Why I Don't Write Like Franz Kafka

Book Description

Why I Don't Write Like Franz Kafka is a reprint of a 1970s classic short story collection. All titles are set in lower case, as in a dictionary, with physical and intellectual actions defining the concept in each title.

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Why I Don't Write Like Franz Kafka
William S WILSON
Manufacturer: Ecco
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VATXYI

Book Description

Fay Harper looks like any other teenage girl—any other Queen Bee, that is. She’s blond, and beautiful, and very, very popular—the kind of popular that attracts boys like honey. Fay and her gang take a lot of risks, but so far they’ve managed to get away with everything. It’s as if they are magically protected.

Summoned to Tulsa by an old friend whose son has fallen in with Fay’s crowd, Diana Tregarde, practicing witch and successful romance novelist, quickly finds herself in hot water. The new girl at school, Monica Carlin, has come under sorcerous attack, but Diana cannot identify, or stop, the power-wielder. To make matters worse, there is an ancient being sleeping under Tulsa, a being who might be woken by the magic battles taking place in the city. What will happen then, even Diana cannot predict.

Customer Reviews:

Sadly, the final Diana Tregarde ... a terrific book, makes you want MORE!.......2006-12-30

This is the end-cap of the Diana Tregarde trilogy, where Diana has to come to Jenks, OK (a suburb of Tulsa) to teach an honors English class - and try to figure out why her friend Larry Kestrel has been having premonitions of danger about his son. As it turns out, Deke has fallen into the clutches of an ancient sorcerer who has been taking the bodies of her daughters for over 300 years in order to basically make herself young and beautiful forever. Also on the line is Monica, a new arrival to Jenks High, whom Fay (the current incarnation of the sorcerer) has set her sights on as a rival for Deke, and possibly a rival power (since Monica has some minor psi potential). Frustratingly, the ending of the book leaves things open for more Diana Tregarde investigations, but it has been over a decade (almost two) since this final book was written, so I don't think we will be seeing anymore. Grab it if you can - it's a great read.

mean girls meets buffy.......2005-11-08

When Jill, a popular high school student, dies in a car crash, everyone blames it on the fact that she neglected to wear her seatbelt. However, Deke Kestrel, who was in the car, is baffled as how to the driver and the passengers tested clean for alcohol, although all had been drinking. His father, also suspecting supernatural play, invites his friend Diana Tregarde out to visit and investigate, under the guise of teaching Deke's English class creative writing. Tregarde is a martial-arts practicing, down-to-earth, real life witch, and she soon sniffs out trouble, of the supernatural sort. It seems Fay Harper, a friend of Jill's, may be at the bottom of it, and indeed may not literally be who she seems at all. Indeed Fay's perfect life may be hiding some gruesome secrets. It all adds up to a lot of trouble which comes to a head at the spring dance.
Can she protect Deke and his friends, even after she's underestimated her opponent?

Disappointing Final Volume.......2003-10-27

Having really enjoyed the first two Tregarde books, this one was a great disappointment that I had several problems with. As the series was stopped here, it went out on a low point.

The biggest problem by far is that Diana is a secondary character in her own book. Of 300 pages I doubt she got 100 of them. Even when she is "on-screen" she's overshadowed by the high school students. The true main characters are the high school students, spoiled, self-centred, shallow and mean-spirited high school students. Even the ones who are made out to be the good kids eventually show their darker side, and do so after the evil has been vanquished.

As well, possibly due to her lack of being the main character Diana does not seem to be the same as she was previously. This new catch phrase "Jesus Cluny Frog", where the heck did that come from? As well she no longer seemed to be the caring Guardian she was before. She also lacks even the limited forensic skills she showed in previous books. She was never an ace investigator, but at least she tried in the other two books. Here she decides the villain must be an adult, and can't find one so she shields a couple students and then waits for the villain to reveal herself. Somebody with a special investigator card from the police, and a friend in Det. Mark Valdez should have better skills than the reactive wait for the villain to reveal herself while she causes more harm.

