Promiscuity: An Evolutionary History of Sperm Competition

Book Description

Males are promiscuous and ferociously competitive. Females--both human and of other species--are naturally monogamous. That at least is what the study of sexual behavior after Darwin assumed, perhaps because it was written by men. Only in recent years has this version of events been challenged. Females, it has become clear, are remarkably promiscuous and have evolved an astonishing array of strategies, employed both before and after copulation, to determine exactly who will father their offspring.

Tim Birkhead reveals a wonderful world in which males and females vie with each other as they strive to maximize their reproductive success. Both sexes have evolved staggeringly sophisticated ways to get what they want--often at the expense of the other. He introduces us to fish whose first encounter locks them together for life in a perpetual sexual embrace; hermaphrodites who "joust" with their reproductive organs, each trying to inseminate the other without being inseminated; and tiny flies whose seminal fluid is so toxic that it not only destroys the sperm of rival males but eventually kills the female. He explores the long and tortuous road leading to our current state of knowledge, from Aristotle's observations on chickens, to the first successful artificial insemination in the seventeenth century, to today's ingenious molecular markers for assigning paternity. And he shows how much human behavior--from the wife-sharing habits of Inuit hunters to Charlie Chaplin's paternity case--is influenced by sperm competition.

Lucidly written and lavishly illustrated, with a wealth of fascinating detail and vivid examples, Promiscuity is the ultimate guide to the battle of the sexes.

Customer Reviews:

And They're Off!.......2007-01-07

If you ever wondered about such glorious subjects as...okay, it's a book about sex, but the scholarly parts of sex normally only pondered by zoologists, not the boxing ring style blow-by-blow accounts you might read in novels. I'll tell you, my fellow Amazonians, if ever you want to feel stupid in what you thought you knew about the wonderful world of sex, read-this-book. And if ever you want to be amazed to death about the wonderful world of sex, read-this-book. And if you never EVER want to eat sushi again, read-this-book!

Did you know there are many species out there that have multiple schmeckles? No, it's true! A schmeckle here, a schmeckle there, a schmeckle everywhere! And did you know that some species die during copulation? And here I always thought nuns were just trying to scare us about that! Or that threesomes, foursome, heck hundredsomes are perfectly natural among many members of the phylum Chordata? Of which we and 97% of all life-forms are a part, folks! And how about the fact that in nature when studied in its entirety it is more common for males to raise the offspring than it is females? Okay, I don't think this book said that, but it's the sort of fact it would have had if it had included it. (Did you follow that?)

Seriously, ladies and non-ladies, this book is great! It studies reproduction as carried out by virtually every species known to exist. It elevates the mind to consider sex as evolution's largest tool, and it has a vigorous full tilt go at sex as a scholarly topic rather than the fodder for humor or arousal it often is. (None of you are turned on or laughing, are you? I should hope not!) Overall Promiscuity: An Evolutionary History of Sperm Competition does for biology what Schoolhouse Rock did for mathematics and other really, really dull stuff. I mean it makes an otherwise universally boring subject like sex fun!

bizzare but fascinating! :).......2006-01-01

i hesitate to write a review of this book because it might appear 'pervy' just to comment ;) but in all fairness, this book is worth reading for anyone interested in science, biology, sex, or ourselves :) ..anyone who enjoys this book would also probably enjoy the weekly publication: NewScientist :)

a test to reach easter.......2001-10-25

If you want to be grossed out, amused and steeped in leading scholarship all at the same time, this may be your book. In a fun, concise and well structured book, Birkhead gives us an up-to-date account of sperm competition in animals. The examples used are wide-ranging, from bed bugs to people, and never fail to raise an eyebrow. A Doay sheep female copulated 163 times in five hours and a man eating sushi once learned that the wiggly things in his tongue owed their thanks to a squid spermatophore. Beyond these exemplars of bizarre, though, this book contains cogent arguments for the place of sperm competition. It kindly sandbags the sensational claims of Baker and Bellis (in their Human Sperm Competition), giving us a fairer treatment in its place, both with respect to humans (where sperm competition has been of relatively little recent importance, evidenced by the relatively small testes and poor sperm quality of males) and numerous other taxa. The section on female benefits to multi-male mating is also worth noting. Evidence is amassed for female benefits in obtaining sufficient sperm, resources and improving the genetic quality of their offspring (e.g. through pairing her genes with a good MHC complement). These last ideas on genetic benefits will continue to inspire new research, just as other ideas in the book should too (accessory glands such as the prostate may have originated in the evolutionary battle of the sexes). It could be stated that the book overstates the case for sexual conflict, when benign agreements have been reached; after all, it wouldn't pay over evolutionary time for the faithful California mouse or swan to employ cruel mechanisms at expense to a partner. Yet this book is worth the strange questions and looks you'll get on the bus when people see its cover and look over your should while reading it (just as happened to my yesterday).

