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Customer Reviews (3)

Good prep; very detailed.
The book helped me prepare and score well on the test, but I used an additional study guide too. It is very detailed, but this is better than there not being enough information; it just takes a while to read through it and memorize things. Overall, it's great test prep but the test itself is not easy. You need a good general idea of world history, U.S. history, as well as the social sciences (psychology, sociology, political science etc.). I think the CD test doesn't score your answers correctly because it takes points off for wrong answers, but I believe that the actual CLEP only gives you credit for the right ones. Nevertheless, the practice tests help you see where you're at as far as how much you need to know to pass the test.

Practice Tests are excellent, review sections not as much.
I just passed the Social Sciences and History CLEP with a 64.I studied for about 2 weeks, 1-2 hours a day.The practice tests that REA gives with this book are superb.They mimic the actual test questions extremely well in content and language.The explanations to the answers are in-depth and insightful into how the test questions are constructed on the actual CLEP.However, the actual review sections on the history sections read like a history book.There are a couple paragraphs on this, a couple on that, and it is extremely difficult to retain any of the information in this format.
I purchased InstaCert's flash card system, a $10 practice test from [...] and googled free US History flash cards and reviewed them in addition to using the REA study book.I do not feel the REA text book (on it's own) will adequately prepare you for a 6 credit course test in this many course subjects.However, the sections on psychology, sociology, geography, etc. were adequate for review solely with the REA book.

Passed my CLEP with this book!!
Used this book and passed my CLEP.This was worth the money and wish I would have purchased this several semesters ago. ... Read more

Product Description
Before Pascal and Fermat's discovery of the mathematics of probability in 1654,how did we make reliable predictions? What methods in law, science, commerce, philosophy,and logic helped us to get at the truth in cases where certainty was not attainable? In TheScience of Conjecture, James Franklin examines how judges, witch inquisitors, and juriesevaluated evidence; scientists weighed reasons for and against scientific theories; and merchantscounted shipwrecks to determine insurance rates. Sometimes this type of reasoning avoidednumbers entirely, as in the legal standard of "proof beyond a reasonable doubt"; at other times itinvolved rough numerical estimates, as in gambling odds or the level of risk in chance events.

The Science of Conjecture provides a history of rational methods of dealing withuncertainty. Everyone can take a rough account of risk, Franklin argues, but understanding theprinciples of probability and using them to improve performance poses serious problems, thesolution to which we have only learned over many generations and after much trial and error.This study explores the coming to consciousness of the human understanding of risk. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Brilliant and Dazzling
Franklin has done a brilliant job of showing that the concept of probability usedby practically all civilizations throughout history[for instance,Hebrew(Talmud),Greek(Aristotle),Medieval(Scholastics),etc.],prior to Pascal's attempt to mathematicalize the meaning of the term probability so as to help out some French noblemen who were trying to find a way to get an edge in certain types of gambling ,was the inductive,qualitative,comparative concept based on recognizing probability as being a primarily nonnumerical,vague concept that could not be precisely defined.Its usage was built into the common languages that human beings developed over time.Franklin's book supports the original logical interpretation of probability first put forth in published form in 1921 in the A Treatise on Probability(TP) by John Maynard Keynes.Keynes's theory is a general theory which analyzes probability from the most general use of the term(qualitative,nonnumerical,comparative) to its most specialized forms(quantitative,numerical,interval,mathematical,statistical,frequency,subjective).There are a few places in this book where the author could have given a substantially better analysis.One place is where he discusses Keynes's concept of the weight of the evidence.He bases his discussion only on chapter 6 of the TP,ignoring Keynes's additional discussions in chapter 14,section 3 and chapter 26,where Keynes became the first scholar in history to both define weight,w,on the unit interval between 0 and 1,and to invent a decision rule,his conventional coefficient of risk and weight,c,which solves a number of the paradoxes of decision theory, as well as a number of the anomalies rediscovered by Tversky and Kahneman.Franklin also fails to point out Keynes's original development of an interval valued approach to probability in chapters 15 and 17 of the TP.The scholar who comes closest to Keynes in incorporating a clearcut role for a vague,comparative,qualitative understanding of probability is D.Ellsberg.

