1 comments about My Life: A record of events and opinions.

1. This book was just what I wanted. A R Wallace's account of his own long and interesting life.

No comments about Gregor Mendel: Planting the Seeds of Genetics.

5 comments about On a Grander Scale: The Outstanding Life and Tumultuous Times of Sir Christopher Wren.

1. Christopher Wren was born in 1632 and died in 1723. He was born when Charles I was king, and died during the reign of George I.
   
   'Visitor, if you require a tomb, look down. If you require a monument, look around you.' This was the tombstone inscription proposed by Sir Christopher's son, and it would have indeed distinguished more carefully the man from his work.
   
   Sir Christopher Wren was one of an immensely talented group of Restoration scientists and architects who flourished in the late 17th century. His architectural achievements include St Paul's Cathedral and many of the significant buildings built (or rebuilt) in London after the Great Fire in 1666. Much of his scientific work was done in collaboration with Robert Hooke and while it is perhaps less visible to non-scientists it is highly significant.
   
   This is not a book so much about Sir Christopher himself as it is about the span and influence of his public life. Those with an interest in Restoration science will recognise Boyle, Newton, Hooke, Flamsteed and Halley amongst others. Those with an interest in the Stuart dynasty will recognise some of the dynastic failings which impacted on the execution of some of Sir Christopher's architectural designs.
   
   This is an ambitious book and one which could have benefitted from more careful editing. The first name of the first Earl of Clarendon (Edward rather than Henry) is likely to be known by most interested in this period and is a relatively minor issue but it jars.
   
   I would recommend this book to those with an interest in 17th century science and architecture in its own political setting. Ms Jardine provides extensive notes and a comprehensive bigraphy for those who want to read either more widely or in more detail.
   
   Jennifer Cameron-Smith



2. I admit that I approached this book hoping for more info about his architecture and scientific thinking. And also admittedly, the author straight off the bat says that if you are looking for pure architecture on Wren look at another book, or pure scientific theories of Wren also look at another book. However, I was hoping for a middle ground. The book delves more into the turbulence of the times and how that affected young Wren's monetary standing. Lots of info about minor characters. Lots of overly long and redundant quotes from archaicly written (obviously) source materials that the author has to paraphrase almost word for word after the quote. But very little info about the science or the architecture.



3. the author has obviously researched this great man's life thoroughly. unfortunately, she has so much to say it comes tumbling down onto the pages in the form of a poorly edited - if it was edited at all - work. it is impeded by a maddening amount of sentences aborted by " ( ) " and " - " to the point some sentences are so disjointed it is necessary to re read them to figure out where a sentence was headed before it got short circuited. some additions of this type can be informative, most are not. footnotes could have helped saved what could have been a great work on a great man by a great author. instead, it often reads as a mass of annoying self-interruptions and break up of sentence continuity.



4. "reader if you require a monument, look around you" (inscription of the plaque at Wren's tomb)

   Sir Christopher Wren was born to a life of privilege that evaporated when Charles I was deposed. His father was Order of the Garter. Suddenly his family was in danger of losing life as well as property. These were Wren's student years. During this period Wren became pragmatic, and he survived.

   It was the Restoration of Charles II to the throne of England that restored the fortunes of the Wren family. Too late for the father, but at precisely the right moment for the son. Charles II restored the monarchy, and restored the fortunes of Wren. The Restoration was an extraordinary period.

   Wren was a Renaissance man, best known for his architecture, in particular St. Paul's Cathedral. But Wren also "mapped moons and the trajectories of comets" He "pursued astronomy and medicine during two civil wars."

   This is a scholarly biography, and not light beach reading. Lisa Jardine's 85 pages of notes and an eighteen page bibliography may give some insight into how seriously she has taken her subject. On a Grander Scale is a detailed report on a fascinating time in England's history and one of the men that made it so. It is well done, accurate, and intellectually stimulating.




5. Writer Lisa Jardine has written a very interesting book about Sir Christopher Wren and the extraordinary 91 years of life he lead. Even when you allow for the nearly century long life of this man it is still amazing the scope of what he accomplished, and how much more of his work we would enjoy today if it had been finished. Sir Wren served a variety of Monarchs, all who wanted to place their own mark upon London, and this often lead to his projects being delayed, stopped in the midst of their development or never getting off the pages he created them upon.

