Book Description

Volume VI Part 3 of Science and Civilisation in China contains two separate works. The first, by Christian Daniels, is a comprehensive history of Chinese sugarcane technology from ancient times to the early twentieth century. Dr. Daniels includes an account of the contribution of Chinese techniques and machinery to the development of world sugar technology in the premodern period, devoting special attention to the transfer of this technology to the countries of Southeast and East Asia in the period after the sixteenth century. The second, by Nicholas K. Menzies, is a history of forestry in China. Dr. Menzies identifies a tradition of forest management that can be traced to the earliest Chinese written records, and describes methods of silviculture, and the major timber species used in Chinese forestry. A final section compares China's history of deforestation with the cases of Europe and Japan. Each of these works will interest scholars of Chinese science, culture, and ancient agriculture as well as historians of science. ... Read more

Book Description

Few events in history have been more monumental than the emergence of the Space Age, which began with the Soviet launch of Sputnik in 1957. The History of Space Vehicles uses a combination of high-quality photos, illustrations, fact tables, and authoritative text to describe all the vehicles and equipment used in space, past and present.It covers all types of rockets, satellites, and probes, as well as their equipment and cargo, includingradio transmitters, measuring instruments, and cameras. ... Read more

Book Description

The name of Rolex is recognized around the world. It has become an icon of beauty, quality, accuracy, style, and taste. While there are other fine manufacturers of timepieces, none has reached this pinnacle of public respect and acclaim. The watches produced by Rolex over the last 90 years are celebrated in this lavishly illustrated new volume. Mssrs. Dowling and Hess, acknowledged Rolex authorities, have captured their beauty in full color photography. They accompany the most thorough and extensive history ever written of the company. Information for collectors and current market values of the watches makes this a truly useful volume and one that will be cherished by watch lovers around the world., 392 photos , 9" x 12", Price Guide ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Excellent resource, though not 100% accurate
James Dowling et al have written one of the best books on Rolex watches available. Though not 100% accurate, it is well worth the wealth of information. If you like pictures of Rolex watches, this book is for you. Never have I seen so many interesting pics of Wilsdorf creations. If you're looking for a less expensive and smaller book chock full of Rolex data (no pics), then you might consider The Rolex Reference Guide - 2nd Edition by Charlie Jarman. But if you want gloss and in depth Rolex history, buy Dowling's book. Heck, go ahead and buy both!

Although it has its problems, I recommend this book
There are few decent books available about Rolex watches. Therefore, Dowling and Hess' massive tome on the subject is an extremely welcome addition to the subject. Their book is definitely well-researched, producing what is currently the definitive book on Rolex. Brief but informative chapters about some of the most recognizable Rolex designs (e.g., Explorer, Submariner, Daytona, OysterQuartz...) are augmented by beautiful color reproductions of the models they discuss. Furthermore, the authors provide very informative chapters regarding the Perpetual movement, chronometers, and the history of the company. Simply stated, this is THE Rolex book. If you love Rolex, this book is a must.

While the book, as a whole, is excellent, there are still some areas that I feel prevent it from being a 5-star book. First, the chapters could have been expanded to include more information about the watches. For example, the chapter on the Sumariner and Sea-Dweller (Ch. 12), while providing the basic underlying premises and history for both models, is far too brief. As with some of the other chapters, the authors should have included more information, even if that meant deleting a few pictures. While the authors obviously uncovered a lot of new information (mostly technical, to their credit), their text also "recycles" facts that most Rolex aficionados already know. Perhaps the book is intended for the generalist as well as the specialist; however, the short chapters create a text that cannot fully meet the needs of either. Secondly, the book could have used some additional editing. The writing is acceptable, but for such an expensive book a few more drafts could have smoothed out the prose style, which is at times a little rough and detracts from the subject.

In sum, while I love this book because it is certainly the best book about Rolex that exists, it is also likely that it will not fully meet the needs of many people who purchase it. Maybe there is a need for two volumes: one that is intended for the novice, and one that is intended for the experienced collector. In this book, it seems as though Dowling and Hess try to placate everybody, but they do so with mixed success, revealing the book's limitations as well as its strengths. But go ahead and buy the book for its strengths alone--it is definitely worth it.

Best Rolex book I've find so far.
Excellent book, very well illustrated, and good historical facts for Rolex fans.

a little less than perfect
A truly magnificent book. Anyone who collects books will know the feeling when I say that there are only a few books which stand out as genuinely satisfying purchases, and such a propitious confluence of need, expectation and gratification, when it occurs, is rare indeed. Perfection however does not exist, so I do wish that it had more on 'newer' Rolexes, and if ever Messrs Dowling and Hess ever decided to correct this very minor blemish for a revised second edition, they may put my name down for a copy. Until then, this is THE Rolex book to have.

address need
I would like to know the home page of rolex watches company if you can to send it to me i will be gratfull. ... Read more

Book Description

Contents include the crisis of industrial statism and the collapse of the Soviet Union, the rise of the fourth world, development and crisis in the Asian Pacific, the unification of Europe, and more. Previous edition: c1998. Softcover. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Is information technology the culprit?
Many of the observations Prof. Catells made are valid, however the connection between information technology and the social problems are not very strong. The network states, global criminal society, wealth disparity, etc. are more or less the byproduct of globalization. Yes, information technology accelerates the rate of globalization. But would those social problems exist without information technology? Mostly likely yes. These phenomena are not new, they predate the advent of the Information Age (the World Wide Web and mass adoption of internet is a post-1990 phenomenon). Multinatioal organizations (or globalization) have been around for many decades, same goes for the North-South polical economic paradigm. So, attributing all these social problems to the Information Age (at least that is the impression I got out of it) may not be an accurate representation. Nonetheless, his trilogy does demonstrate the acute problem of a global digital divide, and he suggested some possible solutions in some of his other books.

don't read it if you can help it
This is a horrible book and very hard to read. The author writes with long sentences that use big words throughout, that are not necessary in understanding his concepts. This book could have been written in half the words and you would have actually been able to comprehend it. VCR manuals read better than this book.

whose evaluation?
Who is entitlted to judge 'project identity' over 'risistant identity' without recognizing firstly the issues of power, source, context? It is reasonable to imbue 'project identity' to those self-programming producers as well as to those nation-states that are capable of lunching a war just for their national or religious identity. But it could be harmful to suggest those generic labor give up 'resistant identity' while they are not yet organized or empowered. Not mention to those minority or aboriginal people, who could become extinct without resistance. In fact, why should not a resistant identity be counted as a 'project' in the first place?

