Book Description
In the twentieth century, American society has experienced a "rights revolution": a commitment by the national government to promote a healthful environment, safe products, freedom from discrimination, and other rights unknown to the founding generation. This development has profoundly affected constitutional democracy by skewing the original understanding of checks and balances, federalism, and individual rights. Cass Sunstein tells us how it is possible to interpret and reform this regulatory state regime in a way that will enhance freedom and welfare while remaining faithful to constitutional commitments.
Sunstein vigorously defends government regulation against Reaganite/Thatcherite attacks based on free-market economics and pre-New Deal principles of private right. Focusing on the important interests in clean air and water, a safe workplace, access to the air waves, and protection against discrimination, he shows that regulatory initiatives have proved far superior to an approach that relies solely on private enterprise. Sunstein grants that some regulatory regimes have failed and calls for reforms that would amount to an American perestroika: a restructuring that embraces the use of government to further democratic goals but that insists on the decentralization and productive potential of private markets.
Sunstein also proposes a theory of interpretation that courts and administrative agencies could use to secure constitutional goals and to improve the operation of regulatory programs. From this theory he seeks to develop a set of principles that would synthesize the modern regulatory state with the basic premises of the American constitutional system. Teachers of law, policymakers and political scientists, economists and historians, and a general audience interested in rights, regulation, and government will find this book an essential addition to their libraries.
Average customer rating:
|
Wheat and woman
Georgina Binnie-Clark
Manufacturer: Bell and Cockburn
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
 Women
| Specific Groups
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Agricultural Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Agricultural Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B00089BC82 |
Book Description
An established writer before she came to Canada, Georgina Binnie-Clark (1871-1947) settled in Saskatchewan in 1905 to become a farmer. It was an unlikely ambition for a woman in her day, particularly an English gentlewoman, and in the opinion of many, an impossible one. The reaction of onlookers was unhesitatingly and unqualifiedly unsupportive. Binnie-Clark, however, proved their skepticism to be unfounded.
Originally published in 1914, Wheat and Woman is an autobiographical account of Georgina Binnie-Clark's first three years on the prairies, the story of how she learned to define and deal with her anomalous position in pre-war prairie society. Although Binnie-Clark does not dismiss the difficult lessons of life on the land for an `English greenhorn,' or the loneliness of a woman pursuing what was considered to be a man's job, she emphasizes the unique opportunities for women in Canada. If life was difficult in Canada, it was impossible, for some, in England. With a surplus population of more than a million women, most stood almost no statistical chance of finding a husband in England. The gentlewomen among them were barred by class from all but a few overcrowded and underpaid occupations.
Wheat and Woman also illuminates the sexual politics of settlement. Binnie-Clark was only too familiar with the limitations that Canadian law placed on women. Among women of the prairies, chief among these was the homestead law, which excluded all but a handful of women from the right to claim a free farm from the Dominion's public lands. This new reprint of Binnie-Clark's autobiographical writing includes an introduction by Susan Jackel, written for a 1979 edition of the text, as well as a new scholarly introduction by historian Sarah A. Carter, who received a Killam Fellowship for the study of Great Plains women of Canada and the United States.
Wheat and Woman is a fascinating record of a gifted and determined woman's experience in prairie farming and a unique document in Canadian social history.
Average customer rating:
|
Molecular Biology and Human Diversity (Society for the Study of Human Biology Symposium Series)
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Cell Biology
| Biology
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biology
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Genetics
| Evolution
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Cell Biology
| Biology
| Biological Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biology
| Biological Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0521019222 |
Book Description
The public is now paying considerable attention to the use of molecular evidence in studies of human diversity and origins. Much of the early work in this area was based on evidence from mitochondrial DNA, but this has now been supplemented by important new information from nuclear DNA from both Y chromosomes and the autosomes. The bulk of the material available is from living populations, but this is being extended by the study of DNA from archaic populations. The underlying models used in interpreting this evidence are based on the neutral theory of molecular evolution, but also consider the possible role of selection. This volume brings together much new evidence and methodology from an international group of scientists.
