Why some scientists attempt to "refute" Darwin remains perplexing. Some hope to gain notoriety by toppling such an icon. "Post-modernists" apply the "cultural artefact" dodge - natural selection could only arise in Victorian Britain. Still others have observed the complexities of today's life forms, and unable to comprehend how the process of natural selection brought them about, lash out in frustration. Gabriel Dover seems to fall in the latter category with this bizarre work, although an undercurrent of self-promotion is evident.

The book is an attempt to promote Dover's concept of "molecular drive" he introduced some years ago. In Dover's view, the complexities of today's chromosomes can be projected backward in time to explain evolution's mechanisms. Molecular drive is so powerful and far-reaching that it exceeds natural selection's gradual pace. Since this complexity can arise in nearly every life form above the single-cell organism, natural selection is thereby refuted, Dover says. He attempts to explain the mechanism with convoluted examples of fruit flies suffering from a rare, but deleterious mutation. By the time he's finished we are left with little understanding of how this process evolved, but even less of how it replaces natural selection.

Whiffs of Behe Syndrome permeate this book. BS is an affliction infecting those dazzled by the intricacies of modern genetics. Sufferers are unable to perceive the long reach of natural selection through time. Hence, they tend to maneuver around it, grasping at any straw in searching for quick, immediate answers to evolution's mysteries. Dover's "molecular coevolution" is an attempt to graft one of these answers to Darwin's original thesis. Like other examples of BS, it fails pitifully. Darwin's Idea survives this attempt at erosion with renewed strength.

The ethics of invoking the shade of Charles Darwin to inform us of advances in genetics are questionable at best. Darwin has been "updated" before, although none with the aim of degrading others. Dover presents his case in a series of letters, some attempting to explain modern molecular biology, some just "chatty". The shadow of Darwin is astoundingly tolerant of all this. Dover makes him out as appreciative of the update effort, but anyone who has read Darwin isn't deceived. Darwin was too clear a thinker to be misled by such devious tactics. Dover's inept handling of Darwin glares from every exchange. The many personal asides appear to be some form of camouflage to distract the reader from perceiving how ineptly Dover handles the issues. The barbed assault on Richard Dawkins sprinkled throughout the book proves even worse. Dover's recruiting Darwin's ghost as an ally in this venture is the final flaw. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

[* with humble apologies to Daniel C. Dennett]

Dear Mr Darwin adopts a highly well-known aspect of Charles Darwin's life of correspondences and develops in into a book. However, the correspondences in this book are all imagination of the author, Dove. He effectively uses a combination of witty and clear language to "update" Charles Darwin on the great developments of evolutionary genetics since the great naturalist's time. What is almost hilarious is the many references to Darwin's state of internment at the Abby and they help to make the book even more readable for the layman.

Essentially, this book is about evolutionary genetics since the discovery of works of Gregory Mendel, the father of genetics. In 15 correspondences altogether, Dove manages to squeeze the major aspects of evolutionary genetics that have advance man's knowledge of evolution. Not insignificant is a chapter wholly devoted to debunking Dawkins'selfish gene theory (many other chapters show oblique disdain of the author towards Dawkins' theory).

Three main ideas are what are pursued throughout the book. Firstly, the book has introduced me to the non-Mendelian mechanisms of genes. These include gene conversion, slippage, unequal crossing over etc. These turnover genetics, as they are also called, can be responsible for as many genetic variations as Mendelian genetics of segregation. The next idea is that natural selection is not the only force that leads to evolution of organisms. The author pioneers a new force he calls molecular drive. Given the many non-Mendelian mechanisms, it is possible that novelties arise at the genetic level, fortuitously giving an organism the advantage. This will lead to adoptation of previously inaccessible environment, which in turn leads to higher rate of reproduction. This is different from natural selection, which works at the ecological level to spread the genetic materials of best-fitted organisms.

The last idea and is what the author is bent in propagating, is that Dawkins got it entirely wrong with his selfish gene theory. With no forgiving language, Dove states that genes are never capable of replicating itself. The only entity in biology able to replicate itself is the cell. And the cell is the product of many genes, many interactions and many mechanisms not possibly attributed to a single gene. And the cell is the organism (humans simply being higher order multi-cellular entities). So Dawkins' entire idea of the genes as the ultimate unit of selection is false. There are many other points of arguments, some of which are quite hard to comprehend.

This book, although written in a creative manner, requires some knowledge of genetics. The middle sections of the book can get very technical and it is important for the general reader to read through and summarise his ideas. It is a also a good book to refute the ideas of Dawkins and to offer fresh perspectives on the forces that drive evolution., apart from natural selection.

Mr. Dover is obvious a brilliant scientist on the cutting edge of genetics. I can't imagaine there are many people more knowledgable on the subject. He also has a flair and humor to his writing. So if the book is substantial and not boring, what is the problem? This book is simply not "accessable" as it were.

The book is less about Darwin's theory than contemporary theories, including Mr. Dover's own "molecular drive" (there is also molecular coevolution, gene conversion, exaptation, neutral drift, etc.) most of which seem quite sound. Unfortunately, and notwithstanding the conversational format of the book, the concepts are abstruse. One would need, at least, a good knowlege of basic genetics (just knowing the doulbe helix is not enough, trust me) to appreciate this book. If you already have a good grasp of "allelles" and such, (where they are on chromosomes, how they operate, etc.) this book would be an excellent choice.

Lots of very beautiful patterns (that's why I bought it in the first place) but I never made any patterns from it. Why not, you ask? Though I have done many projects requiring tons of grinding with the 1/4" bit, or over 1400 pieces, the fact is, it's just too discouraging to do.

