James Vickers Books

I had to do a paper on Albania and the only book I could find on "Albania" was this book. It is very useful because it gives the social and political background of Albania from post WWII era to the recent democratic changes. The book is not a guide but a study of the always changing political situation in Albania

For Americans many found just as they did with Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia confusion when it came to sorting out who was who and their role in the breakup and war in Yugoslavia - this book provides an excellent explanation of who the Albanians are in Kosovo and who they are in Albania and the relationships they have. It also provides an excellent understanding of the different political and military groups that have played a significant role in shaping the path of this region. For a country that was very closed to the West this book provides and excellent detailed account of actions leading to a new open Albania and the influence on the current questions of independence for Kosovo.

This destined-to-be classic deserves--nay, commands--an honored place on the bookshelves of any scholar or devotee of the American academy, village life, urban evolution, and U.S. history or politics. Masterfully illustrated with insightful analyses of time and place, this work represents an amalgam of the best in word and picture. I cannot recommend this work too highly: it should be REQUIRED READING for all who live in, move to, or merely dream of 'the Southern Part of Heaven'.

P. A. Neenan, Ph.D.

James Vickers' Cliffs Notes for Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" begins with a short biography of the Bard that focuses on what little the historical record tells us about the man. A Brief Synopsis of the Play is followed by a List of Characters that not only tells us who they are but their primary roles in the play. The Summary and Commentary section of the volume breaks down the play scene by scene, and the best way of using this or any other little yellow book with the black stripes is to read the commentary after you have read each scene of the play. This is especially important with Shakespeare because the dialogue is so important and Vickers does not work in as many choice lines as some of the other Cliffs Notes for Shakespeare plays. You cannot deal with Shakespeare if you do not know the key lines. The last section dealing with Character Analyses looks as Caesar, Antony, Octavius, Brutus and Cassius, referring back to the analysis already established regarding the individual scenes. What you will not get from this volume if you are teaching/reading "Julius Caesar" is how the play touches upon the political realities of Elizabethean England. But Vickers does an excellent job throughout of capturing how Shakespeare uses the play to manipulate the audience. Remember, the celebrated funeral oration by Marc Antony is being listened to on stage by a Roman mob that is being watched by an audience of Londoners in the theater. This is one of the better jobs at capturing how Shakespeare constructed a play.

"The Rise of Animals" is a wonderful book. Much of the history of life on Earth was dominated by single-cell organisms and, until relatively recently, little was known of the origins of multi-cellular life before the "Cambrian Explosion" of life. This book describes those origins in what is now called the ediacaran fauna. More particularly, the most important fossil sites are very well described by leading palaeontologists

The authors show great respect for scientific rigor and academic balance - and dedication to their subject. They are also sufficiently humble to admit that much of what we know about the remote past is based on fragmentary evidence subject to different interpretations, and that new discoveries will almost certainly lead to revisions of matters currently considered to be settled.

You won't find self-serving selection of facts and argument to serve partisan stances. Nor will you find chest-beating self-promotion.

These are not light matters in an age where science is often trivialised and even distorted to serve partisan interests. One has only to follow the "intelligent design" controversy to see how pernicious such misrepresentation can be.

Where there are competing explanations for certain events, the central arguments on both sides are fairly given. Where uncertainty exists it is acknowledged. Significant information is fully attributed and referenced.

Such an approach fully informs the reader and provides valuable starting points for students to investigate particular matters more deeply.

The reader is also impressed by the dedication of early ediacaran investigators, who worked under difficult field conditions and then may have had to contend with professional opposition to their novel claims when back in the office! The progress of science owes much to such people, who, having the strength of their convictions, live to see their ideas embraced by their peers.

But this book is also about people other than palaeontologists. Often important sites lie on private property, or in remote areas, that require the cooperation of local people to enable palaeontologists to carry out field work. There is a moving story of one such couple, Tatiana and Timofei, who endured great hardships in the Soviet era, but who also provided accommodation and help to scientists in the field. Such people often go unrecognised in the scientific literature and it is greatly to the credit of the writers of this book that their contributions are recorded in text and photos.

There are also vivid descriptions of the difficulties (and pleasures) of doing fieldwork in remote locations such as the Arctic coast of Siberia.

The book is crammed with wonderful photos, illustrations and diagrams. The latter in particular are models of clarity. They manage to make very clear the essential features of complex systems. Colour-coded text boxes are frequently used for definitions and to describe important topics (eg radiometric dating) without disturbing the flow of the narrative.

Many of the fossil photos are breathtakingly beautiful. They are a tribute to the fossil discoverers, to those who revealed them from the host rock, and to those who prepared the illustrations for this book.

This book requires a reasonable level of scientific literacy to enjoy fully. The authors do not shy away from correct scientific terminology, but they make an effort to define many terms and to explain important topics in the text boxes.

