Bookpedia : Library WWWisdom : Author : D

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Summary: Tremendous breadth and perspective on the major political dilemmas of our time from a wise scholar of the academy and citizen of the world. Everyone from experts to laypersons can enjoy, understand, and gain from Dahl's insights and characterizations regarding the fundamental political dilemmas of our time. Rarely, does such a combination of scholarly erudition and simple prose ever come along. I am greatful to Robert Dahl for contributing and elevating political discourse here and around the world with this book. Please read it if you are remotely interested in the politics of any country and the politics of the world. You can probably read it in one long sitting.

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Summary: Redirecting the Economy Towards Community, the Environment and a Sustainable Future

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Summary: Aspetti e vicende della città popolare nel XIX secolo

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Summary: A Frenchman's discovery of America and England

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Summary: Bruno Rizzi

Summary: A Study in Eros and Agape

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Summary: Journal of Researches into the Natural History and Geology of the Countries visited during the Voyage of H.M.S "Beagle" round the World

Summary: The origin of species by means of natural selection or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life

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Summary: Basil Davidson has committed his life to understanding and telling the truths, as he sees them, about Africa. In this work he examines the formation of modern African states. He argues that, contrary to popular opinion, pre-colonial African states existed which had the capacity to integrate themselves into the global order on their own terms. He dwells extensively on the Asante nation-state to illustrate the vibrancy of these states. This organic process would have led to a much more positive end (as it did in Japan following the Meiji reforms of the 1870s) but it was aborted by the invasion of Africa by Imperial powers (driven partly by greed and partly by a racist worldview) and the subsequent imposition of "alien" political structures, completely divorced from, and hostile towards, "traditional" African institutions and society.
Davidson further argues that the later nationalist campaign for independence was led mostly by descendants of recaptive Africans (i.e returned slaves) and other similarly Westernized Africans who, though fighting for "freedom", shared the colonizers core socio-political values and hence attitude towards pre-colonial African institutions. Independence, therefore, did not change the fundamental nature of the African state. It remained primarily a tool for expropriating resorces and executing the "top-down" modernization agenda of the ruling elite.
Tribalism, David continues, was a defensive strategy adopted by society in the face of the hostility of the state. He suggests that it developed in response to the rise of the slave trading state prior to colonialism and was maintained during colonial rule as part of a "divide-and-rule" policy. It turned particularly virulent after independence as the modern African state further developed the exploitative and oppressive nature of its colonial predecessor.
Davidson relies extensively on historical sources and scholarly research. He makes extensive comparisons between the history of nation-statism in Africa and in Eastern Europe. He succeeeds in providing a strikingly different and refreshing explanation for the plight of modern Africa. While he mostly focuses on analyzing the issue, in conclusion, Davidson suggests that dealing with Africa's problems would require the building of a more organic and genuinely participatory state, which is sincere in its devotion to its people.
This is an excellent book.

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Summary: Mood and condition in English

Summary: Glyn Davies presents a superbly fascinating account of money from the earliest times to 2002 and of its various forms from whales' teeth to the euro. I always thought money was well ... notes and greenbacks but it turns out that metallic money (silver and gold) were once all that was regarded as real money. I stopped several times to, perhaps creatively, think how money would have developed in a particular society and how it evolved in use from religious offerings to war payments to trade. How did different societies create and exploit money? In fact the book is very educational as it covers so much of the history of economics and not surprisingly the history of banking. I have a much more intuitive feel for where money came from, how it developed, how it is valued and devalued up to current mania for inflation targeting. This I fear will nourish and enrich my future readings of research papers on economic and monetary policy and of diverse central bank reports. Thank you Glyn.

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Summary: This book is all about considering how at the forefront of human science there is still room for God. Davies deals with some of the really big concepts that have come out of modern Physics and how those concepts match up with theology and religion and especially how the scientific approach could make room for the existence of God.

