Andrew Gibson and Arthur Donovan. The Abandoned Ocean: A History of United States Maritime Policy. Studies in Maritime History Series. Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press, 2000. xiv + 362 pp. Illustrations, references, and index..., ISBN 1-57003-319-6.

Reviewed by Gordon Boyce, School of Economics and Finance, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand . Published by EH.Net (September, 2000)

In this well-written volume, Gibson and Donovan provide a concise analysis of American maritime policy from the early republic to the present. Their aim is to explain why since about 1860 the United States failed to achieve "its stated goal of promoting a commercially viable merchant marine engaged in foreign trade" even though a strong merchant navy was considered essential in times of national emergency. In so doing, Gibson and Donovan endeavour to furnish the historical background needed to guide future policy. Their advice is unequivocal: the government should eliminate restrictions and subsidies in order to let the industry operate freely on the same basis as its international rivals.

Yet, the argument does not come across as ideologically motivated or doctrinaire. Indeed, Gibson and Donovan carefully explain that America made a critical mistake by continuing to pursue protectionist practices. Specifically, the authorities required U.S. flagged vessels to be U.S.-owned and -built and reserved coastal trades for U.S. registered ships. Between 1830 and 1860, when America had an international comparative advantage in shipbuilding and formidable ship operating capabilities, these restrictions were unnecessary. After the Civil War, which caused the destruction of a large part of the national fleet, American shipbuilding lost its prowess as the shift from sail to steam and from wood to iron and later steel conferred advantages upon Britain's shipyards. Yet, U.S. flag restrictions compelled domestic operators to remain bound to an inefficient shipbuilding industry. The chosen solution was to provide subsidies, but these were inadequate to prevent a continued decline, especially as land ward opportunities offered greater returns. After 1880, the U.S. navy expanded as the country sought to enhance its international position, but the merchant marine withered to the extent that by 1900, American ships carried just eight percent of their country's foreign trade. During World War I, the consequences of this dangerous state of affairs finally revealed themselves, and the government responded by building and operating a huge fleet. It also passed the famous Shipping Act of 1916 which ignored international practices and compelled domestic and foreign ship owners servicing U.S. trades to operate within "open" conferences (rate-setting cartel-like organizations) that were subject to federal regulation.

America's policy settings were reinforced by subsequent legislation, which offered the industry more support in the form of postal, construction, and operating subsidies. The Shipping Act of 1920 committed the government to preserving a merchant marine capable of supporting the nation's trade and acting as a naval reserve and the Act of 1936 compelled ship operators to offer seafarers remuneration at levels above international standards. A divided union movement created chronically unstable labour relations to which ship owners responded by making generous concessions. Moreover, because the U.S. shipbuilding industry failed to exploit fully innovations (including modular construction) vessel costs were much higher than overseas. Subsidies, which were especially wasteful and corrupt in the 1930s, propped up the edifice. Political leaders were unwilling to make fundamental changes in the face of opposition from politically powerful interest groups. The fire sales of vessels that followed massive war-induced shipbuilding programmes gave the industry temporary fillips that could not compensate in the long-term for a lack of international comparative advantage.

By the 1980s, the link between commercial shipping and military support had been all but broken by changes in sealift requirements. (The army required Roll-on Roll-off vessels to carry heavy vehicles, but U.S. shipowners possessed few of these craft with the result that the world had a very close call when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait.) Moreover, subsidies were becoming increasingly politically unpalatable. Currently, U.S. policies are completely out of touch with international conventions that allow the use of flags of convenience and support open registers.

Gibson and Donovan argue that the solution is to leave shipping free to meet foreign competition. By eliminating onerous registry rules and allowing American ship owners to buy vessels from foreign yards, to employ lower cost labour, and permit the same type of tax advantages enjoyed by international competitors, the U.S. might prevent the complete disappearance of its merchant marine. In so doing, the nation could preserve the industry's formidable innovative capabilities, while securing commercial and perhaps strategic advantages.