Stranger-than-fiction sex book.......2000-10-06

"Promiscuity" is about sex. Well, I suppose that much is obvious. And sex always makes for great reading. We are all obsessed and entertained by it. Still, this book took me by surprise. It is not your typical book about sex: offering cheap thrills or mundane, overdigested sociopsychological chatter. It is a unique guided tour of the bizarre world of reproduction throughout the animal kingdom. It is also a glimpse into the odd world of evolutionary biologists, in this case those who spend their lives contemplating the meaning behind all of the bizarre variations on sex in the animal world. Apparently, these highly respected academic scholars go to work each day to figure out such things as why some fruitflies make sperm that are 20 times longer than their bodies and why others produce seminal fluids that are toxic to their mates, why some marine flatworms have dozens of penises, why certain slugs have a penis that is longer than their body and that occassionally become so horrifically tangled about their mate that they must be chewed off, why dunglfies sometimes drown their mates in wet dung, why females of one species of catfish fertilize their eggs by drinking sperm, and why deep-sea anglerfish males bite their mates and never let go. The list goes on and on, preparing me with remarkable ammunition for the next dinner party.

Book Description

Sperm Competition and Sexual Selection presents the intricate ways in which sperm compete to fertilize eggs and how this has prompted reinterpretations of breeding behavior. This book provides a theoretical framework for the study of sperm competition, which is a central part of sexual selection. It also discusses the roles of females and the relationships between paternal care in sperm competition. The chapters focusing on taxonomic development are diverse and cover all the major animal groups, both vertebrate and invertebrate, and plants. The final chapter provides an overview discussing the relationship between sperm competition and sexual selection in terms of both function and mechanism and how these translate into species fitness. This book will be of prime interest to behaviorists, ecologists and evolutionary biologists, suggesting new avenues of research and new ways of approaching old problems.

Key Features
* The only up-to-date summary of a central and popular subject
* Well known editors and authors
* Provides a theoretical framework for the study of sperm competition
* Covers all major animal groups
* Includes a chapter on plants

Customer Reviews:

inspirative and quite thorough look on sexual selection.......1999-06-20

Must-read book for any serious student or researcher who is interested in the latest approaches in the subject of sexual selection.

Testosterone, testes size, and mating success in birds: a comparative study [An article from: Hormones and Behavior]

Average customer rating:

Testosterone, testes size, and mating success in birds: a comparative study [An article from: Hormones and Behavior]
L.Z. Garamszegi , M. Eens , S. Hurtrez-Bousses , and Moll
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000RR3POY

Book Description

This digital document is a journal article from Hormones and Behavior, published by Elsevier in 2005. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
Reproductive behaviors of vertebrates are often underpinned by temporal patterns of hormone secretion. We investigated interspecific patterns of circulating testosterone in male birds to test the hypothesis that testosterone plays a crucial role in sexual selection as determined by degree of polygyny and extra-pair paternity. We predicted that the evolution of increased levels of polygyny and extra-pair paternity would have resulted in the evolution of increased levels of testosterone to allow males more efficiently to compete for mates. This hypothesis was tested in comparative analyses of 116 species of birds using Generalized Least Squares Models. We assessed the importance of latitudinal distribution, because this can confound the relationship between testosterone and mating success. There were weak positive phylogenetic correlations between measures of testosterone and estimates of mating success at the social level, but this association appeared to be confounded by latitudinal distribution, a significant correlate of testosterone titers. However, we found a significantly positive relationship between peak and residual peak testosterone (which is the peak testosterone level that is controlled for the baseline level) and extra-pair paternity independent of latitude. These results suggest that selection pressures arising from social and sexual mating differently affected testosterone levels with the former being mediated by factors associated with latitudinal distribution. An analysis of residual testes size revealed a positive association between peak and residual testosterone and testes size relative to body size. In a path analysis, we show that relative testis size primarily evolved in association with intense sperm competition and thus high sperm production, and these mechanisms had a secondary impact on blood testosterone levels at a phylogenetic scale. Our results suggest that sperm competition has played an important role in the evolution of reproductive mechanisms in birds.

