History Books

It is evident that the Hopkins Press and Mr. Thelin recognized that Rudolph's history was long-in-the-tooth, and that this created a market for a new textbook for the standard history of higher education course to which far too many graduate students are needlessly subjected. But more to the point, like others in the field, my time is valuable, and I find it extremely troubling when I read a new work in the field only to find that it offers little fresh information about America's myriad of colleges and universities and nothing in the way of a new perspective on the inter-play of these institutions and the larger American culture and its economy. Most importantly, the work continues the regretable behavior of "educators" to treat their institutions -- from the primary grades to the university -- as essentially insulated from the larger culture upon which they depend for their very being. This serious flaw in the work is evident in its one sentence mention of the local conflict that arose from the decision to relocate Yale College to New Haven. To the vast majority of Americans, a college or university is important largely as a source of jobs, well-educated residents, and the addition of student tuition and fees into the local economy. To pass over this central dimension of the perceived value and meaning of a college or university to a substantial portion of American society is simply to write yet another INSTITUIONAL history, which merely passes on the author's replication of some arbitrarily selected primary documents that can, in our electronic age, be done as easily by anyone who can ask the right question for a Google search. Interested in the early history of William and Mary (apparently a particular focus of Thelin, even though most of its historical records were lost in an horrific fire in the early 19th century)? Ask Google. But if a reader wants to better understand the complex interplay between higher education and American society (such as, for example, the relationship between Thayer's reforms at West Point and the preparation of a generation of faculty prepared to instruct the nation's first generation of college-educated mechanical engineers, something never intended by Congress when it authorized West Point in 1802), this work breaks no new ground. It is merely a well-timed work that takes advantage of Rudolph being so seriously dated, thereby ensuring its wide use, but which fails to provide historians with anything new with respect to our analysis of higher education's place in the development of America's culture, economy and political systems. Thelin reminds us that it is time to end the separate treatment of education's history and integrate its study into the discipline from which it wrongly broke off.

I can appreciate the work put into the book. I took the book for it's writing style to give me a how to guide and what not to do. The book is so dense that it could not cover everything. The author was left to decide what was important and the information that is important to him is not important to me. The book was a requirement for a course so we could get background information of higher ed and I can definitely appreciate it's purpose.

"A History of American Higher Education" is a nice introduction into the topic of college history. However, it is most definately not definitive. Any reader would benefit from consulting other texts (which I will list at the end of this review). The book does focus heavily on the ivy league schools; but, for good reason because much of the early developing history of higher education happens at these schools (since they were the first schools).

This was one of the texts for a class I took and over the course of the course we (as a class) had some questions and were confused about some parts of the book so we emailed Thelin and he promptly answered our questions.

If you are interested in the history of higher education then I recommend the following texts to be read in conjunction with each other because none of the following are stand-alone and definitive texts in the subject matter.

"American College and University: A History" by Frederick Rudolph
"American Higher Education" by Christopher Lucas
"Campus Life: Undergraduate Cultures from the End of the Eighteenth Century to the Present" by Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz

And, for a well-researched look into the history of admissions at three ivy league schools (Harvard, Yale, and Princeton) I recommend "The Chosen" by Jerome Karabel.

Finally, if you are interested in the history of co-operative living I highly recommend the following historical account about the University of Kansas: "Making Do and Getting Through" by Fred McElhenie (it is locally published for the University of Kansas by Oread Books).

No question, this study will rank with Frederick Rudolph's The American College and University and Laurence Veysey's The Emergence of the American University as a classic in its field. The scholarship is profound and the narrative lively and original.

The book adds a few interesting and new insights to the history of higher education canon. Despite the author's status as a full-time professor, the writing style is clear and concise. Also, the author should receive praise for making history relevant in contemporary policy debates and disspelling several myths about the history of higher education.

On the other hand, this book mainly covers the history of ivy league institutions and the 30 or so national selective public and private universities. Maybe the quest for a comprehensive history of higher education -- one that truly covers all colleges and all students -- is elusive and perhaps impossible, but I remain hopeful someone will someday pull it off.

Bottom line: a pretty decent introduction to the history of higher education.

Before I read this book, I often wondered why Americans, regardless of the war, always see ourselves as the good guys. This book explains that and also why and how, first Great Britain, then the United States became the dominant global power that it is today in the modern world.
I never realized how important capitalism was to the forming of not only the United States but also the modern world. This book also explains, in great detail, why are there has always been nations, i.e., the bad guys, that have opposed the spread of the ways of the West, like capitalism, liberal democracy, freedom of religion, and things like that.
I would highly recommended this book to anyone who wants to understand not only the effect of capitalism in the world history but also why capitalism transformed the world into the one that it is today.