The Abandoned Ocean is not a typical "policy" book; it is written in a lively and compelling style, provides a broad context, and presents a clear analysis. This splendid volume will attract government officials, business historians, maritime historians, and economists. By highlighting the difficulty of regulating an international industry this volume indirectly offers guidance to those who might consider imposing restrictions on businesses like those conducted over the internet. It also draws attention to the way in which political factors that shape regulatory traditions can create enduring path dependency. The chapters on recent developments are particularly valuable. The Abandoned Ocean should be included in the reading lists of a variety of courses, including the economics of regulation, policy formulation and execution, and business and maritime history, as well. Individual chapters can be used as required reading for historical survey courses to develop maritime/international themes. Maritime historians will be anxious to see Gibson and Donovan's next work which examines the history of the container revolution.

Library of Congress call number: VK23 .G53 1999 Subjects: Merchant marine--United States--History Navigation--United States--History Citation: Gordon Boyce . "Review of Andrew Gibson and Arthur Donovan, The Abandoned Ocean: A History of United States Maritime Policy," EH.Net, H-Net Reviews, September, 2000. URL....

The Abandoned Ocean: A History of United States Maritime Policy Gibson, Andrew and Arthur Donovan

Published by EH.NET (September 2000)

Andrew Gibson and Arthur Donovan, The Abandoned Ocean: A History of United States Maritime Policy. Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press, 2000. xiv + 362 pp. $39.95 (hardback), ISBN: 1-57003-319-6.

Reviewed for EH.NET by Gordon Boyce, School of Economics and Finance, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.

In this well-written volume, Gibson and Donovan provide a concise analysis of American maritime policy from the early republic to the present. Their aim is to explain why since about 1860 the United States failed to achieve "its stated goal of promoting a commercially viable merchant marine engaged in foreign trade" even though a strong merchant navy was considered essential in times of national emergency. In so doing, Gibson and Donovan endeavour to furnish the historical background needed to guide future policy. Their advice is unequivocal: the government should eliminate restrictions and subsidies in order to let the industry operate freely on the same basis as its international rivals.

Yet, the argument does not come across as ideologically motivated or doctrinaire. Indeed, Gibson and Donovan carefully explain that America made a critical mistake by continuing to pursue protectionist practices. Specifically, the authorities required U.S. flagged vessels to be U.S.-owned and -built and reserved coastal trades for U.S. registered ships. Between 1830 and 1860, when America had an international comparative advantage in shipbuilding and formidable ship operating capabilities, these restrictions were unnecessary. After the Civil War, which caused the destruction of a large part of the national fleet, American shipbuilding lost its prowess as the shift from sail to steam and from wood to iron and later steel conferred advantages upon Britain's shipyards. Yet, U.S. flag restrictions compelled domestic operators to remain bound to an inefficient shipbuilding industry. The chosen solution was to provide subsidies, but these were inadequate to prevent a continued decline, especially as land ward opportunities offered greater returns. After 1880, the U.S. navy expanded as the country sought to enhance its international position, but the merchant marine withered to the extent that by 1900, American ships carried just eight percent of their country's foreign trade. During World War I, the consequences of this dangerous state of affairs finally revealed themselves, and the government responded by building and operating a huge fleet. It also passed the famous Shipping Act of 1916 which ignored international practices and compelled domestic and foreign ship owners servicing U.S. trades to operate within "open" conferences (rate-setting cartel-like organizations) that were subject to federal regulation.

America's policy settings were reinforced by subsequent legislation, which offered the industry more support in the form of postal, construction, and operating subsidies. The Shipping Act of 1920 committed the government to preserving a merchant marine capable of supporting the nation's trade and acting as a naval reserve and the Act of 1936 compelled ship operators to offer seafarers remuneration at levels above international standards. A divided union movement created chronically unstable labour relations to which ship owners responded by making generous concessions. Moreover, because the U.S. shipbuilding industry failed to exploit fully innovations (including modular construction) vessel costs were much higher than overseas. Subsidies, which were especially wasteful and corrupt in the 1930s, propped up the edifice. Political leaders were unwilling to make fundamental changes in the face of opposition from politically powerful interest groups. The fire sales of vessels that followed massive war-induced shipbuilding programmes gave the industry temporary fillips that could not compensate in the long-term for a lack of international comparative advantage.

By the 1980s, the link between commercial shipping and military support had been all but broken by changes in sealift requirements. (The army required Roll-on Roll-off vessels to carry heavy vehicles, but U.S. shipowners possessed few of these craft with the result that the world had a very close call when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait.) Moreover, subsidies were becoming increasingly politically unpalatable. Currently, U.S. policies are completely out of touch with international conventions that allow the use of flags of convenience and support open registers.

