Chrysler, Ford, Durant and Sloan: Founding Giants of the American Automotive Industry

Book Description

The American automobile industry has been called the favorite child of capitalism. Four decades of exceptional earnings allowed Henry Ford, William Durant and Alfred Sloan (both of General Motors), Walter Chrysler and their companies to make developments in production, design and marketing that have set the standard for consumer products and industrial firms. Four men, the subjects of this book, are primarily responsible for these concepts and for the formation of "the big three." New research lends important insight into the relationship of Walter Chrysler's business career to the careers of the other three automotive giants.

The first four parts detail the career histories and visions of each of the men. Part 5 discusses each man's commitment and belief about the potential of the automobile market and the sheer luck that was such a factor for all of them.

Book Description

Fans who think the game is wild now will appreciate Hetrick's account of Von der Ahe...who throughout the 1880s was embroiled in legal battles and baseball disputes that culminated in his own kidnapping and his stadium being burned to the ground. Direct ancestor to today's Cardinals, the Browns won the pennant four years in a row under his wild leadership.--REFERENCE AND RESEARCH BOOK NEWS

Customer Reviews:

Bill Veeck wasn't the First Showman in Baseball, Make way for Chris Von der Ahe.......2007-06-02

This is a fine book telling the story of the first genuine "character" to own a major league baseball team. Chris Von der Ahe owned a beer garden and boardinghouse in St. Louis near the Grand Avenue baseball park where teams played their games. He realized that his bar always picked up before and after baseball games, and he decided to merge is primary business with a secondary one, baseball. He soon owned the American Association's St. Louis Browns. Mustachioed, Roman nosed, and speaking with the Dutch accent that betrayed his birth in an obscure Germanic province in 1851, Von der Ahe became the prototypical spotlight grabbing major league baseball team owner. He referred to himself, in his thick accent as "der poss bresident," and the fans loved it. He spent freely, indulged his players, and built the Browns into a baseball dynasty in the 1880s. Von der Ahe loved the celebrity his ownership brought him, for now he was not just a prosperous businessman but both a prosperous businessman and a public figure. It was an unbeatable combination, perhaps the real attraction for baseball ownership up to the present, and something repeated many times by many different owners since. In a city rich in baseball history, no one has been more significant in shaping the game in early St. Louis than Chris Von der Ahe.

Von der Ahe adored publicity for his baseball exploits, even going out of his way to garner it. He made every detail of running the team as a media event. For instance, immediately after each game the departing fans could watch Von der Ahe, flanked by armed guards, trundle a wheelbarrow containing bags with the day's receipts from the team's office to the bank. When the team's new press agent, Harry B. Martin, tried to persuade Von der Ahe that the fans should really hear more about the players in the daily newspapers, the Dutchman responded, "Martin, you was a good press agent but [predecessor George] Munson was the best press agent. Now you make the mistake of thinking that the people wish to read about them ball players. Martin they don't. What the American people like to read is about me."

Von der Ahe's Browns were an excellent team and dominated the American Association throughout the 1880s. Indeed, the Browns ran away with the pennant in 1885 and it won the championship each year between 1885 and 1888 under the leadership of manager-first baseman Charles Comiskey, later the owner of the American League's Chicago White Sox. When he first came to St. Louis from the Dubuque Rabbits minor league team, Von der Ahe paid Comiskey a measly $90 a month. Comiskey worked wonders with the team then demanded, and received, top pay of $5,000 per year. But Von der Ahe thought this a small price to pay for Comiskey's services since the team made him some $75,000 a year during its glory years.

The St. Louis franchise did not fare well in the 1890s, in part due to poor management by Von der Ahe. It was not entirely his fault, however. The combination of poor investing and economic depression as a result of the Panic of 1893 sent his resources into a downward spiral. This led to his drinking excessively and that, coupled with a succession of mistresses that infuriated his wife, prompted her to sue for divorce. By 1898 Von der Ahe was a hollow shell of what he had been a decade earlier. The final blow, and the other owners enjoyed levying it because of the animosity they had for both Von der Ahe's lifestyle and showmanship, happened when the league forced him to sell the club to more stable owners.

"Chris Von der Ahe and the St. Louis Browns" is an excellent baseball biography of a significant figure in the development of nineteenth century baseball. Enjoy!

