What a book..."The Book of life." Why it's a modern cartoon book of paleontology. Though its wonderful life-like illustrations and tree-of-life charts are delivered as scientific facts, they are simply graphic theories that illustrators doll up into hypothetical reality. If you like science and fiction, here is a book for you. The realistic pictures belie the text, which says: "We do not even know how to conceptualize, much less to draw the worldview that would place Homo sapiens into proper relationship with the history of life."

Its authors caveat is that "science can only operate as a work in progress without perfect knowledge, and we much therefore leave a great deal out from ignorance --- especially in a historical field like paleontology, where we must work with the strictly limited evidence of a very imperfect fossil record." It's that fossil record, that the book presumes is accurate in its layer-by-layer record through time, that requires scrutiny. The oldest fossils are found in the bottom layers and the youngest in the top layers of rock, but little or no evidence is presented to provide skeptical readers information they can decipher for themselves as to the accuracy of fossil dating by rock layers. Are we to believe, without exception, that the fossil record is progressive from bottom to top? What about fossilized trees that protrude through millions of years of time? They are conveniently omitted. Michael Benton of England's Bristol University, one of the book's contributors, says "All the periods in the geological time scale receive their names in recognition of obvious changes in the fossil record." Yet, to the contrary, Benton adds, "the history of Earth's crust has been far too violent to preserve much more than a random sample."

Its general editor, Stephen Jay Gould, is magnanimous in his promotion of a single theory of man's origins, from monkeys he and most other fossil hunters say.

There may be missing pieces to the paleontological puzzle, but the bone diggers cliam they have finally filled in the evolutional blanks and can conclusively attest to the idea that life evolved from simpler single-celled organisms into modern man. The book's most ardent opponents are taken head on by Gould: "The lack of fossil intermediates had often been cited by creationists as a supposedly prime example for their contention that intermediate forms not only haven't been found in the fossil record but can even be conceived." But Gould holds a trump card. He says: "a lovely series of intermediary steps have now been found in rocks.... in Pakistan. This elegant series, giving lie to the creationist claims, includes the almost perfectly intermediate Ambulocetus (literally, the walking whale), a form with substantial rear legs to complement the front legs already known from many fossil whales, and clearly well adapted both for swimming and for adequate, if limited, movement on land." Oddly, the book never shows a drawing of Ambulocetus, but does have an illustration of a skeleton of a 400-million year old fish with a small underside fin bone the authors claim "must have evolved" into legs in four-legged animals. Man's imagination is not found wanting here. Out of millions of fossils collected and stored in museums, is Ambulocetus the main piece of evidence for evolutionary theory?

Richard Benton says that Charles Darwin had hoped the fossil record would eventually confirm his theory of evolution, but "this has not happened," says Benton. Darwin hoped newly-discovered fossils would connect the dots into a clear evolutionary pattern. The book attempts to do that with its fictional drawings of apes evolving into pre-humans (hominids) and then modern man. Yet the book is not without contradictions. It says: "It remains uncertain whether chimpanzees are more closely related to modern humans or to the gorilla."

The horse is shown as evolving from a small, four-toed to a large one-toed animal over millions of years. There are different varieties of horses, yet there is no evidence that a horse ever evolved from another lower form of animal, nor that horses evolved into any other form of animal.

Another evolutionary puzzle that goes unexplained in the book is the pollination of flowers. How did bees and flowers arrive simultaneously in nature? What directed the appearance of one separate kingdom of life (insects) with that of another?

The book describes 6 1/2-foot millipedes and dragonflies with the wing span of a seagull, but gives no explanation for them. Life was unusual in the past and not all forms fit evolutionary patterns. Consider the popular supposition that life evolved from the sea onto land. That would make more advanced forms of intelligence land bearing. But the aquatic dolphins defy that model, since they are among the smartest mammals.

The book maintains an "out of Africa" scenario for the geographical origins of man, but recent fossil finds in Australia challenge that theory and even the book's authors admit that "a single new skull in an unexpected time or place could still rewrite the primate story." Consider Java man (Homo erectus), once considered the "missing link" and dated at 1.8 million years old. Modern dating methods now estimate Java man to be no more than 50,000 years of age, a fact that was omitted from this text.