This books covers a lot of interesting territory. Unfortunately it does so in a haphazard and totally unplanned manner. The author is clearly very good at generating the written word. He is unfortunately not very good at actually planning what he's going to write about or why. This makes it very difficult to stick with the book until the (phew!) end. Also, this book is largely unsupported by other sources. There are VERY occasional notes thrown in there to make it look like he actually based this book on existing knowledge. But don't get me wrong: I very much appreciate the author's attempt to synthesize all of these disparate literatures. But I fear it was done sloppily, perhaps because of time pressure to get the book out there? Or perhaps because the author prefers to just plain write rather than to slow down in order check and cite other sources? Overall an interesting idea for a book that is unfortunately poorly organized and weakly supported.

Although much narrower in scope, I much prefer the wonderfully-written and well-planned book "The Marketplace of Revolution" by T.H. Breen. Breen cares enough about his readers to put painstaking effort into writing a quality book.

[Note; this is an abridged version of my complete Review which appears on the Claremont Institute website, on July 17, 2008]

In his new book, 'God and Gold', foreign affairs expert Walter Russell Mead argues that modern world history can be understood as the global application of a system of economics, religion, and culture that has been unilaterally developed and directed by the English-speaking peoples. From the time of Oliver Cromwell to the present, the British and the Americans, either individually or together, have won every major war, and have established a commercial and military dominance that remains the foundation of the modern world. "It is perhaps bad manners to say so," Mead acknowledges, "but that does not make it less true."
Within this context, Mead addresses questions which he believes can help us better understand and handle the problems and dangers that confront America today. As he goes through his discussion of these questions, the strengths of the book include his authoritative mastery of historical, political, and economic facts, which he uses liberally to support his argument, and his ability to weave together cultural, religious, economic, and political strands of history into a fascinating, well-written, and coherent synthesis that explains a great deal. The weaknesses of the book include a sometimes-overbearing repetitiveness of key points, and in the end a rather unsatisfying response to the major contemporary criticisms of Anglo-American culture. Nonetheless, the book is a very worthwhile read, both for its historic sweep, and most importantly for Mead's lucid and useful suggestions regarding the future of American foreign policy.

Walter Russell Mead takes a crack at the contention that has been right in the thick of international politics for the last two - three hundred years: the rise of Britain and United States to the ranks of preeminent economic and military superpowers with significant cultural and social influence around the globe. And he does an excellent job of exploring it.

Meade locates the source of English and American success and triumph in economy, military, politics and culture to the evolution of certain ideas over the long course of english history. These being: Liberalism, Captalism, Rationalism, and Religious pluralism. However, he goes further than that. He believes that dynamic interaction between these factors helped balanced each other and prevented a strong backlash against either one of them. In this, he traces the beginnings of the success of Anglo-American countries.

However, this is not a history book. He does not dwell deeply into the history, his interest lies in exploring how this history created a Maritime Order where first the British and then the Americans took the lead. This is the preoccupation of the book. He means to give the reader an idea as to the structure of this order and how it functions and has historically functioned. Meade gives ample space to the critics of this order, he does not dismiss them out of hand; however he still remains a believer in the necessity of this order, albeit with reservations as to its certain practices.

However, in his enthusiasm for linking the English Maritime Order with the American Post WWII one, he completely skips over the exploration of American attitudes towards the idea of 'Internationalism' in 19th and early 20th century. Certainly, a historian such as him must know that leading Americans from George Washington and Thomas Jefferson to Mark Twain and Calvin Coolidge were against the idea of active invovlement in international politics. Thus, he simplifies his task, by completely dropping the history of the 'non-interventionist' position of American classical liberals, whose philosophy he otherwise supports more or less.

He also does not offer much in the way of explaining the benefits of this order to the residents of these countries. What matters if there is instability half the world away or sea lanes are clogged half the ocean away, if the internal dynamics of these countries - capitalism, rationalism, liberalism - keep improving the lives domestically (as author himself tells us earlier in the book)? That was the key question that popped in my mind again and again and the question that was left unanswered by the author.

Despite these two cases I would have liked Meade to write about, I would definitely recommend 'God and Gold' to anybody with interest in world politics. You will learn a lot of interesting historical facts. Meade also has a humble understanding of the problems invovled in promulgating a just 'maritime order' and he is able to bring keen insights from various thinkers to his discussions.

On the light note, there is also a reserved and subtle humor flowing through the first two parts of the book. Read the quote of a man whom Meade refers to sarcastically as "renowned social critic" and see if you don't double over laughing at the hysteria and hilarity of it.

"God and Gold" is an exceptional book, one deserving of serious attention by anyone concerned with the future of both the United States and the world stage on which it acts. This book, first and foremost, is a history and discussion of ideas--the political, economic and religious ideas that gave birth to modern western society and the rules that govern, to a significant degree, the interaction of nations today, especially on a commercial level.

