history

Giacomo Casanova's twelve volume memoir, History of My Life, provides a passionate and critical look into the 18th century. The term "Casanova" has become representative of frivolous love-making, however, the real man, Giacomo Casanova, was an artist, a scholar and a philosopher. His memoir reveals his desire for truth, as well as his love for women. Written during the years of the French Revolution, Casanova's memoir appeals to a wide range of book lovers. His stories are entertaining and fulled with adventure. For those interested in 18th century Europe, Casanova comments extensively on the customs and manners of all the social classes, especially in France. He gives charming descriptions of the Parisian streets, taverns, Catholic practices and even a detailed description on how to make hot chocolate (one of Casanova's favourite breakfast foods). Casanova occupied a unique place in society. Instead of trying to fit rigidly into one social class he explores the lives of the peasantry as well as the noblity, therefore, he offers a unique view of his time. Throughout his travels he reflects on universal aspects of human nature, focusing often, but not exclusively, on human sexual behaviour.

I have read Casanova's memoirs twice. The original Trask translation was only produced in a limited number.

I wish I could give this work 6 stars and not just 5. In all 6 volumes of the Trask translation. Casanova shows a remarkable gift for writing from the heart even though he was progidy. The result is a vivid and fast moving recreation of the 18th century by a lover, a scholar and a rascal. What Casanova writes the reader feels and lives. He writes as if you are there with him and he makes you feel it is so. Casanova's story is of love, of life from peasants to kings, of risk-taking adventure, of politics, of cabalistic rites and charlatanism, of dupes and dullards and endless intrigues. It has the kind of excitement that fiction can only envy.

I have read the first 3 volumes and found it to be both entertaining and informative about the life of Casanova. You can hear Casanova speak as he tells his tales of all his adventures taking him to many places and what makes him tick. His love of women comes through in a very personal way by his descriptive manner.

A woman has to search high and low to find any book that comes close to Wolverton's Insurgent Muse when looking for a truly feminist history of women and art in this country. Wolverton takes the feminist discourse course by blending in her own story with very honest critique and appraisal of the influence of Los Angeles' Women's Building on helping women bridge the gender gap in visual and performing art. True to the notion that "the personal is political" Wolverton recounts her own journey from the Midwest and her own journey on her way to becoming a self-realized artist and person. I think some of her points along the way are very important and do blend with feminist literary criticism, for example, that the developing woman and the developing artist are most often one and the same, that these two stories cannot be separated out from a woman's personality.

Though, it must be said of Insurgent Muse, the best thing about it is just that it is a damn good read. Historical and feminist criticism, many times, can be so dry and theoretical (on purpose, you think. Maybe academics think they get brownie highbrow points for that.) that many women are discouraged from reading it. Wolverton's book blends theory, personal history, historical anecdote into something that is insightful, informative, and enjoyable!

Terry Wolverton's Insurgent Muse is one of the most powerful, moving memoirs I have ever read. Once I started reading, I literally could not put the book down and stayed up way past my bedtime to finish it. Wolverton writes with insight, courage and humor about her own coming of age as an artist, her coming out as a lesbian, and her experiences with the Los Angeles Woman's Building, not only as an institution but as a vision of a creative, collaborative community of women. Anybody who is interested in the connections between art and politics, especially how artists get politicized and how political art gets made, should read this book. Though there's no happy ending to this story - in that the Woman's Building is no more - I found Insurgent Muse incredibly inspiring and an important reminder that art DOES matter and that sisterhood - however chimerical it sometimes seems - can indeed be powerful.

What a pleasure to read. Wolverton weaves through the book personal history and her experiences at the Los Angeles Woman's Building to bring art history and feminism in LA to life. Wolverton easily evokes engaging images with just a few strokes of the pen.

Special praise is reserved for the historian who tells well-researched history as an interesting story, because its appeal is broader. When he succeeds in capturing the mood of a past era in the process, the result is something special.

