MR

Why some scientists attempt to "refute" Darwin remains perplexing. Some hope to gain notoriety by toppling such an icon. "Post-modernists" apply the "cultural artefact" dodge - natural selection could only arise in Victorian Britain. Still others have observed the complexities of today's life forms, and unable to comprehend how the process of natural selection brought them about, lash out in frustration. Gabriel Dover seems to fall in the latter category with this bizarre work, although an undercurrent of self-promotion is evident.

The book is an attempt to promote Dover's concept of "molecular drive" he introduced some years ago. In Dover's view, the complexities of today's chromosomes can be projected backward in time to explain evolution's mechanisms. Molecular drive is so powerful and far-reaching that it exceeds natural selection's gradual pace. Since this complexity can arise in nearly every life form above the single-cell organism, natural selection is thereby refuted, Dover says. He attempts to explain the mechanism with convoluted examples of fruit flies suffering from a rare, but deleterious mutation. By the time he's finished we are left with little understanding of how this process evolved, but even less of how it replaces natural selection.

Whiffs of Behe Syndrome permeate this book. BS is an affliction infecting those dazzled by the intricacies of modern genetics. Sufferers are unable to perceive the long reach of natural selection through time. Hence, they tend to maneuver around it, grasping at any straw in searching for quick, immediate answers to evolution's mysteries. Dover's "molecular coevolution" is an attempt to graft one of these answers to Darwin's original thesis. Like other examples of BS, it fails pitifully. Darwin's Idea survives this attempt at erosion with renewed strength.

The ethics of invoking the shade of Charles Darwin to inform us of advances in genetics are questionable at best. Darwin has been "updated" before, although none with the aim of degrading others. Dover presents his case in a series of letters, some attempting to explain modern molecular biology, some just "chatty". The shadow of Darwin is astoundingly tolerant of all this. Dover makes him out as appreciative of the update effort, but anyone who has read Darwin isn't deceived. Darwin was too clear a thinker to be misled by such devious tactics. Dover's inept handling of Darwin glares from every exchange. The many personal asides appear to be some form of camouflage to distract the reader from perceiving how ineptly Dover handles the issues. The barbed assault on Richard Dawkins sprinkled throughout the book proves even worse. Dover's recruiting Darwin's ghost as an ally in this venture is the final flaw. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

[* with humble apologies to Daniel C. Dennett]

Dear Mr Darwin adopts a highly well-known aspect of Charles Darwin's life of correspondences and develops in into a book. However, the correspondences in this book are all imagination of the author, Dove. He effectively uses a combination of witty and clear language to "update" Charles Darwin on the great developments of evolutionary genetics since the great naturalist's time. What is almost hilarious is the many references to Darwin's state of internment at the Abby and they help to make the book even more readable for the layman.

Essentially, this book is about evolutionary genetics since the discovery of works of Gregory Mendel, the father of genetics. In 15 correspondences altogether, Dove manages to squeeze the major aspects of evolutionary genetics that have advance man's knowledge of evolution. Not insignificant is a chapter wholly devoted to debunking Dawkins'selfish gene theory (many other chapters show oblique disdain of the author towards Dawkins' theory).

Three main ideas are what are pursued throughout the book. Firstly, the book has introduced me to the non-Mendelian mechanisms of genes. These include gene conversion, slippage, unequal crossing over etc. These turnover genetics, as they are also called, can be responsible for as many genetic variations as Mendelian genetics of segregation. The next idea is that natural selection is not the only force that leads to evolution of organisms. The author pioneers a new force he calls molecular drive. Given the many non-Mendelian mechanisms, it is possible that novelties arise at the genetic level, fortuitously giving an organism the advantage. This will lead to adoptation of previously inaccessible environment, which in turn leads to higher rate of reproduction. This is different from natural selection, which works at the ecological level to spread the genetic materials of best-fitted organisms.