   This book is not a traditional biography that focuses exclusively on the primary individual and only touches on his peers when appropriate. Lisa Jardine explores in varying detail, at times very carefully, the lives of the men that were contemporaries of Sir Wren. These detours will be welcome by those who already are well educated as to who Sir Wren was and what he did. If you are picking up this book for an in depth view of this man alone, this book will not satisfy your goal. An example that literally illustrates my point is the 16 color plates that are to be found in the book. Only 3 pages are dedicated to his architectural drawings, as many are dedicated to documents that bear only his signature, and more are dedicated to portraits of the royal heads of state he served together with portraits of their children. The same can be said for many of the black and white reproductions throughout the book, they are primarily of his peers, friends, and at times his adversaries. There are contemporary photographs of some of the churches he reconstructed with mention of the architectural sleights of hand that were used to make the buildings appear to the eye differently than they actually sat on the site. But the details are not shown, simply the building, I wanted the details.

   The author also spends a great deal of time on the order of The Knights of the Garter. This is a fascinating subject and group of people that has catalyzed entire books on its own. In this work it again occupies color plates that I would have like to have seen occupied by Sir Wren's work, I did not need to see the front page of a book about the society that was not even written by Sir Wren. There was also a style employed by the author that at times, while very accurate, was redundant. Lisa Jardine would describe an event, for example between Sir Wren and a friend; she would then place the original letter that would once again explain what she had just told the reader. Now reading the original source material is interesting, but in a 483 page book that purports to cover the 91 year life of one of History's noted personages, once this additional material is subtracted together with all the photos and images that are not of Sir Wren and his work, the amount of the book dedicated to the man and his work is substantially less than the whole.

   I enjoyed the book but it is not a book that after a reader completes it, will set it down and feel they have a good understanding of the marvels he created for London and its Royal Families. His life was too long, too complex, and too varied in its pursuits to crowd his story with so much material on others. There is no reason the 16 pages of color plates could not have been devoted to his work, I did not need to see the children of kings and queens. I wanted to see his buildings and his architectural drawings that are beautiful art by themselves.

   By all means read and enjoy this book, it will certainly cause you too seek out more reading on one of the ore remarkable men to have even inhabited London, and to have placed his mark on History.

3 comments about More with Less: Paul MacCready and the Dream of Efficient Flight.

1. More with Less provides details and picture not included in the book on the Gossamer airplanes. I was especially intrigued by the statement that the plane that made the channel crossing was the 'dirty' airplane'; not the 'clean' one. The Gossamer Albatross hanging at The Museum of Flight (MOF) in Seattle is billed as the backup for the plane that made the successful crossing. Is the MOF plane then the 'clean' version? The book includes interesting items about Paul MacCready that added to my knowledge as a Docent.
   
   MOF Docent



2. I've had the pleasure of hiking into the San Gabriel Mountains with Paul MacCready. I've gone to lectures at Caltech where MacCready was in the audience and I've looked on his [ever present] notebooks with wonder. More With Less is a good read and a quick read, but it left me wanting a full-fledged biography of Paul MacCready AND a more complete volume on efficiency in this high tech world. Despite this, I enjoyed Paul Ciotti's take on both subjects. As an introduction to both subjects, More With Less does a very good job. If you are looking for a more detailed book on either subject, my guess is that you'll be disappointed.



3. I had hoped "More with Less" would be an in-depth biography of Dr. Paul MacCready, former National Soaring Champion, designer of the Gossamer Albatross and Gossamer Condor, and engineer extraordinaire. It's not. The book focusses on MacCready only as a central figure in the evolution of efficient flight. The author spends far more time talking about other people and things (like the southern California hang-gliding scene in the 70s) than he does tracing MacCready's life. There is very little here for hungry little glider pilots like me that want to read in depth about MacCready's adventures in the beautiful Orlik sailplane, his contest successes, etc. That is the bad news. The good news is that the author weaves a fascinating tale of the people and machines (albeit with little technical detail) involved in this corner of the flying world. The author describes the people in the book candidly, warts and all. Not knowing any of these people I can't vouch for his accuracy, but he paints far more interesting portraits than the "hero engineer" so often presented in this kind of book, and it is this aspect that makes the book so interesting to read. The illustrations are terribly reproduced, mislabled in at least one case, and there are far too few of them! I know from seeing two of Paul MacCready's slide shows that there are many great photographs in existence that could have and should have been used in this book. That aside, anyone interested in flying machines that do more with less, and the people who design, build, and fly them, will enjoy reading this book.