Average customer rating:
|
Intra- and intercontinental molecular variability of an Alu insertion in the 3' untranslated region of the LDLR gene.: An article from: Human Biology
A.H. Heller ,
F.M. Salzano ,
R. Barrantes ,
M. Krylov ,
L. Benevolenskaya ,
F.C. Arnett ,
B. Munkhbat ,
N. Munkhtuvshin ,
K. Tsuji ,
M.H. Hutz ,
F.R. Carnese ,
A.S. Goicoechea ,
L.B. Freitas , and
S.L. Bonatto
Manufacturer: Wayne State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
General
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Science & Technology
| Subjects
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
Science
| HTML
| Formats
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
ASIN: B000973HZ4
Release Date: 2006-07-14 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Human Biology, published by Wayne State University Press on August 1, 2004. The length of the article is 5255 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.
From the author: KEY WORDS: LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN RECEPTOR GENE, LDLR, AMERINDIANS, MONGOLIANS, SIBERIANS.
Citation Details
Title: Intra- and intercontinental molecular variability of an Alu insertion in the 3' untranslated region of the LDLR gene.
Author: A.H. Heller
Publication:
Human Biology (Refereed)
Date: August 1, 2004
Publisher: Wayne State University Press
Volume: 76
Issue: 4
Page: 591(14)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Human Biology, published by Wayne State University Press on June 1, 2000. The length of the article is 2881 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: Molecular Genetic Diversity in 5 Populations of Madhya Pradesh, India.
Author: S.s. Mastana
Publication:
Human Biology (Refereed)
Date: June 1, 2000
Publisher: Wayne State University Press
Volume: 72
Issue: 3
Page: 499
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
Fundamentals of SEMI-MICRO QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS By CARL J. JENGELDER, Ph. D. Professor of Analytical Chemistry University of Pittsburgh New York JOHN WILEY SONS, Inc. London CHAPMAN HALL, Limited PREFACE The normal text book of qualitative analysis follows the some what standard pattern a lengthy section on equilibrium theory, the properties and analytical reactions of the cations and their separation and detection, a similar treatment for the anions, and a closing section on systematic analysis. The instruction in theory must, perforce, be spread over the duration of the course, whereas, in following the conventional order, the laboratory work plunges the student prematurely into all the complexities of cation groups I and II, long before he, on the one hand, has acquired necessary experimental experience and technique and, on the other hand, has gained a sufficient understanding of the underlying theory. To overcome these difficulties, a rearrangement of the course of instruction is presented in this book, based upon the authors successful experience over the past five years. The course of instruction begins with the alkali metals and pro ceeds into a study of the alkaline earth elements, during which time the solubility product principle is introduced. This is fol lowed by the laboratory study of the metals of cation group III, offering thus an appropriate introduction to oxidation theory with iron, manganese, and chromium as examples amphoterism as il lustrated by aluminum, chromium, and zinc and the theory of complex ions as exhibited by nickel, cobalt, and zinc. By the time this phase of instruction is completed, the student is better conditioned both in theory and practice to understand and carry out the more difficult reactions, steps and procedures of groups I and II. Common-ion effect or buffering is incorporated here in the theory. Arsenic forms the transition from cation analysis to anion analysis. Remaining sections of theory are included in the chapters on anion study. For complete systematic analysis, an ion procedures precede cation procedures. The most important features of this book are 1 the introduc tion of the cations, in reverse order, before complete systematic analysis is undertaken and 2 the gradual introduction of selected portions of tlj 3 7 1 i pqrmate intervals to accompany the ex vi PREFACE perimental work. The author believes he has successfully inte grated theory with practice. A schedule of laboratory and class room assignments is suggested in the appendix to aid the teacher in planning his course based on this new arrangement. Incorporated in the sections on theory are numerous illustrative calculations followed by problem sets, ten in all, each set com prising 20 problems, half with and half without answers. This provides ample material for instruction in chemical calculations, thus dispensing with the use of a separate problem book. Portions of this book have been taken from the first and second editions of Semi-Micro Qualitative Analysis by Engelder, Dunkel berger, and Schiller. CARL J. ENGELDER PITTSBURGH, PA. June 1946 CONTENTS PART I THE CATIONS CHAPTER PAGE I. INTRODUCTION. REACTIONS AND EQUATIONS. APPARATUS AND TECHNIQUE. REAGENTS 1 II. THE THEORY OF SOLUTIONS. THE ANALYTICAL GROUPING OF THE COMMON ELEMENTS. THE ALKALI METALS 22 III. THE LAW OF CHEMICAL EQUILIBRIUM. THE THEORY OF PRE CIPITATION THE SOLUBILITY-PRODUCT PRINCIPLE. THE ALKALINE EARTH ELEMENTS 55 IV. THE ELEMENTARY THEORY OF OXIDATION AND REDUCTION. THE THEORY OF AMPHOTERISM. THE THEORY OF COMPLEX IONS. THE ELEMENTS OF GROUP III 89 V. IONIZATION EQUILIBRIA AND BUFFER ACTION THE ELEMENTS OF GROUPS I AND II 152 PART II THE ANIONS VI. THE CLASSIFICATION OF THE ANIONS. THE ANIONS OF GROUP I. THE pH VALUE OF SOLUTIONS 227 VII. THE THEORY OF NEUTRALIZATION AND HYDROLYSIS. THE AN IONS OF GROUPS II AND III 260 VIII. THE ANIONS OF GROUPS IV AND V. THE ELECTROCHEMICAL THEORY OF OXIDATION 284 PART III SYSTEMATIC ANALYSIS IX...
