Customer Reviews:
29 Brief Essays on Biology; Very Entertaining; Very Witty.......2006-12-02
This is quite simply one of the best written books on biology that you'll ever read. If you are in the camp which believes that scientists use one side of their brain, and that writers use the other, be prepared for a big surprise. If you've read Bill Bryson, you may already realize that there are a gifted few who possess both talents. This is a collection of 29 very brief essays (they average only 6 pages each). Prepare to be thoroughly amazed by Dr. Lewis Thomas' descriptions of the most remarkable features of our natural world. The title story serves to illustrate his literary technique.
This essay is a mere four and a half pages. The protagonists are a sea slug and a jellyfish, which Dr. Thomas re-christens with artistic license. The lead sentence is "We've never been so self-conscious as we seem to be these days." Then follows some three pages about how lower animals (coral polyps, for example) have some, yet undiscovered method of discriminating between their own species (self) and others which may be extremely close. Then, as if to prove the general rule with a startling exception, Dr. Thomas shows how a particular medusa and snail in the Sea of Naples appear to be confused about their molecular configuration and fuse into a single organism. The jellyfish (medusa) is affixed to the mouth of the slug (snail), and when the slug produces larvae, one becomes entrapped in the tentacles of the tiny jellyfish. At first it looks like the parasite is the predator. But no. The slug larvae eats away at the jellyfish from the inside and as the jellyfish shrinks, the slug grows, until a new equilibrium is reached in adulthood. Lewis finishes by saying that this cycle is so bizarre, so thoroughly unexpected, and so confusing that "I cannot get my mind to stay still and think it through."
Now you have twenty-eight essays to go, and I assure you that your mind will not be able to stay still through any of them.
One of my favorites isn't about science at all, but about punctuation. Yes, literally, punctuation. In writing about the uses, and misuses, of parentheses, commas, semicolons, exclamation points, quote marks, and dashes, Dr. Thomas employs them in the relevant paragraph in such a way as to draw the readers' attention. Take for instance the comma:
"The commas are the most useful and usable of all the stops. It is highly important to put them in place as you go along. If you try to come back after doing a paragraph and stick them in the various spots that tempt you you will discover that they tend to swarm like minnows into all sorts of crevices whose existence you hadn't realized and before you know it the whole long sentence becomes immobilized and lashes up squirming in commas. Better to use them sparingly, and with affection, precisely when the need for each one arises, nicely, by itself."
If Dr. Thomas carries a dominant theme throughout the book, it is that a liberal education is critically important, even for a very dedicated scientist.
The humane scientist Modern Montaigne with Microscope.......2006-09-17
Lewis Thomas' essays draw on his wide knowledge and experience as doctor and research scientist. They also draw on his humane perception , and Montaigne- like desire to think and inquire about all which is human. He can clarify the most complex issues in a few brief paragraphs. I have read much on the subject of human cloning but I do not believe I have read anything which analyzes the subject in such a clear and convincing way as Thomas in this following paragrah.
"Cloning is the most dismaying of prospects, mandating as it does the elimination of sex with only a metaphoric elimination of death as compensation. It is almost no comfort to know that one's cloned, identical surrogate lives on, especially when the living will very likely involve edging one's real, now aging self off to side, sooner or later. It is hard to imagine anything like filial affection or respect for a single, unmated nucleus: harder still to think of one's new, self- generated self anything, but an absolute, desolate orphan. Not to mentrion the complex interpersonal relationship involved in raising one's self from infancy , teaching the language, enforcing discipline, instilling good manners and the like. How would you feel if you became an incorrigible juvenile dilenquent at the age of fifty- five"
Aside from cloning Thomas writes in this collection about the symbiotic relation of medusa and snail, of the meaning of 'self' in relation to being outside, and other, about the heatlh- care system and its costs, about 'warts' about humanity as the worrying species, about the meaning of 'disease' The closing essay is a brief history of medical practice.
There are also two small but wonderful essays on Montaigne's way of thinking.
Thomas while deeply aware of humanity's capacity for grandiose error is a hope-filled and hope- giving writer. Here is the way he writes about the worrying animal, a passage which is a sample of his elegant etymologically informed prose.
"But security is the last thing we feel entitled to feel. We are, perhaps uniquely among the earth's creatures, the worrying animal. We worry away our lives, fearing gthe future, discontent with the present, unable to take in the idea of dying, unable to sit still. We deserve a better press, in my view. We have always had a strong hunch about our origin, which does us credit; from the oldest language we know, the Indo-European tongue, we took the word for earth- Dhghem- and turned it into 'humus' and 'human' ; 'humble' too which does us more credit ; We are by all odds the most persistently and obsessively social of all species, more dependent on each other than the famous social insects, and really when you look at us, infinitely more imaginative and deft at social living. We are good at this; it is the way we have built our cultures and the literature of our civilizations. We have high expectations and set high standards for our social behavior , and when we fail at it and endanger the species- as we have done several times in this century- the strongest words we can find to condemn ourselves are the telling words 'inhuman' and' inhumane'.
