In this first book in a five-volume set collecting all the short stories of Philip K. Dick, we get a chance to see the first stories he wrote and published and can learn that from the very start, Dick was a great writer.

This is one of those rare story collections where there absolutely NO bad stories. Each one is a well-written and interesting piece; some have a dark humor, others are utterly horrifying, but each one is good or great in its own way.

Written in the 1950s, these stories are a refreshing change of pace from some of the more banal sci-fi pieces to come out of that era. The emphasis here is not on the science (which is often unexplained) but on the fiction: the characters, the mood and the plot. Adept at the plot twist, Dick often resolves his stories in logical but unanticipated ways.

From evil toys and malicious butterflies to trolls and lethal towels, Dick puts us in a number of worlds not far removed from our own and entertains us from first page to last. I look forward to reading the other four volumes in this set; some of the stories I have read before and others I haven't, but I'm sure I'll have a blast with all of them.

There are three consistent aspects to PKD's (Philip Dick's) work that I find compelling:

1. He constantly asks the (most important) question, "What is the nature of reality"?

2. He repeatedly states and offers evidence that the answer to the question "What does it mean to be human?" is the ability to feel empathy.

3. His plots involve such "ordinary" people, and have excellent character development - so you quickly get to understand them. Meanwhile, the story involves some bizarre science fiction device , idea, or condition, that he makes a part of this very normal human's world. You're quickly drawn in by the master.


PKD spent a significant amount of time thinking and writing about philosophy. In a way, reading his stories is an entertaining way of doing a survey of his take on the world's philosophical history without having to read (and understand) endless tomes of the great philosophers. You can see how this changes in PKD as you read different books in the Collected Stories series.


Philip makes it abundantly clear that he hates much of the stupidity that mankind inflicts on itself. War is a commonly expressed example of this. Of course, with the science fiction plot theme, he can easily spread examples of this through time, through the galaxy, and beyond (even to gods, other sentient races, etc).


As is tragically true so often with deep thinkers, Philip's life was far from carefree...As a consequence, and the fact that he's obviously a man bent on searching for TRUTH, his writing often has a dark underlying feeling. Comedy is sprinkled through the stories, but it too has a dark quality. Even the moments of greatest joy provide a somewhat bittersweet feeling, due to the background of the plot worlds. But again - reading PKD is not a dose of happy-pills, it is about TRUTH, whether pretty or not.


No matter who you are, these stories will make you think and I suspect learn a thing or two. They cover such a variety of plots that almost everyone is bound to be pleased by some, alarmed or saddened by others, and to feel a surge of empathy for some situations and realize that (bizarre as the situation may be) - this too is human.


I think it would be truly impossible for any thinking person to read and reflect on the 118 stories in the 5 volume series and come away completely unchanged. And for the vast majority of us (to borrow a PKD novel title) "Cosmic Puppets" with empathic capabilities, I'm betting the change will be for the better...

Reading the collected short stories - Volumes 1 through 5 - is like watching the old Twilight Zone. Weird and wonderful stuff!

Steven J. Dick is an historian with a broad academic background both in the humanities and in the sciences. The present book of nearly 600 pages will establish his reputation even more. Its sub-title, "the Twentieth Century Extraterrestrial Life Debate and the Limits of Science" reveals what is the book's focus, and also gives a hint of its broad philosophical scope. For though Dick's main theme is the astronomers' efforts to find out whether there is life on other heavenly bodies than our own earth, he is careful to relate it to the astronomical world-picture of the time. He sets forth in sufficient detail the arguments used to support or reject the idea of extra-terrestrial life. His presentation is clear and informative, with a minimum of technical jargon. Readers of this book will get a good grasp of the development of astronomical practice and theory after Copernicus and Newton, both in the scientific community and among the general public.

Of course the main meat of the book is the tremendous rise of interest in matters of outer space. On the unsophisticated popular level, this means mainly "little green men from Mars", fanciful accounts of Star Wars, eked lout by UFOs -- Flying Saucers. Dick's perspective includes these: he notes that many future scientists, including Carl Sagan and several future Nobel laureates, devoured science fiction of this kind in their early teens. As a serious historian, Dick tries to account for how popular culture and the scientific elite influenced each other. Positively, since public interest made it possible to raise money for building ever more sophisticated and expensive astronomical instruments and space probes, including the Hubble space telescope. Negatively, since the sensationalism of the popular press, radio and television (including Orson Welles's extraordinary radio broadcast in 1938, "War of the Worlds", and later TV dramas about space adventures such as "Star Trek", tended to hurt the reputation of scientists who participated in space projects. Dick consistently takes the view that scientific research cannot progress without the trial and error of creative hypotheses: the very essence of hypothesis testing.

