Brodsky, Heaney, and Walcott helped me hear the music of Frost's poetry. They don't analyze all that many poems but the insights they offer open the door to others. For example, I learned about Frost's idea of "Sentence-Sounds" in Brodsky's review of "Home Burial" and his idea of the "Sounds of Sense" in Heaney's discussion of "Desert Places". Then when I read Frost's "To a Thinker", which does not appear in "Homage to Frost", I came across the line "...From sound to sense and back to sound", and of course I recognized a familiar theme. If you like Frost, this book makes a nice companion reader.

If you need to read one critical examination of Robert Frost, buy this & read Joseph Brodsky's fantastic, accessible take on "Home Burial". What a great book this is--three fine poets examining a brilliant poet. But it is Brodsky who best holds to the Frost credo--he speaks clearly and plainly.

As a brutal manipulator of people, there are few historical figures that can match Joseph Stalin. However, there was a time when he was not absolute ruler of Russia. There was a key point in the early thirties when the block of remaining old Bolsheviks seemed to be coming together with some of the newer figures to mount attacks on Stalin to reduce his power or even have him removed as leader. This opposition was jelling around Sergei Kirov, the leader of the Leningrad party and a member of the ruling Politburo. In 1934, Kirov was assassinated by a dissident party member, thereby removing the focus of the anti Stalin opposition.
In this book, the author describes the events of the crime in great detail, including how, in a very short time, the witnesses also began dying, as well as those who witnessed their dying. After describing the events, Conquest goes to great lengths to present an even-handed reconstruction and finally conclude that the murder and subsequent deaths of all others involved were at the orders of Stalin himself. While you cannot help but admire his principles in avoiding any leap to the result, there is no question Stalin was the force behind the events and that conclusion can be reached well before the author does.
In criminal trials, circumstantial evidence can be very convincing and in this case it is overwhelmingly so. The pattern of deaths and forced confessions of high ranking officials is clearly one that could not have been managed by anyone not possessing power on the order of Stalin. Having Kirov murdered was the first step in his final movement to absolute power and he of course succeeded, with consequences that destroyed many people.
Stalin was responsible for the death of millions of Soviet citizens at the hands of their fellow citizens, all directly traceable to his policies. However, there is one death that stands out and made more difference than all the others. This is an account of how that death took place, and is an example of how power can be executed by a policy of execution. It is an excellent example of how the Soviet Union was governed under one of the most brutal men the human race has produced.

Stalin hatched a devious plot to assassinate his comrade in arms Sergei Kirov. The " Congress of Victors" , that is the Congress of the Communist Party which celebrated the fulfillment of the First 5-year Plan, convened and secretly voted to have Stalin replaced. This was a secret protest vote against the brutality used enforcing Stalin's 5-year plan, which involved the starvation of 7 million in the Ukraine, millions more sent to the gulag to perish in slave labor, as well as millions of deportations of peoples to remote resettlement areas. All the while the Soviet regime was exporting grain in exchange for Western industrial expertise and machinery in order to comply with Stalin's massive heavy industrial buildup. It is for these reasons that the Congress secretly voted for Sergei Kirov to replace Stalin as the leader of the Bolshevik regime. Stalin's leadership was considered disastrous. Kirov was one of the most popular Bolshevik leaders, and therefore wa! ! s the choice of the Congress. Stalin had the vote falsified, and after the Congress adjourned, plotted to avenge himself against the 1000 members of the Congress and against Kirov personally. He plotted with his secret police, and then carried out an incredibly bold assassination of Kirov. He then launched one phony investigation after another in which he blamed the act of terror on different groups. He created an hysterical witchhunt atmosphere, which he used as the basis for his purges and show-trials of the thirties. All in all, there were four different phony explanations that were carefully laid out one after the other over time to explain Kirov's assassination. But the real criminal was none other than Stalin himself. During the purges of the thirties, almost every member of the "Congress of Victors" was murdered, thus earning them the title "Congress of Victims". This book puts the issue of Stalin's guilt, long suspected, beyond doubt, and is also ! ! a fascinating crime story. Robert Conquest is one of the to! p scholars of the Stalinist tyranny. Since the book was written before the fall of communism, the newly opened secret Russian archives will supply fascinating confirmation of this book.

