Terrestrial Ecosystems in a Changing World (Global Change

Book Description

Over 100 authors present 25 contributions on the impacts of global change on terrestrial ecosystems including:

key processes of the earth system such as the CO2 fertilization effect, shifts in disturbances and biome distribution, the saturation of the terrestrial carbon sink, and changes in functional biodiversity,

ecosystem services such the production of wheat, pest control, and carbon storage in croplands, and

sensitive regions in the world threaten by rapid changes in climate and land use such as high latitudes ecosystems, tropical forest in Southeast Asia, and ecosystems dominated by Monsoon climate.

The book also explores new research developments on spatial thresholds and nonlinearities, the key role of urban development in global biogeochemical processes, and the integration of natural and social sciences to address complex problems of the human-environment system.

Land-Use and Land-Cover Change: Local Processes and Global Impacts (Global Change - The IGBP Series)

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Land-Use and Land-Cover Change: Local Processes and Global Impacts (Global Change - The IGBP Series)

Manufacturer: Springer
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Binding: Hardcover

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Global Warming: The Complete Briefing

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ASIN: 3540322019

Book Description

The book presents recent estimates of the rates in changes of major land classes such as forest, cropland and pasture. Among the causative mechanisms behind land change, synergetic factor combinations are found to be more common than single key factor explanations. Aggregated globally, multiple impacts of local land changes are shown to significantly affect central aspects of Earth System functioning. Innovative developments and applications in the fields of modeling and scenario construction are presented. Finally, conclusions are drawn about the most pressing implications for the design of appropriate intervention policies, and on new directions and frontiers of research.
The edited book synthesizes research achievements by dozens of scientists related to the Land-Use/Cover Change (LUCC) project of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) and the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP). It summarizes relevant findings on global land-use change which arose from value-adding activities of the LUCC project, starting in 1995 and extending until its termination in October 2005. The main intention is to describe how human modification of land cover became a major driving force of Earth System changes over the past 300 years, a period of most rapid transformations, with fundamental implications for current landscape configurations. In writing this book, current knowledge and understanding is reported on the rates, causes/pathways, impacts, future scenarios/models, policy implications and new research directions in the field of land-use/cover change.

Biogeochemical Investigations of Terrestrial, Freshwater, and Wetland Ecosystems Across the Globe (Advances in Global Change Research)

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Biogeochemical Investigations of Terrestrial, Freshwater, and Wetland Ecosystems Across the Globe (Advances in Global Change Research)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1402018142
Release Date: 2007-05-25

Book Description

This volume contains reviewed papers from BIOGEOMON, The Fourth International Symposium on Ecosystem Behavior, held at the University of Reading in August 2002, and attended by over 260 participants from 25 countries. The papers in this volume focus on themes that have always been strong at BIOGEOMON, such as:

- catchment monitoring and manipulations,

- catchment and regional-scale modeling,

- nitrogen transformations and processes,

- stable and radiogenic isotopes in the environment.

Beyond these traditionally emphasized themes, other papers focus on:

- mercury and metal dynamics,

- phosphorus,

- terrestrial DOC and soil organic matter,

- scaling of biogeochemical processes,

- biogeochemistry of restored ecosystems.

Audience: This book will be of interest to researchers in biogeochemistry, ecosystem ecology, global change, and anthropogenic pollution, as well as to natural resource managers and policy specialists.

Global Change and Arctic Terrestrial Ecosystems (Ecological Studies)

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Global Change and Arctic Terrestrial Ecosystems (Ecological Studies)

Manufacturer: Springer-Verlag Telos
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0387943560

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Global warming is likely to have the greatest impact at high latitudes, making the Arctic an important region both for detecting global climate change and for studying its effects on terrestrial ecosystems. The chapters in this volume address current and anticipated impacts of global climate change on Arctic organisms, populations, ecosystem structure and function, biological diversity, and the atmosphere.