True, we still do not have any proof of life or conscious intelligence on other planets than the earth, nor around other stars in our own galaxy, the Milky Way, nor in the billions upon billions of galaxies around us. But thanks to the adventurous research projects of the latter half of the 20th century, with radio telescopes and the Hubble space telescope, and also the landings on the Moon , Mars and Venus, and finally the grand, Government-supported project of SETI (Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence), where Carl Sagan was an important actor, we now know much more than we did around 1900. The quest will go on, strengthened by the arguments elaborated in the lively 20th century debates.

To complement Dick's historian's perspective, I strongly recommend "Our Cosmic Origin" by A. Delsemme, a prominent astronomer specializing on comets. His history starts with the BIg Bang, some fifteen billion years ago.

The Book is certainly one of a kind, in that it even when it was not the original goal of the author to follow a very detailed evolution in human thought processes throughout time..one can certainly take this aspect as a very interesting and outstanding one. By exposing the evolution of the formulation of the necessary premises upon which an extraterrestrial life was/is supposed to exist, it is showing the evolutionary steps taken by human logic until today's scientific method. Thus, starting from the "known" existing historical records of the discussions around the possibility of an exterrestrial intelligence, one can track this evolution as well as view the slow drift from a dictatorial role played by the Church and religion in philosophical/scientific debates to a totally religiously independent scientific debate held nowadays.

In recent years, science has given us a new worldview. The universe now seems much friendlier to life than it was in the old cosmology of lifeless rocks and stars. Steven Dick captures this new worldview in THE BIOLOGICAL UNIVERSE. It is easy to understand, breathtaking in its broad sweep of decades of debate and progress, and highly relevant for understanding today's science.

Last night I planned to read this book for just a few minutes before going to sleep. Hours later, instead of sleeping I was transformed into the world of the Balkan Roma musicians and their incredible culture! I simply couldn't put this amazing book down. I love the stories and interviews with the old musicians, the informative history of the Roma people and their culture, the full-of-life photos, and the CD with soundscapes. All these pieces combine to give the reader a great view of a people and their heritage, and one that has been largely overlooked in the past. I found the work ethic of the musicians described in this book to be very inspirational. To be able to play all kinds of requests for days on end is really something to admire. Musicians of any genre could learn a whole lot from reading about the musicians in this book. Years ago, these authors turned me on to the subculture of polka in the USA (and made a polkaholic out of me) with their super "Polka Happiness" book. They have clearly done it again - informed the world about an incredibly rich culture that was largely hidden from view.

This book responds to my interest in the social context of folk music and dance. The focus was on the lives of the people who make the music, in this case the Roma of Jumaya (Iriklia) in Greek Macedonia. The writers give you quite a rounded view, describing how the music is performed, at what kinds of events, how people relate to the music and each other, how the musicians see themselves and their occupation and how making a living as a Roma musician fits into Greek society. There is also a strong sense of history and how things have changed over time in many ways - the history of Roma in Greece and other Balkan countries, the specific history of Roma in Jumaya, and the stories of individual musicians and their families. The consistently positive way that the writers approach their subject is also refreshing - they describe how Roma have used music to survive and, in some cases, prosper, and how in doing so they have contributed to the multi-layered fabric of Greek-Macedonian ethnic identities.

What is especially interesting to me is the authors' view of how multi-ethnic society works in Greek Macedonia as compared to Bulgaria or Former Yugoslavia, and how the strategy of Roma musicians is different in these different countries. In Greek Macedonia the musicians play the music of all ethnic groups in order to maximize their flexibility and income. During multi-ethnic celebrations the musicians follow a strict policy of playing everyone's requests in the order requested, so that no one feels that they have priority. There is a fascinating description of an ethnically mixed wedding where the families have to adjust their various wedding traditions to accommodate each other, making it up as they go along to some extent.

The authors compare and contrast this with the approach taken by Roma musicians in other areas of the Balkans. In Kosovo in the 1980s the Roma musicians are said to have purposely selected music from traditions from other than Serbian and Albanian in order to avoid conflicts. In Bulgaria the wedding band tradition is described as leading to a new pan-Balkan "fusion" style which borrows from many cultures but still feels Bulgarian. Ultimately the motivation behind each strategy is the need of musicians to make a living.

