Average customer rating:
- Should be titled a Ruud Gullit Love Fest
|
Newcastle Out of Toon: The Insider Story of Newcastle at War
Harry Harris
Manufacturer: Robson Books
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1861052871 |
Customer Reviews:
Should be titled a Ruud Gullit Love Fest.......2001-08-06
Fans of Gullit will no doubt find this book interesting. I was just disappointed in this purchase.
This is a book written by someone who appears to be very close to both Ruud Gullit and his representatives and gives, what I think is a very one sided account of what happened during Gullit's reign at Newcastle. Had I known that, I never would have bought this book. I didn't want to read another "biography" from Harry Harris of someone who came close to leading a great club down to the First Division.
Book Description
A biographical, historical, and philosophical study of the impact of Darwinism on the intellectual climate of the nineteenth century, challenging the conventional view of Darwin's greatness. A thorough and masterly book. --Times Literary Supplement
Customer Reviews:
Darwin Undone.......2003-05-15
This is an excellent book written by a brilliant author. It details the line of progenitors leading up to Darwin's theory as well as the historical milieu in which Darwin swam during his lifetime and some of the forces, social and otherwise, that influenced him prior to Origin of Species and beyond. Himmelfarb gives an insightful criticism of Darwin's theory working simply from the internal organization of Darwin's thoughts. Himmelfarb is so brilliant in her analysis that my only criticism of the book is that she didn't critcize the theory in a more detailed fashion.
But it is a very readable and accessible book, and one that clearly points out some of the failings of Darwinian theory, many of which have been picked up by other critics over the years. However, I suspect that for the more sophisticated critic of Darwin, this book lacks sufficient scientific evidence--though it remains a fine history of the person, his theory, and its reception at the time of publication.
At Long Last!.......1999-12-24
All of the books I have ever read about Darwin either extoll him a a perfect, God-like creature, or vilify him as a demon. This book provides a comprehensive view of Darwin as he was, that is, as he saw himself and as others saw him. I was surprised to read that Darwin had many predecessors in the development of his theory, and that the flaws of the theory (which are significant) were generally recognized long before the challenges of modern science pointed them out. If you want your fancies about Darwin tickled, read others. If you want the facts, read Himmelfarb. I strongly recommend this book.
Book Description
Engaging and accessible, historically accurate and admirably lucid in its scientific exposition, Cyril Aydon’s life of the man who fathered the theory of evolution examines Darwin’s personal quests and illuminates his revolutionary achievements. It begins with one of the most overlooked factors in the great man’s success—he was rich, and could thus devote himself to the pursuits that established him as one of the undisputed giants in the field of natural history. He made major contributions to geology, he virtually invented ecology, and he changed forever our view of the place held in the natural order by Homo sapiens. Darwin was also a devoted father and husband, and Aydon’s biography never loses sight of the man and the family that stood behind him throughout his career, especially when it erupted in the epochal controversy accompanying publication of The Origin of Species. That career included Darwin’s expeditionary voyage aboard the Beagle, a viscerally thrilling and intellectually exciting adventure that is vividly recounted here. In addition, pages of photographs and an extended postscript consider the far-reaching influence of Darwin, following intellectual thought through two centuries of evolutionary speculation and scientific discovery.
Customer Reviews:
Clear, interesting prose; good overview of Darwin's life.......2007-04-26
Aydon's book provides a relatively short account of Darwin's life. I found the prose easy and accessible. The writing is direct and packed with the facts; this is a good place to get a "birds eye view" of Darwin's life. While the autobiography provides the first person view, it is difficult to see many of the outside influences which greatly affected Darwin's life. Aydon does a good job of bringing these to the forefront.
One of these outside factors which I didn't really pick up on so much while reading the autobiography was the wealth Darwin was born into and all the things this afforded him. Without this safety net, it is debatable whether Charles would have had many of the opportunities which influenced him on his scientific journey. One of these was the ability for him to try out medical school and studying theology before finding himself unhappy in both these endeavors. Another, and possibly the most important factor, which this wealth afforded was his Beagle trip. Not everyone had the wealth to take a 5 year journey sailing around the world, but luckily, Darwin did.