Those who dismiss or criticize Mead's analysis because of his reverence for Reinhold Niebuhr's political philosophy are missing the larger point the author is trying to make. Whether espoused by Niebuhr or some other intellectual, it is hard to take issue with the proposition that the United States must: (a) proactively participate in the international system, (b) eschew the necons' unilateralism in favor of cooperative diplomacy, (c) exhibit greater empathy for those peoples and countries that feel threatened by the Ango-American world model while remaining true to its beliefs in a dynamic, open society, and (d) accept the fact that only incremental improvements, not perfection, are likely to be achieved in much of the developing world. Where I part company with Mr. Mead, however, is his qualified optimism regarding the future.

First, he dismisses the threat posed to our society by the recent attacks on civil liberties (e.g., the Patriot Act, unconstitutional surveillance, disregard of federal statutes, etc.) as a temporary aberration for which there is ample historical precedence (e.g., Lincoln suspending the writ of habeas corpus during the Civil War). The past, I believe, provides little assurance that the pendulum will swing easily back towards the middle. Unlike prior military conflicts, the "War on Terror" lacks a clearly defined enemy and, most importantly, has no foreseeable ending. As long as one terrorist remains alive and kicking, the government can rationalize its disregard of civil liberties and human rights. Further, the technology at the disposal of our government today is without historical precedent. Unlike suspending the writ of habeas corpus or the Palmer Raids after WW I, it will be very difficult to unwind the intrusive and unconstitutional, yet largely invisible, systems and policies the government has put in place. If we cannot preserve our own dynamic, open society, then there is little hope that other nations will embrace it.

Second, Mead expects the U.S. to refrain from engaging in pointless military adventures (Vietnam, Iraq), but chastises the country for not being proactive when it came to stopping Hitler in the 1930s or the Kaiser in the years before WW I. He fails, however, to acknowledge a critical distinction between these situations: while both Vietnam and Iraq were clearly avoidable and were the result of foolish presidential ambitions, public opposition to each of those wars--at the outset--was modest. By contrast, if either Wilson or Roosevelt had proactively sought to use the threat of force to thwart Germany's ambitions before either of the two world wars began, they would have failed for wont of public support and, in the process, ended their political careers. The moral of the story: it is much easier for a president to avoid foolish military adventures or to respond to an evil empire (e.g., Hitler, Tojo) after it has launched an attack than it is to convince the electorate that such threats should be preemptively stopped. Stated differently, Kennedy, Johnson, and Bush would have not suffered politically if they had chosen to stay out of Vietnam and Iraq; the same cannot be said about Roosevelt and Wilson had they chosen to initiate a confrontation with Germany. To the extent Mead hopes that presidents in the future who find themselves in the same position as Wilson and Roosevelt will act differently, he is in for a disappointment.

As noted, Mr. Mead seems a bit more sanguine about the future than I do, but I sincerely hope he is right and I am wrong. Regardless of your political or philosophical orientation, your understanding of our country's place in the world can only be enhanced by reading this book.

I had to buy this in college and it was torture for homework assignments. However, it is now enjoying a second life as the most useful text I have as an art teacher. (Aside from my art history books of course.)

briefly - this is a great basic anthology if you want artist manifestos and excerpts from period art critics. my only complaint about this anthology is that it really doesn't have many of the writings/interivews that are well known from sources like artforum (e.g. smithson's yucatan mirror article) or partisan review (rauschenberg interview). but one can't have all things in one place - that said this is a great place to start.

The critics always have alot to say about what the artists have created. Artists are not always as forthright. They can be indirect, weave tales or romance the past. But this book gives you a rare chance to hear it all first hand. The beauty of this book is you drop in with the artist of your choice.

I've purchased this book while beeing in New York in 2003, and my first impression was that I had aquired an excellent and almost encyclopedical resourse for research. However, when looking for references on familiar contemporary artists like Brazilian Lygia Clark (one of the most important and internationally renowed creators, having teached in Sorbonne, among other things) I've found her name misquoted as "Lydia Clark" while she's reffered as "Argentinian" in the index. The fact that I've found such a mistake concerning a familiar name raises doubts on the rigor of this interesting work.

Sérgio Basbaum (teacher at Universidade Cátólica, São Paulo, Brazil)

For a compilation that pretends to deal with contemporary art, this volume is surprisingly outdated, tending to focus on issues in art practice that are at least a decade old. Additionally, it is surprisingly uninformed on a disturbing number of issues. A case in point, two writers, including the editor, mis-read and misunderstand McLuhan, and are even unable to get the basic idea that the medium is the MASSAGE, not the medium is the MESSAGE. If you want a book that informatively and insightfully deals with current issues in art, I suggest you look elsewhere.

