This excellent collection of Wallace's writings, interspersed with commentary and vignettes by the editor, is very well done and a welcome addition to the literature about/by Wallace. The relationship, or 'delicate arrangement', between Wallace and Darwin, and the triggering of Darwin's book by the Ternate paper, is one of the strange and scandalous mysteries of the evolution of science, and a tale seldom told straight, in a tradition too many wish to fix with their own agendas and unable to quite handle the unconforming Wallace (cf. Brackman's A Delicate Arrangement). The Darwinians simply don't get it. The text contains a selection of Wallace's spiritualist views, and while these are caught up in the confusions of the first discredited 'new age' and theosophical movements of the nineteenth century and helped to discredit him, they do register Wallace's deeper insight finally than Darwin's into the problems in evolutionary theory, taken as a thesis about natural selection. Noone seems to grasp that Wallace not only co-discovered selectionist evolution, but was able to see the catch in the resulting account of the descent of man, which is the emergence of potential, not explicable in terms of adaptation. Someday the world will catch up with Wallace.
This fine book is slightly marred with Gould's tendentious remarks about Wallace in a short preface. If Wallace's reputation suffers it is partly because the Darwinian establishment keeps him in a box, witness this preface with its polite sideswiping. I hope it will increase sales with Gould's name and that readers will skip the preface for the book. Gould was quietly nervous about this aspect of his Darwin obsessiveness.
It is a mystery if ever there was one.
Stand back and consider the remarkable set of facts involved in the duo, starting with Darwin's early paper, Wallace coming from behind, the unnecessary sending of the paper to Darwin (he could have had the credit, the overall constellation of events and the resulting dialectical spread of views, something quite different from one man producing a theory. Does it not strike one as quite odd? To the Darwinian reinventors of Plato's Cave, it won't seem odd at all, they are too far gone.
I hope this is the beginning of a new proper account of biological theory, Wallace to the fore. Darwin's delay, and the missing letters, and the rigging of the Linean Society papers, do not bode well for the always-propped-up reputation of the Great Founder beside the real one, depicted here. Excellent book.

Alfred Russel Wallace was one of the nineteenth century's most brilliant observers of man and nature. He is best known for his working out of the theory of natural selection, and the way his communication to Darwin on the subject propelled the latter into action resulting in his "On the Origin of Species." But Wallace was much more than this, and had interests a good deal more far-ranging than Darwin's. In addition to his natural selection connection, Wallace can reasonably be credited as the founder of the modern school of biogeographic thought, as history's foremost tropical naturalist and field biologist, and as one of the founders of the science of exobiology. So too, he was one of his period's most vocal supporters of spiritualism, a leader of the land nationalization movement, a prominent socialist, and an outspoken supporter of women's suffrage and opponent of mandatory vaccination.

With credentials like these, it is hardly credible that he is as little known today as he is. Certainly his "other man" status viz. Darwin hasn't helped, but neither did he during his own life attempt to draw attention to himself in all these connections. Add to this a perfectly clear and enquiring mind, a bit of naivety, and one of the most uncompromisingly pro-"little guy" understandings of the human condition, and you have a personality who is much overdue for re-examination.

Berry's anthology continues (but does not end) the recent Wallace renaissance. Berry has done a remarkable job of covering the range of Wallace's interests in just one volume, though to do so he has had to provide excerpts rather than whole works (with the exception of two or three of Wallace's most famous essays). He has also gotten the history right, and provided an editorial narrative that is mostly right on target, and pleasantly composed. If you are the kind of person who likes adventures in the realms of logical and sympathetic thinking, you'll love this collection!

This is awsome book. If you are into troubleshooting appletalk, or just want to learn detail about AppleTalk Protocol this is great book. This books also talks about the difference between AppleTalk Phase I & II. I like this book specially because its writen by the creator of AppleTalk Mr. Gurcharn Singh Sindhu. Mr. Sidhu really know AppleTalk inside out, he is the God of AppleTalk.

I've stated before that I appreciate the style of Radia Perlman. She tells a story, giving rich insight as to why things do what they do.

This book comes close to doing the same thing, in a spirit crossed between Stevens' TCP/IP Illustrated and Perlman's writings.

AppleTalk is an elegant protocol many too quickly dismiss as "outdated." Within it exist many working paradigms regarding utilitarian "ease of use" connectivity that would be of great benefit to those brainstorming where to grow TCP/IP.

This book is well worth the money, and even though we've stopped developing AppleTalk stacks its constantly referenced for creative examples.

The technical writers responsible for this book should be proud of themselves. Its top notch.

Without a doubt, one of the best ways for non-technical folks to learn about the web and the internet. I'm personally opposed to labeling anyone unfamiliar with computers, a dummy. This book teaches by using mostly graphic imagery which clearly illustrates the concepts being discussed. A definate add-on for anyone getting, or giving a new computer, Mac or PC.

I'm quite impressed and satisfied with this book and with the entire Simplified series. This book presents an excellent introduction to and overview of the internet and the world wide web. It is very accessible to beginners and provides useful information for more experienced users. For visual learners (like myself), the illustrations are a great help.

