Australia Books

The story of Albert Facey's life is one of the most inspiring, poignant biographies I have ever read. He endured personal and physical trials that would have made others buckle under, but he always kept his sense of proportion--and humor.I feel fortunate that an Australian friend sent it to me to read and will recommend it to my friends.

I received the shipment on time, and the book was in the same condition as described.

I bought this book when it first was released. After reading it, I bought about 20 copies to give to friends for Christmas. It is a great book. Without giving away the true story, it is about the hard life of a man, told by himself as though you are sitting at his knee as a grandchild. This is a story of a 'ordinary man' who thought of himself as such; but he was really a hero of his generation, and actually LIVED history.

This is a wonderful book. Facey is a fantastic narrator who leaves you hungry to read more. He lives through both world wars, and he records his thoughts honestly.

It is a great book, as it shows the Australian struggle during the time period. Plus the events that Facey lives through are dramatic. This book does not have one boring page in it, as Facey had such an interesting life.

As a result of Facey's honesty, the book will make you laugh, cry and gasp at his experiences. It is a tale of endurance and triumph.

My lecturer recommended this to us as "the greatest souvenir you could take from Australia", and he is certainly right.

First published in 1969, this book brings you 38 original games. Sid Sackson collected these games as member of the N.Y.G.A (New York Game Associates), allthough many are his own invention.

It is true that any Hoyle will give you instant access to many games, but all these games somehow have something special.

My own favorite is Haggle, a delightfull party game for birthday parties.

Board and card games are so ancient and spread around the world that one may think nothing really new will come up. If that's your opinion, this book will change your mind, offering dozens of NEW games to play with pencil & paper, pocker chips or standard playing cards.

Sid Sackson was probably the most prolific collector of board games in the United States (and probably the world). Sid loved games and he loved inventing games, too. With many published games to his credit (some of which made their first public appearance in this book), Sid Sackson (the designer of one of my favorite games of all time, "Acquire") is my personal game guru and I have made a point of acquiring any game or book with his name attached. This book is full of fun and very playable games discovered, re-discovered, and invented by Sid Sackson. Do your brain a favor and buy this book now!

This is a brilliant book by Sid Sackson. It compiles the rules for a variety of games, with the common feature that all can be played with the materials that you already have at home. Some games use cards, others use a chess or checkers set. There are a lot of paper and pencil games which are great to play while travelling.

The games are a mixture of "forgotten" games, new games invented by friends of Sid, as well as lots of games invented by the author. Many of these games have subsequently been published in a boxed format by major companies, but this book gives you a chance to try them out at no cost.

There are simple games, solitaire games, serious strategy games, party games for 20 or more people, and everything in-between.

My favourites in the collection include a 2 player card game of pure skill ("Mate"), a card game that resembles Canasta but which is rather more fun ("Paks"), a scrabble-like pencil and paper game ("CrossWords"), and a game called Focus that is 2 or 4 player strategy game that weakly resembles a cross between checkers and Shogi.

If you love games, then you should have this book. If you don't, then buying this book just might change your mind!

a very accurate guide of one of the best architects nowadays. Ideal for professionals or anyone who's intersted in getting to now about contemporary architecture

I am presently studying architecture and find this book as a excellent resource book, I am also aware of my lecturers enthusiasm on this book. It has expanded my architectural vocab enormously this last 12 months. Congratulations to the author and also Mr Glenn Murcutt himself on a striking book, hope to read more of this material in the future

I recently saw Murcutt lecture and regretted that the wonderful (and fully annotated) construction drawings he was showing us were not published and available for a closer look.

Well, get out the magnifying glass, 'cause here they are! Unlike most architectural monographs, this one actually gives us some insight into how these designs were actualized...highly commendable.

Murcutt's work speaks for itself, but the format of this book would win with any architect...unless they don't want us looking too closely. Hmmm.

One warning: In the best of all possible worlds, we'd all have full size copies of Murcutt's documents at our local libraries. Here on Earth, however, we must settle for books like this one which reproduce the originals at half (or even quarter?) scale. So, that quip about the magnifying glass was not a joke.

While everyone in this world seems to be keen to build more and more complicated buildings, that are later called sustainable (...) you should have a look at one of the more unknown top-architects of the XX century. Glenn Murcutt began in the sixties to mix modern influences with the traditional Australian Architecture and has since then produced a new style, that is not only wonderful in design but also features a great low-tech aproach to sustainable architecture.

note: green can look really cool!

