There has never, so far as I know, been any real argument over whether biological evolution occurs. The fuss, certainly ever since 1859, has always been mainly about two things: _how_ it occurs (Does it happen solely by "natural selection"? If so, by what mechanism(s)? Or does it happen at least partly by design?), and whether it's sufficient to account for the origin of life (and, more specifically, of human life).

Not that you'd know this from most public debate on the subject. If there's one topic guaranteed to generate letters to the editor written at a grade-school level or below from people who ought to know better (on _both_ sides), this is surely it.

Well, if everything you (think you) know about this debate comes from listening to somebody denounce it from the pulpit -- or for that matter from watching "Inherit the Wind" and/or reading _The Selfish Gene_ -- then you really should educate yourself before sounding off about it. And one thing you'll want to learn is a little of the history of the subject.

William Provine's scholarly history of the science of population genetics, originally written in 1971, is a fine place to start. It covers the development of the field from the time of Darwin through the early twentieth century, the period during which the synthesis of Darwinian natural selection and Mendelian genetics was taking place.

You'll encounter some familiar names -- of course Darwin and Mendel, but also e.g. Thomas Henry Huxley, Sir Francis Galton, and J.B.S. Haldane. You'll also encounter a number of other names that probably won't be familiar to you unless you already know something about this field (or perhaps about statistics): William Bateson, Karl Pearson, Sir Ronald A. Fisher, and Sewall Wright, for example.

And mainly, you'll get a grasp of the way Darwin's theory and the new science of genetics dovetailed and reinforced one another in the synthesis of modern population genetics. If you don't believe in evolutiuon-by-natural-selection yourself, you'll at least begin to see why other people do and what's so intellectually attractive about it. And if you _do_ believe in it yourself, you'll get a healthy sense of the fact that it hasn't ever been a uniform, monolithic theory that left no room for any sort of argument.

It would be nice if everybody who felt entitled to an opinion in the evolution debate would read this book. A couple of others that ought to be on the shortlist: John Maynard Smith's somewhat dated classic _The Theory of Evolution_ ("pro") and Michael Denton's _Evolution: A Theory in Crisis_ ("con"). There are more but I won't list them here.

Of course there are also lots of readers who don't need the foregoing warning. To them I simply say that this is a readable, well-researched history of its title topic.

Well, Mr Sargent, you are quite the teacher. I recently read your book, and it truly has changed my life. Using both hemispheres in my brain has helped me understand how I work. When I need to memorize something, I switch hemispheres and go to work. The information and knowledge that you share in your book is a wonderful addition to anyone's mind. I have become a better student and friend because of your book. Hopefully we can play golf sometime.

This is not the usual grandfather-grandson account of catching fish on a calm pond. Rather, Canoeing the Wabash by author Allen Johnson is high adventure for any age range. The skilled writer easily holds the reader's attention through 500 miles that he and 10-year-old grandson paddled. Though he disclaims any intent to write a "scholarly account," his story is peppered with history, indicative of careful research. His stated goal, "that reader get a couple of chuckles each session," estimated at four half-hour reading periods, may have been intended to lower expectations. The final effort delightfully exceeds such modest goal. The reader's interest will grow with the river being traveled-from the step-across beginning to the joinder of its mouth with the larger Ohio River. It is at that point that the magnitude of the trip, including the personal risk, is apparent. Barge wake in the big river almost swamped the tiny canoe. "The longest five minutes of the trip. The Wabash had been a little choppy at times, but the Ohio was an ocean." Many intrigued grandfathers and grandsons may duplicate the trip in their minds. A few may actually do so. None will write a finer account of his voyage.

To Whom It May Concern: Buy this book! Or borrow it your literary neighbor, or steal it from the library; anything, just get you hands on it. Out of This World is a comprehensive lexicon of of the life of the infamous St. Mark's in the Bowery Poetry Project. From Ginsberg to Ashberry, from O'Hara to St. Francis, from the down and dirty free verse of Paul Beatty and Jim Carroll to the the luminous prose of Mary Montenegro, this book is finger lickin' good. While it is dissappointing at times not to have more that one or two pieces by each poet, it gives you a scope that few works do. Elegantly edited and sequenced by Anne Waldman, the project's long-time director, Out of This World is a five-pound gem worth dodging library security or the wait for an out of print copy. Dig it.

Over What Hill ? is another very entertaining short novel by Effie Leland Wilder. It touches your heart and then makes you laugh. The book is written as a diary in which Hattie shares the her thoughts and the events that happen at FairAcres retirement center. The point of view of an eighty something with a sense of humor is refreshing. If you have to choose between this book and Out to Pasture (But Not Over the Hill) then buy Out to Pasture. This book is the sequel.

10 years have passed and I'm still using this great dictionary ! It's one of the best English dictionaries ever produced. It's a comprehensive dictionary of current English, and is written in a straightforward and readable style.
Features:

- It has numerous encyclopedic articles covering a wide range of subjects e.g. current affairs, important people throughout history, science and technology, medicine, history, the arts, philosophy, mythology, sport, places like countries.
- Chronology of world historical events. Sometimes when I feel bored, I just open the dictionary and start to read this attractive section !
- It has some clear grammar and usage of a word (but not compared to Longman's Dictionary).
- It contains word origins, which makes me rush to open it if I want to learn more about the origin of a word.
- Appendices containing: Countries of the World, The Commonwealth, States of the USA, The British islets and constitution, The US constitution, the UN, the European Community, Kings and Queens of England and the UK, Prime Ministers and Presidents, World map section in color, and more !

Useful dictionary for your office or at home.
Enjoy using it.

Paradiso is another good book in the Divine Comedy trilogy. However most people never get past Inferno. The first two are good, and Paradiso most definetly holds up to its counterparts. I would also like to add that Allen Mandelbaum does an excellent job translating the Divine Comedy, as well as the Aeneid of Virgil. Paradiso, translated by Mandelbaum is easy to read, and very poetic. I am sure it is just how Dante himself would have written it, had he written the Divine Comedy in english.

This book really sets the standard in my opinion, especially for books that specifically deal with the American Restoration Movement of the early 19th Century. It discusses our past as well as potential futures. There is so much meat in the book that it will take several reads to really get it all. I was challenged by this book to really strive for all that the church should and can be. I encourage you to get this book and read it over and over.

This book divides neatly into classical styles of preaching and contemporary styles of preaching. Each chapter gives a description of the style of preaching being analyzed and how it works and then includes a sample sermon of that style.

I found this to be very helpful in challenging my thinking about "the" right way to preach and it gave me multiple styles to consider as I try to reach a world that seems less and less interested in the way we have traditionally packaged our messages. One style may "fit" a particular circumstance or audience or passage better than another style and therefore make us better equipped to apply the Word. It also would help us preachers be less predictable with those who regularly listen to us.

Hibbard's book on the study of the short fiction of Paul Bowles is easily the best that is available on the subject, and Hibbard covers just about everything that the reader would want to know.

The book is split into 3 sections: 1) The Short Fiction 2) The Writer and 3) The Critics. There are also many interviews with Bowles in this book, as well as many critical essays.

The main books covered are: 'The Delicate Prey', 'A Hundred Camels in the Courtyard', 'The Time of Friendship', 'Things Gone and Things Still Here', 'Midnight Mass' and 'Unwelcome Words and other stories'.

I recommend this book to any serious student of the fiction of Paul Bowles, as well as the casual reader, because this book is written in a readily understandable format, which in itself is very useful.