Historical Geology: Evolution of Earth and Life Through Time (with CD-ROM and InfoTrac)

Book Description

HISTORICAL GEOLOGY: EVOLUTION OF EARTH AND LIFE THROUGH TIME teaches students basic geologic principles as well as how scientists apply these principles to unravel Earth?s history. Wicander and Monroe present a balanced overview of both the geological and biological history of Earth as a continuum of inter-related events. These events reflect the underlying principles and processes that have shaped our planet. The authors also explain the historical development of these basic principles and processes, and their importance in deciphering Earth history. Three major themes?time, evolutionary theory, and plate tectonics?are woven together throughout the book. These themes help students link essential material to enhance their understanding of historical geology.

Customer Reviews:

strong explanation of evolution.......2006-02-17

The authors give a strong explanation of biological evolution, from its earliest unicellular origins to the present. Much fossil and DNA evidence is summarised. Including recent findings in fossil digs from the 90s.

They point out that many so-called missing links are not. For relations between genera, families, orders and classes, the intermediate forms ("links") are often present in the fossil record. Amongst the cases cited are the origins of whales and sea cows.

More generally, the book has numerous instances where transitions found in fossils are explained in terms of limbs or bones developing, or suchlike, so that you can clearly see how one fossil is the evolutionary ancestor of another later fossil. As in the early fishes. Where those who developed jaws with bones were then more able to hunt other fishes; a strong evolutionary advantage. While the move onto land is shown in fossils that had fins with muscles. This allowed for propulsion above water, where the original advantage was to let the fish move around under water, in mud or vegetation.

Geology is also emphasised. Often giving rise to various ore and petroleum bodies found today. Plus plate tectonics is shown to account for the continental drifts and the breakup of Gondwanaland.

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Average customer rating:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers
Pants on fire?
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
Very Interesting
History as Science Fiction

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Chinese | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Irish | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Japanese | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Doctors & Medicine | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Lawyers & Criminals | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Love, Sex & Marriage | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Assyria, Babylonia & Sumer | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

Early Civilization | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

General | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

Historiography | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

French | Erotica | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Victorian | Erotica | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Epic | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

German | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Russian | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Spanish | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Chinese | Classics | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Conspiracy Theories | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

War on Drugs | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

English (All) | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books

Science | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books

Online Research | Genealogy | Reference | Subjects | Books

Native American | Earth-Based Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books

History of Science | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books

Magic & Wizards | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Sailor Moon | Popular Characters | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Pilates | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

History | Fashion | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Art Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Biographies | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Children's Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Health Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Romance Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 2913621058

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Voices from Legendary Times: We Are a Bridge Between Past and Future

Average customer rating:

What Part of Our World are we "Doomed to Repeat"?
Are there no editors at iUniverse?
Poorly written but worth the read
Great book
Answers all the questions

Voices from Legendary Times: We Are a Bridge Between Past and Future
Ellen Lloyd
Manufacturer: iUniverse, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

Fairy Tales | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Controversial Knowledge | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

UFOs | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Unexplained Mysteries | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Astronomy | Astronomy | Science | Subjects | Books

UFOs | Astronomy | Science | Subjects | Books

General | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books

History of Science | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Literature & Fiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Religion & Spirituality | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Science | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0595367380

Book Description

About the book: What is the connection between lost civilizations, ancient cosmic catastrophes, and extraterrestrial visitations in prehistory? Voices from Legendary Times draws together compelling evidence from archaeology, astronomy, geology, myths, and ancient texts to prove that superior beings from outer space genetically engineered several human races on our planet. . Examines the flaws in the theory of evolution. . Proves that giants were an important, yet now forgotten part of our history. . Explains what really caused the destruction of highly advanced civilizations and continents like Atlantis, Lemuria, and Thule. . Reveals that our ancestors were familiar with flying machines and nuclear weapons. . Shows proof of extraterrestrial contact in the Bible. In the search for lost origins of humanity, Ellen Llyod demonstrates that races of men have inhabited Earth for millions of years, but not all of them were human. Ancient sources describe the past ages as world cycles. The mysteries of the forgotten past reveal that the humans and all living beings have not been created once, but are products of a continuous re-creation process performed and guided by alien gods. Learn why our history is more startling than we could ever imagine!

Customer Reviews:

What Part of Our World are we "Doomed to Repeat"?.......2007-09-27

We, on this planet, are repeatedly told; "He who forgets the Past, is doomed to repeat It; but, if we have already forgotten "it" "or...never even been told "it", where & how do we even start to get "clue one" about what "it"is? Legendary Times definitely gets a person off on the right foot, gets that foot in the door and that toe in the water! The ancient brought to light, & the public.

Legendary Times puts in one place; stories, facts, legends, recovered artifacts, scientific results, & first person accounts of humanity's origins. This compilation is written for the casual reader, yet still contains good clues for a researcher. If Legendary Times has a downside, it can be said to sort of "trail off towards the end" leaving one wishing for more data.

I bought a copy for a friend and find I am always going back to reference a fact.

Are there no editors at iUniverse?.......2007-09-03

There are a lot of problems with this book but the most glaring are the punctuation, sentence fragments and lack of continuity. If this book was translated from another language into English, where were the proofreaders? I've read lots of books translated from other languages that don't have these irritating mistakes.

With that said, I wonder about the research. Among her many assertions, she states that bones of giants found in CA were re-buried in order to suppress the true history of our origin. How does she know this? Though she has sources listed in the back of the book, there are no footnotes to indicate her source for such conclusions. I would think a mathematician, as the jacket states she is, would be more likely to demand proof. Her off-hand conclusions are not based on any arguments or proof that I found in her writing.

I believe there were civilizations prior to the Egyptian/Mesopotamian civilizations but this book is shallow and offers only wild speculation.

Save your money and eyesight.