Meet Alan T. Nolan, who has achieved the above in this definitive work on the famous Iron Brigade (an elite unit consisting of Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan troops). We get to know its officers and its soldiers; we see it well handled and mishandled; we see (for example) the 24th Michigan earn its right to the distinctive black hat, then suffer 80% casualties--without routing, mind you--to prove to history that it surely lived up (or died up, one might say) to the proud reputation of this Western unit.

Recommended to Civil War buffs, those interested in the psyche of elite units, and to those who love the West.

In the history of the American Civil War, various fighting units of both sides distinguished themselves with their skill and valor - Hood's Texas Brigade, Meagher's Irish Brigade and the Stonewall Brigade come to mind - however, the men of the Old Northwest who fought in the Iron Brigade stand in no other's shadow. Forged into an efficient, disciplined fighting unit by John Gibbon, the Iron Brigade fought, with distinction, through most of the fiercest battles of the eastern theatre - Brawner Farm (Second Manassas), South Mountain, Antietam, and Gettysburg being their most significant actions, ending with Grant's overland campaign. Nolan's history of this proud fighting unit shines with praise - but the story is so thoroughly researched (from home state mustering in to an appendix detailing postwar histories of some of the officers) and convincingly told that the reader can easily forgive the subjectivity and give thanks that such a worthwhile story has been told so well. As the Iron Brigade marched past their battleground over the National Road at South Mountain on their way north following Lee's army in June 1863, they sank into melancholy that their fallen comrades were already being forgotten, graves overgrown, wooden markers fallen away. Give thanks to Nolan (among others) that the Iron Brigade's history has not been forgotten. Give thanks to the Iron Brigade that brave men did great service to their country during our most terrible conflict.

The author successfully weaves together regimental histories with grand strategic movements and anecdotal observations of the common soldier. All this gives a feel for the the tension and struggle faced by the "heroes" of this story-- the officers and common soldiers of the Iron Brigade. Common men of uncommon bravery and valor. The reader is able to follow the progress of each regiment within the Brigade through Nolan's fast paced, dramatic narrative. A fine reference and requisite companion to Herdegen's "Four Years with the Iron Brigade," since it puts the diaries in the larger context of Brigade movements. I appreciated Nolan's work all the more after Herdegen's book, and wished I had read them together.

This is a must add to your leadership library! If you like authors such as Donald T. Phillips-"Lincoln On Leadership" or Axelrod- "Elizabeth I CEO" then you will enjoy this book. The big plus is that it is about a contemporary woman leader. The author adds how you can take some of the leadership qualities of Eleanor and apply it to your own life situations. She gives examples from the lives of women in your community and mine who are working to make a difference each day. This book speaks to the vision of one woman who helped to make a difference in lives of women today. Things that we take for granted were hard fought for ideals championed by this woman. It is hard to put this book down once you get started and will apply to each woman who works to make the diffence in the lives of the family, the community and the world. Read It! You'll enjoy it!

At 46, I found the book both affirming and inspiring. Ms. Gerber shows, through the life of the great ER, how painful life experiences can enhance both self awareness and empathy, and even more amazingly, how suffering a betrayal can be liberating. Her discussion on the special leadership skills developed through motherhood make clear the public interest in cultivating women leaders. The book is both a very accesible, good read and an effective step-by-step leadership guide.

After reading about Colin Powel's style, Bush's War and Guiliani's book on Leadership, it was a nice break to read about one of history's greatest first ladies--Eleanor Roosevelt. It also served as a checkpoint for myself to have a peek at the early 20th century and the beginnings of the UN in light of recent events. This book was written by Robin Gerber who is a senior scholar at the Academy of Leadership which is part of the University of Maryland. Not only a biography of Eleanor, it's also a how-to on leadership and includes side information about how other women implement Eleanor's style in their lives today.
Key Takeaways:
Give Voice to Your Leadership--ER did not start out a brilliant and inspiring public speaker, she had to practice at it. She eventually managed to be an effective communicator through both speech and her writing in columns. She held press conferences at the White House for women reporters only--she identified an audience she could reach and began speaking to them.
Embrace Risk--despite many folks including herself being unsure of her and her role, at Truman's request ER took on a role within the formation of the UN and went on to be a leading proponant of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. She took this on shortly after the death of FDR--a time when she could have retired. Instead she started on a second life.
Never Stop Learning--this keeps coming up in the lives of leaders--they have an interest in the world and learning about it. ER traveled extensively in the latter part of her life and took a good deal of interest in learning about the world and the various cultures enhabiting it. She traveled throughout the middle east and India. She also used her columns, and speeches as a tool to educate others.

