Practical Statistics for Experimental Biologists, 2nd Edition

Book Description

A good working knowledge of statistical principles is needed for both the design and analysis of biological experiments and the subsequent handling of the large amounts of data generated if worthwhile, reliable conclusions are to be reached.
Practical Statistics for Experimental Biologists, Second Edition provides biologists with a user-friendly, non-technical introduction to the basics of statistics. The book has been thoroughly revised and updated to incorporate:
* Worked examples and printouts from MINITAB
* Relevant case studies and applications
* Further Notes section for background explanations
Written by a biologist with extensive experience of applying statistical procedures to experimental systems, this book will be invaluable to undergraduates, postgraduates and researchers in microbiology, immunology, biochemistry, botany, zoology, physiology, pharmacology and pharmacy.
Review of the First Edition
"...strongly recommended as the current first choice both for students and established research workers." Society for General Microbiology Quarterly
"...the book is refreshingly free from jargon, is well illustrated and is to be recommended." Trends in Biochemical Sciences
"It is written in an easy style, and can be thoroughly recommended..." Trends in Pharmacological Sciences

Book Description

At the heart of this monograph is the Brunn-Minkowski theory. It can be used to great effect in studying such ideas as volume and surface area and the generalizations of these. In particular the notions of mixed volume and mixed area arise naturally and the fundamental inequalities that are satisfied by mixed volumes are considered in detail. The author presents a comprehensive introduction to convex bodies and gives full proofs for some deeper theorems that have never previously been brought together. Many hints and pointers to connections with other fields are given, and an exhaustive reference list is included.

Book Description

When Arthur Clennam returns to England after many years abroad, he takes a kindly interest in Amy Dorrit, his mother's seamstress, and in the affairs of Amy's father, William Dorrit, a man of shabby grandeur, long imprisoned for debt in the Marshalsea. As Arthur soon discovers, the dark shadow of the prison stretches far beyond its walls to affect the lives of many, from the kindly Mr. Pancks, the reluctant rent-collector of Bleeding Heart Yard, and the tipsily garrulous Flora Finching, to Merdle, an unscrupulous financier, and the bureaucratic Barnacles in the Circumlocution Office. A masterly evocation of the state and psychology of imprisonment, Little Dorrit is one of the supreme works of Dickens's maturity.

Customer Reviews:

a great Dickens novel but ..........2007-08-28

This is one of Dickens best novels in terms of overall continuity but it also is his most static: almost all scenes occur inside prisons - mostly debtors prison - and there's a lot of it - 1000 pages. And there's not a lot happening in those prisons. I think that Bleak House, Our Mutual Friend and Martin Chuzzlewit are also long novels that are more entertaining (and of course there are all of the 'episodic' Dickens novels to read), but Little Dorrit is one of his better crafted works. If you seriously like Dickens, then this is worth the time.

While Hard Times was written at about the same time as Little Dorrit, the two could not be more different. Hard Times features 1-dimensional characters you couldn't care less about; Little Dorrit's father, the Father of the Marshalsea, is one of Dickens' most complex creations, and you sympathize with him at the same time as you dislike him. His mental breakdown at the end is particularly poignant. The Circumlocution Office in Little Dorrit seems to foreshadow Kafka's Castle, whihe factories in Hard Times are cardboard propoganda.

(Aside: the best Dickens film adaptation I have ever seen was of Little Dorrit. For some reason, that is still unavailable on DVD.)

I would give it six stars if I could.......2007-01-02

This is a long book - it feels like a 1000 pages - but it is a masterpiece. Dickens takes us from Marseilles, home to an evil man whose smile makes his moustache disappear under his top lip and draws us into a dark, damp, murky Victorian London where one's whole future existence seems to be mapped out at birth, and where to escape from one's perceived 'destiny' is both sacriligeous and impossible. The Marshalsea Prison is a place all of us can visualise - a debtors prison from which many fail to escape, the dubious honour of the Father of the Marshalsea bestowed on the longest-serving inmate. Little Dorrit - Amy - is the daughter of the Father of the Marshalsea and this is her tale, one which stretches across the grime of smoggy nineteenth century London to the pollution of Continental Europe. The cast of characters is fascinating and Dickens rarely misses a trick - each is easily comparable to people any of us knows today. I studied this book at school and I have read it four or five times since.