Poorly written but worth the read.......2007-02-01

This book would be excellent if it were better written. My guess is that English is not the author's primary language. But beneath the annoyingly dropped words (especially "the"), incomplete and awkward sentences, and randomly placed commas is a wealth of substance. The author makes an excellent case that scholars should take cultural myths and legends more seriously, that there are important truths within the stories.
The tour of mysterious sites around the world, along with other evidence of long-lost great civilizations in our distant past, is relatively comprehensive and interesting. Yes, the "ancient astronauts" theory has for some time now been an object of merciless ridicule, but the ever growing body of anomalous evidence, in my opinion, continues to call conventional notions of human origins into question. Although this poorly written book would never suffice in an academic setting, it most certainly can serve well to introduce the reader to related theories proposed by the likes of Velikovsky, Alford, Hancock, Sitchen, and of course the controversial and giggle-factor encrusted popularizer, Erich von Daniken. If one is willing and able to push aside the ridicule, approach these theories objectively (and also tolerate annoying grammatical errors and typos) for the sake of understanding content, buy Voices, for it serves as a very good compilation of evidence proposed supporting ancient astronauts related claims.

Great book.......2006-08-10

[...]
Voices from Legendary Times by Ellen Lloyd
I have to be honest from the start, I am not a lover of books that deal with visiting "crafts" from outer space as an answer to the mysteries of the past. Ever since reading Daniken's book I always felt that many statements and claims were made without the evidence to back them up, and yet Ellen Lloyd has done a superb job in uncovering a huge and bewildering amount of
data. This is not just a simple tale claiming that ships landed on the pyramids of Giza, no, this is a really good and clever investigation into hundreds of mysteries, from the Hopi indians to the Maya, oh yes, and a really good read.

There are the infamous authors on extraterrestrial visitation such as Sitchin and Daniken with all their flaws and there are many unsung authors such as Ellen Lloyd who deserve to have their voices heard. The simple reason being that Ellen has done more research and uncovered more enigmas than Sitchin and Daniken put together and all this in one book. From the
moment Ellen steps into the "theory of evolution" she had me hooked because I associated with her as she ripped it to shreds. And then, without blinking she moved headlong into a territory many so-called authors would fear to
tread - Atlantis. In her cleverly deduced assumption there was much more to this ancient tale than previously believed - not least of which involved much more advanced technical abilities in ancient times.

Whatever your thoughts on little green men; whether you think there's something at Area 51 or not, you will be hooked by this well-written book that far surpasses the many other ET books I have read before. This is not a "it happened to me" story, but a really serious investigation into areas academics fear to tread and for that alone Ellen deserves applause.
Philip Gardiner, 2006

Answers all the questions.......2006-06-05

As a true supporter of the ancient astronauts' theory, I find this book a great contribution to this field. For me personally, the AAS theory answers all the crucial questions regarding mankind's past. Who are we, were do we come from, who created us and why?
I hope that Ellen Lloyd will keep up her good work and continue where Däniken and Sitchin left off. I look forward to her next book.

Ian Martin,
London, UK

A Walk Through Time: From Stardust to Us--The Evolution of Life on Earth

Average customer rating:

An exciting dance through time.
most interesting book i've read in years!
most interesting book i've read in years!
A global view which necessary means a lack of details
The interconnected web of existence

A Walk Through Time: From Stardust to Us--The Evolution of Life on Earth
Sidney Liebes , Elisabet Sahtouris , and Brian Swimme
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Astronomy | Astronomy | Science | Subjects | Books

Cosmology | Astronomy | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books

History of Science | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Science | Subjects | Books

Natural History | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0471317004

Amazon.com

Every step you take in A Walk Through Time moves you millions of years forward in Earth's history. Inspired by the idea of a one-mile stroll through the evolution of life, Sidney Liebes recruited some terrific writers and artists to create a traveling museum exhibit; A Walk Through Time summarizes the experience in book form, with the help of fascinating photos and intelligent, enjoyable text. The most profound realization along this temporal journey is just how small a part human history plays in the big time line. In the museum exhibit, where one foot equals one million years, human presence takes up all of one-thousandth of an inch; in the book's time line, we merit barely a speck. Our tiniest living fellows--the bacteria and blue-green algae, the amazing arthropods, the merging microbes--are the real stars of the show. Readers are treated to intriguing views of bizarre organisms like tardigrades, velvet worms, and lichens ("Taking everything we know about algae and fungi, we still never would have predicted the outcome of their synergy"), along with the microbes that once ruled the earth. Only at the very end of the line, long after the development of sexual reproduction, after the great Cretaceous extinction, after the development of flight and fur, will you find humans. Taking this walk is a great lesson in perspective, a cautionary tale about hubris and longevity that every human should read. --Therese Littleton

Book Description

Fifteen Billion Years in the Life . . A breathtaking, vibrantly illustrated history of the universe. "A valuable new way to conceive of the immensity of geological time and of organic evolution that has occurred within it. It has broad appeal to the public and will be a useful guide for science educators as well."--E. O. Wilson. "My Walk Through Time was an unforgettable experience, awe-inspiring, and humbling...rich in scientific fact and unexpectedly, exquisite humor."--Jane Goodall. A Walk Through Time is a landmark book, gorgeously illustrating the remarkable drama of the history of the universe, from the furious blast of the Big Bang to the first pulse of life on Earth, and on through the rich pageant of life's evolution from primordial microbes to the rise of Homo sapiens. Spanning 15 billion years, the story of life's greatest mysteries emerges here through 130 beautiful four-color illustrations and an absorbing narrative. Combining the knowledge of three expert authors, the text covers the most up-to-date findings, including new understandings about how the universe coalesced into galaxies and planets; how microscopic animals can survive in such superheated environments as deep-sea vents and inside the Earth's core, and the possibility that water came to our planet from space in the form of millions of tiny comets. A Walk Through Time gives readers a new perspective on awe-inspiring processes that produced us and our place in the universe. The companion to a traveling exhibition developed by Hewlett Packard and the Foundation for Global Community. * Lavishly produced by the team that created The Illustrated Brief History of Time. Brian Swimme, Ph.D. (San Francisco, CA), is a cosmologist and the director of the Center for the Story of the Universe at the California Institute of Integral Studies. He is the author of several books, including The Universe Story. Dr. Sid Liebes (Palo Alto, CA) is a senior scientist at Hewlett-Packard Laboratories. Elisabet Sahtouris, Ph.D. (San Francisco, CA) is an evolutionary biologist and consultant to the United Nations.

