This book introduced me to 'reaction norms' and 'phenotypic plasticity.' Believe me, these are critical notions for any discussion of evolution. Phenotypic plasticity is the notion that different environments produce different phenotypic expressions despite identical genetic material. The book discusses a variety of cases pulled from the animal and plant kingdom. For example, many plant have develop into different 'forms' depending upon the altitude of their environment. In the animal kingdom, twin spiders will build different types of webs depending upon their environment. The 'reaction norm' represents the 'normal' phenotypic response to the environment, something we often mistake as being the genetic 'design.'

The book covers the somewhat daunting topics of allometry, ontogeny and epigentics, but does so in a very readable way. The books is accessible to the interested scientific reader regardless of background. Additionally, the book includes brief historical outlines of major lines of evolutionary thought. These provide an alternative avenue for accessing the theory when the terminology gets difficult.

In short, its the best reference on evolutionary theory I've found.

Obviously, I was drawn to this book for reasons other than an interest in the new investigations that have demonstrated that a number of pseudepigrapha provided the textual basis for features in biblical representations in early Christian art. Massimo Bernabò holds doctorates in both the History of Art and the History of Theater, is an Assistant Professor in History of Medieval and Modern Art at Istitutio di Storia dell'Arte, Universita di Firenze. "Pseudepigraphical Images in Early Art" is part of the Dead Sea Scrolls & Christian Origins Library, and informs us about how early Christian and Jewish artists embellished biblical stories.

In Exodus 20:4 God prohibited the making of images, which was first interpreted to prohibit the making of any image. It was not until the first century of the Christian Era that the commandment was re-interpreted to allow art to be created provided that art was not worshipped. Eventually these leads us to the great religious art such as Michelangelo's paintings in the Sistine Chapel. Apparently, the assumption of much scholarship has been that the inspiration for this great religious art was the Bible. However, the thesis of "Pseudepigraphical Images in Early Art" is that another strong source of such inspiration were the embellishments upon the Bible that early Christian artists illustrated from the sixth to fifteenth centuries.

Bernabò basically offers up three essays in this volume. "The Modern Study of Early Biblical Illustration" looks at the scholarship in this field, which has considered such issues as the impact of the question of the Jewish origin of biblical illustration. As a research area the interest on the role played by non-canonical traditions in the production of picture cycles of biblical stories becomes series in the 1950s. "Biblical Picture Recensions" reconsiders the early biblical illustrated manuscripts, especially Byzantine and Latin manuscripts with biblical miniatures, to demonstrate the existence of illustrated editions of pseudepigrapha. The book then includes a length section of photographic reproductions of 53 examples of such art. In turn, these are explained in "Noncanonical Traditions in Early Medieval Art," which catalogues the stories that expanded upon the stories involving both the Genesis characters and Moses.

For me this last section is the most interesting. I know that the stories told in Genesis are, comparatively speaking, bare-boned stories. The belief is that these stories were honed down to the form that was finally set down in writing through centuries of being part of an oral tradition. It was always my belief that certainly those who told these stories would embellish them in the telling. Bernabò's research clearly indicates that this was what was being done during the first several centuries of the Christian era. Even if the stories have not been preserved, there are these illustrations that speak to the life and death of Moses, the story of Joseph in Egypt, as well as of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. For those who are interested in the early traditions of the Christian church, and how early Christians made Bible stories come alive by fleshing them out, this book is an informative and relatively quick read.

For general information and a quality photo of each animal, this is a very hard book to beat. The book contains information on the most popular species kept as pets throughout the world. I have found it usefull in indentification of several species of turtles and lizards. I would highly recommend this book to anyone needing a quick reference for identification, general habitat and basic requirements of a large selection of reptiles and amphibians. This book gets an A+ on my list.

VMM is one of the greatest writer ever, he has such an in depth knowledge of the hellenistic, roman and greek period. His background does not only supports his writing, but he is also an extremely capable stroy teller. I had read all his books, the alexander trilogy, the lost legion and spartan and I always had difficulties in stop reading them and always end up rereading them all over again.

in Spartan, VMM vividly described the spartan way of life and all the historical happenings that surrounded the spartan legacy, from the suppresion of the helots, the persian invasion, the famous death of King Leonidas and his 300 spartans, the earthquake that prompted the helots to revolt and the subsequent battles.