Creativity, invention and language are brought out as unique human characteristics. Yet the true uniqueness of man is not emphasized. Humans biologically stand apart from animals in so many ways. Humans can be tickled whereas animals cannot. Humans shed emotional tears, animals do not. The book does not dare venture beyond structure and function, beyond cells and DNA, to ask the question posed by philosophers --- does man have a soul? The Bible speaks of a soul 533 times, this "book of life," not once.

Gould's temple is science. He calls the scientific method "that infallible guide to empirical truth." Science works by elimination. It can only work from experiment to experiment, eliminating what is not true. It can say what is probable, it can never say what is true. Gould appears to begrudge the shackles of science by stepping outside its boundaries in overstating what it can accomplish. Whereas creationists await the day they will stand in judgment before God, for the evolutionists Gould says "Someday, perhaps, we shall me our ancestors face to face." Imagine, standing there looking at a man-like monkey skeleton.

One cannot fault the flaws in this book. After all, it was written by highly evolved apes.

You would have expected more time and detail to the ermergence of the nervous system and the Cambrian Explosion. A more up-to-date section on human evolution (no mention of Ardipithecus Ramidus) but on the whole the book is a good synthesis of the state of the knowledge in this field.

This singular book gives a very nice popular overview of the state-of-the-art in paleontology, chronologically covering everything from the Archean to the evolution of man. It is a beautifully illustrated and well-written book, although the text is perhaps sometimes a bit too technical and dense for the paleontological novice.
And please don't buy some creationists' claims that this is science fiction. The contents of this book is based on material from thousands of scientific articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals such as "Nature" and "Science", representing the fruits of the hard labour of paleontologists from all over the world. And the fossil record, even if it is convincing in itself, is far from the only support for evolution. Independent evidence for evolution can also be found in biogeography, development, molecular analyses (gene DNA, junk DNA, mtDNA etc), anatomical analyses, and even field observations of new species evolving. This large amount of evidence is why evolution is considered an established and undisputable fact. Of course, if one rather than facts wants comic book fantasies such as humans coexisting with dinosaurs and evil scientists conspiring to hide the truth, then one should look for creationist books instead. Or comic books.

I was surprised to see a "Christian novel" with a main character who has "visions." Even though her visions were supposedly from God and used for good, this sort of clairvoyance isn't really Scriptural. I see a lot of this sort of thing appearing in "Christian novels," and wonder what accounts for it, except maybe to make them more "exciting."

The author's writing is okay, although the characters never came alive for me and I thought they were mostly stereotypes. But my real problem wasn't with the writing.

Author Brandilyn Collins puts together a story that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat! Follow Chelsea Adams as a new Christian and trying to handle the 'gift' that God has given her. The plot of a murder and the vision Chelsea has of it makes for a great twists and turns in this book. You won't be able to stop reading until the last page is turned!!!

Look for the release of the sequel,'Dread Champion' in the fall of 2002.

Brandilyn Collins skillfully weaves a fast-paced story of psychic visions with engaging characters and interesting plot twists that keep the reader guessing until the end. A remarkable book that effective combines page-turner suspense with Christian context.

Heroine Chelsea Adams, a new Christian, relives the brutal attack of a stalker in a grisly vision and identifies the murderer as her husband's soon-to-be business associate.

From that point, her God-given visions fill Chelsea's world with uncertainty and danger. Her husband Paul, who barely accepts her newfound faith anyway, challenges the accuracy of her vision, but cannot deny the threat unleashed upon his wife and family.

The Bay Area law enforcement officers, with their own crises of belief, have difficulty producing the necessary proof and struggle to protect Chelsea and her family from the madman determined to end to her visions forever.

Collins has created multi-dimensional characters that add depth and poignancy to her plot. While ratcheting up the tension, she is still able to portray their spiritual struggles in an unobtrusive, believable way.

A great read that I guarantee will keep you engaged to the great climatic ending.

It is possible that I will be blind in a few years so I wanted to learn to read Braille. This book has great beginings however the "dots" are not raised and I don't want to learn to read braille by sight. Its an okay but it would be better if the whole book were in actual braille though.