As an avid WWII reader and historian, Rob Rush's "Hell in Hurtgen Forest" ranks at the very top of all the WWII books I have read. Although overshadowed by the Battle of the Bulge, the fight in the Hurtgen Forest in November and early December 1944 was the bloodiest of all fought by the 4th Infantry Division and the 22nd Infantry Regiment. Rob captures in great detail the daily actions of the fight and the challenges of leadership and why the men continued to fight as they were hit with casualties that approached 150% in the rifle companies. I highly recommend this excellent book - you will leave it shaking your head and better understanding why we hold our WWII veterans in such high esteem.

"Hell in the Hurtgen Forest" is a superb book about the timeless nature of infantry close combat. I commend it to both professional soldiers and students of history.

What makes this book most unique is the observation that the US individual replacement system, coupled with the US Army policy of keeping its limited number of divisions in the line almost without any break, produced a very effective organization, especially when compared to the worn out German units. This new interpretation of WWII unit effectiveness is worthy of further examination. It certainly caught my attention.

HEY ALL I DID WAS LOOK AT THE TITLE, SHOOT I KNOW THIS BOOKS GOING TO BE GREAT.

Set against the Spanish Inquisition of the 15th Century, "The Heretic" provided for me an exciting way to learn about a period of history of which I knew very little. The novel is filled with ingredients that drew me into the book. Not only a portrayal of the persecution of the Jews at the hands of the Catholic Church, "The Heretic" is primarily a story that humanizes the tradgedies endured during that period. Filled with intrigue, suspense and romance the struggle for one's faith against great odds makes "The Heretic" a great read!

The Heretic is well written, entertaining and historically reminds us of a dark period in the history of Spain. The characters were real to me and I found that I was compelled to keep reading and finished the 370 pages in about 2 and a half days. I thoroughly enjoyed it and wished the story could have continued.

The Heretic is a superbly written debut novel of political intrigue by Lewis Weinstein that adds a definitively human touch to the terrible ills of history and religious persecution. Depicting a family of Jews living in Seville on the eve of the Spanish Inquisition of the 15th century, The Heretic is a thoughtful and thought-provoking historical story of the abuse of power and tests of faith that were anything but. The Heretic clear documents Lewis Weinstein as a master storyteller and will leave the reader looking eagerly toward his next literary effort.

I was born in Brooklyn about four years after the Dodgers left for Los Angeles, so I never had the opportunity to experience the Brooklyn Dodgers firsthand, but Michael Shapiro does a wonderful job capturing the Dodgers final years in Brooklyn, and the struggle between Dodger owner Walter O'Malley, who wanted a new stadium in Brooklyn, and New York' master builder Robert Moses, who had other plans for the Brooklyn site and wanted (and eventually did) build a stadium in Queens.
Shapiro tells the story of the fight between O'Malley and Moses, and he truly captures how important the Dodgers were to Brooklyn. Although the team in their last few years in Brooklyn did not draw particularly well, they were still beloved, and an important part of the borough -- with stars such as Pee Wee Reese, Duke Snider, and Gil Hodges living in Brooklyn during the season, their wives shopping in local stores, and their children attending the local schools.
To a certain extent I'm sure many of the Brooklyn fans thought their team would never leave. The book illustrates, however, that the teams' fate was in the hands of O'Malley, a businessman only interested in turning a profit, and Moses, a planner who virtually ruled over New York for decades, was more powerful than many mayors, and literally changed the face of the city as well as the state. The fans, caught in the middle, counted for nothing.
Shapiro also portrays the personalities of many of the Dodger stars, with insight into clubhouse relationships and why they performed so well as a team.
In many ways this book is a study in urban politics and baseball. He shows how one affected the other in a profound way, and ultimately, with the move of the Dodgers and Giants to the West Coast, brought baseball into a new era.
If you like baseball or have an interest in New York politics, then this book is for you. Highly recommended.

