The Poconos: An Illustrated Natural History Guide

Book Description

The Poconos, a rich plateau nestled in northeastern Pennsylvania between the Delaware River and the Moosic Mountains, encompass a variety of alluring featuresÂ—forests and lakes, abundant wildlife, ski slopes, waterfalls, and honeymoon resorts. This classic guide offers a window into the natural history and ecology of the region, less than two hours drive from New York City and Philadelphia, whose scenery attracts some ten million visitors each year.

The perfect reference for amateur naturalists, outdoor enthusiasts, tourists, and others who wish to explore the area, The Poconos clearly explains the unique geographic characteristics, animal habits and habitats, climate, geology, and vegetation of the area. The authors trace the region from its beginnings millions of years ago as part of a shallow sea, through the reshaping forces of great glaciers, to todayÂ's roadways and turnpikes. This revised and expanded edition also includes brief profiles of individuals who played significant roles in the preservation or understanding of the areaÂ's ecology.

Chapters provide a general survey of the area, including its history and places to be explored and observed, information on forest types, wildlife, and aquatic habitats, updated facts and figures on animal populations, as well as new details on invasive species. For those who drive through the Poconos, the authors include a special section on plants and animals that can be seen along the roadsideÂ—as diverse and fascinating a group of creatures as those found in wilder places.

A chapter on human activity describes the environmental impact of people from the days of the Indians to the present. The final chapter provides expanded information on the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation AreaÂ—a region with marked trails, maps, and visitor centers.

Throughout the book, numerous boxes direct readers to observatory points for specific birds, ecosystems, vegetation types, and geological features, while maps, tables, original pen-and-ink illustrations, and a select list of field guides and other references enhance the bookÂ's appeal. An indispensable companion for visitors as well as residents, The Poconos is a must-read for everyone who wants to discover or better understand the beauty and natural history of this unique region.

Customer Reviews:

The Poconos in black and white.......2000-07-07

My first impulse upon receiving the book was to return it because I thought it would be illustrated in color of the flora and fauna in the Poconos. But I gave it a second look and discovered that it was quite thorough in its information. For instance, it gives you 'places to see'geological features of the mountains, where eagles winter, where to find Pocono bogs and wetlands,and places of natural history. The authors detail what animals, plants and amphibians can be found in the area. Overall the book is quite comprehensive on wildlife. With an Audobon guide for identifying plants in color, this is a very good book for taking along on hikes or camping or for just wanting to know 'what's around.'

Amazon.com

It's not easy being a vampire-hunting witch, but Sarah Tigress Vida has learned from the best. The witches of the Vida family line have been successfully stalking and staking the undead for centuries, and Sarah is immensely proud of her ancestry. So, the last thing she would ever do is befriend one of the enemy. She has always faithfully followed the golden Vida rule of vampire hunting: "Knowing your prey can cause hesitation, and when one is a vampire hunter, hesitation ends in death." Then she meets artistic, sweet Christopher. A benign vampire, Christopher lives off of animal blood or the blood of willing human donors, and begins to gently woo Sarah with his poetry and drawings. Completely against her slayer instincts, Sarah reluctantly begins to care for Christopher... until she discovers that his twin is the vampire Nikolas, infamous for his habit of carving his name into the flesh of his victims. Sarah has always sworn to be the Vida to take Nikolas out, but her feelings for Christopher have allowed her to hesitate--a hesitation that may cost her not only her family's sterling reputation, but her mortal soul.

With Shattered Mirror, wildly popular teen author Amelia Atwater-Rhodes continues to effectively tap the vein of universal adolescent fascination with all things brooding and blood-sucking. Ardent fans will be pleased to see the return of characters from the author's previous books, like healer witch Caryn Smoke. This complex dynasty of witches and vampires will no doubt enjoy long, imaginary lives as the young author continues to hone her witch... er, writing craft. (Ages 12 and older) --Jennifer Hubert

Book Description

Sarah Vida is a witch and a vampire hunter — and a loner. Christopher Ravena is a vampire trying to pass as a normal high school student who wants to know Sarah better. Drawn to him despite her better judgment, Sarah’s forced to admit that there’s room for gray in her otherwise black-and-white world of good versus evil — until she meets Nikolas, Christopher’s twin and one of the most hunted vampires in history.