Extraordinarily lucid account of abstruse subjects
This is the sort of book whose indispensability creeps up on you: you start it without any idea that you'll require it to broaden your mind, but it insidiously works its magic. Totally unclassifiable -- it mixes the disciplines of history, mathematics, philosophy and jurisprudence -- it also happens to be a rivettingly lucid read, notwithstanding the outwardly abstruse nature of its materials.

The science of common sense.
This book is about common sense: the way ordinary people have reasoned about the world since the beginning of recorded history. It is a compendium of anecdotes, about anecdotal thinking. I find the insights engrossing, entertaining, and scholarly-if not scientific. This book hopes to rigorously analyze the processes that thinkers have followed throughout recorded history in order to reach rational conclusions. These processes are interesting in their history of use as official rules of thumb, but they are fatally flawed. The fundamental flaw is that the nonscientific processes are not reasoning- they are persuasion, as in rhetoric. Being nonscientific in nature,"The Science of Conjecture" is misnamed, but quite worthwhile to those of us who would like to understand the lawyer and jurors' mind.

A great read on the development of our modern thinking
If you read "Sophies World" by Jostein Gaardner and wanted something with more bite, this book is it. It's one of the few truly intellectual books I've read without being academic or boring. I had no idea how much we take certain things in our 21st century thinking for granted. One example is juries and innocence until proven guilty. The book is a marvelous history of legal and ethical thinking and how we came to civilized methods to deal with charges of guilt. It makes me aware of the manipulative power of different styles of logical arguments. Buts it's not only about law. The author explains why Islam is fundamental (God can't be wrong) so why bother considering pros and cons of situations. Christianity was lucky to have the reformation and counter-reformation to challenge why there is probability/chance or unknowing. There are great sections on scientific theory - reasoning for hard sciences like physics and astronomy. Why cannot astrology be a science? Because there are no hard rules; too much depends on the art or experience of interpreters who "explain" exceptions to rules, because so many situations don't follow their rules. The sections on soft science describe biology and medicine, and the impact of clinical trials. How did we arrive at "scientific thinking" to establish proofs? Its all here. I'm not into mathematics and the title sounded so boring to me - mathematics and before the 16th century ie Pascal. If ever there was a case for "don't judge a book by its cover" this is it. Its solid reading, but it is also deeply satisfying and fascinating in understanding a little bit more about how and why we think like do in the 21st century. As an aside the author is also a Latin scholar who translates many texts, correcting false interpretations. But he does it in subtle ways; nothing show-off. James Franklin dazzles us with his humility one moment and superb, accessible writing on complicated subjects the next moment. I never knew that "like" and "probably" were introduced from Greek. Medieval Europeans did not have sophisticated languages that included "like" or "probably" but with medieval enlightment they were introduced. What an impact these two words had. The author corrects cultural misthinking of how poor medieval thinking was. It was an explosion of brilliance in virtually a person's lifetime from 1150-1200. The Renaissance was mild in comparison. This book touches and explains our human development of consciousness and thinking in so many fields eg law, medicine, science, ethics. The author draws on Ancient Greek texts, Roman texts, the Talmud, Jewish philosophers, Islamic philosophers, Christian theologians and even Sanskrit writings.The subjects discussed heavily affect my daily life and thinking. Understanding a little bit of what we take for granted, makes me reconsider glib, slick arguments I'm confronted with in newspapers and television every day. If you buy the book, it's a great read over 1-2 months that can be savored and sipped like a great wine. ... Read more

Product Description
Now in paperback: the runaway British bestseller that has cloudspotters everywhere looking up.

Where do clouds come from? Why do they look the way they do? And why have they captured the imagination of timeless artists, Romantic poets, and every kid who's ever held a crayon? Veteran journalist and lifelong sky watcher Gavin Pretor-Pinney reveals everything there is to know about clouds, from history and science to art and pop culture. Cumulus, nimbostratus, and the dramatic and surfable Morning Glory cloud are just a few of the varieties explored in this smart, witty, and eclectic tour through the skies.