Gibson and Donovan argue that the solution is to leave shipping free to meet foreign competition. By eliminating onerous registry rules and allowing American ship owners to buy vessels from foreign yards, to employ lower cost labour, and permit the same type of tax advantages enjoyed by international competitors, the U.S. might prevent the complete disappearance of its merchant marine. In so doing, the nation could preserve the industry's formidable innovative capabilities, while securing commercial and perhaps strategic advantages.

The Abandoned Ocean is not a typical "policy" book; it is written in a lively and compelling style, provides a broad context, and presents a clear analysis. This splendid volume will attract government officials, business historians, maritime historians, and economists. By highlighting the difficulty of regulating an international industry this volume indirectly offers guidance to those who might consider imposing restrictions on businesses like those conducted over the internet. It also draws attention to the way in which political factors that shape regulatory traditions can create enduring path dependency. The chapters on recent developments are particularly valuable. The Abandoned Ocean should be included in the reading lists of a variety of courses, including the economics of regulation, policy formulation and execution, and business and maritime history, as well. Individual chapters can be used as required reading for historical survey courses to develop maritime/international themes. Maritime historians will be anxious to see Gibson and Donovan's next work which examines the history of the container revolution.

Gordon Boyce's publications include Information, Mediation and Institutional Development: The Rise of Large-scale Enterprise in British Shipping, 1879-1914, Manchester University Press, 1995.

Citation: Gordon Boyce, "Review of Andrew Gibson and Arthur Donovan The Abandoned Ocean: A History of United States Maritime Policy" Economic History Services, September 11, 2000

This book is written in such a spendid way as to not bore the reader. While this is obviously a text for students of Maritime industry concerns - seafarers, transportation officals and the like - the book is fascinating to all who have an interest in how the United States became the power that it is today. It becomes apparent as to why we are not a strong commercial sea power, but the insight to our strength at sea via our Navel forces is also clear.

Starting from our earliest days as a nation the authors trace the world shipping history and how America fit in to global sceene. The book makes connections as to our past and how it became our present.

The book reads very well, is concise and fills in gaps in the details of our history that many scholors (layman or profession) should read and evaluate. It just makes sense to see the total picture painted by Gibson and Donovan.

Albert Einstein lived the last thirty years of his life in the United States and passed away in 1955 in New Jersey. He wrote three great papers in 1905 at the age of 26.

This book is the only thing ever coming close to an autobiography that Einstein ever wrote. Needless to say, offers of money and prizes were offered to him, unlike the millions offered to ex-U.S. presidents to write a book. He never accepted any of these offers. The only offer he accepted was from Professor Schilpp to write an intellectual autobiography of himself.

Incredible and Timeless is only ways to describe this book. Einstein labels as his "obituary", for a man who was considered the "Person of the Century" by Time Magazine.

Friends, his own "obituary" in his own hand is a worthy read and cost of the book. It is not a "personal" life but his "thinking" on science and of course on physics. We all know the two great theories of physical was created in the early 20th. century: the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. Einstein alone created relativity and was also one of the founders of the quantum theory. We also know now that Einstein never accepted quantum theory till the end.

Here, Einstein fully describes the failure of classical mechanics and the rise of the electromagnetic field, the theory of relativity and of the quanta.

Of note, Einstein's "Evolution of Physics" is a general lay discussion of the same issues. This is Einstein's technical discussion of the evolution of physics.

"When I was a fairly precocious young man the nothingness of the hopes and strivings which chases most men restlessly through life came to my consciousness with considerable vitality" This comment alone is worth price of the book.

The essays sections includes writing of the great scientist of the 20th century. We only read about them in textbook but here they are in their own words: Niels Bohr, Louis De Broglie, Arnold Sommerfeld, Max Born, Kurt Godel, Hans Reichenbach and Wolfgang Pauli. One only sees their picture in physics textbooks.

This book really belongs in all who are professional scientists or are interested in science. Unlike Newton "Principia" or Darwin's "The Origin of Species" Einstein papers are scattered everyone. This is the only definitive book on Einstein by Einstein himself.

