Clarke Books

this is a great introduction to compilers. there's no advanced stuff inside, and i think that's what makes the book very readable. after reading it you will know what are object files, symbols, linker, loader, recursive descent parsing, how the processor executes code.

unfortunately there are many "c++ programmers" that don't know how the program turns from source to executable and this book will definitely fill the gaps.

This book is an excellent sampling of the new genre of science fiction that evolved during the run-up to the Great War. I.F. Clarke's fascinating introduction and notes are alone worth the price of the book. He gives a sprightly and informative review of how the "Future War" tale evolved in the wake of the shocking rapid victory of newly unified Germany over France in 1870. This first of the "lightning campaigns" electrified British Col. of Engineers George Chesney into writing an anonymous series of stories for Blackwood's Magazine in 1871, purporting to be a "history", told in 1925, by an English veteran of the disastrous invasion of England by the superbly trained and armed Germans in 1875. This bombshell of a cautionary tale caused a frantic debate in Parliament over the preparedness issue. It also was the prototype of the whole genre sampled in this collection. Chesney's "The Battle of Dorking" is the first and longest of these Victorian and Georgian era semi-fictional battle forecasts. Examples from several nations involved in the arms buildup of the late 19th and early 20th centuries present a rounded view. Land and sea warfare innovations are depicted as they might be used in the near future. It is fascinating to read how the future antagonists saw the enemy and the shape of the next war. It gives you a contemporary view of the war jitters that led to the horrible holocaust of 1914-1918 -- the horror of which is never anticipated in these tales of bravado and derring-do. I have just received the sequel anthology "The Great War With Germany" and can't wait to read it. Highly recommended.

An intriguing feature of modern western culture has been its readiness to play fast and loose with the elements of Chinese religion without really understanding or caring how they fit together. From yin-yang coffee tables to 'the Tao of Pets', this cultural appropriation is ubiquitous. J.J. Clarke has given us a timely and excellent discussion of the interface between Taoist and Western religion and philosophy, which should not to be confused with 'A Gathering of Cranes : Bringing the Tao to the West', to which it is vastly superior. What is particularly interesting about Clarke's work is its willingness to set the philosophy of Taoism firmly alongside western philosophical thought, and to consider the implications of their meeting. He begins by quoting Nietszche: 'what is needed is... new philosophers', and goes on to suggest that some of this newness might in fact be provided by age-old Taoism. While this is an academic and scholarly work, its clarity and readibility is such that I would have no hesitation in recommending it to undergraduate students of religion, or indeed to the interested general reader. However, here is probably not the best place to begin an understanding of Taoism as such. For this I would recommend Martin Palmer's 'The Elements of Taoism' or Isabelle Robinet's 'Taoism, Growth of a Religion'.

College-level collections strong in cultural anthropology or environmental studies and sociology will find Tarzan Was an Eco-Tourist suitable for display with its catchy cover art and perfect for college-level analysis, coming from two anthropology professors who examine the changing nature and effects of the concept of adventure in both tourism and culture. Chapters consider modern forms of adventure, contrast it with ideas from the past, and provide excellent analysis of shifts in perspective and how and why they occurred. Even public library holdings will find it intriguing.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

If you are a teacher and teach using Jan Brett books this is an excellent resource to add to your library. It has many creative activities to compliment some of her most popular book titles. With writing being one of the critical components of the new standardized tests, this book is a fresh approach to working with those skills. This teaching guide can be supplemented with some of the many activities that Ms. Brett has available on her web site.

Ouestfrance, 23 juillet 2004:

Il vient de publier un livre 'Technology and Terrorism'. L'occasion de le recontrer.

C'est un recueil d'articles sur le cyber-terrroisme. Un jeune homme en Normandie a réussi à espionner les ordinateurs de l'OTAN. Internet empêche une protection efficace. Mais, finalement, le fait d'être complétement ouvert est plus simple et ne présent pas de danger. Le cyber-terrorisme n'a pas d'avenir car les terroristes veulent un choc visuel comme les avions qui s'écrasent dans des tours.

Professeur Clarke dit 'Bush se trompe sur le façon de combattre le terrorisme. Le guerre contre terrorisme ne gagnera pas par un état contre un autre état mais par un réseau de police, qui a une très bonne coopération, largement sans cérémonie, invisible et inconnue -- mais très efficace.'

