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In 1904, at the age of six, Polly goes to live with her two holy aunts. The house is so close to the sea it seems to toss like a ship, and so isolated, Polly might be marooned on an island. There she lives for 81 years, while the century rages around her and Victorian order becomes nuclear dread. ... Read more

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A long ago world
This book took me back to my childhood in Liverpool England.Growing up inner city poor as well as in a 'labor' family, I related to many of the characters.
If you enjoy learning about other cultures and times, this is a good read for you.
There is not a lot of literary value in the book - but very worthwhile reading.

An English Angela's Ashes
This is a story about a family during the early part of the twentieth century. It describes the severe hardships and endurance of the family who were workers in the cotton mills of Lancashire, England. Even though the conditions were very harsh, there is humor and a strong sense of family unity. William Woodruff, who writes this autobiography, gives a history of the plight of the millworkers and the events of these times. Poverty and a harsh class system were against them coupled with the General Strike and the Great Depression. Billy finally leaves Blackburn, Lancashire, at the age of sixteen and heads to London. Beyond Nab End tells the story of Billy's arrival in London, working in a foundry and finally going to Oxford on a scholarship. He describes his life at Oxford, the politics of the times then finally joining the British Army in 1940.
This book is very well written with meticulous details about life for the average worker of this period. It was a couldn't-put-down book for me. The author transcended his social status and beat a one-in-a-million odds or less to become a great writer.

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Beautiful, spoilt, bored Olivia outrages society in the tiny, suffocating Indian town where her husband is a civil servant, by eloping with an native prince. 50 years later her step-granddaughter travels there to investigate the scandal. This novel won the Booker Prize. ... Read more

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Heat and Dust by Oat
This story of Ruth Prawer Jhabvala is easy to read but difficute to understand. It was about niece who want to find out the history of her family once they lived in India in 1923. With this reason ,she traveled to India and tried to follow all events that happened by that time. The story is described through a memory note which is fascinating for me. In addition ,It is illustrated the picture of India quite clearly both life style and culture. In my opinion ,this is really interesting and can attract me to finish it in a short time. Thus ,i think this book is quite good and i recommand it.

THE HEAT OF THE ROMANCE...THE DUST OF ITS ASHES...
Winner of the 1975 Booker Prize, this is a well-written book that explores Anglo-Indian relations through the power of romance. Set in two distinct eras, colonial India of the nineteen twenties, during the time of the Raj, and the independent, freewheeling India of the seventies, during the time when India was a mecca for disenfranchised youth, it tells the story of two women.

One story is that of Olivia, the wife of a minor district official in colonial India, who in 1923 caused great scandal by running off with the Nawab, a local Indian prince. Divorced by her husband, Douglas, for this scandalous transgression, Olivia remains in India, while Douglas remarries. The second story is that of the narrator, a descendant of Douglas and his second wife. During the nineteen seventies, fascinated by the story of the now deceased Olivia, she goes to India, visiting those locations where Olivia had lived and those which would have been a part of her existence at the time. As did Olivia, she falls under India's spell. As did Olivia, she, too, has an Anglo-Indian love affair, and picks up where Olivia left off, giving the reader a powerful sense of de-ja vu.

The book is a beguiling story of two women from two different generations who come under the spell of India. The book is evocative of British colonial India, as well as of India of the nineteen seventies. During both eras, Anglo-Indian relations are pivotal to the budding romances. The book is evocative of the rhythms of Indian life in all its richness and tumultuousness, as well as its lingering poverty and superstitions. It is redolent of a time gone by and hopeful of what is to come. It is also an interesting dichotomy of the good and bad in both cultures, Anglo and Indian, and the influence that both cultures have on these two women, who are so different, yet so alike.

This is a book that whets the appetite, leaving the reader wanting more than the author is prepared to give. It is, nonetheless, a book well worth reading. The book was also made into a Merchant Ivory film starring Julie Christie and Greta Scacchi. ... Read more

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Excellent Amalgam
Mr. Taylor has developed a good argument for the need for a broader view of evolution. Maugre another viewpoint here, he has assaulted yet another religion-from-science (Darwinism brooking no opposition) with science. Easily read, logically built, clearly apprehensible.

Improbable Suspicions do not a Proof Make
Giving the author his just due, this is about as fine a critique of Darwinism as one is likely to ever find: It is scientific, un-polemic, well-argued, offers counter-hypotheses, and when it does finally fail to connect the theoretical dots, it does not then ignominiously revert to metaphysical defenses or hide behind "divine plans" such as "intelligent designs," etc. as the "Creationist" do. This is of course all very admirable and all to the good.

The problem with this critique, I fear however, is that it is more a critique of the inductive method than of Darwinism per se. Allow me to try and explain.

At its base -- and "once removed" from the impressive experimental details -- the critique appears to be circular and tautological. In its broad outlines, it argues essentially that since Darwinism is open-ended logically (that is to say it proceeds inductively), it is therefore not logically closed? Duh?