Moreover, it is a scholarly and scientific book, so it should last for a long time and of value to all future generations.

This is an interesting way to learn about a person. I took a passage from one of Al's writings in this book and read it during my weekly puppet show. The part of Einstein was played by a stuffed squirrel I bought at a yard sale. I added the traditional wacky hair and tweed jacket. The kids were confused at first, but squirrel puppetry soon broke down barriers. Next up is Hawking! If I can find a mini-chair and a look-a-like squirrel.

Here, Einstein clearly shows the world that he was a first-class intellectual and scientist.

--Lonnie R. Gardner (Math Teacher)

I used to read my older brother's Three Investigator books when he borrowed them from the school library. I so wanted to live in a trailer with a secret escape hatch like Jupiter had.
I have bought as many books as I could find for my son who is eleven and loves reading about Jupiter, Bob and Pete's adventures. We look in every secondhand shop we can find and are slowly getting the entire series.

I, too, read all of the books when I was a child. Now that I'm looking for books to give to friends' children, I discover that these marvelous books are out of print! I beseech the publisher to re-issue them asap. The stuttering parrot has remained with me all these years, so much so that when I hear a reference to Sherlock Holmes, it is the stuttering parrot's "to to be" that immediately pops into my mind. On behalf of a bookwormwho wants to share with the next generation, please bring the boys back! The three investigators may not have been classic literature, but they brought me tremendous pleasure.

The Three Investigators series was the best set of mysteries I ever read, in addition to Agatha Christie's. I read all of them I could find. And yet, years later, I decided to look them up and not a single library had them anymore. These books should not be out of print! There is something special in Jupiter, Bob, and Pete's (I think I got the names right) detective agency, and the mysteries are especially unique and intriguing. This book is especially memorable. To-to-to be, or not to-to-to be... And that's not the only parrot that's odd

Talk about how (as a character suggests in the movie "Hurricane") "sometimes a book chooses you"... Was it quirky intuition or some funky higher power that moved me when, as I was about to leave the library, a sudden urge made me turn around and, overlooking all the other fictions on the shelves, with unknown purpose shuffle aside the books in a bin until my hand lit on this one. Had never heard of the author or the book (although the title was appealing), but something inside of me whispered "Read this!"

Whatever the spell, subconscious or spooky, I'm glad I did. This was a book that started out good and only got better; read it practically overnight. In the end, it was Arthur Flowers' vibrant storytelling, so warm and alive with understanding of human frailty and fullness of spirit--like a downhome, latter-day incarnation of the oldtime poet who said, "I am human, therefore nothing human is alien to me"--that spoke to me, made me smile and ache and glow.

"I am hoodoo, I am griot, I am a man of power," he trumpets at the opening in a verbal fanfare, a narrative device echoing and acknowledging ancient oral tradition; there is power in the word and magic in the story. "My story is a true story, my words are true words, my lie is a true lie--a fine old delta tale about a mad blues piano player and a Arkansas conjure woman on a hoodoo mission.... Plan to show you how they found the good thing. True love. That once-in-a-lifetime love.... because when you find true love my friend its strictly do or die."

Set in the Mississippi River delta country in and around Memphis, Tennessee, at the dawn of the Jazz Age, ANOTHER GOOD LOVING BLUES tracks the sweet & sour course of the relationship between bluesman Luke Bodeen--peacock proud, stylish and sure--and alluring, stiff-necked hoodoo woman Melvira Dupree, who's haunted by her past and future. Yet other rivers run through it: memories of arcane gods and religious rites variously practiced by descendants of African slaves throughout the Americas; the trickle, then stream, of Southern blacks fleeing impoverished indenture in the fields for the promise of Northern urban opportunity post-World War I. Race-conscious workingclass intellectuals gather with college-trained professionals to debate Garvey vs. Dubois, the church vs. traditional African religion. The periodic floods of "The Great Muddy," the mighty Mississippi itself, become legend in song and story.

It's territory that Zora Neale Hurston (who makes a "guest appearance," as does W. C. Handy) plumbed and celebrated, and more recently Ishmael Reed: the nexus of history and folklore, literal and visceral, sanctified and streetwise.