Customer Reviews:

An exciting dance through time........2001-01-16

I never had the opportunity to see the "Walk Through Time" exhibition, initiated by Sidney Liebes and supported by Hewlett-Packard, but it must have been a marvelous experience. What rivets my attention in this book, however, even more than the beautiful pictures of the exhibit, is the text written by Elisabet Sahtouris, who expresses her own "cosmovision" with an incomparable eloquence and vitality. While her words are grounded solidly in the most advanced theoretical and empirical evolutionary science, she takes the reader not on a walk but an exciting dance through time. If I were asked to recommend just one book that best told the story of how the universe conspired to bring us into being this would be it. It's a real "roots" story but the roots are not merely those of a particular individual or family or species but of all life, reaching back to the point where time itself loses meaning.

Keith Chandler, author of Beyond Civilization

most interesting book i've read in years!.......2000-09-25

this is the most interesting book i've read in years; prof. liebes presents the history of evolution from stardust to us, at the end of the book one relizes that all of us humans are actually single cells of a larger life form, the planet earth. In an informative and easy to read way, "a walk through time" presents a holistic theory of evolution that emphasises symbiotic co-evolution of geo-bio-matter admidst the theme that while life starts out in a state of competition, all life forms even on a cellular level learn to cooperate, develop symbiotic relationships that enable life to first develop and then evolve billions of years to present day. the glory of the sheer will of all life,(particularly at the cellular level) reminds me very much of shoupenhauer,nieztche,spinoza, henri bergson and hegal. i would recomend this book to all people,especially those who enjoy philosophy and those theologians seeking a more meaning cosmology.

most interesting book i've read in years!.......2000-09-25

A global view which necessary means a lack of details.......2000-01-26

I've just terminated to read this book and it was very interesting in many respects: - The text is well written and a pleasure to read; - Sometimes you have a fact per line, which shows the incredible work done by the author to synthesize a huge amount of knowledge on the subject; - Essential things are said and you'll have doors open for further readings; - The fact that timescale is respected as the text goes on gives a striking perspective of life's evolution over the millions and millions of years; - The first stage of evolution (unicelled creatures) is longly explained; - The incredible role of living creatures (especially bacteria) in shaping our planet is highlighted; - Emphasis is put on the unity of life in it's diversity.

But there are some shortages : - Pictures are of poor print quality; - There is a lack of details, especially after the microbial stage.

Globally speaking, if you want the life's story before animals and plants, it's a good book, but otherwise, the Book of Life by S. J. Gould is better. However, in my opinion, it's a good buy and one can learn many many things by reading this book.

The interconnected web of existence.......2000-01-19

A Walk Through Time - From Stardust to Us - The evolution of Life on Earth.

A Walk Through Time (AWTT) is an incredibly well done book, from all aspects. The artwork and printing make it suitable for display and the content challenges us to re-think our position in the world and the decisions we are making.

The explanation of evolution is both plausible and understandable to the lay person. Yet the mystery of life is not diminished or hidden, so there is more than enough room for those who understand our existence through their love of God.

Beginning more than 5,000 MYA (5,000 Million Years Ago, or 5 Billion Years Ago) we are told, the "universe did indeed begin in an explosion of energy powerful enough to send all matter flying apart for billions of years into the future." From that starting point, AWTT traces with considerable detail the evolution of our living earth of which we are a part. And everywhere the mystery of "the life force" is to be found.

One can read the prose or follow the exhibition text along the bottom of the pages, or take in both to re-enforce what is being explained. Sidney Liebes managed to convince HP of the merits of creating a 1mile "walk through time." That project is staffed by volunteers and has been presented in a dozen venues in three countries. The "exhibition text" mentioned above is from that project.

The final paragraph of the book summarizes the challenge for our existence in this totally interconnected web of life. "Is it possible that a sense of awe, wonder and humility, of origins, place, possibilities, and recovery of a belief in the sacredness of nature, can, and perhaps must, become operational imperatives in guiding humanity into the future? Rather than pondering the illusive purpose of life, can we not accept and appreciate the gift, live the life we are given, respect all life, and preserve options for the future. Though none of us has the power to control the future, each of us is free to determine how we will contribute to the circumstance out of which the future will evolve."

Book Description

Pick up any newspaper and there are articles that relate to science (genetic engineering, cancer research, etc.). This book takes an integrated approach to science to educate readers so they understand the issues and can participate in the debates that will only grow over time. Provides readers with a sound overview of the principles of sciences required to make decisions related to issues such as healthcare, technology, the environment, alternative energy sources, nutrition and medical research. Also examines the social or philosophical issues related to science, such as nuclear waste disposal, the human genome project, and priorities in medical research. It will also have increased coverage of biotechnology and biological examples will be added when relevant. This edition features relevant web sites behind each chapter and all new science news articles to keep current.