The last idea and is what the author is bent in propagating, is that Dawkins got it entirely wrong with his selfish gene theory. With no forgiving language, Dove states that genes are never capable of replicating itself. The only entity in biology able to replicate itself is the cell. And the cell is the product of many genes, many interactions and many mechanisms not possibly attributed to a single gene. And the cell is the organism (humans simply being higher order multi-cellular entities). So Dawkins' entire idea of the genes as the ultimate unit of selection is false. There are many other points of arguments, some of which are quite hard to comprehend.

This book, although written in a creative manner, requires some knowledge of genetics. The middle sections of the book can get very technical and it is important for the general reader to read through and summarise his ideas. It is a also a good book to refute the ideas of Dawkins and to offer fresh perspectives on the forces that drive evolution., apart from natural selection.

Mr. Dover is obvious a brilliant scientist on the cutting edge of genetics. I can't imagaine there are many people more knowledgable on the subject. He also has a flair and humor to his writing. So if the book is substantial and not boring, what is the problem? This book is simply not "accessable" as it were.

The book is less about Darwin's theory than contemporary theories, including Mr. Dover's own "molecular drive" (there is also molecular coevolution, gene conversion, exaptation, neutral drift, etc.) most of which seem quite sound. Unfortunately, and notwithstanding the conversational format of the book, the concepts are abstruse. One would need, at least, a good knowlege of basic genetics (just knowing the doulbe helix is not enough, trust me) to appreciate this book. If you already have a good grasp of "allelles" and such, (where they are on chromosomes, how they operate, etc.) this book would be an excellent choice.

As a top session drummer since the late 1950's, Hal Baine has played on over 40 number one hit records. You would think he would have enough material from all that experience to write five books the size of this one.

There are a few insights here. For example, Hal Blaine played on some of the Beach Boys' records, and he describes Brian Wilson's unusual piano style. Rather than play a bass line with his left hand and chords and melody with his right, like most piano players, Wilson played chords with both hands and the notes he played with his right hand were the harmony parts for the rest of the group to sing.

More often the book disappoints. You would think that the studio band was called the "Wrecking Crew" because they were unbeatable musicians right? Well according to Blaine they were called the "Wrecking Crew" because they didn't wipe out the ash trays and left the recording studio untidy when they were finished for the day.

The biggest problem with this book is what it leaves out. There just isn't as much new and interesting information here as there should be given the number of sessions Blaine played on. I suspect that the author is holding back. He seems like he doesn't want to disclose too much in his book because it might jeopardize future drumming gigs, so his loyalty is primarily to his past (and possible future) employers rather than to his readers.

The book is pleasant and easy to read, but if you are interested in this subject I would suggest that you read Earl Palmer's book first. Palmer is also a drummer and a contemporary of Blaine's. While Blaine is bland and pleasant, Palmer is swaggering and arrogant, and decidedly more interesting.

As much as I enjoy a lot of the music Hal Blaine has contributed to, I found little to enjoy about this book. Blaine offers nothing interesting or insightful about himself or the music business, just superficial outlines of his life and some of the people he worked with. He's curiously vague about the details of his own life (he either got his own birthdate wrong or consistently misstated his age by a year in the early part of the book, and he talks about women he married without even mentioning their names), and he seems to have little real knowledge of the performers he worked with (he repeats the erroneous claim that Mama Cass died from choking on food, for example, and a whole chapter about working with the Monkees actually covers a Mike Nesmith project that had nothing to do with the Monkees). He also played with some of the most popular pop/rock groups of the 1960s and 1970s (the Byrds, the Carpenters, Simon & Garfunkel), but none of them merits even a single mention in the book.

If Blaine had an interesting story he wanted to tell, he should have found a better collaborator.

This is a great book if you are a fan of '60s music. Hal helped lay the foundation for much of it. He also heavily influenced many drummers who followed, including Keith Moon of the Who. He outlines his musical training, inspiration, and dues paying. He features amusing anecdotes about working with legends of the industry, including Phil Spector, Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, and Sinatra. It makes you realize how much credit he, along with other members of studio musicians known as the "Wrecking Crew", deserve for shaping their artists' visions, as their improv and input helped make those records so great. A must-have, especially if you are a drummer or ever wished you could be one. They don't make 'em like Hal anymore.

