Lean and Mean: Why Large Corporations Will Continue to Dominate the Global Economy
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • excellent
  • Bennett Harrison and Fred Block
Lean and Mean: Why Large Corporations Will Continue to Dominate the Global Economy
Bennett Harrison
Manufacturer: The Guilford Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1572302526

Book Description

Is big business on the way out? Are small firms better at generating new jobs and spurring technological innovation? This myth-shattering book contends that long-term economic growth and technological innovation lie ultimately where they always have: with the largest, most resourceful global companies. But while the biggest businesses still create the lion's share of jobs, these jobs are changing. A rise in part-time and temporary jobs is making the "permanent" workforce an endangered species. Instead of romanticizing the small firm, Harrison argues, government, business, and labor policymakers must confront more significant issues, such as encouraging innovative management behavior--without adding to underemployment and working poverty--and regulating businesses whose organizational boundaries are increasingly fuzzy.

This edition features a new foreword by Robert Kuttner and a new chapter that incorporates current research and addresses critical policy questions.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars excellent.......2001-03-03

i read this book for an economic development class and it was a surprisingly good complement to many books i've read recently: regional advantage (saxenian), technopoles of the world (castells/hall) and the capitalist imperative (storper). surprising, because i hadn't heard of harrison before. he rejects the idea that creativity and economic growth in a network economy come from small firms and does so with numerous examples, from silicon valley to italy. he argues that only large firms have the wherewithal to invest in the r&d necessary in the new economy, and that these large entities also set the standards for the numerous small firms to follow. to wit, jeff bezos found a way to leverage the browser that marc andreessen created, but both these individuals needed the idea that the u.s. defense industry and darpa created. harrison takes a macro view, and if i have a criticism of his thesis, it is just that - by looking at creativity from such a high level he seems to dismiss the fact that teams like tom west's eagle group are the exception at bureaucratic big firms. harrison probably takes the view he does because his ultimate goal is to chasten big firms, whose new economy style gave rise to the book's title. a former professor at new york's liberal new school (harrison died recently of throat cancer), harrison is a voice for social and labor justice, advocating for workers who are being exploited (still) even as capitalism changes form.

5 out of 5 stars Bennett Harrison and Fred Block.......1998-05-20

Introduction

World economics, like the ecology of natural ecosystems, is a dynamic system that evolves as technological advances change modes of production and consumption. New industries and the way they operate in a global context have a cause/effect relationship on the economic and societal frameworks, which are constructed as a result. Upon reflection of modern society, we can break human development into three phases of development. First and foremost was the agricultural society in which agriculture was the main commodity produced. As the scientific revolution of the 18th Century developed new ways of understanding the natural world, it gave rise to new inventions in the 19th Century, such as the steam engine, steel, and the development of new raw materials. This era, up through the mid-20th Century became known as the industrial society. During the era of the industrial society, agriculture dropped from constituting 60% to 6.9% of the economy as manufacturing replaced agricultural production (Block, p. 60). As technology improved and created new products, modes of production once again changed. This era, which focuses more on services and information flow rather than production, continues into the present, and has been termed the "post-industrial society". (Post-industrial is a term that will frequently be used throughout this essay. A small section, after the historical context section, has been devoted to provide a clear definition of "post-industrial"). In Bennett Harrison's book, Lean and Mean: The Changing Landscape of Corporate Power in the Age of Flexibility, Harrison takes a progressive approach to analyzing the way in which big and small businesses operate in a new global market economy within this new post-industrial construct. Harrison argues that contrary to popular belief, big businesses are not on their way out. They are still alive and well, becoming more flexible and efficient, and still remain, as the economic drivers of our economy. Throug! h case studies and empirical research from the U.S., Japan, and Europe, he shows how powerful multi-national corporations (MNC's) have reorganized themselves externally and internally, becoming "lean and mean". To help defend his argument about big business, Harrison also defines the role of small business in today's society. Throughout this essay, the term large and small firm is frequently used. A large firm is defined as an institution employing 100 or more employees. A small firm is defined as an institution employing less than 100 employees. Fred Block, like Harrison, takes a progressive approach to critiquing post-industrialism in his book Postindustrial Possibilities: A Critique of Economic Discourse. Unlike Harrison, Block focuses more on restructuring neoclassical economic thought to make it more democratic in this new era of information. Block's three goals to understanding post-industrialism are to critique postindustrial theory, use economic sociology as a method for understanding contemporary economies, and offer a progressive approach for thinking about economic policy and social choice in capital societies. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast the progressive economic discourse offered by Bennett Harrison and Fred Block. It is important that we first put post-industrialism into a historical context, and then define it to understand Harrison's and Block's critique.

