Human Origins and Environmental Backgrounds (Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects)

Book Description

Advances in fossil studies relating to the origin of Homo sapiens have strengthened the hypothesis that our direct ancestors originated on the African continent. Most researchers also agree that the time when prehumans diverged from the last common ancestor was in the early part of the Late Miocene epoch. Focus must now shift from determining the times and places of hominid origins to clarifying hominid evolutionary problems, such as the selective factors and acquisition processes of hominid bipedalism. In March of 2003, researchers from Africa, Europe, Japan and the United States convened in Kyoto for a symposium on Human Origins and Environmental Backgrounds, an interdisciplinary effort to consider these evolutionary puzzles, to report current research and to exchange thoughts towards better understanding the relationship among environmental changes, adaptive mechanisms and human origins. This book is the result of that symposium, and includes a diverse and unique set of papers on topics such as hominid evolution, dispersal and morphology, and the origins of bipedalism.

Book Description

The International Symposium on Spatial Data Handling is the premier research forum for Geographic Information Science. It is the primary event organized by the International Geographical Union's Study Group on Geographical Information Science.

The Symposium is particularly strong in respect to identifying significant new developments in this field. Many influential developments in GIS have been generated from contributions to this symposium. The papers published in this volume are carefully refereed by an international programme committee composed of experts in various areas of GIS who are especially renowned for their scientific innovation.

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Enjoyable read

Cool! I never knew that bridge was so interesting.

enjoyed the book, but...

The New York Times Bridge Book: An Anecdotal History of the Development, Personalities, and Strategies of the World's Most Popular Card Game (New York Times Bridge Series)
Alan Truscott , and Dorothy Truscott
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Bridge | Card Games | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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How to Read Your Opponents' Cards

Bridge: Techniques and Tips from the Masters - 4249 Diagrammed Hands and Plays

100 Bridge Problems

Things Your Bridge Teacher Won't Tell You

Eddie Kantar Teaches Modern Bridge Defense

ASIN: 031233107X

Book Description

Never before has there been such a comprehensive history of bridge, filled with anecdotes about famous players, key tourna-ments, and scandals, including: -A WWI-era bridge game that determined the fate of a United States Naval ship -The first murder ever to occur over a bridge game -The story of the first international bridge champion -Computerized bridge in the twenty-first century. Packed with diagrams of winning plays and expert tips, The New York Times Bridge Book is a must-have for all bridge aficionados.

Customer Reviews:

Enjoyable read.......2007-08-16

This is an excellent book for bridge players at all levels. It combines a history of the game, some basic instruction, interesting hands and memoirs of the authors. The Truscotts have a wealth of experiences to draw from, having been involved in bridge at the highest level for fifty years or more.

If you want a couple of quibbles, I disliked chapter 15, titled "Some Strange Situations". It contains cutesy miscellaneous material that they wanted to include, but didn't have a place for in the main narrative. Their editor should have just cut it out.

Also, they went a little overboard in their account of cheating in bridge. One piece of evidence of Italian cheating they give is a successful opening lead against 3NT (page 205). This seems like quite a stretch to call it cheating when the lead is fourth from the longest and strongest!

These nits aside, whether you like stories, hands, or instruction, you're sure to enjoy the book.

Cool! I never knew that bridge was so interesting........2006-10-25

The New York Times Bridge Book
By Alan and Dorothy Truscott
Genre: Non-fiction

This is a wonderful collection of stories, plays, and tips on the still popular game of bridge. If you already know how to play, but maybe are a beginner and need some tips this is the book for you. Even more advanced players will find themselves challenged by the wide variety of hands played in the history of bridge. The authors write in such a way, intertwining the history of bridge with tips and instructions, that you will be caught up in the riveting story of players rise and fall to fame, without even realizing that your bridge skills are being improved while you read. This book has everything about bridge, from when it started as a game called whisk around a thousand years ago, to all the ethics of bridge and how to cheat unnoticeably. The book is filled with famous players, tournaments, hands, and scandals. It also gives you a couple of good tips on how to get yourself known in the bridge world. There are play-by-play instructions on how you would play some of the most notable hands dealt in bridge history, and many different instructions on various bidding conventions, or a certain play in bridge itself. If you want to soon be known for your fabulous bridge skills by all of your neighbors, then you cannot go without this book.
Alan Truscott has been the bridge editor for the New York Times since 1964, and has written thirteen books on bridge, including the famed The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge. Dorothy Truscott learned bridge when she was seven years old, and has won four world titles and thirty national. She has written the bestselling book Bid Better, Play Better, as well as a few others. Both are members of the American Contract Bridge League's hall of fame.

enjoyed the book, but..........2005-01-09

I enjoyed the read, kind of entertaining. But the paper it printed on is terrible. I don't understand, is the price of paper increases that much that the publisher uses the worst kind of paper. Really disapointed (about the paper).