Another big factor which I didn't quite pick up on in the autobiography was the extent to which Darwin's illnesses affected him. His sicknesses were very pervasive throughout his life and always seemed to be hindering his work. Who knows how much more he could have accomplished had he not had to rest so frequently.
Aydon does a good job of bringing to the forefront large factors like these, which Darwin didn't put too much emphasis on in his autobiography. This book is a good for those who want an easy, interesting read and want to know the major factors surrounding Darwin's life.
a great snapshot of Darwin's world.......2007-04-25
Aydon's biography is a lively look at Darwin and the development of his theory of natural selection. Examining Darwin's character and work is timely as Darwin continues to be inseparable from the debate about evolution's implications.
Read as a companion to Darwin's autobiography, Aydon provides detail and context for the events that Darwin recounts. Just as Darwin comes alive in his autobiography, Darwin's world comes to life in Aydon's biography through descriptions of episodes in Darwin's life like his tedious documentation of barnacles, the personalities of his family and friends, or the debate between Huxley and Wilberforce.
Aydon's discussion of the people who influenced Darwin's life was especially helpful. These people include his father, Captain Fitzroy of the Beagle, his wife Emma and their children, and his loyal friends Hooker, Huxley, and Lyell. Seen in terms of his relationships with these influential people, Darwin is far more humble and far less singular than he might seem on his own.
According to Aydon, evolution was in the air during Darwin's lifetime; had Darwin not articulated his theory on the origin of the species, it seems likely that someone else would have. However, Aydon's Charles Darwin makes the argument that no other person had the resources, the experiences, and the force of personality to deliver the theory of evolution nearly as well as Darwin did. I think Aydon is right.
The perfect place to start.......2006-05-06
For those interested in the life and thought of Charles Darwin, this is the perfect place to start. There are several other biographies of Darwin in print, some of them quite lengthy and quite technical. But if you are interested in a relatively short (ca. 300 pages) but very substantial treatment that is elegantly and engagingly written, Aydon's contribution delivers. The hardcover edition is beatifully printed and bound, with very clear type and the most generous line-spacing I've ever seen, making Aydon's tightly focused and well paced narrative a pleasure to read. There are sixteen pages of black-and-white photographic plates that are sharp and clear, plus four maps and one table. Reading this book is a very satisfying experience and makes one eager to move on to Darwin's own writings and to more in-depth biographies. Bravo and many thanks to author Cyril Aydon!
Giant Scientist.......2003-05-09
To read the biographies of great men has always been a fascination. Great men of sciences, technology, philosophy, politics, Charles Darwin features prominently among them, both personally to me, and in the annals of history. The biography by Aydon is a very simple yet charming story of the man who "created a scientific revolution".
Aydon presents the story of Charles Darwin in a chronological way, a standard fare in biographies, but with chapters to add the thematic approaches for the book. The author uses personal letters sent by Darwin to his friends and mentors as `personal touches' to this biography. They add to the overall charm of the book and reveal a lot about the man and his thinking. Most helpful is a map of the Beagle's voyage, which I not infrequently referred to when reading the chapters on the round the world trip of the famous Beagle.
I personally analysed two points, which the author have emphasised throughout the book. Firstly, Darwin was helped in his success by the wealth and support of his father. There are many references in the book, to the pecuniary benefits accrued to Darwin by his father. This facilitated his rise as a devoted naturalist, who had no care and worries for material pursuits and with such wealth and support, he was able to network and make gains otherwise not possible for a poorer Darwin. Secondly, was his fortuitous inclusion in the Beagle's voyage. Had it not been for the 5-year voyage, Darwin would not have been able to realise his childhood dreams of collecting and observing specimens and most importantly, Darwin would have ended up as a clergyman.
The later part of the book, after detailing his voyage and subsequent settling down, revolves around his industry to complete his "big book" and his moral and intellectual dilemma. Not insignificant is the loving support given by Emma, Darwin's beloved wife.
