Agreement Between Govt of Uk & Oman for Avoidance of Double Taxation (Treaty Series (Great Britain).)

Average customer rating:

This is not a new release

Could have been much worse

Mutants & Masterminds: Foes Of Freedom (Mutants & Masterminds)
Steve Kenson , and Steven E. Schend
Manufacturer: Green Ronin Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Role Playing & Fantasy | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Dungeons & Dragons | Gaming | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Mutants & Masterminds: RPG - 2nd Edition

Mutants & Masterminds: Freedom City - 2nd Edition (Mutants & Masterminds)

Mutants & Masterminds: Mastermind's Manual 2nd Edition

Mutants & Masterminds: Time Of Crisis (Mutants & Masterminds)

Mutants & Masterminds: Lockdown (Mutants & Masterminds Sourcebook)

ASIN: 1932442200

Book Description

Freedom City was widely hailed as the best supers sourcebook of all time and it won 3 ENnie Awards at GenCon, 2003. Foes of Freedom makes the city even better. This new sourcebook introduces dozens of devious villains to Freedom City, from the rogue star knight Blackstar to the murderous Jack-a-Knives to the vengeful Silver Scream. Villain groups like Larceny, Inc. and the Psions provide new challenges to Freedom City's protectors, while the book's new feats and powers make a great addition to any Mutants & Masterminds game. Printed in beautiful full color throughout, Foes of Freedom takes Freedom City to the next level.

Customer Reviews:

This is not a new release.......2007-01-22

The Amazon release information says that this book was released 2007-01-12. That is not correct. This is a 1st edition sourcebook, released back in 2004.

Could have been much worse.......2004-10-10

I feel a bit torn in writing this review. On the one had, it is a noticeable comedown in quality from Green Ronin's awesome "Freedom City" sourcebook. On the other, it is just as much an improvement over the drekful "Crooks!" sourcebook.

In "Freedom City," a number of super villains are profiled with full write up and game statistics; others are mentioned and given a few sentences in description. "Foes of Freedom" seeks to cover those characters, and provide a few (a very few) more. Each entry has character background, statistics, information on how the GM can use the villain, and some suggestions for possible crimes around which adventures can be made.

This is the same format as "Crooks!" but "Foes" is easily the superior book. The artwork is far better (though not as good as in "Freedom City," the biographies are more succinct, and while the villains themselves are in general hardly original, they successfully compliment the Freedom City campaign tenor.

The flaws, however, are not hard to miss. At 96 pages, it's awfully short. The section on Blackstone Penitentiary is fairly good, but much too brief (five pages.) A number of entries (I counted four) do not have a picture to go along with them; considering that this is for a comic book RPG, and that comics are visual in nature, this oversight is bothersome. Meanwhile, some artwork is superfluous, showing us characters depicted elsewhere in the book, or of dubious utility like the apartment map on page 30.

The addition of the villainous group Labrynth is unnecessary; the Labrynth is another super secretive string-pulling bunch of evil powerbrokers in a campaign world that already has organizations like SHADOW, Overthrow, and more mundane organized crime families. The entry on the Foundry organization doesn't supply much useful information, but rather dwells on some uninteresting robot statistics instead.

Though I've spent most of this review talking about the flaws of the book, it is still a fairly serviceable addition to the Mutant and Masterminds product line. If you can find a copy at a reasonable price (no easy feat, considering it's $24.00 price tag) then pick up a copy. Otherwise, don't sweat it.

Book Description

A great pick-me-up, Never Mind presents a collection of amusing animal photos and inspirational thoughts to cheer the disheartened and bring smiles to sad faces. A typical example shows a languid polar bear who appears to be marooned on an iceberg. The accompanying caption reads, "If you were happy every day of your life you wouldn't be a human being, you would be a game show host." A photograph accompanied by an appropriate comment appears on every two-page spread of this appealing gift book.

Book Description

Amazon.com

What's in that "smart drink," exactly? The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Substances gives up the goods on well over 100 drugs, plants, and animals capable of altering mood and thought. From ergot to Ecstasy, author Richard Rudgley provides in-depth ethnographic and historical information on past and current use, as well as the changing social attitudes toward this motley assortment of fun-loving chemicals. While short on pharmacological and scientific information--this is no PDR--The Encyclopedia is wildly entertaining and informative about the actual use and meaning of psychoactives.

