Hello World: A Life in Ham Radio

Book Description

To an outsider, the world of ham radio is one of basement transmitters, clunky microphones, Morse code, and crackly, possibly clandestine, worldwide communications, a world both mysterious and geeky. But the real story is a lot more interesting: indeed, there are more than two million operators worldwide, including people like Walter Cronkite and Priscilla Presley. Gandhi had a ham radio, as do Marlon Brando and Juan Carlos, king of Spain.
Hello World takes us on a seventy-year odyssey through the world of ham radio. From 1927 until his death in 2001, operator Jerry Powell transmitted radio signals from his bedroom in Hackensack, New Jersey, touring the world’s most remote locations and communicating with people from Greenland to occupied Japan. Once he made contact with a fellow ham operator, he exchanged postcards – known as QSLs cards – with them. For seven decades, Powell collected hundreds of these cards, documenting his fascinating career in amateur radio and providing a dazzling graphic inventory of people and places far flung.
This book is both an introduction to the fascinating world of ham and a visual feast for anyone interested in the universal language of graphic design.

Customer Reviews:

Loved the book.......2005-01-23

I bought this book because it was about ham radio. I was impressed at how well the storyline was. You actually felt as though you were there watching this story go on. A must read!!!

For Design People, Too, Not Just Hams.......2004-02-08

I know nothing about ham radio and loved this book. It is beautifully constructed, has amazing graphics and a great story that Gregory has reconstructed about one man's passion. It's a book about communication, and humanity, and art and how small the world really is. Gorgeous.

Demystifies Amateur Radio (Ham Radio) with superb graphics!.......2003-08-01

I was given this fantastic book by my neighbor and friend here in New Jersey, who is a longtime Ham Radio afficionado (and Police Officer by occupation). Truth be told, I have always wondered about Jim's (my mentioned neighbor/friend) hobby/pastime, especially given his tower and antenna systems, which are large and visible and hard to ignore! I did not know much about the hobby, other than 'people talk around the world much like CB'ers talk locally'. I now realize how utterly wonderful, fascinating and riveting this hobby is! Not to mention critical in times of regional or national emergencies! The authors take you on a FASCINATING journey through the ham radio life of an engineer named Jerry Powell, an actual FCC licensed 'Ham' operator from Kansas who moved to New Jersey early on in his career and spent decades on the air from his humble home, communicating with Hams everywhere from all kinds of economic and ideological backrounds. The book is replete with interesting vignettes and descriptions of what Ham Radio is all about, and the true passion and wonderment of engaging in all aspects of this hobby shared by millions around the world. The graphics are first rate, with a veritable 'world tour' of colorful QSL cards, which reflect many of Jerry's contacts with other Ham Operators from every conceivable corner of the world! After reading this book and 'taking in' the wonderful graphics, I even picked up a few entry-level study guides from the ... site (National Amateur Radio organization) on the advice of my neighbor Jim, and I am excitedly planning on obtaining my entry 'Technician' license! I can't wait to get on the air! Just a superb, SUPERB book!!!

A Wonderful Journey.......2003-07-04

This is an outstanding book which is beautifully illustrated primarily with QSL cards from a ham's 70 year love affair with his hobby that also serves to explain what amateur radio is to the newcomer. I have QSL cards on my wall from the fifties and received my first call in 1955 so to me this book is a real find. Any ham or person curious about ham radio will find this book a true gem. 73s, Jim, K4CFA

Talking to the World.......2003-05-25

With the rise of "personal" electronics--think Internet, tiny cell phones & other wireless connection tools--the world of ham radio seems to have been passed by, forgotten, or otherwise relegated to the basement, or worse. But this hobby holds on, fascinating & attracting those wanting more, some means of talking, chatting, meeting & interacting with the world at-large. Who want something besides giant corporations (ultimately concerned only with P&L)& sometime silly can-you-hear-me-now keyboard manipulations. Something beyond the anonymous nature of what we call commercial radio.

