Diatoms to Dinosaurs: The Size And Scale Of Living Things

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With a background in paleobiology, Christopher McGowan is adept at asking deceptively simple but actually very awkward questions of the "Well, we've dug up this fossil skeleton, now how on God's earth did it ever fly?" variety. McGowan looks at the way the scale and shape of animals relate to their behavior, diet, and life span. Why, in other words, tortoises live far longer than guinea pigs, but aren't nearly as much fun.

This line of argument leads to some seriously counterintuitive physics as McGowan explains how animals of different scales handle and exploit the physical constants by which they are bound. Discussions of drag, inertia, and viscosity are particularly well handled.

Especially refreshing and entertaining is McGowan's happy willingness to admit that millions of years of evolution are smarter than he is. Sometimes animals just make no sense at all. Consider Quetzalcoatlus, a pterosaur with a 40-foot wingspan and a long, serpentine neck. How did it get off the ground? Its neck suggests it may have been a carrion feeder. Did it climb laboriously to the peak of some vast saurian carcass and hitch a passing thermal? "This entire scenario," McGowan admits, with delicious understatement, "strikes me as fanciful."

While Diatoms to Dinosaurs is marketed very much at adults, there is an infectious enthusiasm about McGowan's writing that suggests a gifted teacher sharing sophisticated just-so stories with a spellbound class. --Simon Ings, Amazon.co.uk

Book Description

In Diatoms to Dinosaurs, Chris McGowan takes the reader on a fascinating journey through the natural world, and examines life in all its various forms. He imparts the excitement of discovery and the joy of understanding as he demonstrates the central importance of size and scale to the survival of living organisms.

McGowan investigates a wide range of size-related phenomena, from the gliding mechanism of diatoms to blood pressure problems of dinosaurs. Questions asked - and answered - include:

Will we ever see giant insects the size of pterodactyls?
Why are ants so much stronger relative to body size than elephants?
What do a clam, a condor, a tortoise, and a sturgeon have in common?
How did the skeleton of a 28-ton Apatosaurus support its weight?
How can blood get from the heart to the head of a giraffe without rupturing blood vessels?

The author explicates the scientific concepts - both physical and biological - needed to inform the relevant phenomena: area/volume relations, metabolism and other basic physiology, kinetic energy, inertial forces, the biology of senescence, boundary layers, and Reynolds numbers. Numerous illustrations scattered throughout the text make the biophysical principles easily comprehensible to readers, regardless of their scientific sophistication.

Customer Reviews:

Intriguing........2002-06-21

The book is about muscles and skeletons, hearts, fluids and brains. Quite a large chunk of the book is about flight. I found the most captivating chapter was "Tiffany wings and kite strings". It is all about tiny fliers: microfilm model airplanes and microscopic flying insects. It reveals that the mechanism that insects use to fly is different to birds. After reading this, you may think twice about squishing the next harmless little insect that flies right by you. The section on drag was surprisingly very interesting.

Although it introduces familiar animals, it goes into enough detail to provide substantially new and rewarding information about these creatures, which you almost certainly won't be aware of. There are loads of great diagrams, which really make this book very enjoyable to read. The book is straightforward and I relished reading it.

A very very similar book is called "Cats' Paws and Catapults". It also contains many examples of design, although it is from an engineering perspective, and the focus is on comparing the design of evolution with that of technological invention. I think Diatoms to Dinosaurs is a much more interesting read - it is predominantly concerned with nature, not with technology. This book is simply more profound, but both books are very good.

No fireworks but comprehensive.......2001-10-20

This book covers a great many zoological issues connected with scale as succinctly as possible offering a fairly comprehensive treatment. It includes scalar descriptions in terms of physiology, intelligence, lifespan, flight and swimming (among others) and whearas the style may be staid, palaeontologists will find much to refer to in this book which is based on solid foundations rather than guesswork and opinions. A must for students, researchers and communicators on the subject.

Unlimited wonders of Life.......2001-03-16

An excellent exploration of the mysteries of living things.

We are surrounded by wonders. From the tiny phytoplankton with 7.5 micrometers in size, to the giant brachiosaurus weighing 78 tons, life manages to find its way, showing us facts that are just almost impossible to believe.