Davies looks at Genesis, Creation and the Big Bang. We consider that cause does not necessarily precede effect and that the Big Bang does not necessitate an external influence. We try and grasp the concept of how God could exist outside of space and time that is our own physical universe. We touch on some really hard to grasp concepts such as a primordial force acting just billionths of a second after the big bang, timewarps and singularities. We look at order and disorder and the teleological argument for the existence of God, matter and antimatter, particles and quantum physics. He then examines Life itself and the concept of mind. So you can see that as a reader you cover a lot of ground here and not all of it is easy going.

Some of the physics presented here is hard to grasp. Not because Davies uses complex mathematics but because the concepts are a bit tricky to understand. I am not sure if the lack was in the explanation or in my understanding. There is the problem of translating a precise mathematical theory into the imprecise language that we all read and speak. In the majority Davies does a splendid job of explaining some complex science in terms that a layman can understand and appreciate. The balance is lost when we get to the section on quantum theory and particle physics and it does feel a bit like reading a physics text book. (I wasn't very good at reading physics text books even when I did my physics A level). However, it is worthwhile to persevere and see where Davies is going when describing the apparent chaotic and unpredictable events that occur at the quantum level.

There is a lot here about entropy and the Third law of thermodynamics which is regarded as fundamental to human understanding of the cosmos. So if you are not interested in such things then this probably won't be the book for you.

There are also lots of interesting theories here, including the seemingly bizarre, that go against all common sense. For example, I find the theory of parallel universes as explained here to be totally unconvincing. Every movement of a particle causes the creation of parallel universe!

There is also some consideration as to how humans might develop in the unthinkably far future and how what intelligent life might be able to do in future would undoubtedly be given a supernatural explanation now. This leads to discussion how God might act within the laws of nature and might be a natural rather than supernatural being.

There are lots of questions and ideas here and much that is thought provoking. I was encouraged to look at more books in this field to do with arguments for and against the existence of a supreme God or Prime Mover as Aristotle would say. Although I have taken on board a lot of interesting stuff about entropy, thermodynamics, singularities and the concept of time I would not want a book that delved any deeper into the physics. With the exception of the particle physics sections the balance of science to theology was about right

There is little here to be inspired about, however. Is the universe and everything in it just an incredibly improbable accident? Some of the later sections, especially considering the death of the universe (the big crunch and other scenarios) lead you inevitably to the question `what is the point of it all?' and become quite depressing. The more you know the more depressed you get, it's a bit like Marvin the Paranoid Android from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

Summary: This book takes all the Physics knowledge you ever acquired, picks it to pieces, throws it out of the window and then reveals some concepts that will change the way you view time and space and Physics in general. Not only this, but it is all the more stunning (and sometimes scary) because many of the revelations are backed up by succesful experiment results.

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Summary: I have been interested in the ancient Egyptian civilisation for many years, and am now studying archaeology at university. I bought this book four years ago, and am still learning things from it.
It is an excellently written introduction to a mysterious language, and W.V.Davies leads the reader gradually from learning the basic signs, to an overview of Egyptian grammar. I found this absolutely fascinating and can hardly believe that this one book could allow you to write full sentences (even stories!) that could have been understood by people living 3,000 years ago!

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Summary: Una teoria della società comunista