It's challenging to take a complex subject and express it simply, clearly, concisely, and comprehensively. This book meets the challenge.

Other books in the Simplified series are listed on Amazon.com under the author name Ruth Maran. A similar series (which I also enjoy very much) by the same author is the Teach Yourself Visually series.

There are three characteristics I like about this book. First, it explains the technology of the Internet in sufficient detail for a manager to understand how it is relevant to his/her business. The reader learns the capabilities and limitations of Internet technologies without becoming bogged down in the details of how to make it operational. Second, the book analyzes the Internet technologies and e-business from an economic perspective, using the tools of the micro-economist. The resulting conclusions are more rigorous and authoritative than those offered by other commentators on e-business. This is the first time I've seen such analysis aimed at other than an academic audience. This is the first time I've seen some of the analyses in the book aimed at *any* audience. Finally, the authors have combined old information distribution techniques (the book) with new (a website) by making a website available to purchasers of the book with a promise to keep the website up to date. If you buy the book, don't lose your receipt, as you need to send a copy of it in in order to get access to that website.

Choi and Whinston's new book presents another landmark publication in the e-commerce literature. A very well written account of the economic mechanisms that drive the new economy. Among the most accomplished academic researchers in the field, the authors achieve a great balance of high readability without sacrificing rigor. Truly in spirit of the Internet economy, it is much more than just a conventional textbook. The physical book complements one of the most innovative and accomplished e-learning portals (smartecon.com) to be found online to-day. One of the richest learning and teaching environments for topics related to the new economy, it contains modularized learning materials (so called learnules), teaching cases, research articles, FAQs, links to other sites in academia and industry, presentation slides, and a whole range of other features useful for students and instructors. The purchase of the book allows the buyer full access to the SmartEcon e-learning portal.

The book comprises a fine selection of customized learnules from the online site that covers the current issues in the digital economy debate. Unlike other authors in the e-commerce area, Whinston and Choi develop their concepts from principles of economics research and thus provide new insight into why certain technologies or business models succeed or fail in the new economy. The book includes a review of the essential Internet computing and communication technologies but the focus is on their economic applications. In particular, they discuss online market mechanisms, e-business firms, smart marketing and interactive customers, digital product spaces, online auctions and electronic marketplaces, trust and privacy, e-crimes, and regulatory and governance issues. This book should prove highly valuable to anyone with an interest in fields related to IT, E-commerce, or economics.

Together with the online materials the book can be customized to perfectly fit a range of e-commerce classes. I have used a preliminary version of the book with great success teaching MBA and MSc students at the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, the premiere Business School in Asia. The combination of dynamically updated online materials (digital) and a convenient reference and textbook (physical) make The Internet Economy: Technology and Practice a unique product in the literature. In some ways this combination successfully parallels current trends towards brick-and-click models. I highly recommend it.

An Introduction to Korean Culture by John H. Koo is one of the best overall books on Korean Culture. It is a easy read and it covers many areas of the asian culture and how the Korean people have evolved. It is a good read for anyone working or living in Korea. Excellent writing...

The best book on Korean culture I have read.It is interesting and balanced in presentation with neither a foreigner's condensation nor a native's hyper national pride. The book reads well and draws the reader into the culture, history, values, customs, arts and people of Korea.

As we gaze over the vast edifice of dodecaphonic music this side of the Atlantic we find a number of profound creations, Stefan Wolpe, Ralph Shapey, Donald Martino, Charles Wuorinen, Ezra Simms, and of course Milton Babbitt. There is a premonition, a harbinger which had marked Babbitt's life, being the first American to welcome Arnold Schoenberg as he arrived from exile,escaping the darkest pages of European history with the then popularity of the fascists in Europe and some cults within the USA,as Father Cooglan, and then Senator McCarthy and Roy Cohn's dithyrambic Purges of left minded American workers.
Andrew Mead does an admirable job, tracing the vast diapasonal musical creations of Babbitt.
Mead admirably divides Babbitt's creativity into useful periods, ones marked with a penchant for theoretical discursis,an elan for the pure structural and durational devices his inventive mind had. It all begins with Schoenberg's evolutionary 12 Tone language,which Babbitt had devloped into further functional divisions of the almost Kabballah like power of the number 12. His Composition for Four Instruments, Flute, Clarinet, Violin and Cello was a primary achievement, although rhythmically tthis period was marked by a persistent provincialism of the parameter of rhythm.It wasb't until the Second String Quartet where such tactile parametric freedoms begin to reveal themselves in an effulgence language.. With the Third creative period Mead identifies here the years 1961 to 1980 we impart ourselves in stil greater expansive dimensions. A number of piano solo works distinguish this period, the "Post-Partitions", and a work I deeply admire the rather modest 'Sextets', for Violin and Piano from 1966,and a revistation of the genre in "Joy of more Sextets" from the displaying the hexachordal-like encysted divisions between both contrasting instruments. There the genre,of Violin and Piano,which emanates from the 19th Century Sonata, was truly redefined discovering newer contexts, within the predictable structure of duet. Babbitt had also developed theories which now aimed to consolidate the vagaries of the infinite permutations and combinatorial mixtures of the 12 tones,his More Phonemena was a summation piece. I am still thrilled by the Piano Concerto a work in the Eighties, where now we see a freer utilizsation of some of these theoretical achievements. He still maintained this penchant for discovering differing contexts for predictable musical genres,and interestingly pursued interesting combinations as the various 'Soli e Duettini', as the one for two acoustic guitars.

