Book Description

A biography of the great French socialist and intellectual ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Aurel Stein: Pioneer of the Silk Road
Aurel Stein was not without his faults. From all indications, he believed in the white man's burden, and probably would have tolerated fascism for its efficiency except for the realization that Hitler's brand of it included anti-Semitism, and Stein was Jewish. Even the subtitle of the book, Pioneer of the Silk Road, is Eurocentric: there were already people living in the areas Stein explored, members of tribes Stein seems to have had no interest in or ability to differentiate among. Stein was the first white archaeologist in the area, and he did open up new methods of what can only be called archaeological plunder. Stein felt that if he hadn't taken those antiquities, there was a good chance they would have been destroyed where they were. He didn't know they'd sit unviewed in the British Museum for almost a hundred years after he took them. The real crime is that they are not now given back to China to help right past injustices. Stein's racial and cultural attitudes were a product of his time. He was too stuck in the framework of his own culture to be able to judge any other culture except by the standards of his own. Annabel Walker acknowledges Stein's shortcomings and yet brings him to life as an interesting, sympathetic individual. He loved his family and friends and dogs dearly, but beyond that, he loved the great Asian wildernesses that he roamed in, often at extreme peril. Walker evokes those places, makes us see them as he did. Walker shows us the "pluck", as Stein liked to call it, of the man, as well as his determination to shape his life as he wanted it, to pursue what interested him. He died the way he lived, in action, pursuing his dream even in his old age. Annabel Walker writes with insight and equanimity. Her research is painstaking, her writing style enjoyable and thought-provoking.

Memory of lost civilizations
It is only through the work and people like Aurel Stein that we can retain knowledge of the past which otherwise would be forgotten and lost in the hands of specialized predators and thieves. Well written book.

Thief
The man and his "competitors" were not above your common grave diggers. They simply dug and hauled treasures and historic artifacts out of their resting places and rubbed a people and the land of their heritage.

Shame on those who consider them true archeologists. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Steal This Rebel
The book's great. A complete account of the life and times of one of the 1960's New Left's major characters. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Geertz ignored his presence during genocide for too long
I have been influenced by the beauty of Geertz writing for decades, but After the Fact has left me disturbed and confused. This summer I read an essay by Stephen Reyna claiming Geertz covered-up genocide in Indonesia, I didn't believe Reyna's claims until I read Geertz's account of these events in this book. Now I don't know what to think, and I am beginning to question Geertz's methods and I want to know why Geertz was not outspoken about the genocide he saw.

the great but unclassifiable anthropologist
A Professor of Social Science at Princeton for decades, Geertz gave a series of lectures at the University of Jerusalem and these were the result. The book serves as a memoir of his four decades in the field of anthropology and brings together two areas of the world where he has built his career. Noting the similarities and differences of working in Indonesia and Morocco, Geertz draws comparative aspects of these divergent cultures. Known for his 'thick description' which was made Bible in the "interpretation of cultures" (a must first-read for understanding his theories), Geertz uses it some, but doesn't overload the reader here. The uninformed reader can still enjoy the behind-the-scenes-look at one of the foremost anthropologists of the 20th century and not get lost along the way. For the Geertz fan, it is a must read, if nothing for his funny anecdotes. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

Ernest Mandel (1923-1995) was a member of a very rare breed: a theorist of activist Marxism. Leader of the international Trotskyist movement, lifelong revolutionary, and scholar of world renown, Mandel was one of those few individuals who combined the roles of political leader and respected intellectual. This work presents a critical appraisal of the vast range of Mandel's theoretical work. The authors assess his contributions to political and economic theory; his humanist and optimistic variety of Marxism; his crucial contribution to the analysis of the dynamic of capitalism in the late twentieth century; his analyses of the bureaucracy in the workers' movement; his conception of the problems involved in the transition to socialism; and the specific relationship that a man who came close to perishing in the Nazi concentration camps had to the question of the Holocaust. The volume also includes a bibliography of Mandel's works as well as two previously unpublished pieces by him, one on the Holocaust, the other on the foundations of his unrepentant commitment to Marxism. Contributors include Robin Blackburn, Norman Geras, Michael Lowy, Charles Post, Francisco Louca, Michel Husson, Jesus Albarracin, Pedro Montes, and Catherine Samary. ... Read more

Book Description

A first-person journal about the author's sponsorship of a Vietnamese refugee family in the mid-'70s. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (1)

Superb
This is the best book ever written concerning Emile Durkheim ... Read more

