The Legacy of Leon Walras (Intellectual Legacies in Modern Economic)

Book Description

This important two volume collection of over sixty published articles presents a major study of Léon Walras's intellectual legacy and reveals how Walras's ideas contributed significantly to the formation of the mainstream of modern microeconomic theory.

The collection comprises two groups of writings. The first, consisting of interpretations of his ideas, discuss his contributions to the theory of general equilibrium, including his special models of capital and of money, his applications of theory to the formation of economic policies, and his use of it in connection with his concepts of economic justice and an ideal economy. The second group shows current uses of Walras's ideas, including models dealing with Walrasian equilibrium, Walras's law, Cournot-Walras models, Walrasian ideas in the context of game-theoretic analysis, the Walras correspondence, and WALRAS, an econometric model of the general equilibrium effects of agricultural policies.

The Legacy of Léon Walras will be an invaluable source to all those interested in the development of modern microeconomic theory, including teachers of economics, researchers, historians of economic thought and students.

Average customer rating:
The Legacy of Leon Walras; 2V.
Donald A. Walker
Manufacturer: Edward Elgar Pub. Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N63QFC

Book Description

Dale Brown's Memoirs from LSU Basketball provides an inside look at Coach Brown's 25 years of coaching at Louisiana State University. In taking an LSU basketball program on life support and turning it into a highly competitive program, Brown was thrown into the national spotlight. His opinions on the NCAA and matter-of-fact voice in the media proved to be a way for the coach to earn the respect of his peers. In this book, Brown remembers his trips to the Final Four, the great teams and coaches he battled through the years, the hundreds of talented players he coached, and the recruiting tactics he employed in luring some of the nation's top recruits to the Bayou. He also devotes a chapter to his memories of LSU legend Shaquille O'Neal, who has always been a vocal supporter of Coach Brown.

Book Description

For lovers of the Golden Age of Kung-Fu cinema, this is a completely illustrated history of the genre that inspired Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, and more. This new, expanded edition includes many more film stills and film posters, reviews and filmographies, including: * illustrated history of Hong Kong martial arts cinema, stars and directors * analysis of all 5 Bruce Lee movies * Bruce Lee biopics * the Bruce Lee Exploitation genre * Bruce Lee's life, career and mysterious death *8page color section of martial arts posters

Intercepting Fist: The Films of Bruce Lee and the Golden Age of Kung-Fu Cinema: New Expanded Edition

Average customer rating:

Intercepting Fist: The Films of Bruce Lee and the Golden Age of Kung-Fu Cinema: New Expanded Edition

Manufacturer: Glitterbooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HYXXGW

Book Description

What drives people to crave fame and celebrity? How does fame affect people psychologically? These issues are frequently discussed by the media but psychologists have shied away from an academic investigation of the phenomenon of fame. In this lively, eclectic book, David Giles examines fame and celebrity from a variety of perspectives.

Customer Reviews:

The sociology of fame........2005-09-29

This is a great book if you are intereseted in the theories of why people seek fame and what it does to them. Very interesting investigation of the theories that have been presented over time. This book even goes back to Homer for some historical references to fame and it's attainment. A great read but not for those uninterested in pschology.

Illusions of Immortality : A Psychology of Fame and Celebrity

Average customer rating:

Illusions of Immortality : A Psychology of Fame and Celebrity
David Giles
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OT3ZWM

Average customer rating:

A good book about the Veresov

Hmmm ... should you play the Veresov?

The Veresov: Surprise Your Oponents with the Tricky 2 Nc3!
Nigel Davies
Manufacturer: Everyman Chess
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Chess | Board Games | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Win with the London System

The Trompowsky, 2nd

Tango! A Complete Defence to 1d4 (Everyman Chess)

The Richter-Veresov System: The Chameleon Chess Repertoire 1. Dr Nfg 2. Nc3 D5.3 Bg5

Silman's Complete Endgame Course: From Beginner To Master

ASIN: 1857443357

Book Description

The Veresov is a surprisingly tricky system that, in the right hands, can be a powerful attacking weapon. White forgoes the normal queen's pawn opening ideas in favor of speedy development of the queenside pieces. One advantage of this underrated line is that players with the black pieces are less likely to be familiar with all the subtleties here than in a more mainstream opening.
In this book, Grandmaster Nigel Davies arms the reader with an all-in-one repertoire with the white pieces, with the Veresov being the central line. Davies delves into the secrets of the opening, explaining both the tactical and positional ideas, and highlighting the main plans for both sides.