Historical Context: The transition from an industrial society to a post-industrial society. The industrial society is the societal framework which characterized the era from the mid-19th Century to the mid-20th Century. It was an era in which production thrived due to the innovative technologies, such as the mechanization of labor and the discovery of new sources of power and raw materials. An attempt to understand how this societal framework was driving market forces, poverty, affluence, and development, gave rise to various discourses on the economics of the time. Adam Smith had previous! ly written The Wealth of Nations (1776) which dealt with the emancipation of free market pricing from the interfering hand of state regulation and introduced the concept of public good. Karl Marx in 1867 arrived with his massive critique on capitalism. John Maynard Keynes in 1936 wrote The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money, which explained prosperity and depression centers based on the aggregate demand for goods and services by consumers. The economic trend moved toward less and less direct control of economic activity, which gave way to the notion of laissez faire - complete governmental non-interference with business. Capitalism was viewed as a free-enterprise system that had orderliness. Technology rapidly enhanced production. The fordist model of linear production took root, which allowed for specialization and division of labor. Labor unions sprung forth in an attempt to represent the vested interests of laborers. After World War II, the U.S. rose as a hegemonic power creating the notion of the "American Dream". Corporations concentrated in the core of cities to pool from an emerging labor force. In the 1960's, other countries such as Germany, France, Italy, and Japan restructured their economies and became peripheral hegemonic powers that begin to compete in a new global market. With the automation of manufacturing and competition from these hegemonic powers, the U.S. was now forced to become more competitive. Manufacturing increased while jobs in the industrial sector decreased due to automation. A transition to an information-based society began in which small corporations start to rise and compete with large multi-national corporations (MNC) in a global market. This global market was based on the flow of information. Large companies were forced to become flexible in their modes of production which allowed them to hire fewer employees and establish command control centers. These command and control centers were, and still are, decentralized, relying on netw! orks for efficient modes of production. Income polarization becomes a "by-product" of this new post-industrial society.

Post-industrialism Defined Fred Block offers a generic, but tangible definition of post-industrialism. Harrison in comparison assumes his reader to be well informed, only referencing to concepts of post-industrialism to prove points. Block defines post-industrialism as the "historical period that begins when the concept of industrial society ceases to provide an adequate account of actual social development" (Block, p. 11). What is this "concept of industrial society" that Block speaks of? As mentioned previously, it was the era when society was characterized by an emphasis on manufacturing in the economy. Males were expected to work at one place of employment until retirement, while the female tended to domestic responsibilities. To better understand Block's generic definition of post-industrialism, the reader can easily refer to the three social trends, which Block identifies, that emerged in the 1960's as a result of innovative technologies. The first was the growing importance of services in the economy (Block, p. 10). This led to a decline in employment in the manufacturing services of the economy. The second trend was the arrival of computer-based automation (Block, p. 10). Work organization began to change as an effect, causing workers to concentrate on computer operation rather than physical labor. The third trend was an increasing female workforce and breakdown of the "one-career" pattern of life (Block, p. 10). Society no longer restricted females to domestic work. Men no longer worked without interruption to retirement. Divorce rates became more common as women now entered the workforce and pursued careers before marriage (Block, p.10). In contrast, although Harrison does not define "post-industrial", he does provide three characteristics of a post-industrial world. He states that, "a postindustrial ! world is characterized by continually fluctuating consumer demands, heightened international competition, and the need for more flexible forms of work and interfirm interaction" (Harrison, p.12). The combination of Block's definition of post-industrialism, and Harrison's characteristics of a post-industrial world, provide a contextual foundation for the layperson to grasp Harrison's argument of big business being the economic driver of our economy.