It was nice to see Mark Valdez again. Unfortunately he does nothing. He chauffeurs Diana and then waits in a barn. Literally. As well, the sub-plot of the goddess under Tulsa goes out with a whimper, never really happens.

The villainess is easily the best thing about the book. An aged sorceress in a young body, gorgeous, evil, ruthless and totally without a redeeming characteristic. Yet, she is unable to manipulate the high school students unless they themselves have given her a hook by doing wrong themselves.

Despite my criticisms, this isn't a bad book. It is firmly average, worthy of an evening or two's entertainment. However, it is not a Diana Tregarde book as we know it as she is at best a secondary character. The writing is, as with the previous two, fast-paced and easy to read.

R.I.P. Diana, it is a shame your last book had you as a secondary character.

Thank You Ms Lackey.......2002-09-18

I've read a wide range of fantasy/sci fi/occult books and Mercedes Lackey never fails to satisfy. In the Diana Tregarde books she creates a strong empathetic heroine. The book is fast paced and a truly enjoyable read. If you enjoy Anne McCaffrey and Katherine Kurtz I think you'll find these books are winners. As an added plus, This book actually got my teenager interested in books again. A great all around book for adults and teens

When Too Old is Too Young.......2002-05-28

This is the third and last of Mercedes Lackey's stories about Diana Tregarde. Diana is a Guardian, a witch/sorcerer trained to oppose those who misuse Magick and the creatures that serve them. This time Diana has been asked to come to a small suburb of Tulsa, Oklahoma by an old friend, Larry Kestrel. Ostensibly, Diana is there to teach a short course in the practical side of professional writing, but Larry wants here to look into premonitions he is having about a threat to his son, Derek.

While there is no apparent danger to the boy, he has been mixing with a wild crowd, led by Fay Harper. If bad mojo does not get him, his lifestyle just might. In any case, what Diana realizes right away is that the real problem is that there isn't any problem. Tulsa sits in the middle of a nulls zone where nothing sends out mystical signals, and not even tornadoes show up to disturb the ether. When she checks with other guardians in the area, she discovers that there are legends of something very powerful lying asleep below the city. Something that nothing in its right mind would ever choose to wake up.

No sooner does Diana start to settle into her role, when the apparent quiet is disturbed by several severe magical attacks on Monica Carlin, a new girl at the high school. The attacks are sudden, too swift for Diana to pinpoint. And they are strong, the world of a mature, skilled sorcerer. This is the rub. Unlike Diana, the reader knows from the beginning that Fay Harper is the sorcerer, who disguises her age by jumping from her body to her daughter's every 30 years. Diana's struggles to identify this source of magic before it wakes the sleeper are limited by her inability to accept a teenager as a master sorcerer.

'Jinx High' is probably the best of the three books in this series, but it is not without a few irritating quirks. If you can get by the fact that Diana's favorite expression is 'Jesus Cluny Frog,' you will probably find the story interesting and entertaining. Lackey has a good grasp of ceremonial magic, and doesn't make the kind of oversimplifying mistakes that many writers in the magic genre are prone to make.

However, if Diana's faults are bearable, the characters of her high school students, villains and heroes, are less attractive. Without exception, they have shallow and self-centered streaks that create a little too much distance between the reader and the plot. Some people would argue that that is only reality. But, I'm old fashioned, and like al my protagonists to be, well, protagonists. That everyone has the same character defect doesn't build interest either.

For all my grumbling, this is a solid, readable story. It is a shame that there have been no follow-ups, because Tregarde's character has finally matured. Lackey's skills have continued to improve as well and it would be interesting to see where she would bring this series now.

Book Description

Gabriel is on a mission to observe human adaptations to Equalizers, the visible and invisible disabilities that all humans have at some point in their lives. He is sent by the Council to grow up as a human with a major Equalizer, spina bifida. As Gabriel goes through surgeries, hospitalizations, and singing goofy songs to help him stay healthy, he learns how others handle his Equalizer. Gabriel's Advisors are very supportive. Landy is not. In fact, Landy takes a while to adjust to the new member of the family. Gabriel meets Ralph, Cheyenne, and Marco. They show him that Enhancers are the best way to overcome some of the difficulties associated with Downs' syndrome, cerebral palsy, and cancer. Gabriel discusses what he learns with the Council. They want to know more, but his human emotions are making it hard to continue.

