Book Description
Here is the first complete portrait of the legendary flying dragons of deep time–the pterosaurs–designed for non-specialists, yet founded on the real science of these bizarre creatures. Presented lucidly and accessibly by one of the world’s leading experts, David Unwin’s book is built on a mountain of new fossil discoveries and the latest research.
About 220 millions years ago, a group of reptiles took to the Earth’s vast and open skies. No longer tethered to the ground, the earliest pterosaurs evolved into a multitude of diverse forms, spread around the globe, and ruled the skies until they went extinct along with the dinosaurs about 65 millions years ago, rarely leaving fossils as a record of their existence. What they did leave was a mystery for paleontologists to solve; an enigma so difficult to crack that it took centuries of false starts and missteps before the path to a true understanding of pterosaurs was uncovered.
Now, an understanding of the fundamental nature of these strange creatures is finally possible. In the last 15 years, stunning new fossil finds and significant advances in technology have led to a breakthrough in our knowledge of pterosaurs. New fossils of the earliest species were discovered in Italy, a remarkably well-preserved and complete wing was found in Central Asia, and, most extraordinarily, a pterosaur embryo inside an egg was unearthed in China. CAT scanning has let researchers glimpse inside pterosaur skulls and construct three-dimensional images of their bodies from crushed bones, and modern techniques for analyzing relationships between species have revealed surprising insights into the evolution of the group.
Drawing on these and other advances, David Unwin, caretaker of Archaeopteryx and curator at the Museum of Natural History in Berlin, paints pterosaurs and their world more vividly than has previously been possible. He eloquently reconstructs their biology and behavior. Pterosaurs weren’t scaly like dinosaurs, but hairy; most were brightly colored and adorned with remarkable head crests; they were excellent fliers with physiologically sophisticated wings; they walked on all fours; and varied in size from eight inches to forty feet in wingspan. He shows how they lived their lives, raised their young, and interacted with the different environments of Mesozoic Earth. Then, building on his thorough examination of their anatomy and lifestyle, and using the powerful technique of cladistic analysis, Unwin unravels the evolutionary history of pterosaurs and establishes their place in the one great tree of life.
Packed with 95 color and 30 black and white illustrations–including 10 full-page original color paintings that are scientific recreations of different pterosaur species–The Pterosaurs From Deep Time takes readers on an wondrous expedition back through the lost world of the Earth’s deep past.
Customer Reviews:
Great work.......2006-12-16
The pterosaurs were the group of flying reptiles (probably) that lived during the time of dinosaurs. Little was known about them until the last three decades when numerous fossil finds on multiple continents cleared up many things about them such as their reproduction (eggs), skeletal structure (hollow bones with air sacs), development (continuous growth), etc... This book summarizes all of this knowledge into one work that is easy to read, very informative, and well organized. The text is interspersed with numerous figures ranging from photos and micrographs of fossils to color illustrations. The book's chapters focus on specific parts of the pterosaus such as their flying skills, walking skills, childhood, etc... The author does a great job of describing what is known about pterosaurs, what is unknown, and how scientists have arrived at these conclusions. The use of science is quite liberal as the author refers to physics, aerodynamics, biochemistry, taxonomy and other fields in the explanation of the book's concepts. As such, I would not recommend it for anyone without a high school diploma at least. But for those with a good general background in science, this book is quite enjoyable.
The Gold Standard.......2006-03-22
An outstanding work, David Unwin's book 'The Pterosaurs from Deep Time' should be considered the standard by which other popular (and even textbook!) books on paleontology should be compared. If only something similar could be written about the various sea-reptiles of the Mesozoic! Very well researched, excellent diagrams, photos and artwork, all the latest information, truly brilliant!
Best Pterosaur book in print.......2005-11-27
This is by far the best book on pterosaurs for the non-technical reader in print. Only the 1990 or 1991 extremely well-illustrated _Illustrated Encyclopedia of Pterosaurs_ by Peter Wellenhoffer has better photos and artwork; it is out of print and dated in many ways (and difficult to find at a reasonable price). Unwin discusses a number of recent fossil finds, including discoveries of pterosaur eggs with embryos from the Upper Jurassic/Lower Cretaceous Lianong Province of China, and eggs from other deposits as well. I was particularly impressed by the specimen that had the fragment of plant material lodged in the lower jaw of the animal, keeping the pterosaur from being able to feed or close its mouth properly. In spite of the fragile and often fragmentary nature of the fossil record for pterosaurs, there are some really fantastic specimens turning up from time to time.
Giving this book less than 5 stars is shameful!
If you are interested in pterosaurs, BUY THIS BOOK!
The only problem I had with this book was that the Publisher originally set a publication date in the spring of 2005. I ordered well in advance, but was dismayed to see that the date of publication was continuously pushed back; everytime I checked the date was moved. I didn't get my copy until the end of August/early September.
Flying, landing and laying.......2005-11-10
My credentials. I work on pterosaurs (among other things) at the University of Portsmouth, UK.
I'm a pal of Dave Unwin (he looks like Bill Clinton). I have worked with him on ocassions on problems of pterosaur anatomy. He borrowed my house to write part of this book and I was one of several so-called 'experts' invited to read the book as he wrote it. I read every single word two or three times and even read one chapter while flying over his mum's house in Uttoxeter. I chuckled at some of the jokes, and deleted a few in case they trivialised his case. A wry sense of humour and a vivid imagination are a part of the charm of this book. Anyway, just in case you think I am biased by association, I can assure you that this brief review is heartfelt and honest.
