Baker is an extraordinarily learned biologist, who approached the topic of race among humans with the same thoroughness that he brought to studying race among non-humans animals.

Much of his data comes from before political correctness completely enshrouded anthropology in the late 1960's, so the vocabulary often seems dated. Nonetheless, many of his views on the ancestry of different populations, based on morphology, linguistics, archaeology and the like, have been confirmed by recent genetic testing (see Cavalli-Sforza's "History and Geography of Human Genes" -- and, please, do read C-S' book, don't just satisfy yourself with C-S's deceitful cover stories about how poltically correct his finding are.)

Baker's focus in the concluding chapters is on different races' capabilities to found a civilization. He gives a 23 point test of whether a culture can be reasonably considered a civilization, and examines various races' accomplishments in this regard. This book is worth reading in tandem with Jared Diamond's Pulitzer prize-winning "Guns, Germs, and Steel," in which Diamond argues that every racial group in the world did as well as any other group could have with the resources of that region. Baker anticipated a number of Diamond's arguments and refutes them (e.g., could sub-Saharan Africans have put elephants to work like Asians and Carthaginains did?), but the truth probably lies somewhere between the two authors' views.

Baker's exploration of the capability of different groups to start true civiliations is certainly interesting, yet, I wonder how relevant this question is to the modern world. The Japanese, for example, have shown relatively little talent at originating a civilization, but vast skill at borrowing others' novel ideas and adapting and, often, improving them. Similarly, the question of whether Africans could have invented a civilization on their own is interesting, but it's not as germane as Baker seems to assume to the more pressing question of how African-Americans can best fit into the existing American civilization. Further, some groups that did little to build their own civilizations, and still seem to have a certain amount of trouble fitting into others' civilizations -- e.g., sub-Saharan Africans and the Irish -- have contributed an extraordinary amount to the culture of modern life.

Steve Sailer

It was a very wise choice to provide a thorough,yet comprehensive book that promotes such lucid exposure of racial differencies,in such manner that not only it won't left anybody to doubt the existence of that reality,but also to provide certain historical digression that includes historical development of concept that explains why study of race remains something like the last taboo among sociologist and biologist,given that exclusion of racial factor in such diverse studies-anthropological,ethnological,historical and one of clinical medicine-in the name of aprioristic egalitarian idealism and "political corectness" can lead to generation of false conclusions,as author exemplifies trough essays on ethnicity and pseudoethnicity in the case of Celts and question of origin of modern Jews.Also,a very well documentated discourse is given on such issues as intelectual diferences among various ethnic,racial and socioeconomic groups with regard to cognitive and powers of deduction.Wide range of immplication deriving from constitutional differences among selected races are given,for example in sport achievments.These and many other fundaments of racial anthropology are exposed in an extremely free of any prejudice manner,and although conclusions may left an impression of right-wing milleau,this is certainly not a specimen of pejorative racist literature.Although this book has been published first time in 1974,it will remain worth reading for a long time.It's fundamental in the process of understanding the meaning of race.

News and entertainment entities have almost always promoted the idea that to believe in any racial differences other than skin color means that you are uneducated and ignorant. A torrent of scholarly books on the explosive subject of race have disproved that dogma. In Part 1, Baker examines the historical thought on race, from the earliest attempts to define who we are, to the recent Hitler era. In Part 3, Baker approaches the issue from a biologic or taxonomic point of view. In order to diffuse the explosiveness of the issue, Dr. Baker examines the different races of various vertebrae animals and then moves on to more complex organisms -- humans. The differences in racial characteristics increases in proportion to how closely the subject is examined, and Dr. Baker examines racial features right down to the most detailed physical attributes. In Part 4, Dr. Baker examines the most critical attribute -- that of intelligence and race. It is here that Dr. Baker treads onto late twentieth century taboos. Dr. Baker's conclusion surprised me when I first read the book, though he tempers his understanding of racial inequality with the statement that "no one can claim superiority simply because he or she belongs to a particular ethnic taxon."

This is a really fun little graphic novel, loaded with great artwork and a decent storyline. I wouldn't recommend it as a first-time read for anyone unfamiliar with the X-Men - taken out of context from the overall series - it might be a somewhat confusing introduction. But for those who know the characters and have a general idea of what is going on, believe me, this one delivers the goods.