5 comments about Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist (Living Philosophers Volume 7).

1. In spite of his lasting fame and eminence, Albert Einstein remains largely misunderstood by most of us to this day. Yet it's not for lack of trying. His presence is ubiquitous in high school math classrooms throughout the United States, where he is often depicted on glossy posters as an old man amid the stars with e=mc2 hovering nearby. Most children eventually learn that Einstein and his famous equation are the reason we have atomic bombs. Beyond that, they know next to nothing.
   
   But "Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist" edited by Paul Arthur Schilpp can change all that, provided one makes the effort. After the introduction and preface the book opens with Einstein's "Autobiographical Notes," written in German at the age of 67. We may read both the German text and English translation on the facing pages, and compare the two, which I often did, especially with difficult passages. And there are some "difficult passages" to be sure.
   
   The next section contains a series of essays by Einstein's esteemed colleagues and contemporaries. Among them are Wolfgang Pauli, Max Born, Niels Bohr, Kurt Godel, Gaston Bachelard and others of equal stature. Some contributors disagree with Einstein's position on statistical quantum theory, Max Born in particular. Others tackle the epistemological issues of their time, illuminating subtle philosophical considerations that quickened the numerous advances in theoretical physics during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. One essay: Philipp G. Frank's "Einstein, Mach, and Logical Positivism" reveals an astounding fact. "Because of the close connection, which obviously exists between Einstein's theory of relativity and Mach's philosophy, Lenin feared that Einstein's theories might become a Trojan horse for the infiltration of idealistic currents among Russian scientists and among educated classes in general."
   
   I find this appalling. Apparently, even devout atheists can lack an open mind.
   
   Happily, Einstein answers each contributor at the end of the book in his "Remarks to the Essays Appearing in this Collective Volume." He begins with Pauli and Born, primarily because of their position on statistical quantum theory, whereupon Einstein launches into a fascinating defense of his own position. But as with all the contributors, the tone throughout was gentle and respectful. And one comes away with the impression that Einstein was beloved by his contemporaries because he returned that love in kind. The result was a mighty collusion of powerful minds that changed the world. Now, if only politicians and preachers could do the same!



2. Albert Einstein lived the last thirty years of his life in the United States and passed away in 1955 in New Jersey. He wrote three great papers in 1905 at the age of 26.

   This book is the only thing ever coming close to an autobiography that Einstein ever wrote. Needless to say, offers of money and prizes were offered to him, unlike the millions offered to ex-U.S. presidents to write a book. He never accepted any of these offers. The only offer he accepted was from Professor Schilpp to write an intellectual autobiography of himself.

   Incredible and Timeless is only ways to describe this book. Einstein labels as his "obituary", for a man who was considered the "Person of the Century" by Time Magazine.

   Friends, his own "obituary" in his own hand is a worthy read and cost of the book. It is not a "personal" life but his "thinking" on science and of course on physics. We all know the two great theories of physical was created in the early 20th. century: the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. Einstein alone created relativity and was also one of the founders of the quantum theory. We also know now that Einstein never accepted quantum theory till the end.

   Here, Einstein fully describes the failure of classical mechanics and the rise of the electromagnetic field, the theory of relativity and of the quanta.

   Of note, Einstein's "Evolution of Physics" is a general lay discussion of the same issues. This is Einstein's technical discussion of the evolution of physics.

   "When I was a fairly precocious young man the nothingness of the hopes and strivings which chases most men restlessly through life came to my consciousness with considerable vitality" This comment alone is worth price of the book.

   The essays sections includes writing of the great scientist of the 20th century. We only read about them in textbook but here they are in their own words: Niels Bohr, Louis De Broglie, Arnold Sommerfeld, Max Born, Kurt Godel, Hans Reichenbach and Wolfgang Pauli. One only sees their picture in physics textbooks.