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Love it!

Simple and practical

The best cookbook I've ever owned!

Great food !! And it's all veg !!

Great, Easy Recipes

The Chopra Center Cookbook : A Nutritional Guide to Renewal / Nourishing Body and Soul
Deepak, M.D. Chopra , David, M.D. Simon , and Leanne Backer
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Airborne Effervescent Health Formula, Original Orange, 10 Tablets (Pack of 3)

Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor

RESPeRATE Blood Pressure Lowering Device

ASIN: 0471454044

Book Description

A revolutionary cookbook to renew body, mind, and spirit

The food at world-famous Chopra Center for Well Being is designed to delight the senses, enliven vitality, and tap into the joy of being alive. Now, Deepak Chopra, David Simon, and Leanne Backer offer you marvelous recipes from this extraordinary place of healing-showing how nature provides us with all the nutrients we need to create meals that are delicious as well as nutritious.

Combining Modern nutritional science and Ayurveda-the most ancient healing system on the planet-The Chopra Center Cookbook features more than 200 appetizing, low-fat, easy-to-prepare recipes for entrées, soups, stews quick meals, breakfast dishes, snacks, and desserts that take the guesswork out of choosing food that is good for the body, as well as 30 days of balanced meal plans. From Zucchini Pecan Bread, Vegetarian paella, and Breakfast Burritos to Rosemary White Bean Soup, Braised Salmon with Mango Tomato Salsa, and Unbelievable Double Chocolate Cake, you'll discover a new world of flavor and enjoyment as the authors show you how to eat food that is good for you, re-establish the mind-body connection, and reverse the aging process.

Customer Reviews:

Love it!.......2006-02-25

We love this book! We have made many of the recipes that have all tasted great and are healthy. We also gave it to everyone for Christmas and they all love the recipes too.

Simple and practical.......2005-12-04

This book offers a simple way to start eating healthy. I've been interested in gourmet food and cooking for years and then became a student of Ayurveda. Though the concepts of Ayurvedic eating are introduced in the beginning, and the recipes follow ayurvedic guidelines, the book isn't complicated with hard to understand terms. Best of all, the preparations are wonderful for a taste-discriminating Western palate.

The best cookbook I've ever owned!.......2005-11-11

This cookbook is filled with healthy and delicious recipes. It is well-written, with easy to follow directions and ingredients that are readily available. I really like the 30-day meal plan that is included; it takes all the guess work out of menu planning. While I was not a vegetarian before I began using this cookbook, I am now! The food is so delicious and high enough in protein that I don't miss meat at all--although for you die-hard carnivores, there are many recipes that have meat-optional directions. This book has everything from breakfast foods through desserts and these recipes have gained approval from my toughest critics: my 10- and 14-year-old sons. Although not diet food, my husband and I have both lost weight since we began following the 30-day plan. The food is so nutritious and satisfying, that our junk food cravings have been greatly reduced. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for healthy and delicious recipes. Enjoy!

Great food !! And it's all veg !!.......2005-10-21

After attending one of Chopra's seminars, I decided to try out the Chopra Cook Book. Although you might find some of the combinations different from usual, the taste is wonderful and you will, for sure, feel the diffence in your body. May take some time to ajust, if you decide to stick to it, like me, but even for a side serving they are great. Not exactly all diet food, (check out the calories) they are delicious. These recepies have finaly got me on the Vegetarian path! And I feel great !!!

Great, Easy Recipes.......2005-01-18

I buy cookbooks to read and if compelling, I will make a recipe or two from it. This one is so compelling that I've made four recipes in the first week of owning it. The introductory chapters on health and eating are informational. The recipes are curious enough that I tried one. It was delicious and now I can't stop. The ingredients are easy to find as well.

