Suez 1956: The Crisis and its Consequences (Clarendon Paperbacks)

Book Description

This is an analysis, based on newly available evidence, of the Suez crisis of 1956, its origins, and its consequences. The contributors are all leading authorities, and some, like Mordechai Bar-On, Robert Bowie and Adam Watson, were active participants in the events of the time.

The Suez Crisis 1956 (Essential Histories)

Average customer rating:

Good book
Does All This Sound Familiar?

The Suez Crisis 1956 (Essential Histories)
Derek Varble
Manufacturer: Osprey Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Africa | History | Subjects | Books

Egypt | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1841764183
Release Date: 2003-03-11

Book Description

In July 1956 Egyptian President Gamal Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal, causing immediate concern to Britain and France. They already opposed Nasser and were worried at the threat to maritime traffic in the Canal. This book traces the course of subsequent events. Together with Israel, Britain and France hatched a plot to occupy the Canal Zone and overthrow Nasser. Israel attacked Sinai, and Britain and France launched offensives throughout Egypt, but strategic failures overshasdowed tactical success. Finally, Britain, France and Israel bowed to international pressure and withdrew, leaving the Suez Canal, and Egypt, firmly in the hands of President Nasser.

Customer Reviews:

Good book.......2007-08-17

There aren't many books covering the Suez fighting of 1956 as a whole. This book does! Although not very detailed, the book gives a sufficient account of what happened on the political and military terrain during the crisis. Good maps, a number of pictures and clear writing makes the book a good one to buy.

Does All This Sound Familiar?.......2003-07-29

Apparently, in the Mideast not much has changed in the past five decades. Osprey's Essential Histories #49, The Suez Crisis 1956 by Dr. Derek Varble, offers modern readers a chance to review this first major crisis in the Mideast. Not only is The Suez Crisis 1956 well written, but it offers a sense of déjà vu with the recent conflict in Iraq. In particular, military officers serving in the Mideast would find their time well spent in perusing these pages and reflecting on the mistakes made in an earlier Western military intervention in the region.

The Suez Crisis 1956 follows the usual Essential Histories format in regard to section on background to the crisis, the fighting and portrait of a warrior. However, the section on "portrait of a civilian" is not particularly good since it fails to use first-person accounts to humanize the Egyptian population. The lack of the section entitled "world around the war" is also unfortunate, since without it the author misses the opportunity to explain the critical diplomatic actions in the United Nations that ultimately curtailed the Anglo-French operation. Furthermore, the author fails to tackle the issue of why Egypt received no material aid from other Arab states and why Israel was able to fight a one-front war. There are a total of eight very good maps in this volume: Kadesh Opening Phase; Mitla Pass; Deadlock in Central Sinai; Abu Aoueigila; Egyptian Retreat from Sinai; Rafah and Gaza Strip; Israel secures Sinai; and Sharm el-Sheikh. Unfortunately, there are no detailed maps of the Port Said area, which makes it difficult to follow the author's very tactical narrative of the Anglo-French invasion.

Egyptian leader Nasser's nationalization of the Suez Canal in 1956 was the proximate cause of the crisis, but England, France and Israel connived to remove him for reasons beyond the canal. France detested Nasser for his aid to the Algerian rebels, just as Israel detested him for his support for Palestinian guerrilla attacks on Israel. Britain wanted Nasser removed because his call for "Arab unity threatened a key client [of Britain], Iraq's Hashemite dynasty. Cheap Iraqi petroleum, vital to Britain's economy, depended on Hashemite rule." Even the United States, which feared Nasser's growing ties to the USSR wanted him removed and the author notes that, "in 1956, American and British leaders began Omega, a plan for regime change in Egypt." The similarities between Western desire for regime change with Nasser and Saddam Hussein are striking, and Arab writers could easily use these examples to claim that a strong Arab leader who stands up the West and Israel will not be tolerated for long.

Militarily, Varble demonstrates that the Israeli Army was still evolving from an infantry-heavy defensive force into a modern, combined arms force but was still immature in 1956. In particular, Moshe Dayan had neglected armor and logistics, as well as sufficient wheeled transport, which made it difficult for the Israelis to conduct rapid desert movements. The Israelis also made frequent navigational errors and fratricide was common (incl. one bizarre incident on 2 November when one Israeli tank company mistakenly ambushed another Israeli company, knocking out 8 of 9 tanks.). Israel was still able to smash Egyptian resistance in Sinai in eight days, but the campaign indicated a number of deficiencies that led to a vast improvement in Israeli military capabilities.