Hams, by & large, remain a curious lot--curious about how & why radio works. And curious because how is it possible to sit in your room & talk with someone else halfway around the world, without wires or other connections? Curious about the nature of communication itself, about who might be on "the other end" of that circuit. And curious about who & what they might be & do. The process occurs thousands of times, day & night, spanning everything, from continents to cultures to countries to crazy dreams & ideas. There's a romance to it, listening to signals that are all around us, unseen or felt, until we hook up a radio & detect them. Ham radio lets you put your own message out there, into that vast ethereal space, seeking something only you know about, something only you want.

"Hello World" introduces readers to some of that romance, to some of what kept Jerry Powell (whose collection of QSL cards form the basis of the work) doing it for 70 years. To some of what fascinated him, & continues to fascinate millions of others around the world. It's a graphical treat, & a rare look into radio from the amateur's point of view. Hopefully, some youngster, somewhere, will see it, & want to learn more--about radio, the world, & communicating with it via radio.

And Jerry Powell's legacy will live on...and on....

Customer Reviews:

Just a joke.......1999-11-04

I only want to buy this book for a joke, so that twenty years later, when nothing has happened because of the Y2K bug, I will be able to show people that book and say how gullible people were back in '99. I think it's funny to read a book like that that tells you to fill your house with canned food for a disaster that doesn't exist.

Good info once you get past all the unnecessary 'chatter'.......1999-03-24

Webster offers good suggestions on preparing, and does a decent job explaining the how and the whys of Y2K. Especially thought provoking are the different scenerios and the odds of any given one happening. Spends way too much time pontificating and discussing the politics of the subject. If this were to be left out, the book would be halved, with concise information

excellent and well-written.......1999-01-13

Maybe the best y2k book. Bruce Webster is not only a year 2000 expert, he's also a good writer, with a warm, friendly and clear style. This well-organized book makes a large, confusing subject easy to understand. Good, detailed recommendations on "how to prepare." And, like all good books, it's a "good read." Buy it.

Access-to-egress : a meta-analysis of the factors that control emergency evacuation through the transport airplane type-III overwing exit : final report (SuDoc TD 4.210:01/2)

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Access-to-egress : a meta-analysis of the factors that control emergency evacuation through the transport airplane type-III overwing exit : final report (SuDoc TD 4.210:01/2)
Garnet A. McLean
Manufacturer: U.S. Dept. of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Office of Aviation Medicine Available to the public through the National Technical Information Service
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B000114CYI

Aircraft evacuations through Type-III exits

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Aircraft evacuations through Type-III exits
G. A McLean
Manufacturer: Available through the National Technical Information Service
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006PHUBG

Book Description

With the planet wildly overpopulated and space colonies thriving, a group of militaristic colonists starts a civil war on earth. When a new weapon appears - humanoid fighting machines called mobile suits - the future of the planet, and the colonies, is anything but certain!

Customer Reviews:

The Coolest Book Ever.......2001-11-28

I like this book because, it is about something cool and different. The thing I don't like about it is the book is kind of hard to follow. This is a really good book besides that.I think any one who reads it should be over 10.Gundam is the coolest thing ever.

Not quite as good..........2001-10-23

I consider myself a major Gundam fan. In fact, I've seen every Gundam saga except the first one. At first, I concluded that this book and saga are extremely well-drawn with good concepts and an interesting script, but only after twenty minutes, I found it insanely pointless and time wasting. I advise all major Gundam fans, who are greatly fascinated by the world of Gundam, to reconsider before buying this book; but don't let it prevent you from exploring the other Gundam series like 8th MS Team or Gundam Wing.

way cool!!!!!!!!!!!.......2001-10-18

for any gundam fan. it tells the begining of the great one year war. i also reccomend vol. 1 and mobil suit gundam:blue detany.

Mobile Suit Gundam 0079.......2001-10-17

I expected the Manga to be a liitle better after I saw the Anime on Cartoon Network. But as it turns out I like the Anime better than the Manga. There is something about the Manga it just rushes into everything so quickly and doesn't leave time for the characters to develop. Though the animation is good and the characters look pretty much the same. All in all it is a good Manga book to read. It has 192 pages, a short character summary in the front, and a time line of the history of the Universal Century in the back.