This book is a transcript of a hypnotherapy session between Arthur Winston and Edward Peterson. Edward Peterson being the person who is hypnotised. It book is written from a direct recording of the hypnotherapy session. As the session starts, Arthur realises that something is not quite right. His patient, Edward Peterson was in a deep hypnosis, as another person, called Albert, who liked to be known as al, started speaking through Edward. Arthur immediately realised that this was a different person he was speaking to and started asking him questions on his identity. He, al, was unaware where he was and it was though he was under hypnosis too. It wasn't long before Arthur realised he was speaking as though he was from the future. He spoke differently and used strange words, all of which he tried to explain to Arthur. He gives us a graphic portrayal of the future, what becomes of the world he lives in, and a brief history of our future, where after a terrible nuclear war, disease runs wild. A place, a world, where countries no longer exist, and where entire generations live in space, the moon and even mars where some startling discoveries have been made which gives way to new and even more exciting questions, Are we alone in the universe? , Where did we come from? And a story of al's life who shares his opinions of his job, his entertainment, and his personal time, and his ambitions. This is an exciting book, and whether you chose to believe it or not, it changes our opinions, gives us inspiration and ideas, and makes us question that all is not as it seems. All in all, it is a book well worth investing in.

In the fall of 1993, a man named Edward Peterson sought help from Alan Arthur Winston, a hypnotherapist. When Peterson spontaneously regressed to a past life while hypnotized, Winston then utilized a special hypnotic technique called "third witness," which he developed, to take Peterson through several past lives and a future life. All the sessions between the two were recorded.

Peterson disappeared after the sessions, and several years later, Winston was killed in an automobile accident. Winston's daughter sent the tapes of the Peterson sessions to Joseph Robert Cowles. Cowles transcribed the tapes and has now published them in a fascinating book titled Third Witness.

Peterson describes several past lives, beginning with one in which he picked dates in a very dusty environment. Between lives he rested in a void where there was "no time" and "no space," where there was only "I am." He refused to use the word death or refer to himself as dying, saying instead that " Somehow life is a thing that just is, so even when you're dead, you're actually life." There is no death, only "molecular . . . recombinations."

He also says that what we term the past, present, and future exist simultaneously.

In the last session, Peterson moved forward several centuries in the future, where he worked as a specialized miner on a "geosynchronous satellite," one of many such satellites inhabited by former residents of Earth.

Third Witness take readers on an engrossing journey into the past, and provides a tantalizing peek into the future, in the process answering the question of what's life like after death.

I think the text book Media Now is an excellent source for all types of media related material. It touches on the history of media, all they way up to the new, inspiring technology. As a Masc151 student, I definitely find it informative and easy to read. Also, the book comes with a compact disk, that encompasses all the information in the wonderful text book. It's an alternative study tool if you don't feel like opening the book. I highly recommend this book for any prospective mass communications major.

This book is good for it's purpose. It is very imformative with it's history on the media studies. It it very up to date with it's information and history on the internet and today's sources of information. I wasn't real keen on the reading it because of the lack of interest that the book keeps me. The imformation is interesting, but not very exciting.

This book is, as far as I can tell, one of the best information sources on the advances in the media today. It touches on anything you can think of that is concerned with the media. When I read it, I get everything I read. It's not complex but yet it is complete, which makes for an easy and understandable reading.

I had difficulties solving chemistry problems I also bought many books but when I found this one in My local library I was extremely happy with the simplicity of the text problem examples
THIS IS THE BEST BOOK FOR CHEMISTRY CLASS EVER ....I HAD A D IN MY FIRST CHEMISTRY CLASS NOW I AM GETTING As AND Bs Every household should have one .... The best book by far

This book is very well written, with helpful diagrams and detailed examples. It is easy to understand and text and with this book it is truly not hard to understand chemistry and do well. I easily got an A in Chemistry I and I believe that everyone who failed the class simply didn't look over the book or their notes after class. It certainly wasn't the fault of the professor or the text- both explained chemistry very well.

THE BOOK IS EXCELLENT. I USED THIS BOOK FOR MY CHEMISTRY COURSE AND I FEEL THE AUTHORS DID A FINE JOB WRITING THIS BOOK. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR ALL OF YOU COLLEGE STUDENTS WHO ARE MAJORING IN CHEMISTRY OR THE ALLIED HEALTH FIELD. THIS IS FOR THE REVIEWERS WHO GAVE THE BOOK ONE STAR. HOW CAN YOU GIVE THE BOOK 1 STAR WITHOUT EVER READING THE BOOK.