Book Description

Holding fast to his place at #62 in AKC registrations, the Bernese Mountain Dog is a big, beautiful Swiss breed who's admired for this gregariousness and charm.

Customer Reviews:

Great Guide.......2007-05-23

All dog owners could use this but for the Berner owner it is great...

Great BMD book.......2007-02-26

We just purchased a new AKC BMD and we utilize this book often. Good purchase...

Bernese Mountain Dog: An Owners Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet.......2006-08-09

This book is a general guide for all breeds and does have some photos of bernese mountain dogs and it covers all types of health problems, training, and puppy info and other important issues in owning dogs, however it is in general covering all dog breeds and I would recommend "Bernese Mountain Dogs by "Amy Christiansen". However, these are two of the top books that I would give to anyone who has an interest in the Bernese Mountain Dog. I presently own both books.
Garret DeGraff
Newton, NJ USA

Haven't gotten the book yet! Buy it somewhere else!.......2005-07-07

I heard this was a great book, and I ordered it May 1st . . . Amazon asked me twice over the next 2 months if I still wanted the book because it was taking so long to ship. The order was finally cancelled in July! I would certainly buy this book if I saw it in a bookstore - Amazon's "usually ships in 12 to 14 days" just didn't hold true for me.

Great Berner Book for Newbies (and Oldies).......2003-07-26

Great foundational book for someone looking for useful information on living with a Bernese Mountain Dog. Well written, easy to understand and can be a quick reference.

We like this book so well that our kennel gives one of these books to every puppy buyer.

Anyone needing more info than this book offers, should visit http://www.berner.org or http://www.bmdca.org

......

Customer Reviews:

Useful Price Guide: Cone Tops, Flats, & Pull Tab Beer Cans.......2001-07-16

This edition was an appreciated update to the previous edition. This is the 3rd edition that I have purchased. This edition includes 1995 updated prices to the previous version of the book which listed beer cans produced through 1975. It also includes a section with pictures and prices of 236 interesting pull tab cans produced from 1975 to at least 1982. This book is a good pictorial display and reference price guide of some 8300 beer cans including 7276 12 oz flat top & pull tab cans, 514 16 oz cans, 413 12 oz cone tops, and 72 7,8,&10 cans. This book also has price listings without pictures for an additional 400 or so 12 oz cone tops, 145 quart cones, 3 16 oz cones, 27 gallons, & one 1/2 gallon. This is an excellent reference book. I highly recommend it. I would like to see a future edition with more of the 12 oz cones pictured. I eagerly await the next edition.

Well, the pictures are certainly nice!.......2000-10-16

This book would have benefitted hugely from a bit of competent editing by someone possessed of a nodding familiarity with English grammar and usage, and perhaps an eye for layout; the text meant to accompany the photographs may be related to them only with difficulty. Overall, the Collector's Digest to Beer Cans exudes the cobbled-together aura of earnest, well-meaning, but ultimately amateurish production. The photographs themselves are nicely executed, though perhaps smaller than utility would dictate. The array of cans represented pictorally and, in a later section, textually, is fairly extensive, though not comprehensive by any means. Certainly, this is a very useful book for the price; one finds, though, that it merely whets the appetite for more thoroughgoing references.

A Handy Guide For Beer Can Hunters.......2000-06-02

This 157 page, softbound 5 x 8" book is handy to keep with you as you look for beer cans to add to your collection. There are nearly 6,000 full color pictures in this book and thousands more listed ! It covers the period 1932 to 1975. A glossary of terms is provided, and information about can condition. It includes half gallon cans, cone tops, and new finds. Every beer can collector will find this a great reference to keep handy. Values are 1995.