I have received two copies of this book, possibly by my own mistake, but am still waiting for the refund after I sent back the extra copy. If it weren't for this delay, the transaction went smoothly.

Sometimes I am simply proud that I have read a book. This slim volume falls into that category. The fourteen short chapters explode with new ideas, fresh perspectives, and tantalizing viewpoints. To summarize these riches is unlikely to do them justice, yet I will try.

De Certeau inverts social values and cultural hierarchies. His hero metaphor is not the exemplar, but rather the ant. Wisdom resides not in the pronouncement of expert or philosopher, but in the routine discourse between ordinary people. To De Certeau the definitional constraints imposed by the experts result in artificial distinctions. Only the discourse of ordinary people is firmly rooted in experience and embraces the varieties and logical complexities of living.

Among these complexities of life is the amazing adaptive capacity of the ordinary. Even the most oppressive and controlling of cultures cannot eradicate the subversive agency of the peasant. This subversive agency is expressed through mythic stories, common proverbs, and verbal tricks. De Certeau refers to the adaptive capacity of the ordinary as tactics of living, and these tactics may be best exemplified when the worker does the personal while on the clock.

The distinction between strategy and tactics is central to De Certeau's thought. Strategy refers to the top-down exercise of power to coerce compliance. Tactics refer to the opportunistic manipulations offered by circumstance. The conflict between strategies and tactics is ironic - as strategic forces expand to increase dominance, there is a corresponding increase in opportunity for tactical subversion.

De Certeau relates his ideas to the theoretical work of Foucault and Bourdieu, and continues his inverted perspective by looking anew at the concept of city, commuter travel by rail, story telling, writing, reading, and believing.

This book is more of a riddle than a narrative; de Certeau provides glimpses of his meaning from time to time, but deliberately avoids propositional clarity. This style requires that the reader take an unusual stance toward this book. Instead of expecting the author to communicate, the reader must content himself with hints and suggestions of meaning. I am convinced that these hints and suggestions are more than worth the reader's investment of time. Find a quiet place and enjoy!

This book - whose subject is the tactics employed by those at odds with institutions physical and intellectual - offers profound insights not only into terrorism and the tools available to terrorists but also the deep philosophical and psychological rift between the Western and Arab worlds. It fact after reading the book I am convinced that efforts to combat terrorism are doomed to failure until the issues in this book are both discussed and absorbed by people in charge of counter-terrorism (on the policy level and on the enforcement side) and the public at large. Though it's not an easy read (What philosophical discourse is an easy read?), it is illuminates the battleground between the institution which imposes order (democracy for instance) and it's improvising enemy, who operates within the dominant force's own field of vision and seizes opportunities as they arise. It would give me great feeling of reassurance if FBI and CIA counter-terrorism officials used it as a practical guide.

I went to a reasonably good university, and got 580 on verbal SATs, but I can't seem to put the words of this translation together in a way that makes sense. So just to let you readers of average intelligence, like me, know before you spend your money, read the sample pages first. I can't give this book any stars because I don't know if it's any good.

Michel de Certeau's brilliant book is one of the primary nodes in the historical switchbox that eventually crossed the signals that led us through structuralism and practice theory to critical realism and Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things. His classic exploration of everyday life will send flashes of light and pleasure through the mind on a constant basis - his dense, absolutely masterful, and witty expository quasi-poetry on economy, power, and practice is essentially an extended series of aphorisms, upon any one of which an entire essay could be based. And a good one, at that.

What we have here is a celebration of the everyday, the common, the mundane, and the wonderful capacity of life to resist systematization and classification via its organic flexibility and espirit de corps. It is a wonderful wake-up call: "A few individuals, after having long considered themselves experts speaking a scientific language, have finally awoken from their slumbers and suddenly realized that for the last few moments they have been walking on air, like Felix the Cat in the old cartoons, far from the scientific ground. Though legitimized by scientific knowledge, their discourse is seen to have been no more than the ordinary language of tactical games between economic powers and symbolic authorities."

Writing in the tradition of Lefevbre (more so than anyone else who comes to mind at the moment), his work touches upon contemporary Foucault and Bourdieu only briefly and then moves on to do much more. For example, in the way of analyses of strategic and tactical behavior, resistances, spatial practices, sublatern hermeneutics, and state/scientific ideologies of secrecy and knowledge. In de Certeau, we see not just a clearing of the intellectual path for towering figures such as Baudrillard, Bourdieu, Giddens, Lash, Appadurai, and Taussig (to name only a handful) - enabling them to come whistling along with their variously insightful ideas from A to Z - but we see it done with a panache and "Ich weiss es nicht" that is memorable in the persona it invokes.