Amazon.com
"A calendar is a tool," the historian of science E.J. Bickerman once observed, "which cannot be justified by either logic or astronomy."
Duncan Steel, an English space scientist, extends that argument in Marking Time, a broad-ranging history of the Western calendar--a chronological system that is logical after a fashion, but strangely flawed all the same. Steel begins his account by considering George Washington's dual birthday, which he celebrated as falling on February 11, 1731, but Americans celebrated as February 22, 1732. Both, Steel shows, are correct, the discrepancy owing to a later calendrical reform that parts of the world have yet to catch up to (so that Russia's October Revolution, by non-Russian standards, occurred in November). Steel examines the long history of attempts to give the calendar a basis in astronomical fact, shows how the advent of the railroad brought with it the need for a system of standardized mean time, examines the likeliest dates for the birth and death of Jesus, and plucks countless fascinating oddments from the historical record. He doesn't shy away from advancing controversial ideas, one being that the meridian time of Washington, D.C. may be a more useful world standard than that of Greenwich, England--and not merely for political reasons. Neither is he afraid to use sometimes difficult mathematics to prove his points, giving his book a depth that many other popular studies of the calendar lack.
With the dawning millennium, time is much on our minds. This is a book to satisfy idle curiosity, settle dinner-table arguments, and simply enjoy. --Gregory McNamee
Book Description
"If you lie awake worrying about the overnight transition from December 31, 1 b.c., to January 1, a.d. 1 (there is no year zero), then you will enjoy Duncan Steel's Marking Time."--American Scientist
"No book could serve as a better guide to the cumulative invention that defines the imaginary threshold to the new millennium."--Booklist
A Fascinating March through History and the Evolution of the Modern-Day Calendar . . .
In this vivid, fast-moving narrative, you'll discover the surprising story of how our modern calendar came about and how it has changed dramatically through the years. Acclaimed author Duncan Steel explores each major step in creating the current calendar along with the many different systems for defining the number of days in a week, the length of a month, and the number of days in a year. From the definition of the lunar month by Meton of Athens in 432 b.c. to the roles played by Julius Caesar, William the Conqueror, and Isaac Newton to present-day proposals to reform our calendar, this entertaining read also presents "timely" tidbits that will take you across the full span of recorded history. Find out how and why comets have been used as clocks, why there is no year zero between 1 b.c. and a.d. 1, and why for centuries Britain and its colonies rang in the New Year on March 25th. Marking Time will leave you with a sense of awe at the haphazard nature of our calendar's development. Once you've read this eye-opening book, you'll never look at the calendar the same way again.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful, flawed, and offensive.......2003-11-19
This book's treatment of calendar issues is marvelously interesting, but I was constantly distracted and often offended by the author's all-too-evident contempt for people of faith. He proudly proclaims himself an atheist--OK, fine, lots of decent people are--but then asserts a superiority over us sots who do believe in God. For Christianity, Mr. Steele reserves a special animosity, and it affects his judgment and harms the veracity of his narrative. The mistakes and misinterpretations are too numerous to mention, but they include:
"The date of Easter stems in part from an original need to provide a full moon for pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem." [No, early Church fathers actually discouraged pilgrimages.]
He thinks "pope" is derived from "pontifex maximus."
"Until quite recently no festivities were supposed to occur on Christmas day." [Maybe in England]
Steele says Christianity and sun worship were intertwined because churches used to face east, toward the rising sun. [uh, no, it was symbolic; an early name for Christ is the Orient from on High]
Does not realize that about half the Orthodox Churches use the Gregorian calendar for most church events.
