This book is a great way to explore physics outside of the classroom and outside of the textbook. This book allows the reader to take Einstein's Theory of Relativity and see it in a way that is vivid and allows the reader to understand the concepts behind Einstein's great theory. The author that revised the book added extra adventures that helped the context of the book. The added illustration and charts are an added bonus that help the reader gain more of an understanding.

The famous physicist and excellent popularizer of science George Gamow wrote the original version of this book "Mr Tompkins in Paperback" in 1965. Since then the understanding of the physical world from its smallest to largest entities has shown much progress. Thus the book, which was once one of the best classics in the genre of physics popularizations, needed a revision to continue its role of introducing the modern knowledge of fundamental physics to laypersons.

Russell Stannard, an able popularizer of science, courageously tackled this difficult problem of modernizing "Mr Tompkins." Four chapters out of 17 are entirely new. Old chapters describe the theory of relativity, quantum physics and atomic and nuclear physics through Mr Tompkins' adventurous dreams and a series of lectures given by "the professor" to the lay-audience. Tompkins is among the listeners of the lectures, gets acquainted with the professor's daughter Maud, and . . . Maud's look, hairstyle and dresses in illustrations and the episode of romance have also been modernized. The new chapters treat black holes, a high-energy accelerator ("atom smasher") and the results of physics gotten by it, quarks and the Standard Model, and the relation between the life of the Universe and particle physics.

Even the old chapters have been rewritten considerably. For example, Chapter 2 newly tells about an experimental evidence by neutral pion decay for the constancy of light speed, demonstration of relativistic time dilation at CERN by the change of life time of muons traveling at high speed, etc. The "twin paradox" of relativity has also been added in Chapter 2, and its further explanation is given in Chapter 3 (here is a minor but confusing error of "she" and "he" wrongly interchanged). I like this addition very much, because the "paradox" bothered me even after I had learned the theory of relativity at a university. (For a more complete explanation of the twin paradox, I recommend Max Born's "Einstein's Theory of Relativity" to readers of an inquiring mind.)

Being one of old Japanese fans of Tompkins, I feel a little sorry that the name of Hideki Yukawa has disappeared from the present version. Surely, his meson theory of nuclear forces became outdated, because constituents of nucleons and mesons, i.e., quarks and gluons, had been discovered. However, Yukawa's theory was a strong driving force for the birth of particle physics, and a good place where his name can be mentioned remains in Chapter 13 (in the original version it appeared in a later chapter, which has been omitted in the present version).

I highly recommend this book especially to young people who wish to major in physical sciences. There are a small number of simple equations of relativity and formulas of particle reactions. For those who are eager to learn about mysteries of the micro world and the universe, however, the presence of these would not be any hindrance to the enjoyment of the book but rather be an attractive feature. Some of old fans of Tompkins would also read the new version to welcome Stannard's good job.

The results of many of the theories of modern physics are often very hard to grasp since they operate on such a different scale from most people's everyday lives. This book solves that problem by tinkering with the physical constants of the universe to bring them into the realm of human experience: the theory of relativity is described through a narrative set in a universe in which the speed of light is only 30 miles per hour, the topology of space is explained using a universe which is only a few hundred yards in length, and the complex interactions of subatomic particles are narrated from the points of view of the particles themselves. While the social and emotional struggles of quarks and leptons may not give the reader nearly as much mathematical rigor as other overviews of modern physics, they are certainly much more entertaining and provide an intuitive grasp even for readers who don't understand the underlying theories discussed.

This is a great book for anyone interested in modern physics, and a terrific introduction for junior high or high school students who might have the opportunity to study physics later in life.

Michael Edwards' guide is neatly laid out in sections that briefly and without being overly technical explain the uniqueness of Champagne -- the region, the wine and the process by which it is made -- and a series of profiles of the major Champagne houses with comments on specific wines and insights into the various house styles. When this guide was first released a few years ago, it was a good replacement for Serena Sutcliffe's book "Champagne" that had recently gone out of print. Unfortunatey, Edwards book is now out of date as well.

