1 comments about Biology: Life on Earth with Physiology (8th Edition).

1. Even though I was told it had a dent in the spine, it was so small and at the bottom of it that I had to look very close to the book spine to see it. It was in better condition. It also showed up at the given dates.

5 comments about Evil Genes: Why Rome Fell, Hitler Rose, Enron Failed and My Sister Stole My Mother's Boyfriend.

1. There are two accepted definitions of the term "Machiavellian." To be cunning, scheming and unscrupulous in politics or the advancement of one's career is the first and most well known. Of or concerning Niccolo Machiavelli is the second. The second is correct but is a tautology. The first is understandable, but misleading.
   
   This book attempts to invent a new definition that is neither correct nor understandable. "Successfully sinister" is meant by the author to be a synonym for her idea of what it is to be "Machiavellian." What she is concerned with are degrees of human villainy and placing each villain in one of two categories of either effective in the pursuit of a villainous goal or ineffective in that achievement.
   
   I find "Machiavellian" to be objectionable as a metaphor for villainy because Niccolo Machiavelli did not counsel politicians or careerists on how to be villains. He told them that they would have to be willing to lie sometimes, to be deceptive at times, in order to be successful and remain in power. He counseled that a Prince may have to do dastardly things at times to keep general peace in the realm and placate the passions of the people.
   
   None of this was intended to foment evil. It was instead a simple recognition that the people themselves are not angels, that they are a mixture of good and evil, and that in 16th Century florence a naive do-gooder would run a substantial risk of losing his head or being burned at the stake, or at the least sent packing in failure.
   
   A true and accurate definition of "Machiavellian" is to have a profound understanding of human nature and mass culture in medieval Europe and to be in a position to advise contemporary rulers on how to save their own necks and to succeed in their office. The Prince in Florentine politics did not need to have evil genes, in fact it would probably be better if he didn't. He would, however, have to be willing to do some things sometimes that he might not like to do if he does not have "evil genes." The Florentine Prince may have had a noble goal in mind, but needed to understand that less than noble means might be required in order to achieve it.
   
   This definition of Machiavellian is the accurate one and it has little to do with the subject matter of Oakley's book. Her characters do not pursue noble goals. They either pursue evil for its own sake or invariably chose evil means to advance their interests. Machiavelli never advocated any such thing. She should have found a more descriptive term.



2. This book offers not a shred of evidence for its thesis, which is that extremely immoral behavior must be caused by "evil genes." She creates an imaginary personality type she calls "Machiavellianism," associates it with certain emotions, and claims that we can now see pictures of these in brain scans, so they must be genetic. None of this follows, and there is plenty of evidence that all of us have all the genes we need to be Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde or anything in between. "I could never do that," we think, reading about the Virginia Tech shooter. Oh yes, we could.



3. Three or four times a year I come across a book so compelling that I bubble over telling friends about it and impulsively read passages aloud to my long-suffering husband. Evil Genes is such a book.
   As the book description says, Barbara Oakley began getting really interested in what makes people evil when she read her dead sister's diaries. For many people this would be the end of the story, but, being an engineer, and therefore analytically inclined, and a linguist, and therefore verbally inclined, Ms. Oakley delved into what the latest in psychology and brain science can tell us about what goes on in the brains of really evil people. And then she wrote about it in a way that laymen like me can understand.
   I probably learned more about brains and mental pathology in this book than in any single other book I have read. I can now impress my friends with terms like "polygeny" and "gaslighting." The information provided is sufficiently advanced that I even told a psychiatrist friend things he didn't know!
   In addition to the pure science, however, the book contains fascinating analyses of the minds of leaders like Chairman Mao and Winston Churchill (not that she implies Sir Winston was evil) and concludes that a touch of deviance might be helpful for personal success.
   Anyone with an interest in science or history is likely to find Evil Genes an unusual and fascinating read. Let me warn, however, that this IS a book of science and presents what is known at the present level of the science; it does not offer uninformed speculation. Some other reviewers seem disappointed at the lack of conclusions; they will just have to wait until science catches up with our desire for answers.



