Flowers, Butterflies and Insects: All 154 Engravings from "Erucarum Ortus" (Dover Pictorial Archive Series)

Book Description

Fine-line images of roses, butterflies, tulips, caterpillars, and other specimens of plant and insect life in elegant full-page compositions. These plates are considered among the finest achievements of a great age of floral painting and the engraver's art. Reprinted from the classic, influential works of the famed artist/entomologist Merian (1647–1717). New English captions.

Customer Reviews:

Flowers Butterflies and Insects.......2000-07-17

I bought this book to use as clip art for graphic design projects. I was pleased to see that there were many "usable" insect representations. Unfortuantely, there were fewer pieces of "usable" flower art (for my project anyway) because most of the leaves have been eaten by the insects!

Book Description

The rich and varied habitat of Pakistan is home to an estimated 4,940 plant species. Though there has been some effort to catalogue the fascinating flora of this region, information published so far has been in a highly condensed and technical format. This book is the first book of its kind to present an account of over 650 selected flowering plants of Pakistan to the reader in an understandable and interesting format. Each plant is illustrated with a photograph, accompanied by a brief descriptive account, indicating its relationship within the plant kingdom and its occurrence throughout the world. An important feature of the the book is a key that enables the non-specialist to identify the plants. Indices of scientific, English and local names, plus a glossary of botanical terms, have been included to aid the reader.

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WILD FLOWERS OF PAKISTAN.
Y. R. Rafiq Nasir
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000WPJT78

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Wild Flowers of Pakistan.
Y.J. NASIR
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKSVL6

Book Description

This is an area of awe-inspiring natural beauty. Approximately 280 miles in length, the range includes rolling foothills, steep gorges, high passes and imposing peaks. Superb scenery, a rich culture and a long history, wonderful cuisine and excellent sporting opportunities all combine to make the Pyrenees one of Europe's most exciting regions; there's no better way to experience it than on foot.

Fully revised and expanded 2nd edition

· 90 detailed trekking maps - showing walking times, places to stay and points of interest, with detailed route descriptions:
· GR10 from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean
· GR11 from Roncesvalles to Andorra
· Link routes and HRP sections

· Practical information - planning your trip; getting to France and Spain from other countries in Europe, North America and Australasia; where to stay (all budgets), where to eat, what to see, and getting to the start of your trek

· Historical and cultural background

· Health and safety; minimizing your impact on the environment

· French and Spanish language sections

· Pyrenean flora and fauna - four-page full colour guide to the flowers of the Pyrenees, plus an illustrated bird identification section

Customer Reviews:

As thorough a guide as you will need........2003-09-04

I used this guide last summer to walk the first half of the GR10 before bouncing over to the alps to do the Tour de Mont Blanc and the Haute route to Zermatt.

This guide has everything you need to survive the trip. Of course, over time things change. some epiceries, gites and campgrounds will close or change their hours, but that is some of the fun of this trip. the uncertainty of where you are going next.

Over 300 km's, i only found one major error in the guide, and i think that error was due to the cutting of a new logging road which made finding the existing logging road much more difficult.

I guess if there was a problem with the guide is that it didn't explain well how difficult some of the optional excursions were. I forget the name for the non-main trails, but I was scared off due to a lack of a detailed description about potential dangers of various alternatives.

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All about your name, David (Davies, Dave, Davis, Davidson, Davy)
Tom Glazer
Manufacturer: DoubleDay
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0385063970

Book Description

This is one of the first books to review the quantitative tools used in the study of such subjects as biodiversity, resource management, and endangered species preservation. The topics covered include population viability analysis, population dynamics, metapopulation models, estimating risks and timing of extinctions, quasi-extinction, recovery dynamics, land use, population genetics and the genetics of bottleneck populations. Now reprinted in softcover, the book remains of great interest to graduate students and practicing biologists working in conservation biology, ecology, and natural resources.

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Incomprehensible

Success in Chemistry? Not with this book.