Books relating to specific years have been popular over the past several years with mixed results. Author Michael Shapiro has provided us with an outstanding portrait of an aging Brooklyn Dodgers' team going down to the wire in the 1956 season to eek out a pennant over the Milwaukee Braves during the final days of the season. The book is really two separate stories. One involving a lot of politics between Dodgers' owner Walter O'Malley and Robert Moses, an appointed New York official, over the location of a new playing site for the Dodgers. Moses wanted a site located on the present site of Shea Stadium while O'Malley wanted one nearer to Ebbets Field. Shapiro labels Moses as the villain in the move of the Dodgers while O'Malley needed help in acquiring a new stadium, but was not going to get it. Los Angeles promised him more than New York would even consider, so Walter made the move. The one thing O'Malley and Moses shared in common, according to Shapiro, was an ignorance between the team and its fans. Sometimes I felt overwhelmed with the politics involved between both sides in trying to get the deal each wanted, but Shapiro is very thorough in his research. The book's chapters are divided into each month of the baseball season and what took place during each month. A separate chapter is provided for the last week of the season and the World Series. Interesting stories about players such as Robinson, Campanella, Erskine, Reese, Furillo, Newcombe, Labine, and an early season pickup of Sal "The Barber" Maglie from the Cleveland Indians make for very interesting reading even if you are familiar with the Dodgers of this era from other books. It is ironic that former Giant and Dodger rival, Sal "The Barber" Maglie, was to be very instrumental in bringing the Dodgers home with the 1956 pennant. Interesting details of the deal that sent Maglie to the Dodgers from the Indians are provided. Maglie also authored his only no-hitter during the final week of the '56 season, before being victimized by Don Larsen's perfect game in the 5th game of the Series. For the most part America wanted the Milwaukee Braves to win the '56 pennant just to have a new team in the Series, but the St. Louis Cardinals snuffed out the Braves' hopes in St. Louis while the Dodgers were beating the Pirates in Brooklyn. If you feel you have read enough of the Brooklyn Dodgers in previous books, you owe it to yourself to read about this storied team during their Last Good Season.

The conventional story of the Brooklyn Dodgers' demise is largely familiar to most
baseball fans by now. The Borough of Brooklyn saw the working-class white families
who had supported the Dodgers flee en masse in the decade after World War Two,
replaced by blacks, Puerto Ricans and others of different customs and values. Meanwhile,
greedy Dodger owner Walter O'Malley, after making a pretense of wanting to stay in
Brooklyn, quickly packed his bags for the more lucrative territory of Los Angeles.

If this is the storyline you cling to, be prepared to re-think it. In "The Last Good Season,"
Michael Shapiro provides a thoroughly-researched, gracefully-written account of the
Dodgers' final pennant race and the transformation of Brooklyn.

"I see the boys of summer in their ruin," Dylan Thomas had written in a poem that would
forever become linked to the Dodgers. Roger Kahn's masterpiece was still in the future in
1956, but the great Dodger team that had dominated the National League for a decade
was clearly approaching the end of the line. Age and injuries were taking their toll on
men like Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Carl Erskine and Pee Wee Reese. Don
Drysdale and Sandy Koufax were on hand, but were still untested youngsters, not the
dominant pitchers they would become on the west coast.

Shapiro interweaves an account of the 1956 season with the story of Brooklyn's
transformation in the postwar years. Yes, many whites were fleeing to the suburbs, but
Ebbets Field was still filled with fans. In fact, he suggests, it was a wonderful, if brief
period when black, brown and white fans came together for a common purpose.

