York State.

A celebration of Long Island's natural beauty and a well written description of its natural history.

When the European sport of golf found its way to Long Island and took root in the Hamptons at Shinnecock Hills in 1891, its journey across the Atlantic served as the opening drive of a recreational era that now spans three centuries. Home to more than 130 golf courses, the area boasts prestigious American clubs overlooking picturesque Atlantic bays and inlets, along with public layouts climbing and descending the region's sloping terrain. Long Island is home to the most popular municipal golf facility in the country, the centerpiece of which is Bethpage Black, "the People's Country Club." Celebrated architects like A.W. Tillinghast, Devereux Emmet, Seth Raynor, and C.B. Macdonald built many of Long Island's famous courses, which have challenged the brightest of golf's stars. International tournaments and star-studded exhibitions have all been decided on Long Island turf, helping it grow into one of the world's most prominent golf settings.

In 1778, two years after the British forced the Continental Army out of New York City, George Washington and his subordinates organized a secret spy network to gather intelligence in Manhattan and Long Island. Known today as the "Culper Spy Ring," Patriots like Abraham Woodhull and Robert Townsend risked their lives to report on British military operations in the region. Vital reports clandestinely traveled from New York City across the East River to Setauket and were rowed on whaleboats across the Long Island Sound to the Connecticut shore. Using ciphers, codes and invisible ink, the spy ring exposed British plans to attack French forces at Newport and a plot to counterfeit American currency. Author Bill Bleyer corrects the record, examines the impact of George Washington's Long Island spy ring and identifies Revolutionary War sites that remain today.