After reading the book Mr. Sandman I wondered how this book could have sold so many copies. Mr. Sandman was a major disapointment. The book did not flow very well and many of the large words that Mr. Howard used didn't fit very well. The only reason that kept me reading the book was that I know the author and wanted to read his work. I would not suggest that you read this book.

In response to the stinktacular review, I want to know if this person ever read the book? Nothing he says in his review has anything to do with the book! There was NO character named Howard in the book, and this was strictly a work of fiction. Does this reviewer actually believe there is a character called Superman, who can really fly? It's make believe, pal. Sit back and enjoy a good read!

This is a taut, well crafted thriller that kept me guessing until the very end. If you like edge of your seat suspense, Lyle Howard is a master at this type of thing. I highly recommend it!

Recipes are just like following instructions from any product you buy in a supermarket. You can't find any innovating stuff.

I'm a huge Mr. Food fan, but his is my least favorite of his cookbooks. I found the recipes repetitive and not as appealing as the ones in his other books.

Unless you're desperate for Tex-Mex, I would try some of Mr. Food's other cookbooks before trying this one.

It's a great cookbook with a lot of tasty recipes for any occasion. Some of the captions are really lame, but the recipes are easy to fix and taste great, not too spicy. I'd recommend this for anyone who likes mexican and tex-mex food.

This is one of the hardest and boring books in life! It deals with strict men of Science, for instance, Dr. Hastie Lanyon. This book, like the Invisible Man, is a novel that has WAY too many details and should be strictly enforced not to be read. Who wants to read a book about science-fiction and not to mention the cuss words on every page? Who likes minor details around every corner. But, I must admit, there are fabulous descriptions of the characters and them themselves are quite interesting! But, this book is not good.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
By: Robert Louis Stevenson
Reviewed by: E. ...
Period:6

This book is about a man that has somehow brought out an evil side of him. He is a scientist and he makes a concoction that has brought out the evil part. At first the man is able to be somewhat aware of what the other person does, but it gets worse and he looses control. He has few conscious moments and often wakes up not knowing what has happened. His friend learns about the evil side, but has no idea that both of the men are the same. As the friend learns more, he becomes closer and closer to the horrible truth. Then the evil side kills a man and he hides by becoming the good man and hiding in his house. The friend thinks the evil man has killed the good one, but he soon finds out something is very strange about the whole situation. Then the friend receives a letter from the man and he gets the supplies asked in the letter. A man meets the friend and makes a concoction. Then he drinks it and all of a sudden the man turns into his friend that seems to have been revived from the evil side. The whole story is a mystery as the friend finds more clues.

The thing I liked was how the story was set up and how the whole thing was a mystery so that it kept you interested in finding out the answer. It got confusing at times and I had to re-read parts to find out the clues and truly understand it. "pale and shaken, and half fainting, and groping before him with his hands, like a man restored from death-there stood Henry Jekyll! " The good man had only a little power left and he needed the concoction to make himself regular again. The person that his friend saw was a mixture of evil and good with the good barely holding out. After that, the friend was told everything and he listened in shock. This part didn't come until near the end so that it was a twist in the story that is unexpected.

The book may have been good for its story line, but parts of the story got to be repetitive and it got to the point where it was boring and it was hard to keep going. The end really disappointed me, because the story was pretty decent and then the end came and it was bad. The end was supposed to be a letter written from the last words of the good man that was losing his power to stay in control. The letter was at least twenty pages and was filled with confusing sentences and the same information being repeated over and over. It got tiring and boring very quickly, so that I struggled to keep reading. I finally made it through and the end of the letter said that the good man was saying he was going to end his miserable life. "Here, then, as I lay down the pen, and proceed to seal up my confession, I bring the life of that unhappy Henry Jekyll to an end. That ending would have been good if it wasn't after the most boring part in the book.