This book is an excellent, entertaining and highly informative account of the biology of a group of animals that are (were), without doubt among the most fascinating creatures to have walked and flew the planet. Unwin's style is relaxed and makes reading a pleasure. Pretty well every aspect of pterosaur biology and evolutionary history is touched on. He makes good clear arguments for our deductions about these wonderful animal's behaviour, physiology and locomotion. Where the evidence is vague, or absent he says so.
One exciting aspect is the case Unwin makes for precocious flight in pterosaurs. Rare examples of fossil pterosaur eggs with embryos inside (if there were no embryos we wouldn't have recognised them as eggs) show that just bgefore hatching pterosaur babies had all of their skeleton fully formed and had wing bones with pretty well the same ratios as found in adults. Along with very rare examples of fossilised baby pterosaurs found in deposits formed miles away from land, this suggests that pterosaurs could fly soon after hatching. That might not be so remarkable, but when one consider that a baby pterosaur with a wing span comparable to a thrush then goes onto to achieve a wingspan greater than a Spitfire it seems to be quite remarkable.
I am recommending this book to anyone with an interest in natural history or flight.. it certainly is not just for dinophiles.
And if anyone reads the acknowledgments in this book, you might like to know that we no longer use flea spray, but instead drop that funny stuff on the back of the cats' necks now... it does the trick.
Norway.......2005-10-18
This book is great!! It gives an in depth vieu on these animal evolved and functioned, without getting the reader bogged down in dry technical descriptions. I recommend the book to any interested well read dinophile.
Book Description
Galaxies are perhaps the most popular of all visual targets that are sought after by visual observers. At present the only way to get up-to-date information, is to query various (often highly technical) speciality books or digging deeply into the Internet. This can be a time consuming and often frustrating task, as the data aren’t often compatible. This book satisfies the need for a modern, comprehensive review in combining the three major aspects: the physical background on the nature and data of galaxies, the relevant instrumentation and viewing techniques, and finally the targets and their individual appearance in telescopes of various apertures. To illustrate the latter, a comprehensive sample of galaxies, including quasars, groups and clusters of galaxies is presented. This combination of theoretical knowledge and practical information guarantees successful observing sessions. The book could become a standard source on galaxy observing for all kinds of amateur observers, from the beginner to the experienced.
Customer Reviews:
A very good book.......2007-10-04
It is excellent writting, comprehensive, analytical and all subjects well presented and in the appropriate order.
most up-to-date, clearly structured reference book on galaxy observing.......2007-08-13
Wolfgang Steinicke was the leading author of the german "Praxishandbuch Deep Sky"(Kosmos 2004), which I like very much. So I started reading his new book on Galaxies with high expectations...and I was not disappointed :
I believe this is the most up-to-date, clearly structured reference book on galaxy observing - satisfying a very broad range of interests.
In three major sections, the authors not only address the needs of the most ambitious observers, but frequently add encouraging hints for beginners as well.
I recommend it A) as a reading book to gain a broader knowledge
and B) as an excellent planning guide when you want to observe MUCH MORE than the most commonly known galaxies.
SECTION I (70 pages) provides a basic understanding of the different types of galaxies and clusters, plus all those data that are important for visually observing them.
Chapter 1 explains different galaxy classification schemes, special cases and pecularities - then chapter 2 introduces pairs, groups and clusters of galaxies and shows their place within the hierarchy of the universe.
Chapter 3 presents a well structured overview for many different types of galaxy catalogs, containing galaxy data and nomenclatures. Advantages/disadvantages of these catalogs are discussed and their data quality is critically judged.
I strongly recommend to study this chapter 3 on catalogs first, because the same presentation structure is followed in the later SECTION III on observing programs.
SECTION II (33 pages) covers the Technical Aspects on observing galaxies.
Key technical instrumentation aspects are only summarized briefly (chap.4), but the Theory of Visual Observation (chap.5), together with practical recommendations on observing, star hopping and observing logs (chap.6) demonstrate the authors very broad experience in finding, identifying faint galaxies and documenting them.
SECTION III (110 pages) on "What to Observe? - The Objects" contains the largest, most valuable part of the book.
An instructive combination of "photo/textual" descriptions presents a large number of objects in the most "objective" way :
Not counting individual galaxies inside groups or clusters (though mentioned in the tables), a total of 500 objects are listed in data tables - following that same structure introduced in SECTION I. Each data table is immediately followed by a separate table with textual descriptions. Around 600 such descriptions are given, based on the visual appearance of each object with different instruments: 1. binocular (if possible),
2. medium aperture telescope(6-10"), 3. large telescope(13-20", sometimes larger).
All these observation descriptions in chapters 7 to 10 stem from renowned observers; e.g. Steve Gottlieb, Steve Coe, beside the authors.
Chapter 7 suggests a variety of Observing Programs, based on
a) M-, NGC/IC- or UGC- CATALOGS
b) Sky Areas and constellations
Chapter 8 suggests selection criteria which are dependent on the characteristics of the individual galaxy; i.e. by sorting them by their distance or by their appearance.
Chapter 9 concentrates on Groups and Clusters; i.e. by listing a) pairs and trios, b) small groups and chains, then c) clusters.
Chapter 10 finally suggests interesting targets "off the beaten path" or in the category of "ultimate challenge".
My reason for mentioning all these details is to demonstrate that this book is quite well organized - especially for all those readers with a minimal amount of patience and learning will.
There is only one unfortunate omission : Springer printed the 1.edition of this unique reference book without a page index !!!
However, after I emailed the author, he swiftly produced an INDEX OF ALL OBJECTS (xls), which can easily be downloaded
from the (Homepage Wolfgang Steinicke).