At any rate, the descriptive part of the book is a good reference for those who never watch/read international news.

This is an outstanding book that deals with our world.
I read this book as a stand-alone book even though it is No. 3 of a trilogy. Castells deals with the most important issues of our times, and he does so, in a serious, scholarly, but readable way. This book is "must" reading for people in economics, politics, policy studies as well as in the other social sciences. Interested lay persons will find this book quite accessible.. ... Read more

Book Description

Part one of the fifth volume of Joseph Needham's great enterprise is written by one of the project's collaborators. Professor Tsien Tsuen-Hsuin, working in regular consultation with Dr Needham, has written the most comprehensive account of every aspect of paper and printing in China to be published in the West. From a close study of the vast mass of source material, Professor Tsien brings order and illumination to an area of technology which has been of profound importance in the spread of civilisation. The main body of the book is a detailed study of the invention, technology and aesthetic development of printing in China. From the growth and ultimate refinements of early woodcut printing to the spread of printing from movable type and the development of book-binding, Professor Tsien carries the story forward to the beginning of the nineteenth century when 'more printed pages existed in Chinese than in all other languages put together'. ... Read more

Book Description

Today, technology is cool.Owning the most powerful computer, the latest high-tech gadget, and the whizziest web site is a status symbol on a par with having a flashy car or a designer suit.And a media obsessed with the digital explosion has reappropriated the term "computer nerd" so that it's practically synonymous with "entrepreneur."Yet, a mere fifteen years ago, wireheads hooked on tweaking endless lines of code were seen as marginal weirdos, outsiders whose world would never resonate with the mainstream.That was before one pioneering work documented the underground computer revolution that was about to change our world forever.With groundbreaking profiles of Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak, MIT's tech Model Railroad Club, and more, Steven Levy's Hackers brilliantly captures a seminal moment when the risk takers and explorers were poised to conquer twentieth-century America's last great frontier.And in the Internet age, "the hacker ethic"--first espoused here--is alive an well. ... Read more

Reviews (65)

Mr. Levy is like a neo-Tom Wolfe. Highly readable.
I've owned this book for about 15 years, and have read it perhaps 30 or more times. The tale is familiar by now, but the storytelling is compelling, and the subject matter fascinating.

Hackers covers the computer revolution- from research lab to home- up to approximately 1984, right before the Commodore 64 took over as #1 home computer. Even though the book is a large one, Mr. Levy keeps the focus on a single winding narrative throughout. This makes the book interesting to read and relatively easy to follow, but unfortunately tends to leave out parts of the computer revolution that don't fit into his rigid outline.

The outline is as follows: hacking begins at MIT and spreads to Stanford, and we see the genesis of video games in Spacewar. A new movement sprouts in post-hippie California with the release of Intel's first 8-bit chips, and this movement- dedicated to homebrew and user-built systems- is the font from which the Altair and the Apple II spring. Finally, the narrative ends on the rise of game software companies- especially Sierra- on the strength of the Apple II's market share. There's also an epilogue on Richard Stallman. While other stories are recounted in short fashion along the way- John Harris' Sierra/Frogger/Atari story in particular- little is done to acknowledge the larger picture of the industry, whether it's universities outside of MIT and Stanford or Atari's massive rise to and fall from power.

Steven Levy writes much like Tom Wolfe circa-"Right Stuff", and the overall theme and feel of the book is the same as much of Tom Wolfe's books- an expose of a (then) little understood sub-culture, written in an engaging fashion. Even Mr. Levy's use of coined words, phrases, and lingo is much like Tom Wolfe. Technical jargon will be introduced with a simple definition, and then used through the next few chapters either in an ironic fashion, or to let readers feel "in" with the scenario being written about. Bizarre wording and odd phrases also pop up- sometimes apparently for show- and are then repeated over and over. "Croseus Mode" is used over and over to refer to wealth- phrasing like this seems gratuitous and I find it jarring to read, but that's just a personal preference.

Much of the Apple portion of the book will be familiar for those who watched Pirates of Silicon Valley. Just like that TV movie, the book transcends the culture from which it arose, and is great reading for anyone interested in pop culture, sociology, business, or computers.

Classic book, a must read in its field.

This book is not about computer crime, despite the impression you may get from the title. In fact, the whole thrust of the book is to study those people who called themselves hackers before the first computer crime had ever been commited, together with their successors who clung to the name even after it had picked up darker connotations.

The story starts with the original hackers at the AI lab at MIT.

Whilst the Computer Science department at MIT had a typical hierarchical chain of command, something slipped at the nearby AI lab where somehow the lunatics had control of the asylum.

Levy details the glorious early years at the AI lab where hacking was all, elegance won out every time against pragmatism and bedtime was always the wee small hours. Not content with inventing many fundamentals of computer science such as Lisp and time-sharing systems, one hacker even added new machine instructions armed only with a soldering iron. Don't try this at home folks.

Leaving the East Coast, Levy surveys the early West Coast computer scene, including computer hardware hackers such as Steve Wozniak, father of the Apple II, and this leads on to the third wave of hackers, the games writers. It's at this point in the story that big business arives on the scene. Some hackers made the transition successfully, others didn't. I was not surprised to find one of the earliest and most obnoxious "breadheads" of the original home computer scene in this book to be none other than Bill Gates. As far as I can tell from this book, he was always in it for the money. Yeah you're rich Bill, and I'm not, but people just don't like you OR your company, ok?

Having completed a thorough survey of a period of decades in the computer industry, Levy then justifiably stopped and published the book. My edition however is a reissue, and Levy has added an afterword, "The Last Hacker" where he returns to MIT just in time to witness the destruction of the Hackers Citadel by commercial greed.

