5 comments about FitzRoy: The Remarkable Story of Darwin's Captain and the Invention of the Weather Forecast.

1. If not for anything else he did in his life, this man should be remembered for setting up the first weather forecasting service in England during the middle nineteenth century. That he was the Captain of the "Beagle" when Charles Darwin sailed on it as 'naturalist'; is not half as important as he was the one who set in motion the random currents that caused Darwin to be on the ship for its' full five year plus voyage.
   
   He was a remarkable man who because he was also humble and self-effacing never ended up getting the critical acclaim that his life's work demanded. His five year voyage on the "Beagle" resulted in the most detailed mapping of the South American continent from the Plate to Valpariso, and especially the area around Cape Horn and the Straits of Magellan. So detailed were his maps that they were used for over 100 years.
   
   During the voyage, he also determined all of the meridians and set-up their places on maps by which other sailors were able to determine their place anywhere on the earth at any time. Later, he devised a system by which ships could be signaled at sea that a major storm was brewing created the "gale warning" system. His work on meteorology was the first to use telegraphy to coordinate the capture of weather statistics so that information could be printed in newspapers the same day. He also devised the first two day weather forecasting, including the coining of the word 'forecast'.
   
   The story of his life and accomplishments is well written, and well documented, besides being entertainingly presented. Great Biography.



2. This work, by John and Mary Gribbin, combines a deep respect for Robert FitzRoy and his achievements with sound research. The end result is a book that is accessible to anyone with an interest in this complex and multi-faceted man.
   
   Described by Charles Darwin as being 'A very extraordinary person', Robert FitzRoy served Britain as a naval captain (most famously as Captain of HMS Beagle), as a Governor of New Zealand, and in the field of weather forecasting.
   
   While covering the voyages of HMS Beagle, this book provides information on FitzRoy's governorship of New Zealand as well as his achievements in weather forecasting. Along the way, we obtain glimpses of the struggle between a greater understanding of science and a deep innate religious conservatism. Robert FitzRoy tragically took his own life a few months before his 60th birthday.
   
   A fascinating book about a fascinating man.
   
   Highly recommended
   
   Jennifer Cameron-Smith



3. I got this book because I am playing Fitzroy in Timberlake Wertenbakers play After Darwin. It has a wealth of information on the good Captain and enabled me to find a pathway into his mind that would not have had otherwise. The combination of excepts from the Narrative, Sullivan and Usborne's journals, and the record of Darwin himself paint an honorable picture that Fitroy would have been happy with. The recounting of the loss of a ship to the Fuegians on the voage preceeding Darwin is particuary interesting.



4. The father of weather forecasts and explorer of South America. Robert FitzRoy will be remembered by me. This book tells us about a great British aristocrat who gave more than he took. I love Patrick O'Brian and this could have been his but it is real story about a real person. FitzRoy was a remarkable man who history has pushed back to the shadows and labeled Darwin's Captain. FitzRoy, whose family is descended from Charles II, becomes a beloved British Man-o-war Captain, explorer, politician and eventual Vice Admiral. Mr. Gribbin gives us a picture of one of the last explorers and scientific innovators who charts South America, tries to support native rights in New Zealand and gives the world weather forecasting, yet is forgotten. His end did not justify his life. He was an amazing man who deserved more. He was faithful to his family, his country and religion. A good man and a great read.



5. The figure of Fitzroy lurks in the background of the Darwin saga and it is actually quite refreshing to draw him out on this score, both because of the interest in his life and work on its own terms and also for the light it throws on Darwin's early explorations in biology. Fitzroy's achievements in weather forecasting are little known, and his contribution to Darwin's education no doubt proceeds indirectly from the context of disciplined and meticulous scientific work in the Beagle's prime mission.

3 comments about Storms, Floods, and Sunshine: Isaac Monroe Cline : An Autobiography With a Summary of Tropical Hurricanes.