Not a good book

Chemistry Success in 20 Minutes a Day (Skill Builders Series)
LearningExpress Editors
Manufacturer: LearningExpress, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General & Reference | Chemistry | Science | Subjects | Books
General & Reference | Chemistry | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Study Guides | Reference | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Physics Success in 20 Minutes a Day (Skill Builders)

Biology Success in 20 Minutes A Day (Skill Builders)

Calculus Success in 20 Minutes a Day (Skill Builders)

Algebra Success in 20 Minutes a Day, 2nd Edition (Skill Builders)

Geometry Success in 20 Minutes a Day, 2nd Edition (Skill Builders)

ASIN: 1576854841

Book Description

Chemistry is a subject that many students approach with dread. With Chemistry Success there's no reason to fear. This friendly, straightforward guide uses a series of simple 20-step lesson plans to teach students what they need to quickly grasp the essentials of this subject.

Customer Reviews:

Incomprehensible.......2007-08-17

I gave up after 2 chapters. It would explain a concept, then ask questions about it. Unfortunately, in explaining the concept, they never explain how to apply it to other situations; or it wouldn't explain it fully enough to answer the practice questions. It assumed you already knew half of what it was explaining. (Ie, they explained atomic mass and the atomic number without explaining that the number of protons is equivalent to the number of electrons. It then asked you to identify the number of protons and neutrons and electrons based on 1 number. I had to flip back and forth from the periodic table to answer and rely on my memory from high school chemistry many years ago to answer the question. There were things like this in every section, and I didn't remember the other concepts from high school at all.) It is therefore confusing, frustrating, and discouraging. I am just grateful I borrowed it from the library instead of wasting money on it myself.

Success in Chemistry? Not with this book. .......2007-04-19

I agree with the last review. The title of this book was very promising yet once I began to use it I realized I would have anything but success with Chemistry. Over all, I found this book extremely confusing. I will exchange it as soon as I can.

Not a good book.......2006-08-27

This book has several typos and does not explain things clearly. It goes back and forth between terms that mean the same thing and gives you numbers in examples without explaining where they came from. It is a poorly put together book and is a waste of money.

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Chemistry Skill Builder
Steven D. Gammon , and Sharon Hutchison
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall College Div
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General & Reference | Chemistry | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

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ChemSkill Builder

Manufacturer: Electronic Home Systems
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 1890803014

Product Description

A system of computer-based general chemistry lessons designed to be used as electronic homework. Requires Windows 3.1 or later. Contains three 3 1/2 Floppy Disk

Introductory Chemistry/Math Toolkit/Chemistry on the Internet 98-99/Chemistry Skill Builder/Spring 1999 Nyt Chemistry Supplement

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Introductory Chemistry/Math Toolkit/Chemistry on the Internet 98-99/Chemistry Skill Builder/Spring 1999 Nyt Chemistry Supplement
Corwin
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall College Div
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0130126454

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Chem Skill Builder Foundations

Manufacturer: McGraw Hill Higher Education
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General & Reference | Chemistry | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0073022152

Chemistry Skill Builder Window: Electronic Homework Version 5.1

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Chemistry Skill Builder Window: Electronic Homework Version 5.1
Chang
Manufacturer: Mcgraw-Hill College
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General & Reference | Chemistry | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Introductory Chemistry & Math Toolkit, 2/E & Chemistry on the Internet 97-98 & Chemistry Skill Builder & Spring 1998 Nyt Chemistry Supplement Pkg

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Introductory Chemistry & Math Toolkit, 2/E & Chemistry on the Internet 97-98 & Chemistry Skill Builder & Spring 1998 Nyt Chemistry Supplement Pkg
Corwin
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall College Div
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0130815969

Introductory Chemistry & Math Toolkit/ Chemistry on the Internet 98-99/ Chemistry Skill Builder/Nyt Chemistry Supplement 1999

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Introductory Chemistry & Math Toolkit/ Chemistry on the Internet 98-99/ Chemistry Skill Builder/Nyt Chemistry Supplement 1999
Corwin
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall College Div
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0130178756

Book Description

Written by an engineer and sharply focused on practical matters, this text explores the application of Lie groups to solving ordinary differential equations (ODEs). Although the mathematical proofs and derivations in are de-emphasized in favor of problem solving, the author retains the conceptual basis of continuous groups and relates the theory to problems in engineering and the sciences. The author has developed a number of new techniques that are published here for the first time, including the important and useful enlargement procedure. The author also introduces a new way of organizing tables reminiscent of that used for integral tables. These new methods and the unique organizational scheme allow a significant increase in the number of ODEs amenable to group-theory solution. Solution of Ordinary Differential Equations by Continuous Groups offers a self-contained treatment that presumes only a rudimentary exposure to ordinary differential equations. Replete with fully worked examples, it is the ideal self-study vehicle for upper division and graduate students and professionals in applied mathematics, engineering, and the sciences.