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Summary: "The Extended Phenotype" is the 4th and most demanding of Richard Dawkins' books that I've read. I hadn't realized that it was aimed mainly at his professional colleagues so was surprised at the amount of concentration, hard thinking and puzzled head scratching required to work through it. But what a glow of satisfaction: to finish such a challenging book, feeling that most of it has made sense to me. Like his other books (the ones I've read: "The Selfish Gene", "The Blind Watchmaker" and "Unweaving The Rainbow"), it's beautifully clearly written, with most of the more esoteric terms defined in the glossary at the back of the book. Not all of the terms could be found there however and nor were many of those to be found in an ordinary dictionary. The book is not so self-contained as those aimed at the more 'popular science' end of the market - the ones that you can read from cover to cover without reaching for a dictionary or other source of clarification. That's why I can only claim to have understood *most* rather than *all* of the book.
This book follows on from "The Selfish Gene" and in it, Dawkins argues that the phonotypic effects of genes do not stop at the limits of the organisms that carry them. He suggests, for example, that the phenotypic expression of beaver genes stretch right to the edges of the lakes formed by their dams and the genes of some parasites are expressed in their hosts. So a snail might behave in a manner that puts itself in harm's way because the fluke living inside it has, somehow, managed to modify the snail's behaviour for its own ends - say to continue its life cycle inside one of the snail's predators. That is to say, the snail's behaviour is maximizing the survival of fluke genes rather than snail genes. He puts it very succinctly: 'an animal's behaviour tends to maximize the survival of the genes "for" that behaviour, whether or not those genes happen to be in the body of the particular animal performing it.' There are plenty of other fascinating examples of this sort. There are chapters covering such intriguing areas as evolutionary 'arms races', 'outlaw' genes and 'jumping' genes. Good use is made of thought experiments to help to figure out how and why certain adaptations might have evolved. 'Outlaw' genes for instance, might try to cheat the system to get themselves replicated more than their alleles, so how can the rest of the genome fight back? I particularly liked the idea of the 'green-beard effect' whereby genes might make the organism (not necessarily a man) carrying them recognisable to other organisms carrying that gene so that all the organisms carrying the 'green beard' gene would be altruistic towards each other but not to non-green-bearded organisms.
It's not the usual easy read. As the author points out, 'this book ... assumes that the reader has professional knowledge of evolutionary biology and its technical terms'. However, it's well worth the effort of struggling with it if you're interested in evolution and Richard Dawkins ideas about how it all works. If you've read "The Selfish Gene" and found it riveting, you'll probably enjoy this too.

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Summary: Scienza, storia, impieghi presenti e futuri dell'acqua

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Summary: Raccolta di 5000 sentenze, proverbi e motti latini di uso quotidiano in ordine per materie con le fonti indicate, schiarimenti e la traduzione italiana

Summary: Raccolta di 2000 regole del diritto

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Summary: Vol. 1. A Critique of Current Educational Aims
Vol. 2. Reason
Vol. 3. Education and Reason

Summary: An Atlas History of Man's Journeys Into the Unknown

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Summary: Just a quickie. Some of the above reviews remind us of how slow and boring this book can be and how repetitive. Well, guys, that's the point. How exciting do you suppose being stranded alone on an Island can be? What would you do to pass the time? Defoe takes us back to a time before T.V etc. Your day would be boring, although eventually menial tasks save ones sanity. Time does pass slowly as it looses relavance. It's not a classic for nothing.

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Summary: Ricerca sociologica sugli insegnanti

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Summary: Vol. I Dalle origini a tutto il Trecento

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Summary: Perspectives on the American Arts and Crafts Movement

Summary: Having only read the hardcover edition, I'm going to stick my neck out and assume that when Breaking the Spell is released as a paperback Daniel Dennett won't be backtracking much on a topic which evidently concerns him a great deal. Rightly so, since it increasingly seems that we have replaced a cold war based on political difference with one that has its foundation in the most personal beliefs of ordinary people the world over. Whether we cherish one divine source or another, or instead celebrate an entirely natural evolution of mankind, we need to understand each other better in order to coexist peacefully, as we should.

Dennett makes the point that in any society where freedoms of thought, speech and faith are prized above all else, freedom of enquiry should be the natural extension. Yet the default position amongst the world's various faithful on the subject of religious investigation is almost invariably one of affronted refusal. His concern is that ignorance not only leads us towards potentially dangerous misunderstanding, but that it can also blind us to the finer qualities of the things we love.

Dennett is a committed atheist, but this does not make him an enemy of the religious. His arguments and analysis are fair and the book's purpose valuable: to illuminate the situation for all concerned (which means everyone) and to suggest possible ways to move forward. He does not offer solutions, but paves the way for the first steps toward greater understanding and does so with his typical clarity, depth and good humour. A very good book.