Having read this book, I feel that Darwin's life was full of lucky breaks and that he was one of the sickliest scientists around. However, the industry and power he brought to his book, "The Origin of Species" made him a revolutionary scientist. This book is recommended for the neutral reader, who simply wants a good story about a giant scientist. I have a further feeling that to satisfy my curiosity about this man, a more detailed biography is essential.
An accurate and engagingly written biographical account.......2003-02-13
Biographer Cyril Aydon drew upon a lifetime's interest in Charles Darwin and his work to write Charles Darwin: The Naturalist Who Started A Scientific Revolution. The result is a fascinating and informative biography of the famed author of "The Origin of Species" and "The Descent of Man". It was Charles Darwin whose theories of evolution (and whose proposal that the descendants of primordial primates could, over thousands or millions of years, eventually become men through the process of natural selection) would change forever how human beings think of themselves and understand their own genesis. This accurate and engagingly written biographical account blends an overview of natural science with the events of Darwin's life before, during, and after the publication of his trailblazing scientific treatises. Charles Darwin is a very highly recommended study of a truly great man whose trailblazing contribution to biological science is still a substantial part of public debate and controversy today between religious creationists who deny, and the scientific community which supports, Darwin's concept of human evolutionary development.
Book Description
Originally published in 1979, The Darwinian Revolution was the first comprehensive and readable synthesis of the history of evolutionary thought. Though the years since have seen an enormous flowering of research on Darwin and other nineteenth-century scientists concerned with evolution, as well as the larger social and cultural responses to their work, The Darwinian Revolution remains remarkably current and stimulating.
For this edition Michael Ruse has written a new afterword that takes into account the research published since his book's first appearance.
"It is difficult to believe that yet another book on Darwin and the Darwinian Revolution could add anything new or contain any surprises. Ruse's book is an exception on all counts. Darwin scholars and the general reader alike can learn from it."—David L. Hull, Nature
"No other account of the Darwinian Revolution provides so detailed and sympathetic an account of the framework within which the scientific debates took place."—Peter J. Bowler, Canadian Journal of History
"A useful and highly readable synthesis. . .skillfully organized and written with verve, imagination, and welcome touches of humor."—John C. Greene, Science
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Intellectual History.......2001-01-22
This is an excellent book by a distinguished scholar who is also a fine writer. The Darwinian Revolution is the story of a scientific community producing and assimilating one of the most momentous sets of ideas in human history. Ruse deals thoughtfully and carefully with the scientific, philosophic, religous, and social background of British biology in the early 19th century, how this community became focused on the issue of evolution, how Darwin integrated himself into this community, and how this community dealt with the consequences of Darwin's work. Ruse does a fine job of describing the work of Darwin and his precursors, provides a nice and concise social history of this community, deals sensitively with the religous dimensions of these issues, and does a really commendable job of examining the state of philosophy of science in the early Victorian period. Written about 20 years ago, the conclusions of this book are still largely valid and Ruse provides a nice afterword to this edition to update his thinking on these questions. Ruse is a clear writer with an almost conversational style. This is really the book for readers interested in beginning an exploration of this interesting topic. This is also an excellent companion volume to Janet Browne's superb biography of Darwin, still incomplete, because it covers much of the same ground but with an emphasis on this community of British scientists rather than Browne's focus on Darwin himself. A particularly interesting feature of the book is Ruse's explanation of the reception of Darwin's ideas by his colleagues. Ruse points out that the academic biologists were largely able to go only part way with Darwin; they accepted evolution as a doctrine but were more resistant to the importance of natural selection. There were both internal scientific and external philosophical/social reasons for this relative resistance to Darwin's scheme. The full triumph of Darwinism has occurred in this century with the development of population genetics and more recently, large scale ecological experiments and studies.
Fascinating overview of Darwin in his own time.......2000-08-28
Michael Ruse does a masterful job of showing the context of Darwin's work. Ruse, who is a professor of philosophy covers in great detail the culture of Darwin's time with a great deal of information on the biological theories of Darwin's day along with many of the major players and their various attitudes and especially their philosophies of science and in particular biology (and geology). This book is a must for anyone who wants a good historical view of Darwin. It is well written and clear but it is not a light read and it is not for the casual student.