   This book really belongs in all who are professional scientists or are interested in science. Unlike Newton "Principia" or Darwin's "The Origin of Species" Einstein papers are scattered everyone. This is the only definitive book on Einstein by Einstein himself.

   Moreover, it is a scholarly and scientific book, so it should last for a long time and of value to all future generations.




3. Albert Einstein lived the last thirty years of his life in the United States and passed away in 1955 in New Jersey. He wrote three great papers in 1905 at the age of 26.

   This book is the only thing ever coming close to an autobiography that Einstein ever wrote. Needless to say, offers of money and prizes were offered to him, unlike the millions offered to ex-U.S. presidents to write a book. He never accepted any of these offers. The only offer he accepted was from Professor Schilpp to write an intellectual autobiography of himself.

   Incredible and Timeless is only ways to describe this book. Einstein labels as his "obituary", for a man who was considered the "Person of the Century" by Time Magazine.

   Friends, his own "obituary" in his own hand is a worthy read and cost of the book. It is not a "personal" life but his "thinking" on science and of course on physics. We all know the two great theories of physical was created in the early 20th. century: the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. Einstein alone created relativity and was also one of the founders of the quantum theory. We also know now that Einstein never accepted quantum theory till the end.

   Here, Einstein fully describes the failure of classical mechanics and the rise of the electromagnetic field, the theory of relativity and of the quanta.

   Of note, Einstein's "Evolution of Physics" is a general lay discussion of the same issues. This is Einstein's technical discussion of the evolution of physics.

   "When I was a fairly precocious young man the nothingness of the hopes and strivings which chases most men restlessly through life came to my consciousness with considerable vitality" This comment alone is worth price of the book.

   The essays sections includes writing of the great scientist of the 20th century. We only read about them in textbook but here they are in their own words: Niels Bohr, Louis De Broglie, Arnold Sommerfeld, Max Born, Kurt Godel, Hans Reichenbach and Wolfgang Pauli. One only sees their picture in physics textbooks.

   This book really belongs in all who are professional scientists or are interested in science. Unlike Newton "Principia" or Darwin's "The Origin of Species" Einstein papers are scattered everyone. This is the only definitive book on Einstein by Einstein himself.

   Moreover, it is a scholarly and scientific book, so it should last for a long time and of value to all future generations.




4. Here, Einstein clearly shows the world that he was a first-class intellectual and scientist.

   --Lonnie R. Gardner (Math Teacher)




5. The philosopher Paul Schilpp directed, for many years, a series of books like this one, each around an eminent scholar. I recall, for instance, those on Russell and Popper. They started with an intellectual autobiography, followed by articles by specialists both pro and against the protagonist. They all had, it seems, a very high quality. No one surpassed,though, or even equalled, the volume on Einstein. And that because of the absolutely extraordinary quality of his intellectual autobiography, which he insisted in naming his "obituary". This is one of the great moments of written expression, rivalling Augustine's "Confessions". Is is written in German, and faced, page by page, with a translation by Schilpp. At a certain point, Einstein engages himself in answering the question he just proposed: "What, precisely, is thinking". The defense rests.

2 comments about Downcanyon: A Naturalist Explores the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.

1. As was written by the copy editor to introduce the foreword by Ms. Zwinger to my recently published book "Deep Immersion: Thoreau's Engagement with Water" (Green Frigate Books): "Few have ever been so 'haunted by waters' - to use Norman Maclean's wonderful phrase - as has naturalist and 'water logged' nature writer Ann Haymond Zwinger." This particlar book, like all of her works, very much offers a deep well for thirsty minds.