Way too many pieces are uncuttable and require fine carving, and there is no color chart so you don't know whether pieces belong to flower, leaf or sky. You can't even guess!

I am a beginner in stained glass and I would say that this pattern book is for at least intermediates. These are rather complicated patterns suitable for larger flat panels. There were few color pictures and even those were small.

This book is for glass artists who are looking for something extraordinary and beautiful. I love the whimsy and the elegance of these patterns. They may be challenging, but if you are a beginner one of these patterns may be just the inspiration you need to stretch your talent to new levels. Thank you Ms. Clough for giving us something new and different!

My 5 year old son loves mazes, but he found this book to be way to easy. He finished the book in a half hour sitting at dinner at a restaurant.

The age bracket shown for this book is 4-8 but our 6 year old has quickly mastered the puzzles - they are rather easy. He enjoys them but I can't imagine him enjoying them 2 years from now.

So, a good book for kids at the younger end of the recommended age bracket.

Good book for the younger kids. My son (he's 4) loved it because it has Dinosaurs. If you /your child likes mazes this book is worth a look.

On pain of death, I beg you not to save a few bucks by buying this translation of Goethe's masterpiece. This dusty, Victorian--era translation is opaque, humorless, and turgid. I can think of no greater disservice to a great writer. Obviously Dover picked this translation because it is in the public domain, and they did not have to pay for it. This is a great stratagem for holding down consumer costs, but it comes at a high price in terms of enjoyment. The absence of critical apparatus also detracts. There are much better translations available, especially the one from Princeton University Press. That one costs more but is well worth it in the long run. In short, though, you should buy anything BUT this boring miscarriage.

I once read that many people prefer this version of Faust over Christopher Marlowe's. I can not really understand why. To be sure, there are powerful moments in this version. There are also dramatic passages and memorable moments. Perhaps I would have rated this better if I had not read Marlowe's version. The problem is that this lacks Marlowe's superb orginization, harsh realities, dramatic irony, and chilling terror. Don't get me wrong. This book is certainly worth looking at, but I suggest you read this version before you read Marlowe's.

This is the definitive book from which all Faust or books relating to the Faust storyline are based. Much is lost in the translation from its original German form, however, the story is timeless no matter what language it is in. Goethe writes a gripping tale from which many lessons can be learned. Anyone who loves great classic literature should make this a must read.

This is a book of black and white graphics only. No pictures of how some of the designs were used. Mostly north west designs. No graphs. Your on your own with this one.

This book is a helpful tool when working on American Indian art. I used it to do some designs in my kitchen and they look really great and liven up the room.

The paper is good but the spots and the stripes are to big and don't look like the real thing when folded in to an animal.

Look, you could just buy the 8.5x 8.5 origami paper and put your own, realistic, markings on it. It comes in solid colors and one gold paper, [...]. You get 40 sheets that way. Kids love to decorate their own paper. And it is bigger than this stuff. Who ever saw an animal that was yellow and green? I guess a grasshopper or something, but you could make your own, and it would be cheaper and more fun.

I expected much more from a book with "Audubon Birds" in the title. The designs are simple and the poses of the birds seem unnatural. I would not recommended this book to an experienced cross-stitcher. It might perhaps be of use to a novice cross-stitcher.

I received this as a gift and loved it.There were plenty of designs to get started on but it was hard to figure out which one to do first.I suggest this book Highly for anyone who likes Birds and who needs a great book.

Just a mish mash of designs with no information on originality of the designs, or even a mention of what century. Just thrown together to dupe a person. VERY disappointing.

This is a most helpful book if you wish to decorate anything with a turkish motif. I found the text as the bottom of each graphic informative and helpful. However, some motifs are so intricate that they're a bit difficult to trace and/or transfer.

If you're looking for a good interpretation of excellent illustrations, then this is your book! The illustrations are par none, but the writing lacks substance. Much of the descriptions are but interpretations, some based on fact, but many imagined. Readers looking for a very broad overview will enjoy this book. Those looking for detail about the ship or about the history of the time-period would do better with something else.

Essentially a reprint of a book published originally in 1924, the book manages to have both modern prose and a dated (nonpajorative in this case) perspective. Because the author is chronologically close to his subject, his focus on the meat of the matter is excellent. Complemented by excellent illustrations from Gordon Grant, Culver's prose flows forth, at once detailed, humourous, and filled with romance. An easy read that will probably be enjoyed by enthousiast, history buff, and devout non-fiction reader alike. We can only hope that this book does not go out of print for another 75 years.

When this book came out, there were surprisingly few books about Pacific Northwest Coast artwork, and many of the books that had been written were out of print.

I suppose it's possible that the author or publisher honestly felt they saw a niche that needed to be filled, and intended to produce a simple, helpful book. But regardless of their intent, the impression I came away with was that this book was thrown together in order to cash in on the rising interest and, at that time, paucity of reference material related to this artform.

The book is remarkably short, there is a lack of useful information about the artform or its elements, and many of the designs that are included in the book do not even appear to be native to this style of art.

I hate to pan a book, because I'm a part-time writer myself, but facts are facts. Regardless of what you are looking for when it comes to Northwest Coast Art - how to understand it, style variations amongst different northwest tribes, how to draw this type of art, etc. -- this book will not provide it for you. The only reason I can think of for buying this book is because you want a copy of every book ever written on the topic. Otherwise, don't waste your money on this one.

[...]

Does not explain what the designs are, if you don't have another book to explain them you will be lost. Drawings do not reflect true designs.

This book (and all in the Dover series) represents a simplification of complex art forms. It's good for simple, royalty free ideas, but those looking to learn details of NW art, should avoid this and go for a book by Hillary Stuart, Jim Gilbert and/or Karin Clark.