Greater Nowheres is truly a remarkably entertaining travel book, informative and extremely pleasurable, a wonderful way to escape your own mundane life and travel to one of the most desolate yet beautiful places in the world that few have seen. David Finklestein and Jack London,, long time friends and travel companions take us into deep inside the Austrlian Outback where they had originally planned to study the deadly "Salties", the crocodiles that had recently regained its reputation as a man-eating reptile. But the two intrepid explorers soon found the inhabitants of the Outback infinitely more interesting, strange and exciting than the crocs. Leaving the comforts of the modern world, these very different individuals who had originally immigrated to the Outback to seek, wealth, fame, or leave behind family ties, found instead a simple life that most came to prefer. A life, that without its luxuries, or even basic necessities, suited them better. For a journey through an Australia thaat few have seen, I enjoyed this trip with a pair of guides who became my own friends and companians as they made their way through the hazardous yet beautiful land befriending Outback people who obtained peace of mind and a unique way of life in one of the most exotic terrains in the world.

Here's what newspaper and magazine critics have said about GREATER NOWHERES:

"Delightful... Finkelstein and London write well. Their account is filled with engaging descriptions of beautiful, forbidding landscapes, the tough bush boys they meet and the lore of the Godforsaken town...[Their] trip is not for every traveler. But their book is."
-Chicago Tribune

"The reason to read this book is the myriad brief encounters, many of which are hilarious."
-Los Angeles Times Book Review

"...a fine volume in the literature of unpleasant but enlightened travel."
-Outside Magazine

"Always exciting, sometimes hilarious... The perfect gift for the armchair traveler."
--Travel & Leisure

"The book is laugh-out-loud funny. [The authors] have a good ear for looney pub chatter...and a deft touch for characterization."
--San Francisco Chronicle

"Authors Finkelstein and London earn a resounding wow! 'Greater Nowheres [is written] with such engaging observation, detail, style, humor and occasional salty language that readers can experience the Outback without leaving home, while laughing out loud."
--Ridgecrest (CA) News Review

"Most of this entertaining and well-written book consists of conversations with vivid characters: stockmen, aborigines, 'roo' hunters, bushrangers, pioneers, escapists, and lunatics. The humor, the resilience and 'mateship' of these free-spirited frontiersmen is evident throughout the book: unforgettable people in an unforgiving land.''
--Library Journal

"A vivid book...bound to attract attention."
--Toronto Globe and Mail

"... gives us a rare view of the bush and its extremes of weather, of distance, and of character. You'll enjoy it even if you don't get there yourself."
-New York Post

"A pleasure."
--The New York Times Book Review

And here's how a press release described it:

Talk about classic returns. Dave Finkelstein and Jack London's immensely popular, wildly funny, and critically acclaimed book GREATER NOWHERES: WANDERINGS ACROSS THE OUTBACK, which was first published almost two decades ago, is back-this time in paperback and with a new introduction by Dave Finkelstein-to give delight to a new generation of readers.

The book is a must for those with a penchant for exciting adventure tales, as well as for armchair travelers and lovers of humorous "on-the-road" stories--in this case, off-the-road, "bush-bashing" stories--here brilliantly and poignantly told by two oddly compatible traveling companions, one the Irish romantic, the other the Talmudic rationalist.

Driving a Toyota 4-wheel-drive truck and armed with snake boots, an "esky" full of beer, and an insatiable appetite for adventure, intrepid journalists Dave Finkelstein and Jack London set out into the Australian bush in pursuit of the fearsome saltwater crocodile, a huge, notoriously dangerous reptile with an equally insatiable appetite for humans.

Though the "salties" prove elusive, in their travels the authors stumble upon a diverse and outrageously entertaining cast of dinki-di Australian characters-sun-hardened men and strong-willed women--eking out an existence in the croc's hardscrabble, primordial habitat: stockmen, aborigines, "roo" hunters, bushrangers, latter-day pioneers, escapists, and outright lunatics.

In ramshackle pubs along desolate stretches of dusty track, shantytown settlements in the middle of nowhere, and million-acre cattle stations hundreds of miles from their nearest neighbors, they experience an Australia rarely seen by the average traveler: dwarf-throwing contests, cold spaghetti sandwiches, even a regional rash called "Karumba rot"-the inevitable souvenir of a visit to the forbidding Gulf of Carpentaria, with its swelteringly oppressive tropical climate.