Hetrick's Grand Slam on the mythic Browns owner.......2006-03-19

I can't help but wonder whether I would have grown so fond of historic baseball had I not moved to St. Louis some years ago. Between that and reading Tom Hetrick's books on 19th century baseball, I have come to appreciate the fascinating history of America's game where the Missouri meets the Mississippi. And like his "Misfits!" chronicling the Cleveland Spiders, "Chris Von der Ahe and the St. Louis Browns" is meticulously researched, a fascinating story of one of baseball's most flamboyant owners ever and his colorful charges, and yet somehow a very human, very cautionary tale. I've commented before on Tom Hetrick's knack for turning an historic baseball phrase. Von der Ahe, after releasing a weak catcher in 1891, says, "He could not catch a string of sausages, nor hit a dead elephant with a club." The book is loaded with them. From the triumphant years where the Browns were world champions to the years when they stunk up the cellar, Hetrick's narrative unfolds quickly, competently, and with great entertainment. I could not stop turning the pages. Congratulations to Tom Hetrick on another fine outing!

"Chris Von der Ahe and the St. Louis Browns" is Wundervoll!.......2000-06-08

Major League baseball has had its share of controversial owners. But after reading "Chris Von der Ahe and the St. Louis Browns," I never thought I could meet a gent who could build a ballclub to prominence like Ted Turner, then break the team up quicker than Wayne Huzienga did with the Marlins. Von der Ahe also possessed the innovative streak of Charles O. Finley (what other owner, besides Chris, had a ball park with both a horse-race track and a "Shoot-the-Chutes" ride?), could fire a manager quicker than you can say "Steinbrenner," and may have known even less about the game than Marge Schott.

Tom Hetrick's biography vividly takes us to the wild and wooly days of late-19th century baseball, when 10 home runs could get you the home run crown, pitchers never heard the term "pitch count," and umpires had good days if they could go the entire game without getting pummeled. This is the milieu for German immigrant Von der Ahe, as we follow his rags (a modest grocer and back-of-the-store saloon keeper) to riches (real estate magnate and self-proclaimed "Boss President" of the 4-time American Association champion St. Louis Browns franchise) to flaming rags (scandal, prison, bankruptcy and his Browns' ownership wrested away from him) story.

Hetrick presents meticulous research on the largely obscure Von der Ahe. As a lover of baseball history, I liked his outstanding treatment into the history of the American Association, the league that, for ten years (1882-1891), challenged the established National League and ushered in the precursor of today's World Series. But this book is not just for "seamheads." Hetrick presents a rich portrait of St. Louis in its golden era. He also breathes life into the bombastic and often-outrageous Von der Ahe -- fractured English and all. I laughed out loud as Von der Ahe tells his team's press agent, Harry B. Martin, "Now you magke der mistake of drinkin [thinking] dat der beable [people] vish to read about dem bum ball players. Mardin, vot der American beable like to readt is aboudt me, Chris Von der Ahe." To this reader, "Der Poss Bresident" seems to have enough hot air to inflate a Zeppelin.

As biographies go, Tom's book is a home run. A lively and fast read, it is a great account of the game as it was played in the 19th century as well as a portrait of a common immigrant who became a great success -- only to allow that success to eventually destroy him. And don't forget, the next time you're at the ballpark with a cold beer, make a toast to Chris Von der Ahe - the man who put beer and baseball together.

Book Description

A spirited exploration of the culture created when advertising becomes not just a central institution, but the central institution.

Customer Reviews:

Advertising drives cultural evolution, so better enjoy it !.......2003-10-02

AdCult is about culture and advertising; both the culture of advertising and the influence of advertising on culture. This is not something we see explored very often or very deeply. As the author points out, one of the main reasons for this is similar to the reason dairy farmers tend to drink proportionately less milk than other groups. We are so immersed in advertising that we stop thinking about it as a topic of study for its own sake. It becomes just another object to sometimes attract our momentary attention, as when we stop to watch an award show treating advertisements as entertainment or when Saturday Night Live runs parodies of commercials.

Twitchell does take a close, inside look at culture of advertising and that in itself makes this book very valuable. He also makes an argument about advertising and culture. The unique memorability of advertising, acknowledges Twitchell, allows it to take on the function of shared cultural memory, and has therefore has inevitably replaced less memorable literature and science. This is a valuable if unoriginal insight, which many of the old-fashioned types refer to as the "dumbing down" of culture. But wait, there's more! The twist in AdCult is that Twitchell, while admitting that advertising culture is mindless and superficial, compellingly argues that this "dumbing down" is really a good thing.