In the past, I have generally hated the X-Men's adventures in the Savage Land, or whenever they would go to outer space or get into really super sci-fi type situations. I always felt the X-Men stories worked much better when they were grounded in very normal, down-to-earth settings, because it made the X-Men themselves stand out and seem that much weirder. But this book is an exception to the rule. It's a big, crazy, larger-than-life adventure, part of which takes place in the prehistoric Savage Land, and part of which gets hyper technological, and it works out OK.

The artwork is tough and gritty. Jim Lee draws a mean, shadowy, ugly Wolverine who kills lots of villains and looks like he needs to take a shower very badly.

And Lee's women - whoa. This book contains more gratuitous cheescake shots than any X-Men graphic novel I've seen, but it's all very pleasing to the eye. Especially the scenes with Rogue, whose bare skin can kill anyone she touches and thus, understandably, was always the one major female character who kept herself completely covered at all times. This was the first storyline in the series where they finally drew her as a scantily-clad, sexy heroine. A real treat for male Rogue-fans who'd been reading the series patiently for years.

This storyline also chronicles the transformation of innocent young Psylocke into a mature woman trained in the art of Ninjitsu, and she becomes an ultra-violent, sexy bad girl. And then there are cameo appearances by other Marvel superheroes, namely Captain America (from the Avengers series) and The Black Widow (from the Daredevil series). All in all, it's a satisfying, action-packed, well-drawn, crowd-pleasing comic book in trade-paperback format.

X-Men Visionaries Jim Lee trade paperback Is a great X-Men graphic Novel by Jim Lee! the book reprints Uncanny X-Men issues #248,#256-258,#268-269,#273-277 are reprinted together in this wonderful Marvel book collection! This book contains the early Uncanny X-Men issues that made Jim Lee famous! All the issues are written by Chris Claremont with artwork by Jim Lee. These issues lead to the popular Claremont/Lee colaboration on X-Men#1 in 1991. Most of the artwork was done by Jim Lee. Uncanny X-Men #273 was done by various artists. Buy this book if your fan of X-Men and Jim Lee. Highest Possible Recommendation!

This is a great X-Men: Visionaries Jim Lee graphic Novel! This is Jim Lee's early work on the Uncanny X-Men series! This Marvel Tradepaperback reprints Jim Lee's early years when he was the comic book artist on Uncanny X-Men. In this book reprints Uncanny X-Men#248,#256-258,#268-269, #273-277. His early work on the Uncanny X-Men in the early 1990s, lead to to the critically aclaimed Clarmont/Lee work on X-Men #1 in 1991. All the Uncanny X-Men issues are written by Chris Claremont. Most of the artwork is drawn by Jim Lee. Unncany X-Men#273 is drawn by various artist. Buy this book if your a big fan of X-Men and Jim Lee. Highest Possible Recommendation.

A thorough understanding the underlying modelling techniques is essential for succesful application of computer simulation to problems in digital transmission.

One of only a handful of books on this topic, "Simulation Techniques" provides a detailed presentation of the subject. The book is useful both as an introduction to simulation, and as a reference.

I have worked with this kind of simulation for over two decades, and I can thoroughly recommend it.

This book presents an excellent guide to the basic aspects of Simulation Techniques. Wheras the book by Shanmugam et.al. "Sim. of Comm Systems", does address some aspects, the book by Gardner & Baker gives a different perspective. It gives a nice overview of 'sampled data systems', with good backgrounds for topics such as interpolation and synchronization. Overall it is an invaluable book to have to master the art of simulating signal processing systems.

This is a pleasant collection of travel-related visual bric-a-brac, mostly from the teens, twenties, and thirties, presented without much comment or context. The material speaks for itself, and is worthy of collection, but a few better-focused volumes would serve this subject matter better.

Another reviewer has suggested that the brochure covers in this book are examples of good design, as a designer I can say that most of them are mediocre, though some of the illustrations are excellent. However, collect two hundred and put them in a well laid out book and they become fascinating and informative. Who can remember that in 1950 Liberal, Kansas was the 'Pancake hub of the Universe!

Authors Margolies and Baker write an interesting short history of these brochures and their choice of material is comprehensive. A bibliography is provided and a very detailed source list. If you have travelled around the country in the early part of the last century and like to look at printed Americana this book is certainly well worth having.

Travel literature used to be stunningly beautiful, and See the USA captures the best of the best in a very hip layout. Cowgirls, Southern belles, beach babes promoting tourist Meccas all look luscious and inviting. This book ought to be required reading for any student of the graphic arts. Check it out!