2. Ann Haymond Zwinger has contributed her scientific expertise to subsidized, multi-week inner-canyon environmental impact expeditions, has run each of the Canyon's rapids countless times (in nearly each month of the year), in every sort of water craft. What her scientific eye takes in, her pen transmutes into its own river of irresistible prose, carrying the reader, willing or not, from one chapter to the next. As a hiker, I expected the vision of a "boat person" to suffer from its constricted horizons. A bottom-up myopia. Instead, we find ourselves soaring with eagles. We climb cliffs, clawing our way through a darkness of thorns and pain. We crawl along brushy beaver tunnels. We ponder the local history and lore...and the primeval past. Our journey evokes visions of thousand foot-high lava dams filling the entire Canyon with water, as well as today's horror of a rapid at Lava Falls. While some of her snippets of local human history are rarely mentioned in other books about the Canyon, Zwinger's forte is in the natural sciences. In that arena, she has no peer among Grand Canyon authors. Since this is not a trail manual, it is not easy to restrict one's reading to a single, specific Canyon location. Rather, the chapters are organized by seasons of the year. No matter. If you start at the beginning, its 220 or so pages of narrative will sweep you into their main current and, well... I'll see you below the rapids.

4 comments about Tesla: Master of Lightning.

1. This book about Tesla does not offer a very definitive overview about the man and the scientist.I thought this particular biography on the life of Tesla was rather weak.There are much better ones around.The best one being,'The Wizard'.The pictures are quite interesting,showing many of his inventions and social situations concerning the work and exhibits by Nikola Tesla.Yet,from a scientific technical point-of-view this book is light-weight on formulas and construction.Die-hard fans of the Tesla genre,would all agree,that this book could be better.Maybe the authors wanted to attract more readers ,by not scaring them off with too much scientific jargon. I would still recommend this Tesla book.



2. Fascinating. Tesla was born Serbian Orthodox in what is now Croatia (formerly part of Yugoslavia). Came to New York as a young man and lived and worked in the U.S. from the 1890s into the 1930s. He is often described as being "ahead of his time": He envisioned, designed, and even patented electronic devices some of which are only today being practically realized. The supporting technology or scientific knowledge did not yet exist for many of them, though he accurately theorized that they would be possible.
   
   Various circumstances contributed to his being little known in America today (and not credited, even by scholars, with all that he accomplished). These include his unwillingness to work with wealthy corporate sponsors (as did Edison and Marconi) and the fact that much of his later work dealt with weaponry and thus was classified after his death. Also, his papers were returned to his native land and the ensuing Cold War prevented Western researchers from accessing them until recently. Many of his inventions-such as radio, AC electrical power, and radar-have long been credited to others. He foresaw-and his work contributed to the invention of-telephones, television, X-rays, satellite transmission, and directed energy weapons. He was also eccentric, probably suffered from OCD, and lived much of his life in poverty. This book downplays his eccentricities and paints him with an honest but very admiring brush.



3. I found this book to be an excellent overview of Tesla's work and life. It's also a quick read. The book successfully conveys the image of Tesla as a remarkable inventor whose work and ideas were at the very forefront of the practical application of electromagnetic theory.
   
   The book plays along uncritically, however, with Tesla's apparently self cultivated image of being a Wizard / Scientist. Many of Tesla's more controversial ideas and clams that were never, and have never been substantiated through experiment, can be dismissed as poppycock. By contrast all of Tesla's successful ideas rest on very firm scientic foundations. The Author makes no attempt to discriminate one from the other. Instead, unsubstantiated claims are sprinkled liberally with vague references to missing documents and political intrigue.
   
   One excellent example of Tesla's tendancy for hyperbole is his claim of having built and tested an oscillator cable of creating earthquakes. Such a claim would have elicited knowing smirks even from 19th century scientists. Anyone doubting the foolishness of such a claim would do well to stay away from earth compactors and jackhammers, lest the Earth itself split in two! The Author(s)' failure to address Tesla's penchant for embellishment and hyperbole, and other odd aspects of Tesla's character (Other than frequent idle speculation on his sexual orientation) makes for a rather flat and onesided presentation.



4. How could Margaret Cheney (Tesla : Man Out Of Time) and Robert Uth (Tesla : Master Of Lightning) improve upon their past individual works (a book and documentary video, respectively)? By combining their efforts to produce this wonderful book, that's how. The informative text is interspersed with 250 b&w and duotone images that show Tesla and the era in which he excelled (truly a man out of time). Also included are 36 sidebars that explain some of the technical aspects of Tesla's works. After reading several other books on Tesla, I thought I knew it all. I'm happy to say that this one proved me wrong. Not to be missed by true Tesla fans.