Faith, Form, and Time: What the Bible Teaches and Science Confirms About Creation and the Age of the Universe

Average customer rating:

An Introduction to the Beliefs and Science of YECism
Please Read The Book
Articulate anti-science for Biblical literalists.
Something to "Ponder"
Excellent Treatment of a Bewildering View

Faith, Form, and Time: What the Bible Teaches and Science Confirms About Creation and the Age of the Universe
Kurt P. Wise
Manufacturer: B&H Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Science & Religion | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0805424628

Book Description

Darwinian theories of the universe, although mostly rejected by evangelical Christians, have still found their way into creation theology. A concept such as evolutionist creation has watered down much of the Bible's teaching in order to reconcile with popular tenants of science. The whole controversy swirls around the age of the universe.

Dr. Kurt Wise, an associate professor of science and director of the Center for Origins Research and Education at Bryan College, shows from solid biblical teachings and scientific confirmation why young universe creation is correct. Beginning with God and His Word as the standard, Wise demonstrates how the biblical witness teaches that the age of the universe is not as old as Darwinian theory would contend. He also demonstrates how all issues raised by evolutionists can be answered not only by the Bible, but also by scientific data and research, nailing shut macroevolution's coffin.

Customer Reviews:

An Introduction to the Beliefs and Science of YECism.......2007-01-21

Despite its negative aspect, I give this book 5 stars since it is one of the few quality YEC works out there and explains and defends the position quite well. The negative aspect is not enough for me to take a star off the rating.

Positive:
a.) It's easily readable but not dumbed-down.
b.) I love the fact that he starts with God and the Scriptures. Too often, people uncritically accept human autonomy in order to determine their world and life view. Once the colorful wrapping is removed, "Free-Thinker"-ism is no less dogmatic than organized religious belief. That is, it is certainly not devoid of the major presuppositions that everyone brings to their experiences. Although it is the "spirit of the age", history has shown that it is folly to base one's epistemology on science.
c.) It includes a nice discussion of presuppositions in scientific theories. Many people pretend or believe that what scientists say is simply a "brute fact". In reality, the empirical process goes from data to a theory that tries to explain the data.
d.) It goes through a defense of YECism, and not only does he show how YECism can validly reinterpret the evidence to fit Scripture, but also shows that YECism fits the evidence better than other theories. This is especially true when it comes to baraminology. Baraminology explains the strong evidence that a few species are related to each other (and likely had a common ancestor) while explaining the strong evidence that most of life is unrelated (except through its Creator). Rather than being one large tree, life is more like an orchard.
e.) He explains that Creationists still have a lot of research to do with respect to the evidence that doesn't quite fit YECism.

Negative:
Wise states: "If God provided man with everything he needed in order to come to God by logic and/or physical evidence, man would be able to come to Him without faith" (p.13). There are several problems with this statement: 1.) In Romans 1 and elsewhere, it is stated that the existence of God is obvious to everyone, but that men suppress this obvious truth due to their sinful nature. It is God's *promises* that are to be accepted on faith (i.e. belief in something that is hoped for but not seen and this belief can be confirmed by evidence or deductive logic), not His existence. 2.) Many people have seen God and His wondrous works. Do they need to accept God's existence on faith? Take, for example, Adam and Eve. Both had seen God and His wonders, and Adam had seen God make Eve out of his rib. However, the reason that they sinned was that they doubted and disbelieved in God's promises, not His existence.

Please Read The Book .......2005-08-22

Whatever your beliefs, atheistic or theistic 'evolution', it really is worth reading this book and reflecting. Unfortunately some reviewers appear to have failed to either read or reflect. The fact that animals of a certain type change over time into different forms reflects observation. That animals change from 'simpler forms' to 'more complex ones' from one progenitor of everything through to the homo sapiens form of man is a theory. Kurt Wise is quite clear on what he believes to have happened. To those who believe that the Bible is quite happy with carnivorous animals always existing, you have to ask how a world where a human could be attacked and devoured by a fierce carnivore could be 'very good'. Also the restitution at the end envisages the lion lying down with the lamb and children able to play safely with snakes. None of this makes any sense if all these things were the same as now before the fall with 'nature red in tooth and claw'. Kurt Wise also refers to climate and weather systems as well as earthquakes and volcanos. Can an evangelical Christian believe that the violent destructive 'natural disasters' (which kill many many thousands of people) were part of a 'very good' original creation? The views on ice covering, polar magnetic change and distribution of peoples and languages are fascinating and deserve great thought not tacit dismissal. To the reviewer who claimed that it has taken 2000 years to change from Latin to modern Latin based languages, I suggest more study of the history of languages and more study of Kurt Wise's book. There really are no sound theories for the development of the completely different groups of languages other than the direct intervention of God as in the scriptural Tower of Babel.

Articulate anti-science for Biblical literalists........2005-08-17

Those who insist upon using Biblical literalism to martial support their own preferred view of the "end times" will probably enjoy this book, as it appears to have been written with them in mind.

However, those who understand that empirical validation is a necessary condition for truth (in its most useful sense of "reliable knowledge") will probably gag on much of what Dr. Wise has to say.

Something to "Ponder".......2005-07-26

I've read Wise before, and wisely at that. It's one thing to throw around the doctoral degrees you might have achieved, Dr. Ponder, and the wonderful missionary work is admirable if heartfelt. But for a master of linguistics who argues that it takes thousands of years for languages to evolve, so to speak, I am faced with the idea that despite your missionary work, you lack faith. While languages evolve, there was an event, according to the Bible, which transpired at the Tower of Babel. Are you familiar with it, or have your degrees muddied your own waters? I believe that Jesus Himself said in John 5:47- "For if you can't believe what Moses wrote of, how will you ever believe what I say?" Jesus, in that one statement, authenticated the writings of Moses. Frankly, I'm not as concerned with the age of the earth as I used to be. However God did it, God did it. Still, based on the evidence stacked against an old earth, I believe it is a young earth. Furthermore, we cannot hope, with infantile minds, to try and understand the power and creative handywork of the King of the Universe by things we think we've grasped on a collegiate level. Wise is wise, and I believe it's better to be wise than ponder.