In this final chapter, Levy is really in his element as he relates the story of the last lone defender on the ramparts, single-handedly holding back the dark barbarian hordes. The defender knew it was a lost cause, but was determined to make his point, and only gave up after exacting fearsome retribution when he had decided to abandon anger and revenge and instead found a new city which would, this time, have unbreachable defences. The name of the lone defender? Richard Stallman. The new project? The GNU project - the same project that produced the text editor I wrote this review with (Emacs), that facilitated this operating system (Linux) and that is still going strong this very day, thus the book takes us right to the present day - Hackers are alive and well and living near you :-) Highly Recommended.

A must read for a Computer History buff
If you saw Robert X Cringeley's "Triumph Of The Nerds" on PBS, this book pre-dates it by *years* Many of the people RXC mentions are here in the book. This book's a wild and wooly romp through the little-known side of the True History of computers and the unsung heroes who, only for the glory of solving a problem or impressing their friends brought us to the revolution/evolution of the Personal Computer. I got this when it was first published in hardcover and have long since lost the dust jacket and have read it countless times.

Required reading for computer programmers
Hackers, by Steven Levy, should be required reading for anyone who programs computers for a living. Starting from the late 1950s, when the first hackers wrote code for the TX-0 and every instruction counted, to the early 1980s, when computers fully entered the consumer mainstream, and it was marketing rather than hacking which mattered. Levy divides this time into three eras: that of the 'True Hackers,' who lived in the AI lab at MIT and spent most of their time on the PDP series, the 'Hardware Hackers,' mostly situated in Silicon Valley and responsible for enhancing the Altair and creating the Apple, and the 'Game Hackers,' who were also centered in California; expert at getting the most out of computer hardware, they were also the first to make gobs and gobs of money hacking.

The reason everyone who codes should read this book is to gain a sense of history. Because the field changes so quickly, it's easy to forget that there is a history, and, as Santayana said, "Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it." It's also very humbling, at least for me, to see what kind of shenanigans were undertaken to get the last bit of performance from a piece of hardware that was amazing for its time, but now would be junked without a thought. And a third takeaway was the transformation that the game industry went through in the early 80s: first you needed technical brilliance, because the hardware was slow and new techniques needed to be discovered. However, at some point, the hard work was all done, and the business types took over. To me, this corresponds to the 1997-2001 time period, with the web rather than games being the focus.

That's one of my beefs--the version I read was written in 1983, and republished, with a new afterword in 1993. So, there's no mention of the new '4th generation' of hackers, who didn't have the close knit communities of the Homebrew Computer Club or the AI lab, but did have a far flung, global fellowship via email and newsgroups. It would be a fascinating read.

Beyond the dated nature of the book, Levy omits several developments that I think were fundamental to the development of the hacker mindset. There's only one mention of Unix in the entire book, and no mention of C. In fact, the only languages he mentions are lisp, basic and assembly. No smalltalk, and no C. I also feel that he overemphasizes 'hacking' as a way that folks viewed and interacted with the world, without defining it. For instance, he talks about Ken Williams, founder of Sierra Online, 'hacking' the company, when it looked to me like it was simple mismanagement.

For all that, it was a fantastic read. The more you identify with the geeky, single males who were in tune with the computer, the easier and more fun a read it will be, but I still think that everyone who uses a computer could benefit from reading Hackers, because of the increased understanding of the folks that we all depend on to create great software.

VERY BORING!
I could barely stand reading this book... it leads to nowhere. It jumps around to different topics too quickly, and it's very hard to be be interested in. I couldn't finish the book, I literally fell asleep with the book in my hands. ... Read more

Book Description

Werner Heisenberg's genius and his place at the forefront of modern physics are unquestioned. His decision to remain in Germany throughout the Third Reich and his role in Hitler's atomic bomb project are still topics of heated debate. UNCERTAINTY is David Cassidy's compelling portrait of this brilliant, ambitious, and controversial scientist. It is the definitive Heisenberg biography, as well as a striking evocation of the development of quantum physics, the rise of Nazism, and the dawn of the atomic age.
... Read more

Reviews (6)

WOW what a book - 5 stars*****
A must for everyone. I would like to express my gratitude to his wife Janet for her many years of encourangement. If it was not for her would this great book have been created? Thank you Janet for the awesome book ( and i almost forgot to the author David Cassidy)

A very serious book about a very serious matter
This book is not for the lighthearted. It is an excellent account of the life of Werner Heisenberg and of the strong nationalism that blinsided him to the situation in Nazi Germany. His brilliance as a first rate physicist notwithstanding, the book shows by example what happens to science when it becomes totally subservient to a totalitarian regime and shows the problems of regional politics overtaken by a ruthless dictator in the funding of science. The fine line that Heisenberg walked did not diminished his scientific accomplishment but did not excuse him from his participation in a scientific enterprise that could very well have changed the course of history had it been successful, a Nazi A-bomb. The book is also a lesson on the results of elitism in science and it shows how the Nazis cheated themselves from an even greater role in nuclear physics because of their policies.

Heisenberg is Great
This book is superb as a biography and as history of Quantum Mechanics. As you read the pages you grow together with Heisenberg in his daily life and his achievements in Physics. You start to understand how the Quantum Mechanics was founded, how trial and error methods eventually developed into such a fundemental theory. The book is very voluminious but if you have patient in reading it on each line you live the life of a great man. I found it very interesting that even though he is one of the great founders of the Quantum Physics, he had more vacations than me and enjojed the life better than me. It shows that to be a good scientist you just have to carry your brain and think while wandering in the country side. Isn't it great. Apparently he did not even know Matrix Theory until Bohr showed him. Every page is full with history, science and suprise. Story is so vivid that you can even visualise the streets of Munich or other German towns as you read the book. Grat book,a lot of pages in fine print but worth of it.

superbly written, subtle, yet utterly compelling
Cassidy has performed a biographical tour de force. He beautifully explicates Heisenberg's physics and all its ramifications, provides insightful portraits of Heisenberg's contemporaries and their roles in his life and work and at the same time unsentimentally analyzes Heisenberg the man. Cassidy gives us Heisenberg the genius and Heisenberg the Nazi collaborator. Yet his understanding of German culture and history is such that one comes away feeling entirely reeducated with respect to these cataclysmic events. His writing is lucid and vivid. My only criticisms are the lack of mathematical formulations- sometimes only the math can convey the principle- and his occasional failure to define more abstruse mathematical terms. Overall this is a magnificent work.