Did you know there are species of hallucinogenic fish? That ants have been used in vision quests? That barbiturates were named for St. Barbara? The book pulls together little-known facts from a variety of literature and produces cohesive, well-documented entries equally well suited to the student and the browser. Rudgley focuses more on naturally occurring substances than lab creations, but the big synthetics like LSD, PCP, and cocaine all get fair coverage as well. The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Substances is a welcome and much-needed resource for the intrepid psychonaut. --Rob Lightner

Book Description

For all those who might like to believe that drug use has been relegated to the suburban rec rooms and ghetto crack houses of the late twentieth century, The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Substances offers shocking, yet thoroughly enlightening evidence to the contrary. In fact, from Neolithic man to Queen Victoria, humans have abused all sorts of drugs in the name of religion, tradition, and recreation, including such "controlled substances" as chocolate, lettuce, and toads.From glue-sniffing to LSD to kava, The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Substances provides the first reliable, comprehensive exploration of this fascinating and controversial topic. With over one hundred entries, acclaimed author Richard Rudgley covers not only the chemical and botanical background of each substance, but its physiological and psychological effect on the user. Of particular value is Rudgley's emphasis on the historical and cultural role of these mind-altering substances. Impeccably researched and hugely entertaining, The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Substances will appeal to anyone interested in one of the most misunderstood and yet also most widespread of human activities - the chemical quest for an altered state of consciousness.

Customer Reviews:

Great Encyclopedia.......2002-03-11

Takes a look at not only common drugs, plants, and animals, yes animals, used for psychoactive experiences, but more importantly, it gives a very impressive view of obscure substances that most other 'drug encyclopedias', that cost about the same price or more, don't even mention.

This is the book to get if you want to learn more about the substances that you don't see in the news everyday, but in many cases have been used for hundreds, if not thousands of years.

It looks at the more common drugs used in society today (LSD, Ecstasy, Marijuana, etc.) but its real value is that of a gap filler in most peoples drug knowledge.

Good Overview Of Most Drugs.......2001-04-02

This is a good overview of most drugs used in society today as well as plants and methods that have been used in times past. From the common to the obscure, most psychoactive substances and their histories are included. It makes a welcome addition to any library.

Customer Reviews:

Must have.......2002-09-09

This is a great book for anyone interested in mushrooms. It entails ancient and ritualistic use of Psilocybin mushrooms as well as the Amantia species all the way up to the 90s. The book also breaks down the basic knowlege you must know if you intend to have any voice on mushrooms in general. This was the first book I ever got on mushrooms. I find some of the 90s information inaccurate based on ignorance but regardless you must have this book.

Marijuana: Its Effects on Mind and Body (Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Drugs. Series 1)

Average customer rating:

Not worth it

Marijuana: Its Effects on Mind and Body (Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Drugs. Series 1)

Manufacturer: Chelsea House Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Teen Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 0877547548

Customer Reviews:

Not worth it.......2002-09-09

this book is purly just something to read out of curiosity. The book has some good history, but there is so much ignorance within recent history portion that this book is laughable...You prabably know more without the book. Check it out of the library don't buy it.

Amphetamines: Danger in the Fast Lane (Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Drugs. Series 1)

Average customer rating:

Amphetamines: Danger in the Fast Lane (Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Drugs. Series 1)
Scott E., Ph.D. Lukas
Manufacturer: Chelsea House Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

The Addictive Personality (Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Drugs)

Average customer rating:

The Addictive Personality (Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Drugs)
W. Miles Cox
Manufacturer: Chelsea House Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Drug Dependency | Recovery | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Personality | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0791000060

Alcohol and Alcoholism (Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Drugs)

Average customer rating:

Alcohol and Alcoholism (Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Drugs)

Manufacturer: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Alcoholism | Recovery | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Drug Dependency | Recovery | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Drug & Alcohol Abuse | Health, Mind & Body | Teens | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 022201217X