For the Anglo-French coalition, the invasion of Egypt was frustrating, as it was fruitless. Initially, the British leaders thought "bombers alone could attain victory" and they hoped that an "aero-psychological campaign" of strategic bombing would topple Nasser's regime. This sounds a great deal like "Shock and Awe" in Baghdad in 2003. At any rate, the British had only 18 bombers and they were employed in futile high-altitude, night attacks with "dumb" bombs, and their only success was to knock out Radio Cairo for a few days. Once the strategic air campaign failed, naval aircraft from Anglo-French carriers were called in and they annihilated the bulk of Egyptian Air Force on the ground.

Anglo-French ground operations were even more sobering. The first airborne landings at Port Said consisted of only two battalions, and although reinforced, these troops had to hold without heavy weapons for 24 hours. The first amphibious wave for the "main invasion" on 6 November 1956 was laughably only 12 landing craft with 240 troops. What if it had been an opposed landing? What if the Egyptian armor brigades had arrived? Indeed, the Anglo-French operation was hobbled from the beginning by insufficient air transport and amphibious vehicles. Coalition forces attacked with only 2-1 odds into a major urban area, Port Said, and quickly got bogged down in house-to-house fighting. On the other hand, Varble notes that the Allies did introduce one innovation, which was the first air-assault in history, when 45 Marine Commando lifted into Port Said on 6 November. Due to unexpectedly protracted urban combat, the Allies lost their focus and never reached their prime objective - the Suez Canal - before the UN-imposed cease-fire. Varble notes, "judicious exchanges of territory and time by Egyptian soldiers cheated Britain and France of a rapid tactical victory." Significantly, the Anglo-French also failed to plan for civil-military operations in Port Said and after the cease-fire, they were confronted with managing 200,000 Egyptian civilians whose water, food and electricity had been cut-off. Sound familiar?

Book Description

This work looks at the way the media in Britain can, in times of crisis, be used as an instrument of propaganda. Through a study of the Eden Government's battle for the hearts and minds of the British and American people during the 1956 Suez Crisis, Tony Shaw dispels the myth that the BBC and Fleet Street were passive observers of events and faithfully reflected public opinion. Using government documents and media sources, he explores Eden's efforts to create a climate of opinion for military action against Egypt, and the war of nerves against the Nasser regime that followed.

Arguing that, despite his reputation as one of Fleet Street's most celebrated victims, Eden was a remarkably successful propagandist, Shaw attributes this success to the unhealthy intimacy between the press and government in Britain, Fleet Street's over-willingness to censor itself, and the government's efforts to turn the BBC into a straight organ of propaganda. The book includes an interesting comparison between Eden's propaganda policy and Thatcher's during the 1982 Falklands Crisis.

Eisenhower and the Suez Crisis of 1956 (Political Traditions in Foreign Policy Series)

Average customer rating:

Good Book

Eisenhower and the Suez Crisis of 1956 (Political Traditions in Foreign Policy Series)
Cole C. Kingseed
Manufacturer: Louisiana State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Africa | History | Subjects | Books

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

Egypt | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0807119873

Customer Reviews:

Good Book.......2001-06-19

This book is one of the best I've ever read. It relates the power of the presidency to the Suez Crisis. This book is a good read and perfect for research on this topic.

Book Description

In 1838 James Brooke left England in search of adventure in the far-off lands of Southeast Asia. Armed with a dream of expelling the Dutch and establishing enlightened British rule in the region, he undertook missions for the Sultan of Brunei, pursuing pirate raiders and battling rebels. As a reward, he was offered Sarawak, a Malay territory in the northwest of the island of Borneo, inhabited by diverse tribes and cultures, notably the head-hunting Dayaks. The dynasty of the White Rajahs of Sarawak began in 1841, was shattered by the Japanese invasion in 1941 and ended in 1946 with Sarawak¹s annexation as a British Crown Colony. James, the charismatic founder; Charles, the astute administrator; and Vyner, the irresponsible hedonist, are the principal players in this incredible family saga. This richly illustrated book relives the heady mix of exoticism, violence, courage and romance of this extraordinary adventure. Highlights: Intriguing story of one family¹s rule of Sarawak, Well-documented, Numerous pictures and illustrations to accompany the story.