The notion of small firms as economic drivers Harrison defends his argument for big business by deconstructing the notion of small firms as economic drivers and job generators. He provides the reader with an historical overview of the perceived stigma of the rigid structure and organization of big firms that arose from the industrial era. Big firms were viewed as somewhat of a dinosaur, not able to compete in a global market characterized by fluctuating consumer demands...

Law School 101: Survival Techniques from Pre-Law to Being an Attorney (Sphinx Legal)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Great Book & Karl Hungus sounds like an Aruba Sympathizer
  • Author dishonestly reviews self on Amazon, spams prelaw message boards
  • Thanks so much!
  • Got by with a little help from my friends!
  • What a Great Help!
Law School 101: Survival Techniques from Pre-Law to Being an Attorney (Sphinx Legal)
R. Stephanie Good
Manufacturer: Sphinx Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:
  1. Law School Confidential (Revised Edition): A Complete Guide to the Law School Experience: By Students, for Students Law School Confidential (Revised Edition): A Complete Guide to the Law School Experience: By Students, for Students
  2. Acing Your First Year of Law School: The Ten Steps to Success You Won't Learn in Class Acing Your First Year of Law School: The Ten Steps to Success You Won't Learn in Class
  3. Law 101: Everything You Need to Know about the American Legal System Law 101: Everything You Need to Know about the American Legal System
  4. Pre-Law Companion (Prelaw Companion) Pre-Law Companion (Prelaw Companion)
  5. The Complete Law School Companion: How to Excel at America's Most Demanding Post-Graduate Curriculum The Complete Law School Companion: How to Excel at America's Most Demanding Post-Graduate Curriculum

ASIN: 1572483741

Book Description

Each year, law schools graduate more students than there are practicing lawyers. Why? Because most prospective students have unrealistic expectations and preconceived notions of what law school and the legal profession are really all about. Many enter law school expecting wealth, prestige or the exciting lives of the fictitious attorneys on Law and Order and The Practice without ever considering the very real pressure, competition, workload and commitment involved. This book definitively shatters the myths and hype surrounding law school and the practice of law by educating the reader about the actual challenges and realities encountered.

This insightful and often humorous guide encourages prospective students to take personal inventories of themselves in order to decide prior to entering law school whether their expectations about being able to meet the challenges are realistic. The reader is taken on a guided tour through the hallowed halls of legal indoctrination, from the decision-making process through all of the unexpected pitfalls and stresses of law-school life. This book fills in the gaps about the state of mind that is required for success in law school. It also allows the reader the opportunity to see things in terms that are not only coherent, but also enjoyable. While it is extremely informative, it is light and easy to follow.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Great Book & Karl Hungus sounds like an Aruba Sympathizer .......2007-01-23

"Law School 101" is the bible for anyone that wants to enter the field of law. R. Stephanie Good is a New York Times best selling author,
and also co-authored "Aruba. After reading Karl Hungus's review, I realized that he is most likely the guy
that did the same thing on the "Aruba" book. Karl gave it away when he supposedly
analyzed the "Aruba" book in the "Law School 101" comment. Karl stay in Aruba and we will keep boycotting your country. Never knew there was an Ohio, Aruba. LOL

Anyone wanting a book to inform and motivate your career should read "Law School 101"

1 out of 5 stars Author dishonestly reviews self on Amazon, spams prelaw message boards.......2007-01-13

I would be very suspicious of this book and its author. There are many things you should consider before you buy this book. First, all of the people who gave this book 5 stars (I think at least, look for yourself), have reviewed exactly two books--this book and a stupid looking book about Natalie Holloway. Each reviewer gave both books 5 stars, and both were written by the author of this book. That should make you suspect that they're either fake accounts made by the author (really slimy) or real accounts made by her friends (still really slimy). Also, the the author of the book has been suspected of spamming ads for her book on prelawdiscussion.org pretending to be a satisifed reader. I'll never give this tool another dime. Caveat emptor.

5 out of 5 stars Thanks so much!.......2006-07-25

I love the way this book guided me through law school this year. My first year was hell and I found this book and made a huge turn around. It was easy reading and enjoyable, but it was also so informative that my second year was much easier to deal with. I have so many tools now to get me through the toughest things, like communicating in class, taking exams, and even just getting through the day to day stress that all of my friends and I have had to live with. I am focusing on criminal law courses and I really love being there now. Law school is nothing like college and we didn't know that until we got there. If I had it to do over again, I would have found this book and read it before I started. It really is the best one out there. Thanks so much to the author for finally telling it like it is!