Amazon.com

Arthur Evans leapt into the public imagination with his 1900 discovery of Crete's Palace of Knossos, interpreted as the lair of the mythical Minotaur. Though his findings were a crowning achievement of archaeology's golden age, then, as now, questions have been raised about Evans's excavations and the conclusions he reached. In the richly detailed Minotaur, Joseph Alexander MacGillivray, who has himself excavated Crete, suggests that the man who gave us the very term Minoan provides a prime example of "how archaeological discovery occurs first in the mind." By examining Evans's life and work through his actions and correspondence, MacGillivray shows that Evans's evidence was "fully, even exaggeratedly exploited" but rarely reviewed. Adventurous, energetic, and highly observant, Evans also displayed "single-minded arrogance," "pomposity and manifest racism"--traits that invited misinterpretation, MacGillivray writes. The book also incorporates an interesting history of war-torn Crete and the Balkans as well as Evans's involvement in the region's politics. It finally outlines modern theories on Minoan civilization, though the "Palace and surrounding buildings are crumbling as fast as Evans's intellectual reconstruction," so that solid proof of any thesis is increasingly problematic. Fascinating as a portrait of the man who "gave the world a new chapter in its ancient history" andfor its portrayal of the developing discipline of archaeology, Minotaur also poses some important questions about whether archaeologists are ever impartial observers. --Karen Tiley ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Reception Theory and Victorian Psychosis by Example
Sandy MacGillivray's in depth analysis of the life and times of pioneer Cretan archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans was a pure joy to read. The author's own experiences as a professional in the field on Crete add great weight to his arguments as he finds himself coping the Evans' legacy on a daily basis. I really got the sense that the author knew Evans, both the man and the scholar, through close attention to and extensive research on the amply available primary sources. This is a wonderfully scholarly, yet very readable and highly interesting book to both the professional archaeologist and interested armchair amateur. ... Read more

Book Description

The author paints a highly charged portrait of this ubiquitous "savant", denouncing his militancy, hypocrisy, elitism and shallowness.This controversial and impassioned attack by a fellow French scholar is more than a gauntlet thrown, it's David taking a shot at Goliath ... Read more

Book Description

This, the long-awaited third volume of the Cosmic Trigger trilogy includes Wilson's witty and humorous observations about the widely spread (and, happily, premature) announcement of his demise. And, of course, what Wilson masterpiece would be complete without synchronicities, religious fanatics, UFOs, crop circles, paranoia, pompous scientists, secret societies, high tech, black magic, quantum physics, hoaxes (real and fake), Orson Welles, James Joyce, Carl Sagan, Madonna and The Vagina of Nuit. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Wilsonian Romp
There really is not much for me to say on this one. It's just a fun ride. The kind you come to expect with Wilson. It is book you can read without having read the Cosmic Trigger books, but it helps.

What a conclusion
How many books can begin with their author dieing? Well, it seems that nothing is impossible to Robert Anton Wilson. Finding out about his death on the internet, Wilson takes us along another journey of self discovery and an examination of belief systems.

The story takes us to Ireland and unveils a host of new story lines to help you question the way you look at the world and help you to expand your mind. While this book comes close to the second book in the series, it falls just short of being equally as excellent. Wilson again attacks his topic through the intertwining of several story lines and does not disappoint. For anyone new to Wilson, you may wish to start with the second book in the series. If you have read the first two books, this one is definitely an excellent ending to the series.

OK, HERE'S THE DEAL....
I feel that Wilson might be a genius. He seems to me to be smart enough to realize that his opinion isn't necessarily the best one. He's careful to state that his opinions are just that, OPINIONS. This colors everything he does. {People looking for answers should run screaming the other way.)

This is a set of essays, strung together in a manner that will make you think. His style as an essayist is engaging. In fact, I enjoy his essays more than his novels. Even when I disagree with Wilson (which might very well happen if you read with an open mind), I still find something to think about and consider.

I think that his books are designed to be mind-openers, not mind closers...I actually met a RAW-Dogmatic guy once, and after I finished laughing, tried to show him that (in my opinion) he missed the message.

This seems to me to be a fantastic book. I hope you enjoy it, too.

Brilliant "mid-wing" essays.
I think it's impossible for Robert Anton Wilson to write a non-interesting book. (Unfortunately he's gone into virtual retirement since the death of this wife.) While "Trigger III" has very little to do with the first book, (actually none of them have any connection other than title ) it's just a spellbinding read. To me, only RAW can write about what would be considered incidental and trival to most people and just make one gasp at the taken-for-granted mysteries and subtleties of existence. Such as, why IS the Mona Lisa cannonized as a masterpiece while works of equal of vast superioriority not? Here(as in all his books)he absolutely blasts away both materialistic dogma (Carl sagan, CISCOP, politicans)and religious dogma ( all of 'em ).