Excellent Treatment of a Bewildering View.......2005-04-27

I respect Dr. Wise's credentials, having done my own doctoral work at Stanford, Yale and Georgetown. I also understand his orientation in that I have been a Christian missionary, as has my wife. All that notwithstanding, it is simply bewildering that a person capable of a Harvard doctorate can believe something so monumentally improbable as that dinosaurs and humans lived quite close together in time. I think this owes to a heavily indoctrinated limbic system (mid-brain) that exerts strong emotional control over what Wise's cerebral cortex is able to process. No one would prefer a 6,000-year-old earth more than I, since my church prefers that scenario. But it makes no sense to cram such extensive geological, anthropological, etc., processes into a 6,000-year timeframe. Even the thousands of languages currently spoken could not have developed in only 6,000 years, 2,000 years having been required to produce only a very few languages out of spoken Latin.

Also, the 6,000-year concept comes from the Bible, and only a relatively rudimentary knowledge of history is necessary to know that the Bible stories of creation were back-dated stories concocted by much later "committee work." (See books such as Who Wrote the Bible, and Who Wrote the New Testament to understand how the Bible was put together.) The point is that the belief in a 6,000-year-old earth is an arbitrary concoction, as is adequately explained by the Documentary Hypothesis.

Despite the above comments, however, I think that Wise's book deserves five stars because it is an outstanding presentation of the point of view he takes -- as dramatically improbable as that point of view seems to me.

Dark Life: Martian Nanobacteria, Rock-Eating Cave Bugs, and Other Extreme Organisms of Inner Earth and Outer Space

Average customer rating:

Politics, personalities, and science of the dark world
Geology & Biology Intwined
Damn interesting, heavy on the human drama
Nanobacteria, A New Form of Life and Its Pathology in Humans
Space science can still be an adventure - here's your guide.

Dark Life: Martian Nanobacteria, Rock-Eating Cave Bugs, and Other Extreme Organisms of Inner Earth and Outer Space
Michael Ray Taylor
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Astronomy | Astronomy | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

Collection & Preservation | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

Microbiology | Basic Science | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Spelunking | Outdoor Recreation | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Outdoors & Nature Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Caves: Exploring Hidden Realms (Imax)

ASIN: 0684841916

Amazon.com

The microbes that caver Michael Ray Taylor calls "dark life" are found deep in the earth, in boiling oceanic vents, Antarctic ice, and lots of other places far from the reach of the sun's energy. These "extremophiles" are energy opportunists, subsisting on chemicals, radioactivity, or the faint light of molten rock. The study of these organisms is quite new, and scientists are learning that examining them may provide hints about the possibility of extraterrestrial life. Dark Life is a first-person tour of the places Taylor has looked for archaebacteria and other strange microorganisms--Lechuguilla Cave in New Mexico, the hot springs of Viterbo in central Italy, NASA laboratories, and the halls of academia. Taylor met with passionate scientists searching for answers about how things can live deep in the earth and if they can survive in the unimaginable cold of outer space while hitchhiking on meteors. Dark Life chronicles the triumphs and disappointments of this new field of science with engaging and personal stories.

The steady but frustrating progress of science is never more apparent than in the passages relating to the rise and fall of ALH84001. The potato-sized meteorite from Mars (and the scientists who analyzed it) enjoyed brief but frenzied attention when it was announced that microscopic forms in the rock may have indicated the presence of nanobacteria. But if you're expecting resolution to this question in Dark Life, be warned: to Taylor, it's the journey that's most exciting. --Therese Littleton

Book Description

In a narrative that combines cutting-edge science with intense physical adventure, Dark Life tells the fascinating story of the quest to find life far underground and deep in space.

Able to thrive without sunlight or oxygen, dark life is a mass of subterranean bacteria that would likely tip the scale if weighed against all other living matter combined. Journalist Michael Ray Taylor takes us from Antarctic lakes to Hawaiian volcanoes to the satellites of Jupiter in search of these mysterious underground creatures that are redefining our understanding of evolution.

Taylor serves as a field assistant on several key scientific expeditions. He descends deep into New Mexico's tortuous Lechuguilla Cave and focuses powerful NASA microscopes on never-before-seen life-forms. He accompanies a young NASA intern who unknowingly kicks off a raging international scientific debate when she uncovers traces of dark life in a rock extracted from nearly two miles below Washington State -- traces that appear identical to the "micro-fossils" found in a Martian meteorite. He meets another scientist who has staked his reputation on using dark life to generate a cure for breast cancer. Throughout his adventures, Taylor gains unique insight into a growing controversy about the very definition of life itself -- an issue that scientists had long ago considered settled. Whether he is exploring the structures of a mysterious cell or reconnoitering tropical caves, Michael Ray Taylor is an adventurer for the new millennium.

Customer Reviews:

Politics, personalities, and science of the dark world .......2004-12-18

_Dark Life_ by Michael Ray Taylor was a very interesting book. The author began it writing as a science journalist - having written a previous book on cave exploration as well has having articles published in such magazines as _Audubon_ - but over the course of the two and a half years he worked on this book went from becoming an observer to an active participant, a point he himself made several times in amazement and wonder. Originally he had set out to chronicle what was known about "dark life," microorganisms that dwell far underground or in the deep sea, organisms that derive their nourishment from sources independent of sunlight. These organisms, which have been found in such varied places as salt domes, Antarctic ice cores, and in highly acidic caves, have continually challenged notions of what life can tolerate, organisms so common that they may outnumber surface organisms (indeed Taylor rejected the commonly used term "extremophile" as he believes the term implies that these organisms are a "rare curiosity"). Taylor wrote of the history of the search for these microbes, the personalities involved, and where current research was in the field (as well as possible applications of this research).