The master of Soviet scholarship and research, Robert Conquest, lightens up on his usual dense methodology for a slightly more easygoing character sketch on Stalin here. Conquest mentions in his prologue that the point of this biography is not to delve into extreme detail about the history of the USSR during Stalin's lifetime or all the political maneuvers and intrigue that took place. Therefore many historical details are intentionally left out, and more of a high-level view is given. That makes this book a much easier read than Conquest's other works, and it's significantly shorter too. On the other hand, you may be perplexed by the missing historical background if you have not already read Conquest's definitive works on the USSR, especially "The Great Terror" and possibly "Harvest of Sorrow." One criticism is that with Conquest's lighter intellectual mood, he sometimes loses the distinction between biography and political history, neglecting Stalin the man as a focus for the book at some points. Conquest also occasionally lapses into personal opinions, which is not a problem in his other works. This includes his criticisms of Franklin Roosevelt and British diplomat Anthony Eden, and the use of words like "useless," "crackpot," or "charlatan" for many Soviet theorists and scientists, such as the biologist Lysenko. Here all Conquest has to do is let the facts speak for themselves.

With that aside, here Conquest dives as deeply into Stalin's life and personality as possible, though some readers who are trying to understand the extreme depths of his evil may be disappointed. Of course, such deeply psychological info is impossible to obtain, and only the man himself could know what he was thinking, even though Stalin was probably quite unhinged mentally. What we see is a man possessed by such extreme paranoia, not to mention a severe persecution complex, that he became one of history's worst monsters, mostly because he deeply needed to validate himself. Not much different from a typical schoolyard bully by the way, except this bully was at least indirectly responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of people. Stalin also wrecked the idea of socialism once and for all, which may have once been genuinely concerned about "the people" and equality, although it was always doomed to failure as an economic impossibility. Instead the world was inflicted with Stalinism, the doctrine in which tyrants consolidate personal power by eliminating opponents, suppressing any vestige of independent thought, crushing the population, and ruining one's country for decades (if not centuries) to come. Robert Conquest sums up Stalin succinctly at the end of the book - "...hope that no one like him will ever appear again."

Robert Conquest is one of the better known authors on Russian history, specifically on the rule of Stalin and the Communist era. The beginning of this book lists over fifteen books written by Conquest on these subjects, along with books of poetry. There is even a fictional book listed, written in conjunction with Kingsley Amis. Conquest's sources are vast and are included at the back of the book, although a lack of footnotes is bothersome.

Conquest starts out his book where it all began, in the country of Georgia at the birth of Stalin. We learn there is some confusion over Stalin's birth date and his birth father. Life is hard for young Iosif; his home life is abusive and the family moves around a bit. Stalin ends up enrolled in a seminary school, where he spends five years studying Russian and reading banned Western books. School discipline is strict, and this discipline and arbitrary rules radicalizes young Stalin. Stalin falls in with Marxist revolutionaries and begins his long march to infamy. Conquest's account of Stalin's revolutionary years is a long litany of arrest and internal exile. Stalin repeatedly escapes from Siberian exile only to be rearrested. Stalin does manage to move up in the ranks, becoming known to both Lenin and Trotsky. When the revolution breaks out, Stalin ends up on the front lines, where he takes part in a few unimportant actions (which are elevated to godlike military exploits once Stalin is in charge). Iosif defies many orders and tends to take matters into his own hands, a trait that others will die for when Stalin assumes control.

The rest of the book is the monster. After the death of Lenin, Stalin begins his climb to power by systematically eradicating his fellow Politburo members. Conquest succinctly covers the internal power struggles, the show trials, the war against the peasantry, the treaties and war with Hitler, and the post-war era of lies and murder. Along the way untold millions die of famine, executions, and imprisonment in the gulag system. The most interesting information in these sections is the rise of the personality cult, where Stalin is elevated to the status of a god. Conquest reveals the ridiculousness of this cult. When one of Stalin's speeches is released on records, one side of an album is devoted entirely to applause. A picture in the book, from a celebration of Stalin's 70th birthday, shows Stalin's head in the sky emitting beams of light over the lowly masses, like some bizarre sun. This is sick, sick stuff.