This is one of those books you can trust because is written for somebody who knows what he is writing about. Explores quite interesting subjects ranging from the movement of the wings doves and bats, to the heart rate of mice, and the naps of elephants. There are also very good illustrations in it.

Definitely, a very nice and productive reading for everybody, especially for those Lovers of Nature.

We need a wide mind to understand the wide wonders of Life.

Interesting Subject; Dull Book.......2000-04-16

This book almost repays the drudgery of reading it. It should be a case-study in poor editing. Apparently, no one ever quite decided who the audience was, and so it falls between any: though aimed at the general reader it is in essence a summary of technical literature - complete with maths, graphs, equations (more than a couple), and citations of authority in quasi-academic style. The text is at least one or two drafts from being finished; there are inadvertent repetitions, important points blurred or glossed over, paragraphs broken badly, and several discussions (including an entire chapter) that are off-topic and mostly pointless. McGowan's personal stories and asides are not well-integrated, as if an afterthought tacked on simply to soften his rather dry style. The illustrations are small, the photographs few and not directly relevant to the text.

McGowan seems to know what he is writing about; he needs an editor firmer and more adept and a publisher willing to put more money into the production.

Physics of biology: limits of animal size and speed........1998-08-19

McGowan has put together a nice book about basic limitations that physics sets on animal size, e.g. how insect respiratory system limits insect size, or how big a bird can fly, or how body shape, swimming speed and Reynolds numbers compare with plankton and whales. Even though the subtitle claims that the book is about "living things", there is nothing about plants, which is a pity because e.g. trees are extreme in size. McGowan's writing is lucid and the level is good for reading: there are a couple of equations and about hundred simple charts and figures (B&W, nothing fancy) which give good extra information to the text. You might also want to check Knut Schmidt-Nielsen's book "Scaling: Why Is Anaimal Size So Important".

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The Diatoms

Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521004128

Book Description

Diatoms are microscopic algae which are found in virtually every habitat where water is present. This volume is an up-to-date summary of the expanding field of their uses in environmental and earth sciences. Their abundance and wide distribution, and their well-preserved glass-like walls make them ideal tools for a wide range of applications as both fossils and living organisms. Examples of their wide range of applications include environmental indicators, oil exploration, and forensic examination. The major emphasis is on their use in analyzing ecological problems such as climate change, acidification, and eutrophication. The contributors to the volume are leading researchers in their fields and are brought together for the first time to give a timely synopsis of a dynamic and important area. This book should be read by environmental scientists, phycologists, limnologists, ecologists and palaeoecologists, oceanographers, archaeologists and forensic scientists.

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Diatoms are microscopic algae which are found in virtually every habitat where water is present. This volume is an up-to-date summary of the expanding field of their uses in environmental and earth sciences. Their abundance and wide distribution, and their well-preserved glass-like walls make them ideal tools for a wide range of applications as both fossils and living organisms. Examples of their wide range of applications include as environmental indicators, for oil exploration, and for forensic examination. The major emphasis is on their use in analysing ecological problems such as climate change, acidification and eutrophication. The contributors to the volume are leading researchers in their fields and are brought together for the first time to give a timely synopsis of a dynamic and important area. This book should be read by environmental scientists, phycologists, limnologists, ecologists and palaeoecologists, oceanographers, archaeologists and forensic scientists.

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The Diatoms: A Photomicrographic Book
Gerald Webber Prescott
Manufacturer: Putnam Pub Group (L)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding
ASIN: 0698306317

A 6000-year record of diatom assemblages in a storm-influenced estuary (Alabama) : (Dissertation)

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A 6000-year record of diatom assemblages in a storm-influenced estuary (Alabama) : (Dissertation)
Charles A., III Stapleton
Manufacturer: ProQuest Information and Learning
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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Distributed by ProQuest Information and Learning

Atlas of the Inland Water Diatom Flora of Israel (Flora Palaestina)

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Atlas of the Inland Water Diatom Flora of Israel (Flora Palaestina)
Aline Ehrlich
Manufacturer: Israel Academy of Sciences & Humanities
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Automatic Diatom Identification (Series in Machine Perception & Artifical Intelligence)