1. After reading several books about the Sept. 8th, 1900 hurricane that decimated Galveston, Texas (The Windows of Heaven, Weekend In September, The Great Galveston Disaster, Death From The Sea, Isaac's Storm and Through a Night of Horror) I found this book, an autobiography of Isaac Cline. It is an interesting look at a man who was at the forefront of understanding the need to accurately predict weather phenomenon in order to protect people whose lives could otherwise be lost and whose homes and businesses were imperiled.
   Isaac Cline was born in a log cabin on a small farm in Tennessee. His favorite book to read was the Bible, followed soon after by the writings of Jules Verne. Isaac wanted to one day write a great book on a matter of science, although in what area he was not then certain. He attended college through a combination of hard work and generosity, and was encouraged to become a preacher but realized that this was not truly in his heart.
   He flourished in the science and math classes. In 1871 the U.S. Weather Service was formed and this gave rise to the opportunity to chose a scientific career where he could indulge his passion for science and research. Isaac Cline would eventually be known as the Weather Service man on Galveston who realized what was happening and put himself in danger to warn residents to flee. His personal losses were high.
   He was also sent for a time to New Orleans where he realized that the potential for disaster from a hurricane in that region was all but inevitable.
   His research into tide tables, wind velocities, the storm surge, and figuring out the spiraling pattern of hurricanes are just a few of the advancements that can be credited to this fascinating man.
   Isaac Cline was also a collector of art in several forms, having some personal collections that were at times unrivaled for their quality and quantity.
   Some of the chapters in this book have a provincial feel to them, due to the fact that they were written in a different era, but the wide variety and experiences that Isaac Cline relates show his unique personality and depth of character.



2. Isaac Monroe Cline, writing of a storm he weathered off the coast of Veracruz, Mexico, made the prescient comment that "This was my first experience in a tropical cyclone, but it was not to be my last." Prescient, that is, for native Galvestonians who have listened to stories of the fateful, terrible Great Storm of 1900 from their forebears. I myself am a descendant of a survivor of an event that binds people together like Pearl Harbor survivors. Every B.O.I. (Born On the Island), it seems, had someone in the family or knew someone who made it through the night on September 8 one century ago.

   Storms, Floods and Sunshine is one book that will be indispensable to storm descendants and Texas history aficionados. It is the autobiography of Isaac Cline, the weatherman who followed the storm as it crossed the Gulf of Mexico after its birth under the sweltering West African sun, traveling thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean, cutting a swath of destruction across Cuba before turning its fury directly on the industrious city of Galveston, the Wall Street west of the Mississippi and number one cotton port in the nation.

   The chapters are short and the sentences are spare of the sentimental, flowery rhetoric one might expect of a Victorian-age Southerner born at the cusp of the Civil War in 1861. His life was one of Masonic diligence, Franklin-like in his pursuit of science and the betterment of mankind, shunning distractions like strong drink, gambling, even the company of women, until he could convince himself that perhaps the soft touch of a woman's hand could help him in social advancement.

   Predictably, the longest chapters concern the development of weather technology, from its infancy under the Signal Corps of the U.S. Army., the political undercurrents, the infighting, and the agricultural aggrandizement. There are some snippets of humor, such as one forecaster who typed up the forecast for the week, submitted it to the newspaper, and took off fishing.

   "History does not record a greater disaster in the United States, than that which occurred at Galveston, Texas, on September 8, 1900."

   The one chapter that stands out, of course, is the one which changed the lives of thousands of residents and the course of a city. It materially changed Cline's life as well--he lost his wife in the disaster. Curiously, he is very silent about her other than a short description of how they met. Perhaps the memory of her death was too painful to relate in the wake of a hurricane that took at least 6,000 lives.

   Some of the asides and anecdotes may strike the modern reader as a little bizarre. To put it in perspective, the writer is, after all, a devout Methodist who put aside a promising career as a preacher to study medicine and the weather. For example, a whole chapter is devoted to the novel idea that the ark was actually built in America--near the swamps of Florida and North Carolina, to be exact. Yet even here he marshals evidence he considers scientific, such as wood type and ocean currents. Plausible, maybe. Unusual, certainly.

   It is a firsthand account of someone who helped a neglected branch of science become an essential part of our understanding of the natural world today. As Cline writes, "The slow progress made in the study of weather is surprising. The barometer was not invented until 1643, and the special study of weather and its changes did not receive much attention until two hundred years later."