From the Hardcover edition.

Download Description

Sarah Vida is a witch and a vampire hunter -- and a loner. Christopher Ravena is a vampire trying to pass as a normal high school student who wants to know Sarah better. Drawn to him despite her better judgment, Sarah's forced to admit that there's room for gray in her otherwise black-and-white world of good versus evil -- until she meets Nikolas, Christopher's twin and one of the most hunted vampires in history.

Customer Reviews:

Shattered Mirror Review.......2006-12-20

The Shattered Mirror was an exciting book. I could not stop reading. I just kept reading and reading. Even when I was supposed to go to bed I still read it because you wanted to know what happened next. The only part about the book that I did not like was the ending. It shocked me what happened. Shattered Mirror is about a girl name Sarah whose family are witches including her that hunt vampires. She was sent to a new school and meets two brothers and sisters, Christopher and Nissa. They are vampires but they don't feed on humans. Later on Sarah finds out that Christopher and Nissa are related to Nikolas. Sarah's family has been trying to hunt him down and kill him for centuries. But Nikolas always escapes from the witches traps. One night Sarah got invited to a party, but she didn't know that it was a trap. Only does she know that there were going to be vampires there but also Nikolas too. So now she can try to finish him but her family doesn't know that she is going to the party. Sarah's life is in danger now with all those vampires there and nobody backing her up. Will one of her sister's or her mom come and save her or will Christopher or Nissa? What will happen to Sarah?
I rate this book 5 stars!

Narrator preferences........2006-12-18

Inless you are picky about the who or the way that any author writes story's than this book is very interesting. It's a quick read ,but has a nice plot and mystery. The only thing that COULD just get annoying is the way she writes from the charactors point of veiw. Only because a narrator is telling the story and the narrator seems to tell the story TOO much. Well, anyway , you'll see when you read it. You SHOULD read it.

a remarkable novel.......2006-12-06

Sarah Vida kills vampires. Her family has done it for centuries. For as long as Sarah can remember vampires were nefarious and evil and needed to be exterminated. Sarah never encountered a problem with her lifestyle until she met Christopher and his sister. They may seem nice enough, and Christopher may be cute, but the fact remains that they are both vampires. Sarah is not permitted to be friends with them. That is not the way of her family. Sarah has a goal throughout the novel. She must kill the vampire Nikolas. Nikolas is considered one of the worst vampires, and has done much damage and has created chaos. But, Sarah is not prepared for what she finds out about her vampire friends and Nikolas. This novel presents many issues that are fundamental to the plot. The greatest is the inner turmoil that Sarah faces. Sarah must figure out for herself whether or not all vampires deserve to die. Sarah is constantly struggling to come up with an answer throughout the novel. Sarah not only fights vampires in this novel, but she fights herself as well. Her inner turmoil adds to the the human side of the novel. One can identify with her struggle to find common ground. This novel is great because it is set at a fast pace, just like her previous novel In the Forests of the Night. The pace of the novel also creates a sense of frenzy. Sarah is running out of time, things are occuring fast, and the reader is being constantly bombarded with new and exciting plot twists. The novel is set up so that the reader experiences the rush of excitement, the feeling of defeat, and above all the thrill of a good book. This novel is set up in such a way that it blurs the line between black and white, good and evil, and leaves the reader with an indiscernible shade of grey.

Wonderful story.......2006-10-31

she comes up with such creative story lines and creative unique titles that make you want to pick it up and give it more thought, since this book i have read all of her other books! and i love them all!!!

