My Life at AOL

Book Description

For the first time, the story of America Online is told from the perspective of an employee in the trenches. Learn what it was really like to be at this company that was at the epicenter of the Internet revolution.

Customer Reviews:

Great Writing by a Great Writer.......2001-12-24

This book is great for anyone interested in finding out about how it feels to work at a small iffy start-up company. The author lets us climb on for the rollercoaster as the company goes through the initial ups and downs, on its way to becoming the largest internet provider in the world. It's filled with interesting facts and spiced up with enough personal accounts to make the reader feel like a real insider. Bravo!

A Real Insiders View.......2001-07-24

I worked with Julia at AOL and she offers tales from a perspective I guarantee you haven't read anywhere else.

Kara Swisher's "AOL.COM" told the story from the executive level. Julia's "My Life At AOL" tells it from the perspective of the regular employees who made the service run on a day to day basis. It's a look at things that happened when AOL was a wacky little company; very different from today's media behemoth.

An Insider's Tale.......2001-05-24

This book is a lively read--a brisk account of the energetic, imaginative and bright young people at the birth of AOL. It's enlivened by Ms. Wilkinson's breezy and engaging "voice." She mangages to give a sense of the atmosphere in the offices of the growing company with descriptions of brainstorming sessions illustrated with lots of colorful quotes. She presents well-thought out examples of the Internet as a powerful double-edged sword. While acknowledging its potentially negative aspects, she makes a strong case for it as a positive and highly beneficial tool. Being technologically challenged, I esepcially enjoyed the Appendix--A Cyber-Lingo Glossary:How To Speak AOL and the list of "smilies" and "emoticons," those wacky little lighthearted symbols that are shorthand ways of expressing emotions.

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MY LIFE AT AOL
Julia L. Wilkinson
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N6KEU2

Average customer rating:

Brought back so many great memories for me!

The perfect Father's Day gift for Minnesota sports fan Dads

Fifty Years, Fifty Heroes: A Celebration of Minnesota Sports
Ross Bernstein
Manufacturer: Ross Bernstein
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies | Sports | Subjects | Books
General | Sports | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0963487116

Customer Reviews:

Brought back so many great memories for me!.......1999-02-08

Great book about the history of Minnesota sports and its heroes. If you're like me, you've probably forgotten many of the great memories Bernstein brings back to life. He covers the Vikings, Twins, Gophers, North Stars, State High School Tournaments and much more. Everyone who has made Minnesota proud in the sports arena seems to be in this book: From Tarkenton, Puckett, Killebrew and Cris Carter to Willie Burton, Chuck Foreman, Sandy Stephens, Elgin Baylor and Patty Berg. The author not only documents the history, but includes entertaining quotes from the athletes and their teammates. This is a really fun book to read and own. The book is hard cover and loaded with photographs. I have mine displayed on my coffee table. I strongly recommend it.

The perfect Father's Day gift for Minnesota sports fan Dads.......1998-05-15

I bought Fifty Years, Fifty Heroes for my husband as a Christmas present. He hasn't stopped thanking me. The book is loaded with memorable stories about great moments in Minnesota sports history. Bernstein interviewed everybody who's anybody in Minnesota sports. There are lots of stories told by Minnesota sports legends themselves. For example Jack Morris tells about how his memory of Fran Tarkenton provided the motivation he needed to pitch a nearly flawless game 7 of the 1991 World Series. He was determined not to go down in history as a guy who couldn't win the big one. My husband enjoys reliving memorable moments as seen through the eyes of the athletes, from their unique perspective.

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Skymen, Heroes of Fifty Years of Flying
Larry Forrester
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0000CL63H

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SKYMEN, HEROES OF FIFTY YEARS OF FLYING
LARRY FORRESTER
Manufacturer: COLLINS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000SICPPM

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Skymen: Heroes Of Fifty Years Of Flying
Larry Forrester
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0548388954

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Skymen: Heroes of fifty years of flying
Larry Forrester
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0312727828

Brothers in Arms: The Epic Story of the 761st Tank Battalion, WWII's Forgotten Heroes. (receiving fair recognition and just reward after fifty-year fight): An article from: Army Lawyer

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Brothers in Arms: The Epic Story of the 761st Tank Battalion, WWII's Forgotten Heroes. (receiving fair recognition and just reward after fifty-year fight): An article from: Army Lawyer
Italia A. Carson
Manufacturer: Judge Advocate General's School
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Science | Subjects | Books