Customer Reviews:

Land of Imagination.......2007-01-02

This book adds to any C.S. Lewis collection. Anyone trying to undertsand better Lewis' life and works will gain some value from this book, but in addition, the book adds value to understanding Joy Davidman, herself a remarkable person and Doug himself. One reviewer is somemwhat upset about the book because the author writes mostly about himself, yes, it is subtitled "My Childhood...".

Doug Gresham is remarkably candid about himself (he directs most criticism at himself, well and the Millers). He is also very forgiving towards his father, which I found instructive for all of us. His insights into Lewis' chairity (both in time and money) and Christian heart are an addition to what a Lewis admirer might already know, but it helps add to the Lewis icon. I do wish he had a wrote more on his brother, but it may be he is keeping in with his brother's wishes (it is well known that David has avoided the Lewis/Davidman limelight).

This is a good book, at a great price, and it is a quick, nicely paced read.

A Search for Truth.......2006-03-12

Gresham's Lenten Lands provides a private picture into live with C. S. Lewis.
I envy Douglas for having the privilege of living with Lewis as together they traveled the "Lenten Lands!"
I'm impressed with the amount of time that passed before Douglas finally internalized the both the Truth and the truths taught and role modeled by his step-father.
But isn't that true of so many of us today, searching for Truth, but always testing that it's real!

so-so.......2005-12-22

If, as one reviewer states, you are an ardent fan of C.S. Lewis, you will want to read this book. The opposite is true, too. If you are not particularly interested in C. S. Lewis, this is a forgettable book, not very interesting. I am not particularly interested in C.S. Lewis, I'm not going to see "Narnia," I never read the Narnia books as a kid. I wanted to read this because I saw "Shadowlands" and wanted to know what happened to the little boy after his mother died.

What stands out the most is Gresham's writing style: rather like that of the people who send anecdotes to Reader's Digest. It's clear enough, rather rambling, rather predictable imagery, lots of repetition. Not very interesting. I didn't even finish reading it.

So, my recommendation, if you're not a fan of C. S. Lewis, is to skip this book, and watch "Shadlowlands" when it comes on television again - it is beautiful and stands on its own.

Must read for authentic admirer of C.S.Lewis .......2005-12-05

This is one of those books I think any authentic admirer of C.S.Lewis should read because Douglas H. Gresham writes so empathetically as well as objectively of his Mother Joy and his step father 'Jack' Lewis. Seeing these two people thru his eyes from childhood to young adulthood is fascinating. Be it the feel of his Mothers embrace that made him feel safe, to how mature his view was of his father who had problems with alcohol. Where some people would have been harsh or mean in how they saw such a parent Douglas was able to see beyond the issue of alcohol to something deeper.

Reading of his first impressions of C. S. Lewis and his brother Warnie again shows reality vs visions one has in their heads of things and people not yet seen. From the cigarette stained teeth to the evening visits to the local pub, Douglas bring a sense of humanness to the great author. And his descriptions of the places he/they lived are so real one feels as if they are a fly on the wall.

The thing that makes me appreciate Douglas so much is how the lessons he saw and was taught have taken root in his life . He now lives in Ireland and is active in walk the community helping women with unwanted pregnancies.

So the nasty comment by reviewer Kona (Emerald City) 'The problem with this book is that Douglas Gresham did nothing in his own life to warrant an autobiography' makes me wonder just how much of the book did they actually read, since having taken the priceless lessons that the great C.S.Lewis wrote and taught and putting them to day to day use, makes Douglas well worthy of being an author. The title is after all 'Lenten Lands: My Childhood with Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis'.

Douglas' Memories.......2005-11-24

In the preface Greshman makes it clear that the book is his story about his life. No doubt the publisher thought it necessary to throw "My Childhood with Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis" on the cover because this is the reason why we care about Douglas Greshman.

Most of the book is about his early life and there is much on his mother Joy and Lewis. I found the parts that had nothing to do with Joy and Lewis to be enjoyable too. Gresham is a very good writer and you get a feel for what it was like to grow up in England in the 1950's.

Only the last few chapters deal with his life after the death of Lewis. But in some ways, this is an important part of the Lewis story. Why you ask? Because we see how little Gresham, Lewis' stepson, benefited from being his stepson. Greshman was dirt poor and barely getting by. What happened to Lewis' money? Why were Lewis' two stepsons not in his will?