The book is interesting reading from a North American perspective as well. Keil contrasts the multi-ethnic consciousness of Greeks, where the same person may have several types of ethnic and national identities simultaneously, with the concept of "multiculturalism" which he describes as slices of a pizza in which there are lots of ethnicities but everyone is either one thing or another. This raise the question of what is really going on in such immigrant nations as Canada and the United States.

The accompanying CD is a potpourri of sounds, including music of various types, and there is a section of the book describing the contents of the CD. Some of the track titles are Market Day in Jumaya, Afternoon at a Mahala Café, At Home in the Mahala, New Year's Party in Serres, Taverna Party at Nikisiani. The combination of the text, the many high quality black and white photos and the soundscape are successful in putting you into the experience, as much as this is possible. There was also a nice balance between Angeliki Keil's straight-forward and very readable reporting of the lives of the musicians and Charles Keil's more theoretical musings about ethnicity, the music and the role of the musicians. My only complaint about the book is its weight - it's printed on very heavy, glossy stock, no doubt adding to the quality of photographic reproductions, but it is so big and heavy that you pretty well have to read it sitting up. An alternate title could be, "Your Big Fat Roma Music Book."

When you get Bright Balkan Morning you are likely to open it up and then leaf through it, looking at the photographs. After a few minutes of this you'll remove the CD from the inside back cover and put it on. Then you continue looking at the photos while listening to the sounds.

That in itself is a rich and satisfying experience. But don't stop there. Read the text!

It tells of Roma (aka Gypsy) musicians who have cornered the market on live music in polyglot Greek Macedonia. While they are at the bottom of the social order, anyone who wishes a proper wedding, festival, or party of any kind hires these musicians. The musicians generally perform in trios, one playing a bass drum while the other two play the zurna - a double-reed woodwind found throughout Eurasia and Africa. Their repertoire is drawn from the peoples who live in the area, or passed through at one time, and is sometimes more Oriental, sometimes more European - whatever the customer wants.

Keil and Keil give detailed accounts of several performances - a baptism, a wedding, and a saint's day festival - tell the life stories of a dozen or so musicians & family, and recount the broad history of the Roma in the Mediterranean as well as presenting a more focused account of their sojourn in Greek Macedonia. Blau's photographs range from intimate portraits, to dancers in full party whirl, through street scenes jumbled or measured, to serene landscapes. Some of his shots are so strikingly composed - the cover image, for example - that the effect is both subjective (Blau's aesthetic) and objective (we're looking at things, out there, in the world). Steven Feld's soundscapes give us the living flow of sound. Not only do we hear the twin zurnas flying through drum rhythms, but dancing feet, shouts of joy and exertion, motors churning, sheep braying, and Stevie Wonder piped in through a tinny sound system.

Bright Balkan Morning is a milestone. See it, hear it, read it. Take pleasure in it.

I knew that the executives who run the television networks are almost always shortsighted pea-brained idiots, but I did not know originally "The Dick Van Dyke Show" was cancelled at the end of its first season. Granted, the show finished in 80th place in the Nielsen ratings and during that first season Carl Reiner was clearly writing more for himself than Dick Van Dyke (which made sense since Reiner wrote and filmed the original pilot "Head of the Family" for himself), but we are talking about coming "that" close to losing what is one of the classic situation comedies in the history of television. After that first season "The Dick Van Dyke Show" finished 9th, 3rd, 7th, and 16th in the Nielsens and won the Emmy for best show in its category all four years (it was just that the category changed from Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Humor, to the Field of Comedy, then in Entertainment, and finally as Outstanding Comedy Series).

Ginny Weissman and Coyne Stevens Sanders bring the sensibilities of both fans and television historians to this look at "The Dick Van Dyke Show." They benefited from writing with the complete cooperation of every member of the cast, who heartily endorse the end product. This revised and expanded version contains over 130 photographs, synopses of all 158 episodes, and a 500 question trivia section that tax your knowledge of the show. You will also find lists of all the awards won by the show and its cast during its five-year fun, an update on where everyone was as of 1993, the revival of the show on "Nick at Night," and the complete script of "That's My Boy??," the episode always cited as receiving the longest laugh in the history of sitcom taped before a studio audience when Rob opens the door for the couple he is convinced has taken Richie home from the hospital (if you do not know why the audience explodes long and loud in laughter, then you are completely unfamiliar with the show and have no business reading this far into the review).

