Jacob Bronowski was a genuine Renaissance man. This, his most famous book, looks at the history of science from the perspective of Bronowski's deep, humanist philosophy. Bronowski--along with C.P. Snow--saw art and science as two aspects of the same human enterprise: that of understanding the world and expressing that world in human terms. Here Bronowski shows those connections: why Mendeleev's periodic table was part of "the greatest collective work of art" in history--that is, physics; why the Watts Towers of Los Angeles are like the molecules in a copper wire. THE ASCENT OF MAN is a symphony for which SCIENCE AND HUMAN VALUES was merely a prelude. An outstanding, and vitally important book. "I am infinitely saddened," Bronowski writes, "to find myself suddenly surrounded in the West by a terrible loss of nerve." We must not turn our backs on science--we must finally discover it. One of those writers whose every page contains a brilliant idea, Bronowksi is well worth reading. See also SCIENCE AND HUMAN VALUES, THE IDENTITY OF MAN, THE VISIONARY EYE, and my favorite, A SENSE OF THE FUTURE.

Jacob Bronowski, a mathematician, worked in physics and then, in his last years, in biological research. He believed in "the democracy of the intellect" (435).[Page references are to the 1973 Little, Brown hardcover edition.] Basing his views on the tremendous influence of science on society, he argued and worked for the greater extension of scientific knowledge to the general public. This book is the companion volume of Bronowski's television series in the early seventies on the history of science. Having seen several episodes of this classic series, I can hear Bronowski talking. The writing retains a lively, personal quality. The book has wonderful illustrations and although some of the information could use updating, e.g., to reflect new discoveries in human origins, it still provides an enriching and useful account of the connections among science, art, history, philosophy, politics, etc. Science as a human activity has no better spokesperson than Bronowski. On the down-side, I found jarring his constant use of `man' for human. If he were writing today, I believe he would have been sensitive to such language use that some feel may exclude women. That was not his intent. Bronowski believed in the possibility of progress for human beings, what he called "the ascent of man," which was represented for him by the growth of scientific knowledge. One of the best chapters, "Knowledge Or Certainty," provides a useful meditation on the uncertainty principle in physics and the epistemology of modern science. The chapter should be required reading for everyone interested in the non-aristotelian, uncertaintist, world-view promoted by Alfred Korzybski and others. Bronowski writes: "There is no absolute knowledge. And those who claim it, whether they are scientists or dogmatists, open the door to tragedy. All information is imperfect. We have to treat it with humility. That is the human condition; and that is what quantum physics says. I mean that literally" (353).

I grew in my teens watching, rerun after rerun, Jacob Bronowski's TV series "The Ascent of Man", from which I took my love for science; science as a very human activity, beautifully described by Mr Bronowski, and his words have well resisted the test of time as I read this book based on the series, and which I inevitably lend to anyone I know who have a thirst for the adventure of knowledge.

What I wouldn't do to get this book published again. One of my ongoing personal tasks is visiting used book stores and grabbing every copy of this book I can find and loaning them out - I first read it 5 years ago, found it at some youth hostel in europe and couldn't put it down in my travels - I kept looking forward to train rides where I could just read non-stop!

If you're stateside - write down the author's name and keep it in your wallet - start searching used bookstores near you - good luck, and keep on sharing books!

.......especially if you are just starting out (your life that is) and things arent looking too good. I read this book about 14 years ago when I was 17 living in Kashmir and not in a very positive frame of mind. It was an amazingly inspirational experience reading this book. I still remember reading it very fast even though it was very big but towards the end I slowed down to savour this almost other life I was immersed in. It is an amazing epic that definitely has had an influence on my life, although I don't know what all to attribute to the book but certainly an impossible amount of positivity - that has even weathered and survived the market conditions during the current dotcom demise ;^) - comes to mind.

The Green King to this day remains my favorite book of all time, although Frank Herbert's Dune series comes in a close second. After chancing upon the book here on amazon and refreshing my memory of it I definitely want to get hold of a copy and read it again.