He invariably calls early Christians "Gentiles." [most, initially, were Jews]
"The single factor which has caused most controversy and division in the Christian religions...is the calculation of the date of Easter." [preposterous; has he never heard of the Reformation?]
Seems to think that the Great Council of Nicaea was called to resolve calendar issues. [no, it was to address the Arian heresy]
Mary was a "peripheral figure" in Christianity until the 10th century. [4th century councils defined her importance]
He describes Advent as a feast. [it's a fasting period]
Even on nonreligious matters, there are many mistakes that suggest a cavalier approach to scholarship. Steele thinks "degaussing" neutralizes the magnetic field on a ship [no, it compensates for it]. He asserts that the USSR imposed the same time within its borders [no, it had 11 time zones]. As an Australian, he can be forgiven for thinking that Thomas Jefferson wrote the Constitution. I just wish Steele had approached non-astonomical matters with the same care and respect he uses for his own field.
One of the best non-fiction titles I have ever read.......2003-05-22
This is not only the best book on measuring time and calendars, this is one of the best factual books I have ever read on any subject whatsoever. Almost every page in this meticulously researched book brims with fascinating information! Steel introduces words rarely used and shows why they're needed, gives background settings in history, politics, religion, and, of course, astronomy. Steel is an astronomer, but from reading this book one feels in the presence of a true polymath.
The very first chapter drew me in with that formula, by asking what day is George Washington's birthday. February 22nd, 1732, right? Not exactly! Not only does Steel take us into the "missing 11 days" of Julian/Gregorian year change, but then shows how New Year's Day has changed as well. It wasn't always January 1st, in fact the year changed on March 25th. The more you read, the more there is behind each new fact. This is James Burke's _Connections_ on steroids! (George Washington always considered February 11th, 1731 his birthday, if you were wondering. Except then we have to talk about double-dating; he was born on Feb 11th 1731/32!)
Some of Steel's asides had me laughing uproariously; what could have been a ploddingly dull and thick treatise absolutely sparkles. One of his best observations comes after painstakingly explaining how the Vatican came up with the Easter _computus_ (method of computing). After showing the historical claim that this method was "perpetual" he mentioned how long-term calendars will misalign as planetary rotations change, and computing Easter until the year 8000 was a mite ambitious. Then, he slyly mentioned that the Roman Catholic Church still presumes that Jesus is returning, so why would they need a perpetual Easter calendar, anyway?
About the only defect in the book is the pervasive Christian viewpoint; not that Steel is religious. He isn't, and says so several times. But this book is a product of someone brought up in a Christian country complete with Established Church. More attention to other cultures' calendars would have been appreciated, especially after spending dozens of pages on secret plots involving rival Christian factions and their timekeeping ideas. I was surprised at how little mention was made of the Mayan calendar, for example; blink and you miss it.
Despite this deficit, this book is otherwise absolutely terrific. It's not a book to plow through in an airport, though. It is a book to savor, for each new turn calls back so many associations made earlier. When I finally finished it, I felt the need to go back to Chapter 1 and see how much I remembered...what was that Sothic year again? Who was the Metonic cycle named for? What the heck is a nutation? This is a book that never speaks down to its audience; Steel assumes you are an intelligent reader and enjoys learning as much as he does. Enjoy!
A best seller by an articulate expert on time.......2001-09-18
This is a comprehensive and flowing account of the development of the world's adopted calendar. It is, by far, the best book I've read on the subject of time keeping. The so-called 'best sellers' that everyone seems to have read can't hold a candle to the breadth of experience contained here.
Steel's style may be a bit too chatty for some and too full of anecdotes about his youth in England and his experiences in the US and Austrialia. But then the author is a seriously good astronomer and this topic involves some pretty lateral concepts. He keeps you on board by making it fun and there's a detailed appendix at the back where all the relevant astronomical details are introduced in an easy style .... just in case you aren't an astronomer.
Marking Time's main aim is to explain why the Julian calendar was replaced. The modern calendar designed under Pope Gregory was built to reflect the length of time it takes the earth to pass between successive vernal equinoxes in March. Since the vernal year is almost constant, Pope Gregory's calendar is pretty accurate in tracking the time span between vernal equinoxes. The Julian version was a first approximation and therefore suffers from great inaccuracy over the centuries.
There were calendar proposals made by others in the middle ages that were even more accurate. Why were they rejected? Steel tells you why.