5 comments about Richard Dawkins: How a Scientist Changed the Way We Think: Reflections by Scientists, Writers, and Philosophers.

1. I can't help but feel that the reviews thus far for this book have only been favorable due to the contributions that Dawkins himself has made to the field of evolutionary biology.
   
   What was most troubling about this book was the contradictions which the editors themselves (Grafen and Ridley) managed to incorporate. They say that Dawkins uses "impeccable logic" and yet they also claim that he's "often misunderstood". Grafen claims that The Selfish Gene caused an "immediate revolution in biology". Yet, Andrew Read, one of the contributors, said he didn't encounter the book until after he completed his four year zoology degree (and yes, it had been published before that time). One also gets to read about, from the accounts of several scientists, how The Selfish Gene "taught me to think" (from Read's essay, but this is only an example). Grafen then tells us that it is noteworthy that Dawkins was elected to the Royal Society for his "contributions to the public understanding of science, not for his contribution to science itself."
   
   The Selfish Gene is a masterful book and it's certainly worthy of praise, but 283 pages of praise with intercalary superfluous biographic accounts by the authors makes this book one for the trash bin.
   
   It is nothing but an academic circle jerk. Very disappointing.



2. If you have read Richard's books over the years, you will enjoy reading some other prominent peoples' opinions. I am now re-reading "The selfish gene"



3. The subtitle, after the title naming the subject of the tributes, says: "HOW A SCIENTIST CHANGED THE WAY WE THINK". Who is "WE"? Certainly not anyone. Rather, it may apply to the contributors to the book, and more widely to Darwinians. My drift is that if that scientist, Richard Dawkins, indeed changed the way someone thinks, it concerns those who accept Darwinism as axiomatic, the change concerning how they think Darwinism can be detailed.
   
   To me this is like thinking how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. Despite the authors' absolute certainty that Darwinism is true, it is, as I have tried to show elsewhere, not only a theory, but a false one. Its refutation is in fact quite simple, but it resides in what has been a blind spot on both sides of the dispute for or against the theory.
   
   One of the authors in the book quotes Dawkins in matters that highlight the essence of the dispute (p.233): "Darwin made it possible to be an intellectually fulfilled atheist." (As an aside: What about spiritually, emotionally, fulfilled?) And "The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil and no good, nothing but blind pitiless indifference."
   
   Ironically, the just spoken "blind" indicates the blind spot mentioned above. The dire views expressed in the preceding quotations are belied by an overwhelming phenomenon completely overlooked. It is the activities characterizing every live organism. Their directions toward its preservation display the opposite of "blind pitiless indifference", of "no good", of "no purpose".
   
   I shall not go further here into the questions of theism or atheism; it should, however, be clear from the aforesaid that the presence of directedness in nature, contrary to the claim of its absence, is, in the functionings of organisms, very much part of science, as exemplified by medicine.
   
   It is instead Darwinian aimlessness which contradicts these observations. In this respect one may take a look at a prevalent theme in the reviewed book, regarding what "changed the way we think". Dawkins proposed (p.55) that the gene, "defined as any portion of chromosomal material that potentially lasts for enough generations to serve as a unit of natural selection", must be recognized as "the fundamental unit of natural selection, and therefore the fundamental unit of self-interest."
   
   This has to do with the microscopic unit transmitting hereditary characters and which Dawkins for the preceding reason called "the selfish gene". Of interest now is of course that the gene or anything else in organisms is called without hesitation a unit of, aimless, "natural selection". As seen above, organismic parts do act with aims and are correspondingly replicated through generations with aims.
   
   Dawkins called the gene "the fundamental unit of self-interest" because it is so replicated, and as known, "natural selection" is to favor that which survives, and the gene appears to survive longer than other units of organisms. But in the organism's activities aimed at its survival the genes are merely instruments by which organisms propagate for that survival. In other words, genes do not act in self-interest but in the interest of organisms.
   
   More importantly, as here again called attention to, the living do not adapt as a result of undirected effects of natural selection, but as a result of their directed activities toward self-preservation.



4. Richard Dawkins is brilliant. Because he writes so clearly, his colleagues and students learn from him with ease; because he writes so entertainingly, they thoroughly enjoy the learning process. In Grafen and Ridley's compendium, other scientists who have benefited from Dawkins' brilliance build on his work, and provide important commentary and instruction on how to think and reason.



