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Book reviews for "Blackmore,_Richard" sorted by average review score:

Lorna Doone
Published in Hardcover by Oxford University Press (May, 1978)
Author: Richard D. Blackmore
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Surprisingly Good
I was surprised that Lorna Doone by Richard Blackmore was a good as it turned out to be. It had a very compelling story and good characters even if the novel seemed a bit wordy at times. Lorna Doone is also the single best example of a romantic novel. It may not be among the very best of this category (like The Scarlet Letter, Moby Dick, or any of Jane Austen's novels), but it does fit every criteria. It had a major emphasis on feeling as the whole of the book is a love story between John Ridd and Lorna Doone. The book also has a lot of high adventure in it and an emphasis of nature (Blackmore was just about the only English forerunner of Thomas Hardy in novels in this respect). The novel was even about the common man.

The plot of the novel follows John Ridd. He is a respectable farmer who one day happens into the valley of the Doone's, a family/community of outlaws who had killed his father. There, he ends up falling in love with one of the Doone's own, Lorna. Then, John has to find a way to save his love and overcome their differences of birth.

Lorna Doone is a very interesting read. It may not be for everyone because it is long and does tend to dwell on some trivial things for a bit too long. The novel would be good for anyone who likes classics of romanticism. Lorna Doone can be a very worthwhile read.

More than just the story.
Lorna Doone is a classic tale of romance and bravery, vengance and villany. What is important about the book besides the story is the societal subtext. When you read this book you get a picture of what made the British Empire great. We see Master Jan, or John Ridd, a simple squire, who catches his own fish, harvests his own wheat at the head of his labourers. This humble man is not afraid to take matters all the way up to his king and expect justice in return. We see a comedy of errors as militia groups vie with each other and end up fighting each other instead of the enemy. The whole tale is told amid the last battles ever fought on English soil during the little known Monmouth rebellion. A remarkable and noteworthy book, which tells more than the main story. It is both a great read and a portrait of English rural society of the time.

A wonderful old-fashioned read
I'd read Lorna Doone years ago, and fortunately, was re-reading it when I had to spend an emergency stint in the hospital. The book kept me enthralled, in another world entirely, day & night. Oddly enough, the very problem I'd had, erysipalis (don't mind the spelling) was mentioned in the book (the woman died of it; I didn't!) We don't need Reality! We need Passion, Moors, Wicked folks, Good folks, and Love!!!!


Richard Doddridge Blackmore: His Life And Novels (BCL1-PR English Literature)
Published in Library Binding by Reprint Services Corp (January, 1930)
Author: Quincy Guy Burris
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A Good Source of Information on Richard Doddridge Blackmore
At least a portion of the book's title lives up to its name in that it is the best source yet for information on the LIFE of Richard Doddridge Blackmore. As a very distant relative (fifth cousin four times removed) it provided me with a wealth of information about his family history.


The Meme Machine
Published in Hardcover by Oxford University Press (May, 1999)
Authors: Susan J. Blackmore and Richard Dawkins
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The Meme Machine
Susan Blackmore's bold and fascinating book "The Meme Machine" pushes the new theory of memetics farther than anyone else has, including its originator Richard Dawkins. The reader should already be well-acquainted with the concepts of memes and Universal Darwinism before tackling this book. Those who are not would do well to first read Dawkins' The Selfish Gene (and even better to also read Daniel Dennett's Darwin's Dangerous Idea).

Dawkins himself wrote the Foreword to this book, giving it his enthusiastic endorsement, and providing some enlightening remarks about the origin of the meme concept. He concedes however, that his original intentions were quite a bit more modest, and that Blackmore has carried the concept further than he had envisioned.

The central thesis of this book is that imitation is what makes humans truly different from other animals, and what drives almost all aspects of human culture. A meme then, is a unit of imitation. Anything that can be passed from one person to another through imitation -- such as a song, a poem, a cookie recipe, fashion, the idea of building a bridge or making pottery -- is an example of a meme. From the meme's point of view, Blackmore claims, we humans are simply "meme machines", copying memes from one brain to another.

This book is highly speculative. That doesn't mean it's wrong. It just means the claims have not been proven scientifically. To Blackmore's credit she does clearly highlight the areas of speculation. She also points out the testable predictions made by her theory, and describes possible experiments that could be performed to validate or falsify them.

One such prediction is that specific neural mechanisms would be found in the brain that support imitation -- the key requirement for replication of memes. The recent discovery of mirror neurons seems to satisfy this prediction and provide a powerful validation of the theory.

This book is ambitious. It purports to be nothing less than a comprehensive scientific theory which answers such major scientific questions as the "big brain" problem, and the evolutionary origins of language, altruism, and religion -- all currently unresolved problems. Blackmore's presentation of these issues to be persuasive and insightful, though in some instances she has overstated her case. For example, while memes may have been a significant causal factor in the origin of language, it is not necessary to adopt a purely non-functional explanation for language.