Not what I expected but not not surprisd either.......2001-01-22

I was really reluctant to buy this graphic novel. I have already been through the Gundam hype before, and lost interest several times because of what it had become. But I also know the original Gundam series has very strong ethical themes. It's not all action and mecha.

I hadn't seen or remembered any of the original Gundam since it first aired (and was too young to understand many of the themes). So I thought I might purchase and read this first volume, and hopefully understand more of the story. I wanted to.

I was dissappointed to find that this book was action beginning to end. There isn't much time to know the characters, they just seem to develop immediately. However in all fairness, given the situation the characters are in, they are forced to develop quckly.

The manga does not provide what I expected, disappointing consiodering manga does not have the same time constraints as a televison programme. I would have liked it to follow more of what Yoshiyuki Tomino really wanted the story to be.

The is no doubt that the mechanical detail in the book is good, characters seem to take a second place in the beatuty of the art, and the story appears to follow the original story well. will I continue the series of graphic novels?

Perhaps, this is only the first book, I will give this version story a chance to develop some more.

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Mother I have Something to Tell You
Jo Brans
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
Accessories:

Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers

Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer

ASIN: 0451151828

Amazon.com

The Spanish American War is remembered more for its enormous political ramifications than for the actual fighting. It marked the end of the Spanish empire in the New World; secured Cuban independence (under U.S. oversight); transferred ownership of Guam, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico to the United States; propelled war hero Theodore Roosevelt to the vice presidency and soon the White House itself; and, most important, signaled the rise of the United States as a global superpower. The War with Spain in 1898, David F. Trask's definitive account, balances the political and military aspects of the conflict. Highlights include the sinking of the U.S. battleship Maine in the Havana harbor and Roosevelt leading his Rough Riders in a brave charge up San Juan Hill. A Mort Kunstler painting of Admiral George Dewey attacking the Spanish fleet at Manila (where he won a spectacular victory) graces the cover.

Book Description

“Remember the Maine!” The war cry spread throughout the United States after the American battleship was blown up in Havana harbor on February 15, 1898. Americans, already sympathetic with Cuba’s struggle for independence from Spain, demanded action. Brief and decisive, not too costly, the Spanish-American War made the United States a world power.

David F. Trask’s War with Spain in 1898 is a cogent political and military history of that “splendid little war.” It describes the failure of diplomacy; the state of preparedness of both sides; the battles, including those of Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders; the enlargement of conflict to rout the Spanish from Puerto Rico and the Philippines; and the misconceptions surrounding the war.

Customer Reviews:

best single volume history of the war.......2000-06-20

A reader seeking to understand the causes and consequences of the War of 1898 would do well to begin with Trask's analysis. The volume is a broad overview of a pivotal moment in the development of U.S. foreign policy, but it manages to preserve clarity and insight despite its scope. It sharply undermines the standard revisionist interpretation of American behavior, forwarded for example by Perez and Foner, which holds that the United States engaged Spain in a war over Cuba in order to keep the island for itself. It does so by convincingly demonstrating that domestic politics in the United States and Spain set the two nations on a collision course with each other (but see Offner for the best presentation of these politics), although it does not say enough about how racism allowed the United States to ignore the legitimacy of Cuba's claims to independence. It mostly succeeds by showing how simple accidents of history, such as the de Lome letter, the mysterious explosion of the Maine, and the conquest of the Philippines by the United States (which was undertaken for reasons related to basic military strategy, not sinister imperial ambitions) prodded events along and restricted the legitimate options available to policymakers. In retrospect, a war entered into for ostensibly humanitarian reasons but resulting in a global empire for America seems obviously to have been the product of selfish, two-faced conspirators. As Trask's thoroughly documented and ably argued narrative reveals, however, sometimes intellectually coherent interpretations say more about the interpreter than the events themselves. A loaded moment in the history of the United States, Spain, Cuba, and the Philippines, the War of 1898 has generated almost as many interpretations as authors. For the best and least biased account of this episode, consult Trask.

