Pet Books

Mostly this is a very good book, which is amazing considering how much Christian tries to do. It is well worth reading, though hard to follow in places. Having given it five stars, let me offer a few warnings for potential readers:

Christian can be kind of fuzzy. For a book of history there are remarkably few dates, and I often found myself asking, "Just when did this take place?" I was also bothered by the way Christian didn't "define his terms." For example, a fair amount of the last part of the book talks about Europe becoming "commercial." But he never tells us just what he means by commercial, or how we can tell when one country is more commercial than another, or how we can tell whether a country has gotten a lot more commercial or just a little more commercial.

I was especially frustrated by a section near the end. He seems to say, "The modern world is capitalist. The modern world has tremendous poverty. Therefore, capitalism has caused tremendous poverty." This seems silly. Most people would agree that capitalism involves well-defined and well-protected property rights, and a large amount of freedom to engage in economic transactions without interference by a government. By this standard, much of the world isn't all that capitalist. Moreover, in general, the less "capitalist" the country, the poorer it is. Blaming capitalism for poverty seems like blaming medicine when people refuse to allow their children to get vaccinated and then the kids get sick. No doubt Christian means something different by capitalism--but since he doesn't say what, it is impossible to know how to agree or disagree.

A major theme of the book is that for most of the last two thousand years, the richest areas of the world were southwest Asia (mesopotamia and Persia), south Asia (India) and east Asia (China). As late as 1800, a "man from Mars" would have reported back to his home planet that India and China, not Europe, were where people lived best. The book then seems to say that a century later, China and India were poverty-stricken. Yet aside from a reference to the Opium Wars (and some reading between the lines about population increase), there is no explanation of how such a monumental change happened.

Sometimes Christian doesn't realize the power of simple arithmetic. If one farm family can produce enough food to feed one family, just about everyone has to be a farmer. If technology improves so that one farm family can feed two families, one half of the farm families will have to cease being farmers. If technology means one farm family can feed three, two thirds of the farm families have to get out of the ancestral business. Whether the process will be negative ("thrown off the land") or positive (peasants flee "the idiocy of rural life" for the increased stimulation and opportunity of urban areas) will depend on a lot of things, but the fact that it happens follows directly from the increased productivity. High agricultural productivity dooms a peasantry.

The Maps of Time is a good concept; however, the view is slanted to a Marxist view of history. This becomes apparent as the book moves along although at first it isn't so clear.

The first clue that the book is slanted is the absence of religion in the discussion. The book is all science all the way in its descriptions of the universe and its origins. What mention there is of religion, especially Christian concepts, is negative.



As one moves through history the author makes statements that simply cannot be supported. For example, on page 174 the author states: "Studies of Homo habilis skulls show that their brains were not merely large than australopithecine brains; they were also organized differently. In particular, there are hints of the division of labor between left and right sides..." I hate to point out that a skull in and of itself isn't going to be able to tell a researcher how the brain was organized. And the author acknowledges this in the statement that there are "hints" of the division of labor. I am not trying to be especially nit picky but this is the kind of statement the author makes over and over. Things that cannot be shown are said to be absolute.

As the book moves into ancient societies the author argues that progress came through interconnection between societies. As trade grew so did progress to more complex things and more complex societies. He also divides the world into tribute taking and consensual societies. He argues that tribute taking states see war as their main concern. In essence, like Marx, he argues that states develop as exploitative institutions where those at the top use those at the bottom. Those at the bottom do all the work and those at the top enjoy the fruits of their labor. He also thinks that men began to lead society because they were less vital than women outside the home, so as society developed power structures outside the home men naturally began to run these.

I could go on, but the entire argument is flawed in so many ways it is hard to count them all. I would say that society developed as it did because of the need for protection. Even hunter gathers need protection from wild beasts and other tribes. Who is going to be doing the attacking? The biggest strongest men from the other tribe. Who will have to do the defending? The biggest strongest men from the tribe under attack. Those who go off to raid, or to protect, must be shown some honor from the group. If nothing else the men who fight will demand honor from the group, and eventually they will come to lead the group because protection is so vital. It may also be the leaders of the group are those with good ideas or whatever. It is not a given that exploiters came to lead society.