Somewhere along the way he became part of the story, as he became the friend and later colleague of several of the researchers he covered. While not a trained scientist per se, at least not in the field of microbiology, he assisted in and even proposed a number of experiments in the search for controversial nanobacteria (microbes with a size of less than 0.2 micrometers, once thought to be too small to be an independent functioning organism or at least too small for a prokaryotic organism, including known bacteria and archaea; not a virus) in a variety of environments, mostly notably Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas. By the end of the book he was regularly exchanging email with researchers, providing samples for them, and even had co-authored a few presentations at various seminars.

Much of the book is focused on personalities - understandable given Taylor's increasing personal involvement in the story himself - though mainly in the context of research on the topic at hand. The main characters (if you will) in the book were Larry Mallory (a scientist who had devoted his career to harvesting and culturing cave microbes in a promising search for a cure for cancer, particularly from microbes from the fascinating Lechuguilla Cave in New Mexico, an interesting place described in great detail in the book), Bob Folk (a colorful scientist who discovered nanobacteria and their presence in a number of substances and had been in the lead in efforts to prove that microorganisms are vital in the formation of travertine in caves and hot springs as well as in some cases at least entire caves and cave systems), and Anne Taunton (an undergraduate student who as part of a NASA internship became embroiled in the efforts to determine whether or not the famed Martian meteorite ALH 84001 contained fossils of extraterrestrial nanobacteria). Others are followed to lesser degrees, among them Finnish nanobacteria expert E. Olavi Kajander, who had done pioneer work showing that nanobacteria may be the possible agents of many maladies such as kidney stones, Alzheimer's, and Mad Cow Disease that involve mineral precipitation in the body. In large measure these and other personalities faced considerable skepticism, criticism, and worse in their studies, as scientists found it hard to accept (in different instances) what was thought of as "impossibly" small bacteria, biological origins for various types of minerals and mineral formations, and the presence of microfossils in ALH 84001. Mallory had to leave his university because he was essentially denied tenure, the administration not believing his study of cave microorganisms important, Folk faced considerable criticism for suggesting that such substances as travertine owed their origins to bacteria, and Taunton (and the team she worked with) had a very difficult time with several scientists - including even her own undergraduate academic advisor - over efforts to demonstrate that the ALH 84001 microfossils were evidence of Martian life or even life of any kind. Although Taylor did a good job of showing the fact there was sometimes intense and even rather personal criticism in science, I don't know if he always showed why people had such a hard time accepting bold new theories. In particular some of the opposition to ALH 84001 fossils was quite heated.

Though much of the focus was on personalities, politics, and the process of research the microbes were much discussed as well, many with bizarre biologies. Some cold-loving organisms were termed "psychrophiles," capable of growth below freezing, at -5 degrees Celsius, organisms that exhibit slower metabolisms at temperatures above freezing and death at anything approaching human body temperature (organisms that for years - like many other examples of dark life - proved difficult to study and culture in the lab). Some organisms found in apparently solid rock two miles deep, existing only on hydrogen and water, have unbelievably slow metabolisms, appearing to divide cells no more than once per century. Though many caves and indeed individual pools in caves produced unique microorganisms there were also astonishing similarities; the closest relatives to some sulfur-oxidizing thermophilic (heat-loving) bacteria from a cave in Kentucky were found to be a sulfur-oxidizing, symbiotic bacterium from a deep sea polychaeta worm, a relationship that has not yet been explained.

At least as far as this reader is concerned Taylor made his case that nanobacteria exist, that they are key in the formation of some minerals and many caves, and I am very open to the idea that ALH 84001 may indeed contain Martian microfossils. I enjoyed reading about the discussions scientists had about whether or not subsurface Antarctic lakes such as Lake Vostok and Jovian moon of Europa might have dark life and hope that both can be analyzed in the not too distant future.

Geology & Biology Intwined.......2001-05-21

For starters I will never look at my mineral collection quite the same again. Dark Life has shown that nanobacteria (only recently confirmed)is the absolute frontier of a new world. Minerals and "life" coexist and the nanobacteria "feed" upon the chemical compositions of minerals. The scientific world will be turned on its' head in the near future as a whole new science emerges. This book is easy to understand for those of us who aren't scientits but who are interested. As one who also has Multiple Sclerosis the possible connection with nanobacteria and mineral plaques in the brain was astounding as I read it.

Damn interesting, heavy on the human drama.......2001-01-21

I read this book after buying on a discout shelf in some clearance book seller. It was a pleasant surprise. It, as I wrote in the title, a little heavy on human drama and soap operatic themes. The science behind it is absolutely interesting and has spurred me to read further on the topic of nanobacteria. This is a great starting out book, but not a great book for those reading for the science of it.

Nanobacteria, A New Form of Life and Its Pathology in Humans.......2000-10-16

Nanobacteria have been researched by many prominent scientists worldwide. This book looks at the findings of scientists with respect to Nanobacteria and the science of Geology. Nanobacteria, specifically Nanobacterium Sanguineum, have been studied by scientists and medical researchers as they pertain to causing human disease or Pathology as well. Nanobacterium Sanguineum is a Nanobacteria that is approximately 10,000 times smaller than regular bacteria. It replicates from 1000 to 10,000 times slower than regular bacteria as well. It grows in the human system in blood, and has been found by various medical researchers and scientists to cause many human problems. Some of the various diseases that it has either been implicated to be involved with or to cause are: Calcification in atherosclerotic plaque, kidney stones, calcification in the lenses of eyes that ultimately causes "cataracts", soft tissue calcification in scleroderma, calcification in tumors, calcification in arthritis or osteoarthritis and other pathological disease states in humans. These Nanobacteria colonize and secrete a "biofilm" over themselves that causes them to be covered by a calcium "shell". These Nanobacteria are implicated to be the cause of all calcification in the human system that you were not born with, that you subsequently develop as you age. These Nanobacteria are also implicated in causing some forms of cancer and "apoptosis" or cell death. Scientists are now working on ways to eradicate Nanobacterium Sanguineum with prescription medications. Please keep your eyes open for further research regarding Nanobacteria. Try surfing on the web for "nanobacteria". Sincerely, Gary S. Mezo, President of the Academy of Medical NanoScience, Tel:813-264-2241.