Global Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems (International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme Book Series)

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Global Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems (International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme Book Series)

Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

This major new book presents a collection of essays by leading authorities who address the current state of knowledge. The chapters bring together the early results of an international scientific research program designed to address what will happen to our ability to produce food and fiber, and what effects there will be on biological diversity under rapid environmental change. This book addresses how these changes to terrestrial ecosystems will feed back to further environmental change. International in scope, this state-of-the-art assessment will interest policymakers, students and scientists interested in global change, climate change and biodiversity. Special features include descriptions of a dynamic global vegetation model, developing generic crop models and a special section on the emerging discipline of global ecology.

Global Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems in Monsoon Asia (Tasks for Vegetation Science)

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Global Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems in Monsoon Asia (Tasks for Vegetation Science)

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Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

Forest vegetation is distributed in monsoon Asia continuously from boreal forests through temperate to tropical rain forests. This vegetation - the richest in the world - is being subjected to global change on an unprecedented scale. It has been predicted that boreal forests will experience the most significant change in response to global warming, while tropical forests are endangered by rapid changes in land use due to high population pressure. An increase in atmospheric CO ₂ concentration will severely affect ecosystem function in this area. This volume presents a review of terrestrial ecosystems in monsoon Asia and assesses possible effects of global change on the structure and function of forest ecosystems and feedback routes to the global carbon cycle.
Audience: Vital reading for plant ecologists, vegetation scientists, environmental managers and government decision makers.

The Terrestrial Biosphere and Global Change: Implications for Natural and Managed Ecosystems (International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme Book Series)

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The Terrestrial Biosphere and Global Change: Implications for Natural and Managed Ecosystems (International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme Book Series)

Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

This new synthesis summarizes the international research effort in the Global Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems (GCTE) Core Project of the International Geosphere Biosphere Programme in five major thematic areas: ecosystem physiology, ecosystem structure and composition, terrestrial production systems, global biogeochemistry, and ecological complexity (biodiversity). The editors present a summary of the integrated and interactive effects of global change on the terrestrial biosphere for four key regions of the world, as well as a projection of future trends in the terrestrial component of the global carbon cycle. The book also includes a section on tools developed or modified for global change research.

Terrestrial Biosphere: Environmental Change, Ecosystem Science, Attitudes & Values (Understanding Global Environmental Change: Themes in Physical Geography)

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Terrestrial Biosphere: Environmental Change, Ecosystem Science, Attitudes & Values (Understanding Global Environmental Change: Themes in Physical Geography)
Steve Trudgill
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall (UK)
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Terrestrial Ecosystems in Changing Environments (Cambridge Studies in Ecology)

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Terrestrial Ecosystems in Changing Environments (Cambridge Studies in Ecology)
Herman H. Shugart
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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Binding: Hardcover

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Predicting how terrestrial ecosystems might respond in the future to large-scale human-generated changes is a major challenge for ecologists. In Terrestrial Ecosystems in Changing Environments, Herman H. Shugart describes the fundamental ecological concepts, theoretical developments, and quantitative analyses involved in understanding the responses of natural systems to change. The key ecological concepts described include the ecosystem paradigm, niche theory, vegetation/climate relationships, landscape ecology and ecological modeling. A variety of ecological models are presented, and their applications in predicting responses to change are considered. The challenge of producing ecological models capable of predicting long-term and large-area ecosystem dynamics is reviewed and several examples are provided. Finally, some of the exciting new findings regarding terrestrial landscapes and their feedback with their climatic setting are discussed in the context of human land use and global change.

Trends in Antarctic Terrestrial and Limnetic Ecosystems: Antarctica as a Global Indicator

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Trends in Antarctic Terrestrial and Limnetic Ecosystems: Antarctica as a Global Indicator

Manufacturer: Springer
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1402052766

Book Description

The Antarctic provides a suite of scenarios useful for investigating the range of climate change effects on terrestrial and limnetic biota. The international SCAR programme RiSCC (Regional Sensitivity to Climate Change in Antarctic Terrestrial and Limnetic Ecosystems) is investigating these scenarios with the goals of (1) understanding the likely response of Antarctic biota to changing climates, and (2) contributing to the development of broadly applicable theory concerning interactions between climate change, indigenous and introduced species, and ecosystem functioning. The programme draws upon both new and existing data.