*An aggressive opening repertoire for White
*Ideal for club and tournament players
*Full explanation of the latest theory

Customer Reviews:

A good book about the Veresov.......2005-09-06

Can one use the Veresov as one's regular chess opening? Of course. But I wouldn't recommend it, simply because I think it's useful to be more versatile, and to be prepared to play whatever opening you feel your opponent will have trouble with.

Nevertheless, it may be the Veresov itself that your opponent will be unprepared for. And you may want to have the Veresov in reserve, either as a surprise weapon or as a backup in case something goes wrong with your main opening during a tournament.

Once in a while, I use the Veresov as a surprise weapon. When I do, I start with 1 Nc3. If my opponent answers with 1...e5 or 1...c5, I'm ready to play a Vienna or a Closed Sicilian. But if I get 1...Nf6 or 1...d5, they get the Veresov.

Davies examines all the main lines in this opening. After 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nc3 d5 3 Bg5, Black's most frequent move is 3...Nbd7. But Black also has 3...c5 (maybe the best reply), 3...c6, 3...e6, 3...Bf5, 3...h6, 3...Nc6, and 3...g6. There is a chapter on what to do if Black does not reply to 1 d4 d5 2 Nc3 with 2...Nf6 and instead plays 2...e6 or 2...f5 or 2...c6. As well as a chapter on what to do if Black, after 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nc3, avoids 2...d5 and instead plays 2...c5, 2...d6, or 2...g6.

I used to play 4 f3 against 3...Nbd7, 3...c6, or 3...Bf5. But Davies has convinced me that 4 e3 is superior against all these moves and is good against 3...c5 as well. That's especially the case against 3...Nbd7, where the idea is to play f4 and then f5 (Black's Knight on d7 often prevents the Black Bishop from covering f5). Here is an example that Davies gives of 4 e3:

1 d4 Nf6 2 Nc3 d5 3 Bg5 Nbd7 4 e3 g6 5 f4 Bg7 6 Nf3 0-0 7 Bd3 b6 8 0-0 Bb7 9 f5 c5 10 fxg6 hxg6 11 Qe1 Ne4 12 Qh4 f6? 13 Nxe4 dxe4 14 Bc4+ winning the exchange for nothing.

I will also show a game that Davies gives in the 4 f3 line which began the same way as a game I played with White:

Both games started with 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nc3 d5 3 Bg5 Nbd7 4 f3 c5 5 e4 dxe4 6 d5 exf3 7 Nxf3. In my game, Black tried 7...Nb6 8 Bb5+ Bd7 9 Qe2 Qc7 10 0-0-0 Bxb5 11 Nxb5 (White is already winning) 11...Qd7 12 Ne5 Qd8 13 d6 Rc8 14 d7+ Nfxd7 15 Nxd7 Rc6 16 Nxf8 Black Resigns. In the game in this book, Black played 7...g6 8 Qd2 Bg7 9 0-0-0 0-0 10 Bh6 Re8 11 Bxg7 Kxg7 12 h4 h5 (or else White plays h5) 13 Qg5 a6 14 Bd3 b5 15 Ne2 Rh8 (overlooking the Knight fork White will have on e6) 16 Nf4 Rh6 17 Bxg6 Rxg6 18 Qxg6 Black Resigns.

I enjoyed reading this book, and I recommend it.

Hmmm ... should you play the Veresov?.......2005-05-23

The Veresov, by GM Nigel Davies

Firstly, you should know that I am a Life-Master who makes a living - primarily - by teaching chess. I also should apologize to the student who purchased this book for me over a year ago, with the only condition that I review it here.

Before I proceed with my book review, I want to tell you a story. Some well-known player and author came out with a book. Play the 'X-factor' attack. He really hyped this book pretty well, (a couple of the illustrative wins, that were very short and flashy - but also were really bad chess); within 5-10 years, dozens of club players all over the country were playing this opening. Never mind that you commit positional suicide with this opening, or that your end-game was very, very bad. No ... all that mattered was that you play this particular opening. (And the author of the aforementioned book makes a buck or two.) An IM even played this opening against me at a New York Open a few years back, the result was a clean win for yours truly - in fewer than 40 moves.