Book Description
On the Origin of Species, published in 1858, transformed our view of the world and made Charles Darwin one of the most controversial figures in science. This biography begins much earlier with his long search for a profession, his five-year voyage around the world on the Beagle, and the decades-long intellectual journey he made in his study and garden. But it is for his theory about the origin of man and natural selection that he is remembered. His book threw the scientific community into a heated debate that continues today, and has made evolutionary biology one of the liveliest areas of science. This new biography looks at the person behind the controversy whose earth- shaking discoveries and ideas remain as exciting and interesting as today's headlines. Oxford Profiles in Science is an on-going series of scientific biographies for young adults. Written by top scholars and writers, each biography examines the personality of its subject as well as the thought process leading to his or her discoveries. These illustrated biographies combine accessible technical information with compelling personal stories to portray the scientists whose work has shaped our understanding of the natural world.
Amazon.com
Profiteeering pharmaceutical companies and the FDA have met their match in Dr. Jerry Avorn, a Harvard Medical school researcher and clinician. In Powerful Medicines, he brilliantly combines patient vignettes, scientific critique, and statistics to create a risk/benefit balance for prescription drugs. His premise: "Every drug is a triangle with three faces--representing the healing it can bring, the hazards it can inflict and the economic impact of each." Avorn's gifts as a writer are apparent in the prologue, an edgy account of the mismanaged medications of several stroke patients. He then details the intellectual history of drug assessment and benefits, including the biblical food police in the Book of Daniel, the deer in the headlights Estrogen debacle and the current infatuation with Ginseng and other alternative medicines. Turning from benefits to risks, Avorn examines diet pills, Viagra, cold medicines and diabetes drugs with comparisons the decisions of Dr. Fautus--who makes life-changing bargains between safety and effectiveness. Other insightful chapters offer views of prescription drug economies, and comparative healthcare around the globe. The final chapters create an insightful template for emerging public policy. Throughout, Avorn pulls at common threads: the line between personal and public responsibility, the perils of drug promotion, and the marketplace that usurps the role of scientific evidence in selecting treatments. Anyone looking for a quick muckraking read will be disappointed. But Avorn's views, literate and complex, will frame the debate on prescription drugs for years to come. --Barbara Mackoff
Book Description
If you believe that the latest blockbuster medication is worth a premium price over your generic brand, or that doctors have access to all the information they need about a drug’s safety and effectiveness each time they write a prescription, Dr. Jerry Avorn has some sobering news. Drawing on more than twenty-five years of patient care, teaching, and research at Harvard Medical School, he shares his firsthand experience of the wide gap in our knowledge of the effectiveness of one medication as compared to another. In Powerful Medicines, he reminds us that every pill we take represents a delicate compromise between the promise of healing, the risk of side effects, and an increasingly daunting price. The stakes on each front grow higher every year as new drugs with impressive power, worrisome side effects, and troubling costs are introduced.
This is a comprehensive behind-the-scenes look at issues that affect everyone: our shortage of data comparing the worth of similar drugs for the same condition; alarming lapses in the detection of lethal side effects; the underuse of life-saving medications; lavish marketing campaigns that influence what doctors prescribe; and the resulting upward spiral of costs that places vital drugs beyond the reach of many Americans.
In this engagingly written book, Dr. Avorn asks questions that will interest every consumer: How can a product judged safe by the Food and Drug Administration turn out to have unexpectedly lethal side effects? Why has the nation’s drug bill been growing at nearly 20 percent per year? How can physicians and patients pick the best medication in its class? How do doctors actually make their prescribing decisions, and why do those decisions sometimes go wrong? Why do so many Americans suffer preventable illnesses and deaths that proper drug use could have averted? How can the nation gain control over its escalating drug budget without resorting to rationing or draconian governmental controls?