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

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Army Lawyer, published by Judge Advocate General's School on November 1, 2004. The length of the article is 4580 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: Brothers in Arms: The Epic Story of the 761st Tank Battalion, WWII's Forgotten Heroes. (receiving fair recognition and just reward after fifty-year fight)
Author: Italia A. Carson
Publication: Army Lawyer (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 2004
Publisher: Judge Advocate General's School
Page: 27(6)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Heroes of the surf;: Fifty years' history of Manly Life Saving Club

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Heroes of the surf;: Fifty years' history of Manly Life Saving Club
Reginald Sydney Harris
Manufacturer: Manly Life Saving Club
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007K6GY2

Book Description

Since film became a major component of mass circulation popular culture, the portrayal of black people has erupted on to cinema screens in an apparently non-systematic, erratic manner. While these portrayals constitute an invaluable resource documenting particular experiences and providing historical interpretation, they have tended to be studies for the ideological correctness of depictions of black people and the extent to which they rely on stereotypes. Fear of the Dark develops a particular critical perspective on the film portrayal of female black sexuality and questions the extent to which black film makers have challenged its stereotypical image, examining the degree to which black female sexuality systematically connects with history

Films such as Sapphire (1959), Flame in the Streets (1961), Leo the Last (1969), Pressure (1974), Black Joy (1977), Burning an Illusion (1981), Playing Away (1986), and Mona Lisa (1987) are closely examined and situated in their historical and social context. There are several themes which provide the focus for the analyses of the films: anxieties about interracial sexual relations; the assumption of an oppositional relation between black and white people; fears about the instability of the family unit and its effect in black and white communities; and social relations between black and white women.

Book Description

Addresses the band's resounding impact on how we think about gender, popular culture, and the formal and poetic qualities of music.

Customer Reviews:

Beatle Thesis by a Beatle Scholar.......2007-02-01

This is the work of a scholar. This book reads like a well written, well researched thesis and readers are treated to a plethora of Beatle information and insights. I like the way this author provides his own personal Beatle preferences and interpretations.

A book that will certainly compliment the intelligence of its readers, this scholarly work rates highly among the Beatle Literati.

Kenneth Womack and Todd F. Davis, eds. Reading the Beatles: Cultural Studies, Literary Criticism, and the Fab Four.: An article from: Style

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Kenneth Womack and Todd F. Davis, eds. Reading the Beatles: Cultural Studies, Literary Criticism, and the Fab Four.: An article from: Style
Allan Moore
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000VJB2H0
Release Date: 2007-08-29

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Style, published by Thomson Gale on December 22, 2006. The length of the article is 2651 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: Kenneth Womack and Todd F. Davis, eds. Reading the Beatles: Cultural Studies, Literary Criticism, and the Fab Four.
Author: Allan Moore
Publication: Style (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 22, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 40 Issue: 4 Page: 383(6)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Customer Reviews:

Review: More sneaky feats........2000-06-05

This book is a collection of how to show off, and ranges from tricks such as growing a carrot upside - down to frying an egg with one hand. It has illustrations and easy - to - follow instructions so that usually you will be able to understand how to do the tricks without too much difficulty. I loved this book because of the wide range of tricks and the clear instructions. It had a few faults, but not enough or serious enough to stop me reccomending it. One of the faults was that, because the writers were american, they sometimes talked about the sizes and details of american coins which I have never seen. Another small fault was that some tricks needed 'ingredients' which weren't made anymore or were hard to get hold of, such as hankerchiefs. This problem, however, was very rare. I have managed to confuse many of my friends with the tricks featured in this book and have made frequent references. Both me and my friends love this book and I would say that it is an incredibly useful aid to show offs of all ages.

Book Description

Can you find your digital photographs when you need them, or do you spend more time rifling through your hard drive and file cabinets than you'd like? Do you have a system for assigning and tracking content data on your photos? If you make a living as a photographer, do your images bear your copyright and contact information, or do they circulate in the marketplace unprotected?

As professional photographer and author Peter Krogh sees it, "your DAM system is fundamental to the way your images are known, both to you and to everyone else." DAM, or Digital Asset Management, in the world of digital photography refers to every part of the process that follows the taking of the picture, through final output and permanent storage. Anyone who shoots, scans or stores digital photographs, is practicing some form of digital asset management. Unfortunately, most of us don't yet know how to manage our files (and our time) very systematically, or efficiently.

In The DAM Book: Digital Asset Management for Photographers, Krogh brings clarity to the often overwhelming task of managing digital photographs, with a solid plan and practical advice for fellow photographers on how to file, find, protect and re-use photographs. Following a thorough overview of the DAM system and de-mystifications of metadata and digital archiving, Krogh focuses on best practices for digital photographers using Adobe Photoshop CS2. He explains how to use Adobe Bridge, the new CS2 navigational software that replaces the File Browser introduced in Photoshop 7, with full details on integrating Bridge, Camera Raw and Digital Asset Management software.

Compellingly presented in four-color format, The DAM Book: Digital Asset Management for Photographers brings Krogh's award-winning creative approach to a subject that could have been technically intimidating. Instead, Krogh's twenty years of experience and instructive visual storytelling make this material not only accessible, but compulsory reading for serious digital photographers.

Customer Reviews:

Organization!.......2007-08-31

This is a good book. It is very helpful in determining how to organize photographs. It also is a give a good review of Bridge. It would be nice for the book to be up dated to cover CS3.

An Excellent Overview.......2007-03-31

I found this book to be an excellent resource to help you to understand how all the pieces fit together.

Indespensable Reference for management & storage of digital photos............2007-03-18

As a novice in the area of digital asset management, I found this book to be extremely helpful.....well written and full of great suggestions on how best to manage your photos. Highly recommended.......a true five-star guide.

HIghly Recommended.......2007-03-08

Helps you learn how to deal with all the digital photography photos that amass on your hard drive. Do you save them as JPEG , RAW, both? What about DNG? How do you tag, and archive these files? Why would I do it this way? It's important to know when your files reach into the thousands!! Do you want to lose your data or save it as an inferior file? I hope this book gets updated yearly.

Once good, now seriously outdated and needlessly complex.......2007-03-02

The DAM Book was probably much needed when it was first published - its publication coincided with a realization by many professional and serious amateur photographers that handling the quickly growing digital photo collections required a sound organizing approach and dedicated software tools. The book aptly points out that dealing with digital image workflow and the resulting file archives is in many significant ways different than dealing with film-based archives. Based on this initial premise, the book offers recommendations on how to organize digital photo studio workflow and filing / archive system.

Alas, the author chose to tie VERY CLOSELY his mostly sensible conceptual framework (i.e., HOW to organize) with very specific software and hardware. Often, more general advice is difficult or impossible to separate from his step-by-step, software-specific recipes. So, unless you use exactly the same software and hardware configuration as the author, much, if not most of this information will be of little use.

Since the book was first published, new, DAM- and photographic workflow-oriented software has become available (Adobe CS3, including the new Bridge is now in public beta nearing its release; and Apple Aperture 1.5 and Adobe PS Ligtroom 1.0 are the new, more workflow-focused tools), and more up-to-date (although dispersed) discussion of problems in question can be found in numerous articles on the web. This makes large portions of the book obsolete, as new tools enable different workflows that may be better suited to many photographers' preferences.

The book has other issues.

First, the author LOVES using technical jargon. While technical vocabulary is appropriate in discussing technical issues, creating new terms and elaborate taxonomies for everything is an overkill. The author's misguided argument for using "controlled vocabularies" (a common term, which he uses in his own, very peculiar way - p. 47) is a good case in point. As Eric Abrahamson (Columbia Business School) aptly points out in his excellent book "A Perfect Mess," organizing is always good in principle, but OVER ORGANIZING by creating systems more complex than it is necessary to get the job done, comes at a very steep price in time and resources needed to maintain the system. Enough said.

Secondly, since this is a workflow book (not a coffee-table book), the full color print is totally unnecessary, and the price point is consequently too high. This should have been one of those $9.95 O'Reilly quick-guide booklets. Most photos reproduced in the book are simply decorative, or used as examples for things that are obvious (e.g. an example of a "group shot" - duh!; or a photo of wine barrels in a cellar as a metaphor for file storage system). Photos are not interesting on their own merit; screen captures and simple diagrams would be just as effective in greyscale.

In summary, you may want to flip through the pages of the book at a local library or bookstore - what's really useful and noteworthy here, can be easily grasped in less than 15 minutes; otherwise, your money may be better spent on a good book focused on the actual software tools YOU are committed to using.