Alcohol and Alcoholism (Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Drugs. Series 1)

Average customer rating:

Alcohol and Alcoholism (Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Drugs. Series 1)
Ross Fishman
Manufacturer: Chelsea House Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

Family Health | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0877547629

Alcohol Customs and Rituals Encyclopedia of Psycho (Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Drugs)

Average customer rating:

Alcohol Customs and Rituals Encyclopedia of Psycho (Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Drugs)
Thomas Babor
Manufacturer: Burke Publishing Co Ltd(englan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Alcoholism | Recovery | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Drug Dependency | Recovery | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Drug & Alcohol Abuse | Health, Mind & Body | Teens | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0222014458

Book Description

The Most Comprehensive CCNA Self-Study Solution on the Market!

This box set provides you with the knowledge and skills needed to approach the new CCNA exam with confidence. With the best-selling CCNA Study Guide and the CCNA Virtual Lab Platinum Edition, you'll find in-depth coverage of all official objectives and advanced study tools to reinforce critical knowledge and skills.

The new Fifth Edition of the best-selling CCNA: Cisco Certified Network Associated Study Guide was developed to meet the exacting requirements of today's Cisco certification candidates. In addition to the engaging and accessible instructional approach that has earned author Todd Lammle the "Best Study Guide Author" award in CertCities Readers Choice Awards for two consecutive years, this edition provides:

* In-depth coverage of every CCNA exam objective
* Expanded IP addressing and subnetting coverage
* More detailed information on EIGRP and OSPF
* Leading-edge exam preparation software, including a test engine, sample simulation questions, and electronic flashcards

The CCNA Virtual Lab Platinum Edition provides the opportunity to gain critical hands-on experience with routers and switches. An affordable alternative to products and courses costing hundreds, even thousands, of dollars, this leading edge software allows you to work at your own pace, on your own time, so you get the most out of your exam preparation efforts.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic book.......2007-04-11

Prior to this book I was reading the Cisco Press CCNA Self-study: CCNA Preparation Library. This book is infinitely better at teaching someone who isn't already familiar with the Cisco world. The Cisco book just seems to present facts, whereas the author of this book seems to truly understand how to teach someone. This book saved me from being eternally lost in subnetting, I cannot recommend it highly enough.

I Passed.......2007-01-03

I like the way the book was written. The material isn't the easiest to get through, but this book makes it digestible. I never used the Lab that is included, but I already had years of experience working with Cisco gear.

Amazing book.......2005-10-12

It is a great book which covers all topics in order to pass the CCNA exam. You have the router and switch simulator to improve and apply your skills.

I definitely recommend you buy this book if you really want to pass, but also to learn about routers and switches.

Good Luck !!

Customer Reviews:

Great for School Research and Reports.......2006-02-28

This book is NOT just about the 'American Indian' located in the US. This book lists contributions for the MesoAmerican Aztecs, Incas and Mayans too. You can search for contributions and inventions based on Indian Group or Time period. Then, there is a description of the detail of the specific invention, all in alphabetical order. This is a super resource for students doing reports for Spanish class, History and even Science. Add this book to your home library!

American Indian Accomplishments.......2005-09-06

This is the best book on American Indian Contributions. A lot of research. Used the information on my book "Indians In The Americas"
under my chapter "American Indian Accomplishments. My own 20 years research on Indian accomplishments were no comparison to the detailed explaniations and bibliography in "American Indian Accomplishments." A great deal of insight to a past and future culture that was never given proper credit for all their inventions and adaptation that we are all taking advantage of today.

A great book on a largely ignored subject.......2003-12-09

This is a very well researched and comprehensive book. It is quite monumental in its scope. To give you an example, I opened the book at random to page 139. One of the listings on this page is Ipecac. Many households know about this medication. It is
usually used to induce vomiting. Children often swallow things they should not. The books goes into some detail about where the plant was first found, how it is refined, and how it came to be used by Europeans. It then lists some sources for further reading.

It also has a great Appendix section. It shows which tribes lived where, including many good maps. The Chronology section lists when different things were discovered or invented by the indigenous people. It also has an appendix which lists the book's
entries by area, by subject and by which tribal group is associated with that item.