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Sperm Competition and Sexual Selection
T.R. Birkhead
Manufacturer: Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OHI600

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Indole alkaloids;: An introduction to the enamine chemistry of natural products, (The Commonwealth and international library of science, technology, engineering, ... in organic chemistry, advanced section)
William I Taylor
Manufacturer: Pergamon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General & Reference | Chemistry | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: B0006BNBL8

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Introduction to Alkaloids
Geoffrey Cordell
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471034789

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An introduction to the chemistry of the alkaloids
A McKillop
Manufacturer: Butterworths
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: 0408524731

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Catalog of the tobacco introductions in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's tobacco germplasm collection (Nicotiana tabacum) (Agricultural reviews and manuals)
Verne A Sisson
Manufacturer: Available from the Tobacco Research Laboratory
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Smoking | Recovery | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006YMLRK

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Indole Alkaloids: An Introduction to the Enamine Chemistry of Natural
W.I. Taylor
Manufacturer: see notes for publisher info
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000M4OFC8

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An introduction to the alkaloids
A McKillop
Manufacturer: Butterworths
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007JFW3Y

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An introduction to the alkaloids
G. A Swan
Manufacturer: Blackwell Scientific
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: B0006BSQ1I

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Medicinal plant alkaloids;: An introduction for pharmacy students
Stephen K Sim
Manufacturer: University of Toronto Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: B0006BMMJK

Book Description

"Discusses the latest results concerning the area of noncommutative ring theory known as the theory of generalized identities (GIs)--detailing Kharchenko's results on GIs in prime rings, Chuang's extension to antiautomorphisms, and the use of the Beidar-Mikhalev theory of orthogonal completion in the semiprime case. Provides novel proofs of existing results."

Book Description

(Rerecording)

This novel - the classic French detective story - was written in 1907 by Gaston Leroux, once a reporter who covered the famous trials of his time. (He also wrote THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.) Match your wits with his rival detectives - one amateur, one professional - as they try to crack the mystery. Mademoiselle Stangerson retires to bed in the Yellow Room. Suddenly revolver shots echo through the house and she screams for help. Her father and a servant run to the locked room where they find the wounded girl - alone. The only other exit, a window - barred. How had the assailant escaped?

Customer Reviews:

Lots of Fun.......2007-08-28

This novel was considered by John Dickson Carr to be the best locked room mystery of all time, and I agree its one of the best. Next to the Phantom of the Opera, this is Gaston Leroux's most famous novel, and the one which introduces Joeseph Rouletabille.

Mathilde Strangerson was alone in her room. She had locked her self into the Yellow Room, which was right beside her father's laboratory. The doors were locked and bolted, the windows were bolted, and it was impossible to enter the room. Some how though, and invisible man walked through a locked door and atacked Mathilde. When her father forced open the door, Mathilde lay on the ground, beaten and strangled, and the room was empty.

Before long, the French detective Fredrick Larson had come to solve this mystery. But one person stood in his way. 18 reporter-detective Joeseph Rouletabille had also decided to solve this mystery, and would soon uncover a secret bigger then any thing any one ever expected.

far-fetched.......2006-03-22

The plot of "The Mystery of the Yellow Room" is very clever, but the details of its execution depend on so many "near misses" (whether they be flying bullets or close escapes into the dark) and coincidences that it weakens its impact. Leroux's prose (in translation) is dry, unengaging and unevocative. My guess is that the original French prose was just as dull. It is a chore to get through his admixture of present, past, and past perfect tenses all piled one upon another telegrammatically. Some great eloquent story teller, I believe, could have given the story a rich enjoyable texture rather than leaving it as a barren, almost academic "brain teaser". The characters are only given so much dimension as to fit with the final solution but no other hints of humanity. Some of the motivations are silly indeed: for example, the young detective is willing to allow a second murderous assault on the victim just so he can get a better look at the villain's face!!! By the way, I figured out why the victim would not help the police apprehend her attacker, although I did not discover who he was. She did not know exactly who the attacker was because of a series of contrived situations that prevented her from coming face to face with the attacker despite many possible opportunities. That was really far-fetched! In short, The Mystery of the Yellow Room was a great first draft for a potentially great novel. One final question: If you are chasing a villain and he pulls off his fake beard and wig, do you suddenly have no clue that the person before you is the same one you have just been chasing, especially if he has been out of sight for only seconds?

