5 comments about The Devil's Doctor: Paracelsus and the World of Renaissance Magic and Science.

1. The world that Paracelsus knew is thankfully long gone. In its place is a world that takes its lead from modern science which is based largely on experience, experiment, criticism and empiricism and science itself moves forward upon the basis of the scientific method. But it was not always like that and this book does a remarkably good job of trying to bring to life a time in the late middle ages that modern science has forgotten, or perhaps more accurately, would like to forget.
   
   Modern science has its roots in ancient Greek philosophy, 4th century writings, Roman theories, natural magic, Christian theology, astrology, folk tales, alchemy and all manner of mediaeval claptrap and mumbo-jumbo that mostly would have us in hysterics today. When Paracelsus was alive though it was believed and largely taken as true. To stand up and say such and such was not true, or worse still to write it down and publish it was not generally taken as excepted modes of behaviour. In fact it would often put your well being in jeopardy as Paracelsus found out all too often. Rather confirming what was already understood underpinned the thinking of the time. Modern science emerged over several centuries from this mishmash and Ball manages to give a real flavour of what Paracelsus must have encountered. This is a book that should be enjoyed as much as it informs.
   
   Paracelsus himself was a remarkable character of contradictions who can best be described as a failure. Paracelsus' writings are not particularly important either to the history of medicine or to science but it is the spirit in which they were written, the rants as well as the more lucid bits. It is not hard to see Paracelsus as a Till Eulenspeigel type figure or even as a Pierrot, and a good deal of this comes over in Ball's portrait. But it was as a failure who managed to ignite in those who came after him the wish to enquire and not be put off by those who would suppress enquiry that Paracelsus deserves to be remembered.
   
   The life and work of Paracelsus could be written and appraised in a book one quarter the size of this, but that is not what makes this book worth the effort. The background to modern science is in short supply and it is worth getting to know more about it. In the process you will realise that our modern comforts should not be taken for granted and it is not hard to find areas of the world even today some things are not much further advanced than those encountered in this book.
   
   A good read on what could be a difficult subject.



2. My interest in this book was predicated more on the World of Renaissance Magic and Science than an interest in Paracelsus, who I had no awareness of prior to reading The Devil's Doctor. I wasn't at all disappointed. Philip Ball recreates the exotic beliefs of the medieval world in depth and with great precision. It was much more this social exploration of common beliefs and mystical influences that I was interested in than our esoteric subject. For me, the details on Paracelsus and the early steps toward modernization of medical doctrine were more of peripheral interest. I've read Demon Haunted World, A World Lit Only By Firelight, and Sleepwalkers, among others, but found richer detail and a more visceral illustration in the mindset of individuals presented here. My fascination with the Renaissance is the process by which humankind emerged from the world of supernatural mysticism to the discovery of rational thought and critical observation. Ball does a wonderful job of detailing the all-encompassing and powerful grip of mysticism in an era evolving toward rational explanations of nature. Readers interested in Paracelsus may find this material intrusive, but I found it of primary interest. As for Paracelsus himself, I came away with mixed feelings.
   
   On one hand, his beliefs represent very much the spiritual environment in which Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Leibniz, Newton and all those who broke the shackles of mysticism were immersed as they tried to understand the workings of the supernatural. Rationalism seems to have been an unintended derivative of this effort. On the other, I found Paracelsus to be something less than a significant character in this evolutionary process. The subsequent challenges to the primitive and brutal medical practices of antiquity carried out under his banner seem expunged of his irrational ranting and alchemical nonsense. I don't believe, for example, that a procedure for incubating horse manure with human blood and sperm while supplicating the spiritus mundi to create life while in a drunken stupor was a powerful prescience to in vitro laboratory experimentation or modern biochemistry. It is more a case that if you throw enough at a wall, something is bound to stick. Yet, we know the early founders of science who discovered the laws of nature we understand today operated within this same cloud of mysticism. That's what makes their achievements all the more impressive.



3. I very much looked forward to reading this book, as I have been interested in Paracelsus for many years. But it does not strike me that Ball is interested in Paracelsus. Quite the contrary--throughout the book, he evidences his disdain for Paracelsus. As I read along, I found myself wondering why he had chosen to write the book at all.
   
   Important ideas that Paracelsus is credited with developing or originating are missing in Ball's treatment. For example, the Doctrine of Signatures, which Paracelsus developed and which was taken up by later medical Paracelsians and became widespread, gets hardly any attention. In fact, I learned more about Paracelsian ideas from Principe's recent book on Boyle as alchemist, which I happened to read at the same time. Principe did not feel obliged to sneer at Paracelsus at every turn.
   
   I also found that the organization of the book was problematic. For instance, a chapter might be named for the time Paracelsus spent in Ingolstadt, but that chapter does not actually discuss it.
   
   If you are interested in Paracelsus, this is not the book for you. If, in contrast, you are interested in snickering at the past from what you imagine to be the exalted heights of scientific rationalism, this book will very much gratify your sense of self-importance.