Using clinical case histories taken from his own work as a practitioner, researcher, and advocate, Dr. Avorn demonstrates the impressive power of the well-conceived prescription as well as the debacles that can result when medications are misused. He describes an innovative program that employs the pharmaceutical industry’s own marketing techniques to reduce use of some of the most overprescribed and overpriced products. Powerful Medicines offers timely and practical advice on how the nation can improve its drug-approval process, and how patients can work with doctors to make sure their prescriptions are safe, effective, and as affordable as possible.
This is a passionate and provocative call for action as well as a compelling work of clear-headed science.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
good suggestions to solve the health cost problem.......2007-07-11
Dr. Avorn write very well, so the book reads rather quickly. Dr. Avorn is a pharmcologist. The author gave vivid descriptions about how the Vioxx/Celebrex pullout happened and related to that, previous history of unworthy drugs (or drugs that have undisclosed side effects) that were on market. The author gave good solutions, including real life studies he conducted through the years, of how to improve quality of drugs and lower the cost of health care in the US. Insightful. He presents a different point of view from what I am used to hearing. Would suggest this to anyone who cares about healthcare system.
Long-winded and obnoxiously idealistic.......2007-02-26
There are some great anecdotes in this book, and some critical points about how doctors are generally ignorant of evidence-based medicine and are pressured by patients, HMOs, and pharma companies to continue their expensive and inappropriate prescribing habits. However, the writing style serves as a cheap Ambien for even the most ambitious reader. Additionally, the "solutions" offered up to fix the US healthcare system are very (as can be expected from a Harvard man) ivory-tower, and disregard the thousands of big and little motivators throughout the healthcare political-industrial-financial complex that virtually ensure the US system will be entrenched until everyone is loaded to the gills with Viagra, Prozac, and unnecessary antibiotics while the great lifesaving classics of pharmaceuticals, such as thiazide diuretics, are virtually ignored.
Compelling, Insightful and Timely.......2005-07-19
One of those rare productions that provides insight into the discipline while holding the interest of the reader. A must read for anyone involved in the health care industry.
A superb review of the real world of medicines, medicine, the FDA, and big Pharma.......2005-07-07
Dr. Avorn has done a magnificant job of explaining the extremely complex world of drugs and drug development. His nuanced approach illustrates that there are no simple solutions. Each chapter is truly a masterpiece of analysis.
I have read several books on drug development and the FDA and this is undoubtedly the best.
Powerful Medicines by Avorn MD.......2005-03-31
The author describes a wide variability in medicinal effectiveness.
He is critical of the FDA because the agency analyzes submitted data instead of initiating its own tests. The flaws of classic
studies are exposed i.e. HERS. The use of estrogen may lead to
the incidence of greater heart attacks in the first year. The author describes a classic labelling chasm which makes medicinal
comparability hard to measure/quantify. The concept of tiers of
acceptability is discussed in contrast to the FDA current approval process which emphasizes the safety and efficacy of a drug.
The Avorn MD work is valuable because the author explains "little known" measurement problems in establishing a baseline for drug comparability and valuation. This book would make a good project for any science/medical student.
Book Description
Over one hundred recipes show you how to bring a symphony of flavors to everyday meals. If you're looking for satisfying deep-down tastes, look no further. Here you'll find:
Sticky Chicken
Lotsa Crab Crab Cakes
Southern Smothered Spuds
Sweet Potato Omelet
Bronzed Fish
Fresh Garlic Pasta
Corn Chowder
Black Bean Soup
Really Rich Beef
and Mushrooms
Also included are all your Louisiana favorites, such as gumbos, jambalayas, and etouffées.
Customer Reviews:
A Louisiana Legend.......2005-10-22
Paul Prudhomme makes good food and with this book, you can make good food too. I love regional cookbooks that provide the history or the story behind the recipe and this book delivers. The recipes are simple and easy to follow. I wish there were more photgraphs.
I've had this book for a while and I will never part with it.
Good Cookin, Good Eating.......1999-07-11
There are alot of easy recipes in this book, I have tried many of them. Down home food no matter where your home is. It is not only easy to follow but there are candid stories about how some of the recipes came about. This one stays on the counter.
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