Illustrated with striking photographs (including a new section in full-color) and line drawings featuring everything from classical paintings to lava lamps, The Cloudspotter's Guide will have enthusiasts, weather watchers, and the just plain curious floating on cloud nine. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

When child-like becomes childish
I certainly learned a lot about clouds from this book in terms of meteorology and art and literature. I really wanted to like it more. Unfortunately the prose style starts to become very annoying from quite early on, especially the childish anthropomorphism (this cloud is 'the Darth Vader of clouds', others are 'lazy' or like members of a street gang) and the lame jokes become very irritating. The overall effect is of one of those school science videos trying embarrassingly hard to make science 'cool' and 'relevant' but succeeds only in irritating its audience. Some readers might need to be told that static electricity can be built up by scraping their boots on the carpet, but to follow that information with a sentence beginning, 'Clouds don't wear boots...' made me wonder who the intended audience was. It also made me glad that I was reading this on a Kindle: I might have thrown a paper book through the window.

It's almost as if the author worries that his subject - in which he is clearly passionately interested - might not be quite interesting enough for the rest of us. If so, he is quite wrong and this book would have been much more enjoyable for me if he had had the courage of his convictions.

Looking at clouds
After hearing a college instructor talk about weather and clouds I purchased this book. It is so informative and interesting.I find I am looking at the sky and clouds more. It is a good reference book.

Bookworm
G'day,

The Cloud spotter's Guide, was very cheap (2nd hand, but very good condition)and is very informative. The postage was probably a bit dear. Still, it had to come from the U.S. I am happy with the deal.

Armin Hubert.

awesome gift for myself
bought afterlooking at glen e friedman's photography pieces in his book recognize

after seeing all the different cloud formations i wanted to learn more about clouds

timely delivery

great condition

Strengths and weaknesses
My view: the author writes very well, with a lovely turn of phrase and a poetic touch. On the other hand, as someone else noted, there is often a sense of trying too hard: for instance, he tries to weave an explanation around a forgotten child pop star and frankly, we just want to know about the clouds. I disagree with some of the reviewers, who claim that we're 'just not that into' clouds: some of us are, which is why we bought the book. I like the scientific explanation; I could do with a bit less of the gods and myths: but everyone likes a different balance, I guess.

What I found more objectionable, as well as surprising, since the author seems such a reasonable chap otherwise, is the bizarre swipe at America by means of the Vietnam War and a critique of cloud seeding, as if it were the most sinister invention since Vlad the Impaler said, "I know, let's make some stakes." (Never mind that India, which has used American cloud-seeding technology in the past, is now using it again and developing its own methods in order to ensure the needed monsoon rains. This is a story in the news as I write.) Pretor-Pinney also throws in a gratuitous and utterly baseless comment about monks being seen as a threat to America -- god knows what his source's agenda was or why he is cited in this book -- but it does raise a perplexing and not very happy question about how this guy sees the world. Has he spent too much time 'seeing' things that don't exist in clouds?

I give this 2.5 stars for the science, the clever writing, and the photographic quiz in the middle of the book, but I object to the politicized final sections, and I think the folksy story-telling is rather overdone.
... Read more

Product Description
By explaining how to sire multicolored horses, produce nuts without shells, and create an egg the size of a human head, Giambattista Della Porta's Natural Magic (1559) conveys a fascination with tricks and illusions that makes it a work difficult for historians of science to take seriously. Yet, according to William Eamon, it is in the "how-to" books written by medieval alchemists, magicians, and artisans that modern science has its roots. These compilations of recipes on everything from parlor tricks through medical remedies to wool-dyeing fascinated medieval intellectuals because they promised access to esoteric "secrets of nature." In closely examining this rich but little-known source of literature, Eamon reveals that printing technology and popular culture had as great, if not stronger, an impact on early modern science as did the traditional academic disciplines.Amazon.com Review
In this extraordinary interpretation of medieval Europeanculture, William Eamon draws on history, theories of the sociology ofcommunication, and literature to show how science derives from magic:the sequence of events that a magical or alchemical experimentinvolves unfolds in the same way as a scientific test, or even arecipe. The transmission of such knowledge through books, letters, andspeech allowed science to grow and to transform the world, drawingEurope from the Dark Ages to the modern era. William Eamon's look atarcane and even forbidden texts will be of special interest to fans ofUmberto Eco's The Nameof the Rose and Foucault'sPendulum. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