5. As usual I found myself wondering around the science section of a local bookstore. I tried to convince myself that I should finish reading one of the seven books by my bed before spending anymore of my, rent, money. After browsing the covers of numerous books, I was just `looking', one caught my eye. A very visible font read: "Richard Dawkins". I picked it up assuming, wrongly so, that this was Dawkins biography. I usually have a habit of reading the preface of the book I have my eye on, this time I went straight to the register. I started reading the book in the car when I walked out of the bookstore. Two days after, of non-stop reading, I have just put it down.
   
   The book is a collection of essays from a wide range of fields including biologists, writers and philosophers. They all describe the ways in which Dawkins has affected their academic life, field of study or the effects of his books, mostly the selfish gene, on the way we think of evolution. The first section, titled `Biology', is a collection of essays describing how the genes eye view of evolution is sculpturing their research and how Dawkins's explanation had shed a new light on evolution that continues to this day.
   The sections titled `The Selfish Gene" addresses this now infamous book and its impact on humanity, the view of culture (through Memes) and arguments for a reductionism approach when dealing with human behavior. The next three sections (Logic, Antiphonal Voices and Humans) contain essays that continue the Selfish gene theme and address the impact of Dawkins writing on some fundamental human questions. The sections titled `Controversy' reviews the most controversial side of Dawkins, the Dawkins that is never afraid to be straight forward when attacking religious dogma and promoting atheism. Finally the section on `Writing' sums up this book perfectly. In the midst of all the controversy and scientific arguments it is not difficult to forget that Dawkins is truly mesmerizing with words. The two essays in this section sum up his writing technique and perhaps clarify why even those who don't agree with his views are so captivated by his books.
   
   If you are a fan of Dawkins, or even if you are not, this is a must have.

5 comments about Linus Pauling in His Own Words: Selections From his Writings, Speeches and Interviews.

1. Linus Carl Pauling is regarded by many as the premier chemist of the twentieth century. Pauling received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1962 for his campaign against above-ground nuclear testing, and is the only person to win two Nobel prizes that were not shared with another recipient. The other people who have received two Nobel prizes are Marie Curie (physics and chemistry), John Bardeen (both in physics) and Frederick Sanger (both in chemistry). Later in life, he became an advocate for greatly increased consumption of vitamin C and other nutrients. He generalized his ideas to define orthomolecular medicine, which is still regarded as unorthodox by conventional medicine. He popularized his concepts, analyses, research and insights in several successful but controversial books centered around vitamin C and orthomolecular medicine



2. This book is a good introduction into the world of Linus Pauling, a most fascinating person; rather than tell his story for him, Barbara Marinacci allows him to tell his own story. For those, who have already read a good biography or good biographies of him, this book contains no surprises.
   
   All the same, it certainly is inspirational and worth reading.



3. Linus Pauling is the only person to date to win two unshared Nobel Prizes in science. His researches were in a wide variety of areas including nuclear science, genetics, molecular biology , X-ray chrystallography, mineralogy, physical chemistry.
   The most valuable parts of his memoirs are his descriptions of his own scientific work and discoveries.
   Pauling's motto was " Never put your trust in anything but your own intellect" and he was a tremendously independent researcher, and thinker.
   His reputation and his great work were in science, but he also thought out loud and independently on political and health subjects.
   I remember hearing him talk years ago at Harpur College in Binghamton New York. I was expecting to hear him talk about his scientific work and discoveries. Instead he went on endlessly about Vitamin C as a cure to all our health problems. Yes, Pauling along with being a pioneering intellect and scientist was a crank also.
   His crankiness had its political side in his Pacifism , a pacificism which led to his being accused of being a fellow traveler.(i.e.Communist ).
   In fact the idea that nuclear war is insane is one of the most sane ideas imaginable. But equating the US and the late Soviet Union as Pauling often did was mistaken and wrongheaded.
   Above all it is best to think of Pauling as a scientist. The enthusiasm he had in exploring nature is felt throughout this work.
   He believed himself and other scientists fortunate in that he thought scientists could appreciate and enjoy so much more of the world than others.
   He was a true American original , a pioneer researcher at the highest level, and not without a certain sense of humor.
   This book may not bear a cover- to - cover reading but whoever looks and searches in it will find much material for the investigating human soul.