A Wealth of Information, Poorly Organized.......2007-04-17
This book is filled with a lot of really interesting information on galaxies. However, it is extremely disorganized. My copy of this book is now full of bookmarks to help me find information later. Why? This book has no index. Let me repeat that--this book has NO INDEX. This is an unforgivable sin for any reference book! Furthermore, the subtitle is "and how to observe them." There is not a clue about how to observe galaxies. Instead, the pictures of galaxies are taken through large professional telescopes that for the most part are not even identified. There are observer's descriptions for some galaxies, but most of these are through 20" and larger telescopes. Only a few descriptions are for telescope sizes you might be likely to own.
On the plus side, there are a number of pointers to more information sources, but often these are given in large, undifferentiated lists, instead of the authors making specific recommendations.
Some of the descriptions of galactic structure and evolution are extremely sparse. You won't find a clear definition of Seyfert galaxies, for example.
If you're looking for a definitive work on galaxies, this isn't it. But if you want to learn some interesting facts, you might find this book a fun read. You'll probably come away with some observing ideas as well, but stock up on bookmarks!
Book Description
Deep Time of the Media takes us on an archaeological quest into the hidden layers of media development -- dynamic moments of intense activity in media design and construction that have been largely ignored in the historical-media archaeological record. Siegfried Zielinski argues that the history of the media does not proceed predictably from primitive tools to complex machinery; in Deep Time of the Media, he illuminates turning points of media history -- fractures in the predictable -- that help us see the new in the old.
Drawing on original source materials, Zielinski explores the technology of devices for hearing and seeing through two thousand years of cultural and technological history. He discovers the contributions of "dreamers and modelers" of media worlds, from the ancient Greek philosopher Empedocles and natural philosophers of the Renaissance and Baroque periods to Russian avant-gardists of the early twentieth century. "Media are spaces of action for constructed attempts to connect what is separated," Zielinski writes. He describes models and machinesthat make this conncection: including a theater of mirrors in sixteenth-century Naples, an automaton for musical composition created by the seventeenth-century Jesuit Athanasius Kircher, and the eighteenth-century electrical tele-writing machine of Joseph Mazzolari, among others. Uncovering these moments in the media-archaeological record, Zielinski says, brings us into a new relationship with present-day moments; these discoveries in the "deep time" media history shed light on today's media landscape and may help us map our expedition to the media future.
Book Description
Seeing in the Dark is a poetic love letter to the skies and a stirring report on the revolution now sweeping amateur astronomy, in which backyard stargazers linked globally by the Internet are exploring deep space and making discoveries worthy of the professionals. Timothy Ferris invites us all to become stargazers, recounting his lifelong experiences as an enthralled stargazer, and capturing the exquisite experience when ancient starlight strikes the eye and incites the mind.
Reporting from around the globe -- from England and Italy to the Florida Keys and the Chilean Andes -- on the revolution that's putting millions in touch with the night sky, Ferris also offers an authoritative and magical description of what is out there to be seen, from the rings of Saturn to remote quasars whose light is older than Earth.
Astronomy is the most accessible and democratic of all the sciences: Anyone can get started in it just by going outside with a star chart on a dark night and looking up. A pair of binoculars suffices to see galaxies millions of light-years away, and a small telescope can probe what Ferris calls the "blue waters" of deep space. An accessible, nontechnical invitation to get to know the sky, Seeing in the Dark encourages readers to make the glories of the stars a part of their lives.
"The universe," Ferris writes, "is accessible to all, and can inform one's existence with a sense of beauty, reason, and awe as enriching as anything to be found in music, art, or poetry."
An appendix includes star charts, observing guides, and tips on how you can get involved with the night sky.
Customer Reviews:
A must for any stargazer!.......2007-07-18
Fantastic! This book is a perfect mixture of science and storytelling. This was educational and inspiring. I don't re-read many books, but this may be an exception. Loved it.
Good Overview of Astronomy.......2005-09-16
Many people, including myself, often marvel at the night sky to the point of seriously thinking of buying a telescope. The question that then arises is: What if I invest in a decent telescope, use it a few times to examine some of the celestial bodies, then eventually get bored for lack of knowing what to look at or to look for? This book attempts to help potential amateur astronomers dance around this sticking point. The author discusses the current activities of some professional but mainly amateur astronomers: what they look for, the equipment that they use, what they've found and what they continue to find. The book is well written and fun to read; it covers most areas of interest in astronomy and briefly describes what's out there. The book's only shortcoming is that it contains no figures, pictures or diagrams of any kind (other than star charts in the appendices); this is unfortunate since a few optical diagrams and pictures of the various items and people that are discussed would have complemented the text very nicely. Nevertheless, this is a great book that does much to encourage amateur astronomy. I heartily recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in the night sky.
Every Man A Galileo.......2005-01-01
This is an informative and at times whimsical work about outer space, specifically who is doing the observing and what is being observed. The material goes considerably beyond the title, as only one chapter actually treats of near earth objects [NEO's] at depth, and I am still confused over the author's distinction between "amateur" and "professional" astronomers. With those caveats in mind, "Seeing In The Dark" is a fine overview of astronomy for those of us who have been out of school awhile and think of Pluto as the edge of the meaningful universe.
As a boy I was intrigued by astronomy and at age 10 owned an off-the shelf hand telescope that, in my recollection, simply made the bright stars brighter. I once tried to observe the crescent of Venus through my mother's hand mirror and a magnifying glass. I did get to see the rings of Saturn, finally, through the 8" telescope at the Buffalo Museum of Science, and to this day I divide the world into those who have seen that spectacle firsthand and those who haven't. Popular astronomy in the 1950's was lunar and planetary: the supposed canal system of Mars, for example, was still an issue of debate.