It's good that we are inundated with superficially memorable images and phrases rather than literature and science? Yes, says Twitchell, and the old fogies who think otherwise just aren't getting it, they are mainly just feeling threatened by how advertising is "stealing their thunder." No, Twitchell is not some cyberpunk, he is (by profession) a university professor who did the research for this book in order to teach a class about advertising.

It's not that he never believed advertising was powerful, it was that he originally thought that power was a good thing, and then came to believe it was harmless anyway. Twitchell was apparently very impressed by advertising critics of the 50's like Vance Packard and Bryan Wilson Key, and took home the message that if advertising was so powerful, the advertisers must be doing something right. He later seems to have decided that advertising has lost most of its impact through constant immersion, familiarity, and increasing superficiality for ever wider appeal. So now, there is no reason to despise this aspect of culture which has redefined the way we speak and what we desire. Now it has become the source of our very substance, Twitchell argues, and bless it for that.

Twitchell characterizes pomo philosophers as intellectuals in a matter-of-fact way, while taking pains to point out how terribly quaint and old-fashioned are the culture critics who imagine there to be some basis for value in human life beyond what attracts our attention or feels good. Ed Hirsch's populist attempt to foster cultural literacy is to Twitchell hopelessly "whitebread." There is nothing of special value in what we traditionally think of as literacy. The main problem is that Hirsch's terms make hopelessly poor ad copy. Rather, Hirsch should have used phrases from commercial jingles as his basis for cultural literacy, since that's what really defines our culture at this time in history.

Twitchell reminds me a lot of the anthropologist who got too close to her subjects and couldn't report on them objectively any more. No, he doesn't see advertisers as kind, gentle, or noble savages. He accurately sees them accurately as promoting "commercial discourse" for a variety of self-interested reasons, including but not limited to trying to move products and create markets.

It is his view of culture that is wrong (or at least a collection of half-truths) and adopted from the twisted mindset of advertising culture. Twitchell completely ignores (or disavows?) any relationship between culture and the capacity for human thought. In the pomo tradition, he treats human thought as if it springs in final from individual heads, connected to each other by whatever arbitrary superficial ideas happen to be floating around and catching our attention at the time. In the advertising tradition descended from an idiot cousin of Freudian theory, he fully buys the argument that people are instinctively aquisitive but need to be told what to acquire by others.

More subtly, Twitchell encourages the view that cultural literacy plays no role in facilitating complex human thinking processes, except that it makes ideas "memorable" and that advertising is good because it does this really well. To discover why this view is wrong from a scientific perspective, a good start is Merlin Donald's "A Mind So Rare." Memory is certainly central to thinking, but literacy changed our minds in a very real and very fundamental way that is not independent of the content of culture, nor is it bound to Ed Hirsch's "whitebread" version of cultural literacy by means of key terms.

Put simply, humans are a symbolic species and the content of literate culture is part of what supplies the meaning of the symbols that enable us to think the way we do. We know that people don't think completely differently as a result of different kinds of cultures or languages. We can translate a great deal between cultures and still understand each other to a great extent. However the content of culture does play a central role in what kind of ideas are generated and accumulated over time, and so the path of cultural evolution.

Twitchell's conclusion that AdCult is superficial mind candy, but good enough for shared meaning, and his assumption that social order is independent of the content of culture (or even improved by superficially memorable images) will probably pass most people by without much thought in this slick advertising-like presentation. That powerfully supports half of the author's argument, that our minds do soak up slick memorable images like a sponge. It also reveals the dark side of Twitchell's perspective, the one that relentlessly wants to believe that there is nothing being lost except a few quaint stories.

A disappointing dance around a complicated topic.......2003-07-08

I was so excited to get my hands on a copy of this book -- an analysis that promised to expand the debate of the over the goods vs. evils of commercialism and its consumers. Unfortunately, it fell way short. Twitchell seems to think that his audience is (like a commerical audience?) satisfied by brief, unreferenced anecdotes as evidence of a dynamic, give and take between advertisers and their audience. While seeming lofty (and at times arrogant), Twitchell fails to back up his claims that media culture is, indeed, akin to art and religion, and responds to, rather than preempts and sets, cultural trends. I would love for another edition of this book to be released with expanded facts and figures (for which Twitchell only adds a sprinkle here and there, when they back up his arguments), and certainly some documentation of his sources. A real unconvincing disappointment. Save your money.

thorough, comprehensive, good writing style.......2002-05-17

I hate ads and haven't watched commercial TV or listened to commercial radio in many years now due to the relentless and frenzied assault of advertising. I credit the feeling people now have that silence is somehow strange with the immersion they have in endless stimulation. We don't know what it means to mentally sit still.