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Automatic Diatom Identification (Series in Machine Perception & Artifical Intelligence)

Manufacturer: World Scientific Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 9810248865

AVCO RR-128: Statistical Investigation of Dissociation Cross-Sections for Diatoms

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AVCO RR-128: Statistical Investigation of Dissociation Cross-Sections for Diatoms
James Keck
Manufacturer: Avco-Everett Research Labs
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KF2QWU

The Biology of Diatoms (Botanical Monographs)

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The Biology of Diatoms (Botanical Monographs)
Dietrich Werner
Manufacturer: Univ of California Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

The Birth of the Diatom, a nativity play

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The Birth of the Diatom, a nativity play
Lindley Williams Hubbell
Manufacturer: NY: Privately printed
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IU2PKK

Catalogue of the Fossil and Recent Genera and Species of Diatoms and Their Synonyms: Coscinophaena - Fibula

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Catalogue of the Fossil and Recent Genera and Species of Diatoms and Their Synonyms: Coscinophaena - Fibula
S. L. Van Landingham
Manufacturer: Lubrecht & Cramer Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 3768204731

Book Description

No matter what your budget or whether it's your first trip or fifteenth, Fodor's Gold Guides get you where you want to go. In this completely up-to-date guide our experts who live in China give you the inside track, showing you all the things to see and do -- from must-see sights to off-the-beaten-path adventures, from shopping to outdoor fun. Fodor's China shows you hundreds of hotel and restaurant choices in all price ranges -- from budget-friendly B&Bs to luxury hotels, from casual eateries to the hottest new restaurants, complete with thorough reviews showing what makes each place special. The Smart Travel Tips A to Z section helps you take care of the nitty gritty with essential local contacts and great advice -- from how to take your mountain bike with you to what to do in an emergency. Your personal supply of Post-it? flags makes it easy to mark your favorite listings. Plus, web links, costs, and mix-and-match itineraries make planning a snap.

Customer Reviews:

Buy only as a supplement.......2004-09-04

Although still OK, Fodor's China offers much less value than, for example, Lonely Planet series.

Although China does change very rapidly and it's unrealistic to expect 100% accuracy, seems like the information is way outdated. It seems that the current edition went almost unchanged since the Cold War.

Maps are navigable, but are not specific enough and could use serious improvement. No Chinese characters are supplied, so consulting the locals is not an option (and possible with the competitors, such as Lonely Planet).

The positive sides are: interesting "off the beaten track" tips and "good walks" - suggested itineraries which do contain great recommendations.

Overall, average to poor value.

Great guide for use when visiting China.......2002-10-23

I bought this guide book for a 2 month abroad program while I was in China in summer 2002. The book is organized quite well. It is broken down into the regions of China (Northwest, Northeast, Southeast, etc), and then breaks further down into individual provinces and cities within each region.

The pro's of this book are that it cover's a lot of ground for such a big country. Considering how large China is, the book is quite a small size, but at the same time still provides the traveller a good guide on the important sites of each region and city. In addition to highlighting each city's key landmarks and areas to visit, it also lists each city's better known resturaunts, shopping centers and Hotels. It also provides a rating system of their own on the prices of each hotel and resturaunt. A small map is provided for each of the larger cities with key scenic spots, hotels, resturaunts highlighted on the map. The resturaunt section of each city also lists the resturaunts of non-chinese fare, for example, western food.

For most scenic spots, hotels, shopping centers and resturaunts of each city, a phone number and open-close time is provided as well. It also provides at least a few sentences about each scenic site, resturaunt, hotel, etc. The book also provides approximate distances from other popular cities to other cities, so it is easier for one to plan their travels within the country. For the larger cities, it also lists general info and phone numbers about subway systems, buses, and getting around.

I really don't have many con's for this book. Since it was recently updated, I didn't have any complaints about the book being out of date or the phone numbers or hours of the places listed, being incorrect. All the information for each city was well organized and presented. Some history was also given for each scenic site or region.