Why settle down and farm? Is it because you want to be exploited? No, it is because you can do more with your life. The crops and animals will support you without needing to tramp about all year. Specialization will naturally grow out of such settlements because some people will be better at certain tasks, and as they improve their work they will be paid (given grain etc) which will take the place of working in the fields. This will be especially true in areas such as metal working. Someone has to mine the metal ore (which requires staying in one place), smelt the ore, and then make the metal objects such as swords, spear points etc. From this alone a group of non-farming individuals will develop which will exist as specialist within the group. The author believes specialization developed because of interconnection with other groups (trade etc) and because the elites desired it. I would argue it is a natural process of staying in one place.

In my opinion society did not develop as set forth in the Maps of Time, and the book gives no other ideas as to how societies might have come about. The ONLY way it is described is a group of elitists pushing the "working class" into subjugation.

As the author argues the interconnectedness of societies as the key to progress he also argues that Europe was a geographic hub and that was critical to its progress. Europe isn't the geographic hub of anything. In fact it sits on the edge of a huge landmass (Euro-Asia) apart from anything that would cross it naturally. However, Europe became a hub of trade and learning because of the Renaissance, the age of discovery and the industrial revolution. The key was a change in mindset, and all else followed that key change. Capitalist societies etc came about because the minds in Europe had changed, not because the economy had somehow changed. The fact that other parts of the world had no Renaissance is the key to why Europe emerged triumphant from the dark ages and eventually ruled the world.

In essence, the author overlooks the importance of protection, war, religion, and thought processes in history. To his credit he includes economic factors (trade etc), the role of disease and the role of the types of government in directing history. Unfortunately he overstates the role of economic matters and government type in history. The author fails to effectively link the very long sections on the origins of the universe and our earth to history itself. More than half the book is taken up with physical history and pre-history, much of which is speculation. Little time is spent on ancient history, the foundations of democracy, the economic collapse of the middle ages in Europe, the development of the modern world, World Wars I and II etc. What good is knowing the physical history of the universe if it isn't tied to how we act and react in the modern world?

In the end, I reject the premise of the book that history can be explained by science and Karl Marx's economic philosophy.

AD2

Intellectually stimulating, rapid-fire journey, the "powers of 10" movie specialized for history buffs. Some of the material I found superficial/generalized to be of substance, but the author acknowledges that can be the nature of Big History. An ambitious book which talks directly to ideas that most historians only philosophically discuss. A charge of inductive reasoning would not be far fetched, ie. cherry picking of facts to support prefigured models. Excellent overview of Big History and World History ideas and methods and themes. Annotated bibliographies at the end of each chapter, and large one at the end of the book, are very good for further exploration, most book recommendations are recent (1990s and early 2000s). Despite criticisms learned some new and important perspectives and recommend it highly.

David Christian had a great ambition with this book: to write the history of everything there has ever been. In other words, it describes not only human history but also natural history from the very first beginning. Of course, I had read this on the cover but I had not quite anticipated how elaborate and detailedly the author would describe the formation of the cosmos from the moment of the big bang. I had expected the book to go rather briefly through this part of history and to move on quickly to human history. But I was pleasantly surprised because this first part of the book turned out to be the most fascinating part, as far as I am concerned. The rest of the book is quite interesting too, I must add. The plan and ambition of this book are great, the way the author has worked them out, too. If you liked THE HUMAN WEB by JR McNeill and William H. McNeill, you may like MAPS OF TIME even more. If you admired A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME by Stephen Hawking, you may admire this book just as much.

The book is not always easy, but well worth reading. It debates the different theories about life, the Universe and everything, through zooming in. The first part is about the big bang en the formation of stars, than follows the geological processes that formed the earth, the evolution of live, humans and our history. It ends with the 20 th century and possible futures. What I liked most about this book, was that it did not present a clear story, but gave the facts, and the different theories (different stories) that might come with those facts.
It was for me the book at the center of my expending library, because it comes with a extensive bibliography from which I'm now selecting books about the different parts of the big everything to continue reading.
The best book I've read in years (and I read a lot of (non)fiction books, about a large variaty of subjects).