Mr. Twitchell finds advertising a fascinating cultural phenomenon, the very bedrock of modern culture and I find that hard to deny. He interest prods him to go deeply into all sides of advertising and he seems at pains to deflate any pretensions about high art and culture, claiming that ads are to our time what cathedrals and the paintings of the old masters were to the Middle Ages. While this may be plausable, at least in the Middle Ages you could get away from the cathedrals and paintings now and then!

When you finish with this book you will have an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the field. The author goes into great detail about the industry and the history of advertising with plenty of illustrations you will recognize from TV and print.

He looks at the subject with wit and insight but doesn't attempt much examination of what ad saturation might be doing to us with it's direct attempt to guide fantasy to alight on the material.

He identifies every trick in the adman's book and believes we may be reaching a limit (my heart beats faster!) to advertising as the content of many ads now show irony in the message itself, a winking agreement with the targeted consumer that the whole act of selling through ads is psychologically bankrupt and no more than nonsensical entertainment...like the emperor having no clothes and clearly pointing it out himself while mugging and giggling for the amusement of all.

As Twitchell says, the link between advertising and sales has never been conclusively made. But that's OK because we claim an equally tenuous link between our rationality and our behavior. The only question is who is fooled more, the consumer or the advertiser? As knowledge and intellect fall back before feeling and fantasy, are we now in a very comfortable, convenient and attractive fools paradise?

Advertising History and its Politics gets a fair shake.......2002-03-21

Now its not just because I make a living in the world of advertising that I say this, Twitchell's book goes a long way to say that advertising is not the evil, subliminal, dark force that many claim it to be.

If you feel this way after reading the book, you might be a professional student at a liberal arts college or you failed to read what I believe to be the overall thesis:

He sees advertising as the principle meaning maker in contemporary society. Do not be confused, this book is not about how the evil geniuses of Madison Avenue plot to separate us from our hard earned money. Though the book does have some fine examples of the advertiser taking advantage of the public trust.

Advertising, for better or worse, works to unify our culture and communities, albeit at the expense of increased consumerism. I think you give those of us who are proud to work in advertising way too much credit when you state that we infiltrated your thought process and somehow forced you to buy junk that you don't need because you consumed our ad.

I like the fact that he says the average American may see up to 3,000 advertising images each day. It is getting harder and harder to be noticed. He says this early on in this book and it helps set the stage for his exploration of different advertising strategies that have evolved through time.

Insightful, Witty and Educational.......2001-02-19

To discover why Americans are sold on advertising, read this book. Twitchell examines the dpeths to which advertisers will go to win the affection of the American people. The book is funny, educational and actually fun to read.

Adcult USA: The Triumph of Advertising in American Culture. (book reviews): An article from: ETC.: A Review of General Semantics

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Adcult USA: The Triumph of Advertising in American Culture. (book reviews): An article from: ETC.: A Review of General Semantics
Martin H. Levinson
Manufacturer: International Society for General Semantics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from ETC.: A Review of General Semantics, published by International Society for General Semantics on September 22, 1996. The length of the article is 458 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: Adcult USA: The Triumph of Advertising in American Culture. (book reviews)
Author: Martin H. Levinson
Publication: ETC.: A Review of General Semantics (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 1996
Publisher: International Society for General Semantics
Volume: v53 Issue: n3 Page: p352(3)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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Adcult USA
James B. Twitchell
Manufacturer: Columbia University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OPC7ZC

Adcult Usa The Triumph of Advertising In American Culture

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Adcult Usa The Triumph of Advertising In American Culture
Twitchell James B.
Manufacturer: Columbia UP
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UDEFUI

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Adcult USA: The Triumph of Advertising in American Culture
James B. Twitchell
Manufacturer: Columbia Univ Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000J4XF5O

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Twitchell, James B.
Adcult USA: The Triumph of Advertising in American Culture
Manufacturer: Columbia University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OPACOU

Book Description

The most fascinating mental exercises from the New York Times internationally syndicated column "Playspace." They build brain skills in the same way physical exercise builds muscles and stamina. 60 brain-awakening exercises that strengthen connections among the mental centers that control creative-visual, executive-planning, spatial-manipulative, and logical thinking. Each exercise was developed to stimulate a different combination of brain circuits to sharpen mental skills needed to compete professionally and to retard loss of memory and other skills as the brain ages. Yet they are almost addictively fascinating. Optional hints for each exercise make every format accessible to all levels of skill.