4. The voluminous study written by P. Ball bears evident mark of his profession, that is of his being physicist. One has to appreciat how many historical topics he was able to cover in his book, less impressive is, nevertheless, his ability to discover the most important ones and to explain Paracelsus thought on the ground of the historical context so carefully described. Author's basic despise -- at least that's what I feel in his book -- for questions of theology and religion that, according to him, have at best a historical importance seems to prevent him from better understanding of real problems of Paracelsus, and even of real meaning of his "magic". Well, according to the title, Ball wanted to describe Paracelsus in the context of the "renaissance magic and science", yet this picture would be, and is, distorted if the effort is not made to understand the complex of his thought from his perspective, to find out what for him is important.
   Another thing is that Ball works only with english anthologies and even, if I'm not mistaken, only with english written sources in general. Sure, it's not very easy to read Paracelsus in the original Swiss German dialect, yet to me it seems inevitable if one wants to get out of beaten tracks of long rooted, sometimes superficial opinions, and to get inside the text and thoughts.
   So, if you want to read a reliable and better balanced study on Paracelsus' natural philosophy as well as on his theology (and you are not craving for an "esoteric" interpretation) read rather Andrew Weeks' nicely short monograph on Paracelsus and keep reservation about Ball's book: historically he seems to have found the proper sources to use, but systematically he's then not going deep enough to discover the "real" Paracelsus. If you read in German check the brand new and very valuable, although a little difficult-to-read, book by M. Bergengruen (Meiner 2007). Or just reach for the old, eventhough also partly one-sided "Introduction" by W. Pagel to add some more insights in the paracelsian thought.



5. The Devil's Doctor is a remarkably well written biography of Paracelsus as well as social history of his life time, that period in European History when the Scholastic mindset of the Medieval was being challenged by the coming Enlightenment. Ball, who writes with great clarity and skillful organization shows Paracelsus as a unique individual in the middle of this social revolution, not seeing the whole picture, but living on both sides of the split.
   
   An alchemist who grew up in a mining region of Switzerland where the manipulation of metals was prevelant he received a scolastic education in medicine. He left early because he realized that the medicine of the Greeks no longer served. He sought out the best teachers and herbalists to educate himself and was recognized as one of the best doctors of his time. He grew up in the Roman church, but thought, wrote, and preached independently his own brand of spirituality barely escaping condemnation for heresy.
   
   I had read bits and pieces about Paracelsus over the years, but gathered almost nothing about the man. By putting Paracelsus in his time and many places (the man traveled a get deal for the times), Ball has made him real and his significance to European, and so world, history understandable.
   
   I can't say I disliked anything about this book. Except, maybe, the fact that Paracelsus was associated with so many interesting characters who deserved books of their own, which I'll probably never find. I highly recommend this book to those interested in this period of history even if they scoff at alchemy. If they scoff, Ball will give them a better understanding of its significance to the period.

5 comments about Bucky Works : Buckminster Fuller's Ideas for Today.

1. I've been interested in the ideas and work of Buckminster Fuller for a long time but whenever I've tried to read his books I can't get through them, they're too dense for me. J. Baldwin has a clear and concise writing style which he enhances with illustrative photographs. His book really shows the practical applications of Bucky's work. I highly recommend this book to anyone.



2. I bought tis book several years ago based on a recommendation as a good intro th Buckys work. This book is a gem for all of those who are inclined to engineering and design, not only because of the explanations and ilustrations, but also as testimonial to the thought of the great genius.
   
   Im still amazed that Bucky's thought have not been embraced by us modern citizens.
   
   I am trying to introduce a revolutionary solar coating here in Venezuela [..], I think of the aluminum domes built in Ghana that used natural convection for cooling, and people thoight they were in fact to cold!!! sustainable development has been around longer than we thought, are we ever going to strat smelling the coffee???



3. Inventor Richard Buckminster Fuller, "Bucky," died in l983 at age 88. He is known the world over for his invention of the geodesic dome. The author of this book knew him for 31 years.
   
   Bucky, as he was known to everyone, (except his wife of 66 years) was not a college graduate, yet he received 47 honorary degrees during his lifetime. His influence on architectural and product designing was--and still is--tremendous.
   
   This book is of interest not only as a tribute to his inventiveness, but for detailing why many of his concepts, to this day, have not been accepted. The full-page cartoon on page 20 is a classic example of his frustration. It depicts an automobile being made on the driveway of a home. Bucky argued for years how ridiculous it is that we build houses 'from scratch' on a house lot. If we built cars that way, as the cartoon shows, they would cost $300,000! It should be noted that the American Institute of Architects (AIA), in 1928, passed a resolution "...on record as inherently opposed to any peas-in-a-pod-line reproducible designs." Others, sewer system builders, carpenters, electricians, etc., indicated they too would oppose home-building innovations.
   
   One reason the geodesic dome concept succeeded was that the military did not need to consult zoning and codes when it needed a transportable light weight and super strong structure for a mountain top or an Arctic location.
   
   You will be amazed at how much his 1934 car designs resemble today's vans. Equally amazing is his "traveling cartridge," a small car transportable by air or rail. No need to rent a car. It could even be used as a sleeping unit.
   
   His "Triton City" was designed as a floating city (100,000 people) for Tokyo Bay. You see variations of this idea almost every year and it is invariably presented as a new idea. His "Fly's Eye" dome is now under commercial development and you may be seeing into the future when scanning this section of the book.
   
   An example of the tremendous respect for Fuller's concepts can be seen in the naming of the 60-atom carbon molecule discovered in the early 1970s. It is called "buckminsterfullerene" and is often referred to as "Buckyball." Its soccer-ball-pentagon-hexagon pattern very much relates to Fuller's icosahedron-based constructions.
   