And as long as you're sitting on the Paris-Munchen ICE, scratching your chin and contemplating the axiological implications of beer or coffee at 9am, I can't think of anything better to read than de Certeau's comments on the rite of passage of Railway Incarceration and Navigation (Chapter VIII), in which a whole series of transformations is extracted from the mundane in a suprahumane and very-French manner. Bon voyage!

great book and Pals uses his creativeness to cover the major philosophers and scientists in a particular order to demonstrate intellectual evolution (intelligence evolves as time passes and we learn from previous ages) and he also brings out how the fact the philisophers (as most humans) try to "prove" THEIR experiences in life as they perceive it. The perception complicates their objectiveness. For instance, Freud was an atheist so Freud was out to prove there is no God. Freud did not want to reveal "truth" but only what HE thought was truth. Whether it is truth or not, was irrelevant to him and many others. Each philosopher builds on the previous with a critical critique of each by Pal and the others. I thought this was a great book and easy to read (unlike other philosophy books which are extremely difficult) 5 stars for Pals!

Refreshingly readable account of the major developments in the science of religion. An excellent introduction to the field for general audience.

I had to read this book for my introduction to the study of religion-class, but it turned out to be a very interesting book. Pals has a good ability to explain complex terms and theories in relatively easy language, even when dealing with quite obscure ideas and material. The purpose of the book is to give new students and interested laymen a basic overview of the eight most important theories various researchers and thinkers have put forward since the birth of the "study of religion". Late in the 1800's, we moved from a strictly theological view of religion, (in reality; Christianity and all the others) to a more comparative perspective.

The eight (really nine, but oh well) theories were put forward by the following people, that each get a chapter before the conclusion ends the book in it's last chapter; E.B. Tylor & J. G. Frazer, Sigmund Freud, Émile Durkheim, Karl Marx, Max Weber, Mircea Eliade, E. E. Evans-Pritchard and finally Clifford Geertz. Each chapter contains a small biography of the thinker, an overview of the theory and the history of it, summaries of the most important works, analysis of the material presented, critiques put forward in response, notes and finally a bibliography of suggestions for further reading.

I found the book to be very useful and interesting, and it is an excellent introduction to the field for newcomers. The book shows relatively well the madness and basically evil ideas that is represented by Marx, Freud and to some degree Durkheim. "Strangely", these very people are of the same racial background, and all their ideas have had major negative effects for gentile culture, see a connection anyone? It is a very peculiar and suspicious side to Pals that whenever a theorist is doing something good he's a Jew, but when his ideas are bad for European cohesion, he's "a German" or a "Frenchman". This way, suddenly Freud, Boas and various others in the books are suddenly just your average Fritz German doing objective research with no political consequences. A volume that should be read along with this book is Kevin Macdonald's book "The Culture of Critique", available here on Amazon.

The two scientists that are most filled with genius in this book seems to me to be Mircea Eliade and Max Weber, the first one interestingly enough being friends with two major European freedom fighters; Corneliu Codreanu and Julius Evola. Eliade was actually a member of Codreanu's organization back in his native Rumania, something that should give you a good hint of his honourable soul.

To summarize; a sturdy hardcover book that gives you a highly valuable introduction to the field and that should be of interest to anyone remotely interested in politics, philosophy or religion.

Highly recommended!

I actually needed this book for my Introduction to Religion class but I'm sure I will keep it even after I am finished with the class. Pals breaks down the theories into their simpliest forms and makes them so easy to understand. He summaries each theorist's section with an analysis and a critique which makes the interpretation of the text that much easier. This is a wonderful book and I would suggest it to anyone looking for possible explanations of some of the world's most popular religions...

My interest in Galileo was recently piqued by a seminar on data presentation by Edward Tufte (strongly recommended, also his books.) I was looking for an overview of Galileo's work and some context. This book provides both, very well.

The book provides long quotations from "Siderius Nuncius" (Starry Messenger), Letters on Sunspots, The Assayer, and Letters to the Mother of the Grand Duke of Tuscany (whose name escapes me right now.) Preceding each of these exerpts, is an introduction which includes historical information, information about Galileo's personal life, and much quotation from other scientists and people with whom Galileo is arguing. These are written in excellent, clear prose. The stage is set without the stage manager intruding. The exerpts from Galileo have been edited to maintain the focus on why Galileo is important to history and science, without losing his flavor or his pugnacious style.

The point made by Galileo himself and the book are that Galileo pointed out that from then on, evidence would be the standard by which we would judge our knowledge of the world, not authority, word-play, logical proofs or arguments, etc. This is the dawn of the enlightenment.