The purpose of the book is to provide, based on the most up to date knowledge, a synthesis of the likely effects of climate change on Antarctic terrestrial and limnetic ecosystems and, thereby, to contribute to their management and conservation, based on the information.

‘ A comprehensive yet accessible account of an ambitious and ultimately successful programme of research into the harsh environments of Antarctica. It provides an up to date account of how Antarctic terrestrial and limnetic environments are structured and their responses to regional and local climate changes. An essential book for those interested in polar regions ecology, in life at extremes and in the impact of rapid change on ecosystems.’ J.C. Ellis-Evans, British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK

‘ This book is a much needed, and comprehensive evaluation of the global changes affecting the ice-free ecosystems of the Antarctic. This edited volume is extremely valuable for all scientists interested in understanding the impacts of global changes on terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. The chapters within this volume present a comprehensive evaluation of a polar region undergoing rapid biodiversity and ecosystem change. This book is a significant addition and necessary reference for all scientists interested in the biodiversity and ecosystem changes occurring in land and freshwater ecosystems.’ Diana H. Wall, Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA

‘ The polar regions are most sensitive sites of our Planet. Already now we can recognize the signs of what we call Global Change. Experts, are needed who can explain the signals based on their research over extended periods of time in the area. This book is therefore a milestone as it has collected the most actual facts about the Antarctic region and allows us to look at the phenomenon from physical and biological perspectives. It is a "must" for all who are concerned about our environment.’ Ludger Kappen, Institute of Polar Ecology, University of Kiel, Germany

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Radiation Effects: ESR and ENDOR Analysis.
Harold C. Box
Manufacturer: Academic Press Inc.,U.S.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OHVOW2

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Fundamentals of Physics, Part 1 (Chapters 1-11)
David Halliday , Robert Resnick , and Jearl Walker
Manufacturer: Wiley
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Fundamentals of Physics, Part 2 (Chapters 1220)

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Fundamentals of Physics, Part 4 (Chapters 33-37)

Fundamentals of Physics, Part 5 (Chapters 38-44)

Fundamentals of Physics

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Fundamentals of Physics, Part 2 (Chapters 1220)

Introductory Physics with Calculus (as a Second Language ) Mastering Problem-Solving

Fundamentals of Physics

ASIN: 0471429619

Average customer rating:

NOT a beginner's book

What a Struggle

pretty good, beginners may need extra help with it

Highly overrated

is this a money-making gimmick or what?

Part 1, Fundamentals of Physics, 5th Edition
David Halliday , Robert Resnick , and Jearl Walker
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons Inc
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Binding: Paperback

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Fundamentals of Physics, , Problem Supplement No. 1

Fundamentals of Physics

Fundamentals of Physics

Part 2, Fundamentals of Physics, 5th Edition

A Student's Companion to Accompany Fundamentals of Physics 6th Edition, Includes Extended Chapters

ASIN: 0471145610

Book Description

No other book on the market today can match the success of Halliday, Resnick and Walker's Fundamentals of Physics! In a breezy, easy-to-understand style the book offers a solid understanding of fundamental physics concepts, and helps readers apply this conceptual understanding to quantitative problem solving.

Customer Reviews:

NOT a beginner's book.......2005-10-04

The first physics course I've ever taken used this very textbook. If you are about to be in the same boat as I was, let me tell you this: this is NOT a good introductory physics text. If you're not one of the kids who took AP Physics in high school, you will probably struggle with this book unless you have a very amazing professor.

Most of the formulas are given as "this is the general formula, and here's how we derive the other formulas from this". There's very little explanation involved with concepts, and when the author tries they are extremely hazy. This book apparently assumes that you've learned every concept before, and that you only need a brief overview and a table of formulas.