VMM has a 'fluid' way in writing his works, hence he is not trapped in following the familiar pattern all over again which tends to happen to other authors, thus VMM managed to avaoid the boredom of a repeated story line.

And an merit should also be rewarded to the translator, without whom the books will be non accesibe to the english readers. The translators had indeed managed to capture the very essence and beauty of VMM's works. 2 thumbs up for the translators.

I recommend all of VMM books, he is truly a marvelous historian and story teller. Simply impossible to stop reading.

I am eagerly waiting for VMM's next book.

Exactly like the exploration of a new territory allows, sometimes, to discover new resources and new problems, the research on the artificial allows, in our opinion, to set up new intellectual resources and also original problems. Rooted in the imitative disposition of man, the artificial constitutes its more complete and often rational development. Limited both by the nature of the materials (lato sensu) and by the selections of an observation level, of an exemplar and of an essential performance, the artificial possess a sui generis status, which shows not only a reproductive character but also is unavoidably able to innovate the exemplar that, at the beginning, it wanted only to reproduce. Both in a strictly technological domain and in the cases in which the artificial includes non material 'objects' (like communication and arts), it gives us matter enough for reflexions which - independently on their epistemological inspiration - concern the deep sense of wide classes of human activity. In fact, terms like imitation, duplication, replication, falsification, reproduction are concepts only appearently analogous: really they refer to very different forms of 'competition' with the nature and it is, anyway, by means of them that the man achieves some probability to survive, to communicate, to externalize his own mental statuses. The artificial reveals itself, very often, as an illusory reproduction and, simultaneously, as a cause of expansion of the variety of the world. Thus, though it is unable to cope in a complete successful way with the natural exemplar, the technology of the artificial doesn't reproduce mere and useless simulacres of the reality, but new perspectives of knowledge, in the same way in which the communication doesn't give way for a disconsolate monadology but give raise to rhetoric and to the art. The artificialism is not only an ambition but a true human and cultural condition and, in this sense, it represents an important chapter of the research in the domain of human and social sciences. Some possible developments of such a research may be already pointed out and this book tries to do so. For a recent, short outline of the theory of the artificial and an application to the fields of the art, see M. Negrotti, From the artificial to the art, Leonardo, Isast, MIT press, Volume 32, Number 3, May/June 1999.

A diferencia de las revisiones que he leido difiero en centalizar a Alejandro en la figura principal de este libro. Yo diria que el libro trata la primera faceta de la vida de Alejandro Magno, pero es una obra donde no muestra los hechos por los cuales se gano su adjetivo. Filipo Rey de los Macedonios, conquistador y Padre de Alejandro es el detonador de un imperio que Alejandro se encargaria de concretar. Asi pues en este libro, el autor hace una esplendida narracion de la construccion del imperio Macedonio, la formacion de Alejandro por el mismo Aristoteles, las intrigas del reino y el exito en la politica gracias a guerras victoriosas.

SALVE!! ALEJANDRO EL MACEDONIO!! Despues de haber leido varios libros sobre mi gran idolo, El hijo del suenio" me perecio el mejor. Primeramente por su balance en el relato de su historia. Como pasa a describir los diferentes ambitos del heroe; la vida guerrera, las situaciones en la corte real y con su padre, la filosofia en la vida de Alex y sus pensamientos metafisicos; en fin el autor nunca se cuelga demaciado en una de estas partes si no que la novela fluye magicamente sin pesadez y por eso merese ser leida por todos.

Relamente es un libro en el que de una manera novelada, Valerio Massimo Manfredi, da una vision muy precisa de la vida de Alejandro Magno. Nadie puede permanecer indiferente ante la belleza de Alejandro, ni ante la magestuosidad de su imperio. Este libro, el primero de tres, narra los primeros años, y las primeras aventuras de Alejandro, de ardiente sueños y violentas pasiones. El arco esta tensado, y aqui empieza su historia.