5 out of 5 stars Got by with a little help from my friends!.......2006-07-02

This book was being carried around by just about everyone I knew this year. Word got around that it was the first real survival guide to law school. I had read some of the other books and they didn't have the same real life struggles and stories that this one does. I felt like it was written about me and because of that, I was able to follow it and learn how to make law school an incredible experience. Thanks to the author for throwing a lifesaver into the sea of muck and mire!

5 out of 5 stars What a Great Help!.......2006-05-21

I bought the book for my brother who was not too happy with his decision to go to law school. He had started his first year and was really struggling. He hasn't stopped thanking me. He just finished the year out and he did very well. He said the book saved him and now he loves law school, because the book made him look at the situation realistically and helped him stay focused instead of letting the pressure get the best of him.

Soil Carbon Sequestration for Improved Land Management (World Soil Resources Reports,)
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Soil Carbon Sequestration for Improved Land Management (World Soil Resources Reports,)
    Michel Roberts
    Manufacturer: Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN (FA
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

    Soil ScienceSoil Science | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
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    ASIN: 9251046905
    The potential of Norwegian soils to sequester carbon through land use conversion and improved management practices
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      The potential of Norwegian soils to sequester carbon through land use conversion and improved management practices
      B. R Singh
      Manufacturer: Ohio State University
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Unknown Binding

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      ASIN: B0006RZDLI
      Soil Carbon Sequestration for Improved Land Management
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Soil Carbon Sequestration for Improved Land Management
        Michel Roberts
        Manufacturer: FAO
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback

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        ASIN: B000JOT670

        Neurotrophin Protocols (Methods in Molecular Biology)
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          Neurotrophin Protocols (Methods in Molecular Biology)

          Manufacturer: Humana Press
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Hardcover

          BiochemistryBiochemistry | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
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          ASIN: 0896036995

          Book Description

          In Neurotrophin Protocols, established leaders in the neurotrophin field detail their special expertise in a wide variety of key protein, RNA, recombinant, and in vivo techniques. The protocols range from immunological analysis for the cellular localization and quantification of the neurotrophins, to genetic manipulation of cells and animals for analysis of biological function, to quantitative analysis of the active neurotrophin genes. There are also radiotracing techniques for studying neurotrophin transport in both the retrograde and anterograde directions, procedures for using immunotoxins to study the effects of eliminating a single class of neurons, and the essential stereological method for estimation of neuronal numbers. Timely and robust, Neurotrophin Protocols provides today's neuroscientists in both academia and industry with a comprehensive range of practical, readily reproducible methods for studying neurotrophins and the critically important effects they have on the nervous system.

          Colloidal Phenomena: Advanced Topics
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            Colloidal Phenomena: Advanced Topics
            C. S. Hirtzel , and Raj Rajagopalan
            Manufacturer: Noyes Data Corporation/Noyes Publications
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Hardcover

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            ASIN: 081551011X

            Path Integrals in Quantum Mechanics, Statistics, Polymer Physics, and Financial Markets, Third Edition
            Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
            • i liked it
            • One of The only TWO Books to own on PI's
            • Kleinerts Completeness
            Path Integrals in Quantum Mechanics, Statistics, Polymer Physics, and Financial Markets, Third Edition
            Hagen Kleinert
            Manufacturer: World Scientific Publishing Company
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            ASIN: 9812381066

            Book Description

            This is the third, significantly expanded edition of the comprehensive textbook published in 1990 on the theory and applications of path integrals. It is the first book to explicitly solve path integrals of a wide variety of nontrivial quantum-mechanical systems, in particular the hydrogen atom. The solutions have become possible by two major advances. The first is a new euclidean path integral formula which increases the restricted range of applicability of Feynman's famous formula to include singular attractive 1/r and 1/r2 potentials. The second is a simple quantum equivalence principle governing the transformation of euclidean path integrals to spaces with curvature and torsion, which leads to time-sliced path integrals that are manifestly invariant under coordinate transformations.

            In addition to the time-sliced definition, the author gives a perturbative definition of path integrals which makes them invariant under coordinate transformations. A consistent implementation of this property leads to an extension of the theory of generalized functions by defining uniquely integrals over products of distributions.