For an introduction, I found this book perfect. It won't satisfy the scholar looking to read every word of Galileo's. But, as I noted above, this book does show us why we still know Galileo's name, unlike the vast majority of his peers. [edited for spelling]

The Discoveries and Opinions of Galileo consists of four works by Galileo Galilei: The Starry Messenger, Letters on Sunspots, Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina, and The Assayer. They are each wonderfully translated by Stillman Drake. He omits unnecessary parts of the texts, to prevent verbosity or boredom, while still giving the reader the full sense of each work. Drake is a professor of the History of Science at the University of Toronto. Before each of Galileo's works, Drake gives an introduction which details the circumstances and events prompting Galileo to take up the pen. Drake presents an excellent history of the times and atmosphere along with the political forces that permeated the setting of early seventeenth century Italian academia. One gets a real feel for what Galileo was up against in presenting his ideas in the face of ecclesiastical and philosophical opposition.

The Starry Messenger is Galileo's account of his first uses of his homemade telescope. He details his observations of the four newly discovered moons of Jupiter and several stars that can now be seen with the telescope. His Letters on Sunspots are a retort to another astronomer's theories on the nature of the phenomenon. In the Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina, Galileo puts up a staunch defense to the church in his adopting the Copernican heliocentric model of the universe. After being banned from teaching this opinion, Galileo makes a suave effort to communicate his ideas in a defense on the nature of comets in The Assayer.

This is the story of Galileo verses old dogma. One cannot help but sympathize with Galileo in his frustration in communicating what he believed to be true. In light of our current knowledge of the solar system and the logical arguments Galileo puts forth it is hard not to feel a bit of the same frustration. This book is a great treatise on Galileo's ideas and his tenacity in defending them. Galileo's Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems would be an excellent companion to this book. Drake has published a translation of this work also. Galileo's thoughts and observations mark a milestone in the history of astronomy, and Drake's book venerates the man and his teachings.

The Discoveries and Opinions of Galileo is an excellent summary and translation, by Stillman Drake, of Galileo's 4 greatest works, including The Starry Messanger, The Assayer, Letters on Sunspots, and the Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina. Drake presents the words of Galileo as well as his own translations and insights into his life. He not only focuses on just the opinions of Galileo, but also gives the reader information about the viewpoints of Galileo's opponents.
I assume that Drake wanted to tell the story of Galileo in words that an everyday person can understand. By simply reading works written by Galileo, it is not always easy to comprehend the scientific and mathematical language that he uses. By omitting parts of Galileo's texts and adding his own details, Drake makes understanding Galileo's discoveries painless.
Personally, I believe that The Discoveries and Opinions of Galileo is well worth the read because it is educational yet interesting. Although the discoveries of Galileo may seem quite obvious to us today, it's entertaining reading how he came upon such discoveries, which were considered phenomenal at the time. The conflicts between Galileo and the Inquisition adds entertainment to what may seem like just observations and reports of Galileo. Overall, I think most people will be educated and entertained by reading this book.

Beyond doubt, Galileo established the foundation of modern physics and his intellectual approach marked the onset of a highly successful process which continues to advance our understanding of physical reality. All students of science are familiar with the events which led to the confrontation between Galileo and the Church and of the outcome which impacted so negatively on the relationship between science and religion. This book includes Galileo's letter to Christina of Lorraine, Grand Duchess of Tuscany. the letter was written in 1615 and is titled "Concerning the Use of Biblical Quotations in Matters of Science". It is a masterpiece and I recommend it highly to everyone who is interested in Galileo, this highly relevant topic and what he really thought about it. Galileo was proudest of his discovery that bodies fall with time in the ratio of 1:3:5:.... . We can all be proud of what he wrote in this letter and the manner in which he expressed himself. If for no other reason than an opportunity to read and appreciate this document, the book is well worth reading

Although the introductory sections are a bit dated, this book contains some of the best translations available of Galileo's works in English. It includes a broad range of his theories (both those we recognize as "correct" and those in which he was "in error"). Both types indicate his creativity. The reproductions of his sketches of the moons of Jupiter (in "The Starry Messenger") are accurate enough to match to modern computer programs which show the positions of the moons for any date in history. The appendix with a chronological summary of Galileo's life is very useful in placing the readings in context.

If you want to give a class on the development of rock and roll and pop music in the US this is the book to get. It's perfect, highlights history, musical elements but not so much that it's incomprehensible for a non musician. Especially the listening guides are very useful.

Bought this book used to save some $$. This is my first time buying a book online and Used too. Got it fairly quick, considering I used standard (cheap) shipping... Book looks good, a couple of highlighted areas, but I was expecting that, due to it being used.

This book is a paper back but is loaded with a greatly detailed essay on music and how it relates to the music business throughout the changes chronologically in popular music from the last century. If you have any interest in music at all this is worth it, read it and memorize it.

As many others have intricately described the particular subjects that are adroitly dealt with in this book, I will spend my time touting one of its primary virtues.