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Summary: This is a superb book. Well argued, very well written, not the best annotated study I have read, but a cogent, lucid piece of prose with a very compelling argument.
Norman Dennis, writing from a perspective of an ethical socialist demolishes the myth that poverty and unemployment cause crime. He is essentially attacking a report by authors commissioned by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation to inquire into Income and Wealth in England and Wales. The report itself is however, representative of the whole theory which holds that crime is the result of poverty and unemployment and is thus 'no-one's fault'.
Using the same information as the authors and drawing from other published sources, Dennis categorically shows that the arguments do not hold up to any serious scruting. He deplores the extension of marxist and so-called socialist academics theories away from attacking the capitailist superstructure and into areas of discrimination and inequality. His capacity to do so is supported by his position as a long-term member of the Labour Party and his academic credentials.
For Dennis, explanations of crime should be more focussed on the sexual liberation of men since the 1960's and the changing values of the elites in British society which allows for sexual freedom or licence without responsibility. By turning the focus of social policy makers onto women who suffer because of this behaviour industrialised societies are in effect promoting an estrangement of men from responsibility, an effect which has been enhanced by the changing nature of employment from traditional male manual labour to more female orientated tasks and services. This combined with the impact of contraceptive devices has allowed for increasing restlessness among (particularly young) males which has been excused in Dennis' view by the no-fault theories.
While Dennis' argument is compelling there are some flaws in his argument. His critique of social liberalisation is a clever denunciation of an increasing individualistic society. For him, the cry is a return to the family. I am not trying here to equate his view to the 'Back to Basics' nonsense of the Major Government for Dennis' view is clearly more complex than that. He asks for a return to a more authoritative socialist type of society rather than looking for a strengthening of the existing laws to ensure that relationships carry responsibility for actions as well as the rights to enjoy them.
Another error is the complete failure to examine the exceptions to the nicey-nice view of working class life that he so eloquently portrays. He ignores the infidelity that certainly existed, he ignores the whole question of back street abortions, and most crucially he does not examine at all the whole issue of prostitution which was certainly not the sole perogative of the middle and upper classes.
Despite thos criticisms this really is a well written and argued little book. Recommended for anyone with an interest in crime and social policy.

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Summary: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." These rights are as cherished today as when Thomas Jefferson enumerated them 231 years ago, but traditional faith isn't doing as well (witness Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens). If God goes, do our rights go with him? Not according to Alan Dershowitz, who in "Rights from Wrongs" proposes the theory that they come not from God (theists have no monopoly on moral behavior), nature (whose first rule is selfishness), or the law itself (Dershowitz is no fan of legal positivism). Rather, he argues that, in a sense, two wrongs do make a right: that our rights are built from the ground up, in the manner of the common law: we "agree upon the least desirable ways of life and seek to protect against those evils." Dershowitz is likely to lose some readers, especially those who trend toward the right, in the book's second half, where he begins to apply his theory to issues including organ donation, separation of church and state, animal rights, and immigration. Regardless, "Rights from Wrongs" is a fine companion piece to the "atheist trilogy": well-argued, thought-provoking, and likely to appeal to those interested in politics and philosophy as well as religion and law. "--Benjamin Lukoff"

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Summary: Suivi d'extraits de la Dioptrique, des Météores, de la Vie de Descartes par Baillet, du Monde, de l'Homme et de Lettres

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Summary: Models of political communication and control

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Summary: Storia e strutture linguistiche italiane dalla preistoria ai nostri giorni

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Summary: "Experience and Education" is the best concise statement on education ever published by John Dewey, the man acknowledged to be the pre-eminent educational theorist of the twentieth century. Written more than two decades after "Democracy and Education" (Dewey's most comprehensive statement of his position in educational philosophy), this book demonstrates how Dewey reformulated his ideas as a result of his intervening experience with the progressive schools and in the light of the criticisms his theories had received.
Analyzing both "traditional" and "progressive" education, Dr. Dewey here insists that neither the old nor the new education is adequate and that each is miseducative because neither of them applies the principles of a carefully developed philosophy of experience. Many pages of this volume illustrate Dr. Dewey's ideas for a philosophy of experience and its relation to education. He particularly urges that all teachers and educators looking for a new movement in education should think in terms of the deeped and larger issues of education rather than in terms of some divisive "ism" about education, even such an "ism" as "progressivism." His philosophy, here expressed in its most essential, most readable form, predicates an American educational system that respects all sources of experience, on that offers a true learning situation that is both historical and social, both orderly and dynamic.