Space science can still be an adventure - here's your guide........1999-12-02

This book documents journeys of discovery and transformation at several levels. It documents a journalist's personal journey from observer to active participant. It also serves as a chronicle of the journeys being taken by scientists all over (and underneath) the Earth and across our solar system to obtain an understanding of life's amazing ability to exist and thrive in the most improbable places.

The author starts out as a spelunking (cave exploring) science journalist and ends up as an active participant in the science he had originally set out to cover. In so doing he has provided an interesting mix of observer and participant perspectives. Being a seasoned cave explorer, the author is at home and adept at describing the techniques and hazards of natural laboratories such as Lechuguilla Cave located in New Mexico.

Astrobiologists have found caves to be excellent laboratories for the extreme environments that may be found on other worlds such as Mars. Moreover, the amazing adaptations Earth life has made to these environments also serve as indicators of what is possible in terms of life's ability to adapt - and may be indicative of what we might find underneath Mars. Getting around in these caves is not your run of the mill field trip. Sulfurous and caustic fumes, anoxic conditions, temperature extremes, risk of injury, and a myriad of other hazards all combine to make these explorations something that only skilled individuals should undertake. In so doing, the rewards to the risk takers are obvious - and are thoroughly documented by the author.

There is much more to this book than crawling around stinky caves with excited astrobiologists. There is tedious work back at the lab, and the inevitable politics that accompanies academic life and government-sponsored research. Given that the discoveries being made about life in extreme environments are brushing aside long held views about biology, the politics can get rather nasty at times. The author provides a cogent description of what happens when the politics and dogma of science collide with new data and ideas. As you read this book you can almost hear the old paradigms crumbling as life's very definitions get an overhaul.

In describing some of the research done at NASA on the ALH84001 Martian meteorite, Taylor provides a classic description of paradigm crumbling - and the threat it can represent to the status quo. The events described surround the work of a student involved in a career-making discovery (possible fossils within a piece of Mars) and an advisor who disputes the findings and seeks to thwart her education at every turn.

While not nearly as dramatic, the author describes many other situations wherein old accepted notions about what life is and where it can be found are challenged. As you travel around - and under - the world with Taylor, you learn about life at abyssal ocean depths, within rocks miles under the Earth's surface, in the cold dry Antarctic, within volcanic deposits, and within highly radioactive environments. Such are the abodes of Earth's so-called "extremophiles".

If astrobiologists have learned anything in the past decade or so, it is that Earth life is capable of existing everywhere that it can theoretically exist. Since some of these "extreme environments" may well pass for "normal" elsewhere in the solar system, the chances of finding life elsewhere start to become quite probable. It is that exciting prospect which is woven by the author throughout the fabric of this book.

The author has gone to great physical extremes to write this book - and it shows. If you want a status report on how astrobiologists are using the Earth as a laboratory for what life may be possible on other worlds, this is it. Moreover, if you are looking for proof that science can still be a bona fide adventure in this Internet-shrunken world, then this book offers that as well.

Customer Reviews:

Science Revealed.......2001-09-12

The significance of this book was analyzed in a
Scientific way.The main purpose for the Earth
around us istelf,is amazing to feel,touch,and
smell.Every little detail counts for the main
plot for this book,that I've discovered reading
the book.Earth,today is a beautiful place to live,
no matter where you are.Not just the Earth,but the
atmosphere that was diagnosed in the contents of the
book,is astonishing in every section of the book.
We might have suffered through the Earth's Natural
Disasters,but the Earth always stands still,and
breathes with us.

In the Spirit of the Earth: Rethinking History and Time

Average customer rating:

Interesting book, interesting man
Watch out for the trickster
the Indians knew about quantum physics
This book changed my life: former student of the author.

In the Spirit of the Earth: Rethinking History and Time
Calvin Luther Martin
Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Historiography | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Human Geography | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Environmental Science | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Outdoors & Nature Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Outdoors & Nature | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Science | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0801847095

Book Description

This meditation by an award winning historian calls for a new way oflooking at the natural world and our place in it, while boldly challenging theassumptions that underlie the way we teach and think about both history andtime. Calvin Luther Martin's In the Spirit of the Earth is a provocativeaccount of how the hunter-gatherer image of nature was lost--with devastatingconsequences for the environment and the human spirit.

According to Martin, our current ideas about nature emerged during neolithictimes, as humans began to domesticate animals and farm the land. In thehunter-gatherer mind, animals and plants were spiritual beings and the earth areliable provider. But in neolithic innovations Martin finds the roots of ourown curiously alienated relationship with other living things and with theearth itself. This alienation is revealed not only in our artifice--thetechnology that moves us further and further away from nature--but even in theway we speak about the world. It is revealed most dramatically, perhaps, inthe horrific destruction we have visited on animals and landscapes. Martin sees the shift to agricultural economies as a change in spiritual imagination. This new approach to food getting meant a new understanding ofourselves and the world--a new, powerful image of the self relative to plantsand animals. It led to food surpluses, a population boom, the appearance ofcities and ceremonial centers, and the emergence of priestly classes and rulingelites--in short, to all the achievements, follies, and horrors of"civilization."

Martin argues that history--his own discipline--and human centered historicalconsciousness lie at the heart of this ultimately destructive ideology. Notions of order and progress, of a chosen people and linear time, fuel oursense that the world is ours to improve, exploit, and even destroy. We need torediscover the wisdom and sanity of less presumptuous ideas of nature--aprocess that demands a much larger narrative than historians have been writingand telling. Without calling for a return to hunting and gathering, Martinasks if some of what we lost--or left behind--in the distant past might bereclaimed and used again. To make peace with the earth. To make peace withourselves.