Average customer rating:

The White Rajah

ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000CS3APM

White Rajah: A Biography of Sir James Brooke

Average customer rating:

A well written retelling of a legendary story.

White Rajah: A Biography of Sir James Brooke
Nigel Barley
Manufacturer: Time Warner Books UK
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Southeast Asia | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

The Duke of Puddle Dock: Travels in the Footsteps of Stamford Raffles

ASIN: 0349116733

Book Description

Sir James Brooke's curious career began in 1841, when he was caught up in a war in Brunei. He was an opportunist who, with the Sultan's backing, made war on the Dayaks tribespeople and as a result found himself ruling over Sarawak—a kingdom the size of England. How he achieved it is a romantic, sometimes horrifying story. This historical biography recalls the best and the worst of the British Imperial character.

Customer Reviews:

A well written retelling of a legendary story........2004-08-24

The book tells the life story of Sir James Brooke, the British-born rajah of the kingdom of Sarawak in Northern Borneo (today part of Malaysia). Brooke's life has been told many times and this retelling does not shed much new light to it, except for the unabashed recognition of the fact that, by all indications, Brooke was homosexual (probably not latent), and especially attracted to handsome young men. Otherwise, it's an easy-to-read, well written retelling of a story which, at a closer look, actually proves a lot less interesting and adventureous than you'd think if you only know the bare skeleton of it.

10 Titles in the Assignment (Sam Durell) Series - Ankara - Nuclear Nude - Treason - White Rajah - Budapest - Burma Girl - Lowlands - School for Spies - Sorrento Siren - Stella Marni

Average customer rating:

10 Titles in the Assignment (Sam Durell) Series - Ankara - Nuclear Nude - Treason - White Rajah - Budapest - Burma Girl - Lowlands - School for Spies - Sorrento Siren - Stella Marni
Edward S. Aarons
Manufacturer: various
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000SQM7ZW

Product Description

Multiple books shipped as one item for your convenience. Save on Shipping/Handling charges.

Average customer rating:

Assigment - White Rajah
Edward S. Aarons
Manufacturer: Gold Medal
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000K1SS08

Average customer rating:

Assignment White Rajah
Edward S. Aarons
Manufacturer: Fawcett Gold Medal
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000H09K9A

Average customer rating:

Assignment White Rajah Sam Durell
Edward S Aarons
Manufacturer: FAWCETT GOLD MEDAL
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UD4J4U

Average customer rating:

Assignment-White Rajah

Manufacturer: Fawcett
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0449022021

A History of Sarawak Under its Two White Rajahs 1839-1908 (Oxford in Asia Hardback Reprints)

Average customer rating:

A History of Sarawak Under its Two White Rajahs 1839-1908 (Oxford in Asia Hardback Reprints)
S. Baring-Gould , and C.A. Bampfylde
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

Indonesia | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

Southeast Asia | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This book, first published in 1909, is the offical history of Sarawak (which now forms a part of Malaysia) during the rule of Rajah James and Rajah Charles. Although, as Nicholas Tarling emphasizes in his introduction, professional historians have reinterpreted Sarawak's history more
completely in recent years, this classic work not only captures the spirit of the times, it allows the facts to speak for themselves.

A history of Sarawak under its two white Rajahs 1839-1909

Average customer rating:

A history of Sarawak under its two white Rajahs 1839-1909
baring-gould & bampfylde
Manufacturer: Henry Sotheran London
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000LLTVJ4

Book Description

How do scientists look at chance, or randomness, and chaos in physical systems? In answering this question for a general audience, Ruelle writes in the best French tradition: he has produced an authoritative and elegant book--a model of clarity, succinctness, and a humor bordering at times on the sardonic.

Customer Reviews:

Ruelle's Chance and Chaos.......2000-04-01

This is the best popular book on chaos, dynamic systems, and entropy that I have ever read, by one of the pioneers of this field. I have remarked in my reviews of Gribbin, Kaku, and others that Creative Geniuses in science (unlike Ingenious Followers who are so abundant) inspire others and themselves often by popularizing science in ordinary English. It is a good sign if they do this often, but sometimes they only do it seldom or never. Ruelle, as far as I know, only did it once, in this book, and the reader who loses the opportunity to obtain this book has lost a classic. Ruelle inspired me at an important place in my career (my fields are related to the probability-logic-entropy-physics interface). I am especially fond of recalling his description of how extremely new creations or inventions are typically received in science: journal reviewers will usually contradict each other in their haste to oust the newcomer. There are still journals which do not touch chaos, entropy, dynamic systems, fractals, not to mention my own field of logic-based probability.