Wilson is a philosopher who can see the beauty AND the B.S. of life. He intelligently explains having mystical expericences as a STARTING point to exploration, not a new dogma to shove down people's throats. In my opinion, no other writer is better in explaining and exposeing how the world is with more honesty, knowledge and HUMOR. ( This applies to litterally ALL his books, not just CT III)

To my knowledge this is the last book Wilson has released. I sure hope he writes another before he "moves on". His works have literally transfromed me into, I think, a far wiser person. Hopefully for you as well.

This Book is a Fake
Robert Anton Wilson's final part of his Cosmic Trigger Series proves that from the beginning its all a conspiracy. Even his own death was just a hoax. Can you prove normalcy beyond a shadow of a doubt? Although I found this part one of the best, I would still say to read part 1, then part 2, in that order. Wilson argues Evolution and Creationism, political correctness, Carl Sagan and of course, conspiracies. Well thought out with the reading that doubles upon itself, you will find how information adds up into another line of thinking. Certainly a classic RAW book! Highly reccomended! ... Read more

Book Description

Karl Lowith's study of Max Weber and Karl Marx is a key interpretation of both the theme of alienation in Marxist theory as well as the subject of rationalization in Weber's sociology. Lowith's philosophical approach, a product of Heidegger's existentialism, shows how both Marx and Weber work toward a common ``life-philosophy.'' Lowith's analysis of the philosophical anthropology of Marxist theory and sociology also demonstrates that much of the ideological dispute between these two branches of thought is the result of a mutual misunderstanding. Lowith's book remains the best short introduction to the differences and similarities between Weber and Marx. This edition also includes a preface from Professor Bryan S. Turner, who demonstrates the book's relevance to contemporary sociology. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Lowith's Argument Remains Important
Lowith's 1932 essay on Marx and Weber remains the definitive statement of the deep commonalities between these two thinkers. That is, it argues that Weber's central concern is to develop a fundamental theory of capitalism, as with Marx. For decades, it was "necessary" to attempt to parry Marx with Weber. Lowith's stood as an accusation of "bad faith" with regard to all such attempts, especially those who would evacuate Weber of all critique, even if only existential. Derek Sayer's "Capitalism and Modernity" is perhaps most in the spirit of this minor masterpiece. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

An illuminating study of intellectual ethics
As Oakes and Vidich state in their introduction, this book is an anaylsis of the ethics of academic career management. It is NOT a study of how scholars' career choices are affected by the historical conjuncture in which they find themselves, nor is it meant as an assessment of either Gerth's or Mills' contributions to sociological scholarship. Instead, we get an analysis "built close to the ground it covers." In nearly exhaustive detail, the authors paint a devastating picture of one man -- Gerth -- whose undisciplined brilliance left him nearly totally dependent for his academic achievements on another man -- Mills -- who proved to be totally and ruthlessly pragmatic in his own career choices. Although Oakes and Vidich claim not to be taking sides, Gerth comes across as a tragic, bungling, and ultimately self-destructive emigre who was no match for Mills' amibitions to become a "big shot." Mills himself used that telling phrase to describe the people he admired and whose tactics he copied.
Who should read this book?: Graduate students who've not yet made up their mind about going into an academic career, as well as junior faculty whose sensibilities have been jarred by their dawning recognition that "success" is not going to be solely a function of their "talent." Oakes and Vidich's own assessment of what a reader can learn from the book is summed up in their last sentence: "The path to a successful scientific career is traced by the fine line between overweening ambition that inspires doubts about honesty and a diffidence or restraint that disqualifies its possessor from participation in the contest for priority." They make their case very well in this engrossing portrait of the relationship between Hans Gerth and C. Wright Mills.

Scandalous Treatment Of Two Academic Superstars!
What is most illuminating about this gossip-ridden compendium of neo-conservative arguments against the brilliant collaboration of famed sociologist C. Wright Mills ("White Collar", "The Sociological Imagination", "The Power Elite") with his long-time friend and fellow University of Wisconsin graduate student Hans Gerth is the fact that it is an obvious attempt to discredit the now famous work of these two scholars. The two collaborated to successfully translate for the American academic and intellectual community many of the heretofore-unavailable works of famed German sociologist Max Weber. In what one of my former professors would refer to as the "carbuncle theory" of history, these two authors attempt to discredit Mills and Gerth by engaging in a vicious (and totally uncalled for) smearing of their admittedly difficult and sometimes stridently competitive combined efforts.