The moral of the story? Don't play an opening system if it is positionally unsound, or if your chances in an ending ... ANY endgame ... are very poor! "Tis better to play something solid and slowly climb that hill, than to play something shoddy, (aiming for a quick win); - and get killed!"

I am not a fan of this particular opening, {The Veresov's} very simply put; I have never really played these lines, (as White). They are simply not my cup of tea! Does this mean that this system is unsound? Certainly not!! A close scrutiny of the games inside reveals that is a solid line, tried even by the well-known, respected GM. (But only used sparingly or on occasion.)

The book is from "Everyman Chess." They certainly have a more than adequate staff ... editors, proof-readers, etc. They have a great deal of experience and know how to put out a good, high-quality chess book. (Neat design, good binding, well organized, and an average of two diagrams per page.)

GM Nigel Davies has certainly done his homework here. I have had this book for some time, I have 'Fritzed' dozens of the lines ... I have yet to discover one obvious or glaring error in analysis. (I cannot say this about most other chess books that I have reviewed!)

The author succinctly puts forth the main lines and his analysis. There is even a nice outline and a recommendation of the correct study plan in the introduction. Is this book perfect? Probably not, few chess books are. Do I recommend this one? The answer is a resounding, "Yes!" (But with a few conditions.)

1. I would not recommend this book to an extremely low-rated player ... or a near beginner, it would simply be too difficult for a player with limited experience to handle.

2. This would be a VERY good idea for a "one-opening" repertoire ... for a player in the 1400 - 2000 range. (Who does not mind QP openings.)

3. Postal players - who play either side of these lines - will definitely want to get this book.

4. Once more, we have far too much emphasis on memory, and not enough discussion of general formations and overall plans and strategies. (A failing common to MANY opening books.)

5. A player who is lazy or does not enjoy spending time studying the opening will probably not get much out of this book. In the end, they will wind up playing this opening in a tournament ... not knowing a key line, and get killed. (The tactics are enormous here!)

Overall, this is a pretty good book. It is definitely better than average, and if studied properly, the average tournament player will score quite a few wins with this opening. (I also advise having a back-up opening, like the Colle, ready. This is in case you get blown out of the water at a tournament by a certain line, and there is not enough time before the next round to analyze the new idea in depth, and try to fix the problem.) Recommended.

Average customer rating:

Nice copy to have around

Waste of time...don't bother picking up this book...

Good on what it covers .. but I expected more ...

Great STARTER Book

A good first step

Macromedia Flash 8: A Tutorial Guide (Visual Quickstart Guides)
Jay Armstrong , and Jen deHaan
Manufacturer: Macromedia Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Flash | Web Design | Web Development | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
General | Graphic Design | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
General | Software | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Computer Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Computers & Internet | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Learning ActionScript 2.0 for Macromedia Flash 8

Macromedia Flash Professional 8: Training from the Source

Macromedia Flash 8 @work: Projects and Techniques to Get the Job Done (@Work)

ActionScript 2.0 Language Reference for Macromedia Flash 8

Macromedia Flash 8: Training from the Source

ASIN: 0321394143

Book Description

This guide allows you to learn specific Flash skills step-by-step at your own pace. Choose from among several tutorials to develop the skills that are most appropriate to the Flash projects you are working on at any given time. Each lesson leads you through the workflow for implementing a specific real-world feature or effect in your Flash applications.

In Macromedia Flash 8: A Tutorial Guide, learn how to:
• Navigate the Flash workspace and use common document types
• Use the Flash drawing tools and create engaging graphic effects
• Use ActionScript to add interactivity and custom functionality to your documents
• Connect your Flash projects to external data sources to create data-driven applications

Powerful development and design tools require thorough and authoritative technical advice and documentation. When it comes to Macromedia Flash, no one is more authoritative than Macromedia’s own development and writing teams. Now their official documentation is available to you in printed book form. As you work, keep this guide by your side for ready access to valuable information on using Flash. We’ve designed it so that it’s easy to annotate as you progress.