Conquest attempts to account for Stalin's behavior by showing that Stalin has no links to humanity (his wives died and he has few friends). Some of his attributes reek of sociopathy: his emotional expressions always seem to be forced, as though he is acting a part and not really feeling anything, and his natural state is one of cruelty. Conquest also shows how Stalin is really, well, nothing. The guy is a vacuum; he is not Russian, and he doesn't really share the traits of a typical Georgian. It is as though Stalin rose up out of the ground from nowhere. Isn't that how Damien appeared in "The Omen"? Maybe they should check his mother's grave and see if a jackal's skeleton is in there.

This book should be required reading. I did have some problem with Conquest's writing style, which I thought was a little obtuse. This may be my own fault, as I have been reading literature for the past month and I'm out of practice with textbook language. This book gets five stars for its subject. Let's never forget about this monster.

Joseph Stalin was worse than Adolf Hitler. He ruled more territory (one-sixth of the globe, plus satellites), killed more people(estimates start at 20 million) and lasted longer (1925-1953). Yet unlike Hitler, he charmed politicians and intellectuals the world over, enjoyed an enthusiastic world press and inspired apologetic histories. Vladimir Putin, upon becoming the ruler of Russia, raised a toast to Stalin. Stalin's native country, Georgia, is restoring his name and monuments.

The one man who labored the longest to document Stalin's crimes in the West is Robert Conquest. Decade after decade he turned out volume after volume on the purges, the labor camps, the mass deportations and other horrors of the Stalin regime, all written in a calm, understated tone in defiance of "progressive" politicians and professors. These volumes, together with the quite different works of first-hand witnesses, such as Victor Kravchenko and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, kept the public record
straight and allowed inquiring readers to evaluate the propaganda of the Soviet state and its foreign sympathizers.

Curiously, Conquest did not write a biography of Stalin until now. STALIN: BREAKER OF NATIONS is quite unlike his previous works--more relaxed, less academic, not specialized. It truly distills the work of those heavier tomes and enjoys the luxury of not having to argue the case already made. Ideal for the non-specialist, it will inform the specialist as well, since Conquest likes to pick little gems from his treasure-trove of knowledge.

One example. A famous propaganda picture of Stalin holding up a smiling little Central Asian girl with black bangs. She hugs his neck as he grasps a big bouquet of flowers that she had just presented him at a state-organized ceremony. Conquest writes: "Stalin as children-lover (he later shot her father)."

I thought that Heart of Darkness was an excellent book that everyone should read. I portrays every single persons true self, there sense of darkness and treachery in the world. Not every person you meet shows there sense of darkness, but this book displays how there is a feeling in that amongst all of us. Joseph Conrad shows a lot of feelings that some humans experience, like racism, and insanity. This book takes you for a real roller coaster ride. If you liked Heart of Darkness, you should see the movie Apocalypse Now. This movie is exactly the same thing as this except it's in a different time period. This novella is a story about Marlow and is adventure through the Congo River. As Marlow goes down the river, he encounters several obstacles that make him realize the true threat of the Congo River. The plot and the themes of the story are difficult to understand but eventually it can be grasped. The only attribute I particularly didn't like about the book was the extreme detail that Conrad shows in the book. I thought that he could have summed up most of the stories details to a shorter version. All and all it was a very interesting book.

Heart of Darkness is a novella that really needs to be read more than just once to fully appreciate Conrad's style of writing. The story is an account of one man's simultaneous journey into the darkness of a river as well as into the shadows of a madman's mind. There is a very brilliant flow of foreshadowing that Conrad brings to his writing that provides the reader with accounts of the time period and the horrible events to come. Through Conrad's illuminating writing style we slowly see how the narrator begins to understand the madness or darkness that surrounds him.

I recommend this particular version of the novella because it contains a variety of essays, which discusses some of the main issues in the reading and historical information. Issues like racism and colonialism are discussed throughout many essays. It also contains essays on the movie inspired by the book Apocalypse Now, which is set against the background of the Vietnam War. I recommend reading Heart of Darkness and then viewing Apocalypse Now, especially in DVD format which contains an interesting directors commentary.