A few years ago Wendy Kaminer wrote a book, I'm Dysfunctional, You're Dysfunctional, that took on self help books and programs. Now Christopher Buckley assigns himself the same task writing a fictional account of a monastery headed by an abbot who is a devotee of Deepak Chopra. It's a fluffy, hilarious, yet incisive probe that makes a lot of self help writers and their readers look silly. Its a slim book, but with about 3 laughs per page you get you're money's worth. Don't read it if you are a fan of Chopra, Robbins or Covey though, as I'm sure it will stunt your spiritual growth, and set you back on your path to make millions of dollars in this lifetime.

When I first bought the book I thought it was a self-help book for recovering market losers (like me) to help me refocus into the spiritual aspects of life. As I read the book, I started wondering if the story was true. The later chapters seemed so absurd that it couldn't have been true. At the very end, it really was a pleasant surprise. What turned out to be a quest for self-help turned out to be a book that panned all the self-help gurus. Bravo to the authors! The witty biblical quotes and expressions were gems that kept me laughing. I only gave four stars because I found the Market Meditations at the end a bit too much.

This is an extreemly humorous book detailing the path to success in life. I laughed aloud at the well written genuinely "true-to-life" situations Brother Ty narrates in this personal tale of his journey to "Spiritual AND Financial Growth." There is a very tender and heart touching element found in the development of the characters introduced in this story which makes it a delight to read. Also, as a minister myself, (protestant & Presbyterian...so pray for me, my Catholic friends!) I appreciated the accurate use of theology and Scripture found throughout the story, an element missing in many popular "self-help" books. Overall a great book about the insanity (and cure) found in our "growth" oriented modern society. I couldn't help visualizing how this will appear as a screen play. (Now that Robert Downey Jr. is "out and about," he has my vote for "Bro.Ty"!) A fun read that will leave you feeling good about life.

As a long-time Dismas Hardy and Abe Glitzky fan, this series just gets better and better. I just read the whole book during a snow day when I had better things to do, and I just couldn't put it down. The characters are familiar, and they've grown over the years, and Lescroart is so good at making it clear why real people can't live happily ever after... Dismas has come a long way, and his character continues to have depth and be interesting to observe. But best of all - this is a great thriller, a real page turner. Lots of twists and turns, and interesting political and social issues are represented all over the place. He has a nice touch writing about kids, about marriage, about relationships - okay, some of the stuff here is a little far-fetched but it's a mystery novel, that's why we read them. For new readers, start at the beginning of this series and work your way to the present - it will be worth it!

Nothing but the Truth is the first John T. Lescroart novel I've read, but it certainly won't be my last!! I will definitely explore the rest of the Dismas Hardy series, and go from there.

In this book, Hardy is an attorney whose wife somehow gets "involved" in a murder investigation of their children's classmate's mother. In order to clear her name, as it were, Hardy works with a friend in Homicide and undertakes his own probing, and as it turns out, dangerous, investigation of the murder.

The book is a compelling read from page one. Although I freely admit I'm not the best at guessing "who done it", the twists and turns the investigation takes really blew my mind. The clues were there, but there was no way I could put it all together. I guess that's why I'm a reader and not a crime investigator ;)

I really can't recommend this book highly enough. I'm certainly looking forward to reading more of Mr. Lescroart's writing. Hopefully, you will too :D

I have read several of John Lescroart's books, and each one is remarkably enjoyable. Unfortunately, I have not read them in sequential order, so that I find myself a bit surprised as to how Dismas Hardy's life has "progressed." Nevertheless, this series is so well-written, with enough referrals to previous incidents and cases, that each can stand on its own.

NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH is an immensely engrossing story. I found that the time line--four days to solve a murder that had occurred four weeks previously and had gone cold--in order to save his wife, Frannie, from suffering more indignities and consequences for protecting a friends's secret, was exciting and compelling. From the first chapter, I wanted to finish the book FAST! I love when a book hooks me like this, and that is what all of Lescroart's books do...grab you and keep you going and going until you reach the suprising, satisfying conclusion.

By the way, listening to one of his wonderful books on tape, HARD EVIDENCE, I learned his name is pronounced la-sqwaa--soft "a." Something fun to know!

I think that you have to be a fisherperson to enjoy this book. Hersey has written one of the best books I've ever read and one of the more boring ones. This was the boring one and HIROSHIMA was one of the best.