What seems abundantly clear from the archives Shapiro has mined is that far from
looking for a quick exit, O'Malley was seeking every opportunity to stay (although on his
terms.) All he wanted--reasonably enough, in his view--was the city's help in securing the
site for a new stadium. Here, though, he came up against the most powerful man in New
York--Robert Moses. It was a battle he was destined to lose. Interestingly enough, while
Shapiro refuses to condemn O'Malley as a carpetbagger, he does conclude he never
should have owned a baseball team. Why? He simply didn't understand the game, or its
true meaning to its fans. O'Malley was the kind of owner who could maximize the bottom
line, and knew how to successfully market his product--but that's all it ever was to him. A
product. As Shapiro's book makes clear, for millions of fans, the Brooklyn Dodgers
represented to much more.--William C. Hall

This book seems to be very complete and the author highly qualified in war technology, strategy, logistics... For that one is easily convinced by almost all his affirmations but one: it's about the tanks: he says them are impressive war machines, but you must don't trust very much on his power: these steel monsters have demonstrated to be very vulnerable and his use are best when infantry have destroyed the main opposition, against residual resistence ¿¿??. Dunnigan trusts much more in war aircraft. I confess these paragraphs are astonishing for me after the Panzer campaigns, and today, in Middle East. As it were one must expect that also there this book must be read and serve for the ceasefire for once.

Background

1.'How To Make War' is as the title suggests is aimed to be 'a comprehensive guide to modern warfare for the post cold war era'. This, the third in the series of 'How To Make War' books written by the author James Dunnigan is a comprehensively revised edition published in 1995. The author has gone on to gain much acclaim through his later titles including the well-known 'How Not to Make War'.

2.After the end of the Cold War, the world has seen major upheavals in the politico-military arena. The emergence of the United States as the only superpower and recent events such as the Gulf War in 1991, have changed the threat perceptions of most countries and as a consequence military policies. This has invariably lead to a rethink in warfare methods and techniques, in addition to the continued advancement in terms of warfare technology. Dunnigan has written this revised edition of 'How To Make War' with special emphasis to the above changes in the post Cold War scenario.

The Book

3.The author begins by acquainting the reader with the universal 'principles of war'. The book is structured into four major sections, the first three being the obvious air, land and sea theatres. More importantly however, is Dunnigan's emphasis on the human factor involved in war, which has a section by itself devoted to it in Part Four of the book. In addition there are four other sections dealing with special weapons, numerical warfare, and transportation logistics. The final section is a summary and statistics of the weapons and armed forces of the time. The sections are interspersed with as many as 48 different charts and tables displaying a vast array of data, which help the reader in assimilating the text. The sections on Ground Combat, Air Operations and Naval Operations introduce and discuss the composition, roles, conditions, developments and future trends of their respective components. This helps the reader to understand and comprehend the facts presented subsequently.

4.In the part dealing with ground combat, the author has brought out the changing role of the infantry with the advance in technology. At the same time he clearly brings out it's indispensability with respect to occupation of enemy territory, which continues to be the final determinant of victory. Dunnigan also charts out the material developments in ground battle methods, by providing details of the armory of the major players of today. The tremendous development in artillery weapons is well documented and interesting, while the factual account of the same is fairly precise and informative. This section also has a chapter devoted to the increasing role of the paramilitary forces and reserves.

5.In the section on Air Operations, the author tries to substantiate his theory that the air force is primarily an information gathering service whose warfare role evolved to destroy the enemy air forces. He does dwell on it's emerging importance in softening of enemy targets for the infantry, while contending that this role is being taken up by air support divisions of the latter. He also elaborates at length on the air force's "simple missions" but complex "means". A separate discussion on Air Defence in the following chapter contains a wealth of information and statistics.