Finger Ring Lore: Historical, Legendary and Anecdotal

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Finger Ring Lore: Historical, Legendary and Anecdotal
William Jones
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Book Description

1898. The importance of this branch of archeology cannot be too highly appreciated, embracing incidents, historical and social, from the earliest times, brought to our notice by invaluable specimens of glyptic art, many of them of the purest taste, beauty and excellency; elucidating obscure points in the creeds and general usages of the past, types for artistic imitation, besides supplying links to fix particular times and events. Illustrated throughout. Contents: rings from the earliest period; ring superstitions; secular investiture by the ring; rings in connection with ecclesiastical usages; betrothal and wedding rings; token rings; memorial and mortuary rings; posy, inscription, and motto rings; customs and incidents in connection with rings; remarkable rings.

Among the Missing : An Anecdotal History of Missing Persons from 1800 to the Present

Average customer rating:

Always a peach.

Among the Missing : An Anecdotal History of Missing Persons from 1800 to the Present
Jay robert nash
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Reference & Collections | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Genealogy | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0671240056

Customer Reviews:

Always a peach........2000-06-16

Ok this peach isn't as good as Terrorism in the twentieth century because it's a little more scatered.

Book Description

In Presidential Wives, Paul Boller brings his gift for telling detail to bear on the women our Presidents married, and the result is a biographical feat--at once funny and poignant, dramatic and illuminating, covering every First Lady from Martha Washington to Hillary Rodham Clinton. Boller devotes a full chapter to each of his subjects, featuring an incisive biographical essay followed by a selection of revealing anecdotes. Through his portrayal of such a diverse group of women, Boller sheds new light on how much the institution of the presidency tells us about ourselves and our life as a nation. First published in 1988, this second edition has been revised to include updated information on people such as Nancy Reagan and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, a new preface, and new chapters devoted to Barbara Bush and Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Customer Reviews:

fun to read.......2007-07-08

This book was a pleasure to read. It is a great way to get some basic insights into the wives of our President's, while creating the desire to learn more about these amazing women.

Average customer rating:

Brilliant!
It changed my life!
a wonderful insight to post-dotcom life in San Francisco
Incredible humor, excellent storytelling method
Vacuous drivel

Anecdotal
J., Brooks Dann
Manufacturer: Dog Ear Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Comic | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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The Road

ASIN: 0976660350

Book Description

Jake Tanner is a 31-year-old itinerant consultant, part-time entrepreneur, quasi-journalist and regular man-about-town in post dot com San Francisco. When he decides to add amateur raconteur and dilettante novelist to his impressive list of credentials, he engages himself in a project of capturing the hopes, dreams and social commitments of the new millennium male- moments big and small.anecdotes of life, love and leisure. But when his relationship takes a sudden unexpected turn, he finds that being the narrator for one's own life isn't. Actually, this is Jake and I have to admit that I enjoy writing back cover copy even less than I like reading it, so I think I'll quit while I'm ahead. But I posed in my underwear for the painting on the cover, and I think that demonstrates real commitment to my craft.

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant!.......2005-11-01

This book is BRILLIANT!! I actually have been putting off reaching the final page, because I have so thoroughly enjoyed it. I didn't want it to end (and I'm quite depressed now that it has).

Dann's "anecdotes" completely compelled me. I've been through many similar situations, and could relate so well to the characters and stories. He has a fantastic way of capturing the chemistry between people in a witty and poignant way. I found myself genuinely caring about the characters and I couldn't wait to find out what unfolded next. The little twists and turns thrown in definitely kept things interesting.

I especially related to the description of how people our age live in a series of short stories as opposed to a single coherent plot. I've felt that way for many years now but have never been able to articulate it. Dann does a fantastic job of illustrating that experience. And he perfectly depicted what it was like to live through the whole "dot com boom/bust." It brought back so many of my own hilarious memories. :) I'll be anxiously awaiting the next installment!