As with the famous carbuncle theory, which was a notorious attempt by conservative turn of the century scholars to explain away Marx's brilliant observations regarding the way in which social forces act as the motive force of history as simple dyspepsia due to his chronic affliction with carbuncles. Of course, the professor's point is that, in the last analysis, Marx's theories must be judged based on their rational and intellectual merits, not on some silly emotional attempt to discredit the author without considering the weight of his or her intellectual argument. So, too, here, we must keep in mind that however messy and unpleasant the process, the fruit of intellectual labors must be judged based on their results rather than on the personalities or character flaws of the individuals involved. Sad to say, it appears that these two authors are all too willing to sully their own academic reputations by engaging in such gossip mongering.

Another reviewer admits to shock and surprise regarding the ways in which petty egos and aggressive careerism affect the ways in which the gentlemen in question behave. Might I suggest he read James D. Watson's own surprising autobiographical accounting for similar shortcomings, personal ambition, and pettiness among the several Nobel laureates who jointly discovered the helical nature of DNA in "The Double Helix"? Perhaps it is time for such naïve people to grow up and recognize the fact that the stuff of science and research is often a messy and unpleasant business, and not at all the stiff, pristine, disinterested, and sanitized search for truth that appears monthly within the carefully arranged type-set pages of "Scientific American" magazine. Noted scientific luminaries like Albert Einstein admitted as much in their own memoirs, and perhaps the reading public should realize that anything as worthwhile as meaningful scientific research doesn't necessarily emanate from people who always chew with their mouths closed. Bad people may in fact do brilliant science, and it matters not a rattler's damn whether we like these people or not.

Therefore, regardless of what these two sociologists say in their shameless attempt to rake over the ashes of the dead in this mean-spirited effort to make their own academic reputation here, the fact remains that both C. Wright Mills and Hans Gerth published widely recognized and acclaimed works during their very fruitful careers, and the efforts they made to collaborate on "From Max Weber", "Character and Social Structure", and other tomes has stood the test of time, and are all still in active use. Moreover, there is a new resurgence of interest in C. Wright Mills work in particular, and one suspects that the two authors writing this book are attempting to capitalize on his newly resurgent cache (witness the new publication of his collected letters) in order to make their own bones and to sell some books of their own. I do not recommend this book. It is a pathetic and singularly unscientific attempt to discredit some of sociology's most prolific and productive authors by deliberately sullying their characters and personal reputations.

An Eye Opener
Many of Max Weber's early English translations were created through the joint efforts of H.H. Gerth and C. Wright Mills. When the secrecy, paranoia, and intrigues surrounding their work are carefully examined,it is revealed that two of sociology's notable minds are shown to have all too common shortcomings. Essential reading for those concerned with the ethincs of scholarhship,the work may also be an eye opener for those engaged in collaborative academic research and writing. When one

considers the effort and intellectual rigor requiredto produce important scholarship, and the paltry sums and ego wars typically involved in academic publishing, this book inadvertently gives newmeaning to the notion of a lumpenprofessoriate: a professionally insecure band of academics and their apprentices who diligently toil in a garden of the mind that is sadly overrun with the weeds and detritus of a university system increasingly dominated by a careerist tone--and which can sport a commercial logic and a backbiting spirit that the denizens of Wall Street might envy.

This study serves as a warning to scholars presently working to establish themselves in an academic career and to their keepers, as well: all that glitters,indeed, may not be worth the candle if it distorts the collective norms of scholarly inquiry to the point where they become warped and corroded by the potential of winning a bit of praise from "the marketplace". The danger imnplied throughout the book is that lesserlights may not have the academic gifts of Gerth and Mills--thus anticipating the current academic scene.

Oakes and Vidich are insightful and thorough, but some comparative data would strengthen their argument. Too bad that none are provided. Were Mills and Gerth more similar to,or significantly different from, others in like-situated cohorts of American students and emigre scholars from the Nazi era? If they were different, why? If there was a pattern,why not explore its significance? Such a curious and devastating omission is quite ironic, given the extensive treatment of CHARACTER and SOCIAL STRUCTURE--the thrust of which champions Mills's quest to identify the structural determinants of personal troubles. That Oakes and Vidich are so steeped in biographical specifics that they should stress the individual trees of idiosyncracy (which are located in the PERSONALITY) and ignore the structural forest of the academy, strikes me as odd, at best, for a sociological work,and as being overly psychological, at worst.

Without an interpretive structural framework it is simply impossible to know whether Gerth and Mills were merely examples of STRANGE FOLKS, i.e., wayward individuals, ofifthe issues touched by their distinctively opposed, yet mutually reinforcing, academic styles suggest the emergence of an uncomfortable order of social fact that may come to dominate the modern academy. That two Weberian scholars should miss this is

unfortunate. otr ... Read more