            The powerful Feynman-Kleinert variational approach is explained and developed systematically into a variational perturbation theory which, in contrast to ordinary perturbation theory, produces convergent expansions. The convergence is uniform from weak to strong couplings, opening a way to precise approximate evaluations of analytically unsolvable path integrals.

            Tunneling processes are treated in detail. The results are used to determine the lifetime of supercurrents, the stability of metastable thermodynamic phases, and the large-order behavior of perturbation expansions. A new variational treatment extends the range of validity of previous tunneling theories from large to small barriers. A corresponding extension of large-order perturbation theory also applies now to small orders.

            Special attention is devoted to path integrals with topological restrictions. These are relevant to the understanding of the statistical properties of elementary particles and the entanglement phenomena in polymer physics and biophysics. The Chern-Simons theory of particles with fractional statistics (anyons) is introduced and applied to explain the fractional quantum Hall effect.

            The relevance of path integrals to financial markets is discussed, and improvements of the famous Black-Scholes formula for option prices are given which account for the fact that large market fluctuations occur much more frequently than in the commonly used Gaussian distributions.

            The author's other book on `Critical Properties of f4 Theories' gives a thorough introduction to the field of critical phenomena and develops new powerful resummation techniques for the extraction of physical results from the divergent perturbation expansions.

            Customer Reviews:

            5 out of 5 stars i liked it.......2004-04-19

            So a little background on Kleinert: feynman could NOT solve the schrodinger equation with the path integral and kleinert, using some group theoretical methods did. or so that's what i was told.

            His book reflects that. This book is full of interesting facts that arent elsewhere.

            5 out of 5 stars One of The only TWO Books to own on PI's.......2001-03-10

            Kleinert the physicist is NOTHING short of phenomenal. This book is just one of his many treatises. After reading Feynman(+Hibbs) this is the text to follow up.

            Sadly the second edition which is in print contain MANY typos.

            The third edition fixes much if not all, so skip right onto the 3rd or higher edition.

            5 out of 5 stars Kleinerts Completeness.......2000-06-26

            Kleinerts book "Path Integrals in Quantum Mechanics, Statistics, and Polymer Physics" presents the reader with a very complete and very thorough discussion of path integration. The book offers such a wealth of topics,it becomes straightforward to select material, both for advanced undergraduate as well as graduate courses in theoretical physics.

            Many, many issues dealt with in this volume have appeared here for the first time, such as the inclucion of the quantum mechanics of the hydrogen atom through path integrals. This book is a major step towards bringing this approach to quantum physics onto the same educational footing as the Schrödinger equation that standard texts focus on. This book profits from the clarity and conciseness that is also a hallmark of Kleinerts scientific papers.

            I would say this volume is highly recommendable for any student considering to major in {theoretical} physics, and an absolute must for any lecturer in this area. Infact, I don't know of any excuse not to have your own copy.

            The Poison Belt
            Average customer rating: 2 out of 5 stars
            • Free SF Reader
            The Poison Belt
            Arthur Conan Doyle
            Manufacturer: BookSurge Classics
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Paperback

            ClassicsClassics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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            ASIN: 1594569649
            Release Date: 2004-02-02

            Customer Reviews:

            2 out of 5 stars Free SF Reader.......2007-09-07

            The bad news is brief.


            There is a reason people don't talk about this one much I think. That reason being it is bad.

            The earth is going to enter a nasty phenomenon, no-one believes Challenger when he warns them.

            So, he and his mates are prepared, no-one else is.

            However, rather than dying, everyone gets better, and nothing really happens, except an offhand remark about the problems from accidents etc. when the poison gets everyone.

            It is lacking in the entertaining banter and blustering of some of the others.