Yet, like no other observers before them, in their celebration of the Outback and its inhabitants, the authors (described by one reviewer as "at least as amusing as the extravagant characters they meet") get to the heart and fiber of the Australian soul, to the very essence of what makes Australia the unique and marvelous country it is.

As author Jim Harrison says, "GREATER NOWHERES is an absolutely wonderful book... a classic of travel literature. It's unthinkable that anyone would go to Australia without first reading this book."

Rich in the history and geography of a vast, fascinating continent, GREATER NOWHERES is also an exploration of solitude, mateship, contemplation, and adventure.

As for bio-data on the co-authors:

DAVE FINKELSTEIN, a graduate of Harvard Law School, had a legal career distinguished only by its brevity--one month. Fluent in Mandarin, he went on to become a Chinese interpreter for the U.S.Department of State--the first language student of his generation to qualify for that position--then the Ford Foundation's first China specialist. Now a freelance writer, he has written about political and wildlife issues throughout the world. His articles have appeared in numerous publications, including The New Yorker, New York Times, and Washington Post. A flamenco guitarist and avid fisherman, he also holds an 8th degree in Okinawan karate. He lives in New York City.

Until his death in November '06, JACK LONDON lived in Key West, Florida. His work appeared in Audubon, Sports Afield, the Miami Herald, and The London Observer.

I could not put the book down once I started. It read much like the great classics Huck Finn or Tom Sawyer. In fact, Dave Finkelstein's writing resembles Mark Twain's, with his colorful and vivid sense of humor. The book is must reading for those planning to visit Australia, and for adventurers in general. It is easy reading, too, and clearly defines mateship and the meaning of friendship.

Leon Day, New York City

Anyone with the least bit of wanderlust in them will find this book thoroughly enjoyable. And even those who have never wanted to travel to far distant places also will find this an excellent read. The Outback of Australia is intriguing by itself and the alternating sections written by the authors is a clever way to get separate views of their experiences across to the reader. The history of each area blends in smoothly with their living experiences and their sense of humor adds immensely to the enjoyment of the book.

I am part-way through the production of a Hi Def Video on "Waterfalls, Brooks, Creek & Streams" that has taken me all over the US and Canada and another shoot comes up which required me to travel to Australia last month. What an opportunity! Just hop over to New Zealand and shoot some more waterfalls for my video! But how do I find them? I Googled "New Zealand Waterfalls" and up pops Johnny Cheng's beautiful book. It arrived in time for me to take on my flight. I would only have a few days to shoot in New Zealand, so needed to choose the waterfalls carefully. With all the great photos and detailed maps and directions in the book, I found it easy to make my choices. I selected my base near Fiordland on the South Island and during the limited time I was there, got terrific footage of some beautiful waterfalls. The directions, maps and distance measurments in the book were spot-on, so I didn't waste any time "searching". The shots I got of these New Zealand waterfalls are stunning in High Definition. My thanks to Johnny Cheng and his book "New Zealand Waterfalls" for helping to make my DVD even more beautiful!

I found the book "A Guide To New Zealand Waterfalls" to be one of the best waterfall books I have seen. The book is packed with color photos and maps. The layout of the book is very user friendly and well thought out. The writing is very clear and concise.

This is a must have for all waterfall lovers and anyone living in or visiting New Zealand.

Scott A. Ensminger, founder of the Western New York Waterfall Survey.

This is a very well produced, very well rounded guidebook. I was a bit disappointed at the lack of coverage of the South Island (considering how many waterfalls there are on the South Island), but given that the author lives in California, and conducted this research over a few trips to the other side of the planet, this is a commendable book. I own many books on the subject of Waterfalls and this is simply one of the best ever printed.

Nature enthusiast Johnny Cheng presents A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls, an absolutely stunning trail guide written especially for nature hikers desiring to see the pristine beauty of New Zealand's glorious waterfalls firsthand. Packed with gorgeous full-color photographs, maps, extensive text directions, an at-a-glance rating system for the different hikes categorizing them according to scenic value, hiking difficulty, and driving difficulty. A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls is very tightly focused on its subject matter and does not have any information about hotels, restaurants, and the like; little more than a brief glossary, a one-page summary of English in New Zealand, and an index round out its coverage of waterfall hikes. A truly stunning guide, unmatched in its coverage of waterfalls and filled with breathtaking photographs for the armchair traveler.