I lost my interest in the 1960's when astronomy became less optical and more electronic. Real observations and photos of heavenly bodies are egalitarian. Spectroscopic charts, radio waves, radar exploration and the like required time, sophisticated education, and money. Every decade or so something would catch my fancy: Apollo 11, Viking, Pioneer, Hubble, Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, Cassini. But why should an amateur like myself spend money and time at something already being done with more precision at Arecibo in Puerto Rico or Mt. Palomar in California, or from a satellite in space, for that matter?
Timothy Ferris argues in so many words that the modern astronomical-industrial complex, so to speak, is too big and too expensive to perform some of the most critical work of present day astronomy. The author provides a plethora of examples, such as planetary weather. Most planets have atmospheres with characteristics not entirely unlike the earth's own. The atmospheres of the large outer planets [and in at least one case, a planetary satellite] have predictable patterns of wind currents and even storms that produce lightning. Mars, we have come to realize, has significant dust storms and seasonal markers. To monitor these systems, however, requires daily observations over months and years. With the crush of competition for seat time for the monster telescopes and the costs involved, such meticulous and time consuming planetary observations are gradually falling into the hands of the dedicated [and exquisitely patient] amateur backyard astronomers. The older, smaller, and midrange telescopes have come into a new age of usefulness, where persistence is of equal value to optical power. And, as the author observes, the marriage of a modest telescope with digital photography, computer controls, and Internet access to professionals, has created a formidable network of information gatherers.
Nowhere is the amateur's value of more importance than in the discovery and tracking of NEO's, asteroids whose orbits regularly criss-cross the earth's. Observation of these dangerous bodies and forecast of collisions is extremely difficult for several reasons. NEO's are hard to see [in some instances, at the 29th magnitude], only small tracks of their orbits are currently known, and they are notoriously vulnerable to gravitational influences from the earth, the sun, and even Jupiter. Science has developed a public coding system for risk from each known object, and I would venture a guess that readers will find particular stimulation from Ferris's discussion of the "Torino Scale." [As I was reading this work, I checked the day's "Torino forecast" on NASA's web site, the very day that NASA used a "Torino 4" rating for the first time, for Asteroid 2004MN4. As this occurred the same day as the Asian tsunami, little or no press coverage was devoted to the event, though astronomers around the world focused on the potential risk of a 2029 collision. The odds for 2004MN4 were downgraded to Torino 1 a few days later.]
Suffice to say that NEO's are the "high needs child" of space observation, and every verifiable observation by an amateur astronomer enables NASA and international tracking systems to add another fraction of certainty to a body's orbit. Ferris intersperses observational details of heavenly bodies with interviews of the men and women who do the observing. His use of the word "amateur" is stretched like taffy. Some of these unsalaried observers have spent six-figures in outfitting their equipment or, in some cases, pursuing doctorates to expedite their work. Some have walked away from lucrative professions and made wholesale disruptions in personal and family life on behalf of serious stargazing. In some cases "amateur" does not do justice to what is more appropriately an "obsession."
Ferris summarizes what we have come to know about planets, stars and galaxies in the past few generations of advanced study. Again, if one has not addressed astronomy systematically since school days, this work is an excellent primer on our current state of understanding the heavens. There is a thorough 25-page appendix that treats of basic stargazing information, including issues of light pollution, choice of equipment, and basic star charts, as well as a summary of periodicals and web sites. I regretted that there are no photos of any kind in the book, so we never get to see with our own eyes the quality of work produced by the amateurs in our communities. Perhaps the author was deliberately setting out to pique our curiosity, for yesterday I found myself investigating the features and price tag of a small telescope at the Brookstone's in my local mall. It's been a long time since I've done that.
A great book for those cloudy nights!.......2004-11-24
I received my copy of this book as an early Christmas present from one of my "stargazing friends". Even tho' I had glanced at this volume on bookstore shelves , I usually bypassed it for books on starhopping , star atlases , or other "hard data" type publocations. I now lament my earlier loss , and have truly enjoyed this very well written and extremely informative book.
The author , Timothy Ferris , takes us on a wonderful tour of the solar system and "near space" in the second section of the book ; he then moves on to the Milky Way and the wonders of gaseous nebulae , open star clusters ,globular clusters , and planetary nebulae within our own galaxy in section 3.
Finally , in the fourth section of the book , the author deals with the imensity of the universe (as we presently are capable of understanding it) by moving on to galaxies , and galaxy clusters.
But it isn't all about the wonders of the Heavens , for Ferris intersperses some entertaining anecdotal material as well. Starting with a personal tale of how he became a stargazer-astronomer to passages about Steven James O'Meara and his phenomonal visual observing feats while breathing oxygen at 14,000 feet on Mauna Kea. We are introduced to Barbara Wilson , a mother and former housewife who excells in actually "seeing" the faintest of astronomical objects.
This is a great book for amateur astronomers at almost any level ; the author manages to communicate his passion for the skies and the fine art of observational astronomy in a warm and entertaining manner. It is an ideal book for a frustrating evening when the clouds roll in as the sun sets , thus postponing the observing plans of the day.
I rated this book 5 stars and give it my highest recommendation. No real warts on this one!
A match made in Heaven.......2003-12-17
The match being that of science and poetry. The author writes about the achievements of amateur astronomers, giving a wealth of information about astronomy, stargazing, and amateurs, all of which is written in a language so beautifully poetic. It is a masterpiece. The love of the author for his topic is evident on every page and it is contagious. This is a book that will fill you with wonder, and probably sweep you off your feet and onto the nearest dark ground with a starmap in hand!
Rich with information, written with passion, the book is fascinating, moving, and absolutely beautifully written.