Since this book was published, a publication of Bohr's diary revealed the content of their famous meeting. Heisenberg was looking for atomic secrets after all. Cassidy could not know this, of course. His demi-hero was just a bit more tarnished than his biographer had hoped.

"Uncertainty" aptly describes the value of this book.
This book is surprisingly uninvolving, given the fascinating and highly provocative subject matter. The writing is uninspired and dry. I cannot recommend this as the definitive biography of Heisenberg. ... Read more

Book Description

When Lucent Technologies was spun off from AT&T in 1996, the new company was full of promise. An old-line manufacturer, it quickly became a sizzling hot stock thanks to the emergence of the Internet and the build-up of telecommunications. The stock market was soaring, and Lucent flew with it. Within a few short years it became the sixth-largest corporation in America and the most widely held stock in the country. Yet only months later, Lucent was gasping for life, victim of the greatest stock-market bubble in history.

Optical Illusions is the story of a financially sound company steeped in world-class talent, dominant in one of the fastest-growing industries, that in the space of two years found itself downgraded to a junk-bond credit rating, under investigation by the SEC for its accounting practices, the value of its stock reduced to the price of a cup of coffee. Lisa Endlich tells the fascinating tale of the company that epitomized the misfortunes of the telecom industry, leaving investors and employees shocked and confused.

In writing this book Endlich had access to more than a hundred people who played a role in the drama, as well as previously sealed courtroom documents. She explains how the conflicting styles of CEOs Henry Schacht and Rich McGinn contributed to Lucent's woes, and she shows how the loss of skilled executives such as Carly Fiorina hurt the company at a crucial moment. When it was all over, Schacht -- Lucent's first CEO, who was later brought back to right the listing ship -- acknowledged that Lucent had allowed itself to be swept up in the market mania, distorting its corporate values in the process.

Although the stock-market mania of the late 1990s is remembered as "the Internet craze" or "the dot-com madness," as Optical Illusions shows, the damage was more widespread and lasting. In fighting for its survival, Lucent laid off more than 70 percent of its employees, wrecking retirees' savings and investors' portfolios alike. ... Read more

Book Description

*Approaches pattern recognition from the designer's point of view
*New edition highlights latest developments in this growing field, including independent components and support vector machines, not available elsewhere
*Supplemented by computer examples selected from applications of interest

Pattern recognition is a scientific discipline that is becoming increasingly important in the age of automation and information handling and retrieval. This volume's unifying treatment covers the entire spectrum of pattern recognition applications, from image analysis to speech recognition and communications. This book presents cutting-edge material on neural networks, - a set of linked microprocessors that can form associations and uses pattern recognition to "learn". A direct result of more than 10 years of teaching experience, the text was developed by the authors through use in their own classrooms.

*Approaches pattern recognition from the designer's point of view
*New edition highlights latest developments in this growing field, including independent components and support vector machines, not available elsewhere
*Supplemented by computer examples selected from applications of interest ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Supplementary.
"Thus researchers from all walks of pattern recognition should get something out of this book."

I agree.

An excellent book for pattern recognition
I think the authors provide a nice balance between theory and practice. On one hand, the algorithms presented can and are meant to be implemented for testing. On the other hand, the authors provide a fairly sound mathematical treatment of areas such as Markov Models, clustering, and template matching. Most important, the authors do not focus attention only on one type of problem (e.g. character recognition). Thus researchers from all walks of pattern recognition should get something out of this book.

Two big thumbs up!

Continuing...
I am working on a project and I am constantly getting inspired from this book. This book seems to have the practical power of Rogers(Computer Graphics) writting while keeping the theoretical dichipline. So you can safetly combine algorithms and be sure that you are walking on a correct path, simply buy this book all of you who are fed up with a book fool of formulas and "chatting" without practise it will probably save you from a lot of searching. Thats the end of my review. I think I said enough good things and a little criticism on this book.

Good Job...
Nice Job. I was (un)lucky to have these fellows as teachers. What they tell in this book is a refined version of the truth...everything "magic" becomes not "magic" if only you can unravel its mysteries, see the limitations and possibly design sth with better bandwidth and then be honest and help others to see the limitations etc...etc. Well mr.Thodoridis "harem" :-) should be proud of him. But still this book could have been better. This is because because mathematics are just numbers if they do not speak to you. Do not expect to find the magic of "Luenberger" or "Brigham" inside this book. But a honest and up to date investigation of theory refined with practise. Also they could have been more illustrative. For example chapter 2 Page 18 at the end. Actualy the pdf of is "shrinking" by a factor L21/L12 < 1. Then draw the pdf on figure 2_1 with dashed lines and then show that xo is moved to the left. This is what I call that maths are speaking to you... Anyway you can not find a person who is perfect as this would mean a signal with a band equal to 1 with IFT equal to a Dirac line ... simply impossible! :-) Buy this book, but I really sugest that it should be studied in an "academic" enviroment. See the quotes I make is just to state the fact that in these times we are living everything is possible... ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A very good book for students and "real" scientist/engineers
Students who are really interested in physics, electrical engineering or related subjects would find this book informative and inspiring.
Real electrical engineer would have the deepest feeling when reading through the lines.
Written for a genius (hero) by a great educator of the field. ... Read more