Customer Reviews:

Good companion to "The Sharper Mind".......2002-08-22

The "game" format makes this book very user-friendly and not threatening. The Sharper Mind had a similar approach was was more practical in its approach to everyday situations: remembering names, dates, etc.

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Kanban for the Supply Chain: Fundamental Practices for Manufacturing Management
Stephen C. Cimorelli
Manufacturer: Productivity Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Production & Operations | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Office Automation | Skills | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Production, Operation & Management | Industrial, Manufacturing & Operational Systems | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Business Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Implementing a Mixed Model Kanban System: The Lean Replenishment Technique for Pull Production

Custom Kanban: Designing the System to Meet the Needs of Your Environment

Lean Logistics: The Nuts And Bolts Of Delivering Materials And Goods

Creating A Lean Culture: Tools To Sustain Lean Conversions

The Toyota Way

ASIN: 1563273144

Book Description

This workbook for manufacturing supply chain management (SCM) professionals illustrates how to apply kanban replenishment systems and improve material flow. Those who are now ready to make the conversion from materials requirements planning (MRP) push techniques to kanban pull techniques must read this book!

In Kanban for the Supply Chain: Fundamental Practices for Manufacturing Management., Stephen Cimorelli provides SCM teams with a roadmap for installing fundamental kanban concepts - the method is immediately actionable thereby increasing manufacturing productivity and profitability. Through an iterative process of planning, adjusting, and executing, kanban pull techniques keep inventory levels synchronized with demand, and the supply chain synchronized with actual production.

Highlights include:

Kanban and Supply Chain Management foundational concepts and definitions.

Examples based on actual implementation of kanban in a variety of manufacturing environments. A graphical model of material replenishment patterns, which is at the heart of kanban. Key principles for sustaining the kanban system and improving its effectiveness through level-loading. A CD containing training materials for instructors: Communication notes, exercises, and figures.

Customer Reviews:

Mind blowing.......2005-03-13

I thought this book was amazing. My history teacher recommended this to me after i read 'man's search for meaning'.
It's an incredibly honest and gripping book on the life of a young man survivng sobibor and the activies around it.
It will definately make you be thankful for what you have and not to take anything for granted. A truly inspirational book.

Chilling look into Poland's past under Nazism.......2002-03-25

Mr. Thomas Toivi Blatt gives us a chilling look into what it was like to live and just survive under a barbaric system; one where one's neighbors and friends became their enemies and pursuers in the aim to please the occupation forces of Nazism. Mr. Thomas Toivi Blatt and others like him survived against incredible odds to their survival. It makes one reflect on and cherish each and every day that we live in freedom without the tremendous tyranny that Mr. Thomas Toivi Blatt, his family, and many others endured on a day to day basis for several years. Thank you Mr. Thomas Toivi Blatt for your sincere and honest reflections.

Expert Commentary.......1998-06-30

Among the most common questions asked of Holocaust survivors are why the Jews didn't fight back: Why, it is wondered, did they let their families go to their death so easily? The recollections of Blatt, a survivor of the extermination camp Sobibor, in Poland, where Jews staged a successful revolt, addresses these questions in a frank and gripping narrative. Blatt's account demonstrates how the Germans kept Jews in Poland subjugated through random terror combined with promises that the status quo would be maintained if the Jews cooperated. By the time Blatt reached Sobibor with his family, it was too late for resistance. Perhaps the most frightening, and dispiriting, part of Blatt's account is how Christian Poles at times robbed, terrorized, or even murdered Jewish fugitives, such as the Sobibor escapees. A chilling narrative; highly recommended for Judaica collections and Holocaust specialists as well as general readers.

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His own way with words

An insightful book

An insightful book

Important book - but read with a critical mind.