Good introduction to chaos theory.......1999-11-05

It's nice to be hearing how a physicist places chaos theory in its place amongst possible explanations for natural phenomena. He doesn't oversell chaos, and doesn't undersell it. Not too big a tome -- a good read.

Outdated/inaccurate and self-indulgent; little of value.......1999-11-02

Who knows why Ruelle felt compelled to write this book? He makes a lot of sweeping statements about fields he doesn't have a mastery over. Only tangentially does he bring in chaos, and he doesn't bother staying on any point long enough to add any insight on any of the issues presented. It's such a weak book that it doesn't even have "brainstorming value" -- the collection of ideas is limited in breadth and depth. Perhaps in 1991 it was fashionable to come up with books like this; having read it in 1999, I found little of value.

A vivid, lively presentation on Chaos Theory.......1999-09-13

I used this audiotape as a supplement to a doctoral seminar in applied mathematics which I taught to business students. Most of them already had some background in Chaos and Complexity Theory and the level of the tape is really just a notch above the layman's understanding. However, it is very entertaining as well as informative for the more sophisticated audience. Basically we played a side of each of the two tapes in each class session. It was very much like having a Nobel Laureate as a guest lecturer (except that there is no Nobel in mathematics because Nobel's wife apparently had an affair with a mathematician!). Thoroughly enjoyable.

An Introduction to Chaos.......1998-03-20

The book is deception by the author! He says he is letting you in on chaos, but doesn't. He tries but is not talking in the language that he actually thinks should be used to talk about these systems. He is only decieving himself and not the reader! I wish he had written this as if he were trying to explain it to his children and not as a way to make money. Your unique Associates ID is: thefractaltransl.

The Physics of Chance: From Blaise Pascal to Niels Bohr

Average customer rating:

Chances are, you'll like this book
A wonderful overview of statistical physics

The Physics of Chance: From Blaise Pascal to Niels Bohr
Charles Ruhla
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0198539770

Book Description

This is an introduction to the ideas of randomness that are central to much of modern physics and have overthrown the "clock-work universe" conceptions of earlier centuries. The author shows how the laws of probability and statistics were developed by such mathematicians as Fermat, Pascal, and Gauss, and how they received their first major application in physics in the kinetic theory of gases developed by Maxwell and Boltzmann. Here the use of statistics is necessary because the number of particles involved is too great for a deterministic calculation. But soon the mathematician and physicist Poincare demonstrated the unpredictability if certain systems containing only a small number of bodies, because of extreme sensitivity to initial conditions. He thus became a founder of chaos theory. Finally, with the advent of quantum theory, physics seemed to be based on an essential randomness, whose reality was debated by Bohr and Einstein till the end of their lives. Only recently, in the experiments of Alain Aspect, has a convincing demonstration been given the inescapable randomness of quantum theory is a fact of nature. Professor Ruhla guides the reader skilfully through all these developments and provides mathematical details in appendices. The book provides an accessible introduction to the modern physicist's conception of the world of cause and chance.

Customer Reviews:

Chances are, you'll like this book.......2003-05-01

If you ever read one book on quantum theory, then this is the book you should read. Especially if you want to understand Bell's Inequality and how the experiments done by Alain Aspect in the 1980's verified that the inequality is violated.

I first heard of Bell's inequality and the EPR Paradox while reading an article by David Mermin in "Science News" and did not understand it at all. Then I read Robert Adair's account of it in "The Great Design" (a good book to have) and I began to gain a rudimentary appreciation of what was going on. But it wasn't until I read Ruhla's "Physics of Chance" that I learned how to derive the predictions of quantum theory - the predictions which show that two distant objects can exert influence on one another, "faster than the speed of light."

But Bell's Inequality is not the only subject in here. The text begins with rather simple treatments of probability, applied to coin tosses and telephone queues, on to Boltzmann Statistics, and then finally to quantum theory. So as your reading through the chapters in the book, you pick up the "tools" you need as you go along, in order to understand the more difficult material later on.

Ruhla's writing style is engaging, although silly at times. ...

