Amazon.com
Bridge of Birds is a lyrical fantasy novel. Set in "an Ancient China that never was", it stands with The Princess Bride and The Last Unicorn as a fairy tale for all ages, by turns incredibly funny and deeply touching. It won the World Fantasy Award in 1985, and Hughart produced two sequels: The Story of the Stone, and Eight Skilled Gentlemen. All present the adventures of Master Kao Li, a scholar with "a slight flaw in [his] character", and Lu Yu, usually called Number Ten Ox, his sidekick and the story's narrator. Number Ten Ox is strong, trusting, and pure of heart; Master Li once sold an emperor shares in a mustard mine, because "I was trying to win a bet concerning the intelligence of emperors."
Number Ten Ox comes from a village in which the children have been struck by a mysterious illness. He recruits Master Li to find the cure and comes along to provide muscle. They seek a mysterious Great Root of Power, which may be a form of ginseng. Of course, nothing turns out to be as simple as it seems; great wrongs must be avenged and lovers separated must be reunited, from the most humble to the highest. And even in the midst of cosmic glory, Pawnbroker Fang and Ma the Grub are picking the pockets of their own lynch mob, who are frozen in awe and wonder. --Nona Vero
Book Description
When the children of his village were struck with a mysterious illness, Number Ten Ox found master Li Kao. Together they set out to find the Great Root of Power, the only possible cure, and together they discover adventure and legend, and the power of belief....
Customer Reviews:
A Recent Favorite Discovery.......2007-09-05
This novel of an 'Ancient China that Never Was' is a brilliant gem of interweaving storylines that made me both smile and cry. It was alternately silly and beautiful, so much so that I want to use overblown adjectives to describe it. Basically, it was about a man looking to find a cure for a disease affecting the children of his village, but it turns out to be so much more.
When first starting the novel, it seemed a simple quest novel, usual for the fantasy genre. As it went on, it seemed more like a series of connected short stories with the same characters with perhaps an overarching goal for the main character. Then it went on some more, and it began to quickly connect. Characters once met were met again, and again. They changed, told their stories, and moved on, leaving the book and the main character changed.
By the time the book was over, I just sat there crying yet smiling with happiness at having read it and at the gorgeous ending. If you are not sobbing at that time, or when one of the characters has his letter to his daughter read, you are a much stronger person than me. I turned this book over to my husband who upon finishing agreed that it was a shame that the author did not have a large list of books for us to dive into.
Someone who reviewed this said it was not an accurate representation of ancient China. It truly is no more accurate in describing ancient China than modern fantasy novels describing medieval life or the Dark Ages, but as you read it, you realize that's not what you're reading it for. The way it glosses over facts and grittiness makes it a stronger work.
I never fail to cry.......2007-05-09
This is, without a doubt, one of the best books I've ever read.
I have 2 copies. One to treasure and one to lend.
Funny Literature about Chinese Legend.......2007-05-07
I just loved this book. I don't know how to describe it, other than fantasitical literature told in the first person with a very funny main character.
If you like like literature, ancient peoples, and fantasy, you'll love this book.
clever.......2007-03-30
What in my opinion most reviewers fail to notice is how little fantastic and fairytale-like this story is.
Set in an ancient China that perhaps never was but sounds incredibly alike the one described in the medieval Chinese literature I have read (translated of course) up to now, this novel presents us with the customary quest of the fantasy novel and two typical characters: the brave youth and the wise elder.
These two fantasy stereotypes are meshed with what to my uneducated eyes appears to be authentic Chines lore not to mention the traditional and world-spread storytelling structure of the short stories framed in a larger story: Chaucer, Boccaccio, 1001 nights, etc.
Problem is -or maybe it is an asset?- the two characters have a rather strong personality: Ten Ox is pure of heart but neither stupid nor naive and Li does not refrain from violence or even murder.
This novel, while telling us what looks like a fairy tale, is harsh to the point of being cruel. People die here, most horrible deaths. People are gready, mean, violent, stupid, real.