Customer Reviews:

Nice copy to have around.......2006-04-19

I've been making websites for almost 9 years now. It started with HTML and over time expanded to include Javascript, CSS, and eventually Coldfusion. I have watched as web standards change and evolve and go through "phases". For me, Flash was one of those "phases". Everyone's seen them. Websites made with Flash just because they can be. Menu is flash. Interface is flash. The entire site was one big .swf file. I hated it. So I put off learning it for many years. Thankfully people realized some of the best websites were a combination of many of the technologies on the market; and of course Flash was one of them. I had to learn it.
Macromedia FLASH 8: A Tutorial Guide is exactly what you'd expect. It's a guide to learning Flash basics, presented in a tutorial form. I knew what I was getting into it when I picked it up. What some people may not realize is that they already own this book. Open your copy of Flash 8, click on "Help" and then "Getting Started with Flash". Scroll down to the tutorial section and get started. The text you find there is almost word-for-word what you'd find in this book. Do I think that's a problem? No, not necessarily. What are the benefits of paying 30 dollars for something I can get for free? I'm a coder by nature. I'm used to having reference manuals around. Like some people, I prefer hard copies most of the time since I already spend so much time staring at text on a computer screen. To be honest, I've tried since Flash 5 to run through the tutorials and kick start the learning process. Unfortunately, between the "property inspector", the "action script" code window, the "stage", the "library" and now the tutorial window it just seemed a bit overwhelming (even with two monitors!). But having this book in front of me so that I can read the tutorial and then work it out on the computer proved to make all the difference.
The book is 26 chapters and just under 300 pages. It starts with simple tasks like creating a banner, and leads up to using Actionscript to create customized applications using Flash. Personally, I felt a lot more comfortable doing the actionscript chapters than I did using the Flash GUI. Flash can be a very complicated thing to learn for some people. There's a lot of information to take in, and a lot of windows to keep track of. If you're anything like me and have been dying to learn Flash but just can't seem to find the time; this book might be for you. But if you're not a "hard copy" kind of person, just remember you can get all the information for free by using the help function built into the program.

Waste of time...don't bother picking up this book..........2006-03-23

When I first picked up this book, I noticed how thin and small it was.

Two things came to mind:
-It is short and straigth to the point in covering the essentials
-It will make a good pocket reference

Unfortunately, it does neither.

I have worked with Flash since version 2. I was looking for a great book to recommend to my students.

It covers some topics but a lot is missing for someone just starting in Flash.

I guess it should be retitled a "Key changes in Flash 8 not found in Flash MX 2004". It would be too generous of me to do so
regardless because it doesn't come even close.
Save your $$$$.

Good on what it covers .. but I expected more ..........2006-01-31

Basically this is a printed version of the Macromedia Flash 8 online Help docs .. so I was a bit disappointed that I had to pay 20 bucks for a book that should have come in the box (it's not like this is an inexpensive program) ..

That said, having printed docs does have its advantages .. so no big grief from me on that point. But if you are looking for something that you don't already have, you may want to check some other alternatives ...

What the book teaches, it does very well .. you'll get a nice overview of the basics .. and the tutorials are very easy to follow .. even does a fair job on getting what can be an intimidating foray into ActionScript.

However, there are two areas not covered I found glaring omissions ..

One .. no instruction at all on preloaders (those "movie loading" animations before the actual Flash animations) ..none .. not even a mention of their existence. Since most users of Flash will need to know how to do this .. I cannot believe there wasn't even a cursory discussion about this.

Two .. the biggest improvement to Flash 8 Professional is its video handling capabilities. Again .. nothing on this at all ... outside of the very first lesson where you are instructed to drag a video (FLV) file from the Library to the Stage .. no talk about creating FLVs (using the Video Encoder) .. nothing on imbedding or streaming .. how to best incorporate video into Flash .. nothing .. I was really shocked this wasn't covered .. even at the most rudimentary level.

Also .. no index .. another unexplainable omission ..

Again .. what it does .. it does well .. but for being the "Official Macromedia Documentation" (now Adobe) for Flash 8 .. it should have offered a lot more.

Great STARTER Book.......2006-01-04

This book is a great starter for Flash 8 for both regular and professional versions of the program. Chapters are broken down into simple subjects which can be completed in a short period of time. This book enables a person to get acquainted with many areas of Flash and the interface. This book works with the samples that are installed automatically when Flash installs. A couple of times when I got stuck, I realized I had not followed the steps as written in the book. This book is an excellent beginner tutorial.