It changed my life!.......2005-09-30

I found a review of this book by someone named "Joey" in the restroom at the Power Exchange. Any book referred to as "vacuous drivel" sounds tempting to me, so I rushed to my nearest San Francisco bookseller to purchase a copy, only to find it sold out and the first three I tried. Finally I obtained my copy and went immediately home to review it. I was quite disappointed to find a humourous and well-written novel instead of the promised drivel, but I consoled myself with the prospect of perhaps learning some lessons about the ladies from this interesting book. After reading and enjoying Anecdotal I thought I might set for myself the goal of emulating the protagonist by becoming a San Francisco "raconteur" myself. I didn't know what this word meant, so I looked it up at Dictionary.com. Unfortunately, it apparently means a good story-teller, not a super stud ladies man, like I assumed. Still, I have high hopes that after reading Anecdotal and following the hero as my role model, I too will someday enjoy romantic escapades with the fair sex worth writing about.

a wonderful insight to post-dotcom life in San Francisco.......2005-08-17

like the Great Gatsby typifies the go-go era of the 1920s, Anecdotal is what we will remember about the post-dotcom malaise.

at the same time, it is a book about a romantic single guy in his 30s who is neurotic yet loveable. i admit that i only read one novel per year (and this was it for 2005) ... so i don't have a lot to compare it to ... but i really liked the book (and really liked the Woody Allen-like protagonist).

Incredible humor, excellent storytelling method.......2005-08-16

It took a couple of chapters for me to catch on to where the author was going, but then I really got into this book. The way the author used short vignettes and anecdotes to keep the humor fresh and the plot moving worked incredibly well. I believe he was also able to use this method to change up the styles of writing and keep readers who like variety interested (some chapters were very polished, others stream of consciousness, some were very funny, while others got very emotional).
The author's analysis of dating, parties and the general social scene for young professionals in a big city was excellent. He really does a good job of breaking down the intricacies of the smallest moments. The book works as a sort of a "guy's sex and the city". If the book stopped there, it would be a GOOD read, but it goes in some very interesting directions that make it into an excellent novel. It sneaks up on you in a way, but the book puts forth some dilemmas which any of us could face--although they all seem to pile on the narrator at once. The author takes a very thoughtful approach to dealing with these dilemmas. "Anecdotal" prompted some very interesting discussions between me and a friend who also read the book.
As a side note, I lived in San Francisco for a period and it was a lot of fun to read about many of my favorite neighborhoods and places.

Vacuous drivel.......2005-08-16

I found this book in a box on a sidewalk in San Francisco. You know, the box of books that nobody buys at somebody's garage sale which gets left on the street for free. Thank goodness I didn't pay for it because it's awful. While the descriptions of post-boom San Francisco are well done, they don't redeem this novel. The characters are a bunch of vacuous San Francisco yuppies who drift randomly from wine and cheese parties to travels in France, Las Vegas, and LA. There is the tiniest wisp of a plot to string the reader along. At one point I began to suspect that the author actually intended to display these characters as a bunch of sniveling twits, but sadly, he really is earnest about them. There is no message whatsoever in this novel.

Cavaliers and Cardinals: Nineteenth-Century French Anecdotal Paintings

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Cavaliers and Cardinals: Nineteenth-Century French Anecdotal Paintings
Eric M. Zarfran
Manufacturer: Univ of Pennsylvania Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Tall Trees, Tough Men: A Vivid, Anecdotal History of Logging and Log-Driving in New England

Average customer rating:

A colorful trip back in time
Lumber Jack Stories

Tall Trees, Tough Men: A Vivid, Anecdotal History of Logging and Log-Driving in New England
Robert E. Pike
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ASIN: 0393319172

Book Description

In this robust, informal book, Robert E. Pike tells the colorful story of logging and log-driving in New England. The New England loggers and river drivers were a unique breed of men. Working with their axes and peaveys through Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, they contributed mightily to the development of the United States. The daily life of the loggers was hard --working in deep icy water fourteen hours a day, sleeping in wet blankets, eating coarse food, and constantly risking their lives. Their pay was very low, yet they were proud to call themselves loggers. When they came out of the woods after the spring drives, they ebulliently spent their pay carousing in the staid New England towns. Robert E. Pike, who as a youth worked in the woods and on the rivers, writes affectionately and knowingly, with humorous anecdotes, of every detail of lumbering. He describes the daily life of the logging camps, giving a picture of the different specialist jobs: the camp boss, the choppers, the sawyers and filers, the scaler, the teamsters, the river men, the railroaders, and the lumber kings. His descriptions bring the reader vividly into the woods, smelling the tangy, newly cut timber, hearing the boom of the falling trees.