After reading and devouring Dreamweaver 4 Magic, I couldn't wait until Dreamweaver MX Magic was published. Now, I am sort of disappointed with the projects presented in this book. It is more of a book of Dreamweaver MX tips and advice on how to make the most of MX. Still, it is a good book- one that will certainly compliment anyone's knowledge of Dreamweaver MX. The NewRiders site will state that presenting the tips, tricks and advice was their goal. It was certainly achieved. A good read and worth the ticket price, but don't forget to take a more serious look at Dreamweaver 4 Magic.

One of the great joys of life is finding a book that is not only enjoyable, but also well designed and beautiful to look at. Dreamweaver MX Magic is not just clear and concise in relating its information, but also a thing to behold in its design and layout!

Dreamweaver MX Magic assumes you have a working knowledge of Dreamweaver and Fireworks. From this point it sets up projects based on the lesson of each chapter. The files necessary to each project are found on the included disk. The book takes you step by step through each project, using screen grabs to illustrate the necessary actions to be taken.

I highly recommend Dreamweaver MX Magic. My productivity has quickly increased to the point that not only will I ask my boss for a raise, but I should have more time to work on my novel at the office!

DREAMWEAVER MX MAGIC
AUTHOR: Sean Nicholson, Brad Halstead, et al.
PUBLISHER: New Riders
REVIEWED BY: Barbara Rhoades

BOOK REVIEW: The very first thing you notice when you open the books is the clean page layouts and clearly written instructions. It is laid out in step-by-step, numbered format that makes it very easy to follow. As you work through the various exercises, you will notice blocks of text set in a partially framed green box. These contain various notes, warnings and tips. Dreamweaver MX Magic has plenty of exercises to work through and have graphical views of the work so you can't go wrong on what you are suppose to be learning.

A CD comes with the book and contains the following information: all the project files, trial versions of Dreamweaver MX, Fireworks MX and Coldfusion Server MX, as well as extensions, plug-ins and a list of web links where you can get help and other information.

Ever wished you could change one thing that is in every page of your web? Project 2 and 3 will help you work in a template and explain what it does to help you design better. Or how about a search engine on your site so your customers can find that certain item they are looking for without having to look through all the pages of the site? Project 8 will teach you how to do it. Then there are layers and database-drive username and password to learn in Project 12 and 13.

Dreamweaver MX Magic will provide you with a solid basic understanding of a few of the special features in this new Dreamweaver/Fireworks program. If these are the programs you design in, be sure to get a copy of this book. It will be well worth the price of the book.

Scientists often seem remote, speaking an esoteric language whose precision increases its inaccessibility to the general public. Scientists also learn to avoid straying beyond the narrow regions of their expertise. That's good for science, but unfortunately leaves the public susceptible to those who speak whatever language will sell their arbitrary ideas. It also leaves the thoughtful, but non scientific, public without a guide to the issues on which science can and should inform.

How refreshing it is, then, to read Dr. Pigliucci's essays! A well-published biologist and an experienced debator, Dr. Pigliucci brings a careful, analytical mind to a wide range of topics in science, society, and religion. He argues with clarity and elegance in favor of using rational methods to understand our world and to evaluate the claims of those trying to sell arbitrary or evidenceless ideas as truth.

Dr. Pigliucci is especially strong in reviewing debates he's had with creationists. Having seen him debate with great style and success, I still find that a book is a better medium for presenting the thoughtful developments of arguments; his rebutals and further insights in 'Tales of the Rational' leave no further room for the pseudoscientific silliness of the creationists.

The book is a delightful journey through the methods and philosophies of science, the application of science and reason to religious claims, the foibles and frauds of proponents of mindless faith, the pseudoscience of anti-evolutionists, and an examination of other scientific ideas often misunderstood by the general public.

It's trendy presently to claim a growing connection between religion and science; this book is the antidote to those who think that science can be watered down sufficiently to force a fit with superstition and baseless speculation.

What Carl Sagan and his 'Cosmos' was for general science, Dr. Pigliucci and 'Tales of the Rational' is for the rich nexus of science and theology. That is, he gives the reader the careful analytical tools of an experienced and scientifically skilled mind and does so in an exciting and entertaining way.