I know how long it took me to do the research associated with my book. I can only guess that the authors spent a very long time putting together the material in this book.

EAICW has a plethora of listings and information. EAICW is 384 pages long and measures (in inches): 1.19 x 11.20 x 8.44. It is a BIG book. It would make an excellent addition to any well stocked library.

I highly recommend it.

Excellent resource.......2003-09-10

As a mother of two teenagers, I wanted to find a resource on the history and contributions of American Indians to complement the rather scanty information they have received in school about the vital and facinating contributions of the American Indian cultures and communities that have graced our land. This book has been read and enjoyed by the whole family. The authors' accessible writing style, the user-friendly format and the generous use of illustrations make this a book I would recommend for families and teachers alike. As a teacher myself with a master's degree in education, I have a critical eye when it comes to reference books. This is one of the best I've ever come across. Thanks for writing it!

The Reviews Speak for Themselves.......2003-08-24

American Indian Contributions to the World is the paperback version of the Encyclopedia of American Indian Contributions to the World. The awards it has won and some of the print reviews this book has received are listed below.

Winner 11th Annual Colorado Book Award, Collections and Anthologies

Winner Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers Writer of the Year, Creative Reference Work, 2002

Selected by Booklist as Editors Choice Reference Source, 2002

"This is a well-written book with fascinating information and wonderful pictures. It should be in every public, school, and academic library for its depth of research and amazing wealth of knowledge. We've starred this title because it is eye-opening and thought-provoking, and there is nothing else quite like it." Booklist Starred Review

"[an] interesting, informative, and inspiring book." Native Peoples Magazine

"I would strongly urge anyone with a kernel of intellectual curiosity: teacher, administrator, researcher, lawyer, politician, writer, to buy this book. I guarantee it will enlighten, stimulate and entertain...Native students and indigenous instructors must obtain their own copies of the Encyclopedia. Whether Cree, Mayan or Penobscot they will find a deep source of pride on each and every page. I can well imagine the excitement of Native teachers when they obtain the book followed by an eagerness to share its contents with everyone within reach.

"I hope the Encyclopedia will serve as the basis for an entirely new approach to Native history, one in which the scholar is liberated from the anti-Indian texts of the recent past. Ideally, a copy of the Encyclopedia should be in every class in every school across the hemisphere." News from Indian Country

"Highly recommended for academic libraries keeping collections about American Indians." Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries

"Native accomplishments finally get their due in this award-winning book." American Indian Report

"A treasure trove of information about the large range of technologies and productions of Indian peoples. This is indeed the most comprehensive compilation of American Indian inventions and contributions to date. It is most worthwhile and should be on the bookshelves of every library and home in America." Indian Country Today

"This large, well-illustrated volume is an excellent reference. One of the important strengths of the encyclopedia is that the information provided is balanced and rooted in facts, not speculation. Highly recommended." Multicultural Review

"Far from the stereotypical idea that Native Americans were uncultured and simple, possessing only uncomplicated inventions such as bows and arrows or canoes, these varied cultures donated a rich assortment of ideas and items to the world. This book can be recommended to libraries that support an interdisciplinary approach to student learning, such as units that integrate biology and culture studies projects." VOYA:Voice of Youth Advocates

Customer Reviews:

A highly recommended resource for students.......2003-11-17

The collaborative effort of Emory Dean Keoke (multicultural relations and communications consultant and enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe) and Kay Marie Porterfield (journalist for the "Indian Country Today, the largest Native American owned weekly newspaper in America), Encyclopedia Of American Indian Contributions To The World: 15,000 Years Of Inventions And Innovations is an exciting resource covering the rich and varied histories of Native American tribes and their precontact discoveries and postcontact influences. From the anatomical knowledge of the Mesoamerican cultures at AD 1100; to Native American contributions to agriculture, medicine and pharmacology; to hammocks of forest cultures; to the American Indian influence on Tabasco sauce, and so much more, the Encyclopedia Of American Indian Contributions To The World is an absorbing, 384-page reference offering information and insights into the complexities of Native American cultural history, interaction and social evolution. A highly recommended resource for students of Native American history and culture, the Encyclopedia Of American Indian Contributions To The World is an essential and core addition to academic and community library Native American Studies collections.