Amazon.com
Bob Woodward's secret man is no longer a secret, now that former FBI assistant director W. Mark Felt and his family have revealed that he was Deep Throat, Woodward's legendary anonymous source for his Watergate reporting. Soon after Felt made his identity known, Woodward, who "is prone to complete his homework before it is due or even assigned," according to the afterword by his reporting partner Carl Bernstein, himself revealed that he had been working on a manuscript in preparation for that moment, one that would after 30 years tell the inside story of their mysterious, and history-changing, relationship.
Certainly you get in The Secret Man the cloak-and-dagger details you'd expect--and are likely already familiar with from both the book and the superb movie of All the President's Men: the late-night garage meetings, the red flag in the flower pot, the whispered warning that lives were in danger. Woodward retells the still-riveting story of his and Bernstein's unearthing of the scandal with efficiency and with the last puzzle piece in place. And he is able both to explain some of Felt's motivations, as an FBI loyalist disgusted by Nixon staffers trying to run roughshod over his agency, and to trace some of his remarkable bureaucratic tactics, including commissioning an FBI leak inquiry and deflecting it away from himself. Most fascinatingly, he gives a warts-and-all account of his shameless youthful cultivation of Felt, beginning with their first encounter when Woodward was a bored Navy lieutenant on the make, just three years before being assigned to cover the arraignment of five men in business suits arrested in the offices of the Democratic National Committee. But in a crucial way this doesn't seem to be the book that Woodward had wanted to write, for Felt remains a mystery. A shadowy father figure during the Watergate period, Felt soon distanced himself from Woodward after running into legal trouble of his own, and they fell out of touch in the intervening years. When Woodward finally reestablished contact in 2000, Felt had lost most of his memory, and any understanding with his former source, with whom he was so closely tied in both his private and public lives, remained poignantly but frustratingly unreachable. --Tom Nissley
Book Description
In Washington, D.C., where little stays secret for long, the identity of Deep Throat -- the mysterious source who helped Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein break open the Watergate scandal in 1972 -- remained hidden for 33 years. Now, Woodward tells the story of his long, complex relationship with W. Mark Felt, the enigmatic former No. 2 man in the Federal Bureau of Investigation who helped end the presidency of Richard Nixon.
The Secret Man chronicles the story in intimate detail, from Woodward's first, chance encounter with Felt in the Nixon White House, to their covert, middle-of-the-night meetings in an underground parking garage, to the aftermath of Watergate and decades beyond, until Felt finally stepped forward at age 91 to unmask himself as Deep Throat.
The Secret Man reveals the struggles of a patriotic career FBI man, an admirer of J. Edgar Hoover, the Bureau's legendary director. After Hoover's death, Mark Felt found himself in the cross fire of one of Washington's historic contests, as Nixon and his men tried to dominate the Bureau and cover up the crimes of the administration. This book illuminates the ongoing clash between temporary political power and the permanent bureaucracy of government. Woodward explores Felt's conflicts and motives as he became Deep Throat, not only secretly confirming Woodward and Bernstein's findings from dozens of other sources, but giving a sense of the staggering sweep of Nixon's criminal abuses.
In this volume, part memoir, part morality tale, part political and journalistic history, Woodward provides context and detail about The Washington Post's expose of Watergate. He examines his later, tense relationship with Felt, when the FBI man stood charged with authorizing FBI burglaries. (Not knowing Felt's secret role in the demise of his own presidency, Nixon testified at Felt's trial, and Ronald Reagan later pardoned him.) Woodward lays bare his own personal struggles as he tries to define his relationship, his obligations, and his gratitude to this extraordinary confidential source.
The Secret Man is an intense, 33-year journey, providing a one-of-a-kind study of trust, deception, pressures, alliances, doubts and a lifetime of secrets. Woodward has spent more than three decades asking himself why Mark Felt became Deep Throat. Now the world can see what happened and why, bringing to a close one of the last chapters of Watergate.
Customer Reviews:
Mark Felt and his secret life........2007-09-17
So Woodward and Berstein used Felt's advice and guidance to unmask the Watergate cover up in the White House. Since this book was written by Woodward, I often wonder what portion of the feelings/viewpoints can truly be attributed to Mark Felt and what can be attributed to Bob Woodward. Felt had a ax to grind with Nixon for politicizing the FBI and being jumped over twice for FBI Director. Felt is also praiseworthy of Hoover's efforts at the FBI. That in a nutshell tells that Felt has his own agenda for the agency. The tapes reveal that Nixon also probably knows Felt is feeding information to Woodward and Berstein. Yet despite that, former President Nixon testifies in defense of Felt/Miller at their felony trials in the eighties. Nixon sure did turn the other cheek for Felt when the going got tough.
There is a lot of information in this book. I am not sure all of it is praiseworthy of W. Mark Felt. It does show the atmosphere this country was in following the sixties, and the breakdown in trust of the political leadership of the country. I find it unusual that Felt could justify his own authorization of illegal breakins on Weathermen families, when this was what got Nixon in trouble.
Bland at Best.......2007-09-01
It's hard to believe that this book was spawned by a "book length draft of the Deep Throat story" that Woodward had prepared in advance. It reads like a Memorandum of Findings, with scattered episodes thrown in that contribute incidents of minimal revelation or all too lengthy confirmations of Felt's later senility.
One would expect more of a co-author of "All The President's Men." Woodward seems bored, writing obligatorily so as to rush something out at the time of the announcement. While he tries to force in some emotion, he fails to convey it to the reader. Woodward would have done history a favor by taking some time with this to reveal the real intensity and drama that took place, rather than rushing and doing it so superficially.
Surprisingly Good.......2007-06-27
This is a surprisingly good book. Woodward is honest and reflective about whether he met the high standards Deep Throat set for him, and that he set for himself. And he grapples with whether Deep Throat was a hero or villain or a little of both -- and concludes, convincingly, that Deep Throat was more hero than villain.