The main asset is certainly the plot, very clever, well structured, apparently digressive while really coesive and self contained. In the second half all the lose threads begin to intertwine and we discover how interconnected all the details are.
The main problem is the style. Not that the writing is bad, but while to the point, it fails the soft feathery touch this genre imperatively requires even in the most gruesome moments. I am ready to agree that it is very rare to be able to master such a style but I feel it is necessary in this kind of mithological, folklore tale.
Entertaining and unusual.......2007-02-24
This unusual book about seventh century China is a strange combination of historical novel, adventure, mystery, fantasy, fairy tale, and myth, with the best attributes of each genre. It is crammed with colorful characters and wonderful bits of folklore.
At first, I wasn't sure I liked the book. The pacing seemed a bit off, and some key story elements were so subtle and oblique that I had to re-read passages to make sure I understood what what going on. I also found the killing of one of the minor characters to be cold and incredible (as in "not credible"). However, I stuck with the story, and it really started to grow on me. The pace picked up, the story became far more involved, and the ending was stunningly beautiful. In short, I'm really glad I read it. I'll definitely be trying another of Hughart's books.
Product Description
Behind the acupuncture, herbal remedies and sophisticated diagnostics of Chinese medicine lies a congenial system of healing that embodies unification of body and mind, spirit and matter, nature and man, philosophy and reality. In this comprehensive and ground-breaking presentation, based on long experience as physician, psychiatrist, and practitioner of Chinese medicine, Leon Hammer offers a new model for appreciating the traditional healers effective and profound respect for individual integrity and energetic balance. Explaining, and moving beyond, the five phase (element) system, he shows that this Eastern practice is as much a spiritual science as a physical one. Accessible to the layman, yet a resource for the professional in any healing art, this book examines the natural energy functions of the human organism as a key to mental, emotional and spiritual health. It offers new insight into disease, showing how it is not merely an invasion from the outside, but rather a byproduct of a persons unsuccessful attempt to restore ones own balance.
Customer Reviews:
This dragon flies!.......2007-01-19
"Dragon Rises, Red Bird Flies" demystifies the Chinese Five Element Theory and other Eastern energy medicine basics in a readable format. As a practitioner of one of the Oriental modalities, I'm finding my understanding and teaching enhanced, as I enjoy Leon Hammer's expressive style.
Average customer rating:
- A Wonderfully rich and palatable sketch..........
- Five Elements and Psychology
- Two stars for five element book (that's a pun ;-)
- It's All About Integration
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Dragon Rises, Red Bird Flies: Psychology, Energy and Chinese Medicine
Leon, M.D. Hammer
Manufacturer: Station Hill Press
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Book Description
alternative medicine
Customer Reviews:
A Wonderfully rich and palatable sketch.................2002-11-19
I have read this book a few times, and in each reading, I find concepts and "observations", that are profoundly rich in their effort to put the reader in touch with some of the most difficult to grasp ideas about non-Traditional Chinese Medicine. Dr. Hammers background is much deeper and wider than what is taught in the schools here and in China. (If you don't know what I mean by that, explore what happened to the practice of indigenous Chinese Medicine during the cultural revolution.)
This is not a book for folks who are unfamiliar with the basic "tenets" of Chinese Medicine. It is a bit more "esoteric" in it's reach, and really tries to conceptualize "in the minds eye" relationships and interactions, energetically or "psychologically" if you prefer, that the TCM model attempts to form poorly, or not at all.
I must, respectfully, take the reviewer from Seattle to task about it being "dark". I certainly know what he means, but the only way to find fault in the extremes of the book, is if you didn't happen to read Dr. Hammers admission within the book, that he has exaggerated the conditions he describes, and that the patients are not real people. Rather, they are constructs of clients, created for the sake of fleshing out the concepts presented in the book. Though sometimes portions need a re-read, I just can't find fault with Dr. Hammer for doing what he suggests I should be aware he is going to do.