A wonderful overview of statistical physics.......2003-03-13

This book is extraordinarily well written and illustrated. It introduces the major themes of statistical physics at a level that shold be readily accessible to senior undergraduates or scientists and engineers who are non-specialists. Highly recommended; a gem!

Chaos and Chance: An Introduction to Stochastic Aspects of Dynamics

Average customer rating:

Chaos and Chance: An Introduction to Stochastic Aspects of Dynamics
Arno Berger
Manufacturer: Walter de Gruyter
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books

Study & Teaching | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books

Book Description

With emphasis on stochastic aspects of deterministic systems this short book introduces the reader to the basic facts and some special topics of applied ergodic theory. It addresses advanced undergraduate and graduate students from various disciplines, i.e. mathematicians, physicists, electrical and mechanical engineers. Based upon a sound (but non-technical) mathematical introduction, a number of typical examples from applications (mostly from mechanics) are thoroughly discussed. By studying both probabilistic and deterministic features of dynamical systems the reader will develop what might be considered a unified view on chaos and chance as two sides of the same thing.

The Riddled Chain: Chance, Coincidence, and Chaos in Human Evolution

Average customer rating:

The Riddled Chain: by Jeffrey Kevin McKee
Problems with Principles
An excellent overview of evolution theory
Autocatalysis as a theory for Human Evolution
Good, but ultimately a little disappointing

The Riddled Chain: Chance, Coincidence, and Chaos in Human Evolution
Jeffrey K. McKee
Manufacturer: Rutgers University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Amazon.com

Early treatments of evolution presented our species' transformation from protohominid to Homo sapiens as an orderly affair, a matter of clear lineages and constant progress. That depiction, archaeologist Jeffrey McKee suggests, is a little too neat. Drawing on recent scholarly views of primate evolution and on chaos theory, he instead argues that coincidence, accident, and dumb luck are critically important components of our species' development.

"Human evolution," McKee writes, "has been the product of many forces that together made us neither inevitable nor probable." The same holds true for other species; with all due respect to Lamarck, McKee adds, the giraffe came to have its long neck by a roll of the genetic dice--but a roll that lent the giraffe a competitive advantage over its shorter-necked browsing cousins, and therefore one subsequently reinforced by natural selection. Illustrating his argument with the well-worn "butterfly effect"--wherein a butterfly flapping its wings in Europe can produce a typhoon half a world away--McKee examines the role of chance in the origin and decline of species, emphasizing how unpredictable the dynamics of life can be, even within the bounds of natural laws.

Within such disorderly circumstances, McKee observes, chance favors species that retain generalized features and behaviors. Whereas "the fossil record is littered with extinct primates that became too specialized," he writes, the ancestors of modern humans were broadly diversified, adapting to different niches and thriving in the bargain. Written well and at an appropriately general level, McKee's book offers a useful survey of current evolutionary thought. --Gregory McNamee

Customer Reviews:

The Riddled Chain: by Jeffrey Kevin McKee.......2003-02-12

The Riddled Chain, by Jeffrey McKee provides the layman reader with insights into human evolution, fossil hunting, and scientific methods. In addition, the author provides novel explanations of the process involved in human evolution. He argues very eloquently and convincingly that chance, coincidence, and chaos have been the driving forces behind human evolution. These forces feed back on themselves, which McKee calls autocatalysis, driving blindly the whole process forward.

This book is written in an excellent prose, with enjoyable anecdotes that seem to express the good-natured personality of the author.

Anyone interested in human evolution, or the complexities of evolution theory should read The Riddled Chain. One does not have to be versed in biology, paleoanthropology, or the like to enjoy this book. The Riddled Chain provides an interesting thought provoking perspective into the process that lead to a fascinating and incredibly complex species, ourselves. Unless you have predispositions regarding how humans emerged, or with evolution theory itself, I bet you will not be able to put this book down.

Problems with Principles.......2002-04-24

The Riddled Chain has problems that impact the message of the author. The first problem is math. In the book the author states his chance of being born a boy was 12.5 percent. He reasons that the first child has a 50/50 chance of being a boy, and - if it is a boy - the next child has a 25 percent chance of being a boy etc. This is totally wrong as at each stage the chance of a boy is 50 percent. Like tossing a coin, after 100 heads the chances of the next toss being a head is 50/50. Thus, the author makes a basic error in math and this causes one to think he may have made other serious errors.