MEDIEVAL SCIENCE
For those who are interested in Medieval Science, here you can find a serious work of a widespread medieval genre. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Not much has changed
I found this to be an amazing book, comparable to HG Well's Outline of History.Before I read it I checked on the biography of the author, as I wanted to make sure he had the intellectual standing to write such a book before I invested my time in it.He does.You can check him on Wikipedia.He is contemporary (1881) with great eventsregarding the relationship between science and religion, yet everything he covers is applicable in today's world.He recognized the importance of the conflicts that were emerging and investigated the history of the relationship between science and religion, observed their present state, and makes what turns out to be very accurate predictions of exactly the situation we are in today.I am a student of history and I could find no fault with his presentation of historical facts, though he presents them in a context is unique to him at that time.
With the publication of Stephen Hawkin's book, "The Grand Design" we are seeing a replay of the same conflict again between a static belief system and a system that is constantly expanding, making Draper's book all the more relevant in understanding just what is happening and why.
As a plus, the author is an excellent writer of his time and I enjoyed his civility, and how he uses his words. A great relief from the "yell at you" style that seems popular now.If anyone is interested in a well thought out and intelligently presented explanation of why civilization finds itself in the conflicts we see everyday in the news, I recommend this work.
BTW the University of Va. has a copy of this book in it's online library.I'd recommend reading the preface there to see if you'd like it.May be able to get a sample on the Kindle also.

this is a disturbing book
This book isn't really about science or religion per se, though it says a lot about both subjects, it's more a handbook of opinions and how to not write authoritatively.After reading it, I wonder if the FOX channel knows about it.Bigotry and Ignorance are part and parcell of this man's writings. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is designed to serve as a core text for the widest range of Introduction to Political Science courses; also to be used as a supplement to a variety of textbooks in the field of political science. Although as a core book it will be succinct and tightly organized and without a particular disciplinary slant, it will present the essence of the subject in an interesting way. Chapters of special relevance: our Western political heritage, comparative politics, international relations, recent focuses of study. Major contributors to particular areas of political science will be noted throughout. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great
The book is a good, basic approach to political science. Clearly laid out and easy to understand

Worst! I WANT MY MONEY!
I NEVER EVEN GOT THE BOOK. I HAVE BEEN STOLEN FROM MY MONEY AND I WANT A FULL REFUND NOW.

A good, wide-ranging primer
This short textbook gives a brief, balanced introduction to just about every aspect of political science.

I was drawn to this book partly because of the author's passionate opening assertion that "Throughout history the breakdown of political authority has taken a devastating toll in human suffering." I hoped that this strong point of view would be carried through the book and inform the author's explanations of the topics. While I can't exactly say that this was achieved, I can say that he does write from a strong conviction in the importance of politics in the widest sense, and with a sense that all the many aspects and subdisciplines of political science play important parts in this complex, sometimes ill-defined discipline.

The text is broken down into five parts, dealing respectively with the traditions of Western political thought, individual and group behavior, government institutions, international politics, and finally an examination of political science itself as a discipline. Each part consists of from two to five short chapters, which are in turn broken into subsections giving short descriptions of the important topics. With the possible exception of part 5 (since I am not a student of academic political science), I found Heineman's survey most relevant to helping my understanding of the political world.

To take one example, he covers a lot of ground in a short space as he describes the history of political thought and the thinking behind liberalism, Marxism, and conservatism. After a lifetime of reading newspapers and magazines, I felt for the first time that I was discovering what the core outlooks and ideas are behind the politics of the left and right, and why the various positions on the spectrum think as they do.

Heineman's writing style can be a little academic and wordy, and sometimes, in his zeal for balance, he gives the impression of trying almost too hard to see value in points of view that he clearly doesn't agree with (for example, postmodernism), but over all his interest in and respect for the discipline carries the day. Also, my copy, published in 1996, is a bit dated--although this is not important for a primer. The brevity of the individual subsections, which are almost like encyclopedia entries, also helps speed the reader along.

In sum, it is a wide, concise survey that lets you see the whole field in one text, so that you can decide which areas of the discipline you might want to examine further. At the very least, after reading this you should be able to get much more out of news stories. ... Read more

Product Description
This study guide contains all the information you need to pass the Social Science and History CLEP test. It has been updated to prepare you to do well on the new computerized version of the test as well as on the older paper based test.