There can be long debate about the hidden meanings, etc. in Heart of Darkness. And, of course, if one pays even a scintilla of attention. one's mind will no doubt be provoked by this deep, mysterious and moving tale. For example, there could be (I'm sure there has already been) a century long debate on the exact meaning of the title. However, besides the import of its moral/human/instinctive/spritual teachings, Heart of Darkness is often overlooked for the sheer excitement and anticipation the words cause. This is, to put it bluntly, a terriffic story. I was so anticipating the meeting between Marlow and Kurtz that I could barely stand it. And the visual imagery is astonishing. I will never forget the stakes with heads of savages. One must wonder how familiar Conrad was with the story of Vlad the Impaler (Dracula)!! Of course, it is the importance of the work that has made its immutable mark on literature. Any reader will surely be able to recognize his or her ! own instinctive/unconscious capabilities (desires, perhaps?) when they read this book. Who among us can wholly deny that we would not have behaved like Kurtz when left unrestrained by our society and placed in a position where it was not difficult to make a relatively unchallenged rise to power? Perhaps imperialism, left unchecked, is human nature, and our nature, our instinct is to civilize those different from us by way of any means feasible, which, with "savages" or the "uncivilized", is violence, fear or terror. Do a quick check of history, and you will find this to be true. The Heart of Darkness may in fact be the heart of man, a metaphor for the instinctive nature of man.

If you don't have a sense of humor, don't enjoy satire, or can't bear the thought of Ludlum, as a "serious" writer, having some fun with his readers, do not read this book. In "The Road To Gandolfo", Ludlum takes on the military, the U.S. government, the legal profession, and organized religion, and spears them with irreverent, acid-tipped satire that at times reaches levels of pure hilarity. But he's also, quietly and subtly, satirizing himself and the genre of fiction he made his name in: espionage thrillers. Many Ludlum fans probably won't be amused: it's a different Robert Ludlum who's mugging and cavorting behind these scenes.

When General Mackenzie Hawkins, a Pattonesque commander of the old-school variety, is summarily drummed out of the military by the mealy-mouthed, politically motivated bureaucrats who have wormed their way to the slimy top of the Pentagon-Washington heap, he embarks upon a personal mission of vengeance, and plots out an intricate military-style "black-op" plan of his own: kidnap the Pope, and demand a ransom of one American dollar for every Catholic in the world.

The setup for this caper will be expensive, and there are lengthy side-operations along the way, involving the extortion of money -- LOTS of money -- from various "investors" (i.e., shady characters Hawkins has been able to get the goods on through his military intelligence background). And as a patsy front-man, whom he can manipulate from behind the scenes via his four very mammalian ex-wives, Hawkins selects Sam Devereaux, a lawyer who merely wants to count down his remaining days in the Army and return to private practice.

The resulting story, unfolded in fine Ludlum style from the viewpoint of Sam-the-Patsy, is blazingly fast-paced, unpredictable, intricately woven, and, well, downright funny. The satire is broad, but sharp, and the plot line, in proper intrigue-novel fashion, is doled out carefully, one piece at a time, always keeping you interested in what will happen in the next chapter.

Readers looking for, and expecting, a standard Ludlum novel might well be disappointed or critical ("What the heck is THIS?"), but if you're looking for a witty, intelligent, satirical, fun, page-turner of an adventure, this is it.

This book was a very pleasant surprise. It's not the usual Robert Ludlum but instead a light entertaining read. The characters are funny but lean towards unrealistic. It is very difficult to believe that the characters can maintain the same forceful personalities throughout the entire book throughout all circumstances. It ended nicely without a rushed feeling and also avoiding seeming like all the ends got tied up in the last chapter. A very readable book even though it lacked the fast pace and did not have the level of suspense of other Ludlum books.

If you've read Robert Ludlum's other books, you know to expect violence, intrigue, cloak and dagger, as well as excellent prose. If you pick up this book you can expect some of that, but you will be stunned when you find yourself on the floor rolling with laughter. Robert Ludlum a comedy writer? Robert Ludlum dabbling in farce? Yes, that's right the spymaster himself will lead you through a kidnapping of the Pope, a befuddled Army lawyer shamelessly taken advantage of by a shunned U.S. General and his bevy of beautiful ex-wives. An excellant read which you really won't be able to put down.

This is the central question explored by Conrad in Lord Jim. Jim is ultimately a character who inspires our sympathy due to his inability to find reconcilliation for his one tragic moment of weakness. In him we find a person of tremendous potential that remains unrealized as the tragic circumstances of his abandoning his post aboard the Patna continually haunt him and the associated guilt drives him to isolation.
Conrad successfully explores the concepts of bravery, cowardice,guilt and the alternative destinies that an individual may be driven to by these qualities.
The narrative can be a bit confusing at times as Marlowe relates the tale by recalling his encounters with Jim. The book reminded very much of Somerset Maugham's THE RAZOR"S EDGE" in style. However I believe that Maugham did a much better job of incorporating the narrator into the flow of the story. Overall LORD JIM is a wonderful classic novel that I highly recommend.