Pigliucci's book gives a superb philisophical and practical discussion of the downsides to believing in theistic faiths. He also shows quite clearly why Darwinian Evolution is not "just a theory" - but one grounded in every fact we known about our physical world.

Mathematics, for instance, is also "just a theory." The only reason we KNOW that 1+1=2 is because we use our brain: the certainty of the conclusion is based on rational thought alone. The same is true for biology and Darwinian evolution.

Pigliucci shows the absurdity of adherence to religious "faith" in the face of solid scientific evidence. If you don't believe in the utter complete lack of "Intelligent Design" in evolution, then you may as well not believe in medicine, physics, bio-chemistry, genetics and every other science. For that matter, you may as well believe in ghosts, the tooth-fairy, leprechauns, ESP, alien abductions, and Santa Claus - they are all equally absurd!

Here's a suggestion: for those religious apologists who want to blindly deny Darinian evolution and all of it's firm ties to every physical science we know, next time you're sick, forget going to your doctor - just stay home and pray. The only reason to see a doctor is because you believe he or she has some knowledge about biology. Otherwise, your priest will do.

If you're afraid to be intellectually challenged .... if you prefer to be blinded by faith, and not ever critically or skeptically examine life around you, then don't read this book. Instead, just watch TV.

Be warned: this book will make you THINK!!

Dr. Pigliucci's book does an excellent job of bringing the current debate between science and religion to the layman. This is not a work that tries to overwhelm you with big words or concepts that would lead to confusion. This is a direct, simple without being simplistic book where the good Doctor lines up the arguments for creationism, Intelligent Design, "God" being proven by science, etc. and shoots down each one with clear, concise explanations based on our current understanding of the universe. He also points out the continued flaws being expounded upon by those whose openly admitted position is to push for a theistic worldview, science be damned.

This book is excellent for those who want a one-volume overview of the current debate on science vs religion. I think it is a more valuable book for those who cling to the idea that everything, including science, comes from a supernatural being. I would hope that an honest reading of this book would awaken these people to the fact that there is not one iota of scientific evidence for any type of deity. I agree this does not rule out the possible existence of such a being (or that of the unicorn), it just means that extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence and theists have as yet to produce such evidence.

Readers of Martin Seymour-Smith's invaluable, but suprsingly unappreciated, "Guide to 20th Century Literature," are aware of certain writers of high talent who have yet to be translated into English. When Seymour-Smith's book appeared in 1985 these included Roberto Arlt, Jose Maria Arguedas, and Massimo Bontempelli. Now two of Bontempelli's strange works have appeared in translation. The novels are strange, it is (or should be) a commonplace that they prefigure magic realism. Estelle Gilson, the translator, has provided us with a brief introduction. She does not really discuss the style of the context of the books very much, but she does tell us how this supporter of Fascism criticized its aggressive and beligerent tone in 1938, as well as the race laws. He had a Jewish nephew who joined the American army and helped to liberate Buchenwald. He was apparently threatened with death by the Fascists during the Republic of Salo and was elected a pro-Communist senator in 1948, only for his election to be annuled because of his fascist ties.

The two novels were written in the late twenties. "The Boy with Two Mothers," is the more openly supernatural of the two. It is a story of reincarnation, and the title is deceiving since the boy never recognizes more than one mother at a time. Once the conceit is understood, the novel is less interesting as a fantastic tale, than as the story and determination of Luciana Veracina. As the mother of the boy before he was reincarnated she is an interesting portait of a strong ruthless woman who will do anything for her child, and for her sense of motherhood, ignoring both the boy's father and his current mother. She is resourceful, independent, cunning, rather callous towards other people's feelings, and much more impressive than her son's other mother. One is tempted to see a portrait of a fascist woman, or more accurately the portrait of a fascist as a woman. And yet women in Fascist Italy are supposed to support Fascist men, not be Fascist men. And yet that does not fully appreciate the irony of the ending.