Aamir

Ever have that opprotunity to take a long read along on a vacation... The Green King is a story of a man and his dream, a dream to build a nation where there once was none. In his quest he faces Nazis and beuraucrats, two great evils and defies the first but not the latter. A reclusive Multi-millionaire/billionaire it brings to mind Howard Hughes eccentric legacy and crosses it with Broffman ambition. A book strikingly similar to a Archer or Clancy in it's ability to make the character and the idea come to life. If you see this book snatch it up. It may be a long read, but one of the most enjoyable and enticing of any I have ever had. A true treasure.

It is hardly difficult to understand the enduring quality of the Tao Te Ching. Written by Lao Tsu in the sixth century BC is a simple, quiet book that reflects upon our true nature and our behavior. Broken up into 81 'chapters' or short poems, it comprises a mere 5,000 words. Every other sentence is a memorable quote, and one can read it in an hour and study it for a lifetime.

What I do find remarkable is the durability of this particular edition. My copy is ancient, dating back to my college days. At frequent intervals it seems to come to hand and I will peruse it again and enjoy the clarity of this translation by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English. They have carefully chosen a simple, accessible style which I feel completely captures the nature of the Tao. "What is a good man? A teacher of a bad man.

What is a bad man? A good man's charge."

Accompanying the text are many fine examples of Gia-Fu Feng's calligraphy and Jane English's photographs. While I like Chinese calligraphy, I lack the understanding to make any judgement. I can only report that it shows flow and grace, and works perfectly with English's photographs. These latter capture, most often with natural images, a play of contrast which often is as calligraphic as the accompanying handwriting. Thus, the book itself is a careful balance between content and form.

At the end of the day, or in an otherwise tense moment, this volume has often been the source of the tiny bit of sanity that makes the next day possible. There is much to meditate on here and this edition is a precious resource for the seeking mind.

"The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao."

So begins this version of the Tao Te Ching. This book provides an experience of the Tao like few others. First, there is the blank page. Lots of white space. The absence, the void.

"The Tao is an empty vessel; it is used, but never filled."

"Profit comes from what is there, / Usefulness from what is not there."

Emptiness is the vessel which contains the words and images of this experience. Each chapter is written in both English and Chinese. I don't even pretend read Chinese, but the characters evoke a sense of something beyond ...

"The form of the formless / the image of the imageless / it is called indefinable and beyond imagination."

The English translation reads smoothly. This is not the awkward prose frequently stumbled over when a scholar attempts to reproduce the ambiguities of the original in a foreign tongue. These words play smoothly together. The text does

"not tinkle like jade / or clatter like stone chimes."

The final element in this alchemy is the photographs:

"Less and less is done / until non-action is achieved. / When nothing is done, nothing is left undone."

Absent in this volume are the reams of footnotes which clutter most Taos I've read. Absent, too, are chapters on historical background and the relationship to Confucianism. If you seek these things, seek elsewhere.

For me, this book has opened a way to the Tao.

For me, the Tao Te Ching is the most profound book ever written. This version is my personal favorite. I find the the gorgeous pictures go a long way to helping my limited understanding of the text.

I used to suffer from only slight but chronic insomnia, and when I got up in the mornings, I used to feel like I had been run over by a truck. I bought this book thinking that I've got nothing to lose except a few dollars. Yet after only a few days of following the expert advice contained in this book, my sleep improved "drastically", and I was finally able to function normally again during the day.

This book has all the information you need in order to develop a healthy sleep pattern that will inevitably improve the quality of your life if not save it. If you depend on sleeping pills or tranquilizers to sleep, this book will show you how to get off them and to stay off them for good.

Finally, I would recommend this book not only for the desperate insomniacs out there, but for EVERYONE, since it contains lots of useful and expert information that we ALL can use from time to time.