Overall, I think this book is great for traveling to China. It is quite thorough and detailed, listing so many tourist sites, resturaunts, hotels, shopping centers, etc. I recommend it.

An Ok book, but definitely not enough.......2002-05-27

I'm a Chinese myself who is currently in U.S. I bought this book for my summer travel to the south of China. However, when I got this book, I was quite disappointed. I don't like the format generally. There're lots of information introduced, but not in detail. I feel confused about where I should go. And the prices of restaurants, hotels, etc. are not at all clear. I only know a price range, which is useless to plan my budget precisely. I remember I read a travel book of China in 2000(the book was published in 1998 in Australia). That book even listed where to rent a bike in Suzhou and the ticket price of Huangshan, which is so close to the real price in 2000. My trip was so successful and every expenditure was stricly in my budget. I think that kink of book is what a traveler really needs, not some fancy introduction with few details. It's such a pity that I can't remember the name of the Australia published book! Although there're some bad points of Chinese history in the book I don't like.

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The Time Trekkers Visit the Romans (Time Trekkers Visit The--)
Antony Mason
Manufacturer: Demco Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Turtleback

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0606099778

Customer Reviews:

Three Brief Essays.......2005-09-09

This little monograph consists of three brief essays:
The Development of the English Watercolor by Evelyn J. Phimister
The Picturesque Landscape by Stephanie Wiles
Turner, Girtin, and the Rise of Romanticism by Cara D. Denison
There are several nice drawings and watercolors. Two dollars is about what it's worth.

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We have it in our power to begin the world over again.......2007-07-06

This was a required reading for a graduate humanities class. John Keane's biography succinctly showed that Tom Paine (1737-1809) was the consummate revolutionary and a daring adventurer. Not only was he an important figure in the American Revolution, but he also traveled to France in 1791 to give that revolution a push. Paine traveled from England, just in time to stoke the flames of the revolution with his pamphlet Common Sense, in January 1776. To call Common Sense a sensation in the colonies is actually a bit of an understatement. It was an unparallel sensation and monumental work of Enlightenment rhetoric that quickly fanned the flames of rebellion throughout the colonies. In four months, over 120,000 copies were printed in the colonies--over 500,000 copies by years end. No other pamphlet printed in seventeenth century America came close to its success. Most importantly, Common Sense served to get the colonial patriots to drop their fear of open rebellion, and also emboldened those delegates who favored declaring independence from Britain. The delegates now had the confidence that a large segment of the colonists would support rebellion. Similar to the Declaration of Independence, the philosophical ideas in Common Sense are primarily from the English philosopher, John Locke (1632-1704). The most moving quote from the pamphlet became quite prophetic, when one considers the impact it ultimately had on the delegates in the congress, the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, and on the world. "We have it in our power to begin the world over again."

As a graduate student in philosophy and history, I heartily recommend this timeless classic to anyone who is interested in political philosophy, and history.

Whales and Dolphins: What They Have in Common (Animals in Order (Econoclad))

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Another Soild Read in this Fine Series!

Whales and Dolphins: What They Have in Common (Animals in Order (Econoclad))
Elizabeth Gowell
Manufacturer: Tandem Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: School & Library Binding

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0613350367

Customer Reviews:

Another Soild Read in this Fine Series! .......2007-05-17

This is a fine starter series for kids interested studying different animals. Whales and Dolphins: What They Have in Common is our most recent adventure with the wonderful and interesting Animals in Order series...what can I say, my kids just can't get enough of these! What I like a great deal about this series is that it takes time at the beginning of each book to look at (briefly) what makes an animal a cetacean, specifically getting into what traits exactly make an animal a cetacean. The book then goes into the "order" of living things which details the kingdom, phylum and class , order, family and species (with a handy visual chart for reference, great for younger kids, so they can SEE how it works rather than just read it or have it read to them). This is one of the better features of this series and the exact same text in this particular section appears in every book in the series. Next the text goes specifically into where cetaceans fit into animal kingdom, breaking it down (in words and pictures again) to kingdom (animal), phylum (chordate), class (mammal) and order (cetacean). In this section we learn that there are 17 orders of mammals and that cetaceans can be further divided into several different families and genera which can and that there are about 90 species of cetaceans!