A good first step.......2005-12-11

The macromedia Flash 8 tutorial guide for Jay Armstrong and Jen deHaan is the official macromedia tutorial guide for Flash 8. This book is a good book for beginners to Flash 8 as it gives simple organized training examples that help understanding the program features.
The book is divided into tasks starting from creating Flash-working file to using dynamic content in the Flash project.
The best advantage in this book is the simplicity in delivering information, as well as the organizing and the developing of the examples.

Book Description

Thoroughly revised and updated, the new edition of this acclaimed and admirable (Booklist) resource explains key periods and events in the history of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, the Baltic states, Ukraine, Russia, and rest of the former Soviet Union.

Customer Reviews:

Nice attempt, but not good enough.......2002-09-08

* * * Do NOT buy hardcover version! * * *

Summary:
Maps: **
Text: ***(*)
Text-part to be used together with a different atlas. (e.g. "Historical Atlas of East Central Europe, by P. R. Magocsi or Cartographia's "Történelmi Világatlasz" (in Hungarian))

When I first discovered this atlas I thought: "At last a specific work on the topic in English!".
Well, despite the range of the maps - 52, listed at the end of the review - it was a disappointment.

First: As all ready pointed out bellow by fellow reviewers, the actual Eastern Europe - Russia, Belorussia, Ukraine - is only dealt with on the periphery. This is actually an atlas of East-Central Europe and the Balkans.
Second: The mentality of the text sometimes. "Nationalist", is one of the much preferred word used by the author, especially when dealing with newer history. The difference between "nationalism" and "patriotism" is apparently very subjective.
Third: The two first points could be something one could deal with - since a wrong title does not necessarily mean bad quality, and the book is aimed for US public - but now comes the greatest disadvantage about this work: The maps themselves. They can at best be described as of "average" quality, but words like "perfunctory" or "sloppy" could be used as well. There is no excuse for the roughness and distortion of state boundaries, the lack of rivers and cities/towns. And the actual errors to them have yet to be mentioned.

All in all, the map part of this atlas is suitable for very low-level studies of the area only, likely as a picture book for kids (and/or journalists) and the text for high-school studies. It must be mentioned that the author makes a honest attempt to be objective in the history telling, by sometimes presenting several versions/views on the same event, BUT I am sure that this still won't satisfy everybody.

A last remark: This volume shares 14 - or 1/3 - out of it's 52 maps with the "Historical Atlas of the Balkans" from the same series. (Nos. (4), 10, 16, 17, 18, 22, 24, 32, 36, 38, 39, 45, 46, 51 and 52, as observed by the author of these lines.)

The Maps:
1: Eastern Europe - Political, 2001
2: Eastern Europe - Physical
3: Eastern Europe - Demographic
4: Eastern Europe - Cultural
5: The Division of the Roman Empire, Late 3rd Century
6: The Barbarian Migrations, 4th-6th Centuries
7: The East Roman Empire under Justinian I, Mid-6th Century
8: Slavic and Turkic Invasions, 6th-8th Centuries
9: Eastern Europe, Mid-9th Century
10: The Rise of Bulgaria, 8th-10th Centuries
11: Constantinople, 10th-12th Centuries
12: The Balkans, Early 11th Century
13: The Rise of Hungary, 10th-13th Centuries
14: The Rise of Poland, 10th-13th Centuries
15: Eastern Europe, Mid-11th Century
16: The Balkans, Late 12th Century
17: The Latin Empire of Constantinople, 1214
18: The Rise of Serbia, 13th-14th Centuries
19: Eastern Europe, Mid-13th Century
20: Eastern Europe, Mis-14the Century
21: Prague, Mid-14th-15th Centuries
22: The Rise of the Ottoman Empire, 13th-15th Centuries
23: The Expansion of Poland, 14th-15th Centuries
24: Apex of the Ottoman Empire in Europe, Mid-16th Century
25: Istanbul, 16th-17th Century
26: Apex and Decline of Poland, 16th-17th Centuries
27: The Rise of the Habsburgs, 16th-17th Centuries
28: Ottoman Decline, 17th-18th Centuries
29: The Partitions of Poland, 1772-1795
30: Eastern Europe, 1809
31: Eastern Europe, 1815
32: The Balkans after the Serb and Greek Revolutions, 1830
33: Revolutions in the Austrian Empire, 1848-1849
34: The Austro-Hungarian Ausgleich, 1867
35: The Balkans, 1878-1885
36: The Macedonian Question
37: The Balkans, 1908
38: Bosnia-Hercegovina, 1908-1914
39: The Balkan Wars, 1912-1913
40: Eastern Europe, 1914
41: Eastern Europe During World War I
42: Eastern Europe, 1923
43: Independent Poland, 1920-1922
44: Hungary after Trianon, 1920-1939
45: Romania after Trianon, 1920-1938
46: The Transylvanian Question
47: Versailles-Created Yugoslavia, 1921-1941
48: Czechoslovakia and Munich, 1920-1939
49: Eastern Europe During World War II, 1938-1944
50: Eastern Europe, 1948-1991
51: Wars of Yugoslav Succession, 1991-1995
52: The Kosovo Crisis, 1999