But, aah, the core of the story, that man-woman thing! Heart of the blues. "You don't know what love is until you know the meaning of the blues," goes the famous song. Flowers, a veteran bluesman himself, is especially deft, and searingly compassionate, showing "how to go down like a natural man" after Luke breaks off with Melvira:

"Lucas Bodeen let the music say all the things he wanted to say to her. O baby, I love you so. I don't understand why or nothing, I just love you. Lucas Bodeen played his heart out, another man hurting cause my baby's gone and o the loving sure was good blues.

"O God baby, how could you really leave me?

"Tears.

"...After awhile the music start getting good to him, and ol Bodeen, he forgot all about how bad he felt. Got into the music, made that piano stand up and do tricks. No matter how much trouble you got in mind, the blues tend to remind you that the sun is going to shine in your back door someday. For all the pain it cost him, he had to say he was glad she had come into his life. Don't do for a man to live and die without having known at least one great love in his life. He would have hated to have died without having ever felt like she made him feel."

Flowers, besides his talent, experience and skill, obviously has considerable affection for all his characters; all the people of this book live and breathe. What's more, he tells a plethora of stories and all of them involve you. And his triumphant narrative voice is the finest, most lyrical and comprehensible use of Southern black vernacular I've ever read. I love this book: It's a work of enormous heart, healing and redemption. Told plain and simple, touching and to the point. ("Literature and hoodoo," says one character, "both are tools for shaping the soul." "Spiritwork," says another. "Sacred literature... Rootwork.") Let this nexus of love, blues and hoodoo work its magic on you.

I read this book a couple of years ago... It was not a book I normally would have read, but I picked it up and was quickly drawn into it. The voice of the narrator is very powerful and persuasive, convincing you that the characters are real--the emotions behind each of the words certainly are! The story is very believable. It seems simple, but it is more. You can actually hear someone telling you this story and it almost doesn't feel as if you're reading. In the end, you definitely feel a deep appreciation towards the writer and his gift.

Need something to cozy up to and sweep you away on a mighty good time? Get this book. The writing is lush, beautiful, yet concise. It's a good read. Thank you Mr. Flowers! And keep on writing. I, for one, want more.

As a long-time admirer of both Arthur C. Clarke the man and his fact and fiction, I've been looking for a good biography for quite a long time, and am glad to say I've finally found one. Neil McAleer has done an excellent job, and obviously put a lot of time into research and interviews. This book was compiled from several interviews with Clarke himself as well as with many of his friends, family members, editors, publishers, fellow writers, colleagues, and the like. One is greatful to get such a great glimpse into the lives of science fiction's most famous author, as well as one of the 20th century's most famous visionaries. Truly a remarkable man, Clarke has had an almost unbelievably productive, meaningful, and memorable life. Here we learn about his upbringing and exploits living on a farm in England in his childhood, and through his experiences in school and budding interest in science and science fiction. We then learn of Clarke's going on to join the Civil Service and eventually the Royal Airforce (where he helped with the radar "talk down" system), and through his college years. We are able to see the development of his writing years, and his active and vital role in the British Interplanetary Society. All of Clarke's major novels and several of his short stories are gone into in detail, and oftentimes we learn of his motivation for writing them, and also something of his writing method. One of the most important and revealing aspects of the book for Clarke fans are the long behind-the-scenes look we get at the making of 2001: A Space Odyssey. We learn of the working relationship between Clarke and Kubrick, and also get a glimpse into the super hush-hush activities that took place on the set. This book covers his career up to the release of his novel The Ghost From The Grand Banks, and a little beyond. It also touches mightily upon his non-fiction writing, as well as his many other and less celebrated exploits - lecturing, popularizing of communications, diplomatic interests, and the like. We learn a lot about Clarke's vital role in the establishment of communications satellites. This is quite simply an essential book for Clarke fans, with much knowledge held within it to put across and share. The only real drawback to it is that it does only go up to 1992, and thereby misses out on some important events in Clarke's career (the release of further books, including his final novel, 3001, his collected stories and essays, his knighthood, the unfortunate (and falsely alledged) accusations of pedophilia against him, and the actual coming of the year 2001, just to name a few.) Still, this is by far the most comprehensive and thorough book about Arthur C. Clarke available. Obvioiusly, as with any biography, it's not a book you'll want to dive into unless you are already familar with the author and his works. If you are, though, then this is an essential volume to add to your collection.