I was down to 0ne hour per night and felt like I was going crazy with lack of sleep. This book gave me a peace of mind and helped me to understand what the cause was and that it was in my own ability to cure myself. I now get 7-8 hours a night. It changed almost instantly. Get this book. It will change your sleep for the better.

This book is the best book I have read on sleep. In particular it addresses long term chronic insomnia very well and provides a way to end this hellish nightmare. The treatment of sleeping pills is especially insightful. While reading, I found myself nodding my head in agreement constantly, realizing that here was a sleep professional who actually understood the problem so many people face in isolation. What a welcome relief from others who provide no solutions. I highly recommend this book.

Jane Jacob's work has had many reverberations across the United States. The book, written nearly four decades ago, can be credited with helping start the protest and shift of policy makers from using Corbusian designs of urban redevelopment to more traditional rehabilitation, reuse, and revitalization methods to help reinvigorate cities. This book demonstrates the understated complexities and economies of city life, and how those complexities are very fragile and depend on the communication and interaction of people. Most importantly, it helps define community and how community, whether rich or poor, can overcome nearly all social ills and beat the statistics. An essential book for those who study sociology, economics, political science, psychology, architecture, urban planning, and general business

In our urban civilisation reaching thousands of years into history, not one definitive work has chronicled the workings of cities, one of mankind's greatest achievements, as well as Jane Jacobs' landmark 1961 saga of the travails and tribulations of the American city.

The epic spans eras- from the foundations of the Garden City movement in the late 19th century to Jacobs' contemporary 1961. Through this time period she describes how the loathing of urbanism by planners and their subsequent divorce from the realm of public opinion gave rise to the forces of suburbanisation and destruction battering American cities of the mid-20th century. This lays the fundamental groundwork for Jacobs' criticism of contemporary planning methods, especially in her home of New York. Jacobs emanates thoughtful analysis on what works and what does not in regards to the massive projects envisaged and in many cases wrought upon the cityscape.

But perhaps the heart of the book are the chapters in which Jacobs describes how a city works at its most ideal. She chooses only the most exemplary neighbourhoods, those which persevere and spite statistical analysis despite the conventional wisdom of planners. Her own Greenwich Village serves as the book's centrepiece, but Boston's North End and Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square are also featured prominently. Jacobs' arguments for the necessity of density, history, and, above all, diversity in all forms (architectural, street, human, retail, age) are as poignant as they are eloquent. Those pragmatists not immediately taken to heart by Jacobs' paen to urbanity take solace in her intimate and empirical knowledge of economics. Indeed, what makes Jacobs' book so revolutionary is that it does not follow from knowledge handed down by established theory or intellectualism, but from experience, observation, and wisdom, the foundation for her usurpment and subversion of the fallacious atrocities being waged against America's cities.

Liberal at some points, libertarian at others, Jacobs' work must be comprehended not as a work of political ideology but of scientific method. Her opinions are based on but one bias- an innate love for the city. And all who wish to truly understand it in all its objectivity- its trials, mistakes, and triumphs, and her premonitions for our future, are urged to read this. For "Death and Life" is not merely historical perspective on a fleeting problem, but truly a prophecy as well.

This 1961 book by Jane Jacobs, a one-time writer for architectural magazines in New York City, turned the world of city planning on its head. The author, who possessed no formal training in architecture or city planning, relied on personal observations of her surroundings in Greenwich Village in New York City to supply ammunition for her charges against the grand muftis of the architectural profession. "The Death and Life of Great American Cities" consists mostly of common sense observations, but there is also a good amount of statistical information, economics, sociology, and some philosophy at the base of the author's arguments. This 1993 Modern Library reprint seeks to bring Jacobs's work to a whole new generation of readers, a necessity when one realizes that a majority of the problems plaguing cities in 1961 continue to be a problem today.