Karl Popper himself (one of the authorities Mr. Taylor calls upon to support his critique) argues convincingly that ALL theories are tentative; none are finally settled. That is to say they are never finally proven, and thus are always open to scientific suspicions and further testing, and thus in some sense remain forever open-ended -- even when not logically so.

With this being true of all inductive theories, it should come as no surprise that on the surface at least, there would "appear" to be biological phenomena that the "inductive theory" of evolution do not explain: For instance in the most often and arguably the best example, the complexity of the eye. However, asserting the existence of an "otherwise unexplainable" counter-example, no matter how improbable, and no matter how many authorities may back it up, is not quite the same thing as providing proof of a defect in a theory, whether inductive or otherwise.

Shouldn't the criteria for overthrowing a theory (i.e. of proof) at least in principle be as strong as the charges leveled against the theory? Certainly clever assertions of "possible" counter examples cannot be the end of matter, and of the investigation?

Here, the author (and the illustrative authorities he appeals to) argue that since there are very improbable things that "appear" to be unexplained by Darwin's theory, then the theory itself must be wrong? This is more a suspicion, based at most on statistical improbability than a proof; and thus is more a detail than a solidly based logical argument. Seems to me a place for further and more intense testing, not one for declaring Darwin wrong.

A more serious standard for critique would be one that PROVES that a particular biological development under question "could not have come about simply by mutation or natural selection." Since this cannot be done, these examples must, in the end all amount to carefully catalogued suspicions that demand further testing and not a solidly based proof.

But the author's points were well-argued and it was a fun ride anyway.

Five Stars

Original thinking by a professional science writer
If you think you understand evolution, you haven't read this book.
Gordon Taylor makes it clear that evolution itself isn't in question, but that the process doesn't fit any theory yet advanced. He explores several facets of evolution that make a mockery of natural selection and of the neo-Darwinist insistence on steady, gradual change.
Taylor, a Briton, is not bound by the political considerations that strangle evolutionary thought in America. The result is a refreshingly candid look at the evidence.
The conclusion is no surprise (given the title) - the process of biological evolution is as much a mystery as it was 200 years ago. Taylor offers observations but not theories. I, too, am still stumped... but I love this book.

Don't throw the baby out with the bath water
This book, although written from the perspective of a firm believer in naturalistic evolution, is about that question we all ask at times: "Now come on, could natural selection really have done this or that particular thing?"Mr. Rattray Taylor thinks not, in most cases.He believes that the natural selection of Darwinism and "neo-Darwinism" accounts for variations within species but probably little else.He predicts that natural selection as it is now taught and understood will turn out to be only a piece of a bigger puzzle, just as Newtonian physics is now seen as one part of Einstein's bigger picture.

Despite it's broad scope and scientific detail, I found this book wonderfully readable.Whichever side you fall on, the debate is a lively one, related in a colorful way against a backdrop of some of nature's most remarkable feats.

Biological examples from throughout the eons are cited which (like examining your own hand) will have you wondering, "Could this have come about by 'chance'?Even in a billion years?"The frustrations which many earnest scientific types have had with Darwin's theory are presented, as well as such alternatives as Lamarckism ("down but not out") and the author's own (vaguely delineated, barely discussed) "masking theory."

Rattray Taylor considers it beyond belief that the kind of coordinated mutations which would seem to be necessary for most major evolutionary developments could have arisen randomly in such "short" time periods as they seem to have required.Near the very end of the book, he addresses this and other perceived inadequacies of current teaching by suggesting that the genome stores the codes for successful adaptations even after they evolve away, keeping them "masked" until such time as they may be useful again, at which point it allows whole suites of mutations, prescreened for compatibility with each other and the rest of the creature's design, to be expressed.At times, though, he also seems to suggest that primordial DNA knew how to make a placenta, a feather, etc., before any such thing had ever evolved in the first place.This may be my own misunderstanding.

To me, the reader, it seems plausible enough, even likely, that natural selection could have hit upon various mechanisms with a kind of inadvertent insight into what sorts of mutations would be advantageous or mechanisms with some adaptive influence on the genome beyond one's parents' having lived to sexual maturity.So far as this book encourages speculation into these and other possibilities, I like it fine.What I find a little disturbing, though, is that Mr. Rattray Taylor seems to be saying it's time to give up on the idea of natural selection as the main evolutionary mechanism.What he offers in its place are some interesting lines of inquiry but nothing nearly so useful or so formulated as the modern versions of Darwin's theory.It's important, by all means, to question and challenge, but with the whole topic as murky as it is, why not keep pursuing the natural selection angle at the same time?

I was hoping Mr. Rattray Taylor would at least acknowledge that it's always tricky for humans -- rank newcomers on the scene -- to say that something couldn't happen in a million years, much less a billion.He also left me puzzled by some of his thinking about evolution.Lesser luminaries than this author have tended to personify evolution, characterizing it as something that cares more about one thing than another or as something working toward a goal.Rattray Taylor almost seems to be doing this in numerous places throughout the book.He keeps asking why some feature would evolve in one type of animal and not in some other who could make just as much use of it or why some feature would evolve at all in one animal when animals in similar circumstances do fine without it.

