Jove western

"Just about every species that has ever lived on earth is extinct. The trilobites, which dominated the ocean floors for 300 million years, are gone. The last of the dinosaurs was wiped out by a Mount Everest-sized meteorite that slammed into the earth 65 million years ago. The great flying reptiles are gone, and so are the marine reptiles, some of them larger than a humpback whale. Before humans crossed the Bering land bridge some 15,000 years ago, North America was populated by mastodons, mammoths, sabertoothed tigers, and cave bears. They too are MIA. Passenger pigeons once flew over North America in flocks that numbered in the billions; the last one died in 1914." "In this book you will meet creatures that were driven to extinction even more recently, as well as some that were brought back from the brink. You will even encounter animals not known to exist until late - an antidote to extinction."--BOOK JACKET.

A self-confessed murderer recounts the events that led up to an apparently unprovoked attack; a gruesome murder scene holds nasty surprises for the investigating officers; a man makes what amounts to a deal with the devil - and pays the price; caught up in events beyond his control, a bit-part player in a wider drama has his guardian angel to thank for his survival ... These, and other stories of the strange and unaccountable, make up this collection from author Philip E. High.

"On his way to Oregon, Clint Adams takes on a side job as a mailman. Normally he wouldn't agree to such a task, but it is for his friend and barber, Ned Smith. Clint soon discovers that this small favor for a friend is going to be big trouble. The parcel to be delivered to Hinterland is a piece of art by Ned, who has quite a following--of gunmen. But those pursuing the Gunsmith will soon learn that lead doesn't paint a pretty picture..."--p. of cover.

Two fascinating questions lie at the heart of The Red Queen: Why is Homo sapiens a sexual species, and what implications does this have for human nature? That man is sexual may seem unremarkable, yet in fact not all plants and animals need to have sex to reproduce; simple cloning is practiced by many animals with much greater efficiency. To understand how life evolves, and what benefit sex provides for humans, we must think like the Red Queen in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass, who had to keep running just to stay in place. According to a controversial yet persuasive new theory, evolution is not about progress, but about changing in order to survive. Because humans are in a perpetual battle with the parasites lurking within our bodies, we need to be able to change molecular locks as fast as parasites invent new keys. Sex enables us to alter genetic combinations every generation. Sex, then, is a vital weapon in disease resistance. It enables us to change, not so we progress ahead, but so we avoid falling behind. But what does all this mean for human nature? From a lucid overview of the Red Queen theory, Matt Ridley follows the logic of its argument into the heart of human behavior. For just as the human eye is a product of evolution, so is human nature. Evolutionary theory provides the clues to help us understand fundamental facts about human beings, from our fashion consciousness to our "system of monogamy plagued by adultery." Ridley's probing mind asks a series of provocative questions. Is mankind naturally polygamous like most of our ape relatives? Are men and women mentally different as well as physically, and if so why? Why do people share so many sexual habits with swallows? Are our notions of human beauty arbitrary, or is there method in them? Jumping into the middle of the debate over the definition of "human nature," The Red Queen offers an extraordinary new way of interpreting the human condition and how it has evolved. It throws fresh light on seduction and sexism, beauty and polygamy, attraction and adultery - even intelligence itself. This is a brilliantly written book of considerable intrigue and uncommon sense.

"Someone has a score to settle with the Gunsmith, and after a few attempts are made on his life, Clint Adams decides to lay low in Mexico until it blows over. But he's not the only gringo taking refuge in the sleepy seaside town of Laguna Niguel. With an old friend staying close by, and a man who is going by the name Father Flynn hanging around, everyone is keeping their secrets close and their heads down. But when it gets too quiet in Laguna Niguel, the sheriff knows it can only mean one thing: trouble"--P. of cover.

"Some greenhorn thieves have been spotted around Red Water, Wyoming. So when Clint Adams rides into town, all its able-bodied men chomping at the bit, hoping to join a posse Marshal Flynt is putting together and take their share of the reward. But why is the marshal dead set on killing these young owlhoots, without trial or even evidence? To find out, Clint joins the posse. And once they're outside town limits, the marshal will do anything to keep from returning. Something's fishy and all the drink in Red Water can't wash out the foul taste in Clint's mouth..."--Back cover.

"Some ghosts never die-- In the middle of a hellish dust storm, Clint Adams is glad to stumble into Jasper, Kansas. But the town is deserted, except for one stubborn spitfire of a woman. She tells Clint about Jasper's past, about the fatal mistake they made in hanging an innocent man-- and those who came for vengeance. And now the Gunsmith is going to bury the sins of the past once and for all."--p. of cover.

Loretta Burns may be the rudest woman Clint Adams ever met, but she's also in a heap of trouble. After losing a precious black chest on her way from California, she soon discovers--from a run-in with a crooked sheriff and two of his goons--that Clint is the only man she can trust to help her find it. The question now is ... can he trust her?

Slocum finds himself protecting a man with a death wish. Dangerous barkeeps and shifty criminals all want a piece of the man Slocum must defend-and he knows better than anyone that bullets don't have names on them.

"He doesn't look old enough to drink, let alone wear a badge. But twenty-year-old Sheriff Dan Starkweather has a lifetime of hatred for his outlaw father--and he sure can shoot. Clint Adams is impressed--and agrees to help track the senior Starkweather's gang. When Nate Starkweather shoots a sheriff, he aims for the tin badge--which is why the kid had his made of iron. So all Clint and Dan have to do is follow the shot-through badges. But when the trail ends, even Clint finds the odds may be more then [sic] they can handle..."--p.of cover.

Cowboys seeking companionship can always find a woman flaunting her feminine wiles at the Socorro Saloon. But once lured inside, they fall prey to bad men in the employ of Willie Scroggs. Linda Littlepage fears for the women working for her at the saloon. Fortunately she's just met John Slocum, a man who has some tough business tactics of his own.