If you've ever caught a bluefish in The Race, this book will appeal to you. You can smell the bunkers and you feel the power of the fish. You also get a lesson on mankind's uncaring attitudes toward anything but our own selfish desires. He's a little long-winded sometimes, but still a good read.

Another title for this book could be "Zen and the Art of Blue Fish Fishing." Thoroughly enjoyable and is an easy read. A must for all people who fish.

Not all books about literary agents are equal. This book is one of them and was a very disappointing resource. Up front you are told that "in depth" interviews are featured with the people who make it happen. I failed to find any in depth interviews but instead brief surveys of how each agent got started, their client list, their complaints and concerns regarding the publishing industry and the editors. All the above is great for nice chitter chatter but for those who have written a work and are looking for an agent another source would be more appropriate.

The best part of the book is the introduction which gives an author a good overview of the functions and services that an agent provides. Several parts of the introduction would have served as separate chapters of their ownand then the interviews of the agents could have followed.

I would caution new writers in purchasing this book if they want to know about agents and their role in electronic publishing. Not much if anything is said on the topic. Another danger is timeliness. By the time this book was published the addresses and phone numbers changed for the agents listed. I would highly recommend another book which would give you a more in depth look at literary agents. Even as an introductory level reference work this book doesn't do it. Purchase it if you like to know the stories and backgrounds of agents that have made it big over two or three decades but for current up to date information try another book.

Literary Agents A Writers Introduction by John Baker is a must read for anyone who is serious about writing, or for anyone considering taking the step into serious writing. This book consists of interviews with forty-four of the biggest name agents in publishing, I should know I've had rejections from a lot of them, but now I know why. Each interview is an easy 3-4 pages long but packed with information Of interest is the near universal opinion of the state of the publishing industry and the changing role of the agent, and the agent's reaction to this changing role and how it affects how they interact with authors and potential authors. You can also witness how close this community is, as people appear and reappear from interview to interview. The one drawback is that more agents weren't subjected to the interview, but then of course it would be a voluminous volume. Another item that would be of interest to a reader is number of people who claim to have discovered Stephen King and John Grisham.

Almost anyone can hang out a shingle with the title, "literary agent." How can you tell the legitimate agents from the vultures? Often publishers are overwhelmed with submissions and with the ever-changing market and movement of editors, agents play a more significant role in the marketplace. As Baker writes, "Agents, unlike authors or even editors and publishers, are seldom interviewed, and much of the material in this book is therefore unique. It is hoped that it will give its readers a much better idea than they have ever had before of how these most important players in the book world think and operate-and in the process, a better sense of who might or not be receptive to their work." While a writer's allegiance to a particular publisher or editor has often vanished, the chemistry between a writer and his literary agent often outlasts any change. This book covers about 70 agents from this industry insider, who is the editorial director at Publisher's Weekly. Also Baker asks each of them about their perspective on book publishing which provides some interesting insight. The end of each chapter includes the agent's contact information. According to Baker, a well-written letter or proposal remains the best way to catch an agent's attention. I recommend this book for writers who want to learn about the book marketplace and agents in particular. Some of the advice will help you in an ever-changing market.

Anton chekhov's "the cherry orchard" is a captivating, but somewhat confusing tale of an aristocratic household that comes face to face with adversity. His impressionistic portrayal of characters delivers a power packed package of meaning that both appeals to and appalls every human heart. Through a subtle messages and powerful passages chekhov purveys his sentiments about a world that is tainted by a dark cloud of selfishness. Although the play itself is tragic-like the characters are not tragic. They seem to blindly stumble upon the pages of life accomplishing absolutely nothing. Through checkhov's genius they still remain human, with dreams and fears like the rest of us. It is through these characters that chekhov's beliefs are made known.