Not to completely bash this book - far from it. Formulas are listed in an organized and comprehensive fashion, and useful derivations are given also. If I need to look up a physics formula, this is the book I use as it's actually faster than sifting through Google. Beware, though, if this is your first endeavour into the world of physics.

What a Struggle.......2005-03-20

I'm using this book for a distance learning course in physics. I suspect it was not written for distance learning. I often find it hard to relate the answers to chapter problems to the explanations in the text. I also have a copy of Cutnell & Johnson's Physics 6th edition. The thinking in the latter is a lot easier to follow.

pretty good, beginners may need extra help with it.......2004-08-20

i'm using this book as a main source for preparing for the physics GRE exam, and i'm finding that it is getting me up to speed for the exam. my previous academic background is actually math/german/finance, but i can tell you that the math background is what makes working with this book fairly successful. i'm pretty much a sucker for big, pretty books anyway, but i really can tell that this one is definitely helping me learn basic physics- fairly good examples, lots of problems, and interesting introductions to each chapter to captivate your attention and motivate you to continue studying. if you're a freshman taking using this book for a course, i would suggest you consult your professor regularly and get help whenever something is not quite clear- it's probably a royal pain in the neck to take physics I/II and calc concurrently, so i can totally understand those of you without the complete math background having trouble with this material- i know i did 20 years ago as an undergrad, and it made me really dislike physics at that time. i don't know what calc classes are like these days, but i would strongly recommend at least 3 semesters of calculus before embarking on a course that uses this book- it'll make your learning experience much more intense, and you'll get a lot more from the book and will be able to appreciate it much more. Oh, and you may just want to try and order the international edition from abroad (Europe, for example)- it's about $100 less than the U.S. price and still has the same content!

Highly overrated.......2004-07-04

Alright, so of course this is the book required by just about every college in the country these days in their introductory physics courses---well, it shouldn't be. The authors certainly provide mathematical motivation for the concepts they cover, but certainly don't give adequate real-world motivation for concepts. Oh yeah, so, as one idiot reviewer who thinks he's some kind of precocious student said, this book helped him and his high school buddies get fives on the AP Test---WELL BIG DEAL IDIOT!!! GOOD FOR YOU!! I only managed to do that in my freshman year of highschool so I guess it must be really hard or something--*cough* Well, in the real world of people who actually know anything about physics or math or any field, getting a five on the AP exam in highschool isn't anything special. Basically, this book will prepare you to pass exams and standardized tests--it won't give you understanding. For that, go somewhere worthwhile---for example, the Feynman Lectures on Physics, all three volumes of which cost about half as much as Halliday and Resnick's book.

is this a money-making gimmick or what?.......2004-05-07

Our physics department decided to switch to this book last year, and I have been trying to figure out which edition to buy.. "extended enhanced problem edition", "extended", "enhanced"? How about throwing in a student's companion text that contains "chapter extensions?"? What about getting the right Solutions manual? only 30% of the solutions are in it? And now I just found out they have published (another?) new 7th edition which no doubt will have a brand new array of essential supplements and extensions. Why all these editions and supplements?

Fundamentals of Physics, Part 1, Chapters 1 - 12, Problem Supplement No. 1

Average customer rating:

A very worthy addition to the team

Fundamentals of Physics, Part 1, Chapters 1 - 12, Problem Supplement No. 1
David Halliday , and Robert Resnick
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Customer Reviews:

A very worthy addition to the team.......2007-05-23

I like this problem book and I like the fact that it is separate. I'm old school, I suppose, but I'd teach out of the second edtion (see my review) and use this problem book.

FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICS AND PHYSICS PARTS 1 AND 2

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FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICS AND PHYSICS PARTS 1 AND 2
No Author
Manufacturer: John Wiley and Sons Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000PN4Y1S

Fundamentals of Physics 6e Part 1 & Part 2 with St Udent Study Guide Set

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Fundamentals of Physics 6e Part 1 & Part 2 with St Udent Study Guide Set
HALLIDAY
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0471418676

Fundamentals of Physics 8th Edition Part 1 (Chapters 1 - 11) with Part 2 (12-20) Part 3 (21-32) Part 4 (33-37) and Part 5 (38-44) Set

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Fundamentals of Physics 8th Edition Part 1 (Chapters 1 - 11) with Part 2 (12-20) Part 3 (21-32) Part 4 (33-37) and Part 5 (38-44) Set
David Halliday
Manufacturer: Wiley
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Fundamentals of Physics Fifth Edition Parts 1-4 Chapters 1-38 and CD Physics for Windows and Pocket Guide To Accompany Fundamentals

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Fundamentals of Physics Fifth Edition Parts 1-4 Chapters 1-38 and CD Physics for Windows and Pocket Guide To Accompany Fundamentals
Jearl Walker , Robert Resnick , and David Halliday
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons
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Binding: Paperback

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Fundamentals of Physics, Part 1, Chapters 1 - 12, Enhanced Problems Version

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Fundamentals of Physics, Part 1, Chapters 1 - 12, Enhanced Problems Version
David Halliday , and Robert Resnick
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ASIN: 0471228605

Fundamentals of Physics: Part I Chapters 1 - 12, Problems Update

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Fundamentals of Physics: Part I Chapters 1 - 12, Problems Update
Robert; Halliday, David; Walker, Jearl Resnick
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons Inc
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Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000TBME2M

Relativistic Electronic Structure Theory: Part 1, Fundamentals (Theoretical and Computational Chemistry)

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Relativistic Electronic Structure Theory: Part 1, Fundamentals (Theoretical and Computational Chemistry)

Manufacturer: Elsevier Science
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ASIN: 0444512497

Book Description

The first volume of this two part series is concerned with the fundamental aspects of relativistic quantum theory, outlining the enormous progress made in the last twenty years in this field. The aim was to create a book such that researchers who become interested in this exciting new field find it useful as a textbook, and do not have to rely on a rather large number of specialized papers published in this area.

· No title is currently available that deals with new developments in relativistic quantum electronic structure theory
· Interesting and relevant to graduate students in chemistry and physics as well as to all researchers in the field of quantum chemistry
· As treatment of heavy elements becomes more important, there will be a constant demand for this title

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In August 1914 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn began his epic account of the events leading up to the Russian Revolution. Subtitled The Red Wheel/Knot I, the book was the first in a projected trilogy. It took more than 20 years for the second in the series to make its debut, but November 1916: The Red Wheel/Knot II picks up in the latter years of the war and chronicles the events between the end of October and the middle of November 1916. Though Solzhenitsyn himself admits that little of historical significance occurred during those few weeks, his novel is jam-packed with enough three-dimensional characters and tangled life stories to more than make up for the dearth of history. Cutting back and forth between the Russian frontlines, the fiercely divided Duma, an increasingly seditious peasantry, and various revolutionary groups, November 1916 masterfully re-creates the bubbling undercurrent of violence and cataclysmic change that would erupt in just a few short months. From Nicholas and Alexandra in St. Petersburg to Lenin in Switzerland, and a whole host of fictional characters in between, Solzhenitsyn brings the people, the problems, and the era to life. --Margaret Prior

Book Description

A vivid and sweeping panorama of Imperial Russia at war on the eve of revolution.

The month of November 1916 in Russia was outwardly unmarked by seismic events--in the author's words, it "encapsulated the stagnant and oppressive atmosphere of the months immediately preceding the Revolution"--but beneath the surface, society, from the Tsar's bizarre and troubled court to the peasants, workers, and ill-led soldiers in the trenches, seethed fiercely. As no other could, Solzhenitsyn makes us experience the whole bubbling cauldron. In Petrograd, luxury store windows are still brightly lit; the Duma debates stormily about the monarchy, the course of war, and clashing paths to reform; the workers in the huge and miserable munitions factories veer increasingly toward sedition. At the front, all is stalemate except for sudden death's capricious visits, while in the countryside sullen anxiety among hard-pressed farmers is rapidly replacing patriotism. In Zurich, Lenin, with the smallest of all revolutionary groups, plots his sinister logistical miracle. With masterly and moving empathy, through the eyes of both historical and fictional protagonists, the author unforgettably transports us to that time and place--the last of pre-Soviet Russia.