Book Description

Every one of these 22 colorful, cheerful patchwork patterns is sure to bring out big, sunny smiles. Choose from Lots of Fun Stuff like an Annie and Andy Quilt or Classic Pillow and a Bloomin' Bunnies Gift Bag. A Little Sprouts Baby Vest and Garden Patch Jumpers make Wonderful Wearables. And for the merriest, most Santa-filled Christmas, stitch up an Oh My Stars, It's Santa Quilt, plus simple, festive socks. Appliqué patterns included, along with sewing instructions. A Main Selection of BOMC's Crafters Book Club, a Main Selection of F&W's Book Clubs, and a Selection of Doubleday's Australian Book Club. The author lives in Fairfield, WA. 128 pages (all in color), 8 1/2 x 11. NEW IN PAPERBACK

Customer Reviews:

A Gotta Have if you want Cute Patchwork.......2000-09-24

I just received this book as a gift and I have to say its one of the best I've seen. Not only does it have several quilting projects but its also filled with several clothing patterns and gift ideas. The projects really does scream of Kari Pearson and her love of bright, cute, fun loving designs. Another thing I like about it is that its a hardback with a nice dust jacket. So many times these days you pay good money for paperbacks. There are also a ton of pictures and full size applique patterns . Its just the best present and I can't wait to do some of these projects!!

Playful Patchwork Projects.......2000-05-31

Besides the inviting cover design, this book is easy to read with inviting, colorful pages of instruction, and great color photos of the projects.

The book is well laid out and easy to follow.

The projects are all very fun and colorful. The book sparks your creativity and makes you feel happy.

A great book by Kari

A great addition to your quilting library!.......2000-05-30

If quilting is your passion, if your pastime and relaxation is this timeless craft, you will really enjoy this patchwork project book. Graphics, combined with photos of projects,make you go back and forth through the pages. So many attractive and playful projects, it's really hard to decide on which to start with. The book is divided into three parts: Quilts in different sizes, from wall quilts to pillows. Part two consists of wearables like vests and jumpers for adults and children. Part three brings you 5 Christmas projects. A section with all the appliqué patterns full size makes it easy to jump start with your project. Only one small detail: The wearable patterns have to be enlarged on grid paper. Although they are for fairly simple clothing, I would have loved to have patterns printed full size as an extra bonus to the book. Nevertheless, butterflies, insects, sunflowers and santas make it as I said, a very nice addition to the quilting section in your library or studio.

Cute As a Button Quilts: 12 Quick Quilts & Playful Projects to Decorate Your Home

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Cutequilts

Cute As a Button Quilts: 12 Quick Quilts & Playful Projects to Decorate Your Home
Joni Pike
Manufacturer: C&T Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Quilts & Quilting | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1571203451
Release Date: 2006-09-15

Book Description

Got a weekend? Make a wonderful gift!

* Full-size patterns
* Speedy techniques plus adorable designs mean darn cute, darn quick projects!

Big shapes, full-size patterns, easy fusible appliqué, simple projects...and the results are cute as a button! It's embellishment playtime with rickrack, simple embroidery, even buttons, all used to make accent quilts, table runners, placemats, pillows, and totes. These projects are bright, beginner friendly...and cute to boot!

Customer Reviews:

Cutequilts.......2007-03-11

This book is a delight! I am making my first quilt using grandchildren's onesies, dresses etc and this book provides excellent directions and fun ideas.

Wonderfully Whimsical Quilts: 10 Playful Projects to Make You Smile

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whimsical quilts
wonderfully whimsical quilts

Wonderfully Whimsical Quilts: 10 Playful Projects to Make You Smile
Carol Burniston
Manufacturer: C&T Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Quilts & Quilting | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1571202714

Customer Reviews:

whimsical quilts.......2005-11-03

A fun book. I have not yet made one of the quilts, but it is enjoyable just to look at the photos. Makes you smile!

wonderfully whimsical quilts.......2005-08-03

I just love this book, has some great quilt patterns in. Am currently working on the flamingo one. When i got the book I had to start on it right away. Is fun working on something that is a bit whimsical.