I had this calendar in 2007. The quality of the photos is superior to that of other cat-a-day calendars I've had. Simply beautiful. I've just ordered the 2009 calendar. If it doesn't live up to my expectations, I will update my review.

This is a very informative book for anyone who is starting up a new saltwater aquarium. The illustrations are great. It covers a lot of depth and provides practical tips to setting up and maintaining an aquarium.

This book provides a great overview of the hobby. This is really where most people should start off reading in the hobby to determine if they're going to create a reef in their living room. Perhaps some should start with Paletta's The New Marine Aquarium first as a quick 1 day read, but really those who plan on enjoying the hobby would be well served by skipping the superbasic and getting into this book. That's not to say this is the only book you'll ever need - but this is enough book for most people to be quite content with. (For those of you who are 'bitten' by the hobby, The Reef Aquarium series by Delbeek & Sprung is an excellent resource, but there are others.) Enjoy,

This book inspired me to do a live reef tank instead of just a fish tank!

Wow, this is a wonderful book. I am going to set up a reef tank very soon, and this book will be very helpful when I have to make decisions for my new tank.

I have been keeping a marine tank for less than 1 year. I got tired of just using the internet for all my knowledge-base of marine aquariums; spending many hours digging through all the forums for whatever current problem/issue i had, reading so many conflicting opinions and answers from 'experts', and often ending up at least as confused as when i began.

So I bought this book, read it, and feel much better equipped for the hobby. I still refer heavily to internet sources for more granular knowledge, but at least I now have a solid, reliable source for a foundation on which to build.

This book gave me more confidence, and left me eager to learn and do more in this hobby. It is beautifully illustrated, well composed, and the author conveys his own passion of the hobby and eagerness to educate responsible marine hobbyists.

This book is extremely helpful when you have pets. I have used it many times now.

I definitely reccomend this for anyone who loves their cats and dogs like family members! There are many life saving tips in this great book. I bought this book because I have a cat who like to chew on things, including electrical wires. I learned a lot about this scary issue, as well as, many other life saving bits of information that I had never known before. There is even a section on human medicine that is safe for cats and dogs. I think this book would come in handy in the event of an emergency after vet hours!!

The book is in great shape and is new, however, it took too long to receive it & I wouldn't purchase another book from a1 because of the length of time it took to recieve it.

I've been looking for a book like this. I'm a nurse and was taught many interventions to assist a patient in crisis in addition to contacting a physician. That's nursing for humans. Now I have the information to assist my pets. This book covers every thing from minor first aid to life saving interventions. It's organized so that you can find what you need quickly. Its written in such a down-to-earth style that I know what to do within a paragraph or two.

I own Animal Companions pet sitting service in Houston, Texas, and I found this book a must-have for pet professionals. Laid out in a format similar to a Physician's Desk Reference, you may easily and quickly (and time is always of the essence with a sick pet!) look up information based on presenting symptoms.

It is an amazing supplement to hands-on first aid training. I immediately purchased a copy of this book for myself and each of my employees, to keep in our cars right next to our pet first aid kit. I also picked up a copy to keep at home, for my own furry loved ones.

Well written and informative.Fairly good on the "how to" subject and very good on general dog subjects such as dog health,dog maladies and the basics.

The book is good for beginner easy to read and understand,has a little of everything in there.

I really liked this book. It was helpful to me in all the areas that I needed a grooming book for. The tool recommendations plus the way the book was written itself I found interesting and helpful in grooming my pets at home.

This book does provide a lot of helpful hints and information. It is a good item for dog owners.

This was purchased just in time to supplement the adult Ed. Intro to Pet (dog) Grooming classes (10 hours) at the local JVS.
The class is strictly an INTRO to dog grooming, BUT, was disappointed that instructor/school for our $150 fee did NOT give us an actual book on the subject. We got some printed copies of pages from insructor's book...
DOG GROOMING for DUMMIES is a GREAT source for home groomer want-to-be's.
I think it is well written and not at all boring.
I am glad I got it for I have 2 new pups and two older dogs, and, I I have found out, I can do a LOT more for both me and the dogs' benefit.