Steel also has an interesting religious-political theory for why the British finally adopted the calendar for it's empire in the mid-eighteenth century. It's all to do with the 77th meridian and Protestant England's fight against the Catholic church. I'd never read this stuff before - or his theory that universal time might be better measured from the US east coast - and was gripped. The freshness of his style is what made this book so memorable.
Marking Time's other aim is explain why you can't build a calendar for all the ages. It simply isn't possible. The earth's orbit around the sun is slowing down. So what is accurate today clearly won't be in the future. The lunar orbit isn't constant either so a lunar based calendar won't solve your problem. In any case, a day is only 24 hours long on four occasions in a year and the year itself can be defined in more than one way depending on whether you're looking at the sun or the stars.
After reading this book you'll realise there are a lot of very clever people in the world and also a lot of very silly laymen writing books on subjects they clearly don't understand. Duncan Steel isn't one of the silly people. You'll learn a lot from Marking Time that will fundamentally change the way you look at the world ........ and your watch.
best book on calendar I've seen.......2000-06-07
With the year 2000 came quite a few books about the history of the calendar. I've read quite a few of them, and I can say that Daniel Steel's book is by far the most informative of them; it is also remarkably well written, especially considering the complexity of the problems surrounding the development of our calendar, which the author does not shy away from.
I'll mention one issue here, because it was new to me: it is difficult to say exactly what a year is! More to the point, there are several different definitions of what a year is, and they have different lengths. The number you usually see quoted (365.2522 days) is the "mean tropical year". But you could instead measure the (mean) time between successive vernal equinoxes, and you get a slightly different number (365.2524 days). The author makes the case that the Gregorian calendar was designed to match this second definition (because the date of Easter is tied to the vernal equinox). This means that the Gregorian year (365.2425 days) is quite a bit more accurate than most people think, at least if you accept its intended goal.
Average customer rating:
|
Sunburnt Country: Stories of Australian Life
Manufacturer: Fremantle Arts Center Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Classics
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 186368364X |
Average customer rating:
|
Brassey's Companion to the British Army
Antony Makepeace-Warne
Manufacturer: Brassey's UK
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Reference
| Historical Study
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Military
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| World
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Military Science
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| England
| Europe
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1857531752 |
Book Description
This one-volume reference book meets the long-standing demand for a point of first reference on questions concerning the British Army, from its creation in 1660 to the present day. The concise and accurate entries, placed in alphabetical order for ease of reference, will quickly, easily and clearly satisfy the immediate needs of the reader. In addition to historical detail the entries reflect all the post Cold-war changes to the regiments and corps of the Army, and will continue to be a valuable reference source for many years. The book offers definitions of all the terms which are, or have been, in common usage in the Army, and covers every aspect of the campaigns, battles, dress, weapons, equipment and histories of the regiments and corps of the British Army
Book Description
Seize the Trident re-creates the Anglo-German race to build the biggest, fastest, most luxurious passenger ships in the world. Sparked in 1889 by the kaiser's declaration that he would "seize the trident" from English shipping firms, this friendly rivalry soon became a clash of fierce national pride, personal ego, and global ambitions, including those of wealthy robber barons such as J. P. Morgan.
Douglas Burgess delivers a riveting account of the race's origins, how it both paralleled and influenced the naval rearmament of the same period, and the crowning irony of its outcome. In size and splendor, the Germans won hands-down, but German ships in U.S. ports were seized at the outbreak of World War I. Later, they would carry hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops to fight against Germany.
Seize the Trident is must reading for maritime enthusiasts, history buffs, and anyone impressed by the splendor of this bygone era.
Customer Reviews:
Buyer Beware.......2007-06-25
Not recommended............. Instead of being a valuable source of the pre-1914 merchant rivalry on the North Atlantic, this book is riddled with so many prejudices and omissions and errors as to show the author to be either woefully careless or just plain ignorant. Cases in point:
PREJUDICES:
The author's pro-Cunard bias in Chapter 1 "The Gauntlet" is as amateurish as ill-informed. Cunard's initial modern liners were not so much the result of a resurgence after the staid founder's death as a brutal recognition that White Star and Inman were "eating Cunard's lunch" and the marketplace demanded better ships to survive. After all, even the author admits it was the White Star's Teutonic that set the Kaiser's ego on a Trans-Atlantic course.