Plant influences on World History

Seeds of Change: Six Plants That Transformed Mankind
Henry Hobhouse
Manufacturer: Shoemaker & Hoard
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | World | History | Subjects | Books
Social History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books
Botany | Biological Sciences | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
General | Botany | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
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Seeds of Wealth: Five Plants That Made Men Rich

The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World

The Potato: How the Humble Spud Rescued the Western World

The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

Spice: The History of a Temptation

ASIN: 1593760493

Book Description

A personal and highly original take on the history of six commercial plants, Seeds of Change illuminates how sugar, tea, cotton, the potato, quinine, and the cocoa plant have shaped our past. In this fascinating account, the impassioned Henry Hobhouse explains the consequences of these plants with attention-grabbing historical moments. While most records of history focus on human influence, Hobhouse emphasizes how plants too are a central and influential factor in the historical process. Seeds of Change is a captivating and invaluable addition to our understanding of modern culture.

Customer Reviews:

His own way with words.......2002-04-15

This book consists of a collection of historical essays about six plants: quinine, sugar, tea, cotton, the potato, and coca. For each plant, the author provides historical information about when it first began to be used (especially by Westerners), and how its use spread across the planet. Some of the information was quite interesting, particularly since the author is British and presents the material from a British point-of-view, emphasizing facts that may be less familiar to Americans. Unfortunately, no in-text citations are provided, but there is a short bibliography at the end of the book. The essays often spill over into topics that are, at best, only marginally related to the subject at hand, such as an overview of Japanese foreign trade in the tea chapter, or the role of corn whiskey in the economy of the Southern states in the early Nineteenth Century in the cotton chapter. Hobhouse has an interesting habit of giving his own meaning to words, such when he defines "Negro" as being a West African Black with sickle cell anemia, or "husbandry" as applying to plant breeding. He also uses the term "slavocracy" to refer to the political situation in the pre-Civil War South, presumably on analogy with "democracy" and "theocracy", but in those words, the first root identifies the rulers, not the ruled. This book may provide a light introduction to some of the topics covered, but I wouldn't rely on it for serious study of an academic nature.

An insightful book.......2002-01-30

I havn't read this book in a while but came across an editorial by Hobhouse recently and I thought I'd check to see if it's still in print. I recall some rather strange notions about our 'current' lack of fiber in our diet and the dire effect it may have, but in most areas where he dosn't range too far afield it's a good read. A reader above found the book racist but I don't recall anything like that. If you like Hobhouse try to dig up Edgar Andersons ' ' Plants Man and Life'. Not an inspired title but a very good book as well.

An insightful book.......2002-01-30

Important book - but read with a critical mind........2001-03-01

Hobhouse is a must for anyone interested in history (particularly environmental history). He provides a new perspective to parts of history that we often don't question. However, reader beware - Hobhouse is an overt racist. Don't take everything he says at face value and be prepared to "toss off" the inflamatory remarks that are sprinkled throughout the book. While an important book, the chapters are poorly organized. Hobhouse attempts to tackle immense topics ("macrohistory") in limited space. He skips around and does not follow a linear format in making his arguments. Be prepared to step back and look at the big picture - he goes on many tangents that, while interesting, he fails to link directly back to his argument. Despite its faults, the book is well recommended - certainly provocative.

Plant influences on World History.......2000-12-25

Totally fascinating. Reminds me of Howard Zim's People's History of the United States. Lot's of facts, figure, and dates without being overwelming, with good continuity throughout the various sections. There is so much about the forces on world history that we don't understand. Would the world have been without widespread Black slavery if there had been no sugar and cotton plantations? What would Africa and the United States be like now? Would China have become a major world power in the 19th century if it had not been for the tea and opium trade? Very thoughtful. I listened to a books-on-tape version from the local library and want to get copies for friends and family.

Seeds of Change: Six Plants That Transformed Mankind

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Seeds of Change: Six Plants That Transformed Mankind
Henry Hobhouse
Manufacturer: Shoemaker & Hoard
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N78BZQ

Book Description

DO YOU BELIEVE?

Gerald Schroeder, an MIT-trained scientist who has worked in both physics and biology, has emerged in recent years as one of the most popular and accessible apostles for the melding of science and religion. He first reconciled science and faith as different perspectives on a single whole in The Science of God. Now, in The Hidden Face of God, Schroeder takes a bold step forward, to show that science, properly understood, provides positive reasons for faith.

From the wisdom encoded in DNA and analyzed by information science, to the wisdom unveiled in the fantastic complexity of cellular life, to the wisdom inherent in human consciousness, The Hidden Face of God offers a tour of the best of modern science. This fascinating volume will open a world of science to religious believers, and it will cause skeptics to rethink some of their deepest beliefs.

