The public Darwin debate doesn't really match the progress of biological research. And experts in the field seem reticent to point to the limits of the standard theories. Here we are told plainly, Darwinism has no theory of the generative. And the breakthroughs in developmental genetics fail to explicate the sources of organismic form. The text acknowledges that concern with the gene has overshadowed all other aspects of the discussion.
This highly interesting, not too technical, work explores the work being done on evolutionary innovation. A theory of evolution should explicate both innovation and diversification.But natural selection can only explain how what already exists is maintained or transformed in the process of ecological survival. The standard explanations of variation and natural selection do not really explain this '
source of form' aspect of evolution, and we are presented with ambiguous statements about an evolutionary toolkit, in the developmental version, whose origins could not spring from the processes described in the Neo-Darwinian Synthesis. It seems an advance that a technical work by experts in the field would point this out. This is a very useful glimpse of the real work needed in biology, and should prove a useful refuge from the confusing public discourse on evolution that is generally less than helpful.

I got this book two or three years ago in an Italian-language edition. I can't read Italian, so I can't comment on the quality of the text, but I can say that any Bruegel fan will be very happy to have this book, with or without readable words.

The trouble with most Bruegel books is that they show tiny reproductions of the paintings, necessarily much reduced in size, and, if you're lucky, show a detail or two of each picture. Yet more than any other painter I know of, the pleasure of Bruegel is in the mass of figures. There is no point at all in looking at a painting like the "Children's Games" if you can't spend a good long time looking at all the different figures, enjoying their games and funny poses, and marvelling that the artist could paint them all with such confidence, in translucent paint and with such a sure touch that it looks as if he never rubbed anything out in his whole career.

That's why this book is such a joy: there are ten full-page details of the "Children's Games", on good big pages and in very accurate color. There are ten full-page details of the "Carnival and Lent" picture, and six of the "Suicide of Saul", which is such a small picture to begin with that the details in this book are mostly larger than actual size.

The selections in this book, as the title says, are limited to the pictures in the Vienna museum. This is not as bad a limitation as it might sound, since the majority of Bruegels in the world are probably in this museum. The larger of the two Tower of Babel paintings is here (the one with Nimrod in the foreground), and so are the "Conversion of St. Paul", some of the most famous landscapes, and the splendid "Road to Calvary", with the wonderful classical Mary surrounded by horrible fairground types. All of the pictures are shown with no fewer than four detail pages.

Limiting the book to the Vienna museum does mean that some favorites are left out, though. The Fall of the Rebel Angels, The Triumph of Death, and the smaller, redder Tower of Babel are not in this book. It's still a wonderful volume.

Tired of the nebulous poems that so many writers offer these days? Do you feel that contemporary poetry is too accelerated? Well, David Kirby's _Saving the Young Men of Vienna_ gets back to realistic, understandable poetry. Kirby's well constructed narratives weave a tight context that allow the reader to locate an area of meaning; at the same time, Kirby's poems leave plenty of room for the imagination to romp and crash. Far from being intellectual fodder, Kirby's collection of poems seem deceivingly simple: yet, his multi-layered poems take a narrative twist or a conceptual turn on a moment's notice. Seamlessly, Kirby can turn a humorous narrative into a profound statement on the human condition. While we could forgive Kirby for a few missteps and wrong turns here and there, we don't have too. This collection is devoid of any filler whatsoever. If you're up for a challenging yet understandable collection of poetry, _Saving the Young Men of Vienna_ is just what you've been waiting for.

I first came across this book years ago at Connecticut College, and was impressed enough by it that I found my own copy years later. This book is an excellent technical introduction to the music of Schoenberg, Berg and Webern, and the author places these composers in the proper historical context by including descriptive chapters on other musical trends in the early-mid 20th century (such as Hindemith and Weill). The introduction alone is an amazingly insightful overview of the history of classical music with a few surprise observations.

Coffa's book (completed by his partner Linda Wessels, from a very nearly completed manuscript he left at his death in 1984) is the best source I know for insight into how interest in Kantian philosophical problems of the intuition transmuted to interest in language. This book tracks post-Kantian thought across its development into very different territory: Bolzano and Frege on logic; Russell's early logical atomism; Wittgenstein's Tractatus, and his transition to his later very different philosophy of meaning; Tarski on truth; Schlick, Popper and Reichenbach on the significiance of 20th Century developments in science; and Carnap, on the true significance of philosophical claims.

This book is a teriffic antidote to dry presentations of logical positivism which focus on the "verification principle" and thereby seek to dispatch it in one lecture in an introductory philosophy class. Instead, Coffa shows how logical positivism arose out of a living tradition and forms an important part of the history of contemporary philosophy. The questions we consider today are formed in part by the conceptual shifts of a century ago. It's good that we have a guide like Coffa to show us some more of our own history.

That, and the jokes (read the footnotes for some of the best ones, especially his love/hate relationship with Wittgenstein!) make this a delight to read.

Pippal's book is a thorough overview. In paperback form (and at paperback price) it still provides 71 illustrations, most of which are in color. Pippal's focus is on painting and architecture, but other visual media are included as well. The time period ranges from the days of the Roman Empire to the present. Pippal also includes political history because the Hapsburgs were an essential influence on the arts. The book is very well written in English, which is a credit to its translator, Michael Foster. As one reads, there is no hint of the awkward sentence structure so common in translations. In short, I highly recommend the book.

Excellent Book!!!! This book was a required reading for my Modern Social Theory course. I didn't think I would enjoy it, however, I absolutely loved it! It was humorous while hinting at the darker parts of our postmodern society. I would suggest this book to anybody and everybody! Thank you Don Dellilo

This is an excellent story about the life of Simon Wiesenthal. This fine book takes you through Wiesenthal's mission in life to bring Nazi war criminals to justice. You are shown the time that he spent in a concentration camp up until the present.You are also given the inside look at some of the cases he dealt with in bringing Nazi war criminals to justice.This is avery good book about the life of Simon Wiesenthal.

The late George W. Oakes delighted in viewing the great cities of England and Europe, and takes you on walking tours through them with the charm of an old and wise friend. He tells you when to look up, when to cross the square, what alley to turn into and gives you a chance to see the history, the architectural and the people interest you always wanted to experience in your travels. Short tours and detailed walking maps guide you along; the book is almost pocket size so I would advise taking it with you when you visit the great cities next time.

Two great books about a young girl - to young woman's -
experiences in Vienna during and after WWII. In some ways, this sequel to the war book, The Water Castle, is
darker, sadder. The Water Castle feels more like a fable,
and is rather twinkly even at the century's most hideous moment. The Water Castle, from the grown girl''s per-
spective, delivers the weight of the destruction...the detritus of war, dreary and sad, and yet, at the same time, she
retains the ability to be romantic about life, to remember her questionably-involved parents with love, and to fall in love
herself. Highly recommended storytelling.