Not only is Tilman's book brillantly written, but his chapter on "Two Mountains and a River," which focuses on the Swiss/British expedition to Rakaposhi and the Kukuay Glacier illustrates all the problems and hardships my uncle, Hans Gyr experienced during his quest for conquering the Rakaposhi in the Karakorum. Thanks to Tilman, I know now so much more about these few trying weeks in snow and ice. I recommend this book to all who like not only mountains, but solitude and the ultimate challenge.

In this anthology Tilman's pioneering travels through central Asia are recounted in his wonderfully laconic voice. This is a great addition to any exploration or mountaineering collection, particularly because Tilman was the first European to visit many of the peaks and places described. The portrait of Nepal he presents I will always treasure.

An avid collector of Himalayan subject matter, I have also been lucky enough to have wandered around the upper Langtang Valley on several occasions in the last few years. Not only is Tilmans book still accurate in many respects, but it is also highly amusing at the same time. Fact, folklore and quotations are fantastically woven into a single, almost epic tale of discovery. It is, at times, laugh-out-loud funny, and yet one might feel a certain sense of guilt at particular comic moments. Where Tilman describes one of his porters as "slow in mind and weak in leg, and not, one suspects, long down from his tree", it is an hilarious turn of phrase, but in our modern standardised and easily-scandalised society one feels the need to look over one's shoulder to make sure the PC police aren't looking.
I would heartily recommend anyone to read the book, particularly if it is available, the Nepal Himalaya single edition, - great, great books for travelling minds (and soles..) so long as you can cope with the mountain of salt required to see some of Tilmans less emphatic points.

Tilman and Shipton were the first humans to enter the Nanda Devi sanctuary, a valley surrounded by some of the greatest Himalayan peaks. They were indelibly marked by the experience.

Finer's triumphant work of comparative government history is a rare gem. It is not often that a historical study is both deeply informative and perspective changing. This book is both. Finer does not simply outline the devolopment of government, but constructs an entirely new intellectual system for viewing, interpreting, and discussing government. From there he moves on to trace the evolution of government from Sumer to the Industrial Revolution. Every major development is explored, and many minor ones are also included.

Finer shows a mastery of every time and place in history. It is amazing that he can conver accurately and informatively Han civilization and then switch to an excellent discussion of Roman civilization. The same skill with which he reconstructs the governments of Sumer and Egypt is applied later to the constitutional monarchies and revolutionary governments in modern Europe.

Finer's masterpiece ought to be read by anyone interested in an objective study in how societies orgzanize themselves. It is a highly useful reference that should be owned by anyone who works with history on a regular basis.

This book is one of those rare works that is so very good, that you cannot really describe it: language is not rich enough to do it justice. I can do little more than quote from the review of the prestigious The Economist:

"If there were a Nobel prize for political science, Sammy Finer would deserve to win one for this extraordinary trilogy--a work of scholarship so broad in its sympathies, so ambitious in scope and so elegantly crafted that it leaves the reader gasping, literally, with astonishment and delight...[L]ikely to be read as long as Aristotle. No finer work of political science...has been published in this century."--The Economist

This three-volume set constitutes the most stimulating and thought-provoking item I've read so far this century, and it is likely to remain so. I stumbled on it by chance in the Bookshop at the British Museum in early 2001. I read it in the United States later that spring and since then a day doesn't go by but what I remember some insight that I gleaned from it. It is history in the grand style, but with a message that is simple and powerful: people are pack animals. They will be governed -- sometimes in a haphazard or mediocre manner, often appallingly, once in a while really well. Not least among its many virtues, the set shows better than a thousand stumps speeches just what is so distinctive about the tradition of liberal democracy, and how it came into being (for more detail, pop over to the separate Amazon page for Volume 2 of this set and read the instructive comments of "Amazon Customer").

A motivational message to prospective readers who are dismayed by the prospect of a three-volume set. You don't need to read all of it to get value for your money. You don't even need to read it in sequence (I did not). Perhaps the most accessible parts are in Volume III, especially Books IV ("The Re-creation of the State in Europe) and Book V ("Pathways to the Modern State"). From there you might want to go back to Volume II, specifically Part III of Book III, more precisely still Chapter 7 on "The Republican Alternatie: Florence and Venice," followed by Chapter 8 and its magisterial discussion of "Representative Assemblies." From there a natural course is back to Volume I and its discussion of Athens and Jerusalem (Finer is particularly good on the distinctive contribution to governance from the tradition of the prophets). This is a Western-centered view, and should not be read to distrct attention from Finer's extraordinary treatment of the Chinese, the Indians and the societies of the Middle East. But these are in some sense self-contained units and can be addressed on their own terms.