Cartoons of the War of 1898 with Spain From Leading Foreign and American Papers

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Cartoons of the War of 1898 with Spain From Leading Foreign and American Papers

Manufacturer: Belford, Middlebrook & Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N3BM3I

America's Great Patriotic War With Spain: Mixed Motives, Lies, and Racism in Cuba and the Philippines, 1898-1915

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War For the Wrong Reasons

America's Great Patriotic War With Spain: Mixed Motives, Lies, and Racism in Cuba and the Philippines, 1898-1915
John William Tebbel
Manufacturer: Marshall Jones Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Philippines | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

Spain | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

From the Publisher

With the centennial of this fascinating conflict arriving in 1998, we expect Tebbel's new book to become the pre- imminent work on the subject. The last major effort to tell the story was in the 1950's. Because of its style, the book will appeal to both knowledgeable historians and to those who simply wish to learn from and enjoy a fine historical novel.

Customer Reviews:

War For the Wrong Reasons.......2000-04-25

This book should have been written pre-1960's so that the Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson administrations could have pulled out of Vietnam before history had a chance to repeat itself. The Spanish-American War and the Philippines War are two glowing examples of how politicians, businessmen, and other characters with hidden agendas can convince and cajole a nation into conducting a costly, unnecessary war. While reading this book I was continually amazed and ashamed of the actions of our military and goverment. Started by Randolph Hearst and a host of other jounalists the war cries were spurred on by the idea of "Manifest Destiny" and American colonialism. The sinking of the Maine supplied the final straw. Off went the soldiers with bands and parades to cheer them on. But in war, although people sometimes forget, men die and soon they did. A bumbling, criminally inept military, and a host of jungle diseases nearly wiped out these unfortunate troops. But wait, there is the "Heroic" Teddy Roosevelt to pull our stones out of the fire(What a crock we have been fed). The Philippines War, an extension and forgotten episode of the Spanish-American War, illustrates how sometimes a David can slay a Goliath. Fighting with outdated guns, knives, rocks, and sticks, An "uncivilized" army nearly overcame superior firepower to gain their long sought after freedom. Sound familiar? This was a prelude to Vietnam. The book was well written. Mr. Tebbel writes as if the events are taking place as you read, a sort of "you are there" feeling. He introduces a long cast of characters and includes background info on the more important people. The first part of the book deals with our war in Cuba which saw alot of coverage by jounalists. Some of the adventures of these newspaper men (Stephen Crane et. al.) would make a great movie. The second part deals with the Philippine War which is really why I bought the book. I was disapointed more pages were not devoted to this area(About 100 pages of a 300 page book for a time period that was 5 times longer). I was also disapointed that there were no maps. Not a one. I would recommend this to any reader with an interest in American history. Mr. Tebbel did not load the book down with military jargon so the casual reader will enjoy. I think this book is a good intro into a forgotten time period, for a more in depth military account other books have to be supplemented.

America's Road to Empire: The War With Spain and Overseas Expansion

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America's Road to Empire: The War With Spain and Overseas Expansion
H. Wayne Morgan , and Howard W. Morgan
Manufacturer: McGraw Hill Text
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0394341988

America's War with Spain: A Selected Bibliography

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America's War with Spain: A Selected Bibliography
Gordon Martin
Manufacturer: The Scarecrow Press, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

Spain | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Beginning with an overview, this work covers foreign and domestic events and battles. It continues with specialized chapters on the U.S. Army, Navy, the all-important press and public opinion, before turning to actions in Cuba, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam. Two indexes complete the book.