Customer Reviews:

Great story slowed down by superfluous research papers.......2004-07-11

I was really excited to see this book had finally been translated into English, having just read the old (and terrible) Michael Glenny hack job translation of 'August 1914.' It was a bit slow to pick up, but this is my favourite writer, so I knew that once it got going, it would be as impossible to put down as all of his other books. Unfortunately that was not the case. I abandoned it in frustration midway through the first of the six miniature research papers, on the history of the Kadet movement, and didn't return to it and start all over again till three and a half years later. This time I didn't give up at any point, though it wasn't easy getting through most of the small-print material in the non-fiction chapters. I really believe that he did want to educate his fellow Russians on a period in their history which isn't well-taught or well-understood instead of showing off the mammoth research he did on this book, but surely there could have been a way to convey that same information without interrupting the narrative a total of six times to bring the reader this tedious material, a mixture of non-fiction narrative and long quotes from the historical figures being discussed. Maybe, like in some of his other books I've read, have page references in the back to what was being talked about there, have footnotes, or a general introduction or afterword on the history behind the story. I know this is his life's work, the second of the four books that were the obsession of his writing life (thankfully he's lived long enough to finish them), but the information would have been gotten across just as well had these six chapters been cut out or had the information presented in the course of the fictional story, the way a good historical fiction writer presents historical events and figures important to the story. It was also hard to keep track of who was who, with all of these names, like Markov, Uncle Khvostov, Nephew Khvostov, Maklakov, Rodzyanko, Protopopov, Milyukov, Krivoshein, St?rmer, and Shipov, as well as who had been dismissed by the Tsar, whom Rasputin and the Tsarina were trying to get rid of, who was a Centrist, Rightist, Kadet, Leftist, ultra-Leftist, ultra-Rightist, a Duma member, or one of the Tsar's ministers. I love Russian history, but this was way too much information to process. The only non-fiction chapters I felt belonged there were the final two, the Duma transcripts, which read more like part of a story than a detached research paper.

The scope of this book is far wider than 'August 1914,' and there are far more characters to keep track of. A number of characters from that book also appear here, in varying degrees of importance. The most important recurring character is Colonel Georgiy Vorontyntsev; here we also get to meet his wife Alina, his baby sister Vera, and their childhood nanny. Since the time during which this book takes place, late October to mid November of 1916, was primarily a time of stalemate, the majority of the action takes place on the homefront. The chapters that do involve the characters in the military don't include any battles. It's hard to not see why revolution occurred when it did--everything on the homefront is going to the dogs, what with fixed grain prices for the peasants, rising prices for the people in the cities, anti-German pogroms, men between the ages of 38 and 41 being called into the military, along with boys who were born in 1898, the youngest possible class who can serve, Russia bankrupt, the strange behaviour of the Tsar, the replacement of the popular but ineffective Supreme Commander of the army, Nikolasha, with his great-nephew the Tsar himself, and the world shutting off its banking with Russia. Everyone was humiliated and angry, from the Tsarists to the revolutionaries living in exile abroad. The Tsar was a genuinely nice fellow, but kept making all of the wrong moves and making revolution even more inevitable.

Some people don't like this book because it has so many different characters, but that's the point--it's showing how these events affected all of these different classes of people, at all levels of society, how each of them reacted to it. It's harder to summarise, and very exhausting to read (I read it in two weeks, surprising given the sheer length), but the ending is really beautiful, a classic final thought. It was worth it just to read the end.

Monumental Wave of Events.......2003-10-21

Although the second book of the series (following AUGUST 1914 by 20 something years) was written so much later than its "prequel" it still resonates. What a fantastic story!! The slow and inevitable passage of events, the horrors of WW1, the breakdown of authority in imperialist Russia - all combine into an awesome conjunction of people and events.