3. In a field of science where writing can be used more as a weapon than as a tool for understanding, Isaac Cline still shines as a meteorologist who knew how to write in a way most anyone can understand, without "dumbing up" the prose. The only thing missing are pictures, charts, and diagrams, if for no other reason than as a necessary break from all the text. His short chapters work to the book's advantage.

   Even after 49 years, the spirit of the author comes alive in his writings. He was in a unique situation - witnessing the birth of the National Weather Service, and leading to its eventual acceptance from a public unable to believe anyone could make a one hour forecast, let alone one for two days!

   He expanded the role of the NWS in his 55-year career, and now has an award named after him, long after his demise. He lived to a ripe old age, doing what he loved most. His personality is in full effect - he comes across arrogant at times, and uses shameless self-promotion in order to get everyone to know all the contributions he has made to meteorology and Early American Art. It was, and still is, well deserved, however.

   He goes over his role in the Galveston Hurricane, the 1915 New Orleans Hurricane, and numerous Mississippi River Floods, including the great crevasse of 1927. He put most of the pieces of the hurricane puzzle together, and advanced the science significantly. He raised a family, and still found time to restore old paintings and make great contributions to his community in Galveston and New Orleans throughout his life.

   The lessons he learned in life were hard, but it helped make him the man he was. His story is still fresh, even after all these years. This book is well worth owning, and is valuable in its historical information. Meteorologists and local historians could do worse than do read/own this work.

1 comments about Understanding Me: Lectures and Interviews.

1. For anyone remotely interested in McLuhan, I recommend this book for the following reasons.
   It is a much easier read than most of McLuhan's work, as it is a collection of interviews and speeches which are necessarily more concise, and were for me much more involving.
   It gives an insight into McLuhan's theories which can be quite puzzling and abstruse at first. In his speeches and essays, he repeats his same themes in a variety of manners, which help to give the reader a better understanding of the theories.
   It's no McLuhan for Idiots (I'm not sure if there is such a thing, based on the nature of his works), but it is definitely a very useful and enjoyable companion book.

No comments about Sigmund Freud: Caricatures & Cartoons.

5 comments about Einstein: His Life and Times.

1. In this intriguing biography, Philipp Frank provides a well-researched and impeccably thorough account of Einstein's life while simultaneously presenting an understandable explanation of the great scientist's theories and works. In this description of Einstein's family history, youth, education, and professional life, Frank comments on the personality and psychology that resulted in the theories that revolutionized the science of the twentieth century. The biography chronologically relays the major events of Einstein's life with a significant focus on the public perception of his theories and the contrast between that perception and the actual meaning of the theories. Frank conveniently glosses over events, such as Einstein's divorce, which could possibly place the scientist in an unflattering light. This factor in addition to Frank's backhanded insults directed towards any critics of Einstein serve to reveal the author's admiration of Einstein. Through the course of the book, it is clear that Frank felt compelled to clarify the positive quality of Einstein's work and personal character by depicting his life in a complementary biography. The book moves at a stop-and-go pace as Frank alternates between narrative and scientific explanation. Despite this slight sense of incomprehensibility, this biography skillfully illustrates the character and accomplishments of one of history's greatest scientists by connecting his theories with his personal experiences. Overall, this depiction of Einstein's life is as thought-provoking as it is in-depth, and it provides the reader with a sense of clarity about a topic that has been notably difficult for most people to fully understand.



2. Einstein was and still remains the most compelling figure of the 20th century. He is universally recognized as the greatest mind the world has ever known even though many of his proponents do not understand the theories that made him a public figure in the first place. Einstein: His Life and Times attempts to shed light on both the theories that created the genius and the genius that created the theories that forever altered the course of mankind. In describing Einstein's theories, Frank is more than competent as he was Einstein's successor as Professor of Theoretical Physics in Prague. There is no doubt that Frank understands the concepts articulated by his predecessor. For the lay person Frank's explanations and the prose they are written in are difficult to comprehend. To worsen the symptoms, the in depth discussion of the theories of special and general relativity, as well as the history and development of the physical sciences are laborious reads at best. Moments such as these are precisely what keeps this biography from achieving the greatness it is capable of. Frank would have served his audience better if he had trimmed the biography of some of it's theoretical "fat" and "seasoned" it with deeper insight into the humanism of it's subject. For the most part Einstein: His Life and Times was an enjoyable read, I just wish I had tried one the other Einstein biographies instead.