His computer program for example. How can we be sure he programmed the machine correctly if he makes such basic math errors?

Another problem is his "proof" that evolution is choas based. His computer models "prove" the elimination of even one person from the gene pool may result in the elimination of the entire population. Then he points out that evolution is much more complex than the computer models because two or more modifications may have to take place in the organism at the same time (human brain enlargement and pelvis enlargement in women for berth purposes). After all this he says we know it occurred because we are here. This is blind acceptance of a theory. His own models show how unlikely it is that we are here and how unlikely it is that evolution explains our presence, yet he goes no further in his reasoning.

This type of reasoning is why little advance is being made in evolutionary thinking. One cannot look at the results and then say something must have happened according to a theory because we can look at the results. Ancient societies had good explanations for how the solar system worked. They were wrong, but if all they had to say was "look up at the sun, it is there, so you can see we are right" no challenge would ever have come along.

What is really needed is some scientific study on new pathways to explain how we got here. Evolution is filled with problems that "science" fails to explain. Dogma is not an explanation. Perhaps nature itself has invented man to fill a void other mechanisms have not filled. Nature abhores a vacuum. Go to Death Valley and even there life abounds. Perhaps nature has a built in mechanism that will try to create a living creature that will build machines to leave this planet and fill the void of space. Like a plant reaching for the sun, nature may reach for the stars and the sole purpose of human beings may be to fill the planets that are avilable and able to sustain life. If such a mechanizm exists I doubt anyone is looking for it because it does not fit evolutionary models.

Who knows? As long as no one is looking for other explanations no research or analysis will take place that may lead to a better understanding of how we arrived at our current set of circumstances. Darwin may have been wrong. The debate on other solutions has been mired in the evolution vs creation debate for too long. This book does not advance any really new solutions or ideas, and that is its major failing.

An excellent overview of evolution theory.......2002-03-21

"The Riddled Chain" is an excellent book for non-experts who wish to get an overall view of human evolution. I emphasize "human" because it does not go into any microbiology that might explain the evolution of first life. It does begin with the basic notions of human evolution; chance, chaos, and natural selection. McKee then devotes a large portion of the book to his own experiences in Africa digging, mostly fruitlessly, for early Hominids. Finally, he addresses some issues that evolution has, by his own admission, not addressed very well: such as the development of the human brain. In doing so he discusses autocatalysis, a concept new to me, as well as chaos and coincidence. He is an exceptionally good writer for a scientist. He uses analogies and examples that are very well chosen to clarify his points.

It is in his explanation of how it is (by his theory) autocatalysis, rather than natural selection, that accounts for many human characteristics that, in my opinion, McKee's explanation is not as complete as it might be. In his explanation of autocatalysis he almost implies that one mutation, e.g. the reduction of face size, causes another, e.g. increase in brain size. I know (I think) that is not what he meant. The changes are always the result of chance mutations. I believe he meant that the one mutation accommodates the other rather than actually causing it. However, I think it could be misread as a cause and effect relationship.

Reading from a physicist's view, I found that his concept of good science differed somewhat from mine. Speaking of a conference he attended, he makes the following statement:

"We were struggling to decipher fossil clues about how evolution works, or at least how it used to work..." "Sitting around a table for five days, we discussed and argued and thought, and changed our minds a lot. This was real science at its best."

Discussing, arguing, and changing people's minds is not my idea of science at its best. I seem to see more rationalism and less empiricism than I find acceptable in science. I realize that evolutionists do not have the benefit of being able to reproduce the processes they are studying as a physicist or chemist might. Nonetheless, intuition can never replace observation in science. Anthropologists seem to state their conclusions with a lot of certainty and authority considering the inordinate role played in their science by interpretation and intuition.

To McKee's credit, he is quite open in admitting that there is an almost inescapable tendency for anthropologists to "find what they are looking for" in studying fossils. At least he is aware that great care must be exercised in drawing conclusions from the generally ambiguous data anthropologists have to work with.

The last part of the book is devoted, unfortunately, to the claims that because of the actions of mankind species are becoming extinct at an alarming rate. I say unfortunately because McKee does not do much to corroborate the accuracy of the numbers he uses.

I do not wish my view of the book to seem negative, however. Jeffrey McKee has written an understandable book on some very complex ideas. I enjoyed the book and learned much from it. I highly recommend it.