Customer Reviews:

A colorful trip back in time.......2000-10-13

After visiting the Great North woods of New Hampshire for the last 12 years, and learning of my ancestors involvement in the logging industry, I decided to purchase this book and was greatly impressed by the varied stories of life in the lumber camp and on the drives. Though the different jobs were skimmed over in description, it gave a good look into the past. Oh to be a fly in the woods in those days. Very enjoyable reading.

Lumber Jack Stories.......2000-03-25

This was a great little book packed with history of the lumber business in America. The content was easy to read and educational. The stories of hardship and true grit of the early pioneers of New England was very entertaining. A good read for those interested the outdoors, early America and the lumber industry.

American Nervousness, 1903: An Anecdotal History

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In the Gay 90s they suffered from Neurasthenia
In the Gay 90s they suffered from Neurasthenia

American Nervousness, 1903: An Anecdotal History
Tom Lutz
Manufacturer: Cornell University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Macroeconomics | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Theory | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0801498783

Book Description

Hysteria, insomnia, hypochondria, asthma, skin rashes, hay fever, premature baldness, inebriety, nervous exhaustion, brain-collapse--all were symptoms of neurasthenia, the bizarre psychophysiological illness that plagued America's intellectual and economic elite around the turn of the century.

Customer Reviews:

In the Gay 90s they suffered from Neurasthenia.......2001-03-04

This book was a big surprise to me. I did not know that in the late 1800s through the 1920s, the prevaling medical analysis of mental disorder was called neurasthenia. The (pre-)psychological world of the time believed that mental health derived from a balance of nervous energy in the body. Too much? Excitement, hysteria, insanity. Too little? Lethargy, melancholia, death. This non-empirical "science" was White, Anglo-Saxon and Protestant Gentry Male-centric. And the "American" variant of the disease was the worst because of our modern conveniences like trains and telegraphs. 1903 may stand as the epicenter of this medical marvel. Tom Lutz uses examples of 1903 events grouped as anecdotes about public figures like Teddy Roosevelt and Theodore Dressier. This device effectively demonstrates the ubiquity of neurasthenia in people's perceptions of private and public events.

A woman might be prescribed a month in bed drinking milk to combat an excess of nervous energy (ambition?), while her husband might go ride horses out West to lift him out of a professional rut. Sounds fair, right?

The polital conservative movement has roots in the period. "Conservatism" attempted to reuse excess nervous energy by spending excess business income on business expansion. This justified low wages in an early trickle-down mentality.

In the Gay 90s they suffered from Neurasthenia.......2001-03-04

One caveat - Tom Lutz's writing is incisive and revealing but it's also erudite and scholastic at times. He carefully illuminates the influence of the most important social/medical theory of the time - keep your thinking hat on.

Average customer rating:

IN A LOCAL LIBRARY IN VICTORIA,B.C.

Rodgers & Hart: Bewitched, bothered, and bedeviled : an anecdotal account
Samuel Marx
Manufacturer: Putnam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Voice | Instruments & Performers | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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Words and Music

ASIN: 0399117865

Customer Reviews:

IN A LOCAL LIBRARY IN VICTORIA,B.C........2002-07-28

I read that book many years ago while at VICTORIA,B.C.where my sister lives.I had pick it up at a local library.It was actually the first real account of RODGERS and HART and their collaboration of twenty-three years(1920-1943),apart from DICK RODGERS's autobiography published the year before.Several passages of this book are about LARRY HART and his bout with booze that finally killed him at age 47.The story of how the show I MARRIED AN ANGEL was created is really something to read.Apparently,LARRY wrote half the lyrics of that show in one single night.If you like RODGERS and HART,you'll enjoy reading that book.There is only one problem:it was never reedited.Local librarys or used book stores are your alternatives.

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