4. The author's theory explains the words and actions of Barack Obama. He is extremely narcissistic and self-righteous. When confronted with his contradictory ideas and conduct, he blames others. Apparently he has inherited "evil genes" from both his white mother and his black father. The public knows that he has thrown his white grandmother, Rev. Wright, and a Catholic priest under the bus. But the public does not know whom else he has sacrificed. There is enough evidence of psychopathic behavior and borderline personality disorder to warrant an examination by experts. But it is unlikely that the major news organizations will hire scientific experts to analyze and evaluate his conduct because they fear that his campaign will call them "racist". That fear outweighs the possibility that uninformed and well-intentioned voters may elect a psychopath as president.



5. Another reviewer put this book in the same class as works by Oliver Sacks. I hardly think that this kind of "Sunday supplement" journalism -- written by an amateur with no formal training in genetics, neuroscience, or psychiatric diagnosis -- should be compared to the careful, methodical thinking of someone like Oliver Sacks.
   
   Oakley's book is motivated by her deep desire to create a narrative that explains her own personal/family history. For whatver reason, she finds a "scientific" narrative to be the most comfortable. Starting from that basis, she creates a large, shakey structure that (miraculously) ties her "evil" sister to the likes of Hitler, Machiavelli, and Slobodan Milosevic.
   
   What's appalling is that someone with legitimate engineering credentials would jump to the kinds of unfounded conclusions that Oakley reaches in this book.
   
   Finally, this probably would have been a two-star review instead of a one-star, except that the author's writing style is so abysmal.

5 comments about Alcamo's Fundamentals of Microbiology, 8th Edition.

1. Now in an updated and expanded seventh edition, Alcamo's Fundamentals Of Microbiology by Jeffrey C. Pommerville (Professor of Biology and Microbiology at Glendale Community College) is a solidly written and comprehensive life science text designed specifically for college students. Individual chapters address bacterial diseases of humans, physical and chemical means to control microorganisms, microbiology's relevance to key public health issues, and much more. The explicit and easy-to-follow text offers a thorough and in-dept indoctrination into this vital body of scientific knowledge. A superb reference or instructional text especially for students (and also for professionals or even non-specialist general readers seeking to brush up their understanding), Alcamo's Fundamentals Of Microbiology is a vital and welcome contribution to Biological Studies reference shelves.



2. a lot of info but it is broken down into bonehead terms.....



3. this is the best science book in the world, and i don't even like science. the book keeps me entertained and i love it. i love it so much i am not going to re-sell it after my class ends and save money. I would rather keep the book.



4. This book is easy to read for a science text and has pretty good descriptions and pictures. I'm using it for an Intro to MicroBio class and it suits me well. I was a little shocked that it did not come with a CD or an online website supplement, but I guess that helps keep costs down (A book like this for only $100 brand new is great).
   
   Recommended



5. I was a little disappointed in the fact that the information from the seller said it was a new book (not used at all) and when I got it there were pencil marks underlining in a few of the chapters. Otherwise the actual condition of the book was great.

3 comments about Essentials of Oceanography (9th Edition).

1. Whether you are a serious student of oceanography or, like me, a curious inquirer, you are going to love this book. In fact, once I began reading, it was difficult to close the cover! This book could easily be subtitled "Adventure in the High Seas." Rarely have I read a textbook that combines an engaging style with a scholarly approach that leaves me feeling both truly informed and amazed. I discovered all kinds of interesting facts and theories (deepest part of the world's oceans - the Challenger Deep, part of the Mariana Trench, at 36,163 feet), geological history (the ocean is 4 billion years old yet the oldest ocean floor is only 180 million years old), and astronomical physics (the moon has over two times the tide-generating effect as the sun though it is much smaller).

   From helpful hints on serious subjects such as how to escape rip currents to funny stories about plastic bathtub toys (ducks, turtles and frogs) that were lost overboard from a container ship and provided valuable scientific data on ocean currents, I found it all fascinating. The book includes generous amounts of color graphics showing beautiful underwater scenery and marine life as well as colorful maps and aerial photos (for instance, the image depicting wave effects on the shoreline). Each chapter ends with exercises, extensive references, suggested additional reading and recommended web sites to visit. Though the glossary is extensive, I particularly liked the use of the short word derivations that appear frequently throughout the text such as Bathyscaphe (bathos=depth, scaphe=a small ship), thus saving numerous trips to the dictionary.