Download Description

In his first two books, Gerald L. Schroeder illustrated how science and the Bible can be reconciled without violating the letter, or spirit, of either. Now he takes a step back, offering a tour of modern science, from the universe as a whole to the smallest particles of matter, to show that there is an underlying wisdom beneath it all. From the subtle forces of nature that make life possible to the amazing complexity of the human body, a single consciousness shines through. Schroeder seamlessly combines physics, biology, and neuroscience to illuminate the unity of the great plan behind the universe. Drawing on traditional religious topics such as free will, evil, and man's place in the universe, Schroeder shows that scientists have sometimes changed the surface debates on these issues, but have mainly deepened our appreciation and understanding of the ultimate questions, and of God's place in the world. For anyone who has ever felt the mystical proddings behind the wonders of nature, here is a clear explanation of why such proddings are eternal and crucial.

Customer Reviews:

the wonder of the cell.......2007-09-15

incredible journey into the world of molecular biology. Pretty hard to beleive it is all the end result of blind unguided chance. This the the book that turned world famous atheist philosopher Antony Flew into a believer.

Life-changing book.......2007-08-01

This is a life-changing book. If you have an open mind about creation vs. evolution, then read this. I've purchased 5 copies of this for people I thought you find it interesting. Of the ones that had open minds and read it, all said it was the most amazing book they'd read.

The details on conception to childbirth is worth getting the entire book

I Love this book.......2007-06-15

A must read for anyone wrestling with the question of the inter-relationship of modern science and religion. It shows eloquently what wisdom is found in the Torah and how very relevant it is to modern scientific theory. It is for those that want to immunize themselves from today's religion bashers and more importantly from existential angst. The only flaw in his argument, pointed out to me by a marine biologist, regards the claim that the sudden appearance of one celled organisms in the fossil record argues against evolution, i.e., why didn't the component parts of a cell show up first prior to the whole cell? Answer: The fossil record must start with one celled organisms, it's the smallest unit to be preserved as a fossil. Barring that, the metaphysical nature of the universe is superbly reasoned. Kudos to the author.

Most Definitely Not Science.......2007-05-19

I read this book on recommendation by an "opponent" in a theological debate that claimed it had many important discoveries. This is hardly the case. It was a painful read. While Mr. Schroeder can bandy scientific terms about that will impress the average reader, it takes an astute reader to recognize that, nearly from the first sentence, he puts out his core premise which is completely unsupported.

As is far too common with these sorts of tomes, the author makes great, unsupported leaps of logic, thereby invalidating their argument (as least from a scientific perspective). Add to that the citing of scripture as support for his "findings" and you have a book that feels good to those already in the choir. Others will look at it with a puzzled expression.

This book may be whimsy or wishful thinking, but it is most assuredly not science.

Good title.......2007-04-14

Interesting; In the Bible (can't remember where)does indicate that God does hide his face. Bought the book for my kids to read-not a good idea because the author gets technical; however, it did give me the opportunity to discus it w/ them. The criticism I have read that Schoeder does not address one issue or another is inaccurate. Clearly, they did not read the book before they wrote. Just another example how liberal-types have let themselves become influenced by evil a symptom of which is having disdain for truth among other things. Don't believe me? Look at what they have written and read the book for yourself.

Book Description

A milestone volume setting out the agenda for the 2002 Earth Summit in Johannesburg
Key players from around the world explore the solutions to the enormous problems we confront and the mechanisms for delivering them
This revised edition includes new chapters on the crucial issues of water and energy

The success of "Rio+10" in Johannesburg in 2002 is vital for the world in the coming century. In this volume, leading participants, from ministers, UN officials, and NGOs present a frank view of the lack of progress since Rio. They set out the goals the international community must aim for and the means of achieving them. "Earth Summit 2002" will be a key text and a catalyst for action for the huge array of organizations and individuals involved in environmental and developmental issues and the political processes surrounding them.

Contributors include Minister Avoka, Stephen Bass, Craig Bolsavic, Barbara Bramble, Jeb Brugman, Gro Harlem Brundtland, Margaret Brusacso-Mackenzie, Tom Burke, Mark Campanalle, Nitin Desai, Victoria Elias, Al Fry, Pieter van der Gaag, Winston Gereluk, Herbie Girardet, John Gummer, Minu Hematti, Juni Kalaw, Chip Lindner, Frans de Mann, Laurie Michalis, Toby Middleton, Derek Osborn, Deiker Peter, Jagjit Plahe, Nina Rao, Lucian Royer, Andrew Simms

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