Clarke Books

I was pleased with the book because it was being discussed by a church book club.Those who discussed it are big fans of St. Therese and although I was new to the life and work of this saint, it brought me close to her and her life, great struggles, and inspiration for others. I didn't really know the scope of the book or its style before I bought it. I would have appreciated an excerpt from Amazon.com

This authoritative translation of the second volume of the critical edition of the letters of St. Therese and those written to her is an unprecedented breakthrough in the field, and a delight for her new and old friends. For the first time in English, one can read Therese's letters from the time of her final vows in September 1890 until her death in 1897. Readers can accompany her through the most hidden years of her Carmelite life, the election of her sister as prioress ("Mother! ah! how sweet it is for your child to give you this name!"), the death of her father ("Papa's death does not seem like a death to me, but like a real life . . ."), her letters to her missionary brothers, Adolphe Roulland and Maurice Belliere ("Ah! Brother, let me tell you: the good God is reserving for your soul very sweet surprises."), her letters to her sisters Marie ("what pleases God in my little soul . . . is that He sees me loving my littleness, my poverty, the blind hope I have in His mercy"), Leonie and Celine ("Yes, it is enough if we humble ourselves and bear with our imperfections; that is real sanctity,"), and her growing sense of mission ("I would like to save souls and forget myself for them; I would like to save them even after my death."

The letters written to Therese deepen the reader's knowledge of her milieu and the persons who surrounded her in the Lisieux Carmel. The notes are a marvel of depth and precision, enabling the reader to see Therese's words in the context of her real life. An index to both volumes of Therese's letters is a great enhancement. I cannot recommend the book highly enough.

This is another great book by Helmut Thielicke. I appreciate his views on the Bible being God's word and yet also written by humans. Every Christian should read what he had to say about evolution, it has helped me adopt a more mature view and I've read nothing better in recent years; yet the book has been around for decades. Had Christians bothered to listen there would never have been all the anger about evolution there is today, or at least there might be constructive dialogue.
His books always encourage a deeper walk with the Lord for me, yet for issues that Christians need to address for the sake of personal honesty and relevancy, Helmut Thielicke was never afraid to address them.

I ordered a used copy of this from Amazon and have been more than pleased with both the used copy and of course the volume itself. Thielicke is one of those German WWII Pastors who courageously continued to serve his parish during the devestation. His book takes the Christian reader back into the foundational elements of Christian faith in a perplexing world. This book is simply critical reading for any serious theologian who wants to gain a Pastor/Theologian's perspective of integrating faith and life during a crisis experience. Why is it that I'm the first reviewer? It is part of the problem of our day--no one reads the foundational stuff. This is a must. Hopefully you'll score a 1st edition like I did!

This book was brought to my attention after seeing the Manics live. They fast became my favourite band and have stayed on top of my musical taste ever sinse. mainly because, as they say, 'They're brilliant and everyone else is rubbish.' This book is not just a regurgitation of information, but a well informed and opinionated bio on a band that has had mor talking points many others will ever have. Through all the contoversial points they raised when they started with Suicide Alley right throught the mental torture of Richey and then to the carrying on after he went. Just buy it and read it. Enjoy!

At the time this book came out, this was the best biography about the Manic Street Preachers. Since then, however, it's been eclipsed by Simon Price's Everything. Still, Sweet Venom is a good read about the band. It is more than just the cut-and-paste jobs of earlier Manics bios; the author goes beyond simple retelling of information that was previously available in the media. The book also has some wonderful photos, many not available anywhere else (I believe).

as a avid Mclaren F1 fan, this book is pretty good. it has alot of reviews of F1's from different car magazines. only thing i dont like about it is that, not all the pictures is in color... besides that for the price, its a good buy.

the book follows all the developments and achievements of the McLaren F1. it mostly consists of pictures which was a collection of articles about the f1 in black and white. there are pages in color with images that highlights the most important bits about the f1's history. if you love the f1 mainly about its history this book is good to bring to work or to read while having a cup of tea, it is very relaxing and interesting. its very nice to look thru and just rethink about the engineering prowess and achievements of this amazing supercar.