I have always admired Milton Babbitt's work, not least for the subtle beauties of his often misunderstood music -- misunderstood only by those who are not up to the challenge of this demanding, olympean music! Andrew Mead's Introduction is exactly what it claims to be, an introduction--but then how could it be otherwise, considering the vast scope of Babbitt's astounding technique--and a very clear and well written one at that. Most important, Mead clarifies the musical responses and exigencies which brought about this impressive technique in very readable english. The bibliography at the end of the book is also excellent, listing some very important articles in the study of twelve tone music theory. Also recommended is Milton Babbitt's own, very readable, "Words About Music".

This book was my "textbook" when I took Philosohy of Religion back in 1985. Compared to most philosphy of religion books, Brian Davies does an excellent job in reviewing, describing, explaining, and showing the strengths and weakness of each metaphysical idea without showing too much of a bias one way or the other.

This text is small, yet, thorough. He deals masterfully with some of the biggest arguments for God: Ontological, cosmological, and teleogical as well as others. His chapter on miracles is easy to understand and well written. The book doesn't try to sway the student in any direction, but instead, shows that it is reasonable to believe or not to believe in God.

Well balanced.

Brian Davies takes complicated issues involving God, metaphysics, ethics, etc. and presents them in clear, common language anyone can read. It is clear from reading Davies' book that he has been in dialogue with philosophers who come at these subjects from many contrasting perspectives. He presents the varying arguments, demonstrates their strengths and weeknesses and, in the end, leaves it up to the reader to decide whether or not to support the arguments presented. Great reference book for anyone engaged in the philosophy of religion or in metaphysics.

Anyone who has read Andrew Oyefesobi's written works knows he has a potent way with words, ones you will "feel"--no matter what the genre. Clearly, the brother is educated, bright, insightful, elegant, informed, bold, and he knows how to "keep it real." This writer is multitalented, and his attributes shine through once again in his latest book, "Itchy Privates."

I enjoyed every poem in this collection; however, among those nuggets that I personally found most enjoyable, captivating, feel-good and/or thought-provoking are: 'Where Do Men Go To Die?,' 'Deep-Fried Soul Food,' 'To: Maya, Phenomenal Indeed,' Whatchu Know 'Bout Soul?,' 'Jazz Got This Love Thang,' and 'Gov'ment Cheese'.

My first experience with Oyefesobi's written words was with his explosive novel "Sin in Soul's Kitchen"--also well worth the read. Just as he does with his poetry, he leaves the reader wanting to be served some more at the end of that twisted story! I have had the pleasure, too, of seeing him perform his poetry live, which I guarantee is a memorable experience for all who attend. He is just as bold, elegant and interesting a performer as he is on paper--if not more. Good bet: Check him out in performance if he comes to a city near you.

But if you can't experience Oyefesobi in person, experience this spirited brother on paper--you'll get lost in his words just as easily...and he'll keep you itching for more.

This is not my first experience with Andrew Oyefesobi's work. I've had the privilege to read "Sin in Soul's Kitchen", as well as sit in on some of his spoken word performances, and one thing comes to mind...he tells the truth and can stand up to a dare! His work is innovative, intriguing, and forward which is refreshing. It leaves you panting for more. His soulful expressions of life,art,music...puts you in touch with your inner most being in which you find yourself not being afraid to "scratch that itch" and, it feels so good.

I've long been fascinated by the (to Westerners) strangenesses of Japanese culture and society, and I'm also interested in "life style" design, so I was particularly taken with this book. Each of the beautifully illustrated chapters deals with one aspect of the Japanese approach to the visual -- fashion, architecture, interiors, food and drink, transport, consumer products, housewares, communication and packaging, and transport -- and the author gives as much attention to the social psyhology behind Japanese traditions and interpretations as to the art and design itself, examining Japan's communitarian aspects and the tension between colorful individualism and finely developed herd instinct. A terrific book.

A worthy update on the world of Japanese style and design. Both pictures and text provide an insightful look into the Japan of the new millenium. The architecture, packaging, and fashion sections were of particular note. Highly recommended.

This is the best book I've read on jazz theory. Explains ideas very well, & has very good examples

I got this book back in 1985 when I was attending Berklee College on Music in Boston, MA. This book covers everything in the Berklee harmony curriculum and more. It starts off very basic and goes on to analysis of real tunes, such as John Coltrane's "Countdown." It belongs in every Jazz musician's library. Highly recommended.