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Cartoons of our war with Spain
Charles Nelan
Manufacturer: F.A. Stokes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B000881DJG

Average customer rating:

Cleveland in the war with Spain,
Paul Revere
Manufacturer: [United Printing Co.]
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Spain | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

The conflict with Spain;: A history of the war based upon official reports and descriptions of eye-witnesses

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The conflict with Spain;: A history of the war based upon official reports and descriptions of eye-witnesses
Henry F Keenan
Manufacturer: F.W. Ziegler & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Correspondence relating to the war with Spain : including the insurrection in the Philippine Islands and the China Relief Expedition, April 15, 1898, to July 30, 1902 (SuDoc D 114.2:SP 1/V.1-2)

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Correspondence relating to the war with Spain : including the insurrection in the Philippine Islands and the China Relief Expedition, April 15, 1898, to July 30, 1902 (SuDoc D 114.2:SP 1/V.1-2)
U.S. Dept of Defense
Manufacturer: Center of Military History, U.S. Army
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Philippines | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

Spain | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B00010CO76

CORRESPONDENCE RELATING TO THE WAR WITH SPAIN AND CONDITIONS GROWING OUT OF SAME, ... FROM APRIL 15, 1898 TO JULY 30, 1902

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CORRESPONDENCE RELATING TO THE WAR WITH SPAIN AND CONDITIONS GROWING OUT OF SAME, ... FROM APRIL 15, 1898 TO JULY 30, 1902
Graham A. (introduction by); Nelson, Harold W. (foreword by) Cosmas
Manufacturer: Center of Military History
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000LMH36G

Book Description

The restoration of the monarchy in 1660 and the return of Charles II to his throne have often been depicted as a watershed in English history, inaugurating a period of stability following the upheavals and radicalism of the Civil War, the Republic and the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell. N. H. Keeble 's study challenges this portrayal of events, arguing that the Restoration was in fact tentative and insecure, unsure either of its popular support or its future.Keeble's cultural history of the 1660s offers a multi-faceted and dynamic model of the decade. Drawing extensively on contemporary accounts, the author reveals that for those who lived through them, the events of 1660 carried no sense of finality or assurance of a new age. By representing the voices of the time, his account restores contingency, instability and insecurity to the Restoration and demonstrates that the 1660s were no less complex or exciting than the revolutionary years that preceded them.

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Words do matter to Lewontin

Do words matter?

Excellent...

Good insights on diverse themes

Which gene generated this book?

It Ain't Necessarily So: The Dream of the Human Genome and Other Illusions
Richard Lewontin
Manufacturer: New York Review Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Genetics | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books
Experiments & Projects | Experiments, Instruments & Measurement | Science | Subjects | Books
General | Science | Subjects | Books
Essays & Commentary | Science | Subjects | Books
Genetics | Evolution | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Triple Helix: Gene, Organism, and Environment

Biology as Ideology: The Doctrine of DNA

Refiguring Life

The Code of Codes: Scientific and Social Issues in the Human Genome Project

Making PCR: A Story of Biotechnology

ASIN: 0940322951
Release Date: 2001-09-30

Amazon.com

Stephen Jay Gould calls Richard Lewontin "simply the smartest man I have ever met." And not the least opinionated, either. Lewontin has long been famous among biologists for a volatile combination of feisty leftism, scientific insight, and verbal skill, which have been displayed for the more general public in his essays for what has been called The New York Review of Each Other's Books.

It Ain't Necessarily So is a collection of some of his more characteristic reviews from the 1980s and 1990s. The Mismeasure of Man, by Stephen Jay Gould; Unto Others: The Evolution and Psychology of Unselfish Behavior, by Elliott Sober and David Sloan Wilson; sociological studies of Sex in America; and Ruth Hubbard's books on gender in science: all his essays are informative yet lively, with a high acid content--as when he begins his piece on the Human Genome Project with a definition of "fetish."

Lewontin's prose is worth reading in itself, but what lifts this anthology to another level is that it also includes replies and rebuttals selected from the New York Review's letters column--a forum that doubles as the intellectual's World Wrestling Federation. For the older pieces, he also includes updates, "where are they now" summaries to give a sense of historical change in each field. Assertive, brilliant, sarcastic, dense, wide-ranging--Lewontin may be challenging, but he is never dull. --Mary Ellen Curtin

Book Description

Is our nature—as individuals, as a species—determined by our evolution and encoded in our genes? If we unravel the protein sequences of our DNA, will we gain the power to cure all of our physiological and psychological afflictions and even to solve the problems of our society? Today biologists—especially geneticists—are proposing answers to questions that have long been asked by philosophy or faith or the social sciences. Their work carries the weight of scientific authority and attracts widespread public attention, but it is often based on what the renowned evolutionary biologist Richard Lewontin identifies as a highly reductive misconception: "the pervasive error that confuses the genetic state of an organism with its total physical and psychic nature as a human being."