This offering is deceptive since it is billed as the third edition and the flyleaf carries a 1999 copyright, but the text is almost entirely lifted from the earlier edition and most of Edwards' tasting notes are from 1993 and 1994. There have been substantial changes in the Champagne industry since the early 90s and some of these are ignored in Edwards' book. He writes clearly and has good tasting insights, but his notes won't be of much help to consumers just getting into Champagne and wondering about wines currently available, not those released five years ago.

I give it five stars as a general reference, but only 1 star for topicality.

This little book is more than worth its minimal cost. As a general guide to the history of the great drink it's somewhat sketchy, but if you want the word on what Champagne to order and what not to (for the same price), it will provide just that. Follow its 9 or so top marques and you almost cannot go wrong. More than that though, it identifies some superb non-vintage Champagnes from less-well-publicised houses. Some I found in Epernay sell (unbelieveably) for less than 90 francs ($11) at the cave door -- half the price of the book. Though the 3 category ratings are relatively useful, a more finely discriminating set (say 5) would have been much better as a guide, particularly where the 2-star marques are concerned. Reading between the lines though you may be able to tell which 2-stars are better than others. As other reviwers have noted, it is now a bit dated: the '99 edition surprisingly fails to mention the '95 vintage at all. A well revised edition would be welcome.

The sub-title of Michael Edwards book does not lie. It is most definitely the authorative guide in the great beverage, Champagne. Edwards gets to the point in the beginning of the book, giving precise and accurate details about the origin of Champagne, then moves to another level. Edwards examines all the Champagne houses ever heard of, and more, while continuing to interest the reader. If it is ratings of champagnes or a quick idea you need, it is given in quick abbreviateed symbols and words. A real treasure, I have not found a better book when dealing with each champagne house in writing. Michael Kuestermann

The book was well-researched and did much toward clearing Lucretia of any charges of involvement in the schemes of her father and brother -- beyond being a pawn. It also goes deeply into the decades before Rodrigo became Pope Alexander IV, during the reign of his uncle Pope Calixtus III. However, the writing style does not move along quickly so the average reader might find him/herself bored with the history.

Mallett's stated intention is to explain the Borgia phenomenon, not to rehabilitate the family. The Borgias were a Spanish noble family of moderate standing who succeeded in inserting themselves into the upper strata of Renaissance society via the church. The election of one member of the family as Pope Calixtus III prepared the way for the notorious Alexander VI and for many cardinals and rulers in Naples, Italy, France and Spain. The activities of Alexander (Rodrigo Borgia), his children Cesare and Lucrezia, and the lewd legends of incest and poisoning that have surrounded them have attracted the attention of poets, playwrights, novelists and historians of all subsequent generations. Mallett succeeds in answering the questions, Who were the Borgias?, and, What were they doing in 15h century Italy that made them so hated and feared? The history is very thorough, starting with a discussion of the Renaissance Papacy, the Papal States in the 15th century, and the pontificate of Calixtus III. The election of Alexander VI up to the death of Alexander makes for the most exciting reading, while the last two chapters deal with the subsequent fortunes of the Borgia dynasty and the Borjas of Gandia. Genealogocal tables include the Borja family of Jativa, the family of Alexander VI, the family of the dukes of Gandia, plus the Colonna, Orsini and Della Rovere families. There are extensive Notes and an exhaustive bibliography plus a thorough index. Text figures include a map of the Papal States in the 15th century, woodcut views of Rome from 1480 and 1492 and a map of the Roman Campagna. The sixteen black and white plates include portraits of Calixtus III, Alexander VI, Cesare Borgia, Alfonso d'Este and photographs of Bracciano and Nepi castles, the Torre Borgia and the Sala dei Santi in the Borgia Apartments. Mallett's book is well-written and refreshingly free of sensationalism. He paints the bigger picture without getting lost in the complicated details of Italian politics in 15th century Italy and brings all the important individuals to life on these pages. I also recommend the excellent The Borgias by Marion Johnson for readers interested in this colorful and notorious Renaissance family.

I wish I had read the original book instead of this one, or at least read it first. The original had a charm, in both words and illustrations, that this revised version lacks. You can view excerpts from both the original and the revised versions on this website to see what I mean. They begin to show up as soon as the first page.