Whatever one thinks about the book overall, it is an essential piece of C.S. Lewis history. Greshman saw Lewis up close and personal. He gives insights that few others can. Even if he did not live with Lewis all the time (he was at boarding school), he still lived with Lewis some of the time, and this is more than most. His memories are invaluable.

LENTEN LANDS- MY CHILDHOOD WITH JOY DAVIDMAN AND C.S. LEWIS

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LENTEN LANDS- MY CHILDHOOD WITH JOY DAVIDMAN AND C.S. LEWIS

Manufacturer: Harper San Francisco
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000H3VAR2

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Lenten Lands, My Childhood with Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis
Douglas H. Gresham
Manufacturer: MacMillan Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O92BE0

Book Description

Future military historians will surely look back upon the 20th century and say, "There was the zenith of artillery." Though it retains its importance on the battlefield, for sheer diversity of type and multiplicity of design, for size, numbers, and tactical influence, the likes of artillery as it stood in 1945 will never again be seen. Beginning with the guns that pounded the trenches in World War I, and the giant calibers of "Big Bertha," "Schalnke Emma," and the Paris gun, go through the century's most important hand-held and anti-tank devices, anti-aircraft guns, and World War II field pieces right up to the latest tactical and strategic missiles.

Customer Reviews:

Great book, but incomplete...........2002-07-26

This is a great book for recognizing artillery -- each page has a picture of a piece, a description, and a table with vital statistics. Artillery is grouped into categories (i.e. Field and Heavy Artillery, Air Defence Artillery, etc.) making it easy to find a given piece. (Look up the Paris Gun for a truly amazing sight.) I only have two complaints -- first, that it's incomplete, though that's to be expected (the subtitle is "300 of the world's greatest artillery pieces), and second, the same complaint I have about Armored Fighting Vehicles (by the same publisher) -- the table doesn't include the date it was introduced. Some of the summaries include dates, but not all. Overall, it's a very useful book!

Average customer rating:

Nkrumah, Nyerere, Kaunda failures all

All true, but...

Africa is Chaos

Good Start but more is needed

A long overdue expose' of African kleptocracies...

Africa in Chaos: A Comparative History
George B.N. Ayittey
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Economic Conditions | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Africa | History | Subjects | Books
General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Relations | International | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Africa Unchained: The Blueprint for Africa's Future

Africa Betrayed

A Continent for the Taking: The Tragedy and Hope of Africa

The Fate of Africa: From the Hopes of Freedom to the Heart of Despair

The Shackled Continent: Power, Corruption, and African Lives

ASIN: 0312217870

Amazon.com

Ghanaian-born economics professor George B.N. Ayittey takes a hard, unsentimental look at the continuing economic, cultural, and political downfall of African countries. While Africa is the world's second-largest continent, containing 770 million people and much of the world's natural resources, he contends that the postcolonial African nations cannot reconcile what he calls "the two Africas," one traditional and one modern (or "Western"). That split, he says, wreaks havoc on the African people, and he comes down hard on "the elites, the parasitic minority group [that operates] by an assortment of imported or borrowed institutions." Africa in Chaos examines the collapse of Nigeria's civilian-led democracy, as well as the anarchy in Liberia, the former Zaire, and Sierra Leone, outlining the suicidal quest for power that hinders Africa's growth. Ayittey, unlike many Afrocentric apologists, does not lay all of the blame for Africa's predicament on the West, but he does insist that solid, long-term investment from Europe and America is needed to lift the motherland out of its mire. His "Ten Commandments for African Intellectuals," intended to lead the way to success, include calls for an embrace of the African past, a relationship with the private sector, and consistent freedom of expression. --Eugene Holley Jr.

Book Description

In a follow-up to his ground-breaking Africa Betrayed, George Ayittey takes up the plight of Africa at the end of the twentieth century. Former UN Secretary General Boutros-Boutros Ghali once said that Africa was "in danger of becoming the lost continent" and, on this point, Ayittey thoroughly agrees. As he begins to see countries like Nigeria go over the edge of economic and social disaster, Ayittey uses his formidable powers of analysis to look at the political economy of Africa, the incursion of foreign powers and the relationship of Africa to the world market. He contrasts the indigenous systems of government that existed in Africa before the arrival of Europeans with the colonial and post-colonial systems that were forced on the country and the effect these systems have had on Africa's inability to move forward. Ayittey's view is dark and, as always, his stinging conclusions will infuriate some and invigorate others. Certain to create controversy, Africa in Chaos is a must-read for fans of Ayittey's earlier work as well as anyone interested in the world economic scene today.