My favorite Dickens novel.......2006-08-09

I disagree with those who say this was not one of Dickens's best novels; on the contrary, I feel it is one of his very best. I believe many critics and those who study Dickens would agree. I had a difficult time getting into the book after the initial few chapters but was richly rewarded as I continued on. The length of the book is quite intimidating; however, it is well worth the effort to read it. I could not put the book down as I came to the last 100 or so pages. I absolutely loved it by the time I finished the book. It is one of Dickens's darker novels, which may put some off. Even so, many, if not most, of his novels deal with unpleasant topics, and there is quite a bit of humor in the book to balance the darkness. In fact the book is full of balance, wonderful Dickens prose, masterful characterization, as well as one the best plots. I will read this novel again when I have the time to savor it.

Little Dorrit is a big three decker novel from the pen of the great Dickens.......2006-08-08

Little Dorrit is not the best or best known novel by the inimitable Charles Dickens (1812-1870). Like other major Dickens novels it features a vast cast of characters; a mystery to be solved and a theme to be expored (imprisonment in mind, spirit
and body is dealt with in the lives of fascinating characters))
Little Dorrit is born in the Marshalsea Debtors Prison in
London (where Dickens own impecunious father was incarcerated
for a time) where she is beloved by prisoners and jailors.
Her father and family are all despicable. An older man who has lived abroad named Arthur Clennam falls in love for the angelic
Dorrit.
The novel is divided into two parts: Poverty and Riches and
details the lives of the Dorrit family. The novel also is notable for including Continental episodes featuring English
travellers.
This book also features "Flora Finching" a hilarious woman
reminiscent of Marie Beadnell an early love of Dickens. Among other memorable characters are the Plornish family; the Meagles
family; Tattycoram; the Barnacles of the Circumcultion Office
(Dicken's satire on governmental red tape); Blandois the evil
visitor from abroad; the Flintwiches and the enigmatic and sad
Miss Wade.
This reviewer doesn't want to reveal the interesting plot which keeps you turning pages and wanting more.
I like the new Penguin Revised Edition which is illustrated by
Phiz; contains over 100 pages of notes and commentary and is
an easy book to hold for long hours of reading pleasure.
Dickens is the greatess of English novelists so Little Dorrit is an essential!

little dorrit is charlotte bronte..........2006-07-31

little dorrit is one of my favorite novels, although i love all of dickens' novels as he's my favorite author. on a sort of aside, i found it curious after reading elizabeth gaskell's "life of charlotte bronte" that the descriptions of charlotte bronte and dickens' little dorrit are strikingly similar.

i suspect dickens had charlotte bronte in mind when depicting little dorrit. charlotte bronte died in march 1955, dickens began little dorrit in 1955. both charlotte bronte and little dorrit were extremely tiny in stature, both plain looking and not pretty, both extremely shy and reserved, both lived their lives within stone walls--charlotte within her father's parsonage and little dorrit the marshalsea prison walls--both were devoted to their fathers, both extremely mature due to responsibilities pressed upon them from youth, both shunned materialism and superficiality.

there's no mention that i know of of dickens ever meeting charlotte bronte, but it's inconceivable dickens was not aware of her due to the success of "jane eyre." charlotte bronte knew william m. thackeray personally and thackeray knew dickens so it's plausible that they must've talked about her at least once, especially considering how unusual her life story was. plus, i'm sure there must've been many newspaper stories about charlotte bronte after her death.

oh well, dickens' characters were often inspired by real persons so i just thought it was interesting.

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Should Be Listed Among His Best
Worth a Journey
Expose' -Speculators and Kind Hearts in the Victorian Era
Teaching a lesson about Society
'To Be Always A Sacrifice'

Little Dorrit (Modern Library Classics)
Charles Dickens
Manufacturer: Modern Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 037575914X
Release Date: 2002-03-12

Book Description

Upon its publication in 1857, Little Dorrit immediately outsold any of Dickens’s previous books. The story of William Dorrit, imprisoned for debt in Marshalsea Prison, and his daughter and helpmate, Amy, or Little Dorrit, the novel charts the progress of the Dorrit family from poverty to riches. In his Introduction, David Gates argues that “intensity of imagination is the gift from which Dickens’s other great attributes derive: his eye and ear, his near-universal empathy, his ability to entertain both a sense of the ridiculous and a sense of ultimate significance.”