A great book on a largely ignored subject.......2003-11-10

I know how long it took me to do the research associated with my book. I can only guess that the authors spent a very long time putting together the material in this book.

I highly recommend it.

Resource facts for students and educators.......2002-09-08

Published reliable information on Native Americans and their culutral contributions is hard to find. One of these authors is Lakota (Sioux) and has achieved his goal of collecting information to be used by all peoples about the First Americans. This book was first recommended to me by a friend who is an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and an acquaintance of Mr. Keoke. I develop and present presentations to both University and Elementary students and often have a dozen or more books piled up to pull together exact references for my presentations. This book accomplishes that same reference task for me plus more. The information and maps in the appendix are much better than many other sources.

Book Description

The island of Mauritius lies in the middle of the Indian Ocean, about 550 miles east of Madagascar. Uninhabited until the arrival of colonists in the late sixteenth century, Mauritius was subsequently populated by many different peoples as successive waves of colonizers and slaves arrived at its shores. The French ruled the island from the early eighteenth century until the early nineteenth. Throughout the 1700s, ships brought men and women from France to build the colonial population and from Africa and India as slaves. In Creating the Creole Island, the distinguished historian Megan Vaughan traces the complex and contradictory social relations that developed on Mauritius under French colonial rule, paying particular attention to questions of subjectivity and agency.

Combining archival research with an engaging literary style, Vaughan juxtaposes extensive analysis of court records with examinations of the logs of slave ships and of colonial correspondence and travel accounts. The result is a close reading of life on the island, power relations, colonialism, and the process of cultural creolization. Vaughan brings to light complexities of language, sexuality, and reproduction as well as the impact of the French Revolution. Illuminating a crucial period in the history of Mauritius, Creating the Creole Island is a major contribution to the historiography of slavery, colonialism, and creolization across the Indian Ocean.

Creating the Creole Island: Slavery in Eighteenth-Century Mauritius.(Book review): An article from: Canadian Journal of History

Average customer rating:

Creating the Creole Island: Slavery in Eighteenth-Century Mauritius.(Book review): An article from: Canadian Journal of History
Femi J. Kolapo
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Mauritius | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Canadian Journal of History, published by Thomson Gale on March 22, 2006. The length of the article is 1137 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: Creating the Creole Island: Slavery in Eighteenth-Century Mauritius.(Book review)
Author: Femi J. Kolapo
Publication: Canadian Journal of History (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 22, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 41 Issue: 1 Page: 174(3)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Average customer rating:

Sense and Nonsense

If we could talk with the animals...

Excellent read, but very "easy" at the same time.

The Nose

A neat idea

Jacobson's Organ: And the Remarkable Nature of Smell
Lyall Watson
Manufacturer: Plume
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Science | Subjects | Books
Anatomy | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Gifts of Unknown Things: A True Story of Nature, Healing, and Initiation from Indonesia's Dancing Island

The Nature of Things: The Secret Life of Inanimate Objects

The Dreams of Dragons: An Exploration and Celebration of the Mysteries of Nature

Dark Nature: Natural History of Evil, A

Beyond Supernature: A New Natural History of the Supernatural

ASIN: 0452282586
Release Date: 2001-06-05

Amazon.com

The nose knows, says Lyall Watson, and in Jacobson's Organ, he sets out to prove that a humble, often overlooked set of nasal pits helps us decide whom to hit on, and whom to hit. First identified in 1811 by Danish anatomist Ludwig Levin Jacobson, the vomeronasal organ has been implicated in the reception of pheromones, those ephemeral chemical signals animals use to communicate nonverbally.