The cherry orchard is symbolic of the old order in rural Russia, and Chekhov's short play illustrates the social transformation started in the 19th century in a simple and impressive manner. I find it interesting that one previous reviewer calls the Cherry Orchard an "effective allegory of the Bolshevik revolution", since it was written long before 1917. This goes to show exactly how in tune with his times Chekhov was. Character development is limited in this play as there are many roles and few pages, but we are introduced to the classic types also found in other pre-revolutionary Russian literature: the arriviste businessman, the radical escapist student, the obnoxious clerk, the nostalgic aristorcrat, the loyal peasant. In the play, Madame Ravensky leaves her good-for-nothing husband in Paris and returns to the family estate, which she owns with her brother Gayev. The economy of this aristocratic family is fledgling, but they are unable to change their spending patterns and accumstom themselves to a lower living standard. They are also unwilling to cut down the cherry orchard and use the land for villa development, as they are urged by the crude but business-savvy businessman Lopakhin. Lopakhin eventually buys their entire property at an auction, and the reality of the new age eventually dawns on everyone except the ancient servant who takes his last breath still repeating 'young wood, green wood'. An almost spooky dialogue occurs in the last act between Lopakhin and the radical student Trophimov, with the 20th century future of Russia clearly in the balance: work and money, represented by Lopakhin, is rejected by the young utopian idealist. In retrospect, this single scene gives a mind-boggling perspective on Russian history; and some sense of why Russia is still a barbarous country of 'dirt, vulgarity and boredom' as described by the disgruntled characters in Chekhov's play.

"How should one live?" is the fundamental question driving most of Chekhov's work, and it is very overtly laid bare in The Cherry Orchard. Should the aristocratic family in decline stick to owning their cherry orchard (representative of the grandiose trappings of Russian aristocracy), or give in to modern commercialization in order to survive? What is the value of tradition, and how many trees should one own? Chekhov will not answer these questions for you, but he poses them in most interesting ways. In addition to wise insights into such fundamental dilemmas, Chekhov also provides a lot of witty banter, and a great slice-of-life view at 19th century Russian high culture. But this is not just a Russian play or a 19th century play; its themes, questions, and prospective answers are relevant for individuals coping with society and history in any place, and at any time.

After I had read "The American Century" and found that Kevin Baker was responsible for the bulk of the research on that fine book, I wanted to read his new work of historical fiction, "Dreamland." I'm glad I did. Not since I read Caleb Carr's "The Alienist" a few years ago, have I enjoyed a novel as much as this one. Baker is able to bring the reader nearly to tears as he details the travails of young women trying to make it from day to day in New York, either as workers in one of the sweatshops on the lower east side or, unfortunately as one of the prostitutes every night putting her life in jeapordy in the Tenderloin or on the other mean streets of that heartless, corrupt, and sad, very sad city. The section detailing the days spent in jail by the striking women is especially chilling. The inclusion of Freud and Jung is compelling not so much for the interpretation of their work, but rather for the hint of progress that would be made in the years to come in the field of psychoanalysis. Other critics have harped on their inclusion in this work, but I found their conversations stimulating. How they end up in Dreamland at the end of the book with the other colorful and larger than life characters in this inspired work-Kid Twist, Gyp The Blood, the Mad Carlotta, Esther, Trick the Dwarf, Tim Sullivan-is deliciously presented. I thought that the inclusion of Frances Perkins as the sole upper class liberal fighting vainly with limited success to stem the tide of worker abuse allowed the author to speak through her character and graphically describe the carnage enveloping the poor young ladies of that era. No wonder FDR made her his only Secretary of Labor. I thought it ironic that a scant thirty years after the time of this novel, this same age group of women, imprisoned in 1912 for having the gall to ask for a 54 hour work-week, formed the nucleus of the manufacturing force that produced all the armament that saved our world from tyranny and made it safe for democracy during World War II. It is never fair to give away the ending of a book, and I won't. But, trust me, you'll love it!

I usually get bored with long books, and often feel that the author could have told the story in half as many pages. However, this book had me from the beginning and I had no trouble staying interested until the end, even though it weighs in at about 700 pages. Kevin Baker's secret is that he is so familiar with the historicl setting that he is able to write in such detail that you literally feel tranported to turn-of-the-century New York. The reader gets to know the characters and care about them, even the more eccentric ones. The story about the harshness of life is at times sad, funny, endearing, and even frightening. All 700 pages are worth the read.

But, this book was great. Dreamland kept me in the story,in the era,from beginning to end. Even though it was interrupted by Dr.Sigmund Freud from time-to-time. This is one of those "can't put it down" books. But, you must. To savor the life and times of Esse, Gyp the Blood, Kid Twist, and,lest we forget the greatest storyteller...Trick the Dwarf. Kevin Baker puts these , and a large company of characters, some fictional, and some real onto the seedy canvas which was Turn of the Century New York City. It dosen't matter where you live , this is the kind of book that not only entertains, but teaches us about the living and working conditions during the early part of the 20th Century. Maybe too vividly. Even so...it is a MUST read.