            Not well done.
            The Poison Belt AND the Tragedy of the Korosko
            Average customer rating: Not rated
              The Poison Belt AND the Tragedy of the Korosko
              Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
              Manufacturer: BiblioBazaar
              ProductGroup: Book
              Binding: Paperback

              ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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              1. America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It

              ASIN: 1426455291
              Release Date: 2006-11-14

              Book Description

              Being an account of another adventure of Prof. George E. Challenger, Lord John Roxton, Prof. Summerlee, and Mr. E. D. Malone, the discoverers of “The Lost World”
              The Poison Belt: Being an Account of Another Amazing Adventure of Professor Challenger (Bison Frontiers of Imagination)
              Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
              • Doyle's contribution to "post-apocalyptic" literature!
              • Well written and quite exciting!
              The Poison Belt: Being an Account of Another Amazing Adventure of Professor Challenger (Bison Frontiers of Imagination)
              Arthur Conan Doyle
              Manufacturer: Bison Books
              ProductGroup: Book
              Binding: Paperback

              BritishBritish | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | 18th Century | 19th Century | 20th Century | Classics | Contemporary | General | Historical | Humor | Letters & Correspondence | Middle | Old | Poetry | Renaissance | Shakespeare | Short Stories
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              4. The Moon Pool (Bison Frontiers of Imagination) The Moon Pool (Bison Frontiers of Imagination)
              5. Out of Space and Time (Bison Frontiers of Imagination) Out of Space and Time (Bison Frontiers of Imagination)

              ASIN: 0803266340

              Book Description

              "Nothing could be done. The thing was universal and beyond our human knowledge or control. It was death for young and old, for weak and strong, for rich and poor, without hope or possibility of escape."



              Just returned from his famous adventure in the Lost World, the resourceful Professor George Challenger faces his greatest danger yet: Earth will pass through a belt of poisonous ether, and mankind might not survive. As the poison enters the atmosphere, terror and madness sweep the globe. Cities are wracked by riots, societies crumble, and soon all communication ceases. Professor Challenger and his friends, barricaded in a sealed room, can only watch their planet die.



              The Poison Belt stands as one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's finest stories. A first-rate sequel to The Lost World, this novel continues the adventures of one of the most memorable characters in speculative fiction. Brilliant, witty, insufferable, and blessed with a booming voice and a huge black beard, Professor George Challenger is an eccentric and able champion of the human race.

              Customer Reviews:

              5 out of 5 stars Doyle's contribution to "post-apocalyptic" literature!.......2007-09-14

              While Professor George Edward Challenger, a short, stocky, hirsute bull of a man is physically the complete opposite of Doyle's more well known protagonist, Sherlock Holmes, the same cannot be said of his pomposity, arrogance and mental dexterity. In that regard, he could well have been Sherlock's and Mycroft's long lost sibling.

              As a scientist of the first order, comfortable in his astute, complex analysis of "the blurring of Frauenhofer's lines in the spectra both of the planets and of the fixed stars," Challenger concluded there had been a fundamental change in the ether that would "involve the ultimate welfare of every man, woman, and child upon this planet." In fact, his private prognostications were that the end of the world was at hand and, on the basis of that certainty, he issued a peremptory summons to his friends and colleagues from the "lost world" expedition - young Edward Malone, the reporter for the Daily Gazette; Professor Summerlee, a fellow scientist; and Lord John Roxton, gentleman adventurer and sportsman - to join him and his beloved wife as witness to the world's final hours!

              Having only recently completed Conan Doyle's "The Lost World", I expected "The Poison Belt" to be a garment cut of the same cloth - a swashbuckling Victorian adventure tale of the exploits of heroic men's men! Not even close ... instead Doyle served up an optimistic, post-apocalyptic tale of a world given a taste of Armageddon and an unexpected second chance. Doyle's philosophical musings, disclosed through the conversations of the last five people to remain on the face of a dying earth, touched upon such tender ideas as love and friendship in the face of death. While Doyle might not have recognized it by the more modern label, his musings even wandered into what a modern cosmological philosopher would label the "anthropic principle".

              A modern reader of "The Poison Belt" will know that the notion of an all-encompassing ether in the universe has long since been debunked. But that single failing detracted not one whit from the quality of the story. That same modern reader, I expect, will also be unlikely to share Doyle's optimism regarding the world's reaction to a second chance at life. But, for myself, when I finished the story, I smiled and silently prayed that Doyle was right and I was wrong!

              Enjoy!