   Fuller maintained that the entire universe, from atoms to galaxies, "is make made up of islands of compression in a continuous sea of tension." This "tensegrity" concept may even apply to biological cells according to a recent (1993) paper by Dr. Ingber.
   
   As the author often notes, Fuller--as a person and as a designer--had his faults. However his accomplishments and his influence on others far outshine his failures. Many inventors can relate to the problems due to being "before your time" and to the difficulty of displacing the "established way" of doing something.
   
   This book is crammed with photos, many never before published. Buy it, enjoy it. Donate it to your local school library. There is a whole new generation out there that can be inspired by it.



4. Buckminster Fuller has fascinated me since my teens because of his borderline science-fictional ideas and his quest to use technology to provide for 100% of humanity -- which unfortunately is a moving target during an era of population growth. Baldwin's book doesn't quite satisfy my curiosity about the current state of Fuller's posthumous work, since he gives me the impression that it's stuck somewhere back in the post-Hippie 1970's. I certainly hope that the field has advanced further along than the dumbed-down "Whole Earth Catalogs" version which celebrated geodesic model kits and "sustainable" (i.e., voluntarily hardship-inducing) technologies.

   What I would like to see in a proper review of Fuller's legacy includes (a) mathematicians' assessment of his synergetic geometry, which is more radically anti-Euclidean than non-Euclidean in that it rejects the whole Greek paradigm of "abstraction" from physical objects; (b) economists' assessment of his argument that with proper resource use and rational design decisions we really could take care of 100% of humanity; (c) a discussion of why, if Fuller's goal is indeed practical, after 250 years of industrial and technological progress we've devolved from objectively useful work -- making and moving stuff on farms, in mines and in factories -- into to a situation where we hold absurd, time-wasting and nonproductive "jobs" in "services" (which sociologist Daniel Bell characterized as postindustrial "games between persons"), while billions of other humans don't even have the basics for a materially decent life; (d) and why this goal isn't on the agenda of any major politician or other world-recognized and respected figure.

   In other words, I find implicit in Fuller's work the question, "When do we declare victory in the Industrial Revolution, and go on our long-overdue vacation that futurists used to call 'The Postindustrial Leisure Society'?" Although Baldwin supplied me with some useful information on "Buckminster Fuller's Ideas for Today," it wasn't quite what I wanted.




5. I haven't actually read this book but JB is my professor and a fascinating human. Everyday of class is a treat to listen to his life experiences and stories. He was a student of Fuller and clearly understands his theories and has furthered them in ways that would make Bucky proud.

5 comments about Apollo Moon Missions: The Unsung Heroes.

1. When you think there isn't anything more to write about Apollo and the whole moon program, this book shows how much more there might be. I don't know how Watkins was able to cut down the list to 14 but the ones selected sure show how many people there were working behind the scenes so that a few could walk on the moon. A really good read, I highly recommend it!



2. It might be appropriate that nearly 35 years later after the last Apollo mission (1972) names like Armstrong, Aldrin, and Lovell immediately conjour up images of the first moonlanding and the near tragic mishap of Apollo 13, thanks to Ron Howard. But if it weren't for people like Bales, McCandless, Underwood and Hatleberg - and the countless scores like them - the American public might not have even remembered the men that flew on the Apollo missions in the first place.
   
   Watkins has done a great service to space history specifically, and this cultural experiment we call late 20th century America, by giving us fourteen glimpses into the lives of the unsung heroes behind the Apollo mission. One could only wish we had access to many more of the stories of people like Joseph Laitin, Joe Schmidt and Rodney Rose.
   
   Knowing what the average person does about the Apollo heroes (i.e., the astronauts) gives one a foundation to appreciate what the Apollo missions accomplished and what they meant to our country. But knowing the contributions of the behind-the-scenes support people, like the ones profiled in this book, will make your understanding and appreciation of the Apollo missions go from analog to high-def plasma in 186 short pages.
   
   Today in Space History (www.todayinspacehistory.com) gives it high marks and a must-read.



3. "The Unsung Heroes" is an easy read. Fourteen chapters of fourteen different people behind the scenes. From the "frogman" who was the first person to see the Apollo 11 crew after splashdown to the wife of an Apollo 14 astronaut, Billy Watkins covers a variety of backgrounds. Each 10-15 page chapter is a story unto itself, allowing a person to read a chapter at a sitting without being in suspense until the next time you pick up the book.



4. The Apollo program that took Americans to the Moon in the latter 1960s and early 1970s literally involved a cast of thousands. At the height of Apollo NASA's civil servants numbered 36,000 people and its contractor workforce had 376,700. One estimate of the people associated with the program was one of twenty in the United States, when counting all aspects of the Moon landing program. That is a lot of unsung heroes. The astronauts who went there acknowledged as much, always remembering to thank the thousands of unnamed people who made it possible for them to journey to the lunar surface and return safely to Earth.
   
   Billy Watkins seeks in this book to recount the story of a few individuals who made it possible to reach the Moon. He profiles fourteen different people who worked in the program in some manner. They include Bruce McCandless, an astronaut who did not get to fly on the program; public affairs official par excellence Julian Scheer; launch controller Joann Morgan; Navy frogman Clancy Hatteberg; mission control engineer Gerry Griffin, and others. These profiles are just a few of the thousands that could be offered about people who ensured the success of the Apollo program. They rescue from obscurity the contributions of these unique and unsung heroes.
   