Watson organizes his thesis around the seven broad classes of smells identified by pioneering naturalist Carolus Linnaeus: floral, goatish, musky, foul, nauseating, spicy, and garlicky. In each section, Watson presents evidence of a surprising and unacknowledged role of smell and pheromones in human life. Is it possible that first impressions are the result of chemical signals? Watson thinks so, and also that pair-bonding, fistfights, love of offspring, and memories may have more to do with our humble nose than we think. In what is bound to be one of his more controversial stretches, Watson implicates nasal plastic surgery in postoperative mood changes:

Every time a surgeon slices away at a nasal septum in the name of fashion or vanity, both sides of Jacobson's organ are at risk of being damaged or even removed entirely, without thought for the consequences.... If you are considering cosmetic surgery on your nose, know that it could deprive you of the very things in life which having a new, cute, little button nose were supposed to improve.

Jacobson's Organ is full of Watson's pithy opinions and conjectures. Some are supported by science, some are not. But as we learn more about the role of the vomeronasal structures in human chemical communication, it becomes clear that a nosey approach is nothing to sneeze at. --Therese Littleton

Book Description

According to naturalist and bestselling author Lyall Watson, we all possess an anatomical feature that could be one of the most important keys to unraveling the mysteries of the human mind. Two tiny pits located inside the nostril, long thought to be vestigial, Jacobson's Organ may in fact be an intrinsic part of our mammalian senses. In this entertaining and informative book, Watson rescues our most underappreciated sense from obscurity. He brings to light new evidence that this evolutionary apparatus, discovered in 1811, is the pheromonal mechanism that triggers the areas of the brain affecting awareness, emotion, and sexual behavior. This highly refined sense can help us determine everything from the suitability of potential mates to identifying offspring, and offers insight into how, why, and what we remember.

Filled with surprising and delightful anecdotes, Jacobson's Organ sniffs out the scientific truths behind a wide range of phenomena and behaviors in the plant, animal, and human worlds. "In his spirited ode to the nose, Watson urges us to acknowledge and celebrate the power and influence of the sense of smell" (Boston Herald).

Customer Reviews:

Sense and Nonsense.......2004-07-26

I first became aware of this book while listening to an NPR interview with Lyall Watson some years ago; I didn't in fact know that it was Watson at the time, and if I did, I probably wouldn't have listened. My prior experience with Watson hgad been via his book "Supernature", and engaging but overall worthless collection of nonsensical attempts to find (for example) a scientific basis for ESP. Still, his discussion of Jacobson's organ did pique my interest, so when a copy of the book came my way at a discount price I bought it.

Like most of Watson's writing it's a colleciton of science and speculation. The science runs the gamut from respectable to doubtful, and the speculation, from informed to nonsensical. Right off the bat I was annoyed by Watson's misuse of terms, referring to things like "synasthesia" in fish. He gleefully cites examples in the animal kingdom and then glibly assumes that their are identical functions in humans. And I find myself occasionally annoyed by his tendency to skip and jump around from topic to topic without giving a clear sense of the context for a particular phenomenon.

As a piece of entertainment for the fan of "light" science it's a very good book; it has a great deal of appeal for those who enjoy, say, "Discover" magazine. Facts are reeled off and assertions are made without any attmpt to provide an overall narrative, or an evolutionary context. Narrative threads selcom extend beyond a couple of paragraphs. You're reading about the discovery of some particular olfactory sense in kittens and then suddenly you're off on a thread about the role of pheremones in plant signaling.

So for the casual reader looking for entertainment rather than elucidation, yes, four stars for style. For the reader looking for explanation and narrative, one star.

Overall,

If we could talk with the animals..........2003-02-04

Although I am a non-scientific type, I am intrigued by this book. It is surprising that there has been little research about Jacobson's Organ until recently. Although it was first identified in the 18th century, its existence has only been studied clinically since the early 1990s. This sense organ, which consists of two small pits inside the nasal passages, works in combination with what we traditionally understand as our sense of smell. Instead of registering the odors we typically associate with smell, however, Jacobson's Organ functions as our "sixth sense" deciphering odorless chemical pheromones that are sent and received by a variety of plants and animals. These chemical messages may trigger sexual arousal, panic, fear, or an immediate dislike or attaction to someone you just met. The book is filled with interesting examples of how this organ and pheromones function in different species. Certain trees and plants are shown to communicate with each other by these signals. The author also suggests that schizophrenia, in which sufferers sometimes experience heightened sensitivity to another's feelings, may be related to disfunction with Jacobson's Organ. Instead of being out of touch with reality, they sense reality too much and are overwhelmed. This book will make you think of the people and places that gave you a sense of well-being. It may be that the chemical signals have much more to do about our perceptions of these than we have ever imagined.