"The Life and Death of Adria and Her Children," is less supernatural, and more interesting. Adria is not unlike Luciana, but in her case she has dedicated herself to preserving her beauty at all costs, while ignoring her husband and two children. When she realizes that decline is inevitable she goes to a mansion, isolates herself from all humanity and from all mirrors except one hidden and not to be used for twelve years. If there is any moral in her story, and the death of her two children (one who both lives and dies as it were) it is not obvious, and not one that Adria ever cares to learn. The style is more interesing and more memorable: "Boundless vacuity emanated from her singsong lamentation and shone in her suffering, childlike face" he says of one character. Adria is one day on the beach: "She listens to tender words, idiotic words, words as frivolous as flies. And like swarms of flies, men and women cross the sands, buzzing as they flit to the edge of the sea, holding hands in a line like strings of paper dolls." In this little known volume, there is a work of an important writer, an undiscovered Italian master as it were.

Separations presents two major works by Italian novelist Massimo Bontempelli under one cover. The subject of both novels are mothers and their children. Imaginative writing, charming, humorous, ironic, and totally engaging, "The Boy with Two Mothers" and "The Life and Death of Adria and Her Children" present a cast of unforgettable characters spread across a literary canvas of European socio-political upheaval. Highly recommended reading, Separations will admirable serve to introduce a major Italian literary novelist to an appreciative American readership.

El Hijo del sueño se ha convertido en El inmortal REY Conquistador del mundo conocido. Seguido por sus fieles amigos de su infancia, Alexandros se aventura en una expedicion jamas lograda por nadie mas antes que el. Emprende la conquista del Rey de Reyes y su imperio, Los Persas; abatiendo a su ejercito. El libro relata esta conquista y muchas mas desde El Tigris y Eufrates hasta el lejano Indo. En el trayecto sufre duras batallas, conoce hombres de raros rostros, lenguas y costumbres, funda ciudades, destruye pueblos, toma por aliados a enemigos anteriormente vencidos, cosa que enciende la discordia entre sus propios soldados y los lleva a intentos de asesinatos. En una empresa de mas de 8 años donde, el autor presenta a un Alexandro humano , pero seguido como un Dios, entre intrigas, videntes, sacrificios a los dioses, traidores, heroes, reinos, tribus salvajes, amazonas, desiertos, selva, rios y mares hasta emprender el regreso y instalar la nueva capital de su Nuevo reino, Babilonia.

Buen libro de facil lectura con mas de 60 "mini capitulos".

Compré el primer libro de la obra sobre Alejandro Magno (el hijo del sueño) en España. Realmente quedé fascinado por la forma en que se narraba la vida de este personaje fundamental en la historia de la humanidad, así que apenas llegué a mi país, Argentina, me apresuré a comprar los dos libros restantes, "Las Arenas de Amón" y "El confín del mundo". Si bien el autor Valerio Massimo Manfredi obvia detalles oscuros de la vida de Alejandro Magno, convirtiéndolo en un ser extremadamente racional para lo que fue realmente Alejandro, esto se ve ampliamente superado por la forma en que el autor da vida a los personajes que rodean al héroe, la abundancia de detalles enriquecedores sobre las costumbres de la época, la objetividad con que se describe a la civilización oriental, antagónica de la civilización griega, y la forma exquisita con que se narra cada paso de la vida de Alejandro.

Sin duda alguna, es una obra clave que deberán tener en su haber personal no solo aquellas personas que disfrutan de la historia o las biografías, sino todo aquel que guste de una buena lectura.

Alexandros es una hermosa novela historica que hara que quieras estar al lado del historiador Calistenes, viviendo de cerca las batallas, las conquistas, los paisajes que hoy ya casi no existen, para despues narrarlos e inmortalizarlos ante las futuras generaciones... Massimo Manfredi emplea un lenguaje claro y moderno en algunos aspectos, apto para cualquier lector, y mediante ese lenguaje y las descripciones de belleza y grandeza que va logrando la carrera de conquista de Alejandro, hace que uno quiera seguir leyendo sin parar, un volumen tras otro, aun sin saber nada de Historia Antigua. Es mas, despues de leer este libro, va a crecer el interes de los lectores por aprender un poco mas.... En cuanto a la edicion, lo unico criticable son las tapas del libro, que podrian haber sido duras.