Customer Reviews:

Nkrumah, Nyerere, Kaunda failures all.......2004-07-12

Excellent book by Ayittey showing the yet again the failures of the liberal-left vision, and its cynical collaborators in business and government bureaucracies. Yet again and again Western taxpayers are called upon to prop up these vampire states- money down an endless rathole.
-
The "leaders" of many of these failed states have been feted and celebrated in the liberal West, none more so than Nkrumah, Nyerere, and Kaunda. Buit it is all hypocrisy and delusion. Some claim glowing accomplishments by these leaders, but in fact things like high literacy rates are carry-overs from the colonial administrations. In short, the literacy rate and educational opportunities were ALREADY rising rapidly when the colonialists pulled out, rendering claims of "improvement" in these areas suspect. The same pattern is repeated in economic development. Agriculture and industry were ALREADY expanding when the kleptocrats and dictators took over. Under them this progress not only declined but in many cases simply vanished.

As for Nkrumah's or Nyere's much touted educational "progress" and "free" medical care, it was neither progressive or free. What use is "free" when your "health" clinics are chronically short of medicine, and competent staff? Just how much "improvement" is there when you don't have enough money to staff or maintain your "free" institutions to even minimal standards? What use is "education" amid cruimbling schools and unpaid teachers, or when you are herding forcibly herding people into dirty, poverty mired "ujamma" villages to be harangued by party hacks about "African socialism"? When has "socialism" fed starving people?

Ayittey exposes the bogus claims, and nonsensical fantasies, and cynical self-serving by Western elites and their vampire-like African compradors. A great read, but of course- no one will lesson while even yet more millions of Africans are needlessly sacrificed to fulfill the greed, corruption and self-congratulatory fantasies of Western elites and their African lackeys.

All true, but..........2001-12-20

Ayittey has written an excellent book. In fact, I'm just as critical of Africa's despotic and kleptocratic regimes in all the books I have written. But I don't entirely agree with his assessment of Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, and Kenneth Kaunda.

He says his focus is not on the leadership qualities of any of the African leaders but on their policies. It is true that socialism failed to fuel economic growth. But an objective evaluation of what Nkrumah, Nyerere, and Kaunda did, shows that they had some success in a number of areas. Yet, Ayittey has almost nothing good to say about them in his book, "Africa in Chaos." In fact, these are the three leaders of whom he's most critical in his book, devoting several pages to them more than any other African leader.

Under Nkrumah, Ghana had the highest per capita income in sub-Saharan Africa. It was Nkrumah who laid the foundation for modern-day Ghana. He built the infrastructure that has sustained and fuelled Ghana's economic development through the years. It is true that there were also many failures under Nkrumah, and after he was gone; for example institutional decay and crumbling infrastructure. But who built those institutions and the infrastructure?

Nkrumah built schools, hospitals, roads, factories, dams and bridges, railways and harbors. Tens of thousands of people in Ghana who are lawyers, doctors, engineers, nurses, teachers, accountants, agriculturalists, scientists and others wouldn't be what they are today had it not been for the educational opportunities provided by Nkrumah.

Ayittey talks about quality, saying that what mattered during Nkrumah's reign was quantity, not quality. What's the quality of the Ghanaian elite, including Ayittey himself, educated under Nkrumah? Are they not as good as anybody else? What was the quality of education at the University of Ghana, Legon? Did it admit and train students of mediocre mental calibre? Did it have inferior academic programmes? And an inferior faculty? Were more people dying in Ghanaian hospitals than they were being saved? Did the schools, hospitals, factories, roads and other infrastructure Nkrumah built do more harm than good? Would Ghana have been better off without them like Zaire under Mobutu?

In Tanzania, Nyerere also built schools, hospitals, clinics, factories, roads and railways, dams and bridges, hydroelectric power plants and other infrastructure. Although his policy of Ujamaa (meaning familyhood in Kiswahili) was not very successful, it did enable the country to bring the people together and closer to each other in order to provide them with vital social services. The people had easier access to schools, clinics, clean water and other services provided by the government, than they otherwise would have been, because they lived closer to each other; which would have been impossible had they been spread too thin across the country, living miles and and miles apart.