Book Description

This extremely lively-and intricately researched-book is a rousing romp through the history of inventions and their inventors through time, from the tiny paperclip-coined "the world's most valuable invention"-to the massive jet engine; from mastermind Leonardo DaVinci, to quirky, colorful, dual-cyclone-vacuum-cleaner inventor James Dyson.It could be called an "Encyclopedia of Inventions," but it feels like too much fun for this kind of appellation. Far from a stodgy compendium, this book provides the dates, details, and stories of how some of the most interesting and useful objects have been invented through time, presented in a colorful retro format and with a lively sense of humor. It fills a much-needed niche in the series of National Geographic reference books: consider it the pause that refreshes. The information is as equally authoritative as our other reference titles, but in this title you get another angle on the technical stuff-heavy on history and anecdote that accompanies the science of invention. Nine chapters are divided thematically and reveal how gadgets and gizmos have affected all aspects of our daily lives.They are: Around the House, In the Office, At the Doctor's, Getting Around, Cutting Edge, Eating and Drinking, Spare Time, Inventions Without Wings, and Patent Numbers.Entries include objects as diverse as the disposable diaper, zipper, hair dryer, photocopier, artificial heart, disposable syringe, intelligence test, hub gears, collapsible scooters for the handicapped, beta blockers, Viagrar, and the traffic light. The subjects covered range from the absurd to the life-saving, from the high-tech based on years of research and testing to the accident. The Post-it note, a product of the genius of Arthur Fry in 1974, was the lemonade of a failed attempt at making a strong glue. Fry succeeded in making a glue that didn't stick, and an invention that did. Percy Shaw's 1930s invention of road safety reflectors, called cat's eyes, was the product of a late night drive in Halifax where he was alerted to his veering off the road by the reflection of his headlights in a cat's eyes. The book's compelling and colorful layout-which mixes fun facts called "did you know", timelines, and photographs-offers a discrete entry with each spread, breaking down the scores of information into bite-sized bits for easy digestion. This reference book succeeds in making learning entertaining and fun. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Jill Jonnes's compelling Empires of Light: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the Race to Electrify the World offers a multi-sided tale of America's turn-of-the-20th-century quest for cheap, reliable electrical power. Along the way, the book profiles key personalities in both the science and industry of electrification and dramatizes the transformation of American society that accompanied the technological revolution. As her sub-title suggests, Jonnes's focus is on the three great personalities behind the building of the electricity industry. But, as she makes clear, the electrification of America was much more than a pathbreaking scientific quest. The genius of such poet-scientists as Nikola Tesla depended on the more finely tuned business skills of George Westinghouse and the towering capital of J.P. Morgan to achieve actualization. And even Thomas Edison and Westinghouse--innovative industrial combatants in the war between AC and DC current--were victims of the far more powerful and conservative financial forces of Wall Street. Indeed, for Jonnes, the story of electricity is as much about the legions of patent attorneys and bankers who controlled the flow of industry as it is about the circulation of current. Her sophisticated portrait of Gilded Age science, business, and society brings new light to the forces that underlie technological revolutions. As she reveals, it is not so much the great public men of science who directed the destiny of America's eventual empire of light; rather, the path was solidified by those men behind the scenes who were wise enough (and perhaps ruthless enough) to impose their legal, financial, and political dominance onto the scientific innovation--a valuable message for all eras.--Patrick O’Kelley ... Read more

Reviews (9)

An Excellent Book!
This is a book about an important topic in our lives: electrical power. Although the author discusses early discoveries in electricity, the main focus is on the period from the late 1800s to the early 1900s - a period when great advances were made in the development of large scale electrical power generation, as well as on the giants who led the way. The science is discussed, at least to some degree, as are the economics of the time. Mini biographies of Edison, Westinghouse and Tesla are also presented. The writing is clear and engaging such that the book is difficult to put down. My only disappointment was that, in my opinion, the science and engineering aspects were not discussed enough; I think that an appendix with more scientific details would have complemented the book very well. But despite this minor shortcoming, the book certainly succeeds in giving the reader a flavor of those exciting times. Highly recommended!

a disappointment, but very interesting as well
This is a fairly good book on three pioneers of the electrical revolution: Edison, Tesla, and Westinghouse. Only the last was a true industrialist, while the first two were inventors who more or less failed to capture the full value of what they created. The field of battle was was between direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC). Jonnes also attempts to evoke the era - one of huge transition, both technological and social/organizational - in which they lived.

The best things about this book are in overview and context. I learned about the business environment and practices during the Gilded era, which was indeed extremely interesting and useful for my current project. This is well researched and clearly written. Moreover, what each of these individuals faced - their frustrations, ambitions, motivations, and methods - are also examined in some detail. While I know a lot about Edison from previous research, this was a gold mine of info on his principal competitors, Westinghouse and Tesla, whose technology (AC) won the battle to become the standard of wire-furnsihed electric power. Edison was an incredible inventor, but his obstinancy for sticking to what he created led him to bypass AC for the less workable DC (this is a pattern that led him to many strategic mistakes thru his career). Tesla was an eccentric visionary and loner, who made great discoveries early on only to get mired into megalomanaical schemes during the last decades of his life. Westinghouse was a true "broker of innovation" - finding and using talent with great efficiacy - and in many ways a brilliant pioneer of corporate and industrial organization; he was also a decent man with populist ideals in a time of ruthless exploitation and manipulation.

However, this book failed for me on many counts. First, it did not go into enough technological detail for me - I still don't understand the difference between AC and DC from a scientific point of view. Second, I did not get much of a feeling for a story (billed on the cover as a titanic struggle) that was unfolding: instead, the book jumped around and got bogged down in certian details, such as the grizzly chapter on Edison's promotion of an AC-current electric chair (to scare the public) or the maneuvering that preceeded the COlumbian Exposition.

Third, and this is a very personal perception, I did not like the way that Jonnes writes. While her book certainly was not as dry or lifeless as so many academic studies tend to be, I felt she was straining to write as eloquently as McCullough or Schama, which I believe is beyond her talent. This criticism may come from writing 101, but she uses too many adjectives. Waves of panic are "ungulating," electicity is "ethereal," etc., each time failing to find "le mot juste." I really don't mean to be a snob about this - she is a better historian than I ever could be - but her writing style irritated me several times on every page.

Recommended with these caveats in mind.

A suspenseful, terrific tale well told
How can we be but enthralled by the story of the early years of the utilization of the forces of electricity and its revolutionary impact on Western, no, all of Civilization. These three titans brought a laboratory curiosity, a few patents, and not enough capital, to effect the dramatic improvements in the utilization of fossil energy to replace the efforts of slaves, near slaves, and animals, and to make life better for us all.

We have Edison, who started it all with his improved dynamo and the electric lighting system; Tesla and his crucial AC electric motor; Westinghouse who had the business insight and technical acumen to pursue the alternating current. Geniuses, yes. But of a very different sort.

Jonnes does an outstanding job of portraying the times, and the interaction of the approaches to solving problems that each of these heroes had. So different, so complementary and so effective. There was nothing else like it anywhere on earth.

I suppose anyone reading this review has read a bit about Edison and the light, Tesla and his eccentricities, and Westinghouse and his devotion to his workers. The tale of the Niagra generators and the first long distance transport of electrical power will probably be new to you, and it is a story well-told.