This backwards progression would leave for last the stuff that Finer put first: the "Conceptual Prologue," which is perhaps better understood as a summary and analysis. But whatever route you take, surely there is no end of riches in this extraordinary capstone to a great scholarly life, well lived.

Ever so often you find a book that not only deepens your insight on the topics you expect it to cover, but also gives you a wholly different perspective in a much wider field. This is such a book. This book covers the whole field of development of government. The first part gives a referencemodel for descibing government, its most important uses and the powers limiting it. This part would be a satisfying book in itself. The most fascinating parts come later. The rest of the book discusses all the governmental systems that where in some way innovative.All you ever wanted to know about goverment and but never knew that it could be so interesting. But it als gives insight in the mechanisms of power. The description of the signifcance of access to an chinese emperor and the importance that gives to humble titles as royal cupbearer etc. lets you see patterns you can see in everyday life and more important lets you enjoy them. I found the book to be full of these gems, and at the same time it maintains a clearity of focus that is amazing. The only drawback is it's size and the time it takes to think about what you have read.

I've read this book three times, I have never read a book three times. I love this book, I'm not even sure why.
Even though it's not likely someone of Morgan's age could write these memoirs it is still fun to read and imagine yourself in her shoes.
I came to love and care about each one of these characters (except ofcourse her Dad) and thought about Morgan long after the book ended.
Her courage and imagination was one of which I envied as a child.
The first part of the book is a little tough to get through, but once you do, you will be captivated by each of these characters that Georgia Savage portrays.
My hat is off to you Ms. Savage.

A wonderful book that captures the innocence of a young woman who has to grow up faster than expected because of the situation she was placed in. Morgan Christie (Victoria) runs away with her young mute brother when no one in her family believes what had happened to her and her father. During her escape to a place better than the one at home, she runs into some homeless children who have left their own homes for various reasons. Allie, Marchelle, Angel, and Joss are the people she stays with near the beach. At first, they are happy living in an open area, but things change when Allie's about to give birth. Morgan, Max (Morgan's little brother), and Marcelle leave to stay at a marina. Morgan begins to lose her friends (beginning with Angel) who jumps into another car not to be seen again. Marchelle, a close friend of Morgan, leaves believing that she is going to be in pictures. Yet, she disappears after spending the day in an boat with a strange man. Finally, Morgan ends up staying at Tibat caring for Xam-an old man. Yet, the story does not end there. Morgan spends some time at a brothel, falls in love with Joss, and tranforms from a lost and confused child to a mature young woman whose innocence was taken away by her father. A book I highly recommend for those interested in understanding the complexities that life may force upon a little girl and the wisdom that Morgan learns by quietly observing life's unexpected problems.

I could not put the book down, it was an addiction from the moment I picked it up. When I was not reading the book, I was wondering what was happening to Vicky. I felt that if I was not reading it, the story would go on without me. I felt that the author did a great job describing the way a young girl deals with such a traumatic experience in her life, realizing that there is no trust... We all know that if you can trust anyone, it is your mother and father. The author explains how this is not always the case. I myself have experienced alot of the same misfortunes that Vicky had. I applaud Georgia Savage for such a great insite to the mind of a strong girl who can overcome and not get mentally disturbed in the end, but change her life completely and become a stronger person.

Thirteen year old Morgan le Fay Christie began her life as a spoiled Austrailian girl by the name of Vicky, pampered by her dad and hidden from reality by all.

Of course this just cannot go on and Vicky's world is shattered by the rape. After being brushed off by all female relatives, she decides to run off. Younger mute brother James also leaves with her on the afternoon train to Surfer's Beach. Meeting with a band of other runaways, Vicky and James change their names and begin to mature.

It is a grand day when the newly renamed Max speaks. It is a tragedy when myopic Marcelle falls from a boat and drowns. Joss goes back to his father and Dawn wanders off in a drug haze. The other girl (whose name left me) gives birth but is devestated when it is given up for adoption. The babe is later stollen back. Morgan begins work in a whorehouse but leaves after the madame propositions her and she overhears people plotting to turn her in. So she runs to the House Tibet where the kindly old gentleman Xam lives. Here Morgan and Max are reunited with mother, but she agrees to leave them there.