Jacobs begins her book with a brief history of where modern city planning came from. According to the author, the mess we call cities today emerged from Utopian visionaries from Europe and America beginning in the 19th century. Figures such as Ebenezer Howard, Lewis Mumford, Le Corbusier, and Daniel Burnham all had a significantly dreadful impact on how urban areas are built and rebuilt. These men all envisioned the city as a dreadful place, full of overcrowding, crime, disease, and ugliness. Howard wished to destroy big cities completely in order to replace them with small towns, or "Garden Cities," made up of small populations. Similar in thought to Howard, Mumford argued for a decentralization of cities into thinned out areas resembling towns. Le Corbusier, says Jacobs, inaugurated yet another harmful plan for cities: the "Radiant City." A radiant city consists of skyscrapers surrounded by wide swaths of parks where vast concentrations of people herded into one area could live and work. Burnham's contribution to planning was "City Monumental," where all of the grand buildings (libraries, government buildings, concert halls, landmarks) of a city could be clustered in one agglomeration separated from the dirty, bad city. Jacobs writes that all of these ideas continue to exert influence on the modern city, and that all of these ideas do not work.

For Jacobs, the key to a successful city rests on one word: diversity. This is not specifically an ethnic diversity, although Jacobs does vaguely include this in her arguments. Rather, diversity means different buildings, different residences, different businesses, and different amounts of people in an area at different times. The antithesis of diversity is what we see today on a stroll through downtown: a bland uniformity of office buildings, apartment dwellings, and houses that stretch as far the eyes can see. In the author's view, this lack of diversification leads to economic stagnation, slums, crime, and a host of other horrors that are all too familiar to viewers of the evening news. Especially egregious to Jacobs is the tendency to isolate low-income people in towering projects surrounded by empty space. The lack of embedded businesses in these areas, along with closed in hallways and elevators (which Jacobs calls "interior sidewalks and streets") creates a breeding ground for criminal elements and bad morale among the residents. Cities that work best employ a wide range of diverse interests that attract, not repel, people. Unfortunately, bureaucrats and social planners always believe top down planning is better than bottom up initiative. Jacobs tries to show the fallacy of social planning.

The amount of ground covered in this book is amazing. The author examines the role and practicality of parks, sidewalks, business interests, city government, streets, automobiles versus pedestrians, and boundaries. Repeatedly, Jacobs discovered fatal errors in how planners build cities. She found parks placed in the sunless shadows of skyscrapers or at the end of dead end streets, narrow sidewalks incapable of carrying heavy foot traffic, city blocks so long that people avoided walking down them, and city governments too fragmented to carry on effective management. All of these things eventually led to abandonment and degradation. Even worse, when a planned section of the city failed the planners came back and razed it to the ground in order to replace it with yet more failure.

One of Jacobs's failings in the book is that she never seems to make the connection between urban planning and social control. The housing projects are a great example. By isolating the poor, blacks as well as whites and other ethnic minorities, the state practices an effective control over these people's lives. This book inspired me to check into the fate of Cabrini-Green, Chicago's notorious housing projects that served as a role model for the abject uselessness of urban planning. These projects are in the process of being razed and replaced by mixed-income houses that, if Jacobs is accurate, may thrive due to the nearby presence of shopping areas and businesses. Of course, the planners are still in the game because they are sending most of the poor residents to other areas of the city.

I am probably not the best person to judge the merits of this book because I have never been to one of Jacobs's "Great Cities." I had difficulty imagining some of the layouts she mentioned in the book due to the simple fact that I have never seen them. Despite this small problem, there is still plenty of information in this book that does make perfect sense. You do not need to live in New York City or Philadelphia to recognize that parks with no sunlight will not be a big hit with the city denizens, or that older buildings are necessary to a neighborhood because they allow small businesses to exist with low overhead costs. "The Death and Life of Great Cities," despite its age, is still a relevant book well worth reading.

My wife has recently been diagnosed with Lupus with chronic ankle and foot pain and swelling. A friend suggested this book since it had allowed him to continue life without pain from arthritis. This MSM book stated it's case concisely and really motivated my wife to take msm...and there lies the hitch. This natural substance gives her severe stomach pains and diarrhea and the book does not address just how certain sensitive people might vary or otherwise adjust their intake of msm. We know it works for most people...we would just like the Dr. to suggest solutions for people who are more sensitive to msm.