The book also talks a bit about where cetaceans of all types and sizes fit into food chain and looks specifically at dolphins, porpoises, toothed whales and baleen whales. Whales and Dolphins: What They Have in Common goes from there into an overview of fourteen species complete with full page, color photographs for each one, which really serve to bring the information to life. This section includes Family, Common Example, Genus and Species and Size for each cetacean discussed and each animal is given one full page for written description and one full page COLOR photo...excellent for fully engaging the reader! Cetaceans included here are bottlenose dolphins, river dolphins, porpoises, sperm whales, belugas, blue whales, and humpback whales!

Overall, a fantastic way to introduce various types of cetaceans to your curious young reader! What you get in Whales and Dolphins: What They Have in Common is an excellent overview of cross section of types of cetaceans. A unique feature of this particular book (something that isn't in other books we've read in this series) is the section near the end titled "A Look at the Future." This section very briefly (less than one full typed page (spread out over three with half-page photos) which looks at researchers and scientists who study cetaceans and some of the problems facing these animals (pollution, over-fishing, ect...). As always with this series, I was pleased to find that at the end of the book the author/publisher also included a short recommended reading list and some really great web pages to do more research on...the kids in particular LOVED this! The books in this series would make a wonderful addition to a classroom library or as gifts for your favorite young reader who has a passion for animals; the information here is scientifically presented, accented with wonderful color photos and is both interesting and informative!

Dolphins: Bottlenose, Common, Freshwater, Spinner, Spotted and White-Sided (Dolphins)

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Dolphins: Bottlenose, Common, Freshwater, Spinner, Spotted and White-Sided (Dolphins)
John F. Prevost
Manufacturer: Checkerboard Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: School & Library Binding

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1562399942

Driftnet fishing and biodiversity conservation: the case study of the large-scale Moroccan driftnet fleet operating in the Alboran Sea (SW Mediterranean) [An article from: Biological Conservation]

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Driftnet fishing and biodiversity conservation: the case study of the large-scale Moroccan driftnet fleet operating in the Alboran Sea (SW Mediterranean) [An article from: Biological Conservation]
S. Tudela , A. Kai Kai , F. Maynou , and M. El Andalossi
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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ASIN: B000RR3L84

Book Description

This digital document is a journal article from Biological Conservation, published by Elsevier in 2005. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
Illegal, large-scale driftnets are still used in several Mediterranean areas. According to international official sources, Morocco harbors the bulk of this fleet in the Mediterranean. To ascertain its biodiversity impact, 369 fishing operations (worth 4140 km of driftnets set) made by the driftnet fleet targeting swordfish (Xiphias gladius) based in Al Hoceima (Alboran Sea) were monitored between December 2002 and September 2003. Parallel surveys were made in the main Mediterranean ports and in that of Tangiers, in the Gibraltar Straits, to estimate the total fishing effort. Results showed an active driftnet fleet conservatively estimated at 177 units. Estimated average net length ranges from 6.5 to 7.1 km, depending on the port, though actual figures are suspected to be much higher (12-14 km). Most boats perform driftnet fishing all year round, resulting in very high annual effort levels. A total of 237 dolphins (short-beaked common dolphin, Delphinus delphis, and striped dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba), 498 blue sharks (Prionace glauca), 542 shortfin makos (Isurus oxyrinchus) and 464 thresher sharks (Alopias vulpinus) were killed by the boats monitored during the sampling period, during the peak of the swordfish fishery, along with 2990 swordfish. Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) was also caught (46 individuals). Estimates for a 12-month period by the whole driftnet fleet yielded 3110-4184 dolphins (both species) and 20,262-25,610 pelagic sharks distributed in roughly equal proportions for P. glauca, I. oxyrinchus and A. vulpinus, in the Alboran Sea alone; further 11,589-15,127 dolphins and 62,393-92,601 sharks would be killed annually around the Straits of Gibraltar. Dolphins suffer from annual take rates exceeding 10% of their population sizes in the Alboran Sea; this unsustainable impact is particularly worrying for D. delphis, because its last remnant healthy population in the Mediterranean occurs in this area. Average catch rate for swordfish, the main target species, amounted to only 0.8 individuals/km net set. Pelagic sharks are actively targeted by a part of the fleet.