An excellent book for learning Braille.

This is a fun book for anyone interested in exploring the world of Grade 1 Braille. The variety of activities to practice using the Braille is terrific. As a teacher of the visually impaired, I recommend the book to interested people that are looking for an overview of what Braille is and how it works.

My husband and I purchased this book for his father, as he had just had heart surgery, and we had seen Dr. Collins on Regis Live promoting his book. It sounded great and I thought this would be great for my father in law, as he loves to eat, and thought there would be great recipes for him. We were so motivated that We also purchased one for ourselves.

If you love Soy and Tofu you have hit a gold mine...Well in our case, neither my husband and I, or my father in law happen to like either of these.

Practically all the recipes need these ingredients. Except for a few "creative" ones. One of the being "the carrot dog". You just supplement a marinated carrot for a hot dog and place it on a hot dog bun!!!! YUK!!!

In all due respect, Dr. Collins seems very dedicated to his patient's and if you are a Soy and Tofu lover, you will probally love these recipes and if not, don't buy it.

I was looking for a little variety in my lowfat cooking. This book filled the bill!!! Tasty recipes with nutritional information and clear instructions. Recommended!

I recently saw Dr. Collins give a cooking demonstration and was eager to try the recipes from his book. So far, I have found the recipes to be tasty and easy to prepare. My family loves the oatmeal and soy smoothie recipes. Keep up the good work, doc!

I thought I might be bias to give this book a good review because I enjoy Stephen Collins as an actor but I must give it a good review based on the story itself. This was truly a fast paced, sexy, suspensful read that kept me turning the pages. The character of Joe McBride is realistic and flawed but not an idiot which makes his actions in the story plausible. A recommended read.

Stephen Collins' new novel "Double Exposure" is a superbly written page turner. With perfect aim Collins goes straight to the heart of the varied characters he introduces throughout the story. The emotional core lies in Joe McBride, a rather seasoned TV critic and his relationships with everyone from past and present lovers to his co-workers, to his mother and then some. With eroticism and suspense, Collins excels with his carefully crafted details. The writer also maintains a firm grasp of the characters psyches, many of whom intersect in an intriguing and often nail biting manner.

It isn't only the suspense that keeps the reader captivated, but Collins' display of the lurking and complex psychology of the characters. What sets "Double Exposure" apart from other suspense novels and what makes it most memorable is Collins' understanding of people and the underlying traits of human nature that many of us all too often deny. Stephen Collins offers us a mirror of the mind---a reflection that is not something we expect. All in all, there is an eager vitality in Collins' writing which makes for a thoroughly satisfying read.

Stephen Collins' new novel Double Exposure is a sexy page turner. Joe McBride,the TV critic, seems to lose control of his life as events derail his plans. He gets so caught up in his obsession with his enigmatic neighbor, Amy Goode, that he seemingly loses all reason. The story becomes almost unbearably poignant when his daughter is kidnapped. And,just when you think the story is over, it's not. What it lacks in character development is made up in plot complexity. A definite fun read for the beach this summer.

The chattiness is fine. I haven't seen Collings on television but I can imagine how he'd be entertaining there. I wondered about his motives a few times when Collings' own paintings showed up deep in the background of photos -- obviously he's so deep in this world that he may have some agendas. But the overall impression is certainly friendly and the few artists he dismisses are big enough to take it. It's a fun book you can read in a couple of hours. The only problem then is remembering any of what's been said.

I recommend this for the photos, almost completely. And I do not mean the cover photo where the author, Matthew Collings, has chosen to put a huge picture of himself with an eye-trapping bullseye painting behind his head. This mystified me, till I read the incredibly disorganized, ungrammatical account Collings writes, really more of a reminiscence than a history. Along the way he attacks the brilliant R.B. Kitaj and the rest of the School of London(including those such as Bacon and Freud) as "a bunch of oldsters exhibiting their charcoal life drawings and stuff." Incisive commentary that. Collings must make Robert Hughes tremble. Basically this is one huge self-promotional book, but generously illustrated with works of Damien Hirst, Chris Ofili, Tracey Emin and others from the infamous and brilliant SENSATION show, and contains, in spite of its obnoxiously chatty style, many interesting anecdotes about the London art world. One can almost piece it together despite the annoying narrator. The current London art scene is beautifully dangerous and the SENSATION Show(and I hope its catalog goes into print in the US soon)may be, in the end, as influential as the 1913 Armory Show, so it deserves study. Art needed back some kind of edge. The book is an OK intro to the subject and the photos alone justify purchase.