This title by Drs. Jacob and Lawrence is by far the best word on MSM (along with product manufacturers dmso2.com etc).

I, also, prefer the hardback version of this book. It is out of print but I found that it is still available at the distributor (msmsupplement.com as mentioned by someone in another review).

I hope that there is a new, updated version of this book on the horizon, because I know that MSM is helping so many people with a variety of problems (e.g. Arthritis, Allergies, Energy, Joint and Muscle & Nerve Pain, Skin Conditions ...). I even give it to my dogs and cats now!

By the way, Dr. Lawrence (on of the authors) is the doctor of the famous actor James Coburn. Mr. Coburn now attributes his recovery from crippling arthritis pain to benefits derived from MSM.

I read Dr. Jacobs and Dr. Lawrence's book when it first came out and continue to reread it periodically and learn something useful each time. I have been taking msm since 1998 for severe back pain and in just 3 days the pain was gone. For the person who said it upset her stomach try taking it with food or maybe you are taking the wrong brand if you want to learn more you can e-mail me at msm4all@aol.com.

Jacob Gutgeld a 8 year old Jewish boy that lived in Warsaw, Poland. In 1939, Nazis soldiers invaded Warsaw, Poland. Being Jewish wasn't safe anymore beacasue the soldiers were out searching and killing Jews.

Meeting a Christan man name Alex Roslan one day. Alex helped out Jacob by being his new uncle. Since he is moving in with the Roslan he has to leave the rest of his family behind. He might never see them agian. But now he has to live with danger everywhere he goes. To find out if he can managed to stay alive with the Roslan's read this excellent book about Jacob's Rescue, a Holocaust Story.

I would recomend this book to kids of all ages. This is a really good book, it has loads of action in it, and has a very good storyline. I liked this book because you learn lots about the past and how life was in 1939. But I hope that you enjoy this wonderful book.

Jacob's Rescue was about a rich Jewish boy who gets put in the Ghetto with his Aunt Hannah and Grandma. Then Alex (a Polish man with a wife and two two kids) decides to hide him. Jacob has two brothers David and Shalom. There are many problems but in the end it all turns out well. Read the story to find out the true story of Jacob's rescue. It is a very good book about World War II and the Holocaust which lasted from about 1939 to 1945. I liked the way it was always exiting and kept me on the edge of my seat.

I really enjoyed reading Jacob's Rescue. It was a great book with a lot of exciting happenings that keep you on the edge of your seat. This story takes place during World War II. Jacob is separated from his family when he goes into hiding. I have read many books about the Holocaust but this by far is my favorite. I highly recommend that you read this book! I hope you enjoy it!

In this somewhat puzzling novel the sun rises and it sets, six people grow together from infant children to old age, and the waves crash endlessly upon the shore. That is about as close as you will get to a plot in this book. Everything else that happens, school, marriage, even death, seem to be nothing more than passing intensities amid the overbearing silence that is the roar of existence.

I picked up this book after reading Mrs Dalloway. I loved Dalloway. It was the first Woolf book I had read and it blew me away. In comparison, reading The Waves was like taking a sandblaster to my eyeballs. She uses stream of consciousness as a medium to delve as deep as she possibly can into the intricacy of existence. Not much happens on a specific and literal level outside of the rising of the sun, but the endless poetry pouring forth from the perceptive cores (I'd say "minds" but I think it goes a bit beyond even that) of these six characters speaks volumes on the fearsome intensity of beauty, the vast complexity of sadness, and the endless endless isolation of the human soul.

It is at times so deep and so personal that I felt more than a bit uncomfortable reading it. The effort is well worth it however. Woolf more than any other author I have read, struggles to communicate the hidden message contained in all stories and books... A message forever clouded in meanings and phrases... Lost in its own words.