In these nine essays covering the history of modern biology from Darwin to Dolly the sheep, all of which were originally published in The New York Review of Books, Lewontin combines sharp criticisms of overreaching scientific claims with lucid expositions of the exact state of current scientific knowledge—not only what we do know, but what we don't and maybe won't anytime soon. Among the subjects he discusses are heredity and natural selection, evolutionary psychology and altruism, nineteenth-century naturalist novels, sex surveys, cloning, and the Human Genome Project. In each case he casts an ever-vigilant and deflationary eye on the temptation to look to biology for explanations of everything we want to know about our physical, mental, and social lives.

These essays—several of them updated with epilogues that take account of scientific developments since they were first written—are an indispensable guide to the most controversial issues in the life sciences today.

The second edition of this collection includes new essays on genetically modified food and the completion of the Human Genome Project. It is an indispensable guide to the most controversial issues in the life sciences today.

Customer Reviews:

Words do matter to Lewontin.......2004-07-15

Words do matter to Lewontin, and his portrayal of scientists as pontificating from a position of "objective truth" is not an indictment of individual scientists, but rather, a charge against the whole scientific enterprise. And the charge will stick. Each scientist exemplifies this, some to greater, and others to a lesser, degree. Speaking from 35 years experience as a scientist, I can say Lewontin is much more right, than wrong in his assertion. For the most part, the modern scientific enterprise is contaminated by scientists believing they are working at the "wholesale" level when it comes to "objective' truth, while the rest of people unknowingly work "retail," making culturally-biased statements which merely pass as "truth." This problem intensified after the Enlightenment, when natural philosophers (scientists) began to seriously confuse an arrogant superficial materialism/a priori rationalism with true science (information painstakingly and imperfectly derived from studying a world which is diffuclt or impossible to fully comprehend). Lewontin has caught on to this.

Do words matter?.......2004-04-12

It may be understandable that authors get at times carried away but they may want to remember that irrational generalizations belong in tabloids and should be banned from serious discurse (especially on issues that are of general concern!). How much credibility has an author who rants on like this:

"Scientists, by their practices, seem to place little importance on the actual composition of their communication. For example they never read their papers aloud when they give talks about their work, but speak ex tempore. For other intellectuals the words are the matter but scientists think of themselves as simply objectively reporting the facts of nature. Like the Delphic Oracle they sit perched on their tripods, with upturned eyeballs, and out of their mouths' issue nature's words (p.189)"

I do not know where Lewontin, a scientist himself, has encountered these caricatures. My own experience after working in the sciences for 9 years suggests that scientists, just like the rest of us, are not paradigm cases but individuals. So if Lewontin has specific complaints about specific scientists he should listen to his own advice that "words are the matter" and phrase his criticism appropriately. Otherwise he may want to remember that above and away from the shrine of Delphi is a grove that is difficult to reach, at the end of an ancient cobblestone trail called the Kalki Skala, or "evil stairway." Nearby are two pinnacles from which those convicted of sacrilege against the gods were thrown to their deaths.

Excellent..........2003-12-28

First, the only reason this book gets four stars instead of five is because of the 'book review' format, and as book reviews the essays largely fail. As counteractive theoretical essays, however, they are insightful, scathing, and thorough. A friend of mine wanted to reread "The Selfish Gene" because it's a perennial favorite of humanities snobs, now I'll direct her to this text first.