In this novel, Arthur C. Clarke's entire life story is told. Also, actual interviews with Clarke and his family members are used. A fascinating bit of information is that Clarke co-anchored the moon landing in 1969 with Cronkite. This is a great book for any fan of Arthur C. Clarke.

Arthur C. Clarke had been one of my favorite writers since the early 1970's. The first book of his that I read was 2001: A Space Odyssey. I was hooked on Mr. Clarke and science fiction forever. This biography of Mr. Clarke is a pleasure to read. The most satisfying thing about the book is that Mr. Clarke in real life is very much the man you picture while reading both his fiction and non-fiction. The three most interesting aspects of the book was his early work with the British Interplanetary Society, his life in Sri Lanka, and his work on the movie 2001.

An extraordinary achievement by an extraordinary American writer. In its way, as accomplished as The Little Big Man and Reinhart in Love, which are perhaps this author's greatest works. As different as those two are different from each other. A writer of scope and variance.

Nevertheless, Arthur Rex, while sticking to the traditional Arthurian material about 90%, manages to put just enough twist and spin on the stories to make them Berger's own. It is funny, satiric, bitter, realisitic, and even romantic. Berger manages to make it a peculiarly modern story. Everyone seems to feel trapped in roles they don't want to, or aren't suited to, play but feel that they must. At the end, before leaving for Armaggedon and his fate, Arthur meets with Guinnivere one last time, a meeting that earns its special poignancy from the cumulative effect of what has gone before. The heartfelt ending is hardearned. Guinnivere is bitter, and angry even, feels that she has been used, by Arthur, Lancelot, yes, but mostly by nature and God. Arthur realizes that she would probably been a better king than he. It is Arthur's response to Guinnivere and to his predicament which gives his tragedy its special feel. I don't know of a better telling of the Arthur story. However, be aware that Berger assumes mastery and ownership of the story through an act of adverse possession as audacious and complete as, say, Ezra Pound's in his translation of the Chinese poetry. This is not just a translation; it is a focused re-interpretation.

Berger's body of work is second to none in American Literature. Big statement, I know. Even his minor novels are original in perspective and sensibility. He deserves to be rescued with all haste and speed from the obscurity that seems about to be unfairly thrust upon him. It is a shame that his books are all going out of print. Read this book, The Little Big Man, the Reinhart saga (the masterpiece here is Reinhart in Love), Sneaky People, and Killing Time for starters. You will not regret it.

I have ever read, and I have read it several times. As with all good Arthurian legends, this book is heroic and poignant. What sets it apart and makes it a great book is that it also manages to be satirically funny. The humor is not at the expense of the nobility of the characters, so Arthur Rex manages to be seemingly contradictory things in one package. I have given this book many times as a gift, and all said they loved it.

Out of print? What a shame.

After reading all the novels I can find on the Arthur saga, this is the only one I re-read again and again.

[...]. It is a good book for kids because it helps kids read. It is funny. Arthur gets a new puppy because his mother said he could. Arthur had to give five dollars for the puppy. Arthur was happy to have a puppy. He had been watching a puppy that gave birth to a litter of new puppies and Author got to keep one. I think everyone would enjoy this story, especially if you like puppies!
The end

While children love reading fantastic stories of dragons oraliens or dinosaurs, that doesn't mean they don't also enjoy readingbooks featuring kids just like them.

Or, in the case of the popular Arthur books, aardvarks just like them. Arthur's New Puppy is the eighteenth book in the best-selling series. It follows the misadventures of the lovable aardvark as he attempts to housebreak his bouncy puppy Pal.

Children seem to identify with Arthur as he struggles with everyday problems with the help of his loving parents (and no help from his pesky little sister, D.W.) and friends.

If you have an Arthur fan in the house, or if you have a new puppy in the house, you'll want to check out this book.

The books are excellent , the story line and the cartoon show .I find myself watching the show as much as he, together we laugh and I remember those day of my youth...

This is the first of Koestler's big three serious science books. The second is "The Sleepwalkes", on the contribution of Copernicus, Kepler and Galileo. The third is "The Ghost in the Machine", which contains a critique of behaviorist psychology and Koestler's theory to account for the apparent self-destructiveness of human nature.