One oe the best books I ve erer read.......2006-09-16

This book had me turning pages in exitment and horror wondering what was going to happen next and hears why...
Sarah Tigress Vida isa witch but her family are also the best vampire hunters and have been hunting Niklos since he killed Elisbeth Vida in the 1800s but when Sarah has to go to school in Massachusetts because she got kicked out of her old school for fighting she now befriends her enemys sibblings Nissa and Christopher his twin brother she soon finds out its going to be harder to kill Nicklos when she comes face to face with him the more he looks like Christopher the more she hesitates befor she makes the killer move what will Sarah do while playing a deadly game when the olny choices are to
live, die or become a vampire herself...
what will happen?

The Shattered Mirror: Representations of Women in Mexican Literature (Texas Pan American Series)

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Another important study of mexican women's attempts at self definition

The Shattered Mirror: Representations of Women in Mexican Literature (Texas Pan American Series)
María Elena de Valdés
Manufacturer: University of Texas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Women Writers & Feminist Theory | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Caribbean & Latin American | History & Criticism | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Women Writers | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0292715900

Book Description

"This is a significant contribution to Latin American literature, specifically Mexican letters. It provides excellent analyses of well-known texts, rich and useful data about Mexico's social conditions, and a solid knowledge of theories coming from diverse disciplines." --Gabriela Mora, Professor of Spanish, Rutgers University Popular images of women in Mexico--conveyed through literature and, more recently, film and television--were long restricted to either the stereotypically submissive wife and mother or the demonized fallen woman. But new representations of women and their roles in Mexican society have shattered the ideological mirrors that reflected these images. This book explores this major change in the literary representation of women in Mexico. María Elena de Valdés enters into a selective and hard-hitting examination of literary representation in its social context and a contestatory engagement of both the literary text and its place in the social reality of Mexico. Some of the topics she considers are Carlos Fuentes and the subversion of the social codes for women; the poetic ties between Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz and Octavio Paz; questions of female identity in the writings of Rosario Castellanos, Luisa Josefina Hernández, María Luisa Puga, and Elena Poniatowska; the Chicana writing of Sandra Cisneros; and the postmodern celebration--without reprobation--of being a woman in Laura Esquivel's Like Water for Chocolate.

Customer Reviews:

Another important study of mexican women's attempts at self definition.......2007-04-18

A thorough analysis of representations of Mexican women and attempts to subvert the patriarchial codes of Mexican masculinity which defines itself through the oppression of women in this society. The author looks at Carlos Fuentes and Juan Rulfo as two male writers who question the Mexican code of Masculinity in their work, and then she moves to SOr Juana, of course; the author makes the frightening point that between Sor Juana, writing in the mid 17th century, and Rosario Castellanos, writing in the mid 20th century, there exists a 300 year gap in the Narration of the life of Mexican women in their own words and perspectives. The author also points the complicity of the Catholic church, long an arm of the authoritarian government here, in oppressing women and even teaching them to love their bondage into the binary role of mother/wife (la virgen de guadalupe) or betraying slut (la malinche).

The author also discusses the vast class disparity in this country, where most women even of the educated classes don't read books or consider ways to create new narratives for themselves. Further, even the majority of women writing in mexico over the past 50 years ( Castellanos, Garro, Poniatowska, Loeza, etc) write from the perspective of the very upper crust, which obviously does not speak too much of the plight of the indigenous or mestiza classes. However, the book includes a fine analysis of Poniatowska's attempts to remedy this lack in her own work, most specifically in "Hasta no verte Jesus mia."

Overall, an excellent study of women in mexican literature, and also available cheaply as a used book. A must read for anyone interested in Mexico, women's development and literature.