This is the fifth book I have read by Conrad, and through these readings I have come to deeply appreciate his literary power and the perfection of his stories. Conrad has the skill to border about several similar subjects, without repeating himself. "Lord Jim" is truly a Shakespearean tragedy, mainly because of the Shakespearean nature of the main character. Jim is a young naval officer with high hopes of heroism and moral superiority, but when he faces his first test of courage, he miserably fails. While 800 Muslim pilgrims are asleep aboard the ship "Patna", Jim discovers that the boat is about to sink. There are not sufficient lifeboats for everybody. Should he wake them up or not? He gets paralyzed with fear and then sudenly jumps into a boat being set up by the rest of the officers. He is taken to trial and disposessed of his working licence.

Ashamed and humiliated, Jim dedicates the rest of his life to two things: escape the memory of that fateful night, and redeem himself. This agonizing quest to recover his dignity in front of his own eyes leads him to hide in a very remote point in the Malayan peninsula, where he will become the hero, the strong man, the wise protector of underdeveloped, humble and ignorant people. Jim finds not only the love of his people, but also the love of a woman who admires him and fears the day when he might leave for good. The narrator, Captain Marlow (the same of "Heart of Darkness") talks to Jim for the last time in his remote refuge, and then Jim tells him that he has redeemed himself by becoming the people's protector. Oh, but these things are never easy and Jim will face again the specter of failure.

Conrad has achieved a great thing by transforming the "novel of adventures" into the setting for profound and interesting reflections on the moral stature of Man, on courage, guilt, responsibility, and redemption.

Just as in "Heart of Darkness" the question is what kinds of beings we are stripped of cultural, moral and religious conventions; just as in "Nostromo" the trustworthiness of a supposedly honest man is tested by temptation, in "Lord Jim" the central subject is dignity and redemption after failure.

A great book by one of the best writers.

After reading this book (along with several other of Conrad's books) I am under the impression that Joseph Conrad may very well be my favorite author. Here is another masterpiece, a deeply incisive study of character of the motivation and the ultimate failure of all high-minded ideals. Granted my own personal world view falls directly in line with this realization and therefore prejudices me towards anything the man might write, but, when considering such a lofty title as 'favorite author' one must regard other aspects of the novelist's creation. As with the others, Conrad wins by the power of his stories.

Lord Jim is my least favorite of the the four books I have read by Conrad. The story is rather scattered: a righteous young man does something wrong that he holds himself far too accountable for and the public shame the action brought him exaggerates the reality of his failure and makes him believe the rumors swirling around about his so-called cowardice. He spends the remainder of his life trying to reclaim his self-regard, mostly exaggerating his own importance in matters he hardly understands. His goal is to liberate the primitive people of the jungle paradise he inadvertantly finds himself in (due to an effort to escape every particle of the world he once inhabited) and his once high-minded ideals and regard for himself lead him to allow those people to consider him almost a God.

Jim likes being a God and considers himself a just and fair one. He treats everyone equally and gives to his people the knowledge of modern science and medicine as well as the everyday archetecture and understanding of trade that those primitive folks would otherwise be years from comprehending.

Of course everything ends in failure and misery and of course Jim's restored name will be returned to its demonic status, but the whole point of the novel seems to me that one can not escape their past. Jim, for all his courage in the line of fire has tried to avoid all memory of the once shameful act of his former life and by doing so becomes destined to repeat his mistakes.

Lord Jim is far more expansive than the story it sets out to tell, ultimately giving a warning on the nature of history and general humanity that only a writer of Conrad's statue could hope to help us understand.

If there is a flaw it is not one to be taken literally. Conrad was a master of structural experimentation and with Lord Jim he starts with a standard third person narrative to relate the background and personalities of his characters and then somehow merges this into a second person narrative of a man, years from the events he is relating, telling of the legend of Jim. It is a brilliant innovation that starts off a little awkward and might lead to confusion in spots as the story verges into its most important parts under the uncertain guidence of a narrator who, for all his insight into others, seems unwilling to relate his personal relevence to the story he is relating.

Nevertheless (with a heartfelt refrain), one of the best books I have ever read.