"The Act of Creation" offers a theory to account for the "Ah Ha" reaction of scientific discovery, the "Ha Ha" reaction to jokes and the "Ah" reaction of mystical or religious insight. In each case the result is produced by a "bisociation of matrices" or the intersection of lines of thought which brings together hitherto unconnected ideas and fuses them into a creative synthesis. When the lines of thought are scientic the result is a scientific discovery, when they are concerned with devotional matters the result is mystical insight and when they are on a more homely plane the result can be a joke.

The model is fleshed out with a great deal of information ranging from the religions of the world to a theory about the nervous system to account for the build-up of tension and its discharge at the puchline of a joke. Peter Medawar's review was scathing in his comments on Koestler's science, which is a shame because the book can have the desirable effect of encouraging young scientists to read far beyond the usual range of their literature.

A fascinating read for the person who steps back and wonders - it gives glimpses and answers through an integrated body of research and a graceful and insightful fireside chat about it all. One of my all time favourite books. I can hardly wait to read it again!

The book looks at creativity from a broader perspective than what is generally portrayed in society. It looks at the creativity involved in sciences, humour and of course the arts, showing that the three types are inextricably linked, and that the creative process for genius in all areas follow incredible parallels. His theory on bisociative deductions is marvellous. One of my favourite books.

This is the precursor to the Clarke novel "City and the Stars". I originally read this while still in elementary school and it was the first sci-fi I had ever read. No other has ever topped it.

Clarke forms a world in the very distant future whose inhabitants live for hundreds of years on a ravaged planet earth in the oasis of the city. The city is an incredibly advanced utopia but an island of machines and somewhat bored inhabitants.

The main protaganist is the youngest member of the community who ventures out into a voyage of discovery and onto another community which has also survived the ravages of time. The reuniting of the two tribes of mankind each a distinct culture at opposite ends of the spectrum is problem and goal of "Against the Fall of Night".

This is science fiction storytelling at its best. A great story and a must have for all fans of the genre.

Arthur C. Clarke's masterpiece The City and The Stars (which I'm glad to note is back in print, which is loooooong overdue), is, in fact, an extended version of this early Clarke masterpiece. The City and The Stars is widely considered one of the greatest science fiction novels ever written, and with good reason. And, although I would agree with Clarke in saying that the later novel is the better of the two, this is a certifiable masterpiece in itself. Most all science fiction is, inevitably, set in the future, but this book is set in the far, far, far future. The world Clarke posits is a logical one, and is great as both a story and a warning. Far from being a dystopia, the city of Diaspar in the book is the genuinely archetypal Utopia. It is into this stagnant, decadent setting that Clarke creates one of his grandest visions. This book is sweeping in its vision and its prose. Clarke has always had a deft poetic touch, and this story contains some of his most beautiful outpourings of words. An absolutely essential read for any science fiction fan, as is the novel that it bequeathed.

This book is set in the far future, when humanity is hiding from reality and has set up a constantly renewing but artificial society. One man searches for "a way out" of the "city" that protects all that they know of humankind. His search is fascinating and what he finds out is haunting and exciting and a warning.

Well, now that a hopefully working vaccine for chicken pox has been developed, this story is still great for teaching one about being careful what he or she wishes for.
The circus is in town-everybody's excited to go, but when Arthur is sick with chicken pox, D.W. comes home from play group to find Arthur lying on the couch so wishes she was sick so pretends to think Arthur is just pretending to be sick. And as the story continues, D.W. shows how she wishes she was the sick one-and in the end, Arthur is better, but D.W. gets the chicken pox.
This will be a great book to teach about being careful what you wish for even when chicken pox no longer exists.

My kids thought this book was very funny. I did too, but not solely for the reasons they did. Chicken pox that only lasts a week? Come on! But the main problem this created in my home was that when my kids came down with chicken pox, they pulled this book out. Uh-oh! They wanted crazy straws, and a back rub, and every other special treatment that Arthur received. But it was reassuring for them to see that chicken pox is very common, and even Arthur survived. At least I got them to try the oatmeal bath!

I found this book to be very humorous and fun to read. I loved watching Arthur receiving special treatment for being sick and D.W. pretending that she also had chicken pox. This book is also great because many young children can identify with Arthur and D.W. . As a future teacher, this book is a must for any book collection.