This book is written for the fans, which explains why the synopses of each episode is provided "in brief," which means a single sentence. The point is clearly not to describe the episode, but rather to remind you which one it is in the grand scheme of things. Given that the cast list for each episode always includes all of the principles every single time, I admit I would have rather had the descriptions of the episodes include choice moments. I would rather know what songs the cast sang on "'The Alan Brady Show' Presents" or be reminded about the big diamond (next to the glass doorknob) Rob and Laura found in Hezekiah's desk in "The Great Petrie Fortune," instead of knowing what episodes did not have Buddy and/or Sally or featured Millie and/or Jerry Helper. I especially liked the details about the original pilot and how Van Dyke and the rest of the stellar cast were eventually assembled for the show. In fact, Weissman and Sanders repeatedly provide insights into some of the most famous episodes on the show. Finally, what makes it clear this book knows what it is doing, Richard Deacon is included on the front cover along with Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Morey Amsterdam, and Rose Marie. Case closed.

I've had my copy of this book for almost a decade now and I absolutely love it. The authors Weissman and Saunders have covered their subject well and brought together a fabulous treasure trove of information about one of television's most loved golden oldies. You won't find much gossip or other unsavory "warts and all" type material in this compendium, but you will find everything worth knowing about the show and it's stars. You get a good feel for the warmth and personal friendship that the cast has shared with each other since they began working together; each of the regular cast members as well as some of the show's writers and directors were interviewed and they add immeasurably to the book's enjoyment.

Contained inside the pages of this tome is a detailed but concisely written history of how the show came about, beginning with Carl Reiner's original idea for a television show titled 'Head Of The Family' with himself in the lead; his redesign and recasting of the show; his working relationship with Sheldon Leonard, Dick Van Dyke and the rest of the cast members and beyond. Also included within is a complete synopsis of all 158 episodes including guest star appearances, a complete script from one of the shows, over 100 photos, an excellent trivia test with answers in the back and a list of all the awards that the show won during it's initial network run.

Long after it first aired in the early 60's 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' still continues to enjoy phenomenal -but not surprising - success as one of the shows currently seen on TV Land as of this writing. I know people ranging from preteen to senior citizens who list it among their favorite TV shows to watch, even favoring it far above contemporary television programming. Nearly all of them are able to recount the series' most popular episodes to any one who will listen as well as recite the memorable lines of dialogue from each one. If you know someone who truly appreciates this show then this book would make an excellent gift; or if you're a fan don't go another day without it!

There are a whopping 28 songs in this little book, which was many more than I expected for the price asked. There are very few pop songs that the Cat did that aren't in this book. Unfortunately they got away with this by using VERY small print fonts, dropping the piano scores from the music, and only putting one line of lyrics with the music. What you do get are all the words (though the second verses on are printed as blocks of text on the bottoms of the pages), the melody lines, and the chord box notation above the lines (Circles with teeny-tiny finger numbers inside.) There is also a nifty strumming chart at the top of each song to give you a feel for the rythms involved. Nice touch. They squeeze 7 lines of music with up to 10 measures per line on each page, which is tough on the eyeballs. The advantage of this is that a whole song fits on one or two facing pages, with no page turns. If you can read the chords without the finger notation detail, and don't get lost moving from music to lyric sections this is a great book for performing from. From a content point a view, a definate 10. From a printing point of view, a 6. Overall a 9.

This book contains the most scholarly research I've ever read on this process. As such it is not for beginners. I have heard some complaints: that the author provides too much information and clouds the issue. But as the title of the review says its not for beginners. The book provides all the information necessary for the experienced alt\process photographer to fully utilize this medium and exercise complete artist control over the results. The authjor has ammassed an impressive amount of historical data and data from his own investigations making it well worth the read.

This book is a must read for those who follow the Extraterrestrial debate and how it might impact the challenge that modern science presents with regards theology.

Dr. Dick organizes the essays from many authors who's rolls in science and theology are superb. It is a book that does not make judgements but provides a lot of gris for thoughtful reflections.

This is a masterful compilation of the history of the oldest scientific institution of the United States. The perspectives of Dr. Dick were thoughtful and very interesting. Many of the realtionships of the past half century were interesting when viewed from the point of view of today. Many decisions made during the reviewer's tenure at this institution did not strike one at the time as being made with a lot of consideration. From Dr. Dick's review many of them now make a lot more sense in the context of history. They were made by people who had a lot of expertise and a great deal of vision.