Review based on First paperback September 2001 edition.

Woe is the prolongation of the Cold War mentality.......2002-05-30

As the first new atlas of Eastern Europe of the new millenium, it is highly disappointing to see that this work has chosen to arbitrarily fix the eastern limits of Eastern Europe at the present-day eastern border of NATO, and leave out the "backward" lands of the former "evil empire". It is interesting to observe how people can at times discuss "European Russia" as ending at the Ural Mountains, but when it suits them feel no qualms about conveniently leaving this area out, because after all "nothing important goes on there anyway". This is just the perpetuation of long-held Western European biases about Eastern Europe (read "Slavs in the Eyes of the Occident" by Ciesla-Korytowska or "Infidels, Turks and Women: The South Slavs in the German Mind, Ca. 1400-1600" by Petkov for starters) which have been further reinforced by decades of the Cold War.

While Paul Robert Magocsi's excellent atlas also stopped short of including the eastern half of Eastern Europe (probably because he wanted us to buy his already-existing tome "Historical Atlas of Ukraine"), at least it was aptly titled "Historical Atlas of East Central Europe". This book's title is misleading to say the least.

One could make a case that the author wished to confine the coverage due to the complexity of the limited area he did cover. However, since the same author has also recently produced "The Palgrave Concise Historical Atlas of the Balkans", one wonders just how much more valuable this work is made by simply expanding the scope to include Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia (and perhaps parts of Hungary and Romania?)

While a good job was done on the part of Eastern Europe covered, this book would have been twice as useful with the other half of Eastern Europe included as well. Thus people wanting to study the migrations of peoples such as the Hungarians and Bulgarians (or the Goths in the opposite direction), or invading threats to Europe such as the Avars or the Golden Horde will yet again be forced to buy two atlases and attempt to piece the picture together.

Also, what is believed to be the area of the formation of the Slavs lies across modern-day boundaries between Poland, Ukraine and Byelorus, and adequate coverage of this topic would seem impossible given the book's limitations.

It is unfortunate that despite all the progress made in the last decade, Europe can still not be seen in anything but terms of its recent political divisions. This cannot help but greatly impede our understanding of the past.

Disregard nationalist lament below -- this book is great.......2002-01-08

The reviewer below is right that this book rather arbitrarily leaves out what most lay people consider the very heart of "Eastern Europe" (itself a subjective construct): that is, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, et al. I can only assume the authors did this to make the "concise" element of their title right true. Still, to disregard the book because of this significant oversight would be a big mistake, for the terrain it does cover is done with remarkable clarity and, indeed, concision. The atlas is an invaluable companion to any reading about the Balkans or Eastern Europe up to the eastern border of Poland. Do not let our insulted nationalist convince you otherwise.

It is for US use only.......2001-10-29

People who did this atlas wanted to cut their job and limited the Eastern Europe by deviding it by two parts. One and very big part of the Eastern Europe is not in the Historical Atlas. The biggest European countries such as Ukraine and Russia as well as other countries - Baltic states, Belarus, Armenia, Georgia, etc. are not concidered to be Europe in so called Historical Atlas of the Eastern Europe. I would reccomend the authors to get some geography lessons before making any other job...

