What Mad Pursuit: A Personal View of Scientific Discovery (Sloan Foundation Science)

Average customer rating:

An Account of the Discovery of DNA's Structure and MORE!!!!

People behind the discovery

Insights from a great scientist

An amazing travel in science

Very good book.

What Mad Pursuit: A Personal View of Scientific Discovery (Sloan Foundation Science)
Francis Crick
Manufacturer: Basic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Genetics | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books
General | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books
Genetics | Evolution | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
General | England | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Francis Crick: Discoverer of the Genetic Code (Eminent Lives) (rough edge)

Astonishing Hypothesis: The Scientific Search for the Soul

Of Molecules and Men (Great Minds Series)

The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA

The Eighth Day Of Creation: Makers of the Revolution in Biology

ASIN: 0465091385

Customer Reviews:

An Account of the Discovery of DNA's Structure and MORE!!!!.......2005-08-09

+++++

THIS book, by Dr. Francis Crick (June 1916 to July 2004), is partly an autobiography and partly a science book. As for the science part, Crick elaborates:

"I have written [this book] both for my fellow scientists and for the general public [and] believe a [non-scientist] can easily understand most of what I discuss...My advice to the reader, should he or she become stuck in...a [difficult, scientific] passage, is either to persevere or to skip to the next chapter. Most of the book is fairly easy. Don't give up hope just because a few paragraphs seem a little hard to follow."

What, then, is the purpose of this book? Crick tells the reader:

"The main purpose of this book is to set out some of my experiences before and during the classical period of molecular biology, which stretched from the discovery of the DNA double helix in 1953 till about 1966 when the genetic code...was finally elucidated."

(Molecular biology is a branch of biology that studies the chemical and physical principles associated with the composition, properties, and activities of molecules in living cells. The genetic code is the dictionary relating the nucleic acid {such as DNA and RNA} language to the protein language.)

Crick achieves his purpose admirably! He gives us an overview of his main, personal experiences and reveals his thoughts at each period in his life. I especially enjoyed his chapter entitled "The Gossip Test" and his memories about the "RNA Tie Club."

I found the science part especially well done. He explains the science that led up to the discovery of DNA's structure but goes beyond this, explaining such things as the different types of RNA, protein structure, the genetic code, and theory in molecular biology. Everything is well explained and there are many helpful diagrams.

Be aware that Crick decided not to give character sketches of his friends and colleagues especially James Watson (born: 1928), Maurice Wilkins (1916 to 2004), Rosalind Franklin (1920 to 1958) and Linus Pauling (1901 to 1994). In other words, he chose not to include "juicy" gossip in his book. I found this refreshing since I found that in reading other books similar to this one that such character sketches can be distracting to the main essence of the book.

This book does not conclude in the year 1966 since Crick includes a final, long epilogue chapter entitled "My Later Years." This chapter is especially interesting as we are told how he moved on to the field of embryology or developmental biology to become involved generally in human brain science and more specifically in human consciousness. I found his theory of "panspermia" (that "is the idea that microorganisms drifted to the Earth through space and seeded all life on Earth") most interesting.

This book has two excellent appendices that resemble a small course in basic genetics. I found these to be well written.

Included near the middle of the book are over twenty black and white photographs. My favorite is Crick with Wilkins and Watson (as well as famous others like John Steinbeck) at the 1962 Nobel Prize Ceremony.

Finally, my only problem occurs on the inside back flap of the book's dust cover. It says the Crick "shared a Nobel Prize with...Watson and...Wilkins in 1962 for the discovery of the double helix of DNA." Not true! According to the official Nobel Prize internet site, they shared the prize "for their discoveries concerning the molecular structures of nucleic acid and its significance for information transfer in living material."

In conclusion, if you want to know about the life and brilliant intellect of a "genius of modern science," then you have to read this book!!