6.In the section dealing with the Navy, the author stresses the importance of control of commercial shipping lanes through naval might. The importance of technology upgrades for the US despite the indisputable superiority of its forces is dealt with at length. Submarine warfare and naval air operations are also discussed separately in different chapters.

7.The author has laid great emphasis on the human factors of war. He has dealt elaborately on the psychological, professional, motivational and leadership aspects of this major constituent of warfare. One cannot dispute his contention that "when it comes to fighting, warfare is not waged by numbers, but through the courage, determination, skill, and leadership of individuals. As a part of this section the author has included a brief discussion of the peacetime role and pressures on the armed forces.

8.The discussion on special weapons includes interesting details on electronic warfare and the opening up of space as the new dimension in warfare. The dangers of biological and chemical weapons and the tendency of Third World countries giving in to this low cost option is clearly brought out. The author also raises relevant questions about the viability of Nuclear Weapons and their relation to the conventional options. Dunnigan also raises important issues of economics and the logistics of war. The reader is given a concise picture of the quantum of mobilisaton of supplies and the related costs.

Comments

9.The book as a whole provides a fairly comprehensive picture of the world's weapons and armed forces. It also attempts to give an insight into the tactics employed. The information provided is interesting and educative without going into specifications of armaments and weapon systems. The author's credibility is enhanced by the fact that warfare developments and results of wars, have conformed to his predictions in earlier books. This book should not however be in any way mistaken for a book of reference akin to Jane's. It is more of an educative tool in the hands of a young officer who wishes to improve his understanding and comprehension of the various aspects of warfare.

10.At the same time the reader may be cautioned that the author's viewpoint is primarily based on information and intelligence derived from a majority of US sources. Some of the theories enunciated and assessments are based totally on US perceptions. Additionally the concepts enunciated in 1995, may require some revision in the fast changing world scenario. The length of the book and its text format (622 pages of fine print) does tend deter the prospective reader. However, the book provides the discerning reader (the service officer and the layman alike), an opportunity to expand his horizons, by enabling a fairly in depth insight into all the important aspects of warfare while increasing his knowledge on weapons and systems. 'How To Make War,' undoubtedly needs to be included in any Naval officers 'should read' list.

Many of us have seen the reports of military operations on CNN and we get a healthy dose of military oriented documentaries on some cable channels but for most of us the world of the military is an unknown realm. Even books that suppose to tell us the who, what, where, when, why, and most important how of military operations are often written using incomprehensible terminology. The fine work produced by this author clearly explains these terminologies and many of the inner workings of the military but does so without talking down to the reader. The traditional venues of combat air, land, and sea are discussed in detail but the book also includes specialized areas such as electronic warfare and space based activities. This book is a must for any aspiring arcmchair General or Admiral.

Less to do with the bomb per se, but a scholarly history of the Indian nuclear program. This is a work that will be quoted again and again.

As an Indian immensely proud of his country's accomplishments and having had to enter multiple debates with other non-Indians in May 1998, I gained a great amount from the book. It is immaculately researched and it seems that Perkovich has left no stone unturned. It goes into such depth and understanding of the Indian polity's psyche as previously unseen from a non-Indian author. Perkovich is not merely narrating a set of events which led to the testing but defending a theory that goes against current understandings of international relations and nuclear non-profileration by setting India as an example. I enjoyed every chapter of the book and hope that current policy makers in the field learn from it. A must read for every Indian interested it their country's policies and others making policy for the rest of the world.

This is easily one of the best books I have read about my own country. Very informative.

Note to editorial Reviewers: India entered the nuclear club in May 1974 and not in May 1998 as suggested by some of your reviews.

Some highlights of the book.

* The term nuclear "haves" and "have-nots" was coined by Homi Bhabha initially and used by others and till date has been central to putting forth our country's opposition to NPT and CTBT.

* University of Chicago's late Prof. Chandrasekhar's refusal to head the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) after the death of patriot Dr. Homi Bhabha.