Comex Systems, Inc. has been the leading CLEP test preparation company for over 30 years. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Great!
A great person to do business with. Book was exactly how he said it was. Super fast shipper!

Easy reading but probably not enough to pass.
I used this book in addition to another study guide (mostly the other one actually) to do well on the test. This book is easy to understand and read, but alone it's probably not enough information. It gives you a good general idea, but you need to know more than just that for the test.

Good Review
I studied this review exclusively and passed after about 2 weeks worth of effort. I had also taken sociology and psychology prior to taking the exam, so this helped me concentrate on the history part, which wasn't exactly what I expected, but if you have a good general knowledge of history you should knowmost of the answers. I rated 4/5 because I recommend this book to CLEP takers if you want to pass, but if you want to get a perfect score you are going to need outside sources.

Do yourself a favor
I urge all of you to use this study guide in addition to other history and social science study materials.The book does cover a lot of the exam material but this exam is worth 6 credits and you want to be prepared as possible.I scored a 61, but that was with a lot of studying.

Just enough info - great book
This book does a great survey of all the tested subject areas. You will not get an 80, but the goal is merely to pass, which is what one must remember. I got a 65 this morning and studied only this book for 1 week. Use this book, your common sense, and general knowledge and you'll be just fine. ... Read more

Product Description
In his first book since the bestselling Fermat's Enigma, Simon Singh offers the first sweeping history of encryption, tracing its evolution and revealing the dramatic effects codes have had on wars, nations, and individual lives. From Mary, Queen of Scots, trapped by her own code, to the Navajo Code Talkers who helped the Allies win World War II, to the incredible (and incredibly simple) logisitical breakthrough that made Internet commerce secure, The Code Book tells the story of the most powerful intellectual weapon ever known: secrecy.

Throughout the text are clear technological and mathematical explanations, and portrayals of the remarkable personalities who wrote and broke the world's most difficult codes. Accessible, compelling, and remarkably far-reaching, this book will forever alter your view of history, what drives it, and how private that e-mail you just sent really is.
Amazon.com Review
People love secrets. Ever since the first word was written,humans have sent coded messages to each other. In The CodeBook, Simon Singh, author of the bestselling Fermat's Enigma,offers a peek into the world of cryptography and codes, from ancienttexts through computer encryption. Singh's compelling history is woventhrough with stories of how codes and ciphers have played a vital rolein warfare, politics, and royal intrigue. The major theme of TheCode Book is what Singh calls "the ongoing evolutionary battlebetween codemakers and codebreakers," never more clear than in thechapters devoted to World War II. Cryptography came of age duringthat conflict, as secret communications became critical to both sides'success.

Confronted with the prospect of defeat, the Alliedcryptanalysts had worked night and day to penetrate German ciphers. Itwould appear that fear was the main driving force, and that adversityis one of the foundations of successful codebreaking.

In the information age, the fear that drives cryptographicimprovements is both capitalistic and libertarian--corporations needencryption to ensure that their secrets don't fall into the hands ofcompetitors and regulators, and ordinary people need encryption tokeep their everyday communications private in a freesociety. Similarly, the battles for greater decryption power come fromsaid competitors and governments wary of insurrection.

The Code Book is an excellent primer for those wishing tounderstand how the human need for privacy has manifested itselfthrough cryptography.Singh's accessible style and clear explanationsof complex algorithms cut through the arcane mathematical detailswithout oversimplifying.--Therese Littleton ... Read more

Customer Reviews (278)

Not for kindle
Do not buy it for kindle,it lacks most of the illustrations
Very good book but for kindle its just frustrating

Excellent book
This is an excellent introductions to cryptography and cryptanalisis. Well written, and with an easy to understand language, wven for non-english speakers like me.

Murder plots, Indiana Joneses, and cyphers
I tremendously enjoyed reading this book, which explores perhaps the most fascinating aspect of cryptology: its role in society. From Queen Mary who was executed because her cypher was vulnerable to previously unheard-of frequency analysis, continuing with the war-altering influence of Enigma code breakers, to the advent of public-key cryptology in use today, the author paints a rich picture of historical events, personalities, and government interests.

Mr. Singh's account of the people behind the cypher breakthroughs was the most valuable to me. For example, while I had heard of the formidable Alan Turing, my CS education neglected to include the sad bit that he had committed suicide, on account of his being homosexual- a sin at the time. There are more gems of information like this to be found, making this book interesting to a wide array of people, from historians to conspirationalists.. For the latter group, the author for example offers the juicy bit that the British Empire condoned and actively spread the use of Enigmas, particularly after they had broken the code, lulling countries and colonies into a false sense of security.

I also liked the nod towards archeologists, a welcome relief from the otherwise politically and militarily motivated encryption landscape. I learned more about Knossos in Crete from this book than when I went there in person!

Here's the best part: the text is easily understandable. Even for someone very rusty in his/her high school math, it is accessible as the author assumes practically nothing and even defines concepts such as prime numbers and modulus arithmetic. The precise example of an RSA code exchange is relegated to the appendix, meanwhile the author found an analogy involving buckets of paint. Brilliant.

If I have to find one flaw with Singh's work, it is the age of the publication. 11 years spell "ancient" in the computer world and it's nothing short of bizarre to read that "the Internet is in its infancy" when I can access my bank accounts on a remote island - on my cell phone. An update of the last two chapters would do this otherwise priceless book good.

Interesting Read
I bought this book several years ago and enjoyed every aspect of it. It is a nice blend to tech and history. This is a great book for anyone interested in encipherment of information.

Great read.
This is a well written book from an author with great knowledge on the topic. Don't be put off by all the talk about 'Where is the American side of the story' because in all honesty it's nice to read a book which is not so pro American for a change! A breath of fresh air. ... Read more

Product Description
Very good. DJ has some shelfwear. Back cover is torn and crinkled at the top. Hinges unbroken. No markings. Pages are clean and bright. Binding is tight. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A lost scientific gem
This is one of the few books written about AT&T Bell Laboratories as it existed before the government decided that the Bell System was too big. It chroniclesthe "Labs" during one of it's most intense discovery, development periods. Interestingly, the author invokes names of the participants which is a pleasant change from the usual technical reiteration of developments. This book may be the only one written by people who lived and worked during the "Labs" heyday. Unfortunately, science and technology has lost the gem of it's crown and the replacements are shadows of what once was. Worth a read if you are into technology development and what a well organized effort can accomplish. ... Read more

Product Description

Edited and introduced by Bill Bryson, with original contributions from "a glittering array of scientific writing talent" (Sunday Observer) including Richard Dawkins, Margaret Atwood, Richard Holmes, Martin Rees, Richard Fortey, Steve Jones, James Gleick, and Neal Stephenson, among others, this incomparable book tells the spectacular story of science and the international Royal Society, from 1660 to the present. Seeing Further is also gorgeously illustrated with photographs, documents, and treasures from the Society's exclusive archives.

Product Description
The Way It Wasn't takes an amusing, intellectually stimulating excursion into speculative history. Here are thirteen memorable stories by renowned science fiction writers, telling what things might be like if... Elvis Presley weren't the "King" but the President of the United States ("Ike at the Mike" by Howard Waldrop)... The Black Death had killed the entire population of Europe in the fourteenth century ("Lion Time in Timbuctoo" by Robert Silverberg)... John F. Kennedy had survived the 1963 shooting in Dallas ("The Winterberry" by Nicholas A. DiChario). Included, too, is fascinating short fiction by Mike Resnick, Susan Shwartz, Larry Niven, Pamela Sargent, Fritz Leiber, Greg Bear, Barry N. Malzberg, Harry Turtledove, Gregory Benford and Kim Stanley Robinson. After reading these stories - some of the most compelling examples of alternate history anywhere - your mind will keep spinning the question "What If...?" ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Bad title, great writing.
The title of this book is somewhat misleading - the stories within (with one exception) are not really (in my opinion) "science fiction". All are alternative history stories, although somewhat atypical of the genre. It seems that some authors have alternative timeline theories and write stories to support them. The authors in this book use alternate timelines as frameworks for good stories. Being a fan of both SciFi and alternative history, I gave this book a read and was quite impressed with the quality of the writing. I'm not familiar with all of the authors, but will be looking out for their other works. "The Winterberry" stood out. At first you don't see the connection with alternate history, but eventually you catch on, with sad realization. Worthwhile reading for all.

Very Entertaining
A highly entertaining series of short stories. The stories in this book are very original and are not reprinted in many other collections of Alternate History, with the exception of two. If you love alternate history, I encourage you to read, if not buy this book.

Take a wild ride through history as it could have been.
Everyone has wondered "What if..." at some point, whether the question involved his or her own life or some pivotal event in history.History as we know it is jolted and questioned at every turn in this emotional collection of engaging and imaginative fiction.Many "what if..." questions are addressed in this volume that allow authors and readers alike to rewrite history, correcting perceived wrongs or tragedies ("Suppose They Gave a Peace..."), creating heroes where none existed before ("The Lucky Strike"), and exploring horrors best left to imaginations and late night readings ("We Could Do Worse").Any fan of science fiction will enjoy these well-selected, well-ordered stories. ... Read more

Product Description
Noted scholar’s brilliant recapitulation of major intellectual achievements of Western civilization in the three centuries immediately preceding the birth of Christ. Focus is on Greek astronomy, physics, technology, anatomy and other sciences, but philosophy, religion, language, sculpture, painting and literature are also discussed. "He ranges freely through these centuries and their achievements, master of his subject and superb literary craftsman"—Times Literary Supplement (London). 112 illustrations. Bibliography.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The past comes to life in this historical opus.
This book, as is true of Dr. Sarton's other works, is written in a highly personalized style chuck full of anecdotes and personal musings of the author who has indeed done his homework. Briefly, he takes us on a three hundred year journey through philosophy, language and letters, religion, culture, medicine, science and technology. The timeline of the book begins with the disintegrationAlexandrian empire and ends with a discussion of Orientalism and the Parthian empire. The enormous caste of characters of this book include men and women of learning. From recollections of Alexander through Zenon, each individual is well described and neatly framed in this great historical opus. WhileDr. Sarton says he "wrote the book for men of science, interested inthe origins of their knowlege," I think it may be read with great profit by anyone interested in history. For as Dr. Sarton said "The whole past and world are alive in my heart, and I shall do my best to communicate their presence to my readers".........He does ... Read more

Product Description
Science is a living, organic activity, the meaning and understanding of which have evolved incrementally over human history. This book, the first in a roughly chronological series, explores the development of the methodology and major ideas of science, in historical context, from ancient times to the decline of classical civilizations around 300 A.D. It includes details specific to the histories of specialized sciences including astronomy, medicine and physics--along with Roman engineering and Greek philosophy. It closely describes the contributions of such individuals as Pythagoras, Hippocrates, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Alexander the Great, Euclid, Archimedes, Ptolemy, Seneca, Pliny the Elder, and Galen. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

well-written and well-researched history
No, you don't need to be a rocket scientist to read this fascinating history of science. Too often most people think science just - well - happened. It didn't, of course, and Deming goes to great pains to shows its history from its inception by the Greeks. No, not the Egyptians. If you want a full explanation, get this fascinating book. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
Science fiction is at the intersection of numerous fields. It is literature which draws on popular culture, and engages in speculation about science, history, and all varieties of social relations. This volume brings together essays by scholars and practitioners of science fiction, which look at the genre from different angles. It examines science fiction from Thomas More to the present day; and introduces important critical approaches (including Marxism, postmodernism, feminism and queer theory). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

An excellent academic study of science fiction
This is truly a fine volume, highly recommended to anyone who wants a broad sampling of the academic thought that has been applied to the genre. Although it's a collection of chapters by many different authors, I thought the quality was uniformly excellent. The structure of the book results in some overlap of themes, for example with a chapter on "Feminist theory and science Fiction" appearing in "Part 2. Critical approaches" and a chapter on "Gender in science Fiction" in "Part 3. Sub-genres and themes". However, I didn't find this to be a flaw; it gives the reader the opportunity to read different authors approaching related topics from different angles.