Deep Throat's identity sheds entirely new light on the Watergate scandal. That he was the number 2 man in the FBI whose motive was to protect the agency from Nixon's politicization and subversion of law enforcement goes a long way in explaining Nixon's downfall. Yet, Woodward does not shy away from the sordid doings of Hoover and others, including Deep Throat himself. There is a curious resonance between the FBI and the White House plumbers. Is Deep Throat protecting some idealized view of his agency or just his beloved turf?
Woodward is reflective and self-critical. This is the best book he has written and is quite moving.
Everything explained once and for all.......2007-03-28
The Secret Man is the final unveiling of the identity of Deep Throat, the invaluable inside source during the Watergate Scandal. W. Mark Felt, the Number 2 man at the FBI during the Nixon Administration, is now revealed as the confidential source for so much of the information that the famous reporters, Woodward and Bernstein, wrote on for the Washington Post. Years of speculation surrounded the mysterious identity, but here Woodward chronicles the path that led to his confirmation of Felt's identity.
At first the book makes an effort to summarize the on goings of the Watergate investigation. While somewhat necessary, it initially gave the impression that Woodward was simply trying to relive the heyday of his career. The reader was left hoping that he would "hurry up and get to the juicy stuff." But then he does. He describes the events that led up to the Felt disclosure as well as the turmoil he went through in agonizing over when disclosure was appropriate. Should he let Felt, now suffering from bouts of dementia, decide? Should he wait until Felt's death? Should the confidentiality of a source remain that way even after death?
This book also makes clear how much of an impact Felt had on exposing the underpinnings of the Nixon administration and how much of a personal impact Felt made on Woodward. It is obvious from the narration how deeply Woodward admires Felt and how, above all, he protected him from anything that might tarnish his reputation and career.
The Secret Man is fascinating in its historical viewpoint as its human perspective. It seems a bit self promoting at times as Woodward never fails to mention the names of the many books he has written, but overall is the icing on one of history's most intriguing cakes.
History's loss, not fully explained.......2006-11-25
Woodward has written a moderately interesting book about Mark Felt, aka Deep Throat. No doubt the book is indispensable for providing Woodward's side of this two-person-only relationship. But Woodward spends a lot of time trying to excuse himself. Why didn't he press Felt earlier to write down his reasons for being Deep Throat? That is the story we all want to know--why did Mark Felt, 2nd in power at the FBI, risk potential treason charges in an effort that eventually took down a president. The bottom line is that Woodward waited too long, and allowed the story to be lost in old age and memory loss. People that want to know more about Deep Throat, and more of the story behind All The President's Men and Watergate, will want to read this book. But don't expect great revelations or exciting storytelling. Woodward allowed the main story to pass to history untold.
Book Description
New Orleans football fans can continue the celebration of their team's incredible and inspiring season in this dazzling full-color book. The book takes an in-depth look at the Saints? amazing 2006 campaign, while recapping their first-ever trip to the NFC Championship Game, through stories and photos first found in the pages of The Times- Picayune, New Orleans? award-winning daily newspaper. Thank You, Boys is full of exciting full-color photos, taking fans through the great moments of the Saints? remarkable season when they seemingly lifted the spirits of a city still struggling to heal after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Included are game recaps from The Times-Picayune, as well as statistics and complete coverage of the playoff victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in front of a boisterous Superdome crowd. Fantastic player profiles are included that feature the Saints? biggest star performers, including quarterback Drew Brees and running back Reggie Bush.
Customer Reviews:
Great book!.......2007-08-27
This is a great book that depicts the entire 2006 New Orleans Saints football season. The pictures are wonderful and the story was written very well. I bought it as a birthday present for my husband and he LOVED it.
Thank You, Boys: A Salute to the Saints.......2007-05-14
Excellent book. Great item to remember the Saints amazing 2006 season for years and years to come. I look forward to next year's book about the Saints Super Bowl Championship.
An awesome tribute for New Orleans Saints Fans.......2007-02-26
This book was awesome!!!! I have been a Saints fan for many years, through the good and the bad. The 2006 season was awesome. This book is a great recap of a wonderful season for the New Orleans Saints. It has a week by week analysis of each game of the 2006 season. This is a great gift for a New Orleans Saints fan.
Geaux Saints!!!!!
Book Description
For nearly a decade Garak has longed for just one thing -- to go home. Exiled on a space station, surrounded by aliens who loathe and distrust him, going back to Cardassia has been Garak's one dream. Now, finally, he is home. But home is a world whose landscape is filled with death and destruction. Desperation and dust are constant companions and luxury is a glass of clean water and a warm place to sleep.
Ironically, it is a letter from one of the aliens on that space station, Dr. Julian Bashir, that inspires Garak to look at the fabric of his life. Elim Garak has been a student, a gardener, a spy, an exile, a tailor, even a liberator. It is a life that was charted by the forces of Cardassian society with very little understanding of the person, and even less compassion.
But it is the tailor that understands who Elim Garak was, and what he could be. It is the tailor who sees the ruined fabric of Cardassia, and who knows how to bring this ravaged society back together. This is strange, because a tailor is the one thing Garak never wanted to be. But it is the tailor whom both Cardassia and Elim Garak need. It is the tailor who can put the pieces together, who can take a stitch in time.
Customer Reviews:
Robinson shows he is as gifted as an author as he is at acting........2007-07-17
The book was well written and Robinson's knowledge of the lead seems so very authentic.
He created an entire backstory that blends in very well with the DS9 series. It makes watching the show in syndication even more fun, especially when Robinson is on, because it's like you, the viewer is in, on the secret.
I look forward to seeing more of his work, be it as an actor or as a writer.