   The book is written as a college-level text for first year oceanography students. Instructors will find an impressive instructional package available from the publisher that includes such things as slides, transparencies, a companion web site reference and an instructor's manual. Read this book and you will agree that it is clearly a five star work.




2. This book that I purchased was very much like a brand new book!!! Thank you so much for making this available. It saved me about $60!



3. I bought the 9th version. I got the 4th. I tried to return it, but the seller wouldn't go for it..
   
   Lost 55 bucks :(
   
   Real scetchy about Amazon.com now.

2 comments about Human Anatomy And Physiology.

1. I love this book because it is extremely thourough. When I was in anatomy class I had to teach the course to myself because the professor never taught anatomy. So I studied from this book and I got an A in the course. It gets in depth about the macroscopic AND microscopic anatomy and describes the anatomy/physiology/functions/and detailed pictures.



2. The text is well written. The study guide is extremely helpful. The ADAM interactive CD set is a MUST. It is awsome at explaining visually what the book and study guide put in writing.

No comments about Hole's Essentials of Human Anatomy & Physiology.

5 comments about The Dominant Animal: Human Evolution and the Environment.

1. Paul and Anne Ehrlich's THE DOMINANT ANIMAL is not only the most sensible and up-to-date book I've read about sustainability; it's also well organized and well written, a true delight to read. As the bad news increasingly piles up -- mass extinctions on land and in the oceans, decreased availability of cheap energy, increased unemployment, floods and droughts leading to crop failures, polar ice caps melting, and famines, to mention only a few -- it becomes crucial that we quickly make informed and sensible choices. THE DOMINANT ANIMAL provides well researched and balanced pros and cons about the most important issues facing us today. I can only agree with the solutions the authors favor, from the unbridled consumption issue (my current line of work) to their analysis of nuclear energy, pp. 306-308 (pertinent to my past life as a physicist). Though the news are grim, I have great hope that if books such as this are widely read we'll be able save ourselves and our grandchildren from a very harsh future that is already encroaching on us.



2. I was fortunate to get a copy of the Ehrlich's new book while teaching a summer course on global climate change in the United States. My job would have been much easier if the students had all had an opportunity to read "The Dominant Animal" when they entered college. It is the best summary I have ever seen of how the world works - what every Australian (and citizen of any country) should know about why human beings came to dominate the planet, and the threat that dominance now poses to our environment. The discussions of genetic and cultural evolution, processes basic to how we took over the world, are clear and compelling, and the summary of the environmental predicament completely up to date and the best I have ever seen. It's a fine read, even if it won't leave you cheered up - but at the end the Ehrlichs do show us how we might escape



3. The Dominant Animal is very succinct and puts
   into perspective what everybody should know about Homo sapiens and "our" omnipresent, modifying
   effects on the whole biosphere and every living thing in it!
   Who better than Paul and Anne Ehrlich could make that point, and write it in a meaningful, non-condescending way which readers can grasp, understand, and maybe even think and act accordingly?



4. For this I reference the many predictions made by Mr. Ehrlich over the years which have, well, let's face it, not come to pass.
   
   Mr. Ehrlich, your crystal ball is broken. Maybe you should just stick to the butterflies.



5. The Green Movement is being herded like cattle and sheep. Guided blindly and controlled by a new, new "TERROR". As science has become a new religion with new priests wearing coats of white.
   
   "So long as the rulers are comfortable, what reason have they to improve the lot of their serfs?"- [3rd Earl] Lord Bertrand Russell, 1952 (p61) "The Impact of Science on Society" on how 'the scientific technique' is used on the world's populations then, now and in the future.
   
   This book is a must read in only that people must know who the author is and what his views are Dr. Erhlich's quotes from his mentor, Charles Darwin in his books. A progenator of eugenics thought through Darwinism and Malthusian beliefs. He also quotes indirectly, Charles Galton Darwin, (The Next Million Years). The grandson of Charles Darwin and close relative of Francis Galton, an admitted racist and eugenicist. Close friends to the Famous Huxley Family including Julian Huxley, a evolutionist and humanist himself and the fisrt Director-General of UNESCO and writer of "The Crowded World" calling for a "World Population Policy".
   In the beginning of Dr. Erhlich's interview on NPR, The Diane Rehm Show 7-24-08.
   
   He proudly professes that he was sorrowly wrong and disgruntled in predicting that more poor, hungry and sick people had not died from the Mid-1970's until now. Whilst being wrong he happily admits that HIV/AIDS and other resistant disease were however discovered. He praises his belief in a World Wide Communistic China solution to all our problems. This man is an American, Right?.
   His foundation backed opinions are very frightening! His theories and suggestion follow the mainstream thought of global warming as being caused by man but never mentioning that amongst the main causes. Which I believe are cyclical and effected by the greediness of the world's richest individuals and sometimes purposefully as the weather can be controlled effectively and efficiently in today's world by many nation's but its this looming concocted notion and concept that the blame is caused by the ordinary person.
   
   These ordinary persons would have been more than willing to use alternative methods of energy production long ago. Which have been around for many decades but oil is their favorite flavor. It's revenues generate bloodshed, war, power and ultimate control and possibly in the end destiny of mankind itself. The overtone this book and his previous book "The Population Bomb" will give a glimpse into the mind of those whom say they would rather save a tree or cat than a human soul.
   
   Educated Mankind has become too many, too fast, too soon for the wealthy's comfort. Larger numbers of ordinary individuals are becoming more aware that our predicament is anything but happenstance and natural. A chain of events beyond our control. Which when very carefully researched provides evidence to the contrary. That is that we have been, for quite a while a long while very insidiously and intentionally guided towards this idea of accepting population reduction.
   
   The rich and wealthy of the world have the largest families but you will be told to believe differently. It's the poor! You know those who can barely afford food and shelter than arriving to the point of owning a car and filling it with petroleum. The Elitist plan is to rid themselves of those nolonger needed. A working population that has out lived their purpose and usefulness.
   
   Remember, we are now post-industrial. A service economy. Production in this nation alone was willing sent to China. There is but one place to go and that is tyranny to control a wiser much knowledgeable nation and world.
   
   Read, but read objectively with an opened mind and be aware. Be very aware of his kind and their plans for YOU. Then ask yourself who funded this book and dvd project.
   *** I highly suggest reading "Foundations: Their Power and Influence" and going to the UN's website to read and download "AGENDA 21" as the UN controls World Policy but its members are not elected by any citizens or the people of the Nation States Members and never will be.

5 comments about Evolutionary Analysis.

1. There's not much to say. The book isn't confusing because the material is too technical--it's often confusing because the author doesn't go in enough depth; it's frustrating when a crucial concept is presented, such as Hamilton's Law, but no examples on its applications are put forth. I find myself frequently searching the internet to suppliment this textbook. It also doesn't help that the book doesn't come with a cd-rom, or any additional material, unless you purchase the teacher's edition...reading this textbook makes me yearn for Campbell.



2. I have used all three earlier editions of this text for my undergraduate 'Evolution' course (I am a college Professor of Biology) and have witnessed the various changes made over the years. The new version has updated much of the information on molecular evolution; the authors should be commended for their very thorough literature review. With the veritable explosion of research into evolutionary phenomena, this must be difficult indeed! The initial chapter on HIV still remains a wonderful introduction to your typically "human oriented" undergraduate and serves to generate interest in the topic early on. The phlogeny/evolutionary tree chapter was moved earlier to the "Introduction" part of the text; not sure why this was done. It was also nice to finally see mention made of reaction norms in the 'Adaptation' chapter (at last!), but there are still no examples of phenotypic plasticity from the vast botanical literature. The 'Evolution and Human Health' chapter is excellent for the medical student. Rather oddly, the important topic of speciation is near the book's end (Chapter 16) and glosses over the many fine examples from the plant evolution literature (polyploid speciation is virtually ignored, except for two paragraphs on p.159). My students are fascinated by the 'evolution of wheat' story, but don't look for that example of speciation here.
   