AMAZING STORIES (combined with Fantastic) Volume 58, number 1 - May 1984: The Shattered Horse; Veils of the Body; Mirror Images; Improbable Bestiary: The Vanishing Man; Gateway III Heechee Rendezvous; A Profit Without Honor

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AMAZING STORIES (combined with Fantastic) Volume 58, number 1 - May 1984: The Shattered Horse; Veils of the Body; Mirror Images; Improbable Bestiary: The Vanishing Man; Gateway III Heechee Rendezvous; A Profit Without Honor
George H. (editor) (Somtow Sucharitkul; Christopher Gilbert; Alan Slate; F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre; Frederik Pohl Fred Lerner; Howard Browne;Robert Silverberg) Scithers
Manufacturer: TSR - Birthright
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NRTEG6

BADGER: Shattered Mirror: 1 (of 4); Jul 1994

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BADGER: Shattered Mirror: 1 (of 4); Jul 1994
Mike Baron
Manufacturer: Dark Horse Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000RHUOWU

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Broken Mirrors: Shattered Lives
Josef Kampler , and Rae Halpern
Manufacturer: Shengold Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0884001989

Book Description

Josef Kampler, forced to flee his Frankfurt home after Kristallnacht, survived the horrors of the Holocaust by blocking out emotion and living for the present, yet he never lost his humanity and decency. His ability to react quickly to circumstances stood him in good stead as he took advantage of every opportunity to be reunited with his siblings. This memoir is a tribute to the unbroken spirit which rebuilt a shattered life. Illustrated.

Great Mirrors Shattered: Homosexuality, Orientalism, and Japan (Ideologies of Desire)

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Very good, but not what it looks like
Homosexuality, AIDS, and Japan
lying on the fence of pleasure and distrust
Personal Insights into Japanese Life
Orientalism

Great Mirrors Shattered: Homosexuality, Orientalism, and Japan (Ideologies of Desire)
John Whittier Treat
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

AIDS | Disorders & Diseases | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Japan | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

General | Nonfiction | Gay & Lesbian | Subjects | Books

Travel | Gay & Lesbian | Subjects | Books

Book Description

In 1986, John Whittier Treat went to Tokyo on sabbatical to write a book about the literature of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But once there, he found himself immersed in the emergence of new kind of Holocaust, AIDS, and the sweeping denial, hysteria, and projection with which Japan--a place where "there are no homosexuals"--tried to insulate itself from the epidemic. Great Mirrors Shattered is a compelling memoir of a gay man thoroughly familiar with the Japanese homosexual underground, a man anxious for his own health and unsure of the relationship he has left behind in the US. It is also a highly self-aware analysis of Orientalism, which the author defines as "the Western study of everywhere else," and an exploration of how sexual identity conditions knowledge across cultures. Jump-cutting between such texts as Thomas Mann's Death in Venice, Pierre Loti's Madame Chrysantheme, Saikaku's The Great Mirror of Male Love, the writings of Roland Barthes, newspaper headlines, and his own experiences during a previous stay in Japan, Treat creates an intricately textured account of the problems inherent in how we "know" another culture. The questions of self and other, difference and sameness, time past and time present, America and Japan, are explored here with rare intelligence and unabashedly personal disclosure. Great Mirrors Shattered gives us a brilliantly fractured reflection of a year in one man's life, and the first study of the sexual politics behind what the West has come to know not just about Japan, but any place Europeans and Americans have gone to escape the confining rules of their home cultures.

Customer Reviews:

Very good, but not what it looks like.......2006-05-18

...which is probably what's tripping most people up. The title is misleading; when I found this book I was expecting a scholarly analysis of homosexuality as it is viewed and practiced in Japan. Instead, it turned out to be about a year the author spent in Japan after fleeing America to escape the spread of AIDS, only to watch the epidemic unfold in Japan as well--a year in the life of an introspective, promiscuous, slightly amoral intellectual.