Organochlorine contaminant and retinoid levels in blubber of common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) off northwestern Spain [An article from: Environmental Pollution]

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Organochlorine contaminant and retinoid levels in blubber of common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) off northwestern Spain [An article from: Environmental Pollution]
V. Tornero , A. Borrell , A. Aguilar , J. Forcada , and Lo
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000RR7DYW

Book Description

This digital document is a journal article from Environmental Pollution, published by Elsevier in . The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
The effect of age, sex, nutritive condition and organochlorine concentration on blubber retinoid concentrations was examined in 74 common dolphins incidentally caught off northwestern Spain. Age and blubber lipid content were strong determinants of the retinoid concentrations in males, while these variables did not account for the variation found in females. Retinoids were positively correlated with organochlorines in males and negatively in females. However, pollution levels were moderate and likely to be below threshold levels above that a toxicological response is to be expected. Thus, a cause-effect relationship between organochlorine and retinoid concentrations could not be properly established, and the observed correlation may be the result of an independent association of the two variables with age. Further research on the influence of the best predictor variables on retinoid dynamics is required to implement the use of retinoids as biomarkers of pollutant exposure in cetaceans.

Concise macroscopical atlas of the brain of the common dolphin (Delphinus delphis Linnaeus, 1758) =: [Chen hai tun nao chieh pou chien ming tu chi] (Delphinus delphis Linnaeus, 1758)

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Concise macroscopical atlas of the brain of the common dolphin (Delphinus delphis Linnaeus, 1758) =: [Chen hai tun nao chieh pou chien ming tu chi] (Delphinus delphis Linnaeus, 1758)
Georg Pilleri
Manufacturer: Brain Anatomy Institute, University of Berne
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Concise macroscopical atlas of the brain of the common dolphin: (Delphinus delphis Linnaeus, 1758) = Zheng haizhu nao jiefu jianming duji

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Concise macroscopical atlas of the brain of the common dolphin: (Delphinus delphis Linnaeus, 1758) = Zheng haizhu nao jiefu jianming duji
Georg Pilleri
Manufacturer: Brain Anatomy Institute, University of Berne
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Book Description

Look at a rock: can you see the shadow of a giant boulder or a mountain? That's Suiseki--nature's larger forms repeating themselves in miniature. Here in breathtaking color are magnificent Suiseki stones, and the stunning, imaginative ways they have been arranged and exhibited in parks and gardens. Discover specimens shaped like humans and animals! Learn to create a Suiseki collection--necessary tools and how to display them.

Customer Reviews:

Much More Than a Picture Book..............2005-09-26

I wasn't expecting all the wonderful how-to directions so I can create my own Japanese Stone Garden plus all the great photographs. It's going to be a fun winter project and feel like I will succeed with the great tips in this book.

Rock Art.......1999-12-12

Benz does an incredible job of presenting suiseki in a lovely format with loads of pictures of beautiful suiseki. He also provides the aesthetic and practical levels of the ancient art; right down to the tools need and the frame of mind needed to explore this art. Whether you are a beginner or long time collector, you will find this book a worthy addition to your library. I read the book today and I'm on my way out to the mountains to find a new stone tomorrow.

Book Description

Japan's modern written law is Western. However, this law operates in a society whose values are pre-Western. In order to understand the function of modern law one has to study older systems of law as well. The main phases of Japan's pre-modern legal development are first, the indigenous customary law of the Yamato state. Next, the import and adaptation of Chinese codes from the 7th century onwards. Third, the use of Chinese legal techniques to bring order to the indigenous feudal law, culminating in the thirteenth century, and leading to the independence of Japan's legal system from that of China. Fourth, the mature system of written law and custom of the Tokugawa state. It is owing to the existence of well-functioning channels of law that Japan was able to modernise rapidly. AQ N CF Y PF Y FB October 1995 NFB 96/3 RED AH PRN 400 MU 01-Jan-97

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Japanese history

Chinese Holocaust

Such a great book

The Japanese Nationalists just don't get it.

Nanking's Nazi Buddha

The Good Man of Nanking: The Diaries of John Rabe
John Rabe
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II

American Goddess at the Rape of Nanking: The Courage of Minnie Vautrin

Documents on the Rape of Nanking (Ann Arbor Paperbacks)

The Nanjing Massacre: A Japanese Journalist Confronts Japan's National Shame (Studies of the Pacific Basin Institute)

The Nanjing Massacre in History and Historiography (Asia: Local Studies/Global Themes)

ASIN: 0375701974
Release Date: 2000-03-14

Amazon.com

In November 1937, the Japanese Imperial Army took Nanking (Nanjing), the capital of China and home to 1.3 million people, and began an orgy of murder, rape, and looting. By the time discipline was restored two months later, hundreds of thousands of Chinese were dead, with hundreds of thousands more homeless, starving, and traumatized. The Rape of Nanking, as it is commonly known, still causes international controversy, as Japanese politicians refuse to apologize unequivocally to China and school textbooks continue to misrepresent the events.

Like Oskar Schindler of Schindler's List, John Rabe was an enterprising and fundamentally decent German businessman caught up in war. Head of the Nanjing branch of Siemens, the German electronics firm, he had lived and worked in China for almost 30 years. Rather than flee from the threatened city, he stayed to organize a safety zone as refuge of last resort for Chinese civilians. The Good Man of Nanking is his firsthand description of the terrible events and his ultimate success in saving perhaps a quarter of a million lives. The diary format provides a forum for the extraordinary power and immediacy of John Rabe's words, including his gallows humor, placing the reader there in Nanking as the bombs explode and the Japanese soldiers begin their massacres. Rabe's trials were not over when he returned to wartime Germany; diary entries that he wrote during the occupation of Berlin by the Soviet army form a fascinating coda to this book. --John Stevenson

Book Description

The Good Man of Nanking is a crucial document for understanding one of World War II's most horrific incidents of genocide, one which the Japanese have steadfastly refused to acknowledge. It is also the moving and awe-inspiring record of one man's conscience, courage, and generosity in the face of appalling human brutality.

Until the recent emergence of John Rabe's diaries, few people knew abouth the unassuming hero who has been called the Oskar Schindler of China. In Novemgber 1937, as Japanese troops overran the Chinese capital of Nanking and began a campaign of torture, rape, and murder against its citizens, one man-a German who had lived in China for thirty years and who was a loyal follower of Adolph Hitler-put himself at risk and in order to save the lives of 200,000 poor Chinese, 600 of whom he sheltered in his own home.

Customer Reviews:

Japanese history.......2007-09-01

This is a topic that must be handled gently. We are dealing with peoples emotions and emotions are delicate things. In all wars there are men on both sides who commit crimes. Only a fool would deny that.

"The Good Man of Nanking" is generating a lot of heat; that is why I think it is a good 2nd book to read if you're Japanese, not a good first book. I highly recommend the book (not the DVD) "To End All Wars" by Earnest Gordon. The book was written by a Scottish Army officer who was a prisoner in a Japanese POW camp. After you've read that book then I'd read "The Good Man of Nanking". Everything begins with a first step, including coming to terms with a controversial and sometimes uncomfortable past.

Chinese Holocaust.......2007-05-13

With The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang, this is essential reading for those who would like to know more about the Chinese Holocaust: millions of Chinese civilians murdered by the Japanese form 1931 on.

Such a great book.......2006-04-27

The book shows you what really happened in Nanking from a foreiger point of view. It's such a great book!! I have to salute to the author's courage and integrity.