Book Description

ÃMi Raza Primero! is the first book to examine the Chicano movement's development in one locale--in this case Los Angeles, home of the largest population of people of Mexican descent outside of Mexico City. Ernesto Chávez focuses on four organizations that constituted the heart of the movement: The Brown Berets, the Chicano Moratorium Committee, La Raza Unida Party, and the Centro de Acción Social Autónomo, commonly known as CASA. Chávez examines and chronicles the ideas and tactics of the insurgency's leaders and their followers who, while differing in their goals and tactics, nonetheless came together as Chicanos and reformers.
Deftly combining personal recollection and interviews of movement participants with an array of archival, newspaper, and secondary sources, Chávez provides an absorbing account of the events that constituted the Los Angeles-based Chicano movement. At the same time he offers insights into the emergence and the fate of the movement elsewhere. He presents a critical analysis of the concept of Chicano nationalism, an idea shared by all leaders of the insurgency, and places it within a larger global and comparative framework. Examining such variables as gender, class, age, and power relationships, this book offers a sophisticated consideration of how ethnic nationalism and identity functioned in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s.

Book Description

Winner of the 2002 Phi Beta Kappa Award in Science

Mankind has recently come to the shocking realization that our ancestors survived hundreds of abrupt and severe changes to Earth's climate. In this unique travelogue, William H. Calvin takes us around the globe and back in time, showing us how such cycles of cool, crash, and burn provided the impetus for enormous increases in the intelligence and complexity of human beings—and warning us of human activities that could trigger similarly massive shifts in the planet's climate.

Customer Reviews:

disjointed? Hard for me to get through.......2007-10-13

I purchased this book on a friend's recommendation as an accessible, easy-to-read book (we both really enjoyed "Guns Germs and Steel"). However, I had a hard time following this author in his discussions as he travels. I wasn't sure of the point he was trying to make in the chapters. I applaud the author for attempting to describe his theory at a laymen's level, but I'm not sure he was successful.

A Fascinating Account of How Abrupt Climate Changes might Have Affected Human Evolution.......2007-06-17

Human evolution is one of the great detective stories of the twenty-first century. How did this species, Homo sapien sapiens, come to be? Our written record provides some details for only about the last 10,000 years, but what about the millions of years on Earth beforehand? Charles Darwin's rock-solid theory of natural selection, while attacked from the political and religious right as unable to explain the "miracle" of life in the universe without reference to God's creation, remains at the center of all explanations that take a scientific perspective on the subject. William H. Calvin, on the faculty at the University of Washington's School of Medicine, offers in "A Brain for All Seasons" a modification of Darwin's theory that is both illuminating and reasoned. He argues that while Darwin thought in terms of eons of time and slow progression across thousands of generations, some evolutionary processes might be more immediate and striking.

Specifically, Calvin asserts that the capacity and complexity of the human brain grew significantly in response to cataclysm on the Earth. Cycles of radical and abrupt climate change, warm-and-wet versus cold-and-dry, help to explain the current state of human evolution. Ancient humans were driven to adapt within a few generations to abrupt climate change, a set of cycles between ice ages and warm seasons, forcing biological as well as other changes on those who survived (and probably few did). These "whiplash" climate shifts, as Calvin calls them, meant that those most adaptable survived and others did not. One major aspect of adaptability is brain power and reasoning. While not exclusive to Calvin, other scientists have made this case effectively, "A Brain for All Seasons" offers a reasoned, accessible explanation of how humanity came to be as it is today. It also offers a cautionary note about the potential for future abrupt climate change and what it might portend for the future of humanity. Wars over land and resources appear almost a certainty, he contends. Widespread starvation and death will also result. And again, those with the most adaptability will survive.

William Calvin's analysis is erudite and thought-provoking. It is also highly entertaining. Written as a travelogue that stretches across the globe, especially Africa and the Arctic, "A Brain for All Seasons" serves as an entrée for a lay audience into the world of paleobiology. Calvin does a good job of speaking to that broad audience, but as is the case with most books that seek to communicate scientific knowledge to non-scientists this one sometimes oversimplifies and overstates the evidence. It should be read, as should all books, with a critical mind, something that I'm sure William Calvin would appreciate. Taken altogether, however, it is a useful starting point in understanding how humans evolved from the distant past.

Challenging but well worth reading.......2006-08-08

This is not an easy book to read. Calvin aims high, setting out to present a coherent new model of how repeated, abrupt climate changes may have driven the evolution of the human brain. Since science has only known about Earth's history of climatic instability for a few years and many details remain to be filled in, Calvin has taken on a major challenge. As if that were not enough, in the second half of _A Brain for All Seasons_, he presents the latest ideas about the mechanisms that may have shifted the global climate from extreme to extreme in the past and may do so in the future, and presents an insightful analysis of the risks involved in our present denial-driven do-nothing approach toward climate change.