I'm not a streetfighter, and I don't need a Marine survival knife that can slit somebody's throat, hammer in a tent peg and has fishing gear secreted in the handle. I just wanted to know why my grandfather carried a Barlow knife and why a pocket knife has so many blades.

This book not only satisfied my curiousity about the history and purpose of folding knives, but it helped me choose a new knife and sharpen the ones that I already have.

The author covers both traditional styled knives and the latest high-tech materials & one-hand openers. He also discusses multi-tools (think Leatherman) and survival knives. For what it's worth, he does cover folding defensive knives.

Most of what is available on the subject today is either aimed at military hobbiests or collectors who like to spend big bucks on exotics. This book is written by somebody who just likes to carry and use pocket knives--working knives for people who aren't afraid to get their blades dirty.

I found it informative and enjoyable, and recommend it for anyone who is interested in pocket knives. A serious collector would probably want to read this book also, but it isn't intended for people who put their knives in a case and look at them.

Steven Dick has prepared an excellent book on all facets folding knife design, development, and use. This book is the most complete reference on this subject thus far. It contains informative chapters on production, custom, and antique knives. The book helps the reader make informed choices regarding cutlery and also the proper methods and tools necessary for its upkeep. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn more about the interesting world of knives.

Steven Dick covers a lot of interesting material in a variety of fields. However, the author has a tendency to write extensively in the passive voice, making it very slow reading. He also has a tendency to drop lots of names at once. This makes it extremely difficult to follow at times.

Life, what makes it different from other matter and how it began on Earth are the major questions that have faced humans since we evolved the ability to ask questions. Given recent studies that indicate it arose very early on Earth and it is extremely tenacious once it exists, there is nothing to suggest that it would not arise on other planets, if they exist. Astronomers have pushed the envelope and there is now conclusive evidence that there are planets revolving around many other stars. Therefore, current thinking is that there is no evidence contrary to the likelihood of microbial life on many other planets. Of course, while the discovery of microbes on other worlds would be one of the biggest discoveries ever, the real point of interest is the presence of intelligent life. Conclusive evidence, particularly physical contact, would forever change every aspect of how humans approach all facets of religious, ethical and social behavior.
As I read this book and followed the arguments about the likelihood of extraterrestrial life, I was profoundly affected by what I read. To me, the most amazing fact is how quickly life arose on Earth after it cooled to a temperature that would allow it. The oldest known fossils are 3.7 billion years old. Given that this is at most 500 million years after it was possible, this indicates that life may arise quickly. Contrast this with the 3.7 billion years it took for intelligence to evolve and you cannot help but be impressed. Following the stated arguments about the remote probability of life spontaneously developing and you are left with three possibilities: the probabilities are wrong and life arises easily; there was some form of intervention in the creation of life on Earth or the nearly impossible random miracle occurred. Of these possibilities, the third is the least convincing and the first two both strongly indicate the presence of life on other worlds.
However, the topics are not restricted to the scientific study of extraterrestrial life. One chapter is devoted to the presence of extraterrestrials in literature and another to the extraterrestrial explanation for UFOs. The idea of life on other worlds has been around for some time, although religious doctrines made it very dangerous to speak of it until after the power of the Catholic church was weakened. It is interesting to read of many scientists arguing, although indirectly, that life can exist elsewhere. The chapter on UFOs was quite interesting. While the extraterrestrial hypothesis is rightly dismissed out of hand, it is acknowledged that some represent events that science cannot currently explain and for that reason, should be the object of serious study.
There is a major investigation currently under way that unitizes software that anyone can download to their machines. It runs as a screen saver and sifts through captured radio data looking for signals from another civilization. The web site is http://setiathome.berkeley.edu and I am proud to say that my current ranking is in the top ten percent based on the amount of data analyzed. I encourage you to join the effort and hopefully make the consequences of a successful search described in chapters seven and eight a reality.
This is a book that explores some of the deepest questions that humans try to answer. In many ways, answers one way or another would be equivalent to a spiritual awakening.

Steven Dick have given the general reader a first rate overview of the contemporary debate over extraterrestrial life. The book is an academic contribution, but is accessible to the non-specialist.

He may be at his best in describing what he calls "the biophysical cosmology," which has functioned as a wide-ranging worldview for many of its advocates. The book combines first hand astronomical experience with sophisticated philosophical and sociological reflection.

He describes warring parties in careful, measured prose, and doesn't grind any axes. I especially appreciate his treatment of the theological reflections on and implications of the debate--a discussion often ignored in popular treatments of the debate over extraterrestrial life. I highly recommend this book.