"Many will respond with that oft heard reply, But we cannot go back!To which I respond, But we never left--never left our true, real context, thatis. Homo is still here on this planet earth, abiding in our most fundamentaland necessary nature by its fundamental and necessary terms. We left all ofthat only, really, in our fevered imagination. It all began as an act ofimagination, an illusory image--most fundamentally, an image of fear--and so thecorrective process must likewise begin with an image. Let us re-learn, as hunter-gatherers knew to the core of their being, that this place and itsprocesses (even in our death) always takes care of us--that Homo's citizenship,and errand, rest not with any creed or state, but with 'that star's substancefrom which he had arisen.'"--from In the Spirit of the Earth

Customer Reviews:

Interesting book, interesting man.......2002-03-02

Don't pay attention to Trickster. If you've ever had a course on Native-American mythology you'd know what a trickster is. There is nothing in this book about quantum physics.

I was fortunate enough to have Calvin Luther Martin as a professor at Rutgers. I took one of his Native-American courses for fun and it was just that. Wildly fun. He was easily my favorite professor at Rutgers. He is a fantastic story-teller and if he's ever lecturing in your area by all means try to catch him. His lectures had a campfire-like atmosphere. That's how intimate and magical they felt. He would roam up and down the aisles of the lecture hall and speak in a soft yet energetic voice. This man is the definition of eloquence.

This book is a very interesting read. Even though it's been about 8 years since I was first assigned to read it I've read it several times since then. Each time I pick it up I see something that I missed in the previous read. This is one of those books that you can't benefit from unless you've read it at least twice. The book will eventually blow your mind if you read it enough. It makes you look at history from a completely different perspective. That is no small feat.

Watch out for the trickster.......2001-11-09

Just a note: the "review" by Trickster is just that, a con job.

the Indians knew about quantum physics.......2000-09-06

CHI-HO! Enter the mass of CLM and hear the gospel that you have ignored. Yes, you heard it here first--the Indians knew about quantum physics, but their knowledge of arcane physics was not enough to stop their destruction by the white man. Learn about superpositioning: this when Indians would teleport forward or backward in time (because time is cyclical). There is also a helpful section on painting oneself up like a tribal warrior of the past. My gripe with the book is that Mr. Martin has left out a crucial facet of Indian history--the smashing of the teleportation machines by the early Dutch settlers. This fact cannot be ignored in any survey of the period. CHI-HO!

This book changed my life: former student of the author........1998-01-10

As a student of Calvin's at Rutgers University this review is not without bias, and yet to call it a stirring book, and to pronounce Calvin a profound thinker is not gratuitous enough. This is a book which engages the metaphysics of Native American occupation of North America as a means to critique the Western understanding of human spatial and temporal existence. It is both historical and philosophical as it seeks to reevaluate the relationship between human beings and the "place" they inhabit. Calvin is one of those individuals who has the power to change the way you see yourself in relationship to the world around you; "In The Spirit of the Earth", contains this power.

A Place on the Glacial Till: Time, Land, and Nature Within an American Town

Average customer rating:

The best bioregional biography I've seen
beautiful use of language pulls the reader into nature

A Place on the Glacial Till: Time, Land, and Nature Within an American Town
Thomas Fairchild Sherman
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

North America | Travel | Subjects | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Outdoors & Nature Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Travel Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 0195104420

Book Description

It was one of Thoreau's great rules of life that any pond, or lake, or stream contains the reflections of the entire world within it--that one can see and know and feel more at one's own doorstep than hurried travels will ever reveal in the far corners of the earth. A place for sensing the wonder of the world could be any place, for all have shared a common journey that has made the earth our home. To listen from any spot is to hear the quiet echoes of a billion cycles around the sun. In A Place on the Glacial Till, Thomas Fairchild Sherman writes about the history of the life and land around his long-time home in Oberlin, Ohio, offering a quiet message that speaks to us wherever we are: that all time and nature abide within the rocks and soil, with connections, beauty, and meaning as deep as history and as broad as human understanding. The area surrounding Oberlin has a rich and varied past, and Sherman weaves together old and new findings from geology, archeology, and ecology to remind us of its elemental roots. Over the millennia this region of north central Ohio has been a barren, glacier-covered land mass; a sea bed teeming with marine life; the homeland of the Adena, Hopewell, and Erie peoples; a part of the Connecticut Western Reserve; and the home of a small, distinguished college dedicated to music and the arts and sciences. The land today holds all the wildernesses of its past, and all the dreams and aspirations of those who have lived upon it. Reminiscent of the meditative prose of Annie Dillard and the environmental writing of John McPhee, A Place on the Glacial Till recalls a multitude of studies of time and nature and joins them in a new appreciation of the land and its meaning for our lives.

Customer Reviews:

The best bioregional biography I've seen.......1999-10-08

Sherman's excellent book was recommended to me by a colleague while I was preparing to teach a college course in bioregional biographies, and it is clearly the best I've seen. His rendering of geological, botanical, and biological information is both lucid and lyrical, and--unlike David Raines Wallace, whose Klamath Knot is also a wonderful model of this sort of writing--Sherman needs no incidental narrative device to hold the layers of deep history together. Mr. Sherman is a gifted writer and naturalist, and A Place on the Glacial Till is clearly a classic of natural history writing.

beautiful use of language pulls the reader into nature.......1998-12-31

The author manages to make his various topics (glaciers and their effects on our world here in Ohio, development of flora and fauna of the region through history, etc.)very accessible to the lay person. He has a sense of humour about nature and a beautifully descriptive eye.

Books: