Lord James: The Biography of James William Bayless

Book Description

"Die-hard baseball fans will really go for this book."-Chicago Tribune

"Covers all the major people and events of Cal's professional and baseball life."-Publishers Weekly

Customer Reviews:

The book review by mr. me!.......1999-12-10

I READ THE BOOK, IRON MAN: THE CAL RIPKEN, JR. STORY BY HARVEY ROSENFELD AS PART OF A SCHOOL READING ASSIGNMENT. IT WAS A PRETTY GOOD BOOK FILLED WITH INFORMATION ABOUT THE LIFE AND BASEBALL CAREER OF CAL RIPKEN, JR. IT TALKED ABOUT HIS EARLY CHILDHOOD AND WHEN HE PLAYED BALL AS A CHILD AND WENT ALL THE WAY THROUGH HIS PROFESSIONAL CAREER UP TO 1995. IT HAD AN INTRODUCTION IN IT WRITTEN BY HIS FATHER, CAL, SR. IT WAS A VERY GOOD BOOK AND I WOULD RECOMMEND IT TO ANYONE WHO IS INTERESTED IN LEARNING ABOUT BASEBALL'S IRON MAN, CAL RIPKEN, JR.

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Iron Man: The Cal Ripken, Jr. Story
Harvey; Cal Ripkin, Sr., Introduction; Kevin Allen, Photographer Rosenfeld
Manufacturer: St Martins Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OT8ME8

Book Description

Moving pictures existed for over a decade before anything resembling a star system appeared. Then, within the space of a very few years, American cinema went from being completely devoid of stars to being completely dependent on them. Picture Personalities is an invaluable account of this crucial development in cinema and modern culture.

Conventional wisdom attributes the rise of the star system to the charisma of individual performers or to the public's desire to idolize an appealing star. In Picture Personalities, Richard deCordova argues that the fledgling movie industry and the press conspired to develop the star system, along with a system of discourse to support it.

How actors became stars and how they began to assume public identities distinct from their fictional roles was closely tied to the journalistic discourse of the period, produced by the trade press, newspapers, general periodicals, fan magazines, publicity stills, posters, and other material. DeCordova shows how the studios worked to fabricate moral images of the stars' marriages and personal lives and how a series of star scandals in the 1920s challenged those images and brought about changes in the conventions of representing stars. A new foreword by Corey K. Creekmur enhances this first paperback edition.

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating look at the phenomenon of movie star celebrity.......2003-08-17

I knew the late Richard Decordova when we were kids. I lost touch with him after high school, and was intrigued to find out years later that he had become a college professor in the field of movies, film-making, etc. This book is a fascinating peek at the concept of stardom in America.

deCordova, Richard. Picture Personalities: The Emergence of the Star System in America.(Book review): An article from: Communication Research Trends

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deCordova, Richard. Picture Personalities: The Emergence of the Star System in America.(Book review): An article from: Communication Research Trends
Maria Way
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Communication Research Trends, published by Thomson Gale on December 1, 2006. The length of the article is 932 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: deCordova, Richard. Picture Personalities: The Emergence of the Star System in America.(Book review)
Author: Maria Way
Publication: Communication Research Trends (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 25 Issue: 4 Page: 33(2)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Picture Personalities : The Emergence of the Star System in America

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Picture Personalities : The Emergence of the Star System in America
Richard deCordova
Manufacturer: University of Illinois Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OQ6K4U

In the Little World: A True Story of Dwarfs, Love, and Trouble
Average customer rating:

Egotripping at its worst

A MUST READ... INVOLVED!

Different Subject Matter + Great Introspection = Great Read

The cynical journalist leaves little to admire

Fascinating!

In the Little World: A True Story of Dwarfs, Love, and Trouble
John H. Richardson
Manufacturer: Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

Little People: Learning to See the World Through My Daughter's Eyes

The Lives of Dwarfs: Their Journey from Public Curiosity Toward Social Liberation

Dwarfism: Medical and Psychosocial Aspects of Profound Short Stature

The Munchkins of Oz

Weird and Tragic Shores: The Story of Charles Francis Hall, Explorer (Modern Library Exploration)

ASIN: 0060931310
Release Date: 2002-12-17

Book Description

In 1997, almost by accident, John Richardson found himself sharing a hotel with more than a thousand dwarfs. Over the course of a single week, he begins relationships with some of the people at a convention that evolve into an affecting two-year-and-beyond odyssey into the little world.

He introduces us to characters like a saintly but obsessed doctor and a mother who sacrifices her family to save her dwarf daughter. He follows two dwarf lovers from their first meeting through their struggle to overcome fear and shame and find the confidence to love each other. He becomes personally involved in a tangled and often confrontational friendship with a female dwarf.

Through these stories and musings, ranging from classic theories of beauty to the history of the disability movement, to postmodern theories of difference, Richardson presents a world that is a skewed reflection of our own -- and offers us a glimpse into the essential human condition.

Customer Reviews:

Egotripping at its worst.......2007-06-11

John Richardson allegedly went to Atlanta to write about the yearly national conference for Little People of America. What he actually ended up doing was putting himself into the story very much like Charlie Kaufman did in the film "Adaptation." It didn't work for that film and it certainly doesn't work for this book.

So many reviews praise Richardson for sharing this hidden world with the general public. Richardson does not shed light on an unknown world. He reports on a world full of people that he, like many others, fail to see as human beings. He exposes his prejudice towards people with dwarfism throughout, but the most glaring example is at the end. After following Jocelyn and her family for over 2 years he says good-bye and writes that he "bends down to kiss her bulging forehead." Two years and the only thing he still sees are the differences? With reporting such as this he never is able to convey anything to his readers besides his constant "look at the freaks" mentality that the book opens with. Richardson's glee at his entry into dwarf-world simply reads as the kid who finally finds someone the bullies dislike even more than they dislike him and uses his new found knowledge to keep it that way.

Perhaps it's more important for Richardson to blow away the stereotype of "little bodies/big hearts" and let the world know he's the Goliath that slew David. Perhaps his "us vs them" mentality makes him feel superior. Perhaps he has never come to grips that the beauty that he is so obsessed with has eluded him. Whatever his reasons for writing this book, gaining insight on a community he is not a member of is not one of them. There are better fiction books on dwarfism than this supposedly true story.

A MUST READ... INVOLVED!.......2005-03-18

I loved reading this book and will read it again. When I began reading, I could not set the book down. I felt Richardson was honest and respectful of difference. He speaks his mind over a subject he initially knew very little about. It was one person's perspective and he told it with compassion. As someone who also has a disability, I gravitated toward each and every page; to each and every person.

I was totally involved, so much so that I started rereading my own texts to often dispute what he wrote. Whether I agreed or disagreed with his assessments is not the point. He's a journalist and told it like it is according to his perspective. Does that mean I have to agree with everything he wrote? Of course not.

Yet I was introduced to a world I would not have been, had I not read his account; conversations which involved both the dwarfs and himself. I was so moved by this book and felt it one of the few books I've read in awhile that created an emotional turmoil with myself.

The only thing I questioned (and this is not about his or other's opinons) was that perhaps Eveyln and her daughter Jocelyn were like a book on their own. It was just something I wondered.

I thank all the incredibly brave, honest and candid people profusely. You brought me a new sense about life and love. We are just people.

Different Subject Matter + Great Introspection = Great Read.......2005-02-07

I saw this book in Half-Price Books. I liked the layout on the cover, it looked "different", and it was cheap (bingo!), so I bought it. Because of time constraints, it took me 2-3 weeks to read this book. However, one could easily finish it within a week if they so desired.
I really liked the book. The author went to a convention of dwarves for a magazine assignment, and initiated relationships that would continue for a long time. One was with Evelyn Powell and her daughter Jocelyn. From Australia, it details their communication and friendship as they return home, go back to America for surgery that will help her to walk, return home again and decide that they are going to return permanently to America, leaving their family behind. In Evelyn you saw both a mother willing to do anything to help her daughter, as well a super-mother who was sometimes overly focused on this quest. You get to know her feelings, as well as those of her other children and her husband, who feel that she abandons them.
You become acquainted with Andrea, another dwarf. She has a love-hate relationship with the author because she's not willing to accept his opinions that dwarves initally strike him as weird. Different. Fascinating. I thought he was being a good reporter, and being honest. It would have been easy to patronize them, and write a touchy-feely big-hearts-in-little-bodies sing-song tribute to the hard lives of dwarves. But I felt that the author really told it as it is. By being intimate about his own response to seeing a little person, he was able to analyze and dissect the reasons why we see people as normal/varying from the norm. I felt that he was brave to be so honest about his thoughts, especially because he got a lot of flak for them. Listen, if you don't want the truth, which is many times ugly, there are a lot of other books you can pick up. I'm not so sure that they will touch you as much as this one did.
Richardson both highlighted the unique lives of dwarves and drew attention to their advantages/disadvantages that come from being short. He also showed, in many times heartbreaking ways, their humanness. Their insecurity. The scrambling that goes on at these conventions to find a romantic partner- because this is a limited opportunity to hook up with someone your own height. The hierarchy within the dwarf community, paralleling that within our own society. I ultimately finished the book feeling drawn closer to humanity, realizing what it is that connects me to humanity, including dwarves, and feeling that I had a glimpse into a group of people that before was unknown to me.

I don't claim to be an expert on the dwarf community after reading this book- without firsthand experience, I will never know what it is like to see life from a lower view. I do feel that this book connected me to a people with passions, frustrations, loves, and hates often the same as my own.

The cynical journalist leaves little to admire.......2003-12-09

Journalist John H. Richardson attended a Little People of America convention looking for a story he could turn into a book. But the perfect story did not emerge immediately and so Richardson, cynical journalist that he seems to be, apparently decided to force a story. What emerges is more a voyeuristic look into the methods and musings of a journalist than the intimate look at "dwarfs" that Richardson may have intended.

Early in the book, the author muses over how he should approach his story. He is critical of those who write "little people with big hearts" stories and sets out to do something different. He succeeds. This book comes off as little people through the eyes of a little heart.

Richardson chronicles his involvement with a brassy female dwarf ; the blossoming love of a dwarf couple ; and a crippled teen female dwarf who suffers through multiple surgeries with her maladjusted mother. The author takes the subjects on his own terms, works his way into their lives, and gains their trust so that he can expose their worst personality traits with diminished attention to any warmth that they might possess.

The author writes very well as may be expected from one who writes for a living. His coverage of the world of little people is fairly complete with significant discussions on the medical treatment of dwarfism through surgery and therapy. He delves too deeply into the philosophical view of dwarfism through the ages. And he delves deeply into the relationships between little people, their families, friends and others who surround them.

He graphically chronicles the stress that dwarfism can place on a family and even more graphically portrays the havoc that can occur when one turns outside one's family for moral support.

Most of all, however, Ricahrdson depicts the way in which a journalist can invite himself into another person's life to spin a story in his own direction. Although Richardson documents the hurt expressed by some of those who read his blunt newspaper coverage of the Little People of America convention, he sheds any personal remorse and continues his calloused views to the end of this book. I can only hope that those same people hurt by Richardson's newspaper work will save themselves the pain of reading this book.

Fascinating!.......2003-04-21

This book is informative and a must-read. I never really knew too much about dwarves, their lives and what they go through on a daily basis. More importantly, I had no concept of the struggle they endure due to their obvious differences from others. This amazing book documents the lives of numerous dwarves and their families lives and how it affects them. Though I will never truly know what it is like to be a "little person," this book definitely gave me valuable insight. Don't be fooled: this book is not just depressing - it has many funny and inspiring stories that makes it hard to put down. Most importantly, Richardson's honesty is what makes this book really work because you can identify with him throughout the book because he came into writing this book as an outsider - and when he was done writing the book, and I was done reading it, we both had a better understanding of a world that was once foreign to us.

In the Little World: A True Story of Dwarfs, Love, and Trouble

Average customer rating:

In the Little World: A True Story of Dwarfs, Love, and Trouble
John H. Richardson
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEM4TW

Customer Reviews:

Excellent explanation of system, not just moves!.......1998-06-01

Glenn Flear has provided the reader with all the information necessary to master the basic Slav. While more recent books are available, GM Flear's book remains topical because he includes complete games with explanations of plans. He does not really discuss the popular ...a6 lines (this was published before a6 was really tested), but his comments will help players who face the main lines from either side. I was especially impressed with his chapter on the Exchange Slav and various anti-Slav variations. This is an excellent example of how to write a good opening book!

Book Description

Most people have had some contact with a network through their work environment – computer local area networks (LANs) in the office, control networks in factories, telephone networks in many mid-sized or larger businesses. The Internet itself is one big network.

Although some folks may think of a network as simply something that helps them do their work, the network concept has begun to move from the workplace to the home address. Smart home builders and remodelers (and forward-looking owners of otherwise perfect existing homes) are starting to think in terms of wiring (or wirelessing) their homes both to make use of a network today and to prepare for future structural requirements.

Smart Homes For Dummies, 2nd Edition, lays out a richly landscaped spread of possibilities in networking your home devices – for convenience, cost control, time-savings, safety, and increased property values. This forward-thinking, fun guide spells out how to

Imagine all the cool stuff that home networks can do
Make your home an entertainment center
Plan a phone system
Design a home-based LAN
Wire a security system
Install and configure all the gizmos

Smart homes never want for innovation; people are constantly inventing things. Stuff that seems niche-oriented and expensive today may be high-volume consumer products tomorrow. Smart Homes For Dummies, 2nd Edition, invites you to take advantage of the latest techno developments as you rev up for the upcoming gee-whiz things that'll make your home a twenty-first century castle. You'll meet the most recent information and insight on

Figuring how much you're willing to spend
Connecting your kitchen appliances and more
Feeding audio and video from your Media Center
Accessing the Internet all over your house
Integrating a satellite system to create a video network
Untangling cables and components
Seeing what's just over the horizon for telephone service

A home network opens the world to your entire household, and Smart Homes For Dummies, 2nd Edition, provides a plan for your home, sweet home to enjoy all that awaits in an infinite space.

Customer Reviews:

Good Guidance.......2007-09-20

Lots of info for x10 systems but not leaning to any particular vendor. Very much like that they wrote from personal experience. I did wish they were a bit more clear in regards to whole house audio, but the section on impedance was adequate.

Food for thought........2007-08-16

My husband and I are in the midst of a major remodel/expansion of our 1968 tract home so we have read pretty much every remodeling book we could find. This book offers a lot of information and food for thought on how to bring an outdated home into the technology age. Our budget is not unlimited and this book helped us decide which features were essential to add now and what could be added later (and how to add the foundation work while the walls were stripped to the studs for those future improvements to save us money in the long run). This book does not give reviews on specific products, that is not it's purpose. Technology is changing so fast, that any product reviews would have been obsolete by the time the book hit the shelves. I recommend you use this book to plan out the framework for your smart house and use magazines like THE PERFECT VISION, HOME THEATER, etc. to fill in the blanks. My husband subscribed to both magazines through Amazon (very inexpensively) for 2 years and did a lot of research on the Internet before making his preliminary choices. Since we aren't at the "fun stage" of our remodel yet, where we get to go buy all the equipment, those choices might still change because prices our dropping and items that were out of our price range 2 years ago are now more affordable. The bottom line is this book is the BEST for helping you plan your smart house because it is easy to understand by even those of us who are not tech savy (like me) and it shows you options that you may have never even thought of before. And believe me, in a remodel the time for thought, planning and innovation is before you put the drywall back up!

Good reading........2007-02-20

I am very much into the X-10 gadgets and have been for several years. This book was intended for the average DUMMY homeowner interested in inexpensive home security and automation. Although I own other books on this particular subject, I found this one to be the most down to earth.

Only for dummies.......2005-09-29

Very little information of any real help here. No reviews of current equipment, or help in wiring. Very basic descriptions of home automation. Only for the truly dumb.

Smart Review.......2004-03-30

I have read this book in its whole entirety. It is very well written, thorough, and sectionally organized. It covers a diverse range of interesting issues in relation to the title's subject. The approach to reading this book can be tackled from a stand-alone-chapter format, and/or in a chapter-linking format, and/or obviously as a whole book format.

Book Description

This study presents the first broad coverage of Indian experiences in the American Revolution rather than Indian participation as allies or enemies of contending parties. Colin Calloway focuses on eight Indian communities as he explores how the Revolution often translated into war among Indians and their own struggles for independence. Drawing on British, American, Canadian and Spanish records, Calloway shows how Native Americans pursued different strategies, endured a variety of experiences, but were bequeathed a common legacy as a result of the Revolution.

Customer Reviews:

Scholarly But Not Stodgy.......2004-09-24

The title and format (small print, footnotes on every page) of this delightful little book have probably scared away the general reader. That is regretable, for although it is slightly dense (a few too many unfamiliar proper nouns for extreme ease of reading), the book is quite accessible. With a prologue, ten chapters, an epilogue, and an index in just over 300 pages, the individual chapters are relatively brief and crisp. The organizational scheme (focusing 8 of the chapters on particular Indian communities from Maine to Florida) creates a subtle and complex portrait of Native Americans during the Revolutionary Era. Both diversity (of these communities and of their responses to the Revolution) and commonality (of the challenges they faced during the late 18th century) are addressed. Economic factors such as trade & technology, political factors including international relations, and cultural factors including religion & social changes are examined along with tales of many interesting individuals. Not perhaps a book for everyone, but certainly a book for more than just academic readers....

The American Revolution in Indian Country Crisis and Diversity in Native American Communities

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The American Revolution in Indian Country Crisis and Diversity in Native American Communities
Calloway Colin G.
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UEXZNK

Gentlemen's Blood: A History of Dueling
Average customer rating:

Engaging, lively and witty

Gentlemen's Blood: A History of Dueling
Barbara Holland
Manufacturer: Bloomsbury USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | World | History | Subjects | Books
Customs & Traditions | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Dueling in the Old South: Vignettes of Social History

The Code of Honor or Rules for the Government of Principals And Seconds in Duelling

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Endangered Pleasures: In Defense of Naps, Bacon, Martinis, Profanity, and Other Indulgences

The Joy of Drinking

ASIN: 158234440X
Release Date: 2004-08-12

Book Description

The medieval justice of trial by combat evolved into the private duel by sword and pistol, with thousands of honorable men-and not-so-honorable women-giving lives and limbs to wipe out an insult or prove a point. The duel was essential to private, public, and political life, and those who followed the elaborate codes of procedure were seldom prosecuted and rarely convicted-for, in fact, they were obeying a grand old tradition.

Based on her fascinating 1997 Smithsonian article, Barbara Holland's Gentlemen's Blood is the first trade book to trace the remarkable, often gruesome, sometimes comical history of the Western tradition of defending one's honor.

Customer Reviews:

Engaging, lively and witty.......2006-01-17

The topic of this book seems off-putting, for some reason. It seems that we all assume that the history of dueling would be grim, dull and depressing.

But on a whim, I checked this book out from the library. Within a day or two, I had placed my order to buy it. It is an intelligent and a very engaging read. Barbara Holland brings her charming wit to every page.

Gentlemen's Blood: A Thousand Years of Sword and Pistol

Average customer rating:

No Relationship To Reality
Fire When Ready!
a pretty good read
So, so dull.
More of Holland's inimitable wit!

Gentlemen's Blood: A Thousand Years of Sword and Pistol
Barbara Holland
Manufacturer: Bloomsbury USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Customs & Traditions | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Endangered Pleasures: In Defense of Naps, Bacon, Martinis, Profanity, and Other Indulgences
They Went Whistling: Women Wayfarers, Warriors, Runaways, and Renegades
When All the World Was Young: A Memoir
The Joy of Drinking

ASIN: 1582343667

Book Description

Barbara Holland guides us lightheartedly through the touchy subject of honor-and how to defend it-in this compulsively readable history of dueling's first thousand years.

The medieval justice of trial by combat evolved into the private duel by sword and pistol, with thousands of honorable men-and not-so-honorable women-giving lives and limbs to wipe out an insult or prove a point. Here are their stories, from Dumas's Three Musketeers to America's founding fathers, including the New Orleans doctors who settled their medical disagreements under The Oaks, the short-lived newspaper editors of America's South and West, and certain twenty-first-century Parisian politicians.

The duel was essential to private, public, and political life. Where it was technically illegal, those who followed the elaborate codes of procedure were seldom prosecuted and rarely convicted: they were obeying a grand old tradition. Gentlemen's Blood is the definitive guide to this courtly violence, from an author called "a witty curmudgeon" by George Will and "a national treasure" by the Philadelphia Inquirer, whose style, according to Kirkus Reviews, "fits somewhere between E.B. White and Andy Rooney."

A Smithsonian Magazine Selection.

Customer Reviews:

No Relationship To Reality.......2004-04-16

I read Barbara Holland's description of dueling in Germany with dismay. Not one wit of the practices, purposes, procedures, social functions, legal sanctions, political position or technical aspects of German dueling she describes bear any resemblance to the facts of twentieth century German experience. As the first American after the Second World War to be admitted into a German student dueling fraternity and having fought duels myself, I can say authoritatively that the barbaric, illegal, pointless and grotesque activities described in her chapter "The German Version" bear no relationship to reality of German dueling over the last century. I'm not talking about missing the mark on a couple of points. I'm talking wholesale wrong, too wild to even try to summarize. If the German material is in anyway representative of the level of research in the remainder of the book, it is not worth the paper it is printed on. Titillating though they might be, the book's subjects of which I have first-hand knowledge are no more than inexplicable fantasy.

Fire When Ready!.......2004-01-15

There's a lot to like about this enjoyable, lighthearted romp through centuries of dueling. It was a revelation to me that dueling was such an integral part of (male) western society over the last 500 years. You will shake your head at the absurdity, tragedy, and occasional glimmers of commonsense that permeate personal combat over the centuries. Barbara Holland's style is breezy and ironic. Some great moments-duelists battling it out in balloons-and interesting close encounters with dueling by such figures as Abraham Lincoln and Mark Twain, Occasionally style trumps content, and there are a few passages that show signs of hastiness or sloppiness, but this is a minor defect.

PS: Teen and preteen boys will love it!

a pretty good read.......2003-12-14

I find myself wondering if were dueling still legal whether someone would challenge the author for casting aspersions on the practice.

All jokes aside, "Gentlemen's Blood" is a witty and engaging look at a social custom that seems incomprehensible in the late 21st century. Reading it, I could only think of how many stupid things are done in the name of honor and manhood.

I disagree with the negative comments about this book. I don't think the author is a "hack," and I don't think that she spares the readers descriptions about how unpleasant it is to get stabbed or shot. Pushkin's death from being gut shot in his last duel is a particularly vivid image that she describes.

I also think that people should not read it expecting a deep discussion about swordplay and gunslinging. The book is meant to be amusing and informative, and it certainly is.

The only criticism that I have against "Gentlemen's Blood" is that the author's thesis that modern day warfare is just dueling writ large is idiotic. In the past, some wars --particularly those of absolute rulers-- had features of duels, however, I would submit that an event like World War II or Vietnam is nothing like a duel.

So, so dull........2003-11-29

This is a facinating subject, but Holland turns it into an incredibly boring read. While her book has some interesting historical information, one has to read through lenghty and unentertaining anecdotes to get them. Her literary style tends to be sophmoric and unpolished. Perhaps most annoying, her political bent often comes through in her writing, and it can be insulting. This is a book that I could not even bring myself to finish reading, and I cannot recommend it.

More of Holland's inimitable wit!.......2003-09-18

Barbara Holland has a winning way of bringing historical figures vividly to life. For instance, our illustrious presidents are all too human in "Hail to the Chiefs," her delightful romp through American history (updated to include George W. and reissued by The Permanent Press, 2003). In Holland's "Brief Heroes and Histories"--many gathered from biographical sketches previously published in "Smithsonian" magazine--figures from Cleopatra to Elvis to Marx are re-examined with a fresh and funny perspective (Akadine Press, 1998). "They Went Whistling" (Random House, 2001) is closer in structure to "Gentlemen's Blood," in that the most interesting people and stories have been carefully sifted by Holland and served up with flair for our amused edification--in "Whistling," women who flout the conventions of their times and have Adventures, and in "Gentlemen's Blood," duels and those who fight them. I highly recommend Holland's latest work. Aficionados of guns and such equipment may be disappointed, as this is a history of duels, not an encyclopedia of weaponry. And anyone whose research methods and subsequent writing can withstand the scrutiny of the "Smithsonian" editorial board is no slouch. Enjoy the book!

Gentlemen's Blood A History of Dueling From Swords At Dawn To Pistols At Dusk

Average customer rating:

Gentlemen's Blood A History of Dueling From Swords At Dawn To Pistols At Dusk
Holland Barbara
Manufacturer: Bloomsbury
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UEH9A0

Average customer rating:

Gentlemen's Blood A History of Dueling from Swords at Dawn to Pistols at Dusk
Barbara Holland
Manufacturer: Bloomsbury
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VHTOZY

Book Description

James Lovelock tells the fascinating story of his life as an independent scientist and how he came to develop his inventions and theories. He has filed more than 50 patents, including one for the electron capture detector that was important in the development of environmental awareness, in connection with both the detection of pesticide residues in the environment and the discovery of the global distribution of CFCs. He also tells us about the work he has done for organizations such as NASA, the Ministry of Defence, The Marine Biological Association, and many companies such as Shell and Hewlett Packard. From his childhood days in east London to a job as a lab assistant - his first crucial steps to becoming a scientist, from chemistry at Manchester University to the Medical Research Council during World War II, his voyage to the Arctic, taking his family to America, returning to England and fighting to save the ozone layer, his quest for gaia, then into the nineties and a stream of awards, including a CBE from the Queen. James Lovelock has led a fulfilling life and has been widely recognized by the international scientific community.

Customer Reviews:

His autobiography, written at age 80. 4.3 stars.......2006-01-21

______________________________________________
This is his autobiography, written at age 80. Lovelock is best-known for formulating the Gaia hypothesis, that the Earth is, metaphorically, a global superorganism: life regulates its environment to be more favorable for life, by the familiar and everyday process of natural selection. For example, a higher CO2 level in the atmosphere will result in more luxuriant plant growth, which will lower the CO2 content [1].

Lovelock, who has a Ph.D in medicine, had a long career as a working scientist and inventor. He invented the exquisitely-sensitive electron-capture detector, and used it to pioneer measuurements of fluorocarbons in the atmosphere, work which led to the banning of Freon as a hazard to the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere.
Lovelock is appropriately skeptical about the rhetorical excesses in the "Ozone Wars", and deplores the continued misuse of science in environmemtalism-as-religion. He's well-aware of the misuse of his Gaia "earth-mother" metaphor by muddle-headed New Agers, but gave numerous lectures to religious groups at the time the Gaia hypothesis was struggling for scientific respectability, which couldn't have helped his case. Lovelock himself is an agnostic, a fiercely-independent iconoclast, and an old-fashioned, very British eccentric scholar.

Lovelock spent most of his career as an independent scientist and consultant, a difficult path for a research scientist but one which suited his personality -- and his desire to live and work in a rural setting. He's an interesting man and an influential scientist. His memoir is somewhat repetitive and overlong, and he sometimes sounds like a querulous old fart -- but if you have admired Lovelock's scientific work, you will enjoy reading about his life.

Lovelock himself is a science-fiction fan -- as was William Golding, a neighbor who named the Gaia hypothesis. Lovelock co-wrote one science-fiction (sort-of) novel, _The Greening of Mars_ -- and his critics gleefully (and unfairly) labelled his Gaia work as science-fantasy. His work has held up pretty well, and his ideas are becoming mainstream in the earth and life-sciences -- though many of his successors avoid the "tainted" Gaia label.

Lovelock's memoir has an interesting account of his progress from an unquestioning young Socialist in the 1930's to an admirer of Lady Thatcher. His uncritical admiration for the British National Health Service continues, even after a disastrous operation that permanently damaged his urethra, apparently due to a 'labour action' by the union at his hospital. Oddly enough.

Lovelock is currently campaigning for nuclear power, as a way out of global-warming. His book has kind words for the industries he's worked in, especially Shell Oil. My kind of Green.

Lovelock's official website: http://www.ecolo.org/lovelock/lovebioen.htm
_____________________
[1] --eventually. This feedback mechanism clearly doesn't operate quickly enough to control fossil-fuel CO2 emissions.

Review copyright 2006 by Peter D. Tillman

A life for Gaia theory.......2005-11-14

At once an autobiography and the biography of Gaia Theory. The concept that has defined the life of the author is that the world is a complex living organism, this means that the life story of this very interesting and brilliant man shares also the development of his controversial theory. Written in a very human and honest style, with only general scientific information which makes the book perfect for all readers.

Science is about creating yourself.......2003-09-04

This book is a brilliant illustration of George Bernard Shaw's philosophy: "Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." As a professional scientist struggling to reconcile the freedom of thought required to produce truly innovative research and the constraints of institutional science, I found this book very stimulating. Lovelock's depiction of a bright, adventurous, and independent scientific path will be a wonderful inspiration to all vocational scientists.

The Life of an Independent Scientist.......2003-08-18

This is a remarkable book by and about a remarkable man. Big science is now the norm so that few working scientists manage to survive on their own. But Jim Lovelock not only survived but was responsible for a number of outstanding scientific achievements.
I met Jim when he was a consultant to Caltech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in the 1970's. I was a physicist with an intense interest in all things biological, and in charge of the scientists and engineers devising instruments to try to detect life on Mars. Jim immediately impressed me with his quiet manner and understanding of the problems. A year later, I visited his laboratory in his cottage at Bowerchalke, near Salisbury, England and met his first wife, Helen.
This book is autobiographical, discussing in depth his early life and how he gradually became so well regarded in the scientific community that he was sought after as a consultant around the world. I can hear Jim's voice in this book. Peter Simmonds, who worked with Jim in Britain and at JPL once said, "Jim carries a little bird on his shoulder who tells him exactly what to say." It seemed like that when he was able to make a pungent comment clearing up a difficulty that had plagued us for days.
This is a remarkable book as it tells with great clarity what Jim thought of many of the people he worked with. The names include many of the great scientists working on the environment and other problems of the age. He's kind in his assessment of some of them, I think.
Read this book if you want to understand what makes a great scientist: ability, knowledge, study, intuition and imagination. Read it as a gripping story of one man's life as an independent scientist. Read it, also, to learn how much Jim contributed to our understanding of the world's environment as we know it today.

Dennis Le Croissette, Ph.D.

Homage to Gaia: The Life of an Independent Scientist
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Homage to Gaia: The Life of an Independent Scientist
James Lovelock
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Homage to Gaia: The Life of an Independent Scientist
James Lovelock
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NATURE'S PRICE. THE ECONOMICS OF MOTHER EARTH
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WOUTER VAN DIEREN
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Nature's Price: The Economics of Mother Earth (Open Forum)
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Nature's Price: The Economics of Mother Earth (Open Forum)
Wouter Van Dieren , Marius G. W. Hummelinck , and Jonathan Barzdo
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NATURES PRICE THE ECONOMICS OF MOTHER EARTH
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NATURES PRICE THE ECONOMICS OF MOTHER EARTH
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