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Disappointing

Just Beautiful

Just Bloomed 1 and 2

An excellent book for artists

Wonderful Artist

Just Bloomed
Boris Lopez
Manufacturer: Amerotica
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Pop Culture | Graphic Design | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Artists, A-Z | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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Art of Joe Pekar - Naughty Girls

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Piano Tuner

Minerva Minerva

ASIN: 1561634174

Book Description

Seen in Tight, Sizzle and elsewhere, Lopez has an uncanny knack at translating to paper the disarming innocence and guilt-free freshness of women who have just entered adulthood. Here is a gallery of tender fresh blooms, All-American sweetie pies in all their stunning variety. Who needs a teddy bear when you can cuddle with these!

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing.......2006-06-10

I liked the first volume a lot. It was full of great drawings and paintings of lovely, happy models. They were all beautifully done, pinup-sexy without being crude. I hoped that JB2 would be more of the same, or maybe more advanced work along the same lines.

Well, almost. This is just the pencil drawings, without the watercolors that brightened the first volume. Many of them tend towards the dark. The white/black balance would have been a better match to African or Indian features, but didn't really suit the European features on all but one of the models. Depilation was rampant, as in the first volume - normal fuzziness suits me just fine, but smooth isn't a bad look. It exaggerates the youthfulness that Lopez prizes, but Lisa (p.42) was just a bit much. And there was something else that I just couldn't put my finger on --

-- until I saw the drawing of Monica (p.37). That showed a real failure to maintain proportion, with her right hand grotesquely enlarged. No credible foreshortening could explain that distortion. Then, when I looked more, a few other drawings showed similar oddities. Was Kirsten (p.40) actually chubby - not a bad thing, necessarily - or did she suffer misproportion as well?

This looks like what was left over after Lopez's notebooks were picked over for the first JB. He should have quit while he was ahead.

//wiredweird

Just Beautiful.......2006-06-05

Lopez has put together a truly lovely set of pencil drawings and watercolors. He has a wonderful sense of what makes a figure enticing. Above all, that includes the happy expressions and poses of the models - they really seem to love posing, and love being seen as beautiful. Pictures generally consist of the model only, often with a bit of un-frilly lingerie being set aside, but no exotica. One unusual feature stands out, though: Lopez's frequent choice of very young-looking figures. That work has appeared in magazines with titles like "Barely Legal," so sensitive viewers may want to think about whether or not this suits their taste.

Only four stars because the models and poses, however lovely, tend towards a sameness.

//wiredweird

Just Bloomed 1 and 2.......2006-03-06

It does not get any better ...wholesone yet very sensous to erotic. The best is the expressions are so wonderful casual yet intimate which I found to be rare and a refreshing tribute to the female gender.
If you like this, which I can not believe any reasonably normal healthy person wouldn't you will like Natural Beauties and the websites Domai and Met Girls.
I would think "God" intended the respectful appreciation of the female character and form to be something of this nature.

An excellent book for artists.......2003-01-30

Boris is right on target with this one. I highly reccomend this book for nude artists. the drawings in this book are the way nudes should be done.

Wonderful Artist.......2002-12-27

I had a drawing done of me by this artist and was EXTREMELY pleased.. the likeness was INCREDIBLE.. this book is also incredible... this is one talented person.

Book Description

Few scientists have made lasting contributions to as many fields as Francis Galton. He was an important African explorer, travel writer, and geographer. He was the meteorologist who discovered the anticyclone, a pioneer in using fingerprints to identify individuals, the inventor of regression and correlation analysis in statistics, and the founder of the eugenics movement. Now, Nicholas Gillham paints an engaging portrait of this Victorian polymath. The book traces Galton's ancestry (he was the grandson of Erasmus Darwin and the cousin of Charles Darwin), upbringing, training as a medical apprentice, and experience as a Cambridge undergraduate. It recounts in colorful detail Galton's adventures as leader of his own expedition in Namibia. Darwin was always a strong influence on his cousin and a turning point in Galton's life was the publication of the Origin of Species. Thereafter, Galton devoted most of his life to human heredity, using then novel methods such as pedigree analysis and twin studies to argue that talent and character were inherited and that humans could be selectively bred to enhance these qualities. To this end, he founded the eugenics movement which rapidly gained momentum early in the last century. After Galton's death, however, eugenics took a more sinister path, as in the United States, where by 1913 sixteen states had involuntary sterilization laws, and in Germany, where the goal of racial purity was pushed to its horrific limit in the "final solution." Galton himself, Gillham writes, would have been appalled by the extremes to which eugenics was carried. Here then is a vibrant biography of a remarkable scientist as well as a superb portrait of science in the Victorian era.