The Japanese Nationalists just don't get it........2006-04-22

I came across this book when I'm translating first-person acounts of Nanjing Massacre survivors for a new documentary that's coming out in the US. I've read so many people raving about John Rabe, Minnie Vautrin and Father McGee, about how they saved the survivors' lives. I just don't get how there are so many Japanese still denying what had happened. How was it possible for the CCP to pay Rabe to make up stories like that? Some people are just unbelievable! I have several friends who did the JET program and taught English in Japan and they were shocked about how their students still thought Japan was a WWII victim. Many testimonies that I translated called John Rabe and Minnie Vautrin their saviors! Those are heart-wrenching stories, and heart-warming stories as far as how the foreigners in Nanjing really reached out for them. If you still can't open your eyes to the truth, go to the Nanjing Massacre Museum in Nanjing and see the grusome, disturbing photos for yourself - photos taken by American journalists. History is not there to invoke hatred. (Unless the hatred for some reason is there already, and then there's nothing you can do to change it.) History is there for us to learn from our past, so that the atrocity won't repeat itself one day. But if people are too stubborn or self-absorbed to acknowledge history, that's where the tragedy begins, all over again.

Nanking's Nazi Buddha.......2005-05-22

John Rabe was a German businessman, living and working in Nanking when the Japanese invaded and conquered the city in 1937. Rabe had lived in China for 30 years and had risen to the position of senior agent for the German conglomerate, Siemens. He was tasked with selling industrial equipment to the Chinese government, enabling the construction and maintenance of electrical, water, phone, and health care facilities.

As it became clear that Nanking would fall quickly to the invading Japanese army, most Westerners, including Rabe's wife, left for Hong Kong or other safer locations. Rabe chose to stay in Nanking, feeling it his duty to look out for the interests of Siemens and its local stafff. Realizing that Nanking was essentially indefensible and that the Japanese army was bent on ruthless behavior, Rabe and some others, mostly American missionaries, formed an organization to protect refugees and non-combatants.

Rabe was named the head of this International Committee and set out to build international support for the formation of a refugee zone. Ultimately more than 200,000 residents of Nanking were housed in this refugee zone, including about 600 on the grounds of Rabe's own home. Rabe fought the good fight with building support for the zone, communicating regularly with all the embassies and officials, even writing to Hitler at one point. Many attribute the International Committee's work with saving thousands of Chinese lives.

This book is primarily Rabe's diaries. He made entries nearly every day during the 4 months in 1937-1938 that he was in Nanking under Japanese domination. Some additional information to explain the historical context is provided by the author. Rabe quit writing diaries during the war, then restarted with the fall of Berlin.

Rabe spares no detail to describe the inhumane behavior of the Japanese army in Nanking, often including officers. The most horrible rapes, tortures, and murders became commonplace. Japanese soldiers raped young girls with their parents watching, then murdered the lot with bayonets. Nearly every building was looted several times, then frequently burned with the inhabitants inside.

Since Japan and Germany were already allied at this time, Japanese soldiers would give Rabe himself some respect, especially when he waved his Nazi armband and flew his Nazi flag. The other Westerners suffered more, as the Japanese showed no respect for the American or British flags or embassies.

Like many Germans living abroad in the 1930's, Rabe was a Nazi party member. He seems unaware of Nazi atrocities or vile actions, and joined the party primarily because doing so enabled German government financial support for a school that he helped establish in China.

The parallels to Oskar Schindler are clear. Both were party members who accomplished great humanitarian goals in a difficult time. One could draw the distinction that unlike Rabe, Schindler was aware of Nazi atrocities and probably benefited financially from his wartime activities.

Rabe came to regret his Nazi party membership upon his return to Germany. As a party member, after the war he was generally unable to work. At times, the Siemens corporation and individual excecutives would do small favors for Rabe. Very late in his life, he was de-Nazified.

Rabe also had terrible timing; he left war-torn China and made his home in Berlin, suffering under Russian atrocities and near-starvation starting in 1944. Ironically Rabe had been briefly imprisoned and questioned by the Gestapo after he wrote another letter to Hitler about Japanese behavior in China. Rabe received some aid from the Chinese Nationals when Madame Chang Kai Shek heard of his predicament in Berlin.

Overall, this is a very good read. The diary style is a little unusual, as Rabe was clearly writing for himself and his family, and not the general public. He is an excellent author with a keen sense of humor and his role in extraordinary times. The last part of the diaries, set in Berlin under Russian occupation show Rabe depressed and afraid, not knowing how he will support his family.

The Good Man of Nanking: The Diaries of John Rabe

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The Good Man of Nanking: The Diaries of John Rabe
John RABE
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UZZMB2

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