bye bye to Sherlock Holmes........2005-01-16

This THE best mystery that ever took place in the locked-up room. You are going to like this Rouletabill; he is not a detective, but a journalist!!! He slowly starts to untangle the strings of mystery of the yellow room. You will be drawn into the book by this character made by Leroux, every time Rouletabill finds a clue, every time he puts the pieces together, and every time he attempts to catch the murder. The murder occured in the yellow room is already mysterius, but theres more. This book is full of the starnge happeneings and in the end, they are all explained by no other than Rouletabill, and MAN it felt good!!! I will garantee you will be suprized by the ending of this book, bye bye to Sherlock Holmes, he'll be out of job in no time!!!

An ingenious page-turner.......2004-12-20

Mlle. Strangerson, the daughter of a famous scientist, is brutally attacked in her bedroom. The window is barred, and the door is double bolted. No one, it seems, could have left the room. However, somehow, he did, leaving strange clues - a bloody imprint of a hand on the wall, a cap, and a hankerchief.
MYSTERY OF THE YELLOW ROOM is pure genius. Leroux winds and twists together meticoulous detail, interesting psychology, and seemingly impossible occurrences that produce a truly enjoyable and schocking finale. This is a wonderful read, and it is great for a rainy day.
MYSTERY OF THE YELLOW ROOM is an extremely influential book, though it is now virtually forgotten. It is one of the first locked-room mysteries, and it inspired Agatha Christie to write her first book.

A Unique Mystery.......2002-02-21

Leroux's story, in this writer's opinion, truly tops those of Doyle. It's a seemingly impossible case to solve, so complex that a diagram of the house has to be inserted in the book, and the outcome is surprising. Do not be thrown off by Leroux's seemingly clunky writing -- a complaint many have had with his other famous novel "The Phantom of the Opera." Leroux was originally a journalist, and even as an author, found it more comfortable to write his fiction as though they were written by a journalist, perhaps for a newspaper.

There are a couple of odd things that I guess just don't translate into English. One, throughout the entire novel they discuss "the murder of Mmme. Stangerson" -- though in fact it was simply an attempted murder. For many chapters I was trying to figure out how Mmme. Stangerson could be talking if she was murdered.

Also, my diagram seems to be missing a crucial number explaining where one of the windows is. While this is frustrating, it is fully possible to enjoy the novel anyway. I highly recommend this book, whether you're a Leroux fan, a mystery fan, or a fan of early 20th century fiction.

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The Mystery of the Yellow Room
Gaston Leroux
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0766193667

Book Description

1908. The Mystery of the Yellow Room is the first book that justified Leroux's decision to give up journalism and concentrate on producing books. It was an early example of a locked room mystery, in which a murder is committed behind impenetrable sealed doors. The impossible crime was solved by a Gallic Sherlock Holmes of Leroux's invention, a detective called Joseph Rouletabille. The novel begins: It is not without a certain emotion that I begin to recount here the extraordinary adventures of Joseph Rouletabille. Down to the present time he had so firmly opposed my doing it that I had come to despair of ever publishing the most curious of police stories of the past fifteen years. I had even imagined that the public would never know the whole truth of the prodigious case known as that of The Yellow Room, out of which grew so many mysterious, cruel, and sensational dramas, with which my friend was so closely mixed up, if, propos of a recent nomination of the illustrious Stangerson to the grade of grand cross of the Legion of Honour, an evening journal, in an article, miserable for its ignorance, or audacious for its perfidy, had not resuscitated a terrible adventure of which Joseph Rouletabille had told me he wished to be for ever forgotten. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.