Also under Nyerere, education was free, from primary school all the way to the university level. Medical services were also free, in spite of the fact that Tanzania is one of poorest countries in the world. Still, under Nyerere, it was able to afford all that. Everybody had equal opportunity. Under his leadership, Tanzania also made quantum leaps in education. It had the highest literacy rate in Africa, and one of the highest in the world, higher than India's which has one of the largest numbers of educated people and the third largest number of scientists after the United States and the former Soviet Union.

One of the biggest achievements under Nyerere was in the area of adult education. Tanzania, on a scale unprecedented anywhere else in the world, launched a massive adult education campaign to teach millions of people how to read and write. Within only a few years, almost the entire adult population of Tanzania - rural peasants, urban workers and others - became literate. Almost everybody in Tanzania, besides children not yet in school, was able to read and write. And the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania became one of the most renowned academic institutions in the world, in less than ten years, with an outstanding faculty including some of the best and internationally acclaimed scholars from many countries.

Provision of vital services even to some of the most remote parts of the country - far removed from urban and social centres - was not uncommon although the services were, I must admit, curtailed through the years because of economic problems. Yet, all that was achieved under Nyerere who sincerely believed, and made sure, that everybody had equal access to the nation's resources. I know all this because I am a Tanzanian myself, born and brought up in Tanzania, and was one of the beneficiaries of Nyerere's egalitarian policies.

Tanzania has come a long way, and still has a long way to go. But give credit where credit is due, in spite of failures in a number of areas, and which must be acknowledged by all of us. I even admit that in my books. But also look at where we were before: At independence in 1961, Tanganyika (before uniting with Zanzibar in 1964 to form Tanzania) had only 120 university graduates, including two lawyers who had to draft and negotiate more than 150 international treaties for the young nation and handle other legal matters for the country. With 120 university graduates, Tanganyika was, of course, better off than the former Belgian Congo which had only 16 at independence in 1960, and Nyasaland (now Malawi) with only 34 at independence in 1964. Still, that was nowhere close to what Tanganyika would have been had the British tried to develop the colony; which was never their intention. None of the 120 university graduates got their degrees in Tanganyika. There was no university in the country. The British never built one, and never intended to build one. Tanganyika built one after independence, and it became internationally renowned as an excellent academic institution in less than a decade.

The 120 university graduates Tanganyika had at independence was nothing in terms of manpower for a country; not even for a province or region. As Julius Nyerere said not long before he died:

"We took over a country with 85 percent of its adults illiterate. The British ruled us for 43 years. When they left, there were two trained engineers and 12 doctors. When I stepped down there was 91 percent literacy and nearly every child was at school. We trained thousands of engineers, doctors, and teachers."

Nyerere stepped down in 1985. And all that was achieved within 24 years since independence. No mean achievement.

Africa is Chaos.......2001-05-19

It has been said that there is nothing new in this book. Africa indeed has problems. That is exactly the point of this book and Keith Richburg's "Out of America." Africa has problems and it is not up to AID agencies (USAID could not fix anything even if they wanted to) or foreigners to fix those problems. It is up to "Africans" to fix their problems.

ALL nations have problems. The difference between most nations and the African continent is that Africa just gets worse, and worse and worse. I've lived there. I've lived it. I will never return.

As a black American that lived in Africa over a period of twenty years, I find the state just gets worse and worse and most African people continue to blame their problems on colonialism, they defect to Europe or the US or just take what their dictators dish out. A Kenyan friend of mine who was MD of the Kenyan Human Rights League, tired of being jailed and tear gased while the people he was demonstrating and fighting for looked on and pointed, said: "Kenya and Africa will never change until the average Kenyan or African is prepared to die for his freedom."

No, there is nothing new in "Chaos" or the other books on this subject. Again, that's the point. Contructively Africa: fix your problems. That's what these books are all about: YOU need to fix YOUR problems.

This is a great book. I will keep it and others like it for my children to read.