   Billy Watkins's book is celebration of the devotion of those who worked on the Apollo program. It is a welcome reminder of a single-minded devotion to duty. Our thanks are due to all those who took America to the Moon. This book helps to spotlight some of their stories.



5. In Apollo Moon Missions: The Unsung Heroes, author Billy Watkins delivers 14 fascinating stories of little known people from the Apollo program. For those of us who read a lot about Apollo, this book adds some well-needed alternative views of the program. I've read most of the astronaut biographies and many of the histories of Apollo-after a while I'm looking for some nook or cranny of information that I did not know already.
   
   The chapters in Apollo Moon Missions are similar to the wonderful 12 page riff in Stages to Saturn about the Super Guppy aircraft that was used to transport the Saturn S-IVB stage. In Stages to Saturn, this story is told partly by profiling flamboyant entrepreneur John M. Conroy and his company Aero Spacelines that built the Super Guppy. I like this kind of story because it personalizes the Apollo program. The accounts in Apollo Moon Missions of people like Sonny Morea, the lead designer of the Lunar Rover, Julian Scheer, the NASA publicist who got TV cameras onto Apollo 11, and Joe Schmitt, suit technician, who was often the last person the astronauts saw before the hatch was closed on the launch pad are fun and unusual.

5 comments about Buckminster Fuller's Universe: His Life and Work.

1. I hate to be contrarian, but this was one of the worst books I have ever read. The author spends much of the book over-praising the genius of Buckminster Fuller, which should lead suspicious people to question what exactly is going on. It's possible that Mr. Fuller is the greatest genius of our time; but the author should simply show us his accomplishments, rather than say it. This style of over-inflated hype was so grating to me that I began to doubt whether Mr. Fuller had accomplished much of anything, a feeling re-inforced by the ridiculous jargon that he uses to obscure his ideas. I had hoped that this book would give me a glimpse of genius, but it ended up diminishing my view of Buckminster Fuller.



2. This biography of Bucky fuller is a very good read. It is detailed and well written. I ordered the book with no prior knowledge of the author or his writing style, but after the first few pages it became clear that this book is definitely worth the price.



3. On the plus side, this book is written in clear English and gives a good overview of Bucky's inventions and ideas. It helps those of us who didn't live through it, understand what all the fuss about Buckminster Fuller is about. And Bucky's ideas are in fact quite relevant to the present time.
   
   However, on the negative side, there is a bit too much pro-Bucky "cheerleading" in this book for my taste. Although, I have zero desire to hear any "dirty laundry" or negative personal anecdotes about Bucky, I really would have liked to have learned just a bit about what Bucky's intellectual critics thought as well. There are always other resources for that though. This book is unabashedly about Bucky "worship", and considering that Bucky was probably indeed a genius, perhaps it's excusable.
   
   Another complaint I have about this book is that it doesn't give as complete a picture of Bucky's life as it pertains to his intellectual development, as I'd like. For instance it almost seems from this book that Bucky quits his job in his early 30's and becomes a genius based on a bit of naval experience and personal studying and little more. I can't help think that there is much much more to the intellectual development of Buckminster Fuller than we are shown in this book.
   
   Still this is a good introduction to Buckminster Fuller. It doesn't delve deeply into Bucky's views on math, but I suspect that is because even the author of this book doesn't understand them! There are still a few parts of Bucky's philosophy as explained in this book, that I don't understand at all, but I suspect they may be very difficult concepts to explain and grasp, and that I'd probably have to pick up a much more difficult book than this one to understand them, assuming they are indeed understandable.



4. I've tried to dive into some of the books actually written by Buckminster Fuller without success. His ideas have always intrigued me, but I found his writing style to be rambling and confusing. This book, however, is an excellent introduction to Fuller's life and ideas, without the confusing detritus. I don't have a strong math or science background, so I appreciated the fact that the author was able to explain Fuller's ideas without resorting to complex equations or formulas. The biographical aspects of this book are also quite interesting. It is chronologically arranged so that the reader can track the evolution of Fuller's thoughts as he progressed through life.



5. All I can say is thank you to Mr. Sieden for finally helping me to understand the great Buckminster Fuller.
   
   I first became interested in Bucky when I was in college and over the years have tried repeatedly to read Bucky's books but was never quite able to finish them. I am not an engineer or even a techie just someone interested in brilliant minds. A brilliant mind Buckminster was but he was not so great at explaining his ideas in a way that most people can understand.
   
   So when a co-worker and I got on the subject of the great inventors of our time we naturally came around to Bucky. I told him about my great interest in Bucky and about the trouble I had finishing any of his books. He told me a Fuller "must read" is Lloyd Sieden's Buckminster Fuller's Universe.
   
   Finally, I understand more of the great man Fuller was, the huge impact he had on humanity and still does years after his death. Thank you Mr. Sieden!

3 comments about Einstein: A Biography.

1. Drawing from a wide variety of globally dispersed primary documentary sources as well as personal recollections, Neffe's bio is engaging, tragic, amusing and highly informative. And Frisch's translation seems perfect and makes for smooth reading. Neffe synthesizes Einstein's lifetime scientific achievements and anchors them into a broader scientific framework. Simultaneously, he also presents Einstein's personal experiences and the political and social context in which he evolved, in which he tried to mediate, though often unsuccessfully, if not provocatively.
   