Unfortunately, a lot of the book reads as though Calvin were thinking out loud. He tends to follow his chain of thought wherever it leads at the time, which I found quite frustrating early on. However, he eventually weaves together the many strands he's mulling over, often in an original and thought-provoking way.

If you come away from the book with a clear understanding of his two main ideas, (1) that repeating cycles of large, abrupt climate shifts have taken place over the course of human evolution and provide a convincing ratcheting mechanism for increased brain size and complexity, and (2) that we urgently need to move past the now headshakingly stupid debate about whether or not human-induced climate change is real to a pragmatic analysis of the risks looming ahead and our options for dealing with them, it's well worth a bit of frustration at his style. In the end, I found the book more than worth the effort.

Robert Adler
Author of _Science Firsts: From the Creation of Science to the Science of Creation_, (John Wiley& Sons, 2002)

A little disappointing.......2004-11-29

While the first few chapters of a Brain for All Seasons were interesting and informative, in general I found the travelogue format somewhat distracting and annoying. I could understand that it provided the author with a structural framework with which he could bring in information on various topics, but it also seemed to use up space. By the middle of the book, after reading the umpteenth lengthy quotation from someone else's work and after trying to figure out the significance of yet another unidentified photograph, I felt that Professor Calvin had needed to get something into print, and he chose this way to do it. By the last few chapters I was certain of it, because they are mostly a rehash of ice age and other climatic changes and their impact on human cultures, material one might find in one of Fagan's books. Certainly the material on the climatic impacts of the Little Ice Age can be found in the book of the same name by the latter author.

A little disappointing. I'd suggest something less chatty.

Glacial gymnastics.......2004-02-11

Among the many mysteries surrounding human evolution is the "kick start" our cognitive abilities achieved compared with the other primates. This rapid enhancement has been attributed to many causes, new tool use Calvin, whose neuroscience qualifications are impeccable, offers a fresh view. In so doing, he doesn't cease speculating on how we got to be how we are, but takes a further step in suggesting where we might be going. And how to avoid getting there. The human brain is neither an inevitable progression, nor a divine gift, he argues. It's the result of raindrops ceasing to fall on our heads. Climate, he argues, made us what we are. Equally, it may undo us.

Calvin sets the scene at the time when climate changes forced the shrinking of the forest cover in East Africa. Our barely upright ancestors, in coping with the changing environment, learned survival skills on the savannah, then spread out over the globe. During our migrations, various new climatic conditions were being established . The suture of Central America joining North and South America set new wind and current patterns around the globe. The resulting North Atlantic Current [the Gulf Stream] and the temperature and salinity exchanges in that ocean have proven a major factor in climate. Calvin examines what is known about these mechanisms and the impact of variations. The most significant new knowledge refutes the established idea that climate changes gradually. Sudden, wild "flips" of temperature, rainfall and snow cover are now seen as the norm, not as aberrations. Change isn't on the order of centuries, but in years.

Calvin's technique of presenting his ideas is as novel as his thesis. Each chapter is an "electronic seminar" with "lectures" and questions arriving for the reader's scrutiny from locations all over the globe. Calvin thus presents himself as a field investigator, relating what on-site researchers are revealing. And much, indeed, is being exposed for assessment. Records from Greenland ice and other sources indicate "chattering" patterns of weather change. These and other finds are related and discussed. And presented for the reader to ponder. If the text doesn't give you reason to pause and reflect, there are numerous striking photographs and diagrams to seize your attention. A Glossary and excellent Further Reading section complete a work of striking significance. If you delay reading this, you may find yourself having to don mittens to take it up. Read it NOW! [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Average customer rating:
Brain for All Seasons : Human Evolution and Abrupt Climate Change
William H. Calvin
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OPQBTA

Book Description

This digital document is an article from ATV Sport, published by Ehlert Publishing Group on September 1, 2005. The length of the article is 1189 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: Strange days in Utah: sand hollow makes for unique riding.(GOINGPLACES)
Author: Chaz Rice
Publication: ATV Sport (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 1, 2005
Publisher: Ehlert Publishing Group
Volume: 8 Issue: 6 Page: 68(4)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books