There is nothing at all absurd about the human condition. We matter. It seems to me a good guess, hazarded by a good many people who have thought about it, that we may be engaged in the formation of something like a mind for the life of this planet.If this is so we are still at the most primitive stage., still fumbling with language and thinking, but infinitely capacitated for the future. It is remarkable that we've come so far as we have in so short a period , really no time at all as geologists measure time. We are the newest, the youngest and the brightest thing around."
What a wonderful hope- giving human being wrote this book.
Very Interesting.......2006-05-04
Lewis Thomas takes a simple observation, like the report on pollution, and changes the reader's perception. In one of his essays, he chastises the reader on his or her selfishness with a fiery passion. Thomas convinces the reader of the ideas inferred with his scientific observations, the theme of this book being the major human fault: striving to reach perfection. The essays are short, abrupt but leave you to ponder your own interactions in life, nature.
Why did I never have to read this in high school Biology?.......2005-09-23
While I sat through boring lectures and starch staining labs, this book sat on a shelf somewhere waiting for me to read it. At that time, I believed all science not just biology were just boring fact-finding and number recording. Given this book earlier, I may have had a different life. A hobby that I enjoy now may have been a fulfilling career.
Lewis will show you that biology is about more than dissection and grainy movies from the early eighties. His essays touch on a wide variety of subjects. However, all contain a sense of wonder that is sadly lacking in our schools, at least when I was there. Read this if you would like to find or rekindle your love of science.
Incredible depth in such a small book.......2005-02-25
This collection of essays or thoughts or whatever it is classified as is wonderfully honest and simple. Thomas brings a certain wit and charm to some complex and taboo subjects such as dying, disease, warts, etc that allows you to totally disconnect and look at the big picture. For college folk out there the section on 'premeds' is especially funny.
Product Description
Boxed set of 2 PB books -- The Lives of a Cell (0670434426) of 1974 & The Medusa and the Snail (0670465682)of 1979, both the philosophical observations of a biologist about life. Box with own design & illustration different from book covers.
Book Description
Over 40 years of publishing experience and the oldest establishment rating system in North America makes the Mobil Travel Guide series a "must have" for travelers wanting up-to-date ratings on hotels and restaurants. This guide covers Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts,
Rhode Island, Vermont, and Eastern Canada.
Customer Reviews:
Did Anyone Actually Visit the Places in this Book?!.......2001-06-10
Do not buy this book, unless you like to be mislead: Inaccurate is the only word I can think of to describe this poorly researched guide. It says that places have waterviews that don't . . . places have entertainment that don't . . . allow smoking that don't . . . etc . . . SAVE YOUR $ and talk to the locals about places you may be interested in!
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Scottish Certificate of Education: Higher Grade of History
Robert Gibson
Manufacturer: Arnold
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ASIN: 0716993147 |
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America's National Parks: How Well Do You Know Them?
Kenneth Brophy
Manufacturer: Elderberry Press (OR)
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Customer Reviews:
SWELL BOOK.......2005-07-23
This book is perfect for long trips to national parks. Filled with great questions and answers and very educational.
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How to Know the Trees (Pictured Key Nature Series)
Howard Miller ,
John Bamrick ,
Edward T Cawley , and
Wm. G Jaques
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ASIN: 0697048969 |
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The fifth revised edition of this popular field guide.
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Common forest trees of Florida: how to know them
Wilbur R Mattoon
Manufacturer: Florida Board of Forestry
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ASIN: B0006EUU8M |
Customer Reviews:
99 pages of LORE........2005-03-20
This little book has been INVALUABLE to me in my walks and rambles through Florida forests.
Card cover and stapled though it is I enjoy it immensley.
Product Description
Identification manual for common forest trees of North Carolina
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Liquid Crystals III: 21-22 July 1999 Denver, Colorado (Proceedings of Spie--the International Society for Optical Engineering, V. 3800.)
Manufacturer: Society of Photo Optical
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Beyond Wavelets, Volume 10 (Studies in Computational Mathematics)
Manufacturer: Academic Press
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ASIN: 0127432736 |
Book Description
"Beyond Wavelets" presents state-of-the-art theories, methods, algorithms, and applications of mathematical extensions for classical wavelet analysis. Wavelets, introduced 20 years ago by
Morlet and Grossmann and developed very rapidly during the 1980's and 1990's, has created a common link between computational mathematics and other disciplines of science and engineering.
Classical wavelets have provided effective and efficient mathematical tools for time-frequency analysis which enhances and replaces the Fourier approach.
However, with the current advances in science and technology, there is an immediate need to extend wavelet mathematical tools as well. "Beyond Wavelets" presents a list of ideas and mathematical
foundations for such extensions, including: continuous and digital ridgelets, brushlets, steerable wavelet packets, contourlets, eno-wavelets, spline-wavelet frames, and quasi-affine wavelets. Wavelet subband algorithms are extended to pyramidal directional and nonuniform filter banks. In addition, this volume includes a
method for tomographic reconstruction using a mechanical image model and a statistical study for independent adaptive signal representation.