The Mystery Of The Yellow Room: Extraordinary Adventures Of Joseph Rouletabille, Reporter

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great book for a mystery fan

The Mystery Of The Yellow Room: Extraordinary Adventures Of Joseph Rouletabille, Reporter
Gaston Leroux
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0486449289

Book Description

How could a crime take place in a locked room which shows no sign of being entered? Nearly a century after its initial publication, Leroux's landmark tale of foul play, deception, and unbridled ambition remains a blueprint for the detective novel genre. This atmospheric thriller is still a favorite of whodunit fans everywhere.

Customer Reviews:

great book for a mystery fan.......2006-08-02

I read this book not knowing what to expect. I had read many mystery books before this one so I was pretty good at figuring out who the culprit was and how the crime was committed. The Mystery of the Yellow Room was a different story. As I was reading I tried to work out how it was done and who did it but I was stumped and I can guarentee that whoever else reads this book will be stumped as well. Ending is a great twist. This is a great mystery and I also recommend the sequel The Perfume of the Lady in Black.

Mary Roberts Rinehart: Three Complete Novels by America's Mistress of Mystery (The Bat, The Haunted Lady, The Yellow Room)

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Mary Roberts Rinehart: Three Complete Novels by America's Mistress of Mystery (The Bat, The Haunted Lady, The Yellow Room)
Mary Roberts Rinehart
Manufacturer: Kensington Publishing Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1575661144

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Old-fashioned Mystery and Romance
nice read
Old Fashion Murder Mystery
Very classic and old fashioned.
Perfect for Agatha Christie & MM Kaye fans!

The Yellow Room
Mary Roberts Rinehart
Manufacturer: Kensington
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0758204647

Customer Reviews:

Old-fashioned Mystery and Romance.......2006-01-11

Mary Roberts Rinehart wrote some terrific mysteries dating back to the early 1900's. The Yellow Room, originally published in 1945, is one of her best. It is old-fashioned in a good way. This is a classic and very entertaining example of the mystery genre. There is a pretty young girl, a murder, suspects and intrigue involving the young woman's family and, of course, a dashing war hero in love with the heroine and only too willing to use every means at his disposal to get her out of the jam and solve the mystery. Rinehart creates a fun and exciting atmosphere for mystery lovers to enjoy, as well as a pretty good brain teaser.

Young Carol Spencer is a likable heroine trying to recover from the loss of her fiance in the South Pacific. She longs to keep busy and wants to make herself useful in the war effort. She has been forced to care for her mother, however, as her selfish sister Elinor is too busy in her society functions to help. When Carol leaves New York for Maine to open up their home there, she discovers many unsettling mysteries.

Lucy, the maid, is mising, and it is discovered that she is in the hospital with an injured leg. Someone chased her in the night and she fell down the stairs. Someone has been staying in the yellow room, even though no one was living in the Spencer's Maine home. Worse, there is a very dead young woman in the closet. When it is discovered that she came there asking for Carol, she becomes a suspect in the eyes of the local police.

Dane is the war hero staying next door while he recovers from a leg injury before going back to his men. His past is a bit of a mystery also, and his meddling in the case is unappreciated by the local police. Carol doesn't know who to trust, and when her brother, a war hero as well, arrives, the mystery becomes murkier.

Her snotty sister's car was seen the night of the murder, even though she was supposedly in New York. Was Carol's brother involved somehow? Who has been stealing her mother's fine china from the house? What was the dead girl's relationship to her brother and sister? Dane uses every man and instinct at his disposal to root out the killer and get to the bottom of things. Shots in the night and the mysterious actions of someone unknown, yet moving easily among her Maine neighbors, spell danger for Carol.

The mystery is old-fashioned and so is the romance. Dane loves Carol before there is even a kiss. He puts himself in harm's way even though his future is uncertain, not wanting to put Carol through a long wait, and perhaps break her heart once again. This is very much a mystery where you can sense WWII and the changes it made in young men. The mores of a bygone era are in the forefront in this enjoyable and atmospheric mystery from one of the greats in the genre. For those who enjoy their mysteries in this vein, The Yellow Room is a lot of fun.

nice read.......2005-11-07

I really enjoyed The Yellow Room. It was a bit slow at the beginning, but it is well worth the time. It is interesting to see another perspective on the second world war, since most of the books I have read have been by British authors. I will definitely read more of Mary Roberts Rinehart.