4. Book is about more his professional life more than his private life. After very short introduction his scientific life story is told through abbreviated sayings, speeches of his own. Since most of the text is from his speeches and abstracts you get a lot of his opinions and comments on various subjects including use of atomic power.



5. i hope that everybody who read this book realy deeply,could understand the true meaning of the two times noble price winner wich is gathered and explained in a very easy to follow,and the real messages that he explined in this super-book!this book reflects his total life-history, philosophy,orthomolecularly,and the real man as a human.very interesting book, and highly recommanded.

2 comments about The Life of Benjamin Banneker: The First African-American Man of Science.

1. . Why is there a DC high school named for Benjamin Banneker? If you read this book, you will find out that this local-boy-made-good was a free African-American tobacco farmer who was born and lived his entire life just outside of what is now known as Ellicott City, MD. He had an early interest in mathematics, science, and astronomy, and with a pocket knife and some other tools built one of the first clocks ever made in the 13 American colonies, out of wood. For this he became locally famous, and made friends with some of the younger members of the Ellicott family, who were Quakers, anti-slavery advocates, and owners of some mills in what was then known as Ellicott's Mills. They lent him some mathematics and astronomy texts, and eventually gave him a telescope. He taught himself a considerable amount of mathematical and observational astronomy, and eventually began, around the age of 60, to publish an almanac detailing the locations of the planets and the Moon for the coming year, as well as predicting eclipses and sunrises and sunsets - all based on laborious and lengthy calculations and diagrams that he made himself.

   Eventually, he was tapped for an even greater role - he was hired to help Major Andrew Ellicott in the astronomical and chronometric portion of the most important surveying job of his day - laying out the 10 mile by 10 mile square that eventually became the District of Columbia.

   This very well-researched book also helps lay to rest some of the myths about what Banneker did and did not do during his most unusual lifetime; unfortunately, many websites and books continue to propagate these myths, probably because those authors do not understand what Banneker actually accomplished. Many state, for example, that Banneker's clock was an exact copy of one he saw, which is not true -- he figured out the mathematics and physics on his own for a clock made out of wood, instead of trying simply to copy the small pocket watch that he was lent to observe. However remarkable this clock was, it was not the first clock made in America. Other sources continually repeat the myth that when Pierre l'Enfant was fired from the job of laying out the new Federal City, Benjamin Banneker recreated l'Enfant's plans from memory. Bedini lays this myth to rest and shows us that what Banneker actually did in terms of astronomical work was actually much more difficult -- in fact, it was in the league of the work done by Mechain and Delambre to measure the length of the meridian that passes through Dunkirk, Paris and Barcelona, with the purpose of defining the meter for all time. But that's another story -- but if you want to read about it, check out Ken Alder's The Measure of All Things: The Seven-Year Odyssey and Hidden Error that Transformed The World.

   If you read this book, you will also see some facsimiles of his widely-known almanac, some of his correspondence with Thomas Jefferson where he vainly attempts to convince the future president that African Americans are just as smart as European Americans, photographs of some of the equipment that he used, and so on. Unfortunately, Banneker's house, and all of its contents (including the wooden clock and many of his astronomical workbooks) burned to the ground on the day of his funeral.




2. A great read for my six and eight-year old grandsons and me. This biography briefly but clearly covered several areas of history: colonialism, slavery, scientific works of more than 200 years ago. It told of Banneker's many accomplishments,focusing mainly on his producing the first known almanac by an African-American and his correspondence with Thomas Jefferson over the unfairness of slavery in America. We learned what an almanac is and how important it was in colonial days. The book mentions how Banneker's grandmother, Molly, taught him to read and this led my grandsons and I to another biography, "Molly Bannaky", the story of Banneker's grandmother, written by Alice McGill. We had fun researching Banneker's family tree in this way. What I especially liked about the book was the quiet message I hope my grandsons grasped, that if you keep trying hard enough, you can accomplish many goals in your life and have a richer life for it.