He draws from many different sources, sometimes juxtaposed in a manner that's difficult to follow, and touches on a variety of different topics that some way or another intersect with his conception of Japan, AIDS, and being gay. This is not an academic work, this is a personal essay stretched large, a chronicle set in the 1980s gay scene. He doesn't shy away from describing the uncomfortable aspects of that life any more than he flinches from discussing the equally uncomfortable racist, neocolonialist attitudes held by various generations of white conquerors, including his own. He deconstructs these views, analyzes the causes and logic behind them, but it is clear that he does not endorse them, no more than he would endorse the quotes that are hostile or offensive to homosexuals.

Racism and colonialism are inherited, and even if we as individuals choose to reject them, they are still inherent and pervasive in our culture. Where did these ideas originate, and why? Treat ponders such questions at length, and unfortunately that sets him up for attack from people who would rather disregard uncomfortable topics than discuss them.

This is not an anthropological book, or even an ethnography. It feels almost like fiction, which makes it an engaging as well as insightful read, but it is one man's experiences and not to be confused with any sort of authoritative treatise on homosexuality in Japan.

Homosexuality, AIDS, and Japan.......2003-08-18

I've been a big fan of Treat's essays since I read Contemporary Japan and Popular Culture, so I picked up this book with some understanding of his writing already. Anyway, I expected this book to be about gay life in Japan and Japanese literature, but it turned out not to be about that at all... or at least, not much. A lot of the book is a memoir/travel-diary that Treat apparently wrote on the side as he was living in Japan on fellowship money, working on Writing Ground Zero: Japanese Literature and the Atomic Bomb. Treat reflects on various lovers that he had in Japan, things they did together and places they went, what gay life is like in Tokyo and a few other places in Japan. And all that is interwoven into news stories about the growth of AIDS in Japan, stories from Japanese literature, and Treat's own experience being HIV positive and having to hide it during his stay. It's not, by any means, a comprehensive autobiography (Treat isn't so famous as to attempt that), but it's interesting in the way that stories about living in another country often are. On the whole, the book isn't so much about homosexuality and Japan as it is about AIDS and Japan. There are some very interesting sexual anecdotes in the book, all told with a kind of hyper-awareness of the historical relationship between the Occident and the Orient, and the roles the author himself, as a white man, plays in his sexual relationships. Despite being surprised about the main themes, I found it to be an interesting book, and all the personal anecdotes keep the theory from becoming too dry. The book is very honest and candid, and I came away from it with a greater understanding of John Treat as a person, which I liked. And I think a big part of Treat's intent with the book was to show how the "self" and "other" really have more in common than they think, and on that level he succeeded.

lying on the fence of pleasure and distrust.......2001-12-23

Reading everyone's comments of this book, I realize how controversial this piece must be and is in reality. That NO ONE rates this book anything but a 1 or a 5 speaks to its strong nature. You either love it, find meaning in it; or are repulsed by it. Speaking as a white American lesbian who has been studying queer culture in Japan and has also visited Japan, I am completed horrified by the certainity with which Treat dabbles in topics of enormous proportion. Why write a memoir if you are supposedly addressing so many key issues of social concern unless you are actually going to address them?! Besides that fact, he never once seems to apologize or doubt his masculinist and racist grip on his material. He is always a spectator, always the man behind the controls. It is sickening really. I have only read half of this book, but as I read, I read to see how much more I can become baffled at his arrogance of subject matter. His treatment of each subject, at best, leaves me cold and wondering why he even bothers to make it seem like he cares. It seems like a completely narcissistic attempt to get through some clearly lingering white suburban American guilt. I don't think the fact that queers in America have become involved with Asian Studies because is it an Orientalist gaze get's to be made into a "duh" statement or be left unquestioned. It is NOT ok, and DOES need to be discussed, not just left for stereotyping or pigeon-holing. The only part of this book that I can remotely enjoy is references to a country that I miss and experiences that may seem similar, but do not somehow excuse themselves as "boys will be boys" or some crap like that. Very disapppointing perspective, yet almost predictable from a white gay male with so much arrogance.