Excellent read, but very "easy" at the same time........2003-01-20

This is the softest of science writing. It's written for a high school level, at best -- or, if you prefer a different analogy, it's written like a 'Discovery' or 'Popular Science' essay. Easy, accessible, and glossy glossy glossy. It also wanders something fierce, let me tell you. The author seems to have a point... but there's no tight focus, no direction. One of the New York Times reviewers said the book was like a "county fair" -- and I'm not sure that's a compliment! However, if you can be patient with the wandering, the lack of focus, and the gloss... wow! Great information, humorously presented, packed with bizarre trivia and some pretty new-to-me ideas. I would definitely recommend this book for readability and content.

The Nose.......2002-09-27

Smell is the Cinderella of senses. We never seriously contemplate what it would be like - to live in a world without smells. Loss of sight or hearing is recognized as a handicap, a disease, a tragedy; loss of smell does not even have a name. Moreover, smells do not have their own vocabulary almost in any known language - whatever name you assign to a smell, it is borrowed either from taste (sweet, sour, spicy) or touch (sharp, mellow). We, at least during the last 150 years or so, are very uncomfortable about the fact that we, as a species, smell. And yet man is one of the smelliest animals around, with lots of glands and pores with evidently no other functions other than producing smelly secretions - the fact we are desperately trying to hide through washing, bathing and a variety of artificial perfumes borrowed from other living creatures, both plants and animals.

The main premise of Watson's book is that most mammals, including humans, in fact possess two olfactory systems. The first works through the nose; its functions are processed by the brain in the regular way. The second works through the mysterious Jacobson's organ, and is connected directly to subliminal, subconscious parts of the brain, making us feel things we cannot account for. ... attraction, premonitions, foresight, the phenomenon of déjà vu, irrational dislike and many other almost paranormal things seem to be explained by the workings of Jacobson's organ. There are even theories (as recounted in this book, they seem very convincing) that some severe mental disorders such as schizophrenia may be explained by the mix-up in the wiring of the two olfactory systems. When the stimuli from Jacobson's organ are somehow erroneously conveyed to the cortical, "conscious" areas of the brain, a person experiences things he cannot reasonably explain; but the brain tries to explain everything at all costs, and that is what we perceive as madness.

Without the sense of smell, and especially without Jacobson's organ, many animals cannot live at all - they depend on their olfactory abilities for moving, hunting, mating, detecting danger and a number of other everyday tasks. Man has created a relatively sterile universe, and it seems that we could do without the fifth sense; however, research suggests that malfunctions of olfactory system in humans result in severe disorientation, depressions and suicidal moods.

Watson tells his controversial story vividly and fluently. There are gaps, and sometimes the transition from dry experimental data to wild speculations (which the author, to his credit, is not trying to disguise as solid knowledge) is too abrupt. In the end, it is not quite clear which point the author was trying to make. In fact, there are several; it was obviously difficult for Watson to concentrate on one of them and to press it more persistently; it is clearly no less difficult for the reader to decide, what, after all, was the main idea of the book. I am not saying that it is not clear; I am just implying that it could be a little more clear.

Most parts of the book are nevertheless a fascinating read, and the marvellously unobtrusive layout with floral design adds to the story's charm.

A neat idea.......2002-04-09

A neat idea. Watson's clear and perceptive review on the nature of smell takes readers into a world that is probably, for most of us, unexplored. But I encourage you to take Watson's journey about how we relate to each other and the animate world, and how it relates to itself-by smell, Watson says. The release or presence of pheromones may dictate our behavior more than we're cognizant of certainly more than we'd probably like to know. Our Jacobson's Organ, located at the top of our nostrils, often guides how we act, for better or worse, unconsciously or not.

Imagine: a baby's head produces natural endorphins in those who smell it. Suddenly the behavior of parents around their newborn takes on a new perspective.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books