This Modern Library Paperback Classic is set from the text of the 1857 edition.

Download Description

This complex, sombre work, haunted by the symbol of the prison, is more than any other Dickens novel a study of society. George Bernard Shaw called it 'a masterpiece among many masterpieces' and claimed it converted him to socialism. Although many of the social conditions to which it refers have passed into history, Lionel Trilling asserted that 'Little Dorrit, one of the most significant works of the nineteenth century, will not fail to be thought of as speaking with a peculiar passion and intimacy to our own time.'

Customer Reviews:

Should Be Listed Among His Best.......2005-01-13

I'm busy reading the Dickens catalogue, chronologically. Despite the length and depth of "Little Dorrit," I read it in much less time than any other Dickens work thus far. So much is so good here: vivid narrative description, 3-D characters, subtle moral lessons, twisty plot with solid resolutions. When I first got to know Amy, my first thought was that she was too good and pure to live all the way through the novel. Then, as I came to know her better, I vowed that if Dickens did kill her off, I'd read no more of him! Needless to say, I was pleased with the way things turned around, so that Amy ended up back in the prison -- but in such altered circumstances! Recommended for experienced Dickensians.

Worth a Journey.......2004-10-23

Among the reasons to come to earth must surely be the chance to read this novel. Shaw called this novel a masterpiece among masterpieces. My opinion is that this novel is the greatest of the sixteen. It is less bland than Bleak House, more poignant than Copperfield. I started it desultorily, distracted greatly by events in my life. But gradually as I read it dawned on me that sentence by sentence Dickens was here at his most trenchant. I began to be charmed by the characters, some of the greatest in his oeuvre. For all the darkness in the conception--a girl born and raised in debtor's prison--Little Dorrit is a wonderful character. Arthur Clennam is a real man. I adore Flora's deranged speech and her tenderness. Fanny is a delight! And there are Doyce and Pancks--and the Meagles and Pet and Tattycoram--and there are so many secrets! And isn't Blandois the precursor of Fosco? Oh, I could go on. To the Circumlocution Office and Barnacles and Merdle - and Afferty and Flintwich and Mrs. Clennam--such a wonderful feast of characters--with the Marshallsea hovering over all.

How well Dickens uses dialogue to identify character; how amusing are their tics. The characters fall into strata. The main of them, characterized by Clennam, Doyce, and Pancks, are at the level of small businessmen, tradesmen. Below them are the destitutes. A little above them are Mrs. Clennam, Casby, the Meagles. And high above them the Merdles, Gowans, and the like. The novel finds its way at the lower levels--it's a novel of the lower middle class and the lower class and the poor--and down there is so much life and love and devotion. It was strong medicine for me, cognitively dissonant, for Little Dorrit to love with such devotion. And Clennam loves her so deeply though he had no love in his life to that point. Where did he find such love in himself?

Dickens does not just give the action. Unlike so many other writers (almost all), he lets the characters be themselves, revealing the plot from time to time as they get to it, but seldom hurrying. They are being themselves and leading their lives--of course caught up in the great machine of the novel; it's as though Dicken's characters' clothes get caught in the huge, creaking machinery of his plots which then tugs them along, or perhaps grinds them up...

The novel is too full of words. It's verbose. Many times I could not follow the sense. It's labored. There are plot shifts just for the sake of changing the experiment.

But as I finished the novel a benediction fell upon me--a moment that cannot be put into words.