   Having already made lots of observations re electro-technical workings in his parents business, Einstein absorbed even more of the same as a technical expert working in the Swiss patent office. Contrary to the myth, he was a top student from the beginning though rebellious against the widespread discipline inflicted on students of his era.
   
   What emerges is a highly talented person endowed with a lifelong intense curiosity and obsession with finding answers to what falsely may appear as childlike questions----all qualities necessary for profound breakthroughs which cannot be achieved without what many would call an infantile curiosity and grinding obsession. Neffe frequently points out Einstein's boyish humor, which lasted to the end, as well as his stubborn defense of his interests in carrying on his research to the point of damaging familial and personal relations. With the necessary aid and carried on the shoulders of mathematicians and scientists who pushed research and knowledge already close to breakthroughs, Einstein formulated his special theory of relativity in 1905, the year of miracles. There is the sine quo non of reciprocal ratcheting, the constant intense interaction, at times almost offensively so, between competing talented researchers who submit ideas, concepts, equations and publications, etc., to which others react, criticize if not modify. This is the process in which Einstein dwelled, to which he made first-rate contributions and from which he benefited. And this is what produced his general theory of relativity which was then verified in 1919, his year of glory and which was followed up with the Nobel Prize in '22, though not for the theory of relativity.
   
   A commendable pacifist during World War I and a consistent life-long anti-militarist except for WWII, Einstein, seemingly like an unruly teenager, defended Friedrich Adler, his former housemate who assassinated the Austrian Premier, von Stuergkh, in '16. He correctly, though with some detachment at first, observed the post-war turmoil in Germany with its rising anti-Semitism, visited the U.S. where he ironically advised fellow Zionists amidst thunderous applause to "follow the leader", an ironic answer to what the emerging Nazis were doing which sort of manifests itself as the political equivalent of the scientific reciprocal ratcheting which becomes eventually catastrophic and to which Einstein unwittingly contributed when he deserted his commendable WWI pacifism for war advocacy before and during WWII, for building the atomic bomb, etc. which cements a framework in which mass murder is maximized. Later in life he regretted having affirmed the atomic bomb and expiated commendably through his reviving pacifism and warnings re nuclear catastrophies.
   
   Neffe carries the story further after Einstein's move to the U.S. and the brilliant physicist's unsuccessful and relentless efforts to forge a unified theory combining cosmological macro and micro events. He recounts how Einstein was temporarily neglected and forgotten but eventually revived. After WWII, Einstein correctly fathomed that the U.S. was "drunk on power" and becoming militarized a la Germany and sure enough he was confronted with being outcast, spied upon, defamed, maligned and shunted. The FBI had a massive dossier, much of it based upon material from the Women Patriot organization which attempted to prevent his immigration. On the other hand, Einstein was not beyond inviting some of his criticism to the point of having more letters criticizing him coming from Jewish sources who were worried about his excessive radicalism causing a backlash. He defended the Rosenbergs as he had defended Adler. Neffe points out that Einstein admired Lenin, had his living quarters used for Soviet spying and, according to his physician, may have died from an abdominal aortal aneurism caused by weakening due to syphilis.
   The story is carried forward into the present with scientific updating on how Einstein's work, having been revived, contributed to laser, digital cameras, among other products and how quantum research, string research, etc. are being expanded by scientists around the world such as Anton Zeilinger in Vienna.
   
   Neffe's Einstein appears to have been a womanizer with plenty of lovers including a Russian spy and a N.Y. dancer, among others. He did not always treat his first wife nor his lovers with courtesy. There were illegitimate children and the fate of his first wife, Mileva, is nothing but tragic to the point of portraying Einstein as being somewhat misogynistic. Neffe provides a balanced view as he does with all events. Those interested in finding out how female researchers contributed to the major breakthroughs can find some satisfaction in Mileva' role and the brief mentioning of others female scientists who actually came either close to what Einstein discovered or were making major contribution to atomic research. Einstein's first wife could be cited as could Lisa Meitner, Ida Naddock, etc.. On balance, this is a riveting biography of a brilliant scientist living in a turbulent period.
   
   
   
   
   
   



2. This is an excellent biography of Albert Einstein, whom Neffe considers "...one of the greatest men in the history of the world...." In addition to special and general relativity (including how these ideas developed in his mind), there is very good coverage of Einstein's contributions to quantum physics, including the photoelectric effect, the duality of light, Bose-Einstein statistics and condensates, stimulated emission, and the EPR paradox. Neffe explains how Einstein's work in relativity and quantum physics is influencing research in physics today. There is the interesting story of how East Germany (GDR) honored Einstein by renovating his vacation home in Caputh and of the woman--a former art teacher--who was hired by the GDR in 1979 to be its caretaker and who continued in that role after German reunification. The biography also covers Einstein's private life as well as problems caused by anti-Semitism both in Germany and in the U.S., where his humanitarian concerns in the latter also caused difficulties. This comprehensive biography should by read by anyone with an interest in Einstein, science, or human civilization.



3. Very well written, excellent translation fro German. Neffe gained access to many new documents and letters previously hiddedn in archives. Science very accessible to a general reader.

3 comments about Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography (Norton Critical Editions).

1. If you are looking for "the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin," this is the volume to get. It is a Norton Critical Edition, perhaps the gold standard of anthologies, and it is edited by Lemay and Zall.
   
   I believe Lemay and Zall are the "experts" in the autobiographical writings of Benjamin Franklin.
   