As another reviewer has said, this is one you'll return to over and over. A most wonderful book!!
Five Elements and Psychology.......2002-04-12
I bought this book as a first year acupuncture student and have referred to it many times. As the other reviewer says, it is quite dark and does discuss extremes, but then mental illness is about extremes. It is really useful to look at the extreme yin or yang aspect of an Element and its Officals to fully understand how the Element can manifest when out of balance. I don't know of any other book which provides such an in depth picture of each of the 5 Element types. Sounds heavy, but is in fact relatively easy to read if you have a reasonable understanding of psychology. Definately one of my top 5 Chinese Medicine books, this is a book that you read again and again.
Two stars for five element book (that's a pun ;-).......2001-01-13
With the caveat that I'm not a practitioner, but merely a reasonably well-informed patient, I found this book overly **dark.** It was interesting, to a point, but also scary, and always tending towards the negative. I think the fact that the author is a psychiatrist may have something to do with that, but it seemed to take the exaggerated form of any of the five element's characteristics and show what it would look like, taken to the ultimate extreme--and, somehow, that was always bad. While I found a superbly fitting description of a difficult person in my life that helped me get some perspective on him by reading this book, at the same time, when I read items about my own element, I found them exaggerated and bizarre; as they would be in mental illness but not in real life. Apparently the author is almost "psychic" about being able to uncover the health-based Achille's heel in his patients, but I didn't find reading about it a nourishing or uplifting experience. Not that a book has to be, but this one was uniformly dark, and I had to believe that came from the author's perspective, and was no accident. Odd!
It's All About Integration.......2000-05-19
The question of mind-body duality has fueled many long and heated debates. Dr. Hammer, who is well trained in traditional Western medicine and psychology, recognized the importance of working with the person, and not just a part of that person. In an effort to be true to his view, and to the patients he treated, he trained in and added Traditional Chinese Medicine to his treatment skills, thus allowing him to treat the whole person in an integrated, rather than a fragmented manner. This book presents Dr. Hammer's integrated understanding of how the body impacts the mind, and the mind impacts the body. In a clear and concise manner, and with useful clinical examples, Dr. Hammer takes the reader through fundamental principles and concepts of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and then applies them to the specific area of Psychology. This is not a "how to" book, rather it is a thought provoking volume on how to integrate two seemingly disparate fields of health care (Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Western Psychoanalytic thought). Through his examination of these models and his description of how he thinks, as he works with his patients, the reader is able to gain insight into this integrated process. While the book is by no means an exhaustive treatise on the subject, it lays a solid foundation on which others can easily build, both academically and in clinical practice. I look forward to reading more of Dr. Hammer's writings in the future, and hope that other clinicans will follow his lead.
Book Description
After two years of working in the capital of Mongolia, journalist Louisa Waugh moved to the remote village of Tsengel, in the extreme west of the country. This is the story of the year she spent there, living and working with the people who have made a home in the stark but beautiful landscape. The villagers and their culture vividly emerge as she shares her happiness, frustrations, and occasional extreme loneliness and fear.
Customer Reviews:
a great book on a radically different culture.......2007-10-10
This is a book by a woman, who goes to Mongolia, discovers how much she likes the country and then goes back to it years later, lives there for two years, then teaches in a remote village of nomads. the book is about her time spent in the village of nomads teaching them English. she describes life in the village and the people there and how it was for a foriegner, who grew up in London, to be totally surrounded by such a foreign and alien environment. very good read. i highly recommend it.
Fascinating look at another culture.......2007-01-16
This book gives an inside look at how other people, nomads in Mongolia, live. They work hard but enjoy their life. Even in a small village, different ethnic groups stay apart and distrust each other. If you find this book interesting, you might also enjoy 'The Places In Between" by Rory Stewart. He's a young man from Scotland who treks through a remote section of the mountains in Afghanistan in 2002, after 911. Every little village he goes to gives him shelter and food. He does it in the winter and you keep thinking he is crazy and lucky not to die of cold. He meets a dog and does most of the trip with a dog-it almost feels like animal abuse-it's so hard on the dog and he never chose to be this crazy.