This dog is great for the canine looking to break free of the urban lifestyle and reconnect with his or her roots. Few dogs know of the rich oral traditions and ancient culture of mans best friend. Get this book if you need reassurance that you are a good dog and those feelings you have about the cat are completely natural.

The first dangerous thing about this book is that it WILL make you laugh out loud, which will cause other "humans" to think you might indeed be crazy. But what difference does that really make? Your dog already knows you're crazy. Probably the most dangerous thing about this book is that it's true. Any dog owner will adore this read as they see hints of themselves in the vivid descriptions within its pages. But don't say you haven't been warned. After reading this book you may find yourself watching your best friend just a little bit closer.

We love it, can't find enough copies to send to everyone in the family! I'd heard of the books for girls and boys, but this one is too funny. We have 11 month old pups, and believe me, they've already read it. I especially love the question and answer chapter, "who's a good boy"? Yes, if you want to understand your best friend, check out this quick read. No kids required, just the love of a good canine.

This book is an endless source of levity and promotes enough loud laughter to scare your dog out of the room! It's so great I've already gotten 3 other folks hooked on it.

My husband and I were reading one of these stories aloud the other day - the one about "How to Make Your Owner Look Like an Idiot" while Scottie slept at our feet. Or so we thought he was sleeping. The next day on his walk, Scottie executed the instructions from the book to a 'T', thus turning both of us into - well, startled and laughing - but idiots nonetheless! Read page 119 for the full story, but read it silently. They listen to this book and you might be the next victim!!!

Priceless. Don't think twice -- I recommend to buy it now!

I gave this to my son for Christmas, who is an animal lover, and he really enojyed it very much.

Here is another book that was written too many years ago and needs to be updated.The rapid training pretty much come from breaking your dogs spirit to get him to do what you want. Bird dog discipline is a must but this guys techniques are poor in general and will not make it fun for the dog. He makes the dog more of a tool than a hunting companion. Thumbs down

R. A. Wolters' books are so much fun to read, and most of the information is correct and useful. Actually, it is all useful. I recommend this and his other books for anyone preparing to get a dog (hunting or otherwise).

I like the 7 week pup thing personally, but the basis of Wolters' assertions on this matter may be a little dogmatic and are disputed by some experts and researchers. I looked into the study that he uses for this assertion in all of his books, and it seems that he misinterpreted the data and came to a rash decision. I believe getting a pup at exactly 49 days is a good idea, but it is not as necessary as Wolters would indicate.

It is no news that this is one of the best training books for upland game that has ever been written. You may disagree with Wolters but you can never say his methods dont work. This is my number one resource for training my dogs.

Succinct, easy instructional read that works. I am 2 weeks in to training a new pup via the book and he is responding positively. It had been 13 years since doing this and the book is helping us both.

Learn the phases your dog goes through as he ages, and then learn how to use those phases to your own advantage in your training.

My four year old daughter and I adore this book and have for 2 years! There are beautiful illustrations (not photos) of a lot of animals. The only thing it lacks is information on all of the animals, but overall it is a gorgeous book that gets a lot of use in our house!

I think this book is excellent content-wise. However, it has mostly drawings of animals, not actual photos. I was disappointed in this as the other reviews seemed to suggest it has lots and lots of pictures--these pictures are actually drawings (which are very well done) and they are indeed very plentiful, but I will be sending it back for a book with more actual photos of animals.

This book is AWESOME. It has so much information in it and has beatiful pictures. It is perfect for any animal lover.

This has been my daughters favorite book from the time she was 1 year old all the way through 2 years 3 months. She loves to flip through the pages and identify very detailed pictures of all types of animals. Its also very informative for adults too.

I am a substitute teacher and I have spent the last 4 weeks in a first grade classroom. From the minute I brought the book into the classroom it has been the favorite of all the students especially the boys. They can't read all of it but they love looking up the animals and are excited to show me their favorite animals. It is a great book to expose kids of all ages to animals. The lizards, snakes and insect are the favorite pages.