   Critical essays include essays written contemporaneously with this autobiography (including David Hume and John Adams); in the 19th century (including Edgar Allen Poe, Herman Melville, Mark Twain); in the 20th century (including D.H. Lawrence, W. Somerset Maugham). The critical essay by D. H. Lawrence is a classic, but it is clear that Lawrence "misread" Benjamin Franklin, and having read it, I have lost some admiration for Lawrence.
   
   Watch for this volume at discount book stores and independent books sellers through Amazon.com.



2. Anyone who has ever taken a literature class in college knows the Norton Critical Editions: an absolutely first-rate version of the text, a healthy supply of contemporary responses and letters, and the best essays yet written about the text. This edition of Benjamin Franklin's "Autobiography" is no exception. The quintessential American Enlightenment figure, Franklin is far more complex than most people think, and far funnier. When it came time to write the Declaration of Independence, the Congress wouldn't give it to Franklin alone, in large part because they were afraid he'd hide a joke in it. One of his most infamous pieces of writing was under the guise of a prostitute being brought before the court for having yet another illegitimate child -- and then attacking the court for making it necessary for her to pursue her profession! And the letter Franklin wrote his own illegitimate son about how to keep a mistress is a classic in and of itself. The only great flaw in the autobiography is that it stops before Franklin ever reaches the Revolutionary War, and thus we don't have the inside story of that perilous time. But anybody wanting to understand Franklin's life, the means to wealth, or the evolution of a brilliant mind will love this text. It's mandatory reading for every American, in my mind.



3. How many books have you read that you remember thirty-six years later? Ben Franklin's insights into principles of self-improvement, and his love for the adventure of life were not only inspiring to me when I discovered his autobiography in the Holmesburg Library in Philadelphia at age 14, but they still remain motivational for me at age 50! Ben Franklin was the Dale Carnegie of his age. He realized that by following basic core value principles, and by constant practice in the adventure of life, he could not only creatively change himself, but he could positively impact those around him as well. Ben Franklin led a purposeful, creative life. I am thankful that he had the foresight to pass his exhuberance along to us in this his autobiography. It was fun to read. I think I'll read it again. Thanks, Ben.

5 comments about Tuxedo Park : A Wall Street Tycoon and the Secret Palace of Science That Changed the Course of World War II.

1. This book truly occupied my mind from an era that I lived through. I have recommended this book to a number of friends. Well done and a story that is truly amazing.



2. Being a very big history buff, I was shocked to find out about the little-known contribution of a single patriotic individual that totally changed the progress of the war. This book is a must read for all! Extremely well written to entice the reader and present the facts; personal as well as historical.



3. Having been a Radarman in the Vietnam War, I found the gensis of radar and the man responsible for it and many other things in life. Albert Loomis was a giant in the first half of the 20th Century and under the radar. He may have been bigger in the first half of the century than Bill Gates was in the second half. But, you won't know why until you read the book and understand the magnitude of his impact on America and the World then and now.



4. Chances are you have never heard of Alfred Loomis before this book but you will not forget him once you have read it. This man is truly one of the most influential people in US history. A modern day renaissance man who made millions in the stock market before 1929 and was a genius scientist who developed modern radar technology. He established a lab at Tuxedo Park where he hosted scientists who would work on a variety of projects. While he was not directly connected to the Manhattan project many of the things worked on at his lab were eventually essential for the project. He worked closely with Vannavear Bush to bring over radar technology that would be invaluable for both sub hunting and eventually air defense in World War 2. This scientist even left his mark in World War 1 helping to develop new ways to fire artillery. If you want an interesting story this is the book for you.



5. Alfred Loomis was a bona fide "Wall Street tycoon" who made his fortune in the 1920s by helping to organize the financing for the electrification of America and had the foresight to sell out before the stock market crash in 1929. Thereafter, he became an amateur scientist who cultivated the best and the brightest in the scientific world and maintained a laboratory complex in an enclave of the wealthy named Tuxedo Park.
   
   As the Second World War approached our shores, this activity became increasingly urgent - no longer the indulgence of a rich and brilliant man's fancy, but a matter of great national importance. The die was cast when Loomis's older cousin and long-time mentor, Henry Stimson, was appointed by President Roosevelt as Secretary of War.
   
   Loomis assumed responsibility for a newly created laboratory at MIT that developed sophisticated new radar systems (building on work that had been done in England) at breakneck speed that played a vital role in winning the war. He also supported the atomic bomb program, in this case acting as a collaborator with and expediter for the people directly responsible.
   
   It would be hard to imagine a more vivid account of the key people in this saga, the challenges they faced (including getting around bureaucratic budget rules and overcoming irrational objections), and their inestimable contribution to our country's victory. They weren't perfect human beings, and their accomplishments would leave the world with many new problems. Still, we can and should be proud and inspired by the things that they accomplished.
   
   Do our leaders today have the same knack for figuring out the things that need to be done and going after them? One wonders, given the long-term gridlock that has developed around many key technical issues such as building new refineries in the United States, developing untapped oil and gas reserves in Alaska and offshore areas, and even getting clearance to deepen the shipping channel in the Delaware River from 40 to 45 feet.
   
   Why are U.S., firms racing to "outsource" their manufacturing operations to China, India, etc.? The answer is not hard to figure out, and the long-term consequences will not be to our liking.

5 comments about All the Strange Hours: The Excavation of a Life.