This is a nice compendium of Chinese achievements, but it is seriously hampered by the chip on Temple's shoulder. In order to prove the genius of China, he constantly denigrates European achievements. A good half of the entries end by calculating how many years in advance of Europe the Chinese were with the achievement in question. This could have been done once or twice for effect, but to repeat it so often is needless (and pointless) piling on. Every Chinese discovery is shown to be the root of a European discovery, however tenuous the link. Thus, the Chinese invented a toy helicopter and a kite, therefore modern aviation is totally derivative of them. But if the Europeans were the first to come up with an idea that they did not translate into practical use, then it is to Temple a mere trifle that only the Chinese developed to its full potential.

Another issue with the book is that it doesn't give any kind of chronological account of scientific developement in China. It's not what the book sets out to do, so this is more a remark than a criticism. It set me wondering about who Chinese scientists were, what was the relationship among science, engineering, and tinkering, when were the key periods of scientific innovation, whether they had a prolific early period comparable to the Greeks, and other issues. I'm especially curious because so much of Chinese science seems, like European alchemy, to be only half a step removed from magic and another quarter step from pure silliness. It's always astounding how people who believed in alchemical ideas could be great inventors, and the same held in China (where Taoism produced the leading scientists, from what I can gather from this book).

It is an interesting book, covering a wide range of scientific topics. (Of course, it's just culled from Needham, so it's not as though the author had to do a lot of research.) Subjects as diffuse as mining, medicine, number theory, and warfare are covered in different chapters. I'm not an expert on science, so I often learned a lot about the individual inventions -- as so often happens in the modern world, we take for granted the extraordinarily ingenious inventions of an earlier age, which seem simple only in comparison to the even more wonderful machines we have today.

Personally, I am a bit disappointed in its coverage which seems not so in depth... But nevertheless sufficient for the layman to at least catch a glimpse of what the ancient Chinese has achieved. By profession, I am a trained Engineer and am currently seeking a Masters in Theoretical Physics. And of course I am a Singaporean Chinese. From young, I was taught alot of Chinese Maths and Chinese algorithmic methods .. which were dry and boring then..and which was more often than not confusing. Now it was confusing not because it is not good but rather we were taught Western methods that stresses different computational methodology.. But the difference is that the Chinese method can sometimes do it faster!!..For example: what is 1 + 3 + 5 +..+ 17? Chinese method would just point to the 9th finger and give the answer as 81. I have often wondered just what do the Ancient Chinese know that I do not... And so I set a course to find out as many things I could about my ancestors..(which many people may look down on)..First.. I needed to find out about Chinese Mathematics Achievments, the extent of their knowledge..I am not at all convinced about the allegation that it was imported from elsewhere.. simply because China was geograpically isolated and there are no countries around which it could borrow knowledge from ...At its height, it was the most advanced .... (until Qing Dynasty and the jesuit input: By then the Chinese had deteriorated...). that China had indeed some impressive achievements: that of discovering Zero...( shown in 2002) the knowledge of Phythagoras, that of being the first in solving n-Degree Equation..that of solving Similar Triangle..and more.... And all these could be gathered from the net.. Second, I wanted to find out just how advanced the Science were... THere were readers who alledged that it seemed magical and perhaps foolishness.. I beg to differ. Isn't modern Chemistry playing around with different chemicals or mixing anions with cations that reacts to give a different compound?? And more than that, I wanted to find out the extent of knowledge importing and exporting from China.. if.. I am wrong... But I was then led to a few books :
The year the Chinese discovered America :1421 by Menzies, and when China ruled the seas.. by Louise Levathes..
And I was led to more sites in the internet.. and more recent discoveries in Singapore itself that proved that China has had extensive trade with her neighbours.. And readers of the following books will find that China has had perfected the technique of latitude and longitude crossing...that implies that China was not isolated...A check with Temple's findings were done in 2000.. when I went to China on an "expedition trip"...I admit I was very impressed with the Great Wall.. even as an Engineer...So.. I guess I have to give my forefathers some credit here... And this book serves as a beginning.. No less!!
I recommend more reading on the subject though... for those interested..

I really don't know much about Chinese history and ancient technology of the world. But this book gave me lots of information about ancient technologies of Chinese and Greeks.
Although I believe many Great inventions Chinese made does not get credited to Chinese such as Crossbow and firearms. But this book seems give too much of credit to Chinese invention and how it affected western technologies because many inventions are done independently.

Overall it is a good book and Chinese people should be proud of what their ancestors acheived.