3. Einstein: His Life and Times was written by Philipp Frank, Einstein's close friend and colleague. It includes a plethora of information about Einstein's life and ideas as well as the effects of his work. The biography begins with information about Einstein's family, childhood, and early schooling along with the first signs of his interest in intellectual topics. The book discusses Einstein's personality and his relationships with others including colleagues, friends, and students. The book is not constrained to physics alone. It also goes very deep into philosophy and how philosophical ideas have shaped the world of science and physics. Besides Einstein's personal life and struggles (e.g., with anti-Semitism and finances), Philipp Frank explains Einstein's major theories (including the theory of relativity, the quantum theory, and the equivalence of mass and energy) and scientific ideas. Obviously, Einstein's theories are very complex, and even many scientists of his day could not fully comprehend them. However, Frank tries to explain these theories in terms that can be understood by most people. The book is interesting because it is not overly simple (it includes some very difficult concepts and proofs), but it isn't overly complex either. Frank covers many topics, ranging from curved space to the relativity of time to the atomic bomb. There is also lots of discussion of politics and the effect of the Nazis and World Wars on Einstein and physics. Philipp Frank has written this book for several reasons. Firstly, Einstein was a great influence on his life because they were colleagues and good friends. In addition, Einstein appointed Frank as his successor as the professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Prague. Frank must have felt extremely fortunate to be connected with a man of such intelligence and fame. Frank wants to provide the reader with his personal insights and experiences with the world's most recognized genius of the modern age. His purpose was to perhaps provide a clearer picture and understanding of this enigmatic man known as Einstein. Frank even says in the introduction, "I am writing this biography of Einstein...for people who want to understand something of the contradictory and complicated twentieth-century world....[A]nyone who comprehends even a little of Einstein's personality, his work, and its influence will have taken a long step toward [such] an understanding." Anyone who is at all interested in Einstein's life, his ideas, or abstract concepts regarding physics and philosophy should read this book. The book is absolutely full of interesting facts, experiences, and information. I had a lot of fun reading it especially because it is suited for both the layman and the more advanced.



4. When discussing the life of Einstein it is never clear whether one's focus should be on the simple biographical facts, the scientific work or his political and social activism. This book attempts a distillation and mostly succeeds because it captures the essense of the man who was simultaneously many things - a complex, gentle person who became a persona.

   For a long time he was defined by the equation E=MC2 but over time his other theoretical work has been explored (and many times dismissed) and more importantly, his early years and the ideas that emerged from that era have come more sharply into focus. The author provides a wealth of data on the European life of Einstein which is interesting in itself.

   The author waxes eloquently on the non-scientific side of the man, the humanist that the world knows today. This is a beautiful, complete work covering all aspects of Einstein's life.




5. When discussing the life of Einstein it is never clear whether one's focus should be on the simple biographical facts, the scientific work or his political and social activism. This book attempts a distillation and mostly succeeds because it captures the essense of the man who was simultaneously many things - a complex, gentle person who became a persona.

   For a long time he was defined by the equation E=MC2 but over time his other theoretical work has been explored (and many times dismissed) and more importantly, his early years and the ideas that emerged from that era have come more sharply into focus. The author provides a wealth of data on the European life of Einstein which is interesting in itself.

   The author waxes eloquently on the non-scientific side of the man, the humanist that that the world knows today. This is a beautiful, complete work covering all aspects of Einstein's life.

No comments about The Search for Christian Doppler.

3 comments about A Desperate Passion: An Autobiography.

1. An unexciting, uninvolving autobiography. Where's the "passion"? The history is interesting to a point, but the nitty-gritty seems to be lacking. Given Caldicott's powerful speech making and her powerful writing in If You Love This Planet, this desiccated book is a big disappointment. People and events simply don't come alive here.