Sure it all wrapped up too neatly, but I really felt a loss when I closed the cover on this book. I lived Morgan's maturation process as she took her first lover, watched as he abandoned her yet she still maintained a equnamity that was impressive.

This is one book where you must read the introduction. and then when you read the book you find out thatthe book can be interpreted in at least one other way. i think everybody would take out something different but that would always be refreshing. i could not stop myself from saying 'aha' at many places. still, i think he sometimes is contradicting himself. he thinks that socialism and liberalism can go together. maybe he is right. i dont think so.

Russell became famous as a mathematician and philosopher.

But when he won the Nobel Prize, it was for Literature. When you read this book of essays, you will see why.

It is beautifully written and has all of Russell's virtues: clarity, wit, humor, forcefulness, simplicity.

Even better, it is a brief education in itself. Most of the essays were written just as the Great Depression was beginning, and Russell gets right to the heart of a problem Capitalists and Socialists do not usually address: How much work is needed, and what is the ultimate point? He constantly stresses that we do too much work, and most of it is unneeded, and makes life grim. He never ceases to remind us that we should work to live, not live to work.

He addresses this point in many ways--through economics, through architecture, through the then-raging problems of Fascism and Communism. And though he treats serious problems seriously, he always has time for the breathtaking perspective and the ligtht touch--as with the essay, "Man Versus Insects."

A wonderful, even life-changing book.

Written by a very advanced thinker, this book represents a shattering statement against the Christian petit-burgois morality of work, a true revolution and evolution in man's thinking.

+++++

Controversial philosopher and Nobel Prize winner Lord Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) has written fifteen scintillating essays on which to whet our intellectual appetites. These short essays were written between 1925 and 1935.

Russell writes in an elegant, readable, and understandable style. His arguments are well thought out.

These essays consider social questions not discussed in politics. The general theme that ties these essays together is that the world suffers from dogmatism and narrowness; what is needed is the willingness to question dogma.

These essays are a blend of philosophy with other disciplines such as psychology, economics, science, and history. All the essays are brutally honest and forthright. Each is packed with loads of wisdom. What's amazing is that these essays are as current today as when they were first written and their messages will probably remain relevant in the future.

My five favorite essays in this collection include the following:

(1) "In Praise of Idleness." Discusses work and the importance of leisure. In order to get an idea of Russell's insight that permeates this book, here's a sample sentence from this essay: "The morality of work is the morality of slaves, and the modern world has no need of slavery."

(2) "'Useless' Knowledge." Points out that all knowledge is useful not only that which has a practical value.

(3) "The Case for Socialism." Russell gives many arguments in favor of socialism, most notably the need for preventing war.

(4) "Western Civilization." Discusses its characteristics. Sample sentence: "I cannot escape from the conclusion that the great ages of progress have depended upon a small number of individuals of transcendent utility."

(5) "Education and Discipline." Sample sentence: "Education...must be something more positive than mere opportunity for growth...it must...also provide a mental and moral equipment [for] children."

In conclusion, this book is Bertrand Russell at his best. Enjoy!

+++++

As an avid reader, I was entranced to find this hiddent gem among my collegue's recommendations. It is a beautifully written intellectual soujourn that probes the past advances and compares them to the current day technological advances. Sounds dry?? It's not. It's a poetic journey about what inventive advancements have meant in the past, and what they mean to the modern day intellectual. If you are in the mood for something that stretches your mind and enriches your soul, treat yourself to this rare gem of a book.

This book is a direct relative of Pirsig's "Zen etc" although neither author may agree. This author pens the words that are already in your mind.

This book was a beautiful read. The subject matter,comparing the Computer Age to the Industrial Revolution, was extremely interesting. It was fascinating to see the economic, cultural and technological similarities. As an added bonus, the author has a beautiful way with words, and therefore reading this book was a pleasure as well as being intellectually stimulating. I was captivated from the opening chapter on Alexandria. Highly recommended, and I am hard to please!

With careful research and amazing insight this author details for us, through the work of various people through the caenturies, how our present day computers were born. Through charming and poignant vinettes we learn of their lives and their work. From there, the author brings us to the delimmas the Information Revolution poises for us. A delightfully good read; an excellent liberal education. The vignettes are inspiring; the dicussion of the economics involved is thought-provoking. An outstanding first book.