A wonderful book all DS9 fans should read.......2006-11-05
Having enjoyed DS9 and having heard about this book through Memory Alpha, I noticed all the positive reviews and decided to give it a shot. It was well worth it, the book is completely engrossing and a joy to read. I wish Robinson would write a sequel.
Gotta love Garak.......2006-10-15
Someone, just lock Andrew J. Robinson in a room and make him write more. Seriously.
I absolutely LOVED this book!!!!.......2006-09-17
Deep Space Nine was my favourite of all the Trek series, and Garak was my favourite character, so you can imagine how thrilled I was when this book arrived. It is amazing. It goes so deeply into what makes up the Cardassian mind and society, every unanswered question that one could have about Cardassians is answered in this novel. I didn't want it to end! The author is also the actor who played Garak, and the insight he provides about his character is wonderful, poetic, and so moving. Anyone who has ever enjoyed an episode of DS9 needs to buy this book. I've read it three times, and I still enjoy it more than any other sci-fi book that I've read.
This never happens to me, but I could not put this book down........2005-12-30
I am a huge fan of ST:DS9 and one of my favorite characters from the show is Garak. So naturally when I found out there was a novel developing this character even further, written by the man himself. Well, not something I could easily pass up.
Picking up the book with moderate enthusiasm, I was very soon enthralled. Read it cover to cover, a first.
The novel explores 3 different timelines centering around our hero.
1st - His long colorful journey from adolescents to his exile on DS9;
2nd - His time spent on the station (filling in lapses between episodes);
3rd - His struggles on a Cardassia ravaged by the end of Dominion occupation.
The 3 timelines are masterfully woven together throughout the novel, which explores duty, betrayal, love and redemption.
I HIGHLY recommend this book to everyone. A great novel for both non and Trek-fans alike.
Book Description
"What we call American literature is quite often a shorthand, a simplified name for an extended tangle of relations." This is the argument of Through Other Continents, Wai Chee Dimock's sustained effort to read American literature as a subset of world literature.
Inspired by an unorthodox archive--ranging from epic traditions in Akkadian and Sanskrit to folk art, paintings by Veronese and Tiepolo, and the music of the Grateful Dead--Dimock constructs a long history of the world, a history she calls "deep time." The civilizations of Mesopotamia, India, Egypt, China, and West Africa, as well as Europe, leave their mark on American literature, which looks dramatically different when it is removed from a strictly national or English-language context. Key authors such as Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, Ezra Pound, Robert Lowell, Gary Snyder, Leslie Silko, Gloria Naylor, and Gerald Vizenor are transformed in this light. Emerson emerges as a translator of Islamic culture; Henry James's novels become long-distance kin to Gilgamesh; and Black English loses its ungrammaticalness when reclassified as a creole tongue, meshing the input from Africa, Europe, and the Americas.
Throughout, Dimock invokes the duration and extension of the planet as her coordinates, arguing that American literature is answerable not to the nation-state, but to the human species as a whole.
Book Description
The mysterious source who helped Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein break open the Watergate scandal in 1972 remained hidden for thirty-three years. In The Secret Man, Woodward tells the story of his long, complex relationship with W. Mark Felt, the enigmatic former No. 2 man in the FBI who helped end the presidency of Richard Nixon. The Secret Man brings to a close one of the last chapters of Watergate.
Book Description
Larry has worked his way up to his first big assignment as a manager. But now the work is piling up on his desk. His people can’t seem to make decisions—certainly not the right ones. His mentor has been fired. Worst of all, his boss sends him out for leadership training. Larry never thought he needed all that “people skills” stuff to perform, and spouting buzzwords doesn’t seem to work for him, anyway. I’m doing my job, Larry thinks. What does this company want from me? He truly feels lost.
After alienating his staff even more and incurring costly time delays, Larry is sent on a forced vacation, which begins with a comic but poignant fishing trip misadventure. Finally, miles from home and work, Larry opens his mind to new ways of thinking about leadership. He learns important leadership lessons in his daily life: planning a family trip, watching his son play ball, fishing with his daughter. He realizes that everyone needs to KNOW, GROW, and OWN, and that being a leader means helping and enabling people to fulfill those needs.
At last Larry has a credo that he can believe in, three powerful principles that all managers can use to get the best from themselves and the people around them.
Praised by executives and business experts,
Lost & Found reveals the core of leadership through the power of an engaging and wonderfully told story. Managers will recognize parts of themselves and people they know in Larry Parks, a smart worker temporarily stymied by a new type of challenge. At the end of the book the authors provide tips for putting the KNOW-GROW-OWN credo to work in different types of jobs and in different kinds of companies and organizations. Combining inspiration and practical advice,
Lost & Found will help talented workers transform themselves into great leaders.
Customer Reviews:
Find It And Read It.......2006-01-03
If you've ever watched a furniture salesman describe an invisible sofa to a blind person, then you have a pretty good idea of the average corporate leadership seminar. Everything sounds great, but the first time the attendee stretches out in front of a ball game, there's trouble.
The authors of Lost and Found understand this well, and instead of slapping together another forgettable binder full of diagrams and shop-worn quotes, they've structured a highly readable story that illustrates key managerial concepts in a clear and memorable fashion. It is hard to imagine anyone who has labored in the corporate vineyards not understanding and empathizing with Larry Parks, a man who has backed himself into a corner because he spreads himself too thin, would rather do it himself than teach someone else, and fails to understand the distinction between true leadership and dictatorship.
Through experience that is often entertaining and frequently less than pleasant, Larry gets a dose of his own medicine. The result is beneficial for everyone involved. Unlike almost every other work of its type, Lost and Found stands on its own legs as a book, the result of thoughtful structuring and exceptional writing. From the standpoint of a managerial tool, a document designed to help fledgling (and experienced) managers grow beyond their limitations and adopt a higher understanding of leadership, it is at the head of the class.