China is oft portrayed as a monolithic power -- a Communist behemoth in the process of ascending to parity with the United States, and thereby posing an existential threat to all we hold dear. Many are the pundits and politicos that ramp up various and sundry fears of the Middle Kingdom and its 1.3 billion, whether regarding economic or military issues.

This book does yeomen work in presenting to the average American a balanced view of China. Yes, China is rising; who could doubt that? But it is not on an inexorable collision course with the west. In fact, China has a great many problems of its own that it will have to deal with in the years ahead, so much so that to think that China is looking toward the day when it can challenge America for global supremacy is prima facie absurd. What's more likely the case, as Susan Shirk shows, is China's leaders are above all else concerned about their (surprisingly) tenuous hold on power, and care not a fig for surpassing the United States in per capita GDP or in military spending EXCEPT IN SO FAR AS IT WILL PRESERVE THEIR POSITIONS OF PROMINENCE.

In conclusion, hats off to Dr. Shirk for an excellent and well documented work, and for doing -- unwittingly or not -- her service to preserve peace.

Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Susan L. Shirk has provided a solid book on several of the key domestic and international pressures facing China today. The insights gained from her life experiences set this book apart from many others. Although the last chapter seems as if it was tagged on after-the-fact at the request of an editor, Ms. Shirk stays true to her central theme of public opinion and fear of losing Party control as the driving forces in all of the Chinese government's decisions, domestic and international.

This book exams the Chinese society very objectively and pinpoints the weaknesses China has, regardless how much it has developed in recent years and how strong people think China is. If you want to know the truth about China, this book is worth reading.

According to Susan Shirk, China's leaders face a troubling paradox: the more developed and prosperous their country becomes, the more insecure and threatened they feel. Economic growth and development have unleashed forces that have made it harder for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to maintain control. These domestic anxieties compel leaders to act in two very different ways. China generally behaves like a cautious, responsible power preoccupied with its own domestic problems and intent on avoiding conflicts that would disrupt economic growth and social stability. However, whenever the public pays close attention to an issue, leaders feel like they have to stand tough in order to demonstrate the strength of the regime; thus, high-attention conflicts with Japan, Taiwan, and the United States present the most troubling opportunities for conflict.

Shirk's analysis is notable for going against the grain of a plethora of popular works predicting China's imminent rise to the top of the global order; she concludes that the PRC is a brittle authoritarian regime that fears its own citizens and can only bend so far to accommodate the demands of foreign governments. She points out that Chinese leaders are not invulnerable to their own people merely because the latter lack the right to vote. In addition, she goes to great pains to demystify the "black box" of Chinese elite politics, striving to avoid the trap of referring to the leadership as an omniscient authoritarian powerhouse. That being said, it is surprising that Shirk still tends to refer to "China's leaders" as a coherent body of individuals. She assumes that the factors she has identified affect all leaders' expectations and strategic calculations in a uniform fashion, an assertion that seems problematic at best and somewhat at odds with her personalistic descriptions of the forces driving elite interactions.

In the end, the author accomplishes her goal of getting readers to empathize with the problems of Chinese leaders, but she may also overstate her case. Is China really as brittle as she thinks? The Chinese regime has been marked by astonishing resilience, which suggests that it may not be entirely paralyzed by problems of dealing with public opinion and rising nationalism. On another general note, while Shirk often compellingly uses her experiences as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State to illuminate backroom politics and mysterious political figures, she also frequently falls into the trap of making generalizations from anecdotal or thinly-related evidence. For example, she makes claims such as, "[the CCP's] number one priority will always be the preservation of Communist Party rule," following up with less-than-credible evidence such as, "I learned this lesson...when I played the role of China's top leader in an unclassified `simulation'" (p. 8). Despite the fact that this work was written for a popular audience, it seems that Shirk should give her readers a little more credit and offer up more compelling proof of her arguments. Given that the author is also an academic who has studied China for over three decades, this does not seem to be an unreasonable demand. It is disappointing that Shirk failed to use her potentially powerful combination of academic expertise and policy experience to push this question further. That being said, this book provides an interesting, quick, and informative read for the non-China specialist and helps to create a more balanced picture of the problems that China faces as a rising power.

Shirk's book is very informative and certainly worth reading. However tragically she stumbles and falls on the last few pages where she expresses that the way to appease genocidal leaders is by "lavishing respect on them."? "The Chinese leaders and public crave respect and approval from the world community", and, the more we use well-publicised formal ceremonies to flatter China's leaders, the more it enhances the prestige of these dictator's egos. And if we seek to protect the businesses of our own nation, "This..inflames Chinese public reactions and robs China's leaders of any incentive to act responsibly.". This advice is tantamount to pandering to these psychopaths who have during their 60 years of ruling with an iron fist, have overseen the slaughter of millions of their own people, as well brutally murdering thousands of their own students who sought democracy. To continue to kowtow to the CCP's sons of heaven as a vassal world to its Chinese emperor, is to appease and flatter the childish tantrums of these lethal bullies. Buying off the KMT in Taiwan, Beijing seeks to undermine the democracy of that nation whilst threatening relentless war against the freedom of the Taiwanese people. The US stands with the totalitarian demands of China and seeks to betray Taiwan into the hands of these unelected warlords for 30 pieces of silver. Shirk's book is fatally flawed and becomes yet again another book which supports Chinese propaganda and the myths of ancient and present greatness.

A good book that talks about dressing and differenct color combinations, dressing based on your individual bodyd/face shape with illustrations.

Alan Flusser's DRESSING THE MAN is the one book you must have if you want to dress professionally, and if you desire to know the history of proper male adornment in the twentieth century. Interestingly written, information-rich, and chock-full of wonderful photographs of well-dressed men, this tome is a volume to which you will return again and again. Flusser pays careful attention to skin and hair color and how they affect a man's appearance in tailored garments, and he thoroughly discusses garment style and detailing. Interesting chapters on shirts, ties, shoes, and accessories round out this informative and visually appealing volume. DRESSING THE MAN is an appropriate book for both the novice dresser and the mature elegante.

For a fashionably-clumsy man like myself, this book has enabled me to take a step forward and look sort of like the consultant that I am (or at least portray myself to be).

The book is elegantly photographed with men of elegant dress, including classic actors such as Gary Cooper, Fred Astaire and the poster-child for perfect dress, Cary Grant. You'll also see princes and dukes dressing to keep the proper air, and see old men (Signor Barbera and Ralph Lauren) maintaining their distinguished appearances as they grey by dressing well.

But this isn't merely a picture book, although any book on dressing well must lead with pictures. It contains a chapter on everything - shoes, ties, the suit, shirts, socks, business casual (13 in all, and each on a narrow subject). Matching color to your complexion, eyes and hair is a subject that many men struggle with, and he has a chapter dedicated to that.

This is a formal and classic book - not one for the passing trends, although business casual is covered.

Anyone who needs to be in a situation where they need to be well-dressed - businessmen for key meetings, gentlemen at weddings and perhaps most especially, job interviewers, should keep a copy of this book on their dresser.

A book that does an excellent job of not only explaining classic men's style, but also gives numerous pictorial examples and explains the historical basis behind the rules. This is a must-have for men who are interested in improving their style or simply to keep as inspiration for those who like to look good. While it may not turn you into George Clooney or Cary Grant, this book will certainly help its readers to project a sophisticated, professional image.

Replete with photographs of many famous actors wearing the garments, textures, colors, or combos under discussion, this book lays out rather systematically not a theory but an attitude and way of seeing clothing.

I saw it by accident in a library, opened it up and decided to check it out. The scales of sloppiness and pride in "schlumpitude" fell from mine eyes as I read it cover to cover.

One of Flusser's strengths is his ability to communicate his vision without dictating exactly what you should wear. He claims that his attitude can apply to all styles of dress, though he clearly favors conservative styles. In the end, I do believe him in his claim to ultimate neutrality.

When a windfall came my way, I decided that I was going to spend $36.00 of it on this book, and I am glad I did.

It is a great book, probably destined to be a classic. I dress differently and much better than I used to, all by free choice. That's the genius of the book.

The end.

i read some of this book for a class.. but it is well written.. but its history,,,, so its boring.. u know?

I purchased this book from Richard Taylor and received the book in a speedy manner. The book was in new condition and it was stated on Amazon.com that the book was in new condition. I had questions about the order and emailed Mr. Taylor. He responded to my email in a speedy, excellent manner! I'm very happy about my purchase.

The reading structure allow the reader to visualize and understand American History from outside and inside. Wonderful maps, statistical charts, great photos, and a very good section titled: historical question. If you are the type of person in exploring new perspectives of the American History, do not hesitate to look this book.

As far as textbooks go, it was the formatting that make it what it is. Lots of pictures & primary sources compliment the information being covered in the text. Makes it not as boring a read as most history books. You actually find yourself reading all the little extras.

What makes this series truly great? The fact that they give you a choice on book format to purchase. In a college this textbook would be for a US history 1 & 2. You can chose to purchase the expensive and heavy Hardback if you know you are going to take both parts. Or you can buy a softback of Vol 1 or Vol 2, depending on which class you are enrolled in.

As an adult student, who only recently returned after over 10 year gap I had no reason to want to buy the big textbook. Already had US History 1 credits from the last time around. Through Amazon.com I was able to find the correct edition of the book, while the college bookstore refused to carry it!

Thankful that Amazon.com exists. :)