Old Fashion Murder Mystery.......2005-08-17

This is a great old fashion murder mystery, which is my favorite type. It was quick and enjoyable, I look forward to reading more by this author.

Very classic and old fashioned........2003-03-25

All ingredients of a first class Mary R. Rinehart are displayed in the first pages of the Yellow Room. A huge house in the country, belonging to a wealthy family : the first daughter is a "jet-set" woman, far from ordinary human feelings ; the second daughter Carol, the heroine, is more engaging, unaffected, a lovely girl. It seems the boy she was engaged to was killed in the Pacific, but it's not so sure. Her brother is a WWII hero, but it appears there's something not so clear in his past. The corpse of an unknown young woman is found in the house, and we discover she's connected with the family. Incidents and accidents, attempts of murder and murder occur more and more often at night, and the police net closes on Carol. Well, of course, here comes a man, an ex soldier but not a super-hero, who'll help Carol and solve the mystery. The girl falls obviously for him, and all's well that end's well, but there's no preciousness in the story. The conclusion, as always, is unexpected and great. Old fashioned, yes, but to be read with great pleasure.

Perfect for Agatha Christie & MM Kaye fans!.......2001-09-06

I personally love mysteries set in the `40s and earlier with a female heroine. This fits the bill! I love the details of the era and the writing style that comes along with writing in that time period.

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Good Dickinson

The Yellow Room Conspiracy
Peter Dickinson
Manufacturer: Mysterious Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0892965568

Customer Reviews:

Good Dickinson.......2001-01-28

Peter Dickinson reminds me of two other British novelists, Robert Barnard and J.I.M. Stewart. His works usually contain mysteries, as do Barnard's, and are usually novels of manners, as are Stewart's. And like both, he is at his best when delineating complicated and ambiguous relationships whose history and roots illuminate present events. In addition, Dickinson shares the satirical wit and polished style of the other two.

"The Yellow Room Conspiracy" is a mystery and a novel of manners. Narrated alternately by an aged couple looking back on critical events of their youth, Paul Ackerley and Lucy Vereker, the novel evokes a between-the-wars world of Eton and country house parties followed by a post-war empire whose decline culminates in the Suez crisis.

The double narration Dickinson employs is an effective technique. Between them, Lucy, the society beauty, and Paul Ackerley, the archetypal outsider, recreate a series of events that climax in the death of another outsider, Gerry Grantworth, and the burning down of Lucy's family home.

Book Description

Whether one is reading them for the first time or re-reading old favorites, the titles in this series seem like old friends. Mature readers can revisit timeless treasures; young, struggling, or reluctant readers are given a format that helps them connect to the great body of American and world literature. This series will contain world classics, Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winners and favorites that have stood the test of time.

Actual Large Print covers may be different from those shown.

The Lexile Framework® is a tool that places readers and text on the same scale by measuring both the difficulty of written material and students' reading abilities. Where available, titles within this catalog have been given Lexile levels (eg. 600L). For more information visit their Web site: www.lexile.com. The technology of the Lexile Framework® has three core components. They are:

the Lexile Map, which is a graphical representation of reading development.
the Lexile Analyzer, which measures the difficulty levels of text.
the Lexile Anchor Test, an item bank that measures reader performance and provides guidelines for converting raw scores on standardized reading tests into Lexile measures

The Accelerated Reader® program has been proven to improve children's reading and critical thinking skills. This program is useful in motivating and encouraging readers and assisting teachers in accurately evaluating and elevating students' reading levels through multiple-choice testing on the books they have read. The quiz provides instant feedback to both teacher and student. Accelerated Reader® titles have been indicated within this catalog. Schools and libraries must have the Accelerated Reader® engine to run the program. Both the program and engine can be purchased from Renaissance Learning, Inc. at 800-338-4204. For more information visit their Web site: www.renlearn.com.

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The Mystery of the Yellow Room
Gaston Leroux
Manufacturer: Book Jungle
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1604242965

Book Description

Leroux was an early 20^th century writer, detective and journalist. He is best known for writing The Phantom of the Opera. This mystery is one of the first "locked room mysteries". A locked room mystery is one in which a crime is committed in what seems to be impossible circumstances. In this instance the criminal disappears from a locked room.

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The Mystery of the Yellow Room
Gaston LeRoux
Manufacturer: Thorndike Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1405631724

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