Customer Reviews:

True? Maybe, but it's still garbage........2007-09-24

I won't waste anyone's time arguing about whether or not this book is true. I wasn't there, I've never met Ms. Page, and I therefore have no idea about which version of events is correct.

I will quote the book from its introduction: "I know Bettie doesn't want her secret past revealed, but I opted for the truth."

...What?

This man that dares to call himself a journalist thinks he has the right to air Bettie's dirty laundry? He thinks it's okay to humiliate and hurt her because, what, he's a fan? I guess by that logic it's okay if I look into his life and told the world about (hypothetically--obviously I don't know Richard Foster anymore then Bettie Page) his erectile dysfunction or the way he beats his kids. Everyone has skeletons in their closet. What makes it his right to reveal them?

Real journalists put themselves out on a limb to expose stories that are important. This horrible person who decided to ruin Bettie, profit off of it and then justify himself by saying it was for her own good doesn't deserve to call himself anything but a garbage spewing vulture. Whether the information is true or not makes no difference; what matters is that Bettie didn't want him to tell, and as the information in this book is in no way important to anyone's life Foster had no right to tell it.

I stopped reading the book right after the introduction and threw it away, and I suggest you do the same.

rank but revealing.......2007-06-10

As others have clearly opined, this is a juvenile and cliched bit of writing ....that Bettie's lost past is revealed is what it is... she lives in a group home for the mentally ill with regular meetings with a psychologist.....(at the time of this writing 1996) as others including her brother jockey for her rights and profits is....well the under belly of the american dream...what would be of worth is a biography that is based on her and others remembrance of what she did, how she felt and her dreams or thoughts....there is no depth here , some fact, many assumptions. However we are not going to get any reliable information from a very lost woman who must be visited by a case worker every week....there is no amount of money or fame that can change that fact....may she find some peace if not in this lifetime but the next...and as a footnote....why would anyone make assumptions about a person they see in a photograph?

Bettie Page Uncovered.......2005-11-14

A very sad tale of a woman broken by her fame and tortured by her problems. Wonderful pictures of Bettie in her prime and overall a very good book. I will agree that it is written in a tabloid style -it's not war and peace but it is a good read about an american icon.

READ NO MORE REVIEWS, THIS IS THE ONLY ONE YOU NEED TO READ- A PATHETIC AUTHOR MAKES UP CRAP ABOUT BETTIE.......2005-10-23

This is the only reveiwer who can seriously keep it real for any of you potential buyers of this Bettie Page book. Everything in this book is horribly written, and ENTIRELY made up, it is EXTREMELY easy to see that, just look at the sample (if they still have it, if not, don't dish out a single penny of yours for this book, it's not worth it in any way.)For any of you idiots who believe this stuff- GET A LIFE!! This book actually wants you to beleive that at some point in the recent years of her life she-having made millions and million of dollars from her career, and still making money from her legacy- is so poor that she moves in with some stranger to room with in a tiny house, and out of the blue trys to kill her roommate one night because she's so crazy now? That is THE biggest load of crap I have ever heard. This book is not worth anyone even considering buying. All it is is media hype (that was never in the real media, might I add) that some sad pathetic liar poor excuse for an author who doesn't even know how to write past a fourth grade level wants you to believe! If any of this crap was true, don't you think it would be easy to track down Bettie in the real media and expose her on tv and in newspapers?? The only place you will ever hear any of this stuff is in this horribly written, made up pile of lies. It's a waste of time to read this book, and anyone who believes this crap is almost as pathetic and in need of A LIFE as the author is. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS BOOK THAT IS NOTHING MORE THAN A WAY TOO LONG TABLOID WRITTEN BY A FOURTH GRADER!!

All too human Bettie Page.......2005-08-31

I used to see Bettie's picture nearly everywhere : magazines, books, albums... I knew about her and always thought "that's too much, she's too beautiful, a female jaguar with black hair, perfect face, perfect body"... This book shows the very human side of Bettie page and I was immediately drawn to her as a human being. This book showed me that she was all human and struggling to make it in Hollywood - but she stood her ground and did not fall prey to the infamous casting couch.
It's a beautiful and sad story at the same time. Can't wait to see a film about her.

Real Bettie Page the Truth About the Queen of Pinups

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Real Bettie Page the Truth About the Queen of Pinups
Richard Foster
Manufacturer: Citadel
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000X69Z98

Book Description

Since Peter Stuyvesant greeted with enmity the first group of Jews to arrive on the docks of New Amsterdam in 1654, Jews have entwined their fate and fortunes with that of the United States--a project marked by great struggle and great promise. What this interconnected destiny has meant for American Jews and how it has defined their experience among the world's Jews is fully chronicled in this work, a comprehensive and finely nuanced history of Jews in the United States from 1654 through the end of the past century. Hasia R. Diner traces Jewish participation in American history--from the communities that sent formal letters of greeting to George Washington; to the three thousand Jewish men who fought for the Confederacy and the ten thousand who fought in the Union army; to the Jewish activists who devoted themselves to the labor movement and the civil rights movement.
Diner portrays this history as a constant process of negotiation, undertaken by ordinary Jews who wanted at one and the same time to be Jews and full Americans. Accordingly, Diner draws on both American and Jewish sources to explain the chronology of American Jewish history, the structure of its communal institutions, and the inner dynamism that propelled it. Her work documents the major developments of American Judaism--he economic, social, cultural, and political activities of the Jews who immigrated to and settled in America, as well as their descendants--and shows how these grew out of both a Jewish and an American context. She also demonstrates how the equally compelling urges to maintain Jewishness and to assimilate gave American Jewry the particular character that it retains to this day in all its subtlety and complexity.

Customer Reviews:

Riveting Run Through Jewish History in America.......2007-09-02

Hasia Diner does a great job at depicting what jewish life was like in the USA through the years. She describes how many came over in the 17th century, and how Governor Oglethorpe of Georgia felt that they could contribute to the well being of the colonies.

We read of the early antipathy some colonists had toward the Jewish people, but also how early Jewish activists secured basic rights for the Jews in places like Maryland (Pennsylvania was a spot where Jewish people were not always welcome).

We learn of how early Jewish synagogue communities survived without rabbis. We see Jewish people congregating in the larger cities, opening fruit and vegetable stands, and (especially) garment shops. These garment shops thrived during the Civil War when union army uniforms needed to be provided.

We also read of the origins of groups like the American Jewish Congress and Bnai Brith and the Anti-Defamation League. You will also learn about the early 20th centur distrust of Jewish people, how businessmen such as Henry Ford feared that educated and wise Jewish people would take over the country.

Many Jewish people took Gentile names at this time so that they would not be denied opportunities for work. You also read of how American Jewry was shocked and appalled at the Holocaust and how they called on FDR to intervene.

You will also discover the origins of the three major streams of American Judaism (Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox).

Hasia Diner also considers the year 2000 to be particularly significant in that a practicing Jewish person nearly became the Vice-President of the United States.

I thought the book was great. It was easy to read, and it held my attention. I also was surprised about how many entertainers and musicians and songwriters and producers are Jewish (George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, the Warner brothers, etc).

Rev. Marc Axelrod

Repetitive and poorly edited writing style. .......2005-09-01

It seems clear that much research went into this book, unfortunately with very little visible editing. There is much tedious repetition of the same point. Extraneous information peeks out at us without elaboration. It is true that New York emerged as the center of American publishing, but why tantalize the reader with this fact by means of a single sentence in the midst of several pages about the garment industry. The treatment of the 1911 Triangle fire is far too minimal, and suggests, erroneously, that this was a solely Jewish experience. This is most emphatically not the case, either in terms of the victims or the long term political consequences both for Jews and the Democratic party.

Focuses on Jewish participation in American history.......2005-01-04

Jews have long tried to entwine their fate and fortunes with the U.S. and this history of the Jews in this country begins in 1654 with the first wave of Jewish immigrants and continues to modern times. In The Jews Of The United States, 1654 To 2000 (the newest title in the outstanding "Jewish Communities in the Modern World" series from the University of California Press) Hasia Diner focuses on Jewish participation in and contributions to American history and politics, considers the blends of Jewish and American culture which have resulted from centuries of assimilation, and analyzes the structure of modern Jewish communities and institutions. An excellent, comprehensive history for any college-level Jewish studies collection.

America has been good to the Jews.(The Jews of the United States, 1654-2000)(Book Review) : An article from: Midstream

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America has been good to the Jews.(The Jews of the United States, 1654-2000)(Book Review) : An article from: Midstream
Leonard Dinnerstein
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000DN5U9A
Release Date: 2005-12-15

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Midstream, published by Thomson Gale on November 1, 2005. The length of the article is 2248 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: America has been good to the Jews.(The Jews of the United States, 1654-2000)(Book Review)
Author: Leonard Dinnerstein
Publication: Midstream (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 51 Issue: 6 Page: 33(3)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Average customer rating:

The solace of song

Uninspiring

Tuneful, if not an aria.

It's all about him

Puts bird song stage center for musicians and all of us

Why Birds Sing: A Journey Through the Mystery of Bird Song
David Rothenberg
Manufacturer: Amazon Remainders Account
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: B000EMSNZI

Book Description

A beautiful and surprising exploration of a phenomenon that's at once familiar and baffling: the mystery of why birds sing

The astonishing variety and richness of bird song is both an aesthetic and a scientific mystery. Biologists have never been able to understand why bird song displays are often so inventive and why so many species devote so many hours to singing. The standard explanations, which generally have to do with territoriality and sexual display, don't begin to account for the astonishing variety and energy that the commonest birds exhibit. Is it possible that birds sing because they like to? This seemingly na•ve explanation is starting to look more and more like the truth.

In the tradition of classic works by Bernd Heinrich, Edward Abbey, and Terry Tempest Williams, Why Birds Sing is a lyric exploration of bird song that blends the latest scientific research with a deep understanding of musical beauty and form. Based on conversations with neuroscientists, ecologists, and composers, it is the first book to investigate why birds sing and how, and what effect their music has on other animals-particularly humans. Whether playing the clarinet with the white-crested laughing thrush in Pittsburgh, or jamming in the Australian winter breeding grounds of the Albert's lyrebird, Rothenberg journeys to the heart and soul of bird song. Why Birds Sing offers an intimate look at the most lovely of natural phenomena-with surprising insights about the origin of music.

Customer Reviews:

The solace of song.......2006-08-21

David Rothenberg's lovely book, WHY BIRDS SING: A Journey Through
The Mystery of Bird Song, is an impressive achievement. The subject is fully researched, totally accessible, often fascinating, and always moving. I have long found that the wonder of bird song can bring profound solace to a troubled
spirit. Mr. Rothenberg's study completely validates my belief.

Uninspiring.......2006-07-28

With such an inspiring subject this should have been great book, but it's not. Reading this book was like watching a lava lamp - moving (turning pages) but going nowhere. I only read 40 pages before I couldn't bring myself to pick it up again. Good writing grabs you and compels you to continue - this doesn't. Singing birds are inspiring - this book isn't. The CD that came with it closed the lid on the coffin for me. The birds aren't allowed to star here but the author himself. He fails to communicate with the birds who provide great motifs for improvisation - only recall one time on the CD where the author generated a musical idea based on the bird songs. The book and CD are pretentious.

Tuneful, if not an aria........2006-07-17

In this slightly meandering but sincere book, musician and philosopher Rothenberg shows us that there are qualities to birdsong that transcend what science can tell us. Part of that transcendence is their emotional involvement with their songs, and Rothenberg can be counted among earlier authorities--including Len Howard, Charles Hartshorne, and Alexander Skutch--who believe that birds enjoy singing. His enthusiasm is most apparent when the discussion turns to music, and as an amateur musician I also enjoyed perusing the musical scores and sonograms of various feathered songsters.

Rothenberg hits the mark with his observation that "bird songs are a genuine challenge to the conceit that humanity is needed to find beauty in the natural world." Another conceit is the disturbing laboratory experiments he describes, in which singing birds have their brains pierced by wire electrodes and are later killed for dissection.

Readers get a bonus CD of the author's music with birdsong and other nature sounds.

It's all about him.......2005-12-12

Steer clear of this pretentious unscientific book. It is an exercise in self-promotion for a mediocre musician who is using the subject of birdsong to effuse about the "wonders of nature" (and himself). There are much better books on this subject -- get "The Singing Life of Birds" by Donald Kroodsma instead.

Puts bird song stage center for musicians and all of us.......2005-06-23

I really enjoyed it. And it is so full of goodies. Best for me is that not since Schafer's Tuning of the World has the whole complex of natural sound and the composer been put back up where it belongs, stage almost center. Mulling over the whole business, I just thought an alternate title might be: "what should humans sing?" And next most useful advice, to paraphrase you: "Take a tip from the Mockingbird." There's enough chock full in both those snippets to keep me creatively scratching my head.

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