Autocatalysis as a theory for Human Evolution.......2001-09-11

"The Riddled Chain" provides a balanced review of current theories concerning human evolution. The author, Jeffery McKee, intuitively explains how the theory of `Autocatalysis' by means of Chance, Coincidence and Chaos can bridge the gulfs between the theories of Phyletic Gradualism, Turnover-Pulse (Climate) and Punctuated Equilibrium. The occasional use of mathematical and computer model explanations for evolutionary theory is refreshing twist in a book written with the layman in mind. McKee is obviously in touch with the past and current trends in human evolutionary theory, in that he is able to articulate past foundations and modern discoveries into a coherent history of the study. This book reads more as a popular science magazine article than as an anthropology text but is useful and enlightening nonetheless.

Good, but ultimately a little disappointing.......2001-06-15

I bought this book based on previous customer reviews and was partially disappointed. It is well-written and has a good summary of evidence from paleoanthropology and recent and current theories about human evolution. The author's emphasis on chance, coincidence, and choas in evolution is a good antidote for past speculations about environmental or other "causes" of human evolution; but ultimately I didn't find major new insights about the relation between chance and natural selection. And I was disappointed with the final chapter that speculates about future human evolution but focuses entirely on potential genetic changes. I am more interested in cultural evolution which is likely to be the dominate influence in our future.

Average customer rating:

Chance and Uncertainty

Manufacturer: Amsterdam University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books

The Future of the Universe: Chance, Chaos, God?

Average customer rating:

The Future of the Universe: Chance, Chaos, God?
Arnold Benz
Manufacturer: Continuum International Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Psychology | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0826414273

Advance pricing agreements: a chance for certainty amidst chaos, Part 2.(Taxes): An article from: Strategic Finance

Average customer rating:

Advance pricing agreements: a chance for certainty amidst chaos, Part 2.(Taxes): An article from: Strategic Finance
J. William Harden , and Timothy B. Biggart
Manufacturer: Institute of Management Accountants
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Pricing | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Strategic Finance, published by Institute of Management Accountants on October 1, 2004. The length of the article is 1292 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Advance pricing agreements: a chance for certainty amidst chaos, Part 2.(Taxes)
Author: J. William Harden
Publication: Strategic Finance (Refereed)
Date: October 1, 2004
Publisher: Institute of Management Accountants
Page: 11(2)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

THE FUTURE OF THE UNIVERSE: CHANCE, CHAOS, GOD?(Review)(Brief Article): An article from: Theological Studies

Average customer rating:

THE FUTURE OF THE UNIVERSE: CHANCE, CHAOS, GOD?(Review)(Brief Article): An article from: Theological Studies
Eugene E. Selk
Manufacturer: Theological Studies, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Theological Studies, published by Theological Studies, Inc. on March 1, 2001. The length of the article is 2615 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: THE FUTURE OF THE UNIVERSE: CHANCE, CHAOS, GOD?(Review)(Brief Article)
Author: Eugene E. Selk
Publication: Theological Studies (Refereed)
Date: March 1, 2001
Publisher: Theological Studies, Inc.
Volume: 62 Issue: 1 Page: 212

Article Type: Book Review, Brief Article

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Human evolution in search of an explanation. (Book Review).('The Riddled Chain: Chance. Coincidence, and Chaos in Human Evolution') (book review): An article ... Journal of the Alabama Academy of Science

Average customer rating:

Human evolution in search of an explanation. (Book Review).('The Riddled Chain: Chance. Coincidence, and Chaos in Human Evolution') (book review): An article ... Journal of the Alabama Academy of Science
James T. Bradley
Manufacturer: Alabama Academy of Science
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Science & Technology | Subjects | e-Docs | Formats | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of the Alabama Academy of Science, published by Alabama Academy of Science on October 1, 2001. The length of the article is 1555 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Human evolution in search of an explanation. (Book Review).('The Riddled Chain: Chance. Coincidence, and Chaos in Human Evolution') (book review)
Author: James T. Bradley
Publication: Journal of the Alabama Academy of Science (Refereed)
Date: October 1, 2001
Publisher: Alabama Academy of Science
Volume: 72 Issue: 4 Page: 275(3)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Average customer rating:

CHANCE AND CHAOS
DAVID RUELLE
Manufacturer: PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KV5NLA

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books