Summary: Analysis and evaluation of problem of knowledge, other systems, formulation of law, role of language, social factors.

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Summary: The twentieth century has witnessed the blossoming of Western culture: new technology; communications and transportation systems; social, political, educational, agricultural, and medical advances. But with these changes have come the strains and tensions of conflicting interests, desires, and values within the community. John Dewey, one of America's most prolific writers of popular philosophy, believed that humankind could keep a firm hold on its destiny only if the critical intelligence of scientific method and its democratic counterpart were emphasized and promoted. Freedom of inquiry, tolerance of diverse ideas and opinions, cultural pluralism, free speech, and a willingness to co-operate in pursuit of shared values and ideals would be the springboard for social development.

Summary: I had never heard of John Dewey until I took a philosophy class. When I first received the book, I read through it relatively fast. Much of the material went over my head. However, on the second reading it was as if the pages were illuminated. In this book, Mr. Dewey gives his opinion on how we humans learn. It takes every day simple actions, breakes them up into their smallest unit and discusses why we did it that way.
What have I gained from this book? Everytime I do something, I attempt to break it down into its simples being, and determining how this breakdown fosters greater intelligence within myself.
As a text book or a book one wants to learn something from, I give it five stars. For just general reading it will garner 1/2 of a star.

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Summary: Anne Scott's address was scribbled on a crumpled note in the pocket of Morse's smartest suit. Inspector Morse turned the corner of Canal Street, Jericho, on Wednesday afternoon. He hadn't planned a second visit, but was back the same day as officer in charge of a suicide investigation.

Summary: "Superbly clue-laden...A complex and satisfying puzzle."
THE BOSTON SUNDAY GLOBE
The case seems so simple, Inspector Morse deemed it beneath his notice. A wealthy, elderly American tourist has a heart attack in her room at Oxford's luxurious Randolph Hotel. Missing from the scene is the lady's handbag, which contained the Wolvercote Tongue, a priceless jewel that her late husband had bequeathed to the Ashmolean Museum just across the street. Morse proceeds to spend a great deal of time thinking--and drinking--in the hotel's bar, certain the solution is close at hand--until conflicting stories, suspicious doings, and a real murder convince him otherwise....
"It is a delight to watch this brilliant, quirky man [Morse] deduce."
MINNEAPOLIS STAR & TRIBUNE

Summary: "Morse is a thoroughly convincing detective, and a very humane one, too."

--The New York Times Book Review



Valerie Taylor has been missing since she was a sexy seventeen, more than two years ago. Inspector Morse is sure she's dead. But if she is, who forged the letter to her parents saying "I am alright so don't worry"? Never has a woman provided Morse with such a challenge, for each time the pieces of the jigsaw start falling into place, someone scatters them again. So Valerie remains as tantalizingly elusive as ever. Morse prefers a body--a body dead from unnatural causes. And very soon he gets

one. . . .



"You don't really know Morse until you've read him. . . . Viewers who have enjoyed British actor John Thaw as Morse in the PBS Mystery! anthology series should welcome the deeper character development in Dexter's novels."

--Chicago Sun-Times



"Fascinating . . . Very satisfying."

--Book Sellers

Summary: "[Morse is] the most prickly, conceited, and genuinely brilliant detective since Hercule Poirot."
--The New York Times Book Review

Inspector Morse isn't sure what to make of the truncated body found dumped in the Oxford Canal, but he suspects it may be all that's left of an elderly Oxford don last seen boarding the London train several days before. Whatever the truth, the inspector knows it won't be simple--it never is. As he retraces Professor Browne-Smith's route through a London netherworld of topless bars and fancy bordellos, his forebodings are fulfilled. The evidence mounts; so do the bodies. So Morse downs another pint, unleashes his pit bull instincts, and solves a mystery that defies all logic.