Expose' -Speculators and Kind Hearts in the Victorian Era.......2004-06-16

Little Dorritt was born at Marshalsea-the debtors prison. Her father is something of an informal mayor (`father') of the place, and everyone imprisoned there pays him homage-and alms- for his long suffering good nature and the 'tone' he sets for the experience of being thrown in jail Indeed, Mr. Dorritt has raised self pity to an art form. Little Dorritt is small and wan. People continually ask her if she `has strength and can endure things.' She reminds them she was born in the poor house. Through the kind offices of `a friend,' Arthur Clennam, midway through the book, the family is released from prison, debts paid and they live the genteel life that Mr. Dorritt always assumed was his birthright. In a classic case of projection, Mr. Dorritt prattles to Amy (Little) Dorritt how she should not be morose, and she should forget life in the poor house. 'Put on airs for the sake of the servants so they would remember 'their place.' Mr Dorritt goes on to assure Amy `he has completely wiped the sad episode of living in debtors prison' from his mind. In order to secure his place in society, Mr. Dorritt seeks favor from an unseen Mr. Merdle who it seems has the economy of the entire world in the palm of his hand. Indeed, Fanny Dorritt, Amy's sister is also smitten with the Merdle clan and seeks the favor of Edmund Merdle, just so she can put on even more superior airs than Mrs. Merdle does. The circumlocutions of speech, especially those Mr. Dorritt and Mrs. Merdle use, when these characters talk to one other in itself is worth the price of admission. Amy is devoted to her father and shows little interest in social activities. She does however manage, through her needlework, to make the acquaintance of Mrs. Clemmens, Arthurs mother- that's how Arthur comes to learn of Mr. Dorritt's legal plight and thanks to Arthur they got away from Marshalsea, the debtor's prison. In time, Mr. Dorritt falls sick. He stands up at a dinner party to give his `welcome to Marshallsea speech, much to the embarrassment of all the high society types there present. Hence the contrast between the two societies, the debtors and the wealthy. Mr. Dorritt's disease in terminal and inevitably, we meet Mr. Merdle when he comes to commiserate with Fanny, his son Edmund and the other mourners. The mighty economic dynamo who has been the talk of the town-is oddly contrite. In leaving the wake, he asks in all humility, if he might have a pen knife...one of the wedding tokens from Edmund and Fanny's wedding. Mr. Merdle then privately kills himself.
All his financial wheelings and dealings were false and the family is busted. Arthur Clemmens is busted too, and Amy goes to find him at Marshalsea in her families old lodgings. She insists on helping him and he is ashamed as he believes he was not only instrumental in their release from Marshalsea but also in connecting the family with the notorious Mr. Merdle. Amy will have nothing to do with this all this pathos. She goes to plead Arthur's case with his mother who has money locked up in a vault. She has been paralyzed for a very long time and is unable to walk. The steward is furious that the family fortune should be spent to pay Arthur's debts as the steward believes and has tried to convince Mother that Arthur is a spendthrift playboy. The steward wants the money for his loyal service.
Mother rises from her chair and with assistance from Amy and her maid, descends the stairs and sees the steward open the safe, at which point the house collapses. Amy takes the money, frees Arthur and the two are married.
I give you a sketch of the plot in an effort to help the reader navigate through this book. Little Dorrit gives good service in depicting Debtors prison and paints a very Dickensian scene, as another reviewer commented, there is a sense of accomplishment in completing this read.

Teaching a lesson about Society.......2004-02-26

This was a mandatory reading for a Literary Theory class and I must say, at first, I was less than pleased. I have read Dickens a few times before tackling "Little Dorrit" (David Copperfield is my favorite) and his works aren't always "gripping." However, upon finishing the novel there was a great sense of accomplishment. This story reveals so much about the wrongs of high society and the importance of appearances. In this 800 page epic, Dickens gives us a love story that can actually be useful in, and comparable to, today's world.
I left this book feeling most glad that I had been "made" to read it because it has reminded me that times have not changed so very much when it comes to what's important in life.
In warning, it is not exactly quick in pace (considering it was written serially for periodicals over several months of time) but it does have an important message...and the characters are just quirky enough to make it interesting. Dickens even delves into the surreal once or twice, which makes for a nice twist.
A tip: If you find yourself in the middle of a harsh winter in, say Michigan, and you have some free time in your days, this book would perfectly fit the mood. Warning!: Do not take this one to the beach for leisure reading!!!

'To Be Always A Sacrifice'.......2003-12-09

With Little Dorrit, Charles Dickens touched upon a subject near and dear to his own heart; that of having a father who was incarcerated in Debtor's Prison. But Dickens extends this probing eye to include many different types of prisons that we either fall into by the fault or actions of others, or by our own actions.