Readers familiar with chemistry, biology and the earth sciences at senior high school or undergraduate level will have few problems.

Anyone studying palaeontology or related earth sciences would be motivated by the book, and would yearn to visit the wonderful locations of important fossils.

Science teachers looking to expand their horizons will also get much from the book, including insights into how science should be objectively studied and reported. Perhaps this is the most important duty of science teachers: to impart the moral and philosophical aspects of science, not only facts and techniques.

There is a text box on page 221 that describes the problems of sample contamination and the proper use of controls. Such experimental techniques should be taught to all students early in their careers, because the acquisition of trustworthy data is the bedrock upon which all science is built.

The book is not really suitable for general readers with no scientific knowledge at all - although such readers will certainly enjoy the illustrations and may be prompted to learn more about the origins of animals. The book is not amenable to skimming, as one reads a novel. Most non-specialist readers will have to engage with the text to take in the information.

There is no Glossary, which is a pity. Specialist terms unfamiliar to the general reader like "rangeomorphs" and "taphonomy" are used a number of times before they are defined in passing in the text. It would also have been helpful to include a classification diagram showing the major divisions of life (eg domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species) and some of the key taxa mentioned in the text. Only specialists will know where, for example, "chordate" or "arthropods" fit on the tree of life when these terms arise in the text.

Another small criticism is the rather jarring and self-serving Foreword written by Arthur C Clarke, whose promotion of his own science fiction books seems quite out of place after one has read the book.

There is an extensive bibliography, as you would expect in a book of this quality. There is also an "atlas" describing all the key fossils. Internet references are also given in some places.

The bottom line: I really enjoyed this book. It is well worth the money for general readers like myself, not only for its scientific content and descriptions of evocative places, but also for its insight into the professional activity of honourable people engaged in scientific work that they love and respect - in a field that unfortunately does not always generate the public acclaim or recognition enjoyed by high-profile fields such as space research and medicine.

Books like this deserve a wider readership so that proper recognition may accrue to scientists who are unravelling the mysteries of life on our planet - surely one of the noblest scientific endeavours of all.

Since nobody else has reviewed this intriguing book yet, I thought I'd try to provide a brief description. The first thing to know is that this sumptuous volume is somewhat deceptively titled. The book is not really about the "rise of animals" per se, but rather focuses almost entirely on Ediacaran paleontology. There is relatively little content on subjects like phylogeny, genetic analysis, SSFs, the Cambrian explosion, etcetera, things you would ordinarily consider the heart of the "rise of animals." Instead you get a brief overview chapter that sets the geological/biological stage for Ediacaran biota, and then chapter after chapter of beautifully illustrated discussion of the various fossil sites, their contents, and the organisms they display. As reflected by the substantial price, the quality of the text and photos is superb.

In short, this book contains an extraordinary presentation on Ediacaran paleontology. It has no peers in that respect, or even serious competitors. If Ediacaran/vendian biota interests you, then this is the ONLY book out there. But if you are actually looking for a treatise on the emergence and diversification of animal life (as opposed to this fascinating sub-pocket of metazoans), I would instead recommend Valentine's incredible book on the origin of phyla.

James McEwan arrived in Singapore on January 13, 1942, and was posted to Seletar Airbase as the Intelligence Officer for 36 and 100 Squadron. These Squadrons flew the Vickers Vildebeest, a single engined open cockpit biplane with a cruising speed of around 82 mph. With the help of surviving aircrew members McEwan has pieced together the astounding story of the brave men who flew combat operations in these obsolete bombers. Their most dramatic operation was their attack on Japanese ships conducting a landing operation at Endau, Malaya. Half the aircrews were killed pressing home their attacks through hordes of Zero fighters. The first half of the book covers McEwan's service with 36 and 100 Squadrons in Singapore and Java, up until the author's capture in March 1942. The second half of the book picks up the story on the authors arrival in Japan in November 1942. He spent the rest of the war at Ohama on Honshu where the POW's worked a coal mine. In August 1945 the author saw a strange mushroom cloud appear in the distance over Nagasaki. I very much enjoyed the detailed accounts of the previously neglected combat operations of the Vildebeest.

My best way to describe this book is to call it a popup book without the popups. It has that feel to it, sparse, large font text, large pictures, certainly a childs' book, except that the subject matter wouldn't interest a child very much. I was hoping for much more before receiving this bio.

The main reason to have this is as a novelty/collection item. None of the information within is new or in depth. Employees and retirees who have any interest in the subject will already know all the information within. I would say purchase the paperback instead, but that takes away from the hardcover collectability of it. If you or someone you know is a Kraft collector, go ahead and get it but don't expect much.

This review was written by Patricia's son Michael. Our family, starting with my Dad, has a long tradition with Kraft.