"[Dexter] is a magician with character, story construction, and the English language. . . . Colin Dexter and Morse are treasures of the genre."
--Mystery News

"It is a delight to watch this brilliant, quirky man deduce."
--Minneapolis Star & Tribune

Summary: "[MORSE IS] THE MOST PRICKLY, CONCEITED, AND GENUINELY BRILLIANT DETECTIVE SINCE HERCULE POIROT."
--The New York Times Book Review
This time Inspector Morse brings the imposition on himself. He could have been vacationing in Greece instead of investigating a murder that the police have long since written off. But he finds the crime--the brutal killing of a suburban churchwarden--fascinating. In fact, he uncovers not one murder but two, for the fatal fall of St. Frideswides vicar from the church tower Morse reckons to be murder as well. And as he digs into the lives and unsanctified lusts of the late vicar's erring flock, the list of the dead grows longer. Not even the oddly appealing woman he finds scrubbing the church floor can compensate Morse for the trouble he's let himself in for. So he has another pint, follows his hunches, and sets out to untangle the deadly business of homicide. . . .
"A BRILLIANTLY PLOTTED DETECTIVE STORY."
--Evening Standard (London)
"WILY. . . ELEGANT."
--Observer (London)

Summary: Morse is the most prickly, conceited, and genuinely brilliant detective since Hercule Poirot."<br>--The New York Times Book Review</p><p>Nicholas Quinn is deaf, so he considers himself lucky to be appointed to the Foreign Examinations Board at Oxford, which designs tests for students of English around the world. But when someone slips cyanide into Nicholas's sherry, Inspector Morse has a multiple-choice murder. Any one of a tight little group of academics could have killed Quinn. Before Morse is done, all their dirty little secrets will be exposed. And a murderer will be cramming for his finals. . . . </p><p>"[Dexter] is a magician with character, story construction, and the English language. . . . Colin Dexter and Morse are treasures of the genre."<br>--Mystery News</p><p>"It is a delight to watch this brilliant, quirky man [Morse] deduce."<br>--Minneapolis Star &amp; Tribune </p><h3>About the Author</h3><p>Colin Dexter lives in Oxford, England. He has twice won Britain's Gold Dagger Award for the best crime novel of the year--for The Wench Is Dead and The Way Through the Woods. </p></div>

Summary: As a first time Morse reader, who has since read all of the novels, I found this book one of the most satisfying I have ever read. As a bookworm, I relish it when I have found a genuine, compulsive, page-turner of a book (note the Oxford comma). I had seen many of the TV films, so knew the characters, and, though there are only 13 novels (14 if you count the short-story collection, I don't) to 33 films, they are the kind you can read over and over again.
An interesting point in this book was that Colin Dexter takes into account what happens in between novels. To clarify, The Way Through The Woods was published in 1993, two years after The Jewel That Was Ours, in which time two series of Inspector Morse had been shown on ITV. Having recently seen both 'Promised Land' and 'The Death of the Self', neither of which were novels, I noticed something that, had it been absent, would grind at the eyes and ears of die hard fans. Dexter mentions that, hithero to the events in 'The Way Through The Woods', Lewis's only travel abroad had been (in addition to a single afternoon in a Calais supermarket) three weeks in Australia and two weeks in Italy. I consider this a compliment from Mr Dexter to those who both read his novels and watch the television films, which they inspired, as he knows that we would notice, was this left out.
Other than this, I would consider this the best Morse book of them all.

Summary: Hard drinking Inspector Morse collapses at home but is luckily found by his cleaning woman who recognises the signs of a perforated ulcer, as her late husband had died from that same condition. A reluctant Morse is hospitalised and forced to rest while undergoing treatment. He is given a copy of a book based on an actual murder case which took place in 1859, in which the crew of a canal boat were executed for the murder of a young female passenger. Despite pleading their innocence, the boatmen's story was never believed. Morse is fascinated by the case and gets the visiting, librarian daughter of another patient in his hospital ward to bring him in copies of the old newspapers which carried the stories. He then fills in his days in bed with solving several puzzling aspects of the case. This book was very well portrayed in the tv series Inspector Morse, which starred John Thaw and was played in the two eras...the hospital and the canal boat trip in 1859.