I was introduced to Virginia Woolf in college when I took an entire class devoted to her work. Although I had never read any of her work before, I quickly became a fan. My professor saved the best for last - The Waves. This book is the most poetic, most profound, most intimate book I have ever read.

No one speaks in this book. You follow the characters' lives from childhood to adulthood by entering their minds and listening to their thoughts. At first it is difficult to figure out what is going on. There is no narration except short poetic passages about the sea and the sun's placement over it preceding each section of the book (and each period of the characters' lives). By the middle of the book, you know who is speaking without reading the name of the character. You know how they think.

I strongly encourage anyone who is even slightly curious to buy this book. This small investment can change how you view the world. The Waves takes much longer to get through than some whodunit, but that's the beauty of it. My husband and I read a passage at night before going to bed. It's best when read slowly, with time to reflect after a small amount of pages. You'll be highlighting sentences that make great quotes as you go. What a glorious book!

You have never read a book like this. But don't let that intimidate. This is her most experimental work, but it is still much more accesible than many other modernists. Her sentences and paragraphs are intelligible; it's more the accumulation of pages that might begin to baffle some readers. Woolf obviously requires a good deal of concentration, but her best works are rewarding in a way that many difficult writers are not. (You won't need a professor nearby or a mess of annotations to guide you through dense thickets of allusion-filled, abstract prose.)

I consider this to be Woolf's greatest work. Mrs. Dalloway may be a more pleasurable read and more consistently a "masterpiece", but the Waves is often so intense and beautiful that it's devastating. In fact, there are times that one is a bit overwhelmed by the surfeit of emotion, poetic words, unremitting interiority.

My Woolf pix in order: 1. Waves 2. Dalloway 3. Jacob's Room 4. A Room of One's Own 5. Orlando

I personally feel that To the Lighthouse is more of a work to be appreciated than liked--it's simply too refined. And I couldn't make it through Between the Acts--too many upper class English people sitting around a table in the country sipping tea and performing their subtle, boring manners.

Wait, I can't end on a sour note: Woolf is a bloody delight!

.......filled with the most gorgeous cookbook photos I've ever seen and authentic Vietnamese cuisine!!! This cookbook was my first introduction to Vietnamese cooking and it keeps me coming back to try more. Nicole Routhier not only presents us with scrumptious recipes, she includes an introduction to the history of Vietnamese cooking, which she lovingly and proudly imparts. The cookbook also contains a glossary that is essential for newcomers to Vietnamese cuisine such as myself as well as suggested menus for various types of occasions.

This cookbook does not contain and "quick" recipes and is therefore not for someone who wishes to whip up dishes in a hurry. Instead, each dish takes some effort to prepare (from planning to shopping for each item to actually making the meal), but that almost comes with the understanding the effort will pay off with the grand reward of an authentic, delicious Vietnamese meal. I highly recommend this book to anyone even thinking of trying Vietnamese cuisine. All you need to do is open the book - you will instantly be compelled to start planning a menu and making out a shopping list!!!

I bought many Vietnamese cookbooks in search for "THE ONE" that will teach me how to cook authentic Vietnamese food and I found "IT". This book not only teaches one to cook Vietnamese food in easy to follow instructions, but also teaches some Vietnamese cultures behind each dish. My Aunt is a great cook and after reviewing this book, her comments were "You will be a great Vietnamese cook if you follow the recipes in this book". I strongly recommend this book for anybody who wants to learn how to cook Vietnamese food. Yes, I still have to measure each tablespoon or teaspoon, but my dishes came out super every time. Another reason for this book to be so great are the outstanding pictures that came with each dish. Thanks Nicole.

This book has beautiful photographs and the instructions are well written enough so that both the novice and the expert will appreciate it. Those Vietnamese people who would like to learn more about their own culture and cooking will also be delighted with this book. Every one of the recipes I have cooked in this book have come out wonderful! The book also includes a list of what stores have the Vietnamese ingredients and an index explaining the various ingredients.