I was an avid follower of Barry's column in the Telegraph (in the days when they had one) and when this book came out in 1994 it was like a breath of fresh air. Sadly, it's now out of print but it still seems to pop up from time to time in second hand bookstores on the net. I've been collecting (and reviewing) puzzle books for over fifty years and for originality and wit it's one of the prizes of my collection.

The opening chapter on the history of (mainly modern) textual criticism is a fine summary, and it would make an excellent class reading assignment. Westcott and Hort get the most space, but that material is readily available elsewhere. Those familiar with it may want to skip to the history of the UBS GNT (and how it relates to the Nestle-Aland series of GNTs).

The focus of this work starts in the second chapter. Here Clark examines the textually optimistic shift in the A-D rating system from UBS 1-3 to UBS4.

Did you follow that? Briefly, the UBS GNTs rate each textual variant unit with the following system:

{A} The text is certain.
{B} The text is almost certain.
{C} The editors had difficulty in deciding which variant to place in the text.
{D} The editors had great difficulty arriving at a decision.

The remarkable set of statistics Clark has compiled show clearly that while the overall number of treated variants went down slightly from UBS3 to UBS4 (1444 to 1431), the number and percentage of A and B ratings went up significantly while C ratings dropped significantly. The D rating is now almost non-existent: the 144 D's in UBS3 have decreased to just 9 in all of UBS4.

This could be because the UBS4 has chosen to treat different variants, but Clark rejects that as a sufficient explanation. Here are some of his key summary statements:

"There is...an astonishing upgrade in the UBSGNT4 and, therefore, a newly proposed quality of text." (90)

"There is a strong tendency for each biblical book (excluding Mark) to move towards an increasing degree of certainty regarding debated readings, and thus, an overall upgrade in the quality of text. These UBSGNT4 modifications progress at an inconsistent rate and are incongruent with those alterations made throughout [previous editions]." (90)

Here are some key stats detailing the shift from UBS3 to UBS4 (the number of ratings is followed by the percentage of the total):

{A} ratings: 126 / 9% to 514 / 36%
{B} ratings: 475 / 33% to 541 / 38%
{C} ratings: 699 / 48% to 367 / 26%
{D} ratings: 144 / 10% to 9 / 1%

Clarke also notes that the letter rating definitions themselves were upgraded from the-glass-is-half-empty to the-glass-is-half-full. That is, the UBS1-3 rating definitions were related to doubt while the UBS4 definitions are related to certainty. So you would actually expect some A's in USB3 to go to B's in UBS4, some B's to C's, and so on. Instead, you see the opposite. It's almost as if the certainty of the editors' choices got a double upgrade.

Clarke is not saying we should ditch the UBS, or even the UBS4. He's simply warning that the letter ratings should be used with caution and full knowledge--and he's implicitly asking the committee in charge of the UBS to give a fuller explanation for their choices.

Words alone cannot describe this laugh a minute experience. The book is a collection of cartoons and caricatures centered on the theme of lattes and scones. From "bear claws" with "lattes" to "latte IV's" Mike Clarke's droll humor and play on words had me laughing out loud, chuckling, smiling, and guffawing.

From Medieval days to internet cafes Clark does spin offs on famous artists, history, philosophy, fairy tales, and Bible stories. His artwork is imaginative and wild. His characters are outlandish and uproarious. His side splitting quips are corny and clever.

This is fun entertainment for the family, your friends, the kids, and the grandparents. "Thanks-A-Latte" sets the pace for a fun filled evening of entertainment worthy of an encore.

This is cartoon comedy at its best.

Thomas Clarke's most recent book is extremely interesting for students, practitioners and scholars.
Managerial hegemony, separation of ownership and control, agency theory, stewardship theory, stakeholder theory: the book contains excerpts from the most important articles which have contributed to the corporate governance debate.
Professor Clarke accompanies the readings with a long introduction in which he revisits and re-organizes the numerous theories. His approach in unbundling the 'governance mystique' is to insert the different thoeries in their historical, economic and regional context.
Often the Author only hints to his personal views, although these appear obvious towards the end of his introduction.
Can we really move towards a stakeholder theory? Does not the stakeholder theory operate at a different, policy-maker level, compared to the agency theory / corporate law level? Can directors really have a fiduciary duty not only towards shareholders but employees/stakeholders as well? What role can social capital and trust have in the future? Can ethics 'save us'?
The book is great reading, a fine synopsis of the current debate. I firmly recommend it.