1. A fascinating look into the man behind such a creative literary & scientific mind! He is quite 'bare bones' about himself. Also suggested bio.: "The Lost Notebooks of Loren Eisley" ed. by Kenneth Heuer.



2. An excerpt from 'All the Strange Hours'
   
   "...Oncoming age is to me a vast wild autumn country strewn with broken seed pods,hurrying cloud wrack,abondoned farm machinery,and circling crows..."
   Frankly I lost my reference notes.But this is a wonderful read.You enter deep into the thinkings and passions from the heart of one man.Eiseley will invite you into his thoughts and observations about life and people like a quite and unassuming gentlemen.These stories bring you deep into the core of the Midwest cast of mind.
   Great Read



3. Thoughtful writing, and interesting, but Eiseley sure was a bitter and despairing fellow. He held grudges forever and never forgot a slighting, even from childhood. It appears that he wrote this at an advanced age, when his friends and associates were dieing off seemingly all around him, and he wasn't very happy about it and his own mortality. Interesting, but definitely a downer.



4. There are few books written today that I don't want to rewrite. All the Strange Hours is one of them. This is the real thing- forget "Magical-Realism" and forget all other memoirs. This is unlike any memoir, or book I've ever read before, and should be getting out to a larger audience. You don't need to be into science, archeology, or even know who Eiseley is to appreciate this work. His writing is so good that it doesn't matter.
   He also doesn't delve into the mundane things that most writers would- in fact, you go through the entire book, and you don't even know his wife's name. If I met Eiseley, I'd feel that I'd know little about what he likes to eat, or what kind of music he enjoys, or if he's a morning or night person. But none of that matters- because I feel like I know him on the inside. People who knew Eiseley say that those who read his works often knew him better than those who knew him in person. I'd list Eiseley easily as one of the greatest writers of all time, and at minimum I'd put him in the top 3 of great prose writers. Check him out, and you'll see. You won't be disappointed. Trust me- - I don't like most contemporary stuff, and if you don't either, this is great literature for you.



5. This is a beautifully written personal meditation on the impermance of life against the passage of time and the attendant sense of loss by a deeply compassionate existentialist who searches for the meaning within the design of nature. There is a palatable sense of both truth and despair. There is also a consistant thread of both awed respect and admiration for the immensity of "the terrible beauty" of existance. If you are looking for a book that balances the invisibly fine line between the light and the dark of insight from the perspective of a honest man who grasps both, this is your book.

5 comments about Disturbing The Universe (Sloan Foundation Science Series).

1. XXXXX
   
   "I have collected in this book memories extending over fifty years...I am trying in this book to describe to people who are not scientists the way the human situation looks to somebody who is a scientist. Partly I shall be describing how science looks from the inside. Partly I shall be discussing the future of technology. Partly I shall be struggling with the ethical problems of war and peace, freedom and responsibility, hope and despair, as these are affected by science...
   
   The methodology of this book is literary rather than analytical. For insight into human affairs I turn to stories and poems. [In fact, the title of this book comes from a poem by T.S. Eliot]...A substantial part of this book is autobiographical...It is not that I consider my own life particularly significant or interesting to anybody besides myself. I write about my own experiences because I do not know much about anyone else's...To understand the nature of science and its interaction with science, one must examine the individual scientist and how he confronts the world around him."
   
   The above comes from the beginning of this fascinating book by theoretical physicist (encompassing pure mathematics, nuclear engineering, space technology, and astronomy), author, and professor of physics at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University, Freeman Dyson (born 1923). He has also been awarded a number of distinguished prizes in science.
   
   Dyson is involved in a field of pure science, but this book clearly shows that he is a man of conscience and compassion concerned with humanity's well being.
   
   The first two parts of this book traces his years of growing up between two world wars and his early working years. Soon thereafter, while pursuing with great success--first with scientist Hans Bethe at Cornell University and then with scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer at Princeton University (and others such as scientists Richard Feynman and Edward Teller)--his own vocation of perceiving and describing the laws that run the universe, from sub-atomic particles to galaxies, he has also been continuously involved in the moral issues affecting all of us--from disarmament to the control of recombinant DNA research.
   
   The third and last part is concerned with Dyson's "obsession with the future" and in fact, he tells the reader that "the future is my third home." It is (at least to me) an interesting section where we get to see a glimpse of the far future through the eyes of a prominent scientist.
   
   Finally, there is only one problem I had with this book: it has no illustrations (diagrams, sketches, and pictures)! I think these would have enhanced the book's readability. (The original hardcover version of this book has a picture of Dyson on its back cover.)
   
   In conclusion, this is a unique book that's beautifully written giving us a snapshot into the life and mind of one of the world's greatest thinkers!!
   
   (first published 1979; author's preface; 3 parts or 24 chapters; main narrative 260 pages; bibliographical notes; index)
   
   <>
   
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2. "We are scientists second and human beings first. We become politically involved because knowledge implies responsibility." -Freeman Dyson-
   This phrase struck me years ago when I read Dr. Dyson's book. Then, as a new graduate student in physics, I enjoyed the collection of poetry and personal thoughts, and the anecdotes of famous physicists whom I worshipped. Then, it inspired me to continue with my work. Now, with PhD in hand, I'm combing the country for a physics job and I find DISTURBING THE UNIVERSE to be an enormously comforting companion. Freeman Dyson is a complex and highly evolved man who pondered both physical law and the higher moralities binding those who wield this knowledge. I use this book as a roadmap, giving a context in which to think about research and life. I highly recommend this book.