In this remarkable concise and readable booklet, Dr Clarke has one point which seems rather obvious in retrospect (as do many lucid observations: Organizations, when faced with controlling uncontrollable events, issue fantasy documents that solve problems that look similar to the problem at hand, but really aren't, upon closer inspection. These documents are rhetorical proclamations and serve the organization as such (staking knowledge domains, justifying expenditures, hidden agendas), communication between organizations(state, local, federal) and societal purposes (reassurance of populace). In Hungarian, this procedure is called constructing a popanz, a strawman argument. You will find no math in this book, no models, but plenty of socio-dynamic analysis. I enjoyed it very much ( except maybe for the somewhat non-standard definition of risk and uncertainty).

I think this book hits the nail right on the head. Dr. Clarke captures the essence of what so many fail to do and yet he does it with such insight and remarkable understanding from every conceivable angle. Highly recommended reading!

A treasure worth having for any lover of classical music. I have Vol. 2 on order, will arrive in a couple of days. Not only is the overall physical health, final illness analyzed and diagnosed from a wide variety of sources for each composer, but much new repeat new information is provided on the composers pertaining to their day to day lives, public and private musical activities, etc. A fascinating read and a very worthwhile addition to your library !

Anyone with an interest in classical music will find this book fascinating, especially if you've heard stories about Beethoven's deafness, and Schubert's syphilis, stories that have been repeated so often they are taken for fact. Dr. Neumayr read copious letters and notes about the 4 composers, and came to his own conclusions about their medical histories, giving us background as to what medical practices were at the time, and what would have been standard treatments and understandings of health. Even if you're horrified by what you read (Beethoven being punctured to relieve his abdominal swelling due to fluid retention) you'll come away with renewed compassion for not just the composers, but all people who lived and died in the 18-19th centuries. You'll love the music of these masters even more when you find out what their lives were really like!

It's been a pleasure to read a book like this in english. It is very descriptive (a "must" for a book like this), although not to the grade of being short-minded; on the contrary, it is very useful.

This is a superb book for the wine enthusiast, combining a travel guide to the Bordeaux region, primer on the growing and production process, and guide to the various appellations. It is especially useful for the wine enthusiast like me, who has some basic knowledge but no real expertise. It would be very useful in planning a trip to the region, and I plan to try it out later this year.

I would have liked some color pictures. The author has good knowledge of piper aircraft. Covers the history, and has personal experience flying pipers. I found it very helpfull and interesting. Especially good read for someone considering buying a used piper.

I generally like the Bill Clarke series of airplane reviews. I own this book as well as the second editions of "The Cessna 150 & 152" and "The Cessna 172." All of these books are easy reading yet provide detailed information on the plane (or planes) in question. This book starts with a chapter on the history of Piper Aircraft Company, followed by a few chapters detailing the specifications of the Piper PA-28 Cherokees, Archer, Warriors and Dakotas and up to the retractable Archers and twin-engine Senecas and Aerostars. Each is described with detailed performance specs, and the author notes any issues good or bad, especially any AD (Airworthiness Directive) issues that might be expensive to comply with. The latter half of this book is more generic, covering used airplane buying in general, forms that are needed, avionics, maintenance, etc. The only problem with this book (and the series in general) is that it was published in 1988, so the prices do not reflect the current rapid appreciation in the used aircraft market and some of the chapters, like the avionics chapter, are somewhat outdated in this GPS age. That's a one-star demerit. Otherwise, I highly recommend this book for anyone who is seriously contemplating the purchase of a Piper, particularly one of the fixed-gear singles.

"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.

Character-driven Classical Civilization. Brings the subject matter to life, whether centering on the Ara Pacis of Augustus, a bakery in Pompeii or a tavern in Ostia. The illustrations mix terrific modern photography with original excavation photos; and the CD-ROM of the House of the Vettii is a good example of how modern technology can enhance the learning and/visitor experience.
Excellently written with a light touch that illuminates the subject-matter - even for an old Classical Archaeologist like myself.
Highly recommended.

A nice feature of this book are the little fictional scenarios which attempt to convey what the pictured artworks would have meant to their original audience. (Some of the pictured artworks I've never seen elsewhere despite wide reading in the subject.)The accompanying CD with lots of additional photos of Roman frescos to compliment those actually printed in the book is another good idea. The dustjacket, cover and endpapers contain beautiful color reproductions of Roman painting and mosaic.