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Summary: "Collapse" is a wonderful book! Prof. Diamond combines hard science, rigorous historical research, and his own personal knowledge of people from the Bitterroot Valley of Montana to the west coast of Greenland to Rwanda to the highlands of New Guineau. He pulls together clear and compelling explanations of how events unfolded (and are still unfolding) in various parts of the world.

His accounts of various human communities draw on real data from a wide variety of academic fields, including isotope analysis, pollen analysis, tree-ring analysis, seismology, agronomy, archaeology, sociology, and even the history of religion. His explanations of each of these disciplines are lucid without oversimplification. But, the strength of the book comes from the the way he combines results from all these fields to create straightforward narratives of what might have happened as various communities rose and fell.

If I were I high school "social studies" teacher I would be talking to my principal today, saying "I want to put together an honors-level geography course and I want to use this as the textbook."

I do have one criticism. The subject matter of the book is tremendously consequential to people alive today, and hopefully "policy wonks" in governments will study the book and take it seriously. But, the title is a bit inflammatory. What's more, Prof. Diamond makes sure to explain the significance for the United States of his accounts of the demise of various ancient communities. Some of these explanations extrapolate from ancient situations to modern in a way that isn't quite as solid as the rest of the book. Diamond's extrapolations are very cleary marked as such. However, I am still afraid that they, combined with the title, will provide an excuse for people to dismiss the book as a "pro-environment anti-business" ideological polemic. That would be unfortunate, because it is actually balanced and nuanced in its explanation of the human condition.

Summary: Explaining what William McNeill called "The Rise of the West" has become the central problem in the study of global history. In "Guns, Germs, and Steel" Jared Diamond presents the biologist's answer: geography, demography, and ecological happenstance. Diamond evenhandedly reviews human history on every continent since the Ice Age at a rate that emphasizes only the broadest movements of peoples and ideas. Yet his survey is binocular: one eye has the rather distant vision of the evolutionary biologist, while the other eye--and his heart--belongs to the people of New Guinea, where he has done field work for more than 30 years.

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Summary: This book is amazing and touching. Normally I would not attempt to read such a big book but I felt like a challenging read and I can not put it down. It is the story of David's life and I would recommend it to anybody since it is the only novel that has ever brought a tear to my eye. For me, this is not a book that I can read and return to a library, I need a copy of the magic within. The language may be difficult to understand at first but if you are patient, you will get the hang of it and it will be many times more rewarding. When reading a book, I like to read the story and come to the end of the book so that I know how it ends but with David Copperfield, of course I want to come to the end, but I also want to make the book last. I have been reading it for a month now and I still have 1/4 of the book to read. Because it is taking too long, it feels to me as though I am following David slowly through his life and I believe that is how this novel should be read.

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Summary: 'Hard Times' is one of Dickens' most evocative novels, painting a vivid picture of the grinding, soulless industrialisation that so troubled the author. Introducing a host of brilliantly conceived characters, it is a memorable read. Gradgrind and Bounderby earn a well deserved place in the canon of Dickens' finest literary creations. Although serious in purpose, with a biting social commentary, it is written in Dickens' customary vein of humour and the author's ear for dialect and vernacular is gloriously manifest. A good start for those who normally shy away from Dickens because of his lengthy novels as it is relatively short and a definite must for anyone interested in social novels or an amusing read.

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Summary: It's time to rediscover the wonderful books we all cherish.
First published in 1859, "A Tale of Two Cities" is one of Dickens's most famous and popular novels. This stirring tale, set in the late eighteenth century against the backdrop of the French Revolution, is a novel for all generations. Filled with adventure and love, revolution and terror, it transports the reader to a time of political upheaval and solutions by guillotine.

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