Arthur Clennam returns home to London after many years away to find many things changed, and many the same. His mother, a recluse to the home that Arthur grew up in, remains a solitary figure, cast in shadows. Flora Casby Finching, the love of Arthur's youth, who married another and now finds herself alone; re-enters his life, and he finds himself wondering what he ever saw in such a flighty, chatty girl. Arthur also finds Jeremiah Flintwinch and his wife, Affery; in attendance to his mother. Jeremiah, a rough-edged, secretive man is a stark contrast to his meek, timid wife, who is plagued by dreams of augury throughout the story.

Also entering Arthur's life are the Dorrit's, the 'first family' of the Marshallsea Prison...Father William, the debtor in question, Amy; the caretaker and martyr of the clan, Fanny; the arrogant, self absorbed elder daughter, and Tip; the lazy, shiftless brother who, when given the chance and opportunity to strike out on his own and find a better life, wanders back to London to re-tie the family apron strings he was to break free from. Amy, employed to Arthur's mother as a seamstress; finds herself ever the voice of reason, the sacrificer, the kind and gentle soul....swimming in a sea of ingrates.

With typical Dickens flair; fortunes are reversed, lives are intertwined; secrets are kept, and revealed; and once again the reader realizes that nothing is ever what it seems on the streets of London. Numerous plot twists throughout the novel propel the story along at a very satisfying pace. Little Dorrit, after an unexpected windfall comes to the family; still finds herself in the same unenviable position in the family. Mr. Dorrit finds himself trapped by his prison background even after he is released, in the manner of trying to 'measure up' to society, and rise above his past. One particular point I found interesting was having Mr. Dorrit, in Book 2, settle his family into a large, virtually empty hotel to live...as if he could not leave the enormity of the prison, and all its rooms and inhabitants, completely behind.

The 'prisons' that Dickens visits in the latter half of the story are those of kept secrets; past transgressions; emotional obligation; and so many more that exist in our minds and memories.

While I only give the book four stars, it was a wonderful read. The characters are up to their usual flourish and flaw. But at times the plot devices were visible all the way from Marseilles to the Marshallsea, and seem to come from nowhere, really. While they help the story immensely, in terms of direction...they lack in credibility, and seemed a bit soap-operaish in their 'timely arrival'.

Nevertheless - I enjoyed immersing myself in Dickens' London once again..and walked away satisfied with the outcome. Even in Dickens' darkest tales, he usually delivers a silver lining.

Book Description

“Little Dorrit” was a serialized novel published between 1855 and 1857. The motif of the novel was confinement and its horrible psychological impacts. The story revolves around Amy Dorrit, whose father was imprisoned in the Marshalsea Prison for debtors and was known as “The Father of Marshalsea”. This masterpiece reflects the hypocrisy of the bungling government and decaying society. Splendid!

Charles Dickens "Little Dorrit" (Stud. in Eng. Lit.)

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Charles Dickens "Little Dorrit" (Stud. in Eng. Lit.)
J C Reid
Manufacturer: E Arnold
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0713151099
Release Date: 1967-04-01

Charles Dickens: "Dombey and Son" and "Little Dorrit": A Casebook (Casebooks Series)

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Charles Dickens: "Dombey and Son" and "Little Dorrit": A Casebook (Casebooks Series)
Alan Shelston
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Children's Stories from Dickens

Manufacturer: Tiger Books International
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 1855010461

Product Description

Tales from Charles Dickens' works as told by his Granddaughter. Pictorial hardcover. B& W and full-color illustrations by Harold Copping.

Companion to Little Dorrit (Dickens Companions)

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Companion to Little Dorrit (Dickens Companions)
Trey Philpotts
Manufacturer: Helm Information Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Deception in Dickens' Little Dorrit (American University Studies Series IV, English Language and Literature)

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Deception in Dickens' Little Dorrit (American University Studies Series IV, English Language and Literature)
Charlotte Rotkin
Manufacturer: Peter Lang Pub Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0820407216

(Dickens Works) Globe Editions: Little Dorrit

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(Dickens Works) Globe Editions: Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens
Manufacturer: Houghton Osgood and Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Dickens, Little Dorrit
J. C. Reid
Manufacturer: Edward Arnold Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JUXIQ4

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