Personal Insights into Japanese Life.......2001-08-23

For the reviewer from Mars: This book is a subjective account of life in Japan during the time of AIDS. This is not meant as a depiction of gay and lesbian Japanese life, no could it be. The Japanese misperception of American life is echoed in this review.

I found this book soul-baring and intense. Well done!

Orientalism.......2001-08-20

As an Asian, this book makes me uneased while reading it. Yeah, the author cites Edward Said's "Orientalism" couple times. But the tone of mighty American looking down the funny Japanese is running through lots of the pages.

Product Description

Eve's true identity had been a mystery for two years; until she'd submitted a novel to Jensen Publishing. Kyle Jensen not only recognized Eve's work, but recognized the author. He claimed Eve was his missing wife. It was hard to imagine that any woman could forget a man like Kyle, yet Eve had no recollection of this man who claimed to be her husband. She had to admit, however, that Kyle was definitely husband material, and when he asked her to marry him, Eve agreed. But would placing a wedding ring on her finger turn back the clock? Would she relive the event that forced her to leave both Kyle and her past behind her?

Book Description

This book explores the biological effects of human isolation and migration, and how the situations to which they give rise help to elucidate a variety of biological problems, ranging from evolutionary change to disease etiology. The majority of the case studies presented here are by Asian investigators, and provide an uniquely accessible source of information.

Isolation, Migration, and Health. (book reviews): An article from: Human Biology

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Isolation, Migration, and Health. (book reviews): An article from: Human Biology
Tibor Koertvelyessy
Manufacturer: Wayne State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Science & Technology | Subjects | e-Docs | Formats | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Human Biology, published by Wayne State University Press on June 1, 1994. The length of the article is 1298 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Isolation, Migration, and Health. (book reviews)
Author: Tibor Koertvelyessy
Publication: Human Biology (Refereed)
Date: June 1, 1994
Publisher: Wayne State University Press
Volume: v66 Issue: n3 Page: p533(3)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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Isolation, Migration and Health
D.F./ Fujiki, N./ Torizuka K. ( Roberts
Manufacturer: Cambridge Univ Pr 1/12/1992
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MHCR98

Book Description

Quantum Theory is the most revolutionary discovery in physics since Newton. This book gives a lucid, exciting, and accessible account of the surprising and counterintuitive ideas that shape our understanding of the sub-atomic world. It does not disguise the problems of interpretation that still remain unsettled 75 years after the initial discoveries. The main text makes no use of equations, but there is a Mathematical Appendix for those desiring stronger fare. Uncertainty, probabilistic physics, complementarity, the problematic character of measurement, and decoherence are among the many topics discussed.

Customer Reviews:

Not as introductory as it could be.......2007-05-07

In an introduction to a topic, one expects lots of figures to explain just about every topic. This book, and indeed the entire series, generally has rather few figures. The series also, generally, focuses on the historical development of the topic and not necessarily on the current understanding of the topic. Therefore, the series sacrifices a better explanation of our current understanding to explain who thought what and when. Nonetheless, this book serves adequately in the capacity of a "very short introduction."

Not short enough.......2004-06-25

I'm thoroughly unimpressed by Rev. Polkinghorne's account of quantum physics. Even though he is technically competent, Polkinghorne seems to get every major interpretation wrong. For example, he thinks Bohr in error to consider free will and determinism complementary. But Bohr's colleague and Nobel Laureate Max Born did say that Bohr's complementarity applies precisely to this situation.

Right on page 1 Polkinghorne shows his tendency to misunderstand. Speaking of Laplace's conjecture, the physicist-turned-Anglican priest writes "In fact, this rather chilling mechanistic claim always had a strong suspicion of hubris about it. For one thing, human beings do not experience themselves as being clockwork automata...."