My favorite part of the book was when the friend and the butler of the good man break into the study to get the materials wanted by the man. It was my favorite part because lots of clues start to come out and it's the point right before finding out the truth of the evil and good man. My least favorite part is the end when the same information is repeated and the words are so confusing that it is very boring. Overall the book has a good way of keeping the reader suspenseful, but it also does the opposite with the repeated parts and the story may seem a little over stretched.

This is another first-rate critical edition from Norton. The text is cleanly printed with careful and accurate annotations. Both the critical and the backgrounds and contexts essays are well chosen. Sections on performance adaptations on stage and screen and on literary, scientific and sociohistorical contexts are particularly useful.One of the best critical essays is the editor's own. A detailed Stevenson chronology and an accurate selected bibliography conclude the volume.

THIS BOOK IS A REPRINT OF 2001 PUBLICATION OF JOHN LAWTON'S "RIPTIDE" WHICH HAS BEEN AVAILABLE FOR SEVERAL YERS.

I have to disagree. That last review is so misleading. Yes this is "Riptide" but it's a US first edition. I know. I read the small print. Prior to this it' s only been available as an expensive British import and it deserves better than a 2 line dismissal. I've no idea why the title changed, but does that matter?
It's a stunning picture of the England just before The US and the Russians entered the war. London is a city under seige, short of everything from food to shoes. That alone is reason enough to buy the book - there've been lots of historical thrillers on this same subject, but this is the best. Beyond that ... what really hooked me was the characterisation. It would have been so easy to have the American GI paired to the London cop read like a cliche and it's about a hundred times better than that. They leap off the page at you, vivid,real and engaging. A five star read.

This is not his good stuff. It is marketted fluff using his name. There are some good collections, but don't buy anything by this publisher.

It's said that chairman Mao was going to put Mr. Natural on the cover of his little red book along with his quotations but Nixon nixed the deal saying it would reveal too many secrets about America.

Robert Crumb has an uncanny way of telling the absolute truth. Mr. Natural is as natural as we may all be if it were not for the hang-ups that our parents and teachers impose upon us as children. He tells the truth as it really is - and how is that you say? Well one of the most important truths is not to forget whatever it was you were supposed to remember... and if you do... well just make it up!

After all... twas ever thus!

Excellent collection of Mr Natural's adventures thru life - a must have for anyone who used to say cool but will probably go over the head of anyone who says kewl.

This is not his good stuff. It is marketted fluff using his name. There are some good collections, but don't buy anything by this publisher.

This series is called the "Complete Crumb" for a reason. It is a collection of his complete works. As a result, some people who enjoy some of his work might not enjoy all of his work, but different strokes for different folks. Only the most diehard fan will find 100% of Crumb's works enjoyable. However, anyone buying this series is most likely already a diehard fan, and more casual readers can try out his regular format books quite cheaply to get a taste of his style or buy a more thematic collection to play it safe. As usual, Fantagraphics has published a collection living up to its extremely high standards of quality with excellent printing and reproduction values that will be treasured by fans of the comic arts.

It was a boring way of telling his life. Hard to understand

This is a fascinating biography--answered all of my questions about Ted Geisel's life. Very thoroughly researched. Bravo.

My beef with this book and a few others by the same authors is the total lack of respect for the environment. Chemicals are portrayed as the "good guys" and there is never a mention of their carcinogenic properties or the harm they do to our world. Agricultural chemicals drift at least 25 miles after they are sprayed, even when the wind is not blowing. They end up in our drinking water and cause cancer in humans and animals. None of this is mentioned in this book. It makes me wonder if the authors are sponsored by a chemical company. I wish the authors would write a book on an organic gardener. I do like their style but not their subject matter.

To a Reader from Mansfield...drift 25 miles away in a no wind condition? Boy...you've never been around farming or farmers. If there was drift 50 feet away there would be trouble! I can appreciate your valid concerns for the environment, but please fight your cause with facts.