(first published 1988; acknowledgements; introduction; 14 chapters; photo inserts; main narrative 165 pages; 2 appendices; index)

+++++

People behind the discovery.......2003-01-10

I've always been interested in the stories and scientists behind grand scientific discoveries. Everything seems so glamorous and magical on the news and in the textbooks. I know from experience that no science is as easy as it seems. Here, I read about how people in the different labs competed and worked together, got along and didn't get along, and discovered the structure of DNA as a side project. I was so amused by the anecdote about the RNA tie club that I actually laughed out loud. Each member was to receive a tiepin of one of the amino acids (so of course there could only be 20 members). Crick says he was to be tyr, but he never received his pin. There are even pictures of some of the members with there ties on. I am even more amused now that I'm in graduate school where we really do have an RNA club, but unfortunately no amino acid tiepins. The end of the book tries to get into the science and implications of the DNA structure discovery, but it is too quickly done and in the wrong context to really try to give textbook like information.

Insights from a great scientist.......2002-08-18

At first, I was reluctant about reading this book. What on earth could Francis Crick add to the story of the discovery of the double helix, that had not yet been told by his colleague, James Watson, in his famous book "The Double Helix"? A lot, as it turns out. In fact, the two books rarely overlap. Whereas Watson's book mainly relates his experiences as they worked their way towards discovery, Crick does what he does best: making comments. Also, Crick's book doesn't stop at the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA, as Watson's book does, but continues with the cracking of the genetic code.

Crick's book was written twenty years after Watson's book, and it shows. Watson's book contains a fresh story, the raw material out of which history is shaped. Crick's tale is a digested one: written after all the confusion of the moment had cleared up.

An amazing travel in science.......2000-07-26

I am a graduate student in neuroscience and a book by crick was not without any expectations for me. I feel that the book is totally up to my expectations to feel the diversity of a scientific journey from physics to behavior neuroscience through a mile stone achievement in molecular biology.. In the starting Crick gets little stuck in discussion of existance of God which confuses a bit , but later on it is worth of reading in one go. A bonus point of this book is to know other great scientists of that time and their way of thinking , and an excellent capability of crick to pass the meassages of those souls to the reader in a very readable way.

Very good book........1998-03-06

This book is a very good background to Francis Crick's life. He led a very interesting life and he does a hell of a job describing it. Sometimes this book gets to wordy, but it is still a well written, thorough book.

Book Description

Baedeker Hawaii

Baedeker -- the guides to travel with.

Now in fully revised editions, Baedeker guides offer today's visitor a tremendous depth and reliability of information

Completely updated and revisedCompact guide and foldout map in a clear plastic walletHundreds of full-color photos throughoutDetailed maps and floorplansA-to-Z listings of sights or towns with in-depth reviews and detailed descriptions.Baedeker's original star-rating system.Solid background coverage highlighting history, culture, the economy, the people, and moreUseful practical information, facts and figures, hotel and restaurant listings, and language glossaries.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent choice.......2000-04-11

We bought 3-4 different books about Hawaii before moving there, this one was our favorite. After living in Honolulu for 3 years, we still used this book often and found it to be quite accurate and helpful. We used it when visiting Kauai, and Hawaii ("The Big Island"), and were happy with the advice and recommendations.

The suggested tours were good, directions and maps were accurate and easy to use. The restaurant recommendations left a bit to be desired, they leave out many cheaper alternatives (though the suggested restaurants are fine, and other choices are easy to find once you're there). The beach section is great, and gives directions of some great "out of the way" beaches much quieter than Waikiki (plus shows some beautiful color photos!).

We've loaned this book to many friends preparing to visit HI, and they have liked it as well.

Average customer rating:

Baedeker Hawaii (Baedeker's Hawaii)
Printing
Manufacturer: Baedekers Guides
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Maps | Atlases & Maps | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

Reference | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

Baedeker | Guidebook Series | Travel | Subjects | Books

Baedeker Hawaii/Includes Free Giant Fold-Out Map

Average customer rating:

Baedeker Hawaii/Includes Free Giant Fold-Out Map
Henry Marx , Claudia Smettan , and Alec Court
Manufacturer: Baedekers Guides
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Baedeker | Guidebook Series | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0130612278

Average customer rating:

Baedeker's Hawaii (AA Baedeker's S.)