In Chapter 7 "Titans" the author waxes socialistic with the cry of social injustice in the loss of Titanic. Must we always impose current values on the past? A reporting of the events is enough. While trying to embellish the facts, he only succeeds in weakening them, as noted below.
OMISSIONS:
The author omits any concept of the weekly service so vital to the regularity of the "Atlantic Ferry" and the declining number of ships necessary to maintain such service as speed and technology increased.
Also omitted are all but one reference of White Star's "Big Four," Celtic, Cedric, Baltic and Adriatic, each the largest ship in the world upon her completion.
In the meager photograph section there are no pictures of Imperator, Vaterland or Bismarck the culmination of the race for supremacy the book is about.
ERRORS:
Page 267
"The Cunard lion flew from the mainmast, just fifty or so feet back from the bows where the great bronze eagle had once perched." The mainmast is where the "house" flag flies but it is the second mast from the bow....... The mast "just fifty or so feet back from the bows" on Berengaria was the foremast that flies the flag of the nation of the next port of call.
Page 258
"From Germany's Kronprinz Wilhelm to its Vaterland, and from England's Oceanic to its Olympic, the liners that had once been prize entries in the race for Atlantic supremacy claimed the lion's share of troop-ferrying." First of all, Oceanic and Olympic were not English but Irish both being build in Belfast. The proper term to have used is British. Further Oceanic was a constructive total loss after running hard aground on the Shetland Island of Foula on 8 September 1914 and thus never carried troops in her WWI career.
Pages 145-146
"A single, appalling statistic tells the whole story: despite the oft-quoted doctrine of `women and children first,' a higher proportion of First Class men survived the disaster than Third Class children." The statistic is that more first class men were saved than third class children; no greater indictment can be made of the Titanic disaster than this but here again the author has muffed it.
Buy this book with full knowledge that while it reads well it is a woven text of half truths and sloppiness.
I guess someone didn't do their homework..........2006-08-01
I read the book first before I read the reviews. It really was a quick and enjoyable read. But then when I come to look at what others have said, and find out that very major mistakes were made on the history in the book concerning the ships and even more important, on the history of the people which is usually much easier to find at that time period (the Victorians kept everything...I know, I've cleaned out a house from that period!), then I am disappointed that someone didn't bother to do a simple verification of facts, especially if the German material has been translated to English.
I liked the difference in looking at the immense industry that occurred from building those ships at that time period. The book also made it clear what a change in attitude there was in between the using of ships with sails for a couple of hundred years, where the expectation of safety was not high, let alone of comfort...to when enclosed ships made of steel from our local Pittsburgh magnates, well, the change is amazing. Even the steerage class had a much better chance of being safe in a floating hotel, then they ever had on other ships. I've read a lot on the Titanic and some on military battleships, and I've always wondered why the disaster on the Titanic didn't give more qualms to the many who used steerage to come to the US. I guess the need for jobs and land and freedom, was worth the chance of death (and we obviously still don't understand this and why people come North for the very same reasons even at high risk...but that's another argument for a different medium).
The book's author is a good writer. But he should have done his fact checking on both the ships, the view from the German sides, and the facts concerning the men involved whether the Kaiser or the British royalty. Like another reviewer said, that's just sloppy work.
Karen Sadler
Disappointing.......2006-01-30
At first the book was very interesting, but then little "facts" were missing - like the remark that when the "Kaiser Wilhelm II" in 1903 at 19,000 tons - that the Kaiser was happy he had the "Largest ship in the world" - well, what happened to the White Star Line "Celtic" and "Cedric" - at 20,000 and 21,000 tons - they were the "Largest ships in the World" at this time - no, they weren't built for speed, but he didn't even mention the White Star "Big Four" in context to this subject - each of White Star's "Big Four" took her place as the "Largest ship in the World" when she was introduced - and although, the Germans measured their tonnage slightly different than the British - there was some dispute which was larger - the "Kaiserin Ausguste Victoria" or the "Adriatic" although, in a very short time period these two would be displaced by the "Lusitania". The "Cedric" is mentioned in the book as being "ancient" in 1914 - perhaps in technology - but, not in age - she lived until 1934 and was one of White Star's most successful ships. In the context of ocean liner history - the "Celtic" was the first ship built that was over 20,000 tons and was the first ship to displace the "Great Eastern" in size - all of the "Big Four" were extremely successful ships, and White Star's final abandoning the field of speed. This omission really got me to wondering if the author really knew his subject and blew it for me - like the other reviewer in this section - after reading the first couple of chapters - the book will be put back in the book shelf and remain there - an interesting addition to my collection, but, not a definitives study in the race between Germany and Great Britian in building Transalantic liners.