This book deals much more with the philosophical implications authors imply in their texts than the actual Science, but has enough Science to placate those looking for basic information on genetics, etc. Lewontin's humble and witty approach is welcoming, and his thought process is enjoyable. His 'tell it like it is' approach to issues like Social Darwinism and the Human Genome Project are worth reading, especially for people relegated outside the physical and natural sciences who may be unaware of these perspectives. (Especially those who infrequently read Science texts and are consequently doomed to linger in outdated material).

The key strength of this text lies in its challenging other arguments, which is often stronger than texts with centralized theses. Because of Lewontin's critical authority, he is freer from the ideological rampages that blind many of the authors he addresses. My favorite sections of the text were the 'exchanges,' where authors wrote in to the magazine criticizing Lewontin and he responds. For the reviewer here who rebuked Lewontin for his simple approach to complex problems or his philosophical leaning, note that often those letters he responds to are written by the authors of the books he derides. If he has missed 'the point' that they were forwarding, it is addressed there, and if he has not and you see other discrepancies than you've one upped the authors and should look for more sophisticated arguments anyway. After all, if you can't adequately defend your own work against 'paltry' arguments, how strong is it in the first place?

This text's subject matter is broad and marvelously entertaining. Read up!

Good insights on diverse themes.......2002-05-18

First of all, let me say I feel a special admiration for Richard Lewontin. I believe he is a really smart man and always has an interesting point of view and lots of knowledge to sustain his opinions. This short collection of Reviews he wrote in The New York Review of Books undoubtly endorse my personal opinion on the author. I really recommend this book to anyone with some background on genetics, evolution and biology who wants to enrich his (hers) personal opinion on diverse themes in this subjects. I did not gave this book 5 stars because the reviews contained in it are not new. Although he writes some stuff at the end of his reviews in an attempt to update them, I believe that if he was to write them again, today, he might have changed (maybe, just maybe) a great deal of them. I think Richard Lewontin has more interesting things to say about this themes today than 12 or 20 years ago. He certainly has grown in knowledge and surely has mature his ideas with time and scientific enrichment. Just because he could have gave us more I did not give him 5 stars.

Which gene generated this book?.......2001-08-14

A collection of disparate essays is an elusive target for a reviewer. The range of topics here is wide and of varying quality. With essays ranging from IQ testing through the Darwinian revolution to the Human Genome Project and cloning, Lewontin is able to declaim his own expertise in whichever subject he approaches. As with most New York Review of Books authors, he's witty and cleverly subtle when assaulting those authors or ideas he's contesting; passionately assertive in support. When you've finished the review, however, you're often left with little foundation for deciding whether you should buy that particular book for yourself. The usual reaction is wishing to run out and find all the other sources he refers to for confirming information.

The only consistent theme in this compilation is that of the iconoclast. Chipping away at perceived flaws in other people is a Lewontin specialty. He has favoured targets, such as Richard Dawkins and Philip Rushton, are frequently mentioned. A glaring omission, particularly in the updating Epilogue to "Darwin's Revolution", is that of Daniel C. Dennett's DARWIN'S DANGEROUS IDEA. Given Dennett's scathing critique of The Spandrels of San Marco, co-authored by Lewontin and Stephen Gould, the oversight surprises.

The most engaging sections of the book are essays on the Human Genome Project, genetics and cloning. In an effort to undercut scientists like E.O. Wilson or Richard Dawkins, Lewontin attempts to restrict DNA's role to 'the stupid molecule' it was once considered. Using every verbal trick available, he writes a lawyer's brief against the Project and its supporters. Stripping away nearly every function DNA performs and removing it from its environment, he leaves the reader wondering if 'the stupid molecule' is worth the funding. Like many others, Lewontin knows The Human Genome Project isn't a scientific enterprise, but a business one. He's correct in that assessment, but his hidden agenda remains shrouded. Lewontin is terrified that once the genome has been mapped and better understood, this Agassiz Research Professor will discover that human beings aren't the divinely placed species he and many others would like us to be. Because he can think about so many esoteric subjects and salamanders can't [or at least can't express those thoughts], it follows that we're elevated above the other animals instead of simply different. Lewontin is a tenured human and demotion holds no appeal. He's not alone in that, which is why his books sell.

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