Pass It Around to your managers.......2004-10-30
This is an outstanding parable on leadership, written in a format that is easy to read and difficult to put down. Its a primer for those new in management/leadership, and a refresher course for those of us that have spent a lifetime doing so. I'm getting copies for all of my managers.
Outstanding Fable on Leadership for New Technical Managers.......2004-03-28
Everyone who has worked with engineers has noticed how hard it is for people who are very good at this work to become effective managers. It's almost as though the skills that make a good engineer can get in the way of becoming a good manager. But when a company is ready to select a new engineering manager, who do they pick? Why, an outstanding engineer, of course!
Years ago, most of these new managers were thrown into the fray with little training or mentoring. Today, that seldom happens. Instead, training courses and mentoring are almost always available. Yet, despite having more help, many new engineering managers continue to fail.
Lost and Found is aimed at providing additional perspective and information to help great engineers become great engineering managers.
Yet many new engineering managers may not want to read a "fable" about doing their jobs better. I hope they will suspend their skepticism long enough to give this outstanding fable a chance to help them.
Business fables usually don't work for engineering managers. First, they don't talk about working on technical projects. Second, they are often so simple as to seem insulting to an educated professional. It's like being asked to read Alice in Wonderland in order to manage better. Third, the situations don't provide any "aha's" based on general experiences. Fourth, the directions are often limited to one way to get the job done.
Lost & Found overcomes all of those problems.
Larry Parks has all of the best and worst characteristics of new engineering managers . . . and receives training, feedback and mentoring that just don't strike him as relevant. But as his project spins increasingly out of control and behind schedule, he realizes that something has to give. His family and his boss are both disappointed in him. As a result, he's given a chance to take time off to get his thinking sorted out. During that time off, he begins to experience the consequences of all the worst parts of his own management style . . . and tries out better ways to do things that allow him to enjoy better results.
The lessons are summarized simply as a Leadership Credo of:
"My Team Needs to KNOW
1. Do I have a clear view of the future I am trying to create, and does my team share that view?
My Team Needs to GROW
2. Are my team members more valuable to each other, to the company, and to themselves today than they were a year ago?
My Team Needs to OWN
3. Do the people on my team perform like hired hands or as if they're partners in business with me?"
In the story, Larry comes back to the office and uses these principles to turn his project around and improve his career.
While all of this is happening, Larry's mentor (who could be poster boy for how not to manage -- using Theory X) sees his career crash and burn. The lesson isn't lost of Larry.
After the fable is over, the authors do a fine job of providing brief guidance on other methods of working with a team to apply these three principles.
I would be surprised if I will ever read a business fable as good as this one for its intended audience. I recommend it without reservation.
As I finished the book, I began to realize that most business books would be more helpful if the authors focused more narrowly on a particular type of reader . . . rather than trying to help everyone in the same way. I hope these authors will write more fables, and aim them at other specific audiences that need help making the transition into effective management.
Good Theory / Good Practice / Good Story.......2004-03-27
Since One-Minute Manager in 1983, embedding business advice into fictional narrative has become a pervasive formula. Unfortunately, the "plot" of such books too often consists only of a young protoge (surrogate for the reader) getting advice rom a wise mentor (surrogate for the writer).
Lost and Found is different. Its plot is multilayered and compelling, and its characters more than just one-dimensional mouthpieces for reader and writer. Like other Sussman/Deep offerings, Lost and Found has sound content, presented clearly and tightly. This book, written along with Alex Stiber, takes the Sussman/Deep canon in a fruitful new direction. I'll be recommending this book to clients.
Lost & Found.......2004-03-10
I very much enjoyed this book. Written in a "story" form, Lost & Found clearly illustrates core leadership values. From the beginning chapter, 'Why Me?' to the final entitled, 'Out of the Woods', the book's primary character, Larry Parks embarks upon a journey that many of us have either witnessed in others or have taken ourselves. Dr. Sussman and his co-authors have composed a classic that should be read by every individual in a position of leadership or who aspires to be a leader. I have purchased copies of Lost & Found for 12 others in my organization and have had rave reviews from everyone. Please do yourselves a favor and puchase this book; better yet purchase additional copies and give to your friends and colleagues.
Books:
- The Renewable Energy Handbook: A Guide to Rural Energy Independence, Off-grid And Sustainable Living
- The Simple Guide to Fresh Water Aquariums (Simple Guide to...)
- The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
- The Time Traveler's Wife
- The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
- The Transformation of American Law, 1870-1960: The Crisis of Legal Orthodoxy (Oxford Paperbacks)
- The Trouble With Physics: The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next
- The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
- Three-Dimensional Geometry and Topology
- Thyroid Power: Ten Steps to Total Health
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The Course of Mexican History
- The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook
- Remind Me Again Why I Married You
- Needle-Made Laces and Net Embroideries: Reticella Work, Carrickmacross Lace, Princess Lace and Other
- Off-Road Disciplines: Spiritual Adventures of Missional Leaders
- Microbiology: Principles and Explorations
- Physical Education: Teaching and Curriculum Strategies for Grades 5-12
- Climate of Fear: Why We Shouldn't Worry about Global Warming
- Midas of the Wabash: A Biography of John Purdue
- A Sailor of King George: The Journals of Captain Frederick Hoffman RN 1793-1814
General
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Oceans Of Kansas: A Natural History Of The Western Interior Sea (Life of the Past)
Dawn of the Dinosaurs: Life in the Triassic (Life of the Past)
After the Dinosaurs: The Age of Mammals (Life of the Past)
The Dinosauria
Unearthing the Dragon