The most controversial part of the book is likely to the last two chapters, where Blackmore discusses the concept of the "self", the real you which holds beliefs, desires, and intentions. Like Dennett, Blackmore believes the idea of a "self" is an illusion but unlike Dennett she does not see it as benign and a practical necessity. In her view, the illusion of the self (what she calls the "ultimate memeplex") obscures and distorts consciousness, and advocates adopting a Zen-like view to actively repel the self illusion.

After having read the book you may feel, that Blackmore has gone too far; that she has pulled some sleight-of-hand and come up with an outlandish conclusion. However, upon further reflection, the thoughtful reader will be forced to admit that Blackmore has made a forceful case and told at least a plausible, if not utterly convincing story.

A must-read for anyone serious about memetics
In the most exciting memetics book to come out in years, Susan Blackmore extends the memetics model back into its murky origins and out into an uncertain future. If there were just one really pithy idea in here to make me think about whole new applications of memetics, I'd tell you to buy this book. If it was just a fleshed-out summary of the best ideas in memetics, including Dennett's, Dawkins's, and my own, I'd tell you to buy this book. If it simply related the academic origins of cultural evolution to modern memetic theory, I'd tell you to buy this book. But Blackmore does all this and more. The Meme Machine is a must-read for anyone serious about memetics.

Was the evolution of altruism, one of the most hotly debated topics in evolutionary biology, actually driven by meme evolution? Blackmore makes a case that it might have been. How about our big brains? More than just a survival aid, Blackmore shows how brain size selection might have been driven by -- you guessed it -- memes!

This book is such a work of thought and love that I can even forgive Dr. Blackmore for dismissing my entire philosophy of life in two words (p. 241). As Oscar Wilde said, the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.

Blackmore's background in the study of parapsychology gives her a good step or two outside the ivory tower, which seems valuable to gain a healthy perspective on memetics. And she ends her book as I did mine, with an unavoidable inquiry into the meaning of life. If self is an illusion -- if ego is merely an artifact of evolution -- what is to be done? While she doesn't purport to come up with the answer, she, like me, suggests that we all ask ourselves the question.

--Richard Brodie, author, Virus of the Mind: The New Science of the Meme

The Meme Machine unleashed!
Human bodies evolved by natural selection, just
as other animals. But still we are different.
According to Susan Blackmore thats because we are
capable of imitation. We can thereby copy ideas,
habits,inventions, songs and stories. I.e. memes.
And now memes are as powerful, if not more powerful,
than the good old genes, in directing human evolution.

I find the idea intriguing, and certainly
Susan Blackmore argue well for the idea.
The (evolutionary) pressure for imitation skills
requires big brains. So we evolve big brains, as people
mate with the ones with the most memes.
Language is invented in order to spread memes.
Film stars, journalists, writers, singers,
politicians and artists become the most
attractive, as they are the ones who spread the
most memes.
Things that are hard to explain in a genetic
context (such as adoption, birth control, celibacy) are
easy to explain in a meme context
(the memes are happy with it, as it help spread

more memes).
Science becomes a process to distinguish
true memes from false memes. Fax-machines, telephones,
etc. are created (by the memes) in order to spread more
memes. Writing is a battleground in the head between
memes wanting to be spread.
etc.

It all rings true to me.
Except Susan Blackmores claim that the self
is a complex meme. Certainly it is puzzling
that blind people are reported thinking that their
"I" is located at their fingertips, when they
read Braille.
Still there are other explanations to what
a human "I" is than memes. Personally,
I prefer Antonio Damasios, as he explained
it in the book "the feeling of what happens".
Nevertheless, Susan Blackmores book is a very
exciting read, with lots of clever thoughts.

-Simon


Astrology in Modern Language: How to Read Your Character and Destiny Through the Stars.
Published in Hardcover by Putnam Pub Group (February, 1972)
Author: Richard Blackmore, Vaughan
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Fuel Economy of the Gasoline Engine: Fuel, Lubricant, and Other Effects
Published in Textbook Binding by John Wiley & Sons (November, 1977)
Authors: New York :, David Richard Blackmore, W. S. Affleck, and Alan Thomas
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Lorna Doone
Published in Audio Cassette by Listen for Pleasure (1989)
Authors: Richard Doddridge Blackmore and Peter Gilmore
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Lorna Doone
Published in Audio Cassette by Listen for Pleasure ()
Authors: Richard Doddridge Blackmore and Peter Gilmore
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Prince Arthur, 1695
Published in Unknown Binding by Scolar Press ()
Author: Richard Blackmore
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R.D. Blackmore
Published in Textbook Binding by Twayne Pub (August, 1979)
Author: Max Keith Sutton
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Richard Doodridge Blackmore: His Life and Novels
Published in Hardcover by Greenwood Publishing Group (June, 1980)
Author: Quincy G. Burris
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