My only other complaint is the constant recurrence of those completely nightmarish perversions of conceptual art, the "living sculptures"(or charlatans, as I like to call them) Gilbert and George, laced oddly throughout the book for no apparent reason. What do they do? In a nutshell, they go about and place themselves in context, in photos or live. Why they think they're interesting wherever they're placed, or make a place interesting by their presence, is beyond me, but they've apparently made a great deal of loot from this. Go figure. John Roberson

Matthew Collings is extremely aware of the zeitgeist. His criticisms can be so accurate that it hurts. To get a broad overview on the phenomena of Brit Art I really can't reccommend it enough.

Colin Turnbull romanticizing of the Mbuti pygmies in "The Forest People" is allowable given the period in which it was written. In some ways, the book really tells us more about the ethnographer than the people he studied. Turnbull found the Mbuti way of life to have a simple, spiritual quality that he admired greatly.... part of this admiration stemmed from his own background in an elitist British social and academic system. Turnbull was simply "in love" with the Mbuti.

Anthropology has (hopefully) advanced to the point where its practitioners allow themselves a greater recognition of their possible biases. Even so, who is to say that an understanding of the ethnographer is not more important than the study group.
The book reads pleasantly, if not scientifically.

This book is like making a real trip into the Ituri rainforest- or more exactly into the lives of some of the most remarkable people you will ever meet. The Bambuti become so real for us in part because of Turnbull's narative skill, but more, I think, because they themselves are so real, such wonderful humans. This, we want to believe, is what our species is really like, the way we were meant to be.
Like all gathering- hunting people, the Bambuti are on intimate terms with mother nature. For them this means their beloved forest, which is a benign, nurturing, and protective mother. People who live outside the forest are scared to go near it. But the the Bambuti who are its children are completely happy there.

What makes this book such a joy to read is that besides being so lovable, the Bambuti are very funny. Their humor is infectious and irresistable.
Forever after reading The Forest People, everytime you think about the people you met there, and you will think about them, you can't help smiling.

What could be better, especially the way the world is now, than to find a book that makes you really feel good about being a human, proud and happy to be living on the same planet as these wonderful people.

I enjoyed reading this book from beginning to end. I really didn't want to put the book down. Before I read this book, I never heard of the Bambuti people or of the Ituri forest. I really felt as if I was living with them while reading the book. It was surely an eye opener for me. I wonder what has happened to Kenge, Manyalibo, Ausu, etc. It's really amazing how the Bambuti love their forest so much and that's all they need to get by. This book showed a lot of hardships and tragedies but yet the Bambuti people stressed how important their life is, with happiness and joy.

Billy Bragg's - Still Suitable for Miners might be great for Miner but not for Americans. If you are looking for insights into the music and the motiviations that created the great body of music avoid this book.

As a Billy Bragg fan for many years I was thrilled to hear of the release of this biography, but even more anxious to see who was writing it for him. For as often happens when famous people let strangers script their thoughts; either they match /compliment the person they are writing about or they steal the show.

Here Collins works perfectly. It's almost as if two old buddies had been in a pub one afternoon and decided to thrash out a book one one of their lives. Although it must be noted that Billy is a very personable character, who is very easy to strike up a conversation with. That being said, Collins pulled off my walk in the park in matching Bragg's wit, humour, tales of a bananna and a woman (I can't say anymore) and political morals.

I love Billy Bragg and what he has adamantly stood for all his life, and I think I may just come to love Andrew Collins too. But one thing is for sure, this biography has earned my respect double big time!

First: I am a HUGE Billy Bragg fan and have been since about 1990.

Second: This book was excellent.

The book really gives a great background on Billy's growing up, his influences, and his rise to "fame". It is great to see even the simple insights into his music, like the girl from "The Saturday Boy"...and how she approached him after all those years. Of course, he did not remember her, but that makes it all that much more ironic and colorful.