3. Excelente libro, es sorprendente simpre deleitarse con las ideas y la forma magistral de Freeman Dyson, para contranos y aconsejarnos sobre ciencia y futuro



4. I was first introduced to Freeman Dyson as a colleague and sometimes other half of Richard Feynman. I regret that during our brief meetings I never got to know him for being more than a physicist. Therefore, when I started reading this book I was expecting something akin to the biographical material on Feynman. Instead, I found not only a more richly multidimensional book, but a glimpse into the soul of a thinker for the ages and a new window into timeless issues that world news thrusts upon us every day. Dyson explores topics as diverse as his early work in physics, to his work in the nuclear disarmament programs of the Kennedy-Kruschev era, to the politics of the McCarthyist efforts against Oppenheimer, to his thoughts on what it means for a one-time Brit to become an American, to gedanken experiments about colonization of the universe. Beneath each of these topics lies a set of fundamental moral imperatives. This book is an inspiration for professionals to look beyond their profession, and beyond science, to grapple with the great human questions.
   
   The open pages of Dyson's life, as recalled here, take the concept of "laws of nature" far beyond the realm of subatomic particle physics into the space of everyday social experience. This is a book about the development of social conscience, fueled by the ethical questions of nuclear weapons development. It is perhaps predictable that the book dwells on the questions of the morality of war, but the fresh perspectives and depth of thought on this topic kept me engaged. Reaching far beyond the role of science in war, the book extrapolates this discourse into the broader question of technology's role in a conscionable future of humanity. It is one of those uncommon writings from a "science" author that we dare call literature, both in terms of its rhetoric and in terms of its universality.
   
   There is a small bit at the end where Dyson describes what I believe to be an overly ambitious attempt to create a unifying metaphysic of subatomic behavior and human psychology, that seemed out of character with the rest of his book. But I can forgive the author that small distraction in light. And even as strange as it is, it bounces around in my head and--as is true of many ideas from this book--has been the source of numerous thoughtful discussions with colleagues.



5. some reviewers say this book is a masterpiece,and the greatest book written by Freeman.Dyson, I really can't agree with them.
   I read the book twice, I find it is an interesting book. Dyson is undoubted a successful scientist, this book ,I think it as autobiography of Dyson. of course, it is very interesting and full of stories. But just like other autobiographies, it is just a story book, not a masterpiece. for these resons, I give it four stars.
   F.Dyson wrote some popular book, they are all excellent, but the greater work of Dyson is about scientific research, such as QED.
   I also like his "infinite in all directions", because it give me a special viewpoint about science, society and universe.anyway, The book,and others by dyson is worth of reading.

1 comments about Max Perutz and the Secret of Life.

1. Max Perutz used to say that he was famous, but that few people knew what it was he was famous for. His name may not resonate with household familiarity, but he was a Nobel laureate for his work on the structure of hemoglobin and was enormously influential in organizing other scientists working in what was then a new field of molecular biology. He died in 2002, working up until his last days, and although he was an accomplished writer, he didn't get around to writing an autobiography because he consciously decided that his time was best spent researching instead. Now there is a fine biography that will help readers appreciate what he was famous for, _Max Perutz and the Secret of Life_ (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press) by Georgina Ferry. Ferry is one of our best science writers, and this admiring but unfawning biography not only tells the story of its protagonist, but also illustrates how science gets done as a cooperative and competitive enterprise.
   
   When he was 22 in 1936, Perutz and his family left his native Austria, but in Cambridge during the war he was arrested and shipped with Nazis to Canada merely because of his national origin. His work resumed upon his release and oath of allegiance to the King. It was ever after would based on x-ray crystallography, a field drawing from mathematics, chemistry, biology, and physics. The crystals Perutz used were not geologic samples, but crystallized versions of proteins, and he latched on to hemoglobin because it really was involved in the secrets of life; it was known that it carried oxygen throughout the body (he called it the "molecular lung"), but no one knew how it did so. Over decades of research he showed not only the structure, but how it flexed and turned in order to take on oxygen or give it off. Perutz was not the sort of brilliant scientist who had flashes of eureka moments. He got to his lab and worked hard until answers came. His answers were often wrong, shot down by others, and it is perhaps because he understood the nature of scientific research as a group endeavor that Perutz was brilliant in organizing others. He established the research unit in which Watson and Crick found DNA's structure, and as chairman of the Laboratory for Molecular Biology, he fostered an environment that on its own has produced more Nobel prizes than many developed countries.
   
   Perutz had more than his share of foibles. He had a passion for climbing mountains and skiing that could eclipse his interest in research or even in his family. Nonetheless, he was sickly most of his life, and had a peculiar diet that required him to eat bananas that had ripened to black. He had a naïve belief that scientific reasoning would overcome the flaws within politics and religion. His life as Ferry tells it, however, is full of wonderful lessons, like the one that a good brain is a boon, but hard work and perseverance are what make success. Another one is that scientific researchers work best in a chaotic environment with only partial controls upon it. Another one is that the best way to understand any physical object is to understand its internal structure. And finally, a maxim that was one of Perutz's favorites, "In science, truth always wins." Perutz left a legacy of his own research, and more importantly of effective organization of scientific teams, that will continue to foster the scientific victories he knew were coming.