Customer Reviews:

The Title Sums it Up.......2007-07-27

A word to the wise, heed the title and sub-title of this book. It is not a very good all around biography of Sir Francis Galton. The book does bring you up to his first accomplishment, African exploration, very directly. Other chapters occasionally touch on some of his life-milestones like marriage and his relationship with the Royal Geographical Society. The majority of the book discusses his theories and scientific achievements. The book delves deep when it arrives on Galton's ideas and experiments in the field of genetics and hereditary traits. The reader will wonder why the book takes such great pains to explain Galton's outdated Victorian genetic theory. A quick perusal of the author's bio shows that he is a professor of genetics.
Sir Francis Galton does not have much name recognition today, but his name pops up in various books about the history of African exploration, statistics and genetics. He was one of a hand-full of renaissance type geniuses that Britain produced during the Victorian Age. They had wide ranging interests and consequently wide ranging discoveries. Galton is also credited with discovering the uniqueness of fingerprints to each individual. He began the modern type of data collection through scientific surveys and he correlated the results statistically. His improvements in the field of statistics are still used today.
There are not too many biographical books about Sir Francis Galton
This book may be a little too much for the casual reader looking for some general information . The reader must be prepared to skim over the deeper sections.

Dense with detail - for committed Galton students only.......2006-06-11

This biography of Sir Francis Galton is clearly well-researched. The difficulty, however, is that while the author writes individual paragraphs in an interesting, descriptive style, the paragraphs themselves come one after another in confusing sequence, with so much detail that it is difficult to follow or focus on the main thread.

A much more readable Galton biography is the one published in 2004 by Martin Brookes, which obviously used the same primary sources and contains much of the same information (in some instances, almost word-for-word.) The Gillham book has the advantage of having visual representations of Galton's graphs, tables, etc., and contains a deeper level of scientific detail. If you are more interested in the life of the man, what made him tick, and his place in history, go with the Brookes version.

Note: Gillham's version has an extensive index; Brookes' version has none.

Less a biography than a history of a nova among stars.......2004-03-14

A comprehensive life of Sir Francis Galton busting with detail. Unfortunately more about what he did than about what he was or how he came to be. In the later parts he is hardly mentioned in page after page while the abstruse arguments of his disciples are rehashed ad nauseum. There is a "tinge" of calling Galton a racist and he's connected to Herrenstein's The Bell Curve -- which dates this book. In truth, Galton was an amazing and varied genius who created much of statistics and the idea of "intelligence." One can't help but notice the incredible group of connections between Galton and other Victorian intelligensiae such as JBS Haldane, J Clerk Maxwell, William Kingdon Clifford (whom some think is the model for H.G.Wells' "Time Traveler") and others. On balance, a qualified recommendation. Lots of notes and a remarkable subject. Yet, I would have liked more information on Galton's own mental processes. The story reinforces the idea that the Victorian age was really interesting and chock-o-block with interesting people.

A life of Sir Francis Galton; from African exploration to the birth of eugenics.

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A life of Sir Francis Galton; from African exploration to the birth of eugenics.
Sir Francis] GILLHAM, Nicholas Wright. [GALTON
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UGM7BY

Quantifier of Life. (Scientists' Bookshelf).(A Life of Sir Francis Galton: From African Exploration to the Birth of Eugenics): An article from: American Scientist

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Quantifier of Life. (Scientists' Bookshelf).(A Life of Sir Francis Galton: From African Exploration to the Birth of Eugenics): An article from: American Scientist
Daniel J. Kevles
Manufacturer: Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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A Life of Sir Francis Galton: From African Exploration to the Birth of Eugenics
Nicholas Wright Gillham
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKQPBE

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