The book itself was clearly written, well-organized, and most importantly it finally gave us fans a great look into Billy's life and music.

Summary: ALL fans of Billy's should buy this book.

Anyone reading this effort is going to be convinced of one thing.

Man, if that guy can get published, then there is hope for anyone.

There appears to be no reason for the book except that the author had done some research on famous people of the 50s and didn't know what to do with it.

My guess: Collins was setting around drinking and wondering how to pay his bills when it dawned on him, "hey, why don't I use the names of these famous people and connect them in some way and see if I can sell it to someone as a novel?"

Those appearing include, Frank Sinatra, Jayne Mansfield, Sam Giancanna, Tony Accardo, Drew Pearson, Estes Kefaufer, and Joe McCarthy. Notice anything they have in common?

All of them are dead, which means they can't object to being in such a dismal novel.

"Chicago Confidential" is the twelfth Nathan Heller novel from Max Allan Collins.

It is a deft blending of true crime and mystery fiction---an astonishing mix of fact and fiction. His theories and conclusions are most convincing

It is not a whodunit---rather it is about a famous time in crime. It is 1950 in Chicago as the initial congressional inquiry into organized crime is starting up.

Heller runs the A-1 Detective Agency and is not mobbed up, but still has no desire to testify before Kefauver's committee.

Heller's ability to work with the underworld figures as well as the law is what makes his agency successful.

Ambitious politicos, rancorous gangsters and a couple of honest cops are the central figures Heller must deal with.

Snappy dialog, menacing action sequences and scrupulous historical research make this hard-boiled thriller a treat.

Among the real characters interacting with the concocted ones: Jayne Mansfield, Frank Sinatra, Drew Pearson, Sam Giancana, Senator Joe McCarthy.

Sorry, Steve 731, I respectfully disagree. I think this is one of the BEST Nate Heller books. The "crime" itself may not be as sensational as "The Black Dahlia" or the Lindbergh kidnapping, but most readers will be well aware of the McCarthy hearings and Kefauver hearings into organized crime (and this book provides a fascinating-- if theoretical-- inside look at both).

I do agree, though, that with a cameo appearance by Jack Ruby (and the fact that Frank Sinatra and mobster Sam "Mooney" Giancana are major characters in this book) it's only a matter of time until Max Allan Collins/Nate Heller tackle the JFK assassination (I can hardly wait!).

Of the several biographies I have read of the life of Michael Collins, this one does not stand up. Frought with inaccuracies as to dates, as well as circumstances, O'Connor replaces research with recollection and opinion. There are several other great biographies of this most important Irish figure. Avoid this one.

When I got the book I thought it would be more on Michael Collins . Despite this I thought it was a good book that help put into to prespective the events and people around him.

O'Connor's title suggests that this book is strictly a biography of Michael Collins focused on the years 1912 through 1922. In actuality, it covers a wide range of people and events and I cannot recommend it strictly as a Collins biography. However, as a history book that happens to have an emphasis on Collins, particularly in the latter part, I can recommend it. O'Connor has relied on materials from the library of General Richard Mulcahy (the IRA's chief of staff in Collins' time) and on interviews with Eamon de Valera, et al. For those reasons alone, I believe it is worth at least a cursory glance. Because of O'Connor's interest in and work for the Abbey Theatre, this book does emphasize literature and the arts in terms of how they fueled the independence movement. For someone interested in humanities as well as history, this would be one of O'Connor's advantages. This selection is divided only into numbered chapters rather than parts and that can be a bit irritating at times, especially because this is not a traditional biography. Chapter One actually begins by discussing Charles Stewart Parnell and the untimely end of his career. From there, the reader is taken quickly through the Irish political climate from the late 1800s to 1912. It is not until the last third of the book that the audience learns of specific ways Collins kept the republican struggle afloat in tough times. Therefore, this book's usefulness can only be determined by what you intend to use it for. If you are trying to accumulate materials for a general study of modern Irish history, this book is worth owning. If you are looking for a typical Collins biography, this wouldn't be the best starting point.