This revised version changes or adds some things to reflect discoveries and technologies since the original book was written. But it also changes the caliber of the story-telling that gave the orignal charm and clarity. The reviser has written 4 new chapters, three of which become the final chapters of the new book. In thsoe chapters Stannard has almost ignored the style and objectives of Gamow's original. Gamow attempted to present complex physics ideas to the interested reader in ways that might be called "spoon feeding". There was an effort to inject analogies and examples that help the reader understand the concepts. In the newly written chapters it seems like Stannard decided he didn't have time for that, or perhaps didn't have the understanding or confidence to follow through on the original approach. The difference in approach is obvious, and not for the better.

"The New World of Mr.Tompkins" is I think, a really interesting fabulous book. George Gamow uses a character Mr.Tompkins an creates an interesting world, at the same time increasing the reader's knowledge and interest in Physics. You can clearll imagine as you are travelling with Mr. Tompkins and the book really makes Physics fun for you.

Mr.Tompkins and George Gamow transforms Physics into a fun interesting subject while really teaching you the mechanisms of Physics and going in Quite deep into the world of Physics.It will spark your imagination to look at things with different perspectives. It talks about quarks, Einstein's theory of Relativity, Speed of Light, Closed Universe,space warps, the Quantum World and lots more!!

I would definately recomend this book to everyone. From people that are really interested in Physics to the people who are a little reluctant to read anything about Physics. this is the book that will wrap you up into the world of Physics.

I owned a lovely illustrated Little Golden Book version of The Owl and the Pussycat as a toddler. My mother read it to me countless times. After it had been put away in a safe place for 7 years, it somehow came up in a conversation between my mother and me, and we found we could still recite the whole thing. It's a great, highly rhythmic poem that MUST be read aloud.
Now that I own an anthology of Edward Lear's work, my siblings and I have discovered the joy of Lear. We particularly enjoy the Jumblies ("their heads are green and their hands are blue and they went to see in a sieve"). Lear's work must be read aloud, with an audience, to be fully appreciated.
However, note that, while Lear has some really delightful poems, much of his work for children consists of limericks, many of which are not particularly clever. After pages and pages of "there once was a somebody from somewhere who did something odd, that silly old somebody from somewhere", it gets a little old. However, they are silly, and younger children might enjoy them more than my brothers and sisters and I (age range 12 to 18) did.

Wonderful beginning book for children to spark an interest in poetry. I actually had this poem (the owl and the pussycat) read at my wedding... everyone enjoyed it.

I nead Auto Dictionary very much,I'm a auto crazy,please help me,my God

The Compendium of Barley Diseases (2nd edition), Compendium of Conifer Diseases, and the Compendium of Lettuce Diseases are all recent additions to this excellent series published by the American Phytopathological Society. These compendia are packed with expert opinions by plant pathologists on both infectious and non-infectious diseases. Details on symptoms, causative organism or agent, disease cycle and control along with references for further reading are all provided in a concise, easy-to-use format. These compendia are very attractive with high gloss pages and an abundance of both black and white and full color photographs. The text is easy to understand and geared to a wide range of users that may include plant pathologists, agricultural extension personnel, researchers, and growers themselves. These titles are a great value at a reasonable price and are highly recommended for agriculture libraries as well as the personal professional collections of those working in applied agriculture or forestry.

Although some claim you can't find a decent one volume Bible commentary, I've got an accredited B.A. in Theology, and I say you certainly can. The contributors of this commentary are from the highest levels of academia and present material worthy for the pulpit and pew alike.

With the Disney animated movie as inspiration for this story and illustrations, lonely Quasimodo, with only a trio of "Three Stooges"- like gargoyles for company, rescues a kitten, who becomes his friend. When he sees the sad little girl who lost the kitten, Quasimodo does what a real friend would do, despite the sacrifice to himself. Of course, there`s nothing like this in the Hugo classic, but it stands on its own as a warm children`s story.

When I first read this book I was in Sata Fe, New Mexico's public library looking for some other poetry book. When I cam across it I thumbed through it at first but then a few poems just grabbed me and I ended up reading the entire thing there in the public library. The poems are real. I like Edward Abbey's poetry because it is not so flowery and wordy that you lose the point, but just enuff. His metaphores and style of writting truley capture the sense of whatever momment he may be writting about.