My favorite authors and chapters included Ken Macleod's "Politics and science Fiction" and Edward James' "Utopias and anti-utopias". Farah Mendelsohn's chapter "Religion and science Fiction" was a real eye-opener for me, examining a side of science fiction that I'd been pretty dismissive towards.

Not cheap, but well worth it.

One of the best anthologies I have ever read
Anthologies are notoriously inconsistent.Most contain several essays considerably below the level of the best pieces and many contain a few utterly miserable ones.On the downside, no essay in this collection truly stands out; on the upside, there really isn't a weak entry in the volume.I honestly cannot think of another collection of which I can make that statement.

Whether you are a serious fan of Sci-fi or a casual reader seeking an introduction to the field, this collection will prove invaluable.I fall somewhere between those two categories.Over the years I've read a few hundred Sci-fi novels and seen most Sci-fi films that have been made, but it has never been my main source of reading or film viewing.I've read rather a lot of the historically important works such as Mary Shelly, Henry Kuttner, H. G. Wells, Olaf Stapleton, and David Lindsay, but I've never attempted anything like a comprehensive reading of the classics.And I have ready very little that has been published in the past fifteen years.Still, I found that I learned an enormous amount about the field from this book.I learned about several historical works I had not previously known of, got a better understanding of the state of the genre from one decade to another, and learned a great deal about trends in the field in the past couple of decades.I also learned something about the various literary critical reactions to the genre.For those in the academy, it is a helpful introduction to the scholarly take on things.

The book is also great at pointing the way to other books.I kept a sheet of paper beside me as I read.I have already bought a few critical books on Sci-fi based on mentions of them in this volume, while I also have compiled a list of a number of novels that I plan on reading.

The essays in the book are broken down into three separate sections.The first section deals with the history of Sci-fi, from precursor works to the magazine age to various decades after.The second and most academic section deals with various academic approaches to Sci-fi, including Marxist, feminist, postmodernist, and queer theory.The final and most wide-ranging section covers a variety of themes such as gender, race, hard science fiction, alternate history, space opera, film and TV, and religion.The writers are mainly English and mostly academic, though several are also writers of Sci-fi.Even the writers, however, are fully qualified academics.For instance, one of the more scholarly entries is that by Brian Stableford.Though most of the essayists are British, American Sci-fi has so completely dominated the genre that it automatically demands priority.If anything, I was somewhat surprised by the absence of some European writers.There is, for instance, very little discussion of Stanislaw Lem, though several deserving British writers do receive attention.

In addition to the very good essays there is also a very interesting (though certainly not exhaustive) list of chronology listing some significant novels, short stories, movies, and television series.There is also a good bibliography at the end of the book, though I wish it had been annotated.

I highly recommend this collection to anyone interested in Sci-fi either in a casual or more dedicated fashion.In all honestly I have to say it is one of the most successful volumes in the Cambridge Companions series that I have read. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is a narrative and interpretive history of the physical and mathematical sciences from the early nineteenth century to the close of the twentieth century.Drawing upon the most recent methods and results in historical studies of science, the authors of over thirty chapters employ strategies from intellectual history, social history, and cultural studies to provide unusually wide-ranging and comprehensive insights into developments in the public culture, disciplinary organization, and cognitive content of the physical and mathematical sciences. ... Read more

Product Description
Prior to and during the Second World War, the Japanese Army established programs of biological warfare throughout China and elsewhere. In these “factories of death,” including the now-infamous Unit 731, Japanese doctors and scientists conducted large numbers of vivisections and experiments on human beings, mostly Chinese nationals. However, as a result of complex historical factors including an American cover-up of the atrocities, Japanese denials, and inadequate responses from successive Chinese governments, justice has never been fully served. This volume brings together the contributions of a group of scholars from different countries and various academic disciplines. It examines Japan’s wartime medical atrocities and their postwar aftermath from a comparative perspective and inquires into perennial issues of historical memory, science, politics, society and ethics elicited by these rebarbative events. The volume’s central ethical claim is that the failure to bring justice to bear on the systematic abuse of medical research by Japanese military medical personnel more than six decades ago has had a profoundly retarding influence on the development and practice of medical and social ethics in all of East Asia. The book also includes an extensive annotated bibliography selected from relevant publications in Japanese, Chinese and English. ... Read more