Investigators already familiar with wavelet methods from areas such as engineering, statistics, and mathematics will benefit by owning this volume.
*Curvelets, Contourlets, Ridgelets,
*Digital Implementation of Ridgelet Packets
*Steerable Wavelet Packets
*Essentially Non-Oscillatory Wavelets
*Medical Imaging
*Non-Uniform Filter Banks
*Spline-wavelet frames and
*Vanishing Moment Recovery Functions
Book Description
'Manu was seated, when the great seers came up to him: "Please, Lord, tell us the Laws of all the social classes, as well as of those born in between..."' The Law Code of Manu is the most authoritative and the best-known legal text of ancient India. Famous for two thousand years it still generates controversy, with Manu's verses being cited in support of the oppression of women and members of the lower castes. A seminal Hindu text, the Law Code is important for its classic description of so many social institutions that have come to be identified with Indian society. It deals with the relationships between social and ethnic groups, between men and women, the organization of the state and the judicial system, reincarnation, the workings of karma, and all aspects of the law. Patrick Olivelle's lucid translation is the first to be based on his critically edited text, and it incorporates the most recent scholarship on ancient Indian history, law, society, and religion.
Book Description
Manu's Code of Law is one of the most important texts in the Sanskrit canon, indeed one of the most important surviving texts from any classical civilization. It paints an astoundingly detailed picture of ancient Indian life-covering everything from the constitution of the king's cabinet to the price of a ferry trip for a pregnant woman-and its doctrines have been central to Indian thought and practice for 2000 years. Despite its importance, however, until now no one has produced a critical edition of this text. As a result, for centuries scholars have been forced to accept clearly inferior editions of Sanskrit texts and to use those unreliable editions as the basis for constructing the history of classical India. In this volume, Patrick Olivelle has assembled the critical text of Manu, including a critical apparatus containing all the significant manuscript variants, along with a reliable and readable translation, copious explanatory notes, and a comprehensive introduction on the structure, content, and socio-political context of the treatise. The result is an outstanding scholarly achievement that will be an essential tool for any serious student of India.
Customer Reviews:
Painstaking Scholarship.......2006-04-06
It is an interesting fact that Western scholars have paid more attention to Indian texts, than have the Indians themselves. Or perhaps, Western scholarship is more visible and accessible - Indian scholarship is by and large restricted to Gurukuls, and ashrams. These people rarely publish or if they publish, then seldom in the mainstream press. As a result, the contextual misconceptions formed by a person who does not live the Indian traditions or is not familiar with Indian culture can mar a work seriously.
For instance, Sanskrit `dharma' does not translate to `law' - but then there is no equivalent term for it in English. Dharma is not enforced by an external agency - it is a natural rule of cause and effect, as discovered by humans. It does not have to be enforced by any human being (though it sometimes is) - the cause and effect relationship is its own natural enforcer. However, `law' always needs an external agency to enforce it. However, most English translators use `law' and that completely alters the way a person understand the topic.
Much of Western scholarship on India is fatally affected by this handicap. Yet, unfortunately, in a world of knowledge increasingly driven by the market, unpublished scholarship is probably of no significance, at least in the immediate future. As a result, more and more people are dependent on works such as Patrick Olivelle's.
Professor Patrick Olivelle has clearly put in a lot of painstaking effort to produce the above book. The book is a critical, annotated study of the famous Manu Smriti. The work includes an annotated rendering of the text in Devnagari, with a substantial commentary in a separate section. There is also an index to Sanskrit verses, apart from the normal word index. All in all, the book is well-positioned to emerge as the most authoritative work on Manu Smriti.
The book is primarily intended for scholars, and as a reference work. Thus it will probably influence future secondary scholarship significantly.
A worthwhile addition to your reference shelf.
Note: A Hardcover edition published by Oxford University Press, Delhi is cheaper (Rs.1,100), with cheapskate binding. Check the binding carefully before you pay for the book.
Books:
- The Monk in the Garden: The Lost and Found Genius of Gregor Mendel, the Father of Genetics
- The Mysterious Lands: A Naturalist Explores the Four Great Deserts of the Southwest
- The Next One Hundred Years: Shaping the Fate of Our Living Earth
- THE PINE BARRENS. A PRELIMINARY ECOLOGICAL INVENTORY.
- The Smithsonian Guides to Natural America: The Far West: California, Nevada (Smithsonian Guides to Natural America)
- The Summer Walkers: Travelling People and Pearl-Fishers in the Highlands of Scotland
- The Vineyard Handbook: Appellations, Maps & Statistics
- The Western San Juan Mountains: Their Geology, Ecology, and Human History
- Travels and Other Writings: Travels through North and South Carolina, Georgia, East and West Florida... (Nature Library, Penguin)
- Tread Lightly: Venomous and Poisonous Animals of the Southwest
Books Index
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