2. This autobiography by Helen Caldicott is stunning in the information it offers. Caldicott is one of the most important women of our century and her discussion with Ronald Reagan's daughter is worth the price of the book alone. Caldicott as a nationally renown antinuclear activist --full of knowledge and bravier in her cause, had the credentials and intelligence to fight the good fight and her memoir of her adventures in doing so opens the eyes wide and fills the mind with jarring reality. She is a life saver, a gift to our salvation on earth--a woman one wants to know and understand and empathize with. Blessings on this book. Buy it. It will light up your mind with her intelligence and caring spirit. All of her books are vital as can be. Buy them. Read them and share them. Daniela Gioseffi, Author of WOMEN ON WAR: International Voices for the Nuclear Age, American Book Award, 1990



3. I wavered between giving this three and four stars, but decided on three stars for folks who don't know anything about Caldicott. Those of us who are either already fans of her personally, or care deeply about anti-nuclear and environmental issues, would more likely give it at least four stars. Dr. Caldicott is an inspiration to anyone who either wants to make a difference in the world, or fears that no one person can. She started on her anti-nuclear campaign as an Australian pediatrician and concerned mother -- writing an angry letter to the editor about French nuclear tests in the South Pacific (which did not get published) -- and went on to found Physicians for Social Responsibility and to inspire millions. I've seen Dr. Caldicott speak twice, and she's a marvel. She has authored other books, _Missile Envy_ and _If You Love This Planet_ among them, about more specific issues; this is a very personal account, in which she is honest about her failures, disappointments, setbacks, loneliness, and fear of death. But it is ultimately a triumph of the will and spirit. I wish her many more years of health, happiness, and successful activism.

3 comments about William Dunbar: Scientific Pioneer of the Old Southwest.

1. Finally a history book that is more than a never ending sequence of historical facts. I was pleasantly surprised by the way DeRosier was able to weave together historical facts into a delightful novel about a facinating, historically important figure. I felt history come alive as I read Dunbar. Thank you.



2. William Dunbar was a talented man whose accomplishments have long been in need of professional assessment. Arthur DeRosier has responded to this need in the first full-scale investigation of available sources, beginning in Scotland, where Dunbar was born. The author's effort has cleared up numerous misunderstandings--such as whether William Dunbar inherited his father's title--and has detailed some of William Dunbar's accomplishments in the New World, the best known of which was his 1804-05 expedition with George Hunter to explore the land drained by the Red and Ouachita Rivers as far as the Hot Springs in what became central Arkansas. This exploration was followed by another Red River expedition in 1806, which Dunbar ably coordinated. Eclipsed in public interest by the 1804-06 Lewis and Clark expedition whose route lay to the north, Dunbar's first attempt to ascertain what the nation had gained by the Louisiana Purchase has now been given the attention it deserves.
   
   Among other national contributions was Dunbar's collaboration with the astronomer Andrew Ellicott to survey the boundary between Spanish West Florida and the United States. Through Ellicott he became known to prominent members of the American Philosophical Society, who welcomed for publication his astronomical and meteorological observations. These in turn had been made possible by the scientific instruments he was able to import as a result of his financial success in growing indigo and cotton. He contributed to the rise of cotton culture in the South by experimenting with improved seeds and by improvements on the cotton gin and on methods of baling cotton for shipment.
   
   Despite the book's subtitle it scants Dunbar's scientific work, however, and has little to say about such pioneering investigations as his study of Indian sign language, his attempt to solve the problem of finding longitude by astronomical methods, his contributions to meteorological record-keeping at a time when the nation lacked a weather bureau, his use of chemical analysis in geology, his good fortune in being the southernmost observer to study the 1806 solar eclipse, etc. These shortcomings may result from the author's heavy reliance on the printed Dunbar letters and papers edited by Eron Rowland and published in 1930--a book notorious for the editor's misreading of the manuscripts and an editor having little understanding of things scientific.
   
   DeRosier says that he hopes his book will "challenge" other scholars to take up aspects of Dunbar's career "that deserve further study and reflection." Perhaps it will.



3. Without DeRosier's work Dunbar would have been lost. This is a most engaging and remarkable book about a fascinating figure in American history. Highly recommend this text!

No comments about Willem Einthoven and the Story of Electrocardiography (Unlocking the Secrets of Science).

No comments about Biographical Memoirs - National Academy Of Sciences Vol Xxv.