This is like accusing someone of arrogrance because he said "If I were the president of the United States I would eliminate poverty..." He did say "If," didn't he? Laplace always said this prediction of the future is only possible in principle, but impossible in practice. In fact, in making his "thought experiment" - not a factual "claim," as Polkinghorne thinks - he made two assumptions which he knew to be UNTRUE. First, that such an ideal intelligence exists. (When Napoleon asked him about the Creator after reading his theory of the solar system, Laplace gave this magnificent reply: "Sire, I have no need for that hypothesis.") And second, that this intelligence can analyse absolutely all data at once.

As for what humans "experience," the fact is that not even a frog feels like a clockwork automatum. But what we feel is irrelevant if our belief in free will is due to the unpredictability of our volition, and this unpredictability is due in to deterministic chaos, which leaves no room for free will at all, no matter how irregular we might feel. In fact, no machine can perfectly understand another machine of exactly the same level of complexity, even without chaos added to the difficulty. A machine may be able to understand another of lower level of complexity. The same goes for humans: We may always have difficult understanding ourselves although we may eventually understand simpler organisms. We humans have enough trouble understanding the nervous system of something as simple as a dog. What Polkinghorne should have asked is: What would be the effect of quantum mechanics on this "thought experiment" of Laplace? An honest answer would be: None. Indeed, Laplace did not need chaos or quantum uncertainty to know that his conjecture is no more than just a thought experiment, though a very worthwhile and instructive one.

Polkinghorne puts down other physicists (and auto mechanics in general) by saying "The average quantum mechanic is no more philosophical than the average auto mechanic." Born, however, said that theoretical physics IS actually philosophy. Bohr always said that there are important epistemological lessons to be drawn from the world of physics, especially elementary particle physics. It's as though Polkinghorne has been asleep through all the major developments of the past century. On the few occasions he is awake, he misunderstands and misrepresents. Polkinghorne himself may be no more philosophical than an auto mechanic (maybe even less so), but don't drag people like Schroedinger, Bohr, Born, Pauli, Heisenberg, Wheeler, Bell and Weinberg through the mud with such silly statements.

As best as can be expected, I guess.......2002-12-13

This book does its best, but in the end suffers from something that I think is inherent in the material itself. I did learn a little more about quantum theory from this book, but not much more than I already knew to begin with. And this book didn't really make many of the main concepts any clearer. I don't think is the author's fault, I think it's almost impossible to try to explain these things. Most of the problem, (and similar statements go for cosmology, cryptography, etc.) is that it's almost impossible to explain concepts whose fundamental expression is mathematical language without using mathematics. What inevitably results is some kind of vague, touchy-feely idea of what's meant, but little understanding. And I say this as a mathematician.

To give just one example, at one point in the book, the author talks about "probability amplitudes", for several pages. The only problem is, he never says what this term is supposed to mean, but he does mention that complex numbers are involved, and other facts. The result after this happens several times is that the reader starts to read entire paragraphs consisting of terminology that's never been defined clearly. The word "operator" is the best example here. It's fine to talk ABOUT operators in indirect, oblique language, but really you don't have a true understanding of what that word means unless you know its precise mathematical definition, or unless you have a clear understanding of the notion of vector space (axiomatically, not "stuff you can add together"). I didn't have this kind of problem with most of the mathematical terminology, because I know it, but the problem comes with the physics -- the physics concepts are essentially mathematical, and trying to explain them without using mathematics is like trying to understand Shakespeare without being able to read English -- you can always give a vague, hazy account, but not much more.

The book is well-written (aside from an overly-biased presentation of the philosophical aspects), but I think it tries to have its cake and eat it too. It says it's free of mathematics, but this isn't really the case. The whole text is fully of talk about operators, vectors, vector spaces, equations, probability theory, and so on. It's the _symbolism_, not the math, that's missing (except for the appendix, which thoroughly confused me, mainly because terms were introduced without precise definition, and the notation was the physicist's notation, not mathematician's notation...)

This book was confusing to me, but the reason was because it had too LITTLE math, not too much.

Very short, but not all that lucid.......2002-12-05

This is a short book, and that is its only advantage, unfortunately.

Granted, that the author is eminent in this field and was himself a student of the great Paul Dirac. However, this book does not sit easily in a series designed to make a subject approachable to the novice. It has far too much esoteric maths than is good for a book of this genre. An ever stronger criticism is the fact that instead of keeping to basic physics ideas such as the double slit experiment (which this book does well!) and then developing the ideas of atomic structure, and the uncertainty principle, it dwells on things like operators and such like.

If you want a good introduction to Quantum Theory, look no further than the books by George Gamow's "The New World of Mr Tompkins" or "Mr Tomkins in paperback", or, "Uncle Albert and the Quantum Quest".

Profound, Concise, Scholarly, Accessible and "Real".......2002-09-27

There are few things more beautiful to me than a profound, concise, respectable and rigorous small book. The gift of knowledge and time such a book provides matches is profound. "Quantum Theory, A Very Short Introduction" achieves this beauty nicely.

Looking at the small book, and my current desire to understand the essence of the mystery of Quantum physics, I had a strange desire starting the book- I wanted it to hurt a little bit. That is to say, I wanted it to be challenging enough to reach a profound depth and truth that matched my desire to know. And I wanted it to be real- not a fanciful tour of "cool stuff" but a book so steeped in knowledge that it exposes the diamond at the center of this leviathan. I wanted to be challenged, and maybe read a page two or three times to capture the occasional key point. I wanted a book by an author so knowledgeable that he would be brave enough to tackle this goal in a 100 page book. In other words, I wanted the truth, I wanted it quickly, and, as a result, I expected to sweat. I wasn't disappointed.

This book is part of an Oxford University Press series of "Very Short Introductions". The format of the books in this series is about 100 pages, in a small paperback size. The text is fairly small, with small margins, with maybe 300 words per page. That makes each books about 30 000 words, plus of minus 25% for pictures, paragraph size and so on. And the books are written by experts with a professional level of rigor. The are a very short, deep, and real introductions. They make you sweat a little.

My dream is to read the other hundred or so publications in the series. Probably not all of them, but a significant number. I'm at about six so far.

Quantum Theory, A Very Short Introduction

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Quantum Theory, A Very Short Introduction
John Polkinghorne
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKBYCO

Book Description

This volume brings together Miss McCarthy's lively controversial essays on the theatre from the 1930's up to the present day. The intelligence and vitality of the author's analysis brings past productions of Shakespeare, Shaw, Ibsen, Chekhov, Wild, Odets, Saroyan, Wilder back to the reader with immediacy and freshness.

Written in her trenchant prose, Miss McCarthy's articles on the drama are amusing, sharp, original and penetrating.

Mary McCarthy's Theatre Chronicles 1937-1962

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Mary McCarthy's Theatre Chronicles 1937-1962
Mary McCarthy
Manufacturer: The Noonday Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GA71OW

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Mary Mccarthy's Theatre Chronicles, 1937-1962
Mary McCarthy
Manufacturer: FARRAR, STRAUS AND COMPANY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OKWKSQ

Sights and Spectacles-Theatre Chronicles-1937-1956

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Sights and Spectacles-Theatre Chronicles-1937-1956
Mary McCarthy
Manufacturer: Farrar Straus & Cudahy, NY,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000E0SME2

Sights and spectacles;: Theatre chronicles, 1937-1956 (Meridian books)

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Sights and spectacles;: Theatre chronicles, 1937-1956 (Meridian books)
Mary McCarthy
Manufacturer: Meridian Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0007DL0QI

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Theatre chronicles, 1937-1962
Mary McCarthy
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0007DFAVY

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Mary McCarthy's Theatre Chronicles
Mary McCarthy
Manufacturer: Noonday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000R05E2W

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Mary McCarthy's Theatre Chronicles 1937-1962
Mary McCathey
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JUZ7QI

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