But it is the characters that make this tale, for the lives of the individuals are what gives this story meaning. The author also presumes that one is at least somewhat familiar with the history of the time. I have always had trouble with the long, unpronouncable Slavic names (shortening them in my mind for readability) but if one persists, it is well worth the effort. Solzhenitsyn is trying to WRITE history, to tell a story that he considers of utmost importance not only to the Russian people but to the rest of the world.

Will Still Be Read in the 22nd Century.......2003-06-14

My approach to reading the two Red Wheel volumes has not been ideal, since I read each when it was first avaiable in English translation. The 25 year separation between the two "knots" was not ideal for me as a reader, but then the circumstances faced by the author have never been ideal. The second knot, November 1916, will reward your reading efforts with a recreation of the Great War's Eastern front, and of the unfolding disaster in the Russian heartland, that cannot be found elsewhere. Since the horrors in the process of being unleashed in the month captured here by Solzhenitsyn have not yet run their full course, one cannot, even as late as the year 2003, assess the full damage. But this novel lets us glimpse, and perhaps understand, the beginning of a nightmare--for a great people and for all of humanity.

overwhelming.......2001-12-21

i am a fan of Mr. Solzhenitsyn both as a person and as a writer. and i have read a number of his works, including August 1914 (this book's prologue, as i'm sure you know). however, this volume of 1000 pages was just too much for me. i forced myself to keep reading up to the point where i had covered 300+ pages .... and then i gave up.

i wanted to love this book, but it was too pedantic for me and seemed to lack Mr. Solzhenitsyn's usual desire to make his characters come alive. was it just me or did the characters fade into insignificance? was Mr. Solzhenitsyn so taken with relating facts and foibles that his characters got lost in the shuffle? or was this book intentionally written as an history book and the characters were "necessary evils" ? i don't know.

i seem to recall in other books by Mr. Solzhenitsyn (e.g. Cancer Ward) a "slow start" with multiple characters (here read - this reviewer gets easily confused). however, typically after 100+ pages Mr. Solzhenitsyn begins to focus on one or two related souls and then blends his character development with history & implied comment. that is what i had hoped for and was expecting - work then reward, effort then involvement. i genuinely regret to say that i could never get past feeling as if i were a pinball being bounced from one uninteresting transcript to another.

bottom line - if one is (somewhat ?) knowledgeable of Russian history during this epoch, perhaps he/she will find this book worthy of 4 or 5 stars. otherwise, don't waste your time. by all means read Mr. Solzhenitsyn, but perhaps A Day In The Life Of .... would be a better place to get a taste of his prophetic and literary skills.

Hugely ambitious.......2001-05-15

This historical novel is the sequel to "August 1914" and continues Solzhenitsyn's examination of Russian society prior to the Revolution. In contrast to "August 1914", the focus is upon the Russian home front rather than the military operations, and to my mind wins over "August 1914" because of that.

However, this is no easy read. The book is lengthy, and very ambitious in its scope - all sections of Russian society are examined - from the peasantry to the Imperial Family. Debates in the Duma are related in some detail, and although Solzhenitsyn advises that the reader may skip those parts, I found it best not to, as references to the Duma and certain of its personalities popped up elsewhere in the narrative.

Above all, the author makes heavy demands upon the reader's prior knowledge of Russian history - I could quite well imagine that the novel would defeat someone who had no background knowledge. You don't have to know the events and characters described in detail (I certainly didn't) but my very superficial knowledge did help me.

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This digital document is an article from New Criterion, published by Foundation for Cultural Review on February 1, 1999. The length of the article is 2391 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: November 1916: The Red Wheel/Knot II.(Review)
Author: Daniel J. Mahoney
Publication: New Criterion (Magazine/Journal)
Date: February 1, 1999
Publisher: Foundation for Cultural Review
Volume: 17 Issue: 6 Page: 73(1)

Article Type: Book Review

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