* One of my disappointment is the author's avoidance in the discussion of the cause of the death of Dr. Homi Bhabha, even though such an incident is beyond the scope of this book. Since Bhabha provided the impetus and leadership during the nuclear program's infancy, I expected the author to throw some light on this issue.

* Vikram Sarabhai's hatred for Nuclear tests is news, especially since he was heading the Atomic Energy commision. As a spaceman it is surprising that he headed the organization in the first place.

* Indira Gandhi's refusal to allow more nuclear tests after 1974 stemmed from her abhorence for anything nuclear after her post-Pokhran I experiences. This is contrary to the popular belief - international pressure.

* Most sections of the book has an objective view of the Indian nuclear scenario except the last few chapters where the author seems to bend towards India signing the CTBT and the NPT. Or atleast implying that India's moral stand on nuclear issue was defeated after the May 98 tests.

* BJP (and its predecessor Jana Sangh) has been the only political party to openly campaign for Nuclear power.

Can you imagine what it must be like to take an essay test in one of Stephen Jay Gould's classes? He's not only a better scholar, he's also a better writer. He demonstrates this admirably once again in Leonardo's Mountain of Clams. The title essay, which opens the collection, explores da Vinci's motivations in exploring fossil history. Gould stands in awe of da Vinci's genius, but he also shows how the scientist/artist was also clearly a figure of his own time -- and a bit of a celebrity to boot. The other essays are solid, but they lack some of the whimsy that made his earlier books so enjoyable. Efrem Zimbalist Jr. is a solid narrator and doesn't intrude on the listening, the way some "name" celebrity readers have been known to do.

As Stephen Jay Gould's writes another book of thought provoking essays, here he toys with us with the title to this book.

The title is about two seperate essays and they are well written. Understanding nature itself is what Gould is doing here... making a point in his customary brillance. There are short biographies, puzzles and paradoxes, all the time Gould is leading us through his thought prossess and reasoning.

This is a very good collection of essays and well worth the time to read.

Read and enjoy.

Readers of Gould's other collections of science essays will be delighted with most of the material he presents here. With his usual scope and fine prose, he presents us with carefully researched and captivating subjects. All his essays are stimulating exercises in challenging traditional ways of thinking on a wide spectrum of subjects.

The opening essay on Leonardo da Vinci provides a picture of a thinker challenged by mysterious evidence, expertly addressed. Da Vinci displays more humanity here than revealed by viewing his works. Fossil seashells at mountain peaks were puzzled over for centuries. Leonardo's vivid analysis might have enhanced scientific inquiry greatly if his ideas had not ran counter to church dogmas.

The remaining essays span the usual gamut of resurrecting the reputations of scientists now often lost to view. While restoring some scientists in our estimation, he manages to erode that of others just a bit. Huxley, having been knocked off a high pedestal by an earlier essay of Gould's is subtly chided here once more for racist opinions. Richard Owen, who used some truly underhanded tactics in responding to Darwin's theory of Natural Selection, is given more leniency. Racism is a durable commodity, as Gould himself readily admits in describing his own feelings about taxing pedal-powered vehicles in Africa. It behooves him to grant Huxley a bit of leeway. Huxley, 'Darwin's Bulldog' in his unqualified support for natural selection, must necessarily be besmirched a bit in keeping with Gould's own efforts in evolutionary revisionism.

Having addressed NOMA in comments about Gould's bizarre work ROCKS OF AGES, dwelling on the essay here would be inappropriate. Suffice to say, the concept verges on the irrational, a rare circumstance in Gould's otherwise fine collection. Far more impressive are the two essays, As the Worm Turns and Triumph of the Root-heads are among his best work. Every new discovery in biology raises our consciousness of our place in Nature. The description of the bizarre parasites inhabiting the body's of crabs is a superb challenge to rigid thinking about evolution's methods. We're frequently reminded that evolution never works 'backwards', but this essay confirms again how unpredictable life can be in adapting to new environments. Keep this book where the children can reach it. It will provide hours of delightful reading - not just one reading, but many.