Well done........2006-09-01
Nice book - for once a travel author who isn't full of her (him)self and bores us with the difficulties of adaptating to a different culture or who has to show off her/ his magnificent sense of humor. Simple and well written and most importantly captures the magic of the place and its people. Thanks!
teaching and learning in mongolia.......2006-05-14
At the moment I am fascinated by Mongolia so reading online reviews and surfing the web I thought this book to be a must. It actually is! Louisa Waugh is a modern Margaret Mead, she tries living in this remote mongolian village participating to the life, but without interfering and without judging, and when that happens she underlines and regrets it. Can this book be called a work of modern anthropology? It goes near to it. I would have liked a more detailed description of the population and the ethnic differences between the Kazakhs and the Tuvans, but that would have made this book a textbook of social studies, which it really doesn't want to be. The simplicity and modesty of this unusual life experience is touching. The author talks about herself (very little)and mostly about the other women she meets. The Prize the book won is extremely appropriate because the spirit of the place is really the book's main character.
great MONGOLIAN LIFE!.......2005-03-29
could not put book down... really helped to understand 'the mongolian way'..... a keeper!
Book Description
"Charlie's World: The Improbable Adventures of a Hong Kong Cockatoo and His American Family" is an intimate, hilarious and heartbreaking account of a captive wild cockatoo, Charlie, and the quite unusual and prominent family who adopted him. The story stretches from the exotic Far East to the (possibly equally exotic) bedroom community of Scarsdale, New York. For about twenty-five years this surprising and beautiful bird was a part of the lives and conversations of the growing Topping family.
Charlie was probably kidnapped by a sailor in the Australian, outback and traded to a wicked opium peddler in Hong Kong, where he was rescued from abuse by the author. He returned her kindness with 25 years of clowning and instruction in the remarkable ways of parrot kind. He traveled the world with the Topping family and their entourage of children and animals before they settled in Scarsdale, New York. In this suburb he put down roots, as it were, and excavated himself a tree house in the family garden. Along the way he learned to speak several languages including Chinese, English, Spanish and Crow (the bird kind). He was self-educated and acquired his unusual knowledge on a need-to-know basis.
Charlie's family consists of Seymour (Top) and Audrey Topping and their five daughters. He knew and addressed everyone by name. Top, as Charlie called him, is currently Administrator of the Pulitzer Prizes and Professor of Journalism at Columbia. But at the beginning of Charlie's adventure Top was a correspondent for the New York Times covering Vietnam and the Far East. By the time the family moved to Scarsdale, Top was Managing Editor of The New York Times. Audrey--author of the book--is a mother of five, animal lover, journalist and photographer. She has written and illustrated several books about China and has published in many major magazines, including The New York Times Magazine, Life, Time, Science, and The Readers Digest. She was the first journalist to write the story and photograph the underground army of China's first emperor. It was a cover story for National Geographic and Horizon magazines.
The story of Charlie begins in the now legendary British Crown Colony of Hong Kong, where Charlie, after his rescue, participates in the rather unusual family life of expatriate journalists in the East. Everywhere they go, this family are accompanied by their current entourage of animals, often with very funny results.
Charlie, because of his cocky personality and powers of speech, captivates the friends of the family, both the obscure and the famous. In Scarsdale Charlie experiences the various stages of life with his five "sisters"--from childhood through the miseries of teen-agers to love and marriage. He responds to celebrations, joy, death, loss, and depression, until he finally finds himself.
You will laugh as you travel in the company of Audrey and Charlie and his varied flock and experience their unpredictable career through several cultures and a lot of history, and even a bit of philosophy. This book may answer the ongoing question whether a parrot is a thinker or just another birdbrain (or it may not). However you decide, it is worth the read and the ride for the pleasure of living a while in the author's mind with Charlie on your shoulder. It is a funny, sweet book you will read and press on your friends.
Customer Reviews:
This book changed my life!.......2006-01-10
What can I say? Just when the world seemed too complicated, too unfair, and too harsh to bear... along came Charlie. I have been infected with the spirit and perseverence of this wise and glorious Hong Kong Cockatoo.
Readers will find themselves seeing Charlie everywhere they look. I often find myself in new situations where there doesn't seem to be a reasonable way out. Often, when faced with these dilemmas, I ask myself, "What would Charlie do?" Sacriledge say you? I think not. If the lord's glorious message cannot be found in our multicolored and multicultured fine feathered friend, then where can it be found? Amen.
Again, without the inspiration of Charlie and all he has taught me about friendship and seeing the world for what it truly is: a world of beauty, adventure, and peace; I don't know where I'd be today.
Thank you Charlie. I shall always think first before eating another deep-fried breaded chicken sandwich. I will even pause and remember the sacrifice of the muppet before putting on my warm fleece. I will not cast away these materialistic things however. I know that you will want the world to continue as it is. For in trying to change the world to fit your own view, there is only disappointment.
Thank you Charlie, for helping me see the world for what it is, so that I may walk upon this earth without unrealistic expectations or harsh judgements.
You go bird. Do that thing you do.
It is one of the most amusing stories I have ever read!.......2002-01-22
I fell in love with the beautiful bird, and I admire the way story is presented. It is funny, it is personable and written with a great talent. Audrey Topping helps one to appreciate the wonderful world of birds and animals.
From a fellow cockatoo parent.......2001-12-19
If you love companion parrots, especially cockatoos, you will probably appreciate this book. I found the book was more about the life of the Topping family, though, which I also happened to find fun and interesting to read about. The book is fast-paced and upbeat as it delivers funny snippets from the author's life with her "baby boy" - any cockatoo owner can easy relate. However, I would have enjoyed more real stories about Charlie rather than the focus on sensationalistic "one-liners" from Charlie. The last chapter takes a dramatic turn and left me sobbing - I don't think the tone or abruptness of the ending added anything to the book and is definitely not for the faint of heart. Overall, though, the book is well worth the read. It left me wishing I had known Charlie, as well as his family.
A word from a former teacher of Audrey.......2000-04-23
"Charlie's World" is very well written book. I was reminded of the time when Audrey was ten years old, and came to the house with two crows on her shoulders. Both crows were talkers. Audrey is an exceptionally good writer, and the book is a MUST for all. I had to read it in One sitting.
Enchanting Charlie.......2000-04-10
I love this enchanting memoir of a brilliant and irreverent cockatoo who adopts a family of 7 humans and then guides, instructs, and scolds them, while roving the world with them. It is hilarous, tender, wise, and all true. This isn't just a pet book. This book is rich with cultural history, psychological nuance, and drama. It's a book that readers in virtually every culture can relate to. I couldn't put it down.
Book Description
China is one of the largest countries in the world, covering 7% of the earth's land surface, and encompassing a hugely diverse range of habitats. As a result it boasts a rich and diverse avifauna, including some of the most spectacular and fascinating birds to be found anywhere in the world. John MacKinnon and Karen Phillipps' important new guide will be the first truly comprehensive, taxonomically modern, and fully illustrated field guide to the birds of China. Over 1300 bird species are illustrated in 128 original colour paintings, by Karen Phillipps and Dave Showler. The species accounts stress the key points for field recognition and give a full description of the plumage, voice, range, distribution, status, and behavioural characteristics for every bird, with additional descriptions provided for hundreds of subspecies. Colour distribution maps are provided for all illustrated species. The book also includes a useful introductory section that presents a background to the ecology of China, a brief history of Chinese ornithology, and plenty of practical hints on birdwatching in China. The guide's portable format means it will fit easily into a backpack or pocket. John MacKinnon lived in China and Hong Kong for eight years, and has extensive experience of watching and writing about Chinese birds. He has been working in ecology and conservation in Asia for over 30 years, and his work in China included co-authoring the master plan to save the Giant Panda and its habitat. He has written and co-authored many books on the natural history of Asia, including a number of other bird guides. Karen Phillipps was born in Borneo, lived in Hong Kong for over 20 years, and has illustrated several other books on the birdlife of the region.
Customer Reviews:
A bible for birds in China.......2001-10-24
A Field Guide to the Birds of China is a must for any traveler who wants to identify birds in China. De Schauensee's earlier Birds of China is not really a field guide although it provides useful background reading. A Field Guide to the Birds of Japan includes a lot of the species occurring in eastern China, and the Beijing area is included in most of the range maps, so if you don't have the MacKinnon-Phillips new guide, this is second best.
All species of known regular occurrence somewhere in China are illustrated in excellent drawings by Karen Phillips, all but a few in full color. Colored range maps are on the page facing each of the 128 plates. The text for each species provides a detailed description, voice, distribution and status, habits (useful), and in some cases a note on taxonomy.
I used this book for more than two weeks in China during October 2001 and confidently identified every bird I got a decent look at. (Regrettably, eastern China is not exactly overrun with exotic birds, but you can find some interesting species even in the cities.)
The most noticeable problem with this book is its sheer bulk; at 256 pages of plates, 586 pages of text, and some front material, this monster tops out at well over 800 pages and won't fit in most fanny packs, not to mention pockets. So taking a utility knife with a new blade, I sliced the spine following the last plate and taped the last page to the spine, creating a book of front matter, 10 pages of introduction and all the plates and range maps--a tad over a third the thickness of the whole book. A few species are illustrated in black-and-white in the text, so I xeroxed those (with their black-and-white range maps) and pasted them below the range maps of appropriate plates. I left the text home.
The book is not without minor errors, of course. For example, the range maps on plate 35 mistakenly call the Red Phalarope the Red-necked Phalarope, with the same error in the scientific name (although, curiously, the Chinese name appears to be correct). Both species are illustrated. On plate 56 the illustration of the Red-throated Loon is mistakenly marked with the species number of the Common Loon (which is also illustrated and correctly numbered on the same plate). On plate 72 the female Japanese Paradise-flycatcher is so marked but the symbol for the male is missing. Most users can figure out such slips.
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Essential.......2001-01-21
This book is absolutely essential for any birder who plans to visit any of the regions covered in this guide. The plates are very good and the descriptions are detailed. This is probably the most up-to-date guide for the region. The taxonomy is based on Sibley and Monroe, and nearly all subspecies and their ranges are listed. There is even an edition in simplified Chinese available in China and Hong Kong. However, covering such a broad region has its drawbacks, and at least in Taiwan, I recommend that this book be used more as a reference than field guide. A bird's voice often varies across its range, and the status of a species in one location can be completely different in another. For example, the White-bellied Green Pigeon, described by the book as "very rare," is in fact common in Taiwan. The quality of the plates is sometimes inconsistent (e.g. the geese and swans on plate 7 look very small!). Also, errors I've noticed include where the range map does not correspond with the descriptions (e.g. Eurasian Jay, plate 67), the bird number on the plate does not correspond with that of the range map and descriptions (e.g. Varied Tit, plate 88), and some typos (e.g. Pygmy Wren Babbler subspecies, plate 105). Although Appendix 2 lists the species endemic to the region, it left out at least three species from Taiwan (Yellow Tit, Collared Bush Robin, and Taiwan Whistling Thrush). In general, this book is excellent and highly recommended, but I do hope a new edition will be published in the future that fixes the errors and include new discoveries made since publication (e.g. Chinese Crested Tern, Taiwan Bush Warbler).
Well Done Field Guide.......2001-01-04
This field guide is a well done book introducing the birds of China to its readers. It is fairly standard as far as field guides goes in content. The book contains 128 color plates depicting the birds of China with the corresponding range maps opposite the plates. Next, the descriptions of the 1329 species are given. Herein lies the major problem with the book, the descriptions are not adjacent to the plates; however, had the book been arranged in this manner, the number of pages would have at least doubled and the book is already a bit cumbersome for use as a field guide at its present size.
A couple of other bits of useful information in this book include a map detailing vegetation type and an introduction to the region. Also, a list of protected and endangered species is included. For researchers, a nice bibliography is also included. Whether you just want to look at birds from a country you never plan on going to, or if you intend to go birding in China, this book is for you.
Customer Reviews:
Birds are dinosaurs, but not all dinosaurs were birds. .......2007-10-03
This is a gorgeously illustrated but haphazardly written book about the feathered dinosaur fossils that have been discovered in China over the past decade. Its subjects are the relationship of dinosaurs to modern birds, the evolution of flight and feathers, new fossil discoveries, recent advances in paleontology and the authors' experiences in China. The book follows neither a chronological pattern recounting the authors' discoveries and research, nor does it develop an idea by progressing from basic concepts to more complex ones. This is unfortunate, because that is the usual approach and works well. Instead ideas and events are presented in no discernable sequence and this detracts from what could have been an excellent book.
The title is a pun on both the discovery of dinosaur fossils as well as of China itself. The authors recount anecdotes from their travels in China and their interactions with various Chinese, in the course of their fossil studies. The book does succeed in painting an intriguing picture of the contrasts that make up modern China. It is less successful in its discussion of dinosaur fossils. Much of the discussion hinges on dinosaur family trees relating to issues such as the origin of feathers and flight. This is a complicated subject and charts or diagrams showing genealogies and family trees are essential, but none are provided. The essential message is that just as all humans are mammals, but not all mammals are humans, birds are descended from dinosaurs, but not all dinosaurs were birds. There is a deus-ex-machina quality to how amazing fossils are pulled out of the cabinets of various Chinese researchers, as if there is an unending supply still in storage. The numerous full color photographs of fossils are very interesting but difficult for a non-specialist to interpret. The picture of a feathered dinosaur on page 184 is a fascinating illustration of how much our concept of dinosaur appearance has changed from the lizard-like creatures of years past.
The weakness of this book is the disorganized presentation of key concepts without the aid of charts and diagrams. Readers may want to try the more conventional and slightly dated, but simple and readable `Walking with Dinosaurs' by Tim Hanes based on the Discovery Channel, show for some background. The important positive contributions of `Unearthing the Dragon' are: 1) the exciting pictures of new fossils showing evidence of dinosaur feathers, 2) the concept that flight, feathers and birds are all separate and distinct concepts, 3) the idea that very many dinosaurs had feathers of some type and finally, 4) the picture of dynamic paleontologic research being carried out in China. Confounding our pre-conceived notion of China as a source of cheap out-sourced goods, we are shown Chinese scientists as worthy, peer collaborators in a fascinating academic field. This, no doubt, is the better way to think of relations with the future superpower.
Unearthing the Dragon.......2007-03-08
The Pictures are lovely and the book is written to give you a feeling for the country of China and it's people. You can appreciate the materials that are found in China more intimately. I feel the author wants to show his enthusiasm for the country of China. since he is so involved there.
I gave it a 4 due to the great photos.......2006-12-21
It is otherwise a 3. I agree with a lot of Linden's comments about this book, but it really could have used a strong editor to cut out some of the extraneous info (some of it reads like college guys bragging about how much they drank at last weekend's party) and use that space for more info on the discoveries in China. This would be a great gift for people who have an interest in other cultures and some interest in natural history but who don't like typical science books.
Fossil-tastic!.......2006-08-17
Nice easy read - Norell interweaves an array of stories as well as plenty of excitement about the fabulous fossil discoveries. Made me wish that I'd been on the digs with him! Some of the full page non-paleo photography is a bit 'arty'- I would have preferred more shots of the finds.
Good book - reommended.
Fascinating book.......2006-07-13
Not only is the discovery of feathered dinosaurs in Chinia very interesting but the author gives an excellant discription of life in China and the changes that occurring there. The photography and illustrations throughout the book are beautiful as well. I am looking forward to any new book that the author, Mark Norell, may write.
Book Description
This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1899 edition by John Murray, London.
Book Description
Since 1979, China has been building new legal institutions made necessary by economic reforms that have reduced the role of state planning, and by the decline of Maoist totalitarianism. This book analyzes the principal legal institutions that have emerged and assesses the prospects for increasing the rule of law in China.
The book first establishes the cultural and institutional context in which legal reforms take place. It traces the main features of pre-Communist Chinese legal tradition, the drastic impact on law of thirty years of Maoist rule, and the extensive changes throughout Chinese society since Mao’s death, notably the rise of the local party-state at the expense of central government power. The book’s analysis begins with the Chinese leadership’s policy toward law, identifying basic ambivalence toward law that makes the Chinese commitment to legality incomplete. It then surveys major developments, emphasizing the creation of new rights, revision of criminal law and procedure, and construction of a nascent administrative law.
The book then examines in detail dispute resolution by extrajudicial mediation and the courts. Although mediation is no longer infused with Maoism, it is still used as an instrument to maintain public order. The study of the courts examines court organization, the selection and training of judges, the rise of litigation, the critical influence of localism, and ongoing conflicts between professionalism and a continuing tendency to view the judge as a soldier of the state. The author suggests that the limited role that Chinese courts are today permitted to play combines with the organization of the judicial process and the mentality of the judiciary to make Chinese adjudication more akin to bureaucratic decision making than judging in the West.
How should the accomplishments of legal reform and the continuing obstacles to further reform affect U.S. policy toward China? The book concludes by appraising implications for U.S. policy on such issues as human rights, Chinese involvement with the World Trade Organization, and bilateral relations generally. The author argues that U.S. policy makers must neither moralize about the rule of law nor dismiss it as a concept alien to China. They must also curb both optimism and expectations that legal reform will lead to political reform. Chinese law can only grow slowly, no matter how urgently the West may desire quick progress.
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- Left Out in the Cold in Tibet
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Among the Tibetans
Isabella L. Bird
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Letters to Henrietta
ASIN: 0486434354 |
Book Description
Bird (1831-1904) recounts her rugged passage through the Himalayas by horseback and her four-month sojourn amid "the pleasantest of people." Bird's evocative accounts of Tibetan ceremonies, decorations, costumes, and music, along with her vivid descriptions of palaces, temples, and monasteries, offer rare glimpses of a vanished world. 21 black-and-white illustrations.
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"The Vale of Kashmir is too well known to require description. It is the 'happy hunting-ground' of the Anglo-Indian sportsman and tourist, the resort of artists and invalids, the home of pashm shawls and exquisitely embroidered fabrics, and the land of Lalla Rookh. Its inhabitants, chiefly Moslems, infamously governed by Hindus, are a feeble race, attracting little interest, valuable to travellers as 'coolies' or porters, and repulsive to them from the mingled cunning and obsequiousness which have been fostered by ages of oppression."
Customer Reviews:
Left Out in the Cold in Tibet.......2006-02-15
I was somewhat disappointed in this book. Certainly, the noble Ms. Bird had made this remarkable journey (and many others) in a time (the late 1800s) when 'women didn't do such things'. For that I applaud her spirit and determination.
While interesting, in my opinion, most of the book comes across as fairly uninspired. She seems unable to share the sense of wonder one must feel when in the presence of such dramatic physical geography. Her description of the local citizenry is, to my mind, also fairly unimaginative. While her narrative is certainly straight forward and no doubt accurate, it seems she never really 'gets into it'.
There are several moments in the story when we are given an insight into Ms. Bird's character and we see her as an enormously resilient and self-reliant person. There are also interesting glimpses of her Victorian roots as portrayed in her comments regarding local Tibetan customs and habits.
All in all, I would recommend this book but I would caution the reader not to expect 'Lost Horizons'.
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