Good Start but more is needed.......2001-03-14

I have to commend Mr. Ayittey for writing from fresh point of view. I liked the fact that he emphasized that Africa has to look inwards to solve its problems. I have two problems with the book a) Small factual mistakes which may not be serious but never the less undermine the confidence in the author's littany of figures and facts. One such example is the dedication to Mr. Joe Modise which the author claimed to be dead but an other reviewer mentioned that he is well and alive. One mistake I noticed is that the author said that North Somalia was colonized by the Italians and Southern Somalia by the British when the fact is exactly the opposite. b) The Author built a good case that African leaders are to blame for the misery in Africa. I kept asking myself through out the book "but what caused the majority of African leaders to take the wrong path?" I waited and waited for an answer through the whole book but the only explanation that Mr. Ayittey could come up was to fall back to the very thing that he claimed very vociferously at the start of the book that he is against, to blame colonialism. He explained the failure of African leaders is due to the fact that they are product of colonialism. I believe that Mr. Ayittey did dileneate the problems clearly and he did offer the obvious solutions but his analysis of the causes of the problems were not deep enough, even though I believe is started the right discussion, the debate of interaction of western/alien ideas and African ways of self rule. Also as an other reviewer put it, the Author should put himself in the shoes of millions of Africans who fight daily ( and lose their lifes often) for the ideals he is spousing.

A long overdue expose' of African kleptocracies..........2000-08-26

...and a much-needed counterblast to their towel boys in TransAfrica, The Nation of Islam, and too many American universities. The book is a litany of outrages, failures, and incompentence, linked together by the author's exposition of Africa's pre- and post-colonial history and economics. His picture of pre-colonial democratic Africa may be too rosy--the baroque cruelties reported by early European explorers do not figure here--but any surviving shred of tradition has to be better than the "vampire state" that most sub-Saharan Africans are saddled with now. The litany of horrors tends to get numbing after a while, but that's scarcely the author's fault. Blame the Western press and intellectuals for their silence, and Western aid, which helped prop up these terror-regimes for so long.

I resubmit this review, to link with my current list.

Book Description

Since its first appearance in 1901, John C. Van Dyke's The Desert has been considered one of the classics of American nature writing. Before its publication, Americans thought of deserts as scorpion-infested wastelands--with names like Devil's Domain and the Lands That God Forgot. All this changed as The Desert drew attention to the extraordinary beauty that existed in the American West: rolling sand dunes, golden vistas, vibrant sunsets, and remarkable plant and animal life. Van Dyke's book captured the nation's imagination at a time when attitudes about the land were changing. It provided a vocabulary that continues to be used as appreciation of deserts increases and ever greater pressures lead to new calls to protect these fragile environments.

With a critical introduction by Peter Wild, this edition offers new insights -- and reveals some surprising truths -- about this legendary author and his best known work. Van Dyke was not, it seems, the "plaster saint of the desert." He was not entirely honest with his readers about the journeys that inspired the book, and his natural history includes serious errors. But in this more informed reading, Wild notes, Van Dyke "emerges as all the more fascinating a writer and his famous book becomes far more intriguing than most readers have imagined through the decades." As the centennial of its publication approaches and the complex story behind its long success is finally told, this new edition of The Desert reveals an equally complex and dramatic narrative: our changing relationship with the American landscape.

"Van Dyke came at just the right time... No sooner had Americans conquered the wilderness, cut down the forests, and slaughtered the buffalo than the romantic nation began sentimentalizing the past, longing for what it had just destroyed." -- from the Introduction

THE DESERT Further Studies In Natural Appearances

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THE DESERT Further Studies In Natural Appearances
John C. Van Dyke
Manufacturer: Charles Scribner's Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000X0YUDU

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The Desert: Further Studies in Natural Appearances
John C. Van Dyke
Manufacturer: Charles Scribner's Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OBIC5U

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The Desert: Further Studies in Natural Appearances
John C. Van Dyke
Manufacturer: Charles Scribner's Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IZF4B2

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The Desert: Further Studies in Natural Appearances
John C. Van Dyke
Manufacturer: Arizona Historical Society, 1976
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OMKS4M

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The Desert Further Studies in Natural Appearances
John C. Van Dyke
Manufacturer: Charles Scribner's and Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000K6NK92

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The Desert Further Studies in Natural Appearances
John C. Van Dyke
Manufacturer: Arizona Historical Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PS5TLC

Desert: Further Studies in Natural Appearances. Second Edition.

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Desert: Further Studies in Natural Appearances. Second Edition.
John C. Van Dyke
Manufacturer: see notes for publisher info
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OYJ1IO

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Desert: Further Studies in Natural Appearances. Second Edition.

ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IC6Y5U

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