But Jonnes has an awful lot to add to the usual stuff. She communicates the downright excitement of it all, the delicious discoveries of the new, and the suspense of the disasters to be overcome. This is no Ph. D. thesis transported into a popularization of science--the technical details are presented in just enough detail to whet your appetite for a deeper understanding of it all, and leave you truly awestruck. How can you ask for anything more?

Disappointing for the lay reader
I can't recommend this book for the lay reader. Its grandiloquent title suggests we are in for a treat, to live the compelling tale of the race for electric light. Indeed, the book jacket displays the wondrous shimmer of the newly illuminated Woolworth Building. But, sadly, the story is pedestrian, overly technical and lacking in the human dimensions that cry out for attention. That is, the unholy trinity of Edison,Westinghouse, and Tesla. Perhaps engineers and scientific historians will find it absorbing. Others may be left with a feeling of what might have been a rip-roaring saga of three giants over possibly the greatest invention of its time and, perhaps, one of the greatest in world history.

Ms. Jonnes makes little of this chase to rule over the very lifeblood of the nation. The larger than life characters clearly demand more development: Edison, the proponent of the "horrible experiment", the electric chair to discredit his opponents; Westinghouse, a brilliant practical technician and friend of labor; and the urbane Tesla, the virtual electrical mystic, whose theories (and some engineering feats) live on today. The same sketching technique is made of other people and events that pass through this book. How compelling their cameos could have been- Sarah Bernhardt (of Edison's electrical display: "C'est grand, c'est magnifique!"); Edison financier J.P. Morgan ("legendary ferocious eyes...monstrous nose"); the genius Faraday; Astor IV (a Tesla backer); Tesla's mysterious 18-story tower in New Jersey; the Chicago Columbian Exposition won by Westinghouse's lighting; and the assassination of Chicago Mayor Harrison. The writing leaves us with little suspense and a weak understanding of the excesses of the Gilded Age, as reflected in the overweening egos and ambitions of these three competitors and their financiers. A saving grace are the photos - the diamond-like Woolworth Building; Tesla demonstrating his eerie wireless bulbs; a smitten Westinghouse admiring his beautiful wife; the white pigeon that was Tesla's "great love in his final years"; Edison catching winks on his workbench. Unfortunately, there are altogether too few of these, too many electrical renderings, and just too much technical detail.

Essential History with Relevance for Today
This is a splendidly written book, and is essential history for those who seek to anticipate the future. For almost all of us alive today in the United States, electricity has always been there (even if not always so omnipresent). If we think about a world without electricity at all, it is to wonder what it was like to experience the night with only flickering lamps and candles to push back the shadows. I had never considered, however, what it was like to experience the coming of electricity as a new thing in the world. New brightly burning lights, new quiet motors --- a new power coursing invisibly through thin wires. Over the last dozen decades, an electrical infrastructure swept the country and transformed our lives -- most of our energy consumption is now via electricity. Ms. Jonnes captured the excitement of this transformation at it's very source; the inventors and businessmen who made the future happen. Those of us who have been part of the Internet revolution will recognize many similarities in these two revolutions. All of us should acquaint ourselves with this history of the electrical revolution, because already the seeds of a new electrical infrastructure revolution have sprouted which will again transform our economy. Ms. Jonnes book is an excellent education written in an engaging style. Bravo! ... Read more

Book Description

In an era of escalating food politics, many believe organic farming to be the agrarian answer. In this first comprehensive study of organic farming in California, Julie Guthman casts doubt on the current wisdom about organic food and agriculture, at least as it has evolved in the Golden State. Refuting popular portrayals of organic agriculture as a small-scale family farm endeavor in opposition to "industrial" agriculture, Guthman explains how organic farming has replicated what it set out to oppose. Illustrations: 2 maps, 15 tables ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Everything you need to know about this type of U-Boat.
Gunther Prien had one (U47 - the Snorting Bull), Otto Kretschmer had one (U99 - the Golden Horseshoe) and others too numerous to mention here also had one. What was is they had? A Type VII U-Boat and both collectively and individually those commanders made this craft one of the most successful submarines of all time. With that success came both fame and notoriety - not only for the dashing and daring captains, but also for the submarine itself. Even today, almost 60 years after the Type VII fired it's last torpedo, there are websites and members' clubs in many different languages dedicated to researching the finest detail of this specific ship and every aspect of the battles they fought. For all those ardent enthusiasts, for all those with a more general interest in World War Two and (speaking as an underwater photo-journalist) for scuba divers the world over, this book is exactly what is required.

Conway Maritime Press are well know for their "Anatomy of the Ship" series in which they provide the finest documentation for specific ships or ship types ever published. "The Type VII U-Boat" is hard-back measuring 10¼" (wide) x 9¾" with 95 pages of detailed and factual information. The wide format allows the publishers to produce first class detailed line drawings of every aspect of the ship in a size that is easy to see and follow. All the information is there - right down to the last nut and bolt.

Commencing with a potted service history of the Type VII and it's evolution during WW2, we are then treated to a series of "Tables" which provide us with the technical details of each derivative (i.e. Type VIIA through Type VIIF) followed by similar details for both the torpedoes, deck guns and their mountings. Next is 10 pages of historic photographs followed by 70 pages of detailed line drawings and technical information.

And detailed they are too; Under just one main heading "General arrangement - external" we have drawing after drawing showing every aspect of the 6 variants of this submarine itemising each of the slight changes made as the vessel evolved and improvements in design were made. Not only is the entire hull shown in both elevation, plan and cross-section, there are individual close-ups showing the different bridge layouts and deck gun configurations. Then everything is repeated for the internal features both longitudinally and by cross section - compartment by compartment, including such features as propulsion, steering, control room, engine room and quarters - to name but some.

Finally, we have the armament and fittings. With the original boats having one deck gun and later versions having two and with different calibre guns being introduced as the ship was improved, this section covers them all in great detail. This is followed by similar information on the shells fired before coming onto the different torpedoes used throughout WW2. Finishing off with various incidental fittings, this book is complete and I congratulate both the author and publishers for a job well done.