              Paul Weiss

              5 out of 5 stars Well written and quite exciting!.......2006-09-14

              Professor Challenger is still throwing his bulk, and his vast intellect, around, making enemies and inevitably being proved right. And so, when reporter Ed Malone receives an emergency telegram from him, demanding that he bring oxygen at once, Malone hastens out and gets the oxygen! It seems that Challenger has learned that the Earth is moving towards a poisonous section of space, and has figured out a way that he can save a few members of the human race - the last people left on Earth.

              Professor George Edward Challenger is the lesser known creation of Sherlock Holmes' creator, Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930). Unlike the cool and calculating Homes, Challenger is irascible, domineering and extremely outspoken. In short, he is a lot of fun to read. However, unlike Holmes, Professor Challenger never caught on and as such only five Challenger stories were ever written, and this was the second of the five (written in 1913).

              Although more than a little dated, scientifically, I found this story to be well written and quite exciting. It reflects a world that is now gone, but is quite interesting to read about. If you like adventure stories, then you will like this one. Read this book, and learn about A.C. Doyle's other hero!
              Lost World & the Poison Belt
              Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
              • Alone . . .
              Lost World & the Poison Belt
              Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
              Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
              ProductGroup: Book
              Binding: Paperback

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              ASIN: 0877016208

              Customer Reviews:

              5 out of 5 stars Alone . . ........1999-05-30

              Another Doyle classic. Only now the stakes are infinitely higher. What would you do if you knew the Earth was doomed? Find out what our daring explorers do, and what it is truly like to be the only person left on the planet . . .
              The Lost World + The Poison Belt + The Land of Mists and Other Stories (The Disintegration Machine + When the World Screamed) (PROFESSOR CHALLENGER SERIES, 3 Volume Matched Set)
              Average customer rating: Not rated
                The Lost World + The Poison Belt + The Land of Mists and Other Stories (The Disintegration Machine + When the World Screamed) (PROFESSOR CHALLENGER SERIES, 3 Volume Matched Set)

                Manufacturer: Easton Press
                ProductGroup: Book
                Binding: Leather Bound
                ASIN: B000ERERAS
                POISON BELT
                Average customer rating: Not rated
                  POISON BELT

                  Manufacturer: Easton Press
                  ProductGroup: Book
                  Binding: Hardcover
                  ASIN: B000GLFDY6
                  The Poison Belt
                  Average customer rating: Not rated
                    The Poison Belt
                    Conan Arthur Doyle
                    Manufacturer: IndyPublish
                    ProductGroup: Book
                    Binding: Hardcover

                    ClassicsClassics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
                    ASIN: 1435326067
                    The Poison Belt
                    Average customer rating: Not rated
                      The Poison Belt
                      Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
                      Manufacturer: Berkley
                      ProductGroup: Book
                      Binding: Mass Market Paperback
                      ASIN: B000V4V3W4
                      The Poison Belt
                      Average customer rating: Not rated
                        The Poison Belt
                        Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
                        Manufacturer: Wildside Press
                        ProductGroup: Book
                        Binding: Hardcover

                        ClassicsClassics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
                        ASIN: 0809597225

                        Book Description

                        It is imperative that now at once, while these stupendous events are still clear in my mind, I should set them down with that exactness of detail which time may blur. But even as I do so, I am overwhelmed by the wonder of the fact that it should be our little group of the "Lost World" -- Professor Challenger, Professor Summerlee, Lord John Roxton, and myself -- who have passed through this amazing experience. When, some years ago, I chronicled in the _Daily Gazette_ our epoch-making journey in South America, I little thought that it should ever fall to my lot to tell an even stranger personal experience, one which is unique in all human annals and must stand out in the records of history as a great peak among the humble foothills which surround it. The event itself will always be marvelous, but the circumstances that we four were together at the time of this extraordinary episode came about in a most natural and, indeed, inevitable fashion. I will explain the events which led up to it as shortly and as clearly as I can, though I am well aware that the fuller the detail upon such a subject the more welcome it will be to the reader, for the public curiosity has been and still is insatiable. It was upon Friday, the twenty-seventh of August -- a date forever memorable in the history of the world. . . .
                        The Poison Belt
                        Average customer rating: Not rated
                          The Poison Belt
                          Arthur Conan, Sir Doyle
                          Manufacturer: 1st World Library
                          ProductGroup: Book
                          Binding: Hardcover

                          ClassicsClassics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
                          ASIN: 1421808129

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