Missed Opportunity.......2005-09-11
In a word, disappointing. I wanted to like this book, which is engagingly written and has an interesting central hypothesis - that the Anglo-German liner race before WWI ended up accellerating Germany's defeat because so much tonnage was left laid up in the US. This was then seized and used to transport troops after America entered the war, hastening Germany's end. However, this hypothesis is never fully developed or explored, with alternatives considered or discussed. Added to that there are some historical errors of such schoolboy magnitude that you start to wonder what else is wrong. 'Edward was crowned monarch of England...and NORTHERN Ireland...'(p73) and Victoria's dominion apparantly extended to Bali (Dutch), Moorea (French) and Dar-es-Salaam (German) (p87) and HAPAG had a liner called AugustA Victoria.....all irritants a half decent editor should have spotted. From the Bibliography it looks as though all the research was done from secondary sources, and as I've read many of the originals such as Maxtone-Graham and Brinnin, I've read better. Not recommended.
Anglo-German Rivalry befoe WW1.......2005-07-13
Book arrived and has been perused. But I think it will now just gather dust. Bibliography shows author consulted only the English sources, but no German, either primary or secondary, many now available in translation. A shame, as the result seems one sided, replete with a number of nagging errors. The Kaiserin was Auguste (with an e) Viktoria, a mistake Ballin made once to his regret. Ballin kept an open berth at Harland & Wolff until at least 1905, when they built his Amerika. The largest German liner when Olympic debuted was the George Washington, a NDL liner, not HAPAG as stated. The first large German liner after the war was the luxurious NDL Columbus of 1922, not the comfortable HAPAG Albert Ballin of 1923. I imagine there are a number of other errors, but these stood out in a rather hasty look-through, which I think is all the book will get.
Also most contemporary German authors agree that the Kaiser had little or no influence on the directors of the German lines, and they received no input or subsidy from the Admiralty, unlike Cunard.
All in all a disappointment.
Average customer rating:
|
Seize the Trident
BURGESS
Manufacturer: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OGCW2O |
Product Description
Unabridged audiobook in MP3 format.
Customer Reviews:
A Great Place to Start in Learning About Breathwork........2005-09-26
Yogi Ramacharaka has several good books on how to train the breath but this is the one to start with if you are totally new to the whole concept and the science behind it. It covers the whole gamut and prepares your mind for the practical and more in depth steps relayed in his other books.
Average customer rating:
|
Sustaining the Earth: Choosing Consumer Products That Are Safe for You, Your Family, and the Earth
Debra Dadd-Redalia
Manufacturer: Hearst Communications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Social Services & Welfare
| Poverty
| Current Events
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Consumer Guides
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Environmental Science
| Earth Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Environmental Science
| Earth Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Conservation
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Reference
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 068812335X |
Books:
- Aid: Understanding International Development Cooperation
- Albania: Filling the Vulnerability Gap (World Bank Technical Paper)
- Back to Shared Prosperity: The Growing Inequality of Wealth and Income in America
- Beyond Borders: The New Regionalism in Latin America: Economic and Social Progress in Latin America: 2002 Report (Inter-American Development Bank)
- Brownfields Redevelopment: Programs and Strategies for Contaminated Real Estate
- Building Market Institutions in South Eastern Europe: Comparative Prospects for Investment and Private Sector Development (Directions in Development)
- Business Restructuring in Hong Kong: Strengths and Limits of Post-industrial Capitalism
- Changes in the Permanent Employment System in Japan, 1982-1997 (East Asia. History, Politics, Sociology, Culture)
- China's Economic Growth and Transition: Macroeconomic, Environmental and Social/Regional Dimensions
- China in Transition: Issues and Policies
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Men Who Hate Women and the Women Who Love Them : When Loving Hurts and You Don't Know Why
- Popcorn!
- On Trial for My Country
- Marie Antoinette: The Journey
- Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide 2002
- Introduction to the Theory of Neural Computation
- Olympic: A Visitor's Companion
- France On the Brink: A Great Civilization Faces a New Century
- Paths to Success: Beating the Odds in American Society
- Warrior Spirit Running to the Sound of Gunfire