NM

Wonderful reference
Third in the series of thirty six, this volume is aimed directly at modeller's, as such it lacks the technical detail of many of the others in the series (I found the 'Submarine alliance' the benchmark in Submarine reference).

Over 700 type Vii's were produced, this book covers the technical data for the major variants of the type. There are numerous photos and some history, but you buy a book like this for the line drawings, which, as usual are unsurpassed.

Almost impossible to get, there are a lot of cheaper alternatives, but it's like investing in a Rolls in comparision to a mass produced Hyundai. ... Read more

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Reviews (10)

If you love olives, buy this book
As an olive lover, I bought this book as soon as I saw it. Rosenblum discusses the sociological, historical, literary, religious, political, medicinal, geographic, gastronomic, gustatory, criminal, commercial, cultural, and horticultural world of olives, and the passionate and quirky people who love them. Throughout the book, the author describes his own journey from olive indifference to olive lover and grower.

If you like travel writing, this book will especially appeal to you as you follow Rosenblum around the world in his quest for knowledge about, as he describes it in the book's title, this "Noble Fruit." Even if you are not fanatical about olives and olive oil--which I am--it is still a fun, fascinating read.

If I could give this book more stars, I would.

Passion on Paper
I'm gorging myself with olives: the fruit, the oil, this book. There are books you re-read years gone, but I found myself devouring clumps of this book just days after reading it in the conventional way. Mort Rosenblum could have given us an encyclopedic guide to the "noble fruit," but instead he follows his passions--and does first class journalistic digging--to press out the finest extra virgin essence of his subject. I also like the way Rosenblum writes, as much a friend as an authority. France, and its olive oils, comes first on the author's list, but he also does justice to subjects as disparate as the place of olives in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the promising growth of the high-end California olive oil industry, and even the seemingly bottomless corruption on the olive oil front in the European Community. Few effective journalists write with such literary flair, without seeming to try too hard. A winner.

Food writer Elliot Essman's other reviews and food articles are available at www.stylegourmet.com

GREAT READ!
This is a great book! I bought a copy while visiting an olive orchard in Australia. Anyone interested in developing an olive orchard would find this book useful. Excellent travel writing to boot! I've even planted my own kalamata olive tree after reading the book . I'm so inspired I might even buy a home press.

The Politics and Economics of Olives and Olive Oil
This delightful book by an American journalist based in France is much more about the geopolitics, history, and economics of olive growing than about the culinary role of olives and it's oil. It is also much more about olive oil than it is about the fruit, especially since commerce in the oil dwarfs trade in the fruit. Aside from it's being especially well written, it benefits most from it's being written entirely from a first person point of view. Aside from references to selected European Union regulations and documents, all of the text relates conversations between the author and his subjects, the olive growing farmers of the Mediterranian and California. The story starts in the author's own home where he himself raises olives in a small farm in Provence, France. From there, the story travels to other Provencal olive groves, Italy, Spain, Morroco, Greece, and Israel / Palestine.

The book provides a wealth of information for your understanding of olives, olive growing, and the production of olive oil. The most interesting aspects of this story were the domination of olive oil commerce by Italian firms, in spite of the fact that Spain is the world's largest producer of olives and the differences between various methods of extracting oil and how these different processes may affect the quality of the oil.

This book is a very good read, especially for foodies. Just don't expect much information about the culinary and nutritional values of olive oil. There are other books dedicated to olive oil which cover this very well.

Well done
This book presents a very comprehensive overview of olives, olive oil, and olive producers in a style that is part travelogue, part anthropology, and part history (without footnotes). Rosenblum takes us on a tour of the Mediterranean, from France, to Palestine, Greece to Tunisia, and Spain to Bosnia. In each locale, he interviews local olive growers on the way they tend their trees, pick their fruit, and press their oil, and of course, he never refuses a sample. I found the first chapter, which started with some literary-historical introductions a little shaky, but after that I couldn't put the book down. Rosenblum's explanations as to why different olive oils have varying qualities were very clear. They will come in handy next time I'm faced with selecting a brand of olive oil at the market. Although Rosenblum mentions the curing of olives in each country, most of the text focuses on the production of oil. I would have been interested in reading more about table olives, but perhaps that's because I'm living in Dubai, where every supermarket deli counter has a minimum of 20 different kinds of olives to choose from. Even though this book is not a cookbook, it does contain a handful of recipes. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

"The three meter zone" is the zone of the first-line NCO.
"The three meter zone" is the zone of the first-line noncommissioned leader. It is the zone of the day-after-day, in-the-face, hands-on leadership. It is the most critical leadership zone; if what is done within the zone is done with common sense and high standards, the product will be an outstanding soldier. If what is done within the zone is done poorly and to low standards, the product will be an elimination action or, even worse, an unmotivated, untrained, unfit soldier who is merely marking time until ETS. As our Army is suffering from dramatically high attrition rates among first term soldiers, CSM Pendry's short book is both timely and useful. He clearly explains how first line leaders can develop themselves and their leadership style, and how they can lead their soldiers to success. I recommend this book be read by sergeants and by company-grade officers. I encourage all battalion and brigade commanders to add it to their unit's professional reading list.

CSM Pendry focuses first on the leader, and explains how he developed his own leadership style. He shows how he changed many of his opinions over the years, and how he critically examined his values to develop a solid foundation for his leadership style. He includes an interesting discussion on the need for counseling of the battalion CSM by the battalion commander, which can be read with profit by every NCO who intends to become a "command team" member. He relates that it was crucial to his own development to simply sit down and write out what the Army values mean to him (he includes, but goes beyond LDRSHIP). It was not easy for him to do, but when finished, he had his position, he knew where he was going, and he knew how he planned to get there. Another concept he found useful was the "personal battle focus," his own mission essential tasks, means of assessing where he was, and a plan to get where he wanted to be. CSM Pendry emphasizes the critical importance of being the example of what we want our soldiers to be - never easy, but absolutely essential to success within the three-meter zone.

In the second half of his book, CSM Pendry focuses on standards and discipline for soldiers - knowing them, respecting and rewarding them, motivating them, training them, and physically training them. The longest and most important of these sections covers "knowing them." Here, CSM Pendry emphasizes that different styles must be used for different people, with the goal of moving the soldier out of the three-meter zone of constant supervision and detailed instructions, into the "fifty" or "one-hundred meter" zones of increased responsibility and autonomy. Readers will find his comments on the need to know and be partners with civilian employees, on the need to welcome newly promoted NCOs into the corps, and on the need to communicate with and participate in low-profile events with soldiers to be very thought provoking.