To me, the answer would seem to be, "Because evolution just doesn't care."I thought evolution was just particle interaction.Of all the formations which could arise, some just happen to be persistent, like those collections of soda cans and muck that you find where a canal goes under a bridge.They outlast other formations not because they're good or desirable, but just because they're persistent.Sometimes, just because there's no one around who cares to interfere, persistent forms get tangled up with one another into a bigger persistent form, or some persistent pattern of interaction may develop, like when a toy car gets stuck driving in a circle and makes a deeper and deeper rut in the dirt.Nothing is actively selected.There's no one saying, "Hey that worked over there, so it would be ideal over here," but there's also nothing to stop it from occurring wherever things happen to clump up that way.If the author has considered this, why doesn't he say so?

Rattray Taylor also brings up the old question of how a bee that dies when it stings could pass on the genes for stinging.What's so hard about that?If a number of bees developed this feature together via a familial mutation, most of the mutants might survive unmolested because of the one that died putting an abiding fear of bees into some molester.

Still, there are those darned eyeballs to think about, and that darned photosynthesis, etc., etc.This book really does get you wondering what unknown factors might be involved in evolution, and any book that makes you think has that, at least, going for it.

Darwin comes in for a lot of deflating remarks, some of which may well be borne out.But my own great appreciation of Darwin isn't so much for every particular of his theory as for the picture he paints of a world left to its own devices -- devices we can ultimately hope to reconcile with things we see and know.I don't think this contribution of Darwin's will be diminished, even if it is determined that natural selection and its immediate outcroppings aren't the only mechanisms involved in creating new life forms. ... Read more

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A Narrow Perspective
This book is not so much a look at the legends of Glastonbury as it is an intellectual perspective on why that which is not known should be doubted. Trehane tells the reader little of the legends themselves, but expends most of his effort telling the reader why it's likely that the legends of Glastonbury are mostly fiction...though he admits that the archaeological evidence points towards Arthur having been a real figure from history. And though he admits that Arthur likely ruled, he will not go so far as to admit that he wore the title of "king." I find myself now ordering other books so that I can learn of the legends themselves rather than something I already knew: recorded history is very incomplete and rife with error. Recorded history itself is largely myth and legend and it's all in what one chooses to believe, although Truth Itself cannot be assailed, and rewards It's seekers greatly. ... Read more

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Clinical practice is a unique blend of science and art. It draws upon a wide range of biological, physical, and sociological disciplines. Associated with many of these disciplines are mathematical formulas for the manipulation of specific data. But these formulas are distributed throughout each discipline's literature. The Medical Abacus brings together those formulas that are useful in clinical practice in a single reference. It includes key mathematical formulas, from acid-base balance to risk-evaluation statistics, with clear explanations of how to use them and interpret their results. Well organized and portable, this is the only book that brings all the essential formulas of medical practice together in one place, explains them in uncomplicated terms, and indexes them by disease. Only simple arithmetic and algebra are used, no advanced mathematics beyond the occasional logarithm, square root, or component is used. The data required for these formulas are readily available from the routine clinical laboratory.David Rifkind condenses a lifetime of clinical experience into this reference. The pocketsize format and easy layout make The Medical Abacus an essential companion for anyone involved in medical practice. ... Read more

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The Abacus Evolve Textbooks for Year 3: * Offer clear differentiation and progression. * Contain problem-solving integrated throughout the book, including word problems, number puzzles, investigations and more. * Include 'owl questions' to extend high achievers and provide opportunities for using and applying for the whole class. ... Read more

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This textbook allows independent practice of mathematical skills. It presents the concepts at an appropriate reading level. Activities with an investigative or process-skill focus encourage creative and mathematical thinking. Problem-solving is included. ... Read more

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These textbooks allow independent practice of mathematical skills. They present the concepts at an appropriate reading level. Activities with an investigative or process-skill focus encourage creative and mathematical thinking. Problem-solving is included. ... Read more

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The Abacus Evolve Textbooks for Year 5: * Offer clear differentiation and progression. * Contain problem-solving integrated throughout the book, including word problems, number puzzles, investigations and more. * Include 'owl questions' to extend high achievers and provide opportunities for using and applying for the whole class. ... Read more

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These homework texts provide an opportunity for shared activities between parent and child. They provide two activities a week, a variety of formal written practice, and informal shared practical activities. The activities focus on key number skills, and there is advice for parents. ... Read more

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A recreation of the Bluebeard story which follows a French Army captain, executed in Brittany in 1440. The list of his crimes include witchcraft, heresy, sacrilege, sorcery, the evocations of demons and the practice of unnatural crime against children, ending with their murder for his delight. ... Read more

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Edoardo, ex-left-wing militant turned professor of French, is a voyeur of life and love. Family and other problems haunt him, and he discovers that he has been unable to see for looking. By the Italian author of "Erotic Tales", whose books were banned during the years of fascism. ... Read more

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The best
only the best, it is the master piece of Moravia ... Read more

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softcover ... Read more