Manufacturer: AA Baedeker's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

Baedeker | Guidebook Series | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Australia & South Pacific | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0749512636

Average customer rating:

Baedeker's Hawaii (AA Baedeker's)

Manufacturer: AA Baedeker's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

Baedeker | Guidebook Series | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Australia & South Pacific | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0749505575

Average customer rating:

A very good armchair tour of the Seychelles Islands

Baedeker's Seychelles
Eckard Supp
Manufacturer: Baedekers Guides
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Seychelles | Africa | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books

Reference | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

Baedeker | Guidebook Series | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0130595365

Customer Reviews:

A very good armchair tour of the Seychelles Islands.......2001-07-01

Lots of color photos distinguish this travel guide. Especially useful is an A-Z tour of all the significant islands, including at least one color photo for most of them.

Average customer rating:

Hawaii Travel Guide
Baedeker
Manufacturer: Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000LB9KQ8

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing.......2007-05-23

The drawings are too small to see what you need to do. I know these hand claps and the songs and I don't think a school-age child could figure this out very easily.

Great to Share with your Kid and Her Friends.......2006-08-31

Written by twelve year old Sarah Bernstein, this fun book has all your favorite childhood "Hand Clap" games in it, from "Miss Mary Mack" to "Say, Say Oh Playmate". Bernstein researched and collected Hand Clap games from all over the country to gather over 40 "Hand Clap" games, including many I've never heard of, but all that I remember. Interestingly, the "Miss Lucy had a Steamboat" Hand Clap listed in the book, is not the scatological version I'd learned as a child, but rather a "clean" version you'd be happier to share with your children.

The book is laid out in a clever manner with the lyrics, the musical notes, as well as visual cues as to the hand movements. The last part of the book has a section for writing your own "Hand Clap" games with your children or friends. This book is sure to be a hit for your kids and their friends!

Lots of rhymes, but no melodies.......2006-08-12

This book has a lot of great rhymes and claps to clapping games, and it was written by a hippie looking adolescent. There is a pretty good explanation of the claps at the beginning of the book, which is good because many of the pictures would be impossible to figure out without it.
The book is near useless though, since it includes no melodies. So one need either already know the melodies, in which case you wouldn't need the book, make up melodies, in which case you might as well make up your own rhymes and claps, or speak the rhymes like a robot, and that is no fun at all. I found this extremely disappointing, but this may be a plus for people who can't read music.

Hard To Follow.......2002-08-16

I found this book hard to follow. The author put a lot of effort into trying to make this an easy book. There are 79 hand pictures of the basic hand claps with the movements described in words, but I just can't get it. Music notes are included for each rhyme. I wish the author would have included rhythym as well. I have yet to use it with my students.

High Five for Mary Mac'K.......2000-07-20

I am an elementary physical education teacher and I have thoroughly enjoyed using many of the hand clapping games in my classes. The students love the hand motions along with reciting the rhymes. This is great practice for coordination and rhythm. I would recommend this book for any educator looking for fun and exciting ways to engage students in hands on learnning.

Schoolyard Rhymes: Kids' Own Rhymes for Rope-Skipping, Hand Clapping, Ball Bouncing, and Just Plain Fun

Average customer rating:

Good book
Back down memory lane!

Schoolyard Rhymes: Kids' Own Rhymes for Rope-Skipping, Hand Clapping, Ball Bouncing, and Just Plain Fun
Judy Sierra
Manufacturer: Knopf Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0375825169
Release Date: 2005-07-12

Book Description

"Schoolyard rhymes are catchy and fun. They are easy to remember. In fact, they stick in the mind like bubble gum to a shoe." writes Judy Sierra in her introduction to this lively collection of traditional playground chants. Included are more than 50 verses ranging from the familiar jump rope rhyme about the mythical lady with the alligator purse to less familiar counting-out ones, from funny rhymes for ball-bouncing and hand-clapping games to "Liar, liar, pants on fire, nose as long as a telephone wire" and other choice insults of children. Melissa Sweet includes bright, colorful fabric swatches in her watercolor-and-pencil collages to perfectly capture the spirit of these funky, street-smart verses that children love to recite and chant.

Customer Reviews:

Good book.......2007-09-14

Nice book. Has lots of rhymes ... some I knew, some I didn't ... some had more lines than I remember... This book just has the words to the rhymes, so if you are looking for the rhythms or the hand clapping sequence (as I was) this isn't the book for you.

Back down memory lane!.......2007-05-17

What a wonderful blast from the page! I so enjoyed reacquainting myself with many of the childhood rhymes from my double dutching days. This will be a great gift for me to share with my nieces as they too will be introduced to such famous childhood rhymes. Even the illustrations made the rhymes stand out fully engaging one to try them out on the playground.

Hearts & Hands & Voices: Growing in Faith Through Choral Music

Average customer rating:

Hearts & Hands & Voices: Growing in Faith Through Choral Music
Sue Ellen Page
Manufacturer: H. T. Fitzsimons Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Songbooks | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

jp-unknown2 | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 0964655209

Average customer rating:

Make it simple, to last your whole life long

Singing Hands
Delia Ray
Manufacturer: Clarion Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Historical Fiction | History & Historical Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books

General | Literature & Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0618657622

Book Description

As one of three hearing daughters of deaf parents, 12-year-old Gussie Davis is expected to be a proper representative of Saint Jude's Church for the Deaf in Birmingham, Alabama, which is run by her father. So when Gussie starts to hum through signed services in the summer of 1948, Reverend Davis assumes she merely wants to sing out loud and sends her to a regular church downtown. But Gussie's behavior worsens, and she is not allowed to go on a much-anticipated trip; instead, she must help her father at the Alabama School for the Deaf. Rebelling against the strict rules of the school, Gussie finally confronts the difficulties and prejudices encountered by the deaf community, all while still trying to find her own identity in the worlds of both the hearing and the deaf. Drawing on firsthand accounts of her mother's own childhood with deaf parents, Delia Ray provides an inside look at the South in the 1940s. Lively humor, unforgettable characters, and meticulous research combine to make this a standout novel that offers keen insight into what it means to be hearing in a deaf world. Author's note.

Customer Reviews:

Make it simple, to last your whole life long.......2006-08-30

Different books have different attitudes when it comes to grabbing your average child reader's attention. Sometimes a children's title, particularly if it happens to be of the historical fiction persuasion, will meander about. It'll lazily traipse its storyline hither and thither, confident that young readers will find the will or the desperation to follow it wheresoever it may go. Then there are books like Delia Ray's, "Singing Hands". You open the book and the first thing you see is a twelve-year-old preacher's daughter of a deaf congregation humming up a storm right smack dab in the middle of her father's communion. THAT wakes your average reader up, and from there on in it keeps a tight headlock on your attention so that all a person can do is read straight through to the end without interruption. That too is Ms. Ray's charm. Any writer can tell a story that has an interesting concept. Few, however, could find a way to wrangle that interest to the ground within the space of a couple opening sentences.

"Up until the summer of 1948, when I was twelve, probably the worst thing I ever did was hum in church". So says Gussie Davis. Gussie and her sisters are the hearing daughters of deaf parents and as such they have an interesting life. Knowing full well the naughtiness of what she does, Gussie hums away like a bandit during her father's services, until the day she is outed by a fellow hearing person visiting that Sunday. Her father takes this to mean that Gussie misses singing and before she knows it our heroine is being bussed off every Sunday to a local hearing Episcopal church. Not long thereafter Gussie starts skipping Sunday school and purloining the collection money. Oh, and did I mention that she also stole a neighbor's old love letter on the sly? Between the hearing world and the deaf one, Gussie's losing her place. It's going to take a trip to a deaf school and a chance to buck the system while there to give this girl the confidence she so desperately needs.

The book takes place in 1948 Birmingham, Alabama, which is a difficult time period to say the least. No responsible writer could ever tackle such a period, no matter what their subject matter, without giving at least a little attention to the prevalent racism of the time. Fellow 1944 North Carolina set children's novel "Blue" by Joyce Moyer Hostetter did a similar thing this year, but in the case of "Blue" the African American subplot felt forced and unnecessary. Here Ray weaves the story of Abe, a deaf black child, smoothly within Gussie's greater tale. Abe is sent, at Gussie's father's suggestion, to a school for black deaf children. The school is separate and cheaper than its white equivalent, allowing Ray to show rather than tell the problems with segregation at the time. Best of all, Gussie is able to view this unfair situation and become infuriated by it without ever feeling like a 21st century girl living in a 20th century novel. No mean feat.

Kudos too to Ray for creating a kid with a conscience who nevertheless keeps doing bad things. Not life threatening things. Nothing things that would necessarily endanger her soul. Just naughty, often awful, things. If character is key then Gussie is o'erflowing with it. Each person in this book is as distinct and individualized as any author could hope to make them. Even Gussie's supposedly saintly father is continually leaving his family and spending a lot more time with people that aren't his kids. No one is perfect here and no one exempt from their own personal flaws. Top notch writing too, by the way. I like reading a writer who has the guts to write sentences like, "With my cheeks still burning, I squeezed the penny in my hand tighter and tighter, as if I could wring blood from copper".

To my mind, children's chapter book fiction relies on a couple essential components. You've got your characters. You've got your skill with the pen itself. And then there is the much maligned and too often underrated sense of humor. All authors should have this. It's a rare and difficult thing to nurture within one's own self, I know. Should any of you writers feel less than up to the task, take a couple pointers from Ms. Ray here. Some of the lighter moments in this book ring of the anecdotes Ray undoubtedly culled from her mother for her book. For example, when one of the girls freaks out at night thinking that there might be a kidnapper in the neighborhood, her deaf mother responds to her late night fear with a mild, "I don't hear anything" and goes back to sleep. Never underestimate the power of a good dry wit.

In her Author's Note at the back of the book, Ray reveals that this book is in many ways her mother's story. Her mother grew up as a hearing daughter of deaf pastoral parents. Ms. Ray has even gone so far to include a picture of the family on which Gussie's family was based. All the characters of the book are there, including a young man that apparently didn't quite make the cut. In this section readers will get a fascinating bit of info on the facts behind the story, including some ways in which deaf people were prejudiced against in the past.

Altogether a fine piece of work. I read a lot of historical fiction in conjunction with my children's librarian job, and much of it is very good and very well written. Few books, however, come across as anything I would have actually liked if I were a kid myself. I think "Singing Hands" may well be the first book this year to strike me as something I'd recommend to my 12-year-old self. Higher praise than that you'd be hard pressed to find.

Average customer rating:

The Left Hand Singing
Barbara Lebow
Manufacturer: Dramatist's Play Service
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0822220105

Clap hands for the singing molecatcher: Scenes from a Scottish childhood

Average customer rating:

Clap hands for the singing molecatcher: Scenes from a Scottish childhood
Roderick Grant
Manufacturer: Triple Cat Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Hand singing and other techniques (Threshold to music program)

Average customer rating:

Hand singing and other techniques (Threshold to music program)
Mary Helen Richards
Manufacturer: Fearon-Pitman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Hand singing and other techniques: Including the teacher's ed. of Songs in motion (Threshold to music program)

Average customer rating:

Hand singing and other techniques: Including the teacher's ed. of Songs in motion (Threshold to music program)
Mary Helen Richards
Manufacturer: Harper & Row
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Hand singing and other techniques: Including the teacher's edition of Songs in motion. Based on the educational philosophy of Zoltán Kodály (Threshold to music program)

Average customer rating:

Hand singing and other techniques: Including the teacher's edition of Songs in motion. Based on the educational philosophy of ZoltaÌn KodaÌly (Threshold to music program)
Mary Helen Richards
Manufacturer: Fearon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Average customer rating:

O' Clap Your Hands (Sheet Music)

Manufacturer: Life Way
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Sheet music

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books