Finally, every leader should read his comments concerning how too many NCOs and company grade officers have "willed" the Single Soldier Initiatives for Quality of Life to fail; he correctly indicts many leaders for willfully failing to support the program and our own soldiers as the best of them try to improve their style of life.

CSM Pendry has no magical formulas for leaders. He has thought critically about how he leads; he has improved as a leader by applying his insights. Read this book, take up his challenge to critically examine ourselves and our styles. We can become masters of the "three-meter zone" as well. The entire Army will benefit.

Will enlighten noncommissioned officers in every branch.
The Three Meter Zone will enlighten some noncommissioned officers in every branch of service and frighten others. The author explains how noncommissioned officers should be conducting business on a daily basis. Some NCOs will learn that there are senior NCOs who know how business should be conducted. They will be gratified to know that they are doing the right thing on a daily basis, or they will be reminded of how they should be doing it. Some NCOs will be frightened because they either have never been taught the right way to lead or they do not care about leading soldiers. Now they will realize that some senior NCOs know that some people are not doing their jobs. This book based on experiences throughout a long and successful career, is about leadership from the NCO perspective. It is about time that we NCOs police ourselves instead of allowing others to do it for us. I found The Three Meter Zone easy as well as interesting to read. I was able to relate to most of the circumstances that were described in the book. The views of CSM James D. Pendry are the same as those shared by many NCOs today. The author has eloquently described the meaning of LDRSHIP (loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage). CSM Pendry takes real-life situations in which he participated, and explains and evaluates what happened. This will enable others to apply what they read in this book to everyday situations in their own working environment. The author emphasizes the importance of leading by example throughout the entire book. I have read plenty of leadership books and find this one to be the most realistic, without the million-dollar words and the psychiatric approach to problem-solving and leadership abilities. This book is down-to-earth, with plenty of scenarios, quotations and situations that can easily be related to a reader's past, present and future. I highly recommend this book to all noncommissioned officers and commissioned officers; they need to read it and use it as a guide. The Three Meter Zone will not collect any dust on the bookshelf, for it will be referred to in many situations.

Welcome to the Three Meter Zone
Welcome to The Three Meter Zone, the zone where first-line leaders accomplish an organization's most vital work. The critical leadership in any organization is that provided by first-line leaders. In the military that responsibility falls to Noncommissioned Officers, the group of men and women considered the Backbone of the force. Daily, they train and mold soldiers through expert action and by professional example. Without rock-solid leaders in the Three Meter Zone, the strategic mission fails. The Three Meter Zone challenges you to assess your leadership abilities and provide the crucial leadership your organization needs.

The best way to understand the impact first-line leadership has on organizations and what it entails is to thoroughly study it where it occurs. In the Three Meter Zone.

3-Meter Leadership
Outstanding guide for NCOs. I bought this book when I was assigned to USAREC and have used it ever since.

An A+ Leadership Book
I found the Three Meter-Zone to be simply one of the best books on leadership that I have ever read. And there have been many such books that I have read. This book clearly rates as one of the top two or three books that I could recommend on this topic.

Although I have a military background (USMC, late 60s - early 70s), I spent my career in law enforcement. I retired a couple of years ago after almost 29 years, to include time as a "first line supervisor and commander in Patrol Operations and police tactical operations (SWAT).

I found it to be very refreshing that this book was oriented "primarily" towards the first-line supervisor level. Although the principles and concepts outlined in the book were clearly applicable toward supervisory and management positions above that first line level, the thrust of its direction was somewhat unique in the direct approach towards first line supervision.

Additionally, the use of "war stories" to demonstrate specific examples of conceptual thoughts of principle allowed the reader a glimpse of practical applications of the various principles.

It was quite strange that while this book was an easy read - easy to follow, well written, and by no means conceptually "hazy" - I found it hard to finish! And that was only because I found myself reading a section, putting the book down and mulling over what I just read (and sometimes mulling it over off-and-on for hours), going back and re-reading it, etc. before going on to the next section. As a result, it took me quite a bit longer to finish the book that I had first imagined!

This book rates an "A+" for no other reason that the author's identification of one of the key problems facing supervision AND management today: "The Three Ps" (I won't ruin the surprise for future readers by identifying them).

In fact, in my opinion, in today's area of supervision and management - as I know from first hand observation in the law enforcement field and otherwise see both in the corporate world and in the military - the "Three Ps" are THE biggest problems of leadership today. Until the cultural climate adjustments occur that effect the necessary changes in this area, I see no hope for true positive outcomes within those troubled organizations. ... Read more

Book Description

Praise for THE MAVERICK AND HIS MACHINE

"Like all great biographers, Kevin Maney gives us an engaging story and so much more. His fascinating and definitive book about IBM’s founder is replete with amazing revelations and character lessons that resonate today. Among the gems: how a demanding curmudgeon managed to shape a collaborative corporate culture–and create a legacy that changed the world."
–Rosabeth Moss Kanter
Harvard Business School, bestselling author of Evolve!
and When Giants Learn to Dance

"The gripping story of sky-high ambition, iron willpower, huge bet-the-company gambles, humiliating failure, and unparalleled success–one of the best books ever written about the technology industry, about one of the most fascinating people in twentieth-century America."
–Marc Andreessen
Cofounder of Opsware, Inc. and Netscape

"The story of Watson and IBM is a compelling–and, at times, cautionary–tale of a determined, charismatic, flawed, and ultimately successful leader.Anyone interested in the story of business in America, the birth of high-tech, or simply the rags-to-riches tale of one determined businessman should read this book."
–Robert M. Menschel
Senior Director, Goldman Sachs
author of Markets, Mobs, and Mayhem

"In an action-packed story that reads like a novel, Kevin Maney paints a convincing portrait of a man who, having been a convicted criminal, redeemed himself and reshaped the American business landscape. The career of Thomas Watson, the effective founder of IBM, is not only fascinating, but offers many critical lessons on management and personal conduct that remain extremely poignant today."
–Peter Krass
author of Carnegie ...