   My primary complaint with this, and the preceding editions, is still the overwhelming amount of extraneous detail. How I wish I could use my editorial hand on this one! Does an undergraduate student really need over 20 pages on linkage disequilibrium? Are the final details of QTL mapping really necessary at this level of student education? Do we really need 4 pages on the 'fallacy' of the bell-curve (interesting advanced topic, but...) Also, there is an over abundance on phylogeny and systematics (useful for the future molecular systematist, but probably just confusing to the general biology major).
   
   In any event, a great book, a little overwhelming, but well written and free of errors...I'll probably order the lastest (4th) edition anyway for the next 'Evolution' class...



3. For an eager young mind, anxious to understand more about the evolutionary theory, this book is both scientifically and intellectually disappointing. The book reads more like a commentary than a textbook, organizing theoretical thoughts from numerous publications. Its principles that are supposed to explain the "backbone of all biology" will leave you with more questions than answers. Even the questions that the author proposes, e.g. in Ch 3, are not adequately answered. I have many question marks scribbled in the margins of this book, not because of my lack of understanding, but because there is so little support for the propositions that they make.
   
   For a book that is written against non-scientific "Intelligent Design" theories, this sure forces you to make a lot of assumptions in order to swallow the holistic picture down- and I'm not buying it.



4. This book is well written and actually not bad as far as text books go.



5. The book was in perfect condition and it was shipped on time. Overall good purchase.

5 comments about Animal Speak: The Spiritual & Magical Powers of Creatures Great & Small.

1. It is one of those kind of books that you always keep handy and take on trips. I know that with time it will have curled pages, yellow highlights, and frayed edges from all of the frequent use as a resource of information. The more you study the meaning of the animal, the more it will come to visit you! I have hummingbirds visiting me often!



2. I found this book to be most interesting and yes at being almost an inch thick..and being a busy mom and not the fastest reader..Im still reading. If one is simply wishing to fill a bookshelf then that would be a major waste..but for really wishing to learn new things and go for improvement and appreciation of life ..of all it's intended richness..this is a great book.



3. The book was recommended to me by an animal totem reader. Explains the totems in depth. Good reference book for those seeking additional information regarding animal totems.



4. Excelent book, easy reading, diagrams and ilustrations hepls undertanding. A step by step introduction to power animals and the mystery and magic of mystic life, and how you can use it in our own life to heal or improve it.



5. This is by far, my most useful and favorite book. I cannot believe that one person can know so much. Unreal. I highly recommend it for anyone with an interest in animal symbolism.

4 comments about Essential Biology, 3rd Edition (Campbell Biology Websites).

1. Campbell and Reece are best known as the authors of the hefty and excellent "Biology", now in it's 6th edition used by undegraduate biology majors and AP Biology students.

   "Essential Biology" uses a different approach. The authors have packed a great deal into this amazingly small textbook. I recently reviewed a huge number of introductory biology texts for adoption in our school district. We use Campbell and Reece's Biology, 6th edition for our AP biology course but were looking for a textbook to use with our 9th grade honors biology students.

   After a lengthy comparison of textbooks we picked "Essential Biology" based on several things. First we found the book to be accurate, readable, and concise. We felt that it would give the students a depth of understanding in the core biological principles so that they would be ready when they moved on to AP biology later in their high school career.

   Instead of trying to "cover" everything under the biological sun, "Essential Biology" focuses on four core biological topics: cells, genetics, evolution, and ecology. It's 20 chapters are broken up into these 4 units and does a wonderful job of pulling it all together.

   Other textbooks certainly cover more material but with less depth. What is the use of having a huge textbook that the students either never finish or rush through with no real understanding? This is a textbook that the students can dig into and throughly understand during one course.

   It is supported by CD-ROM's and on-line material. The website provides activities, on-line labs, quizes, and other practice. Students can print out results or e-mail them to their teachers.

   I would recommend this text as one for use in a non-majors biology course or as an advanced high school biology introductory course.




2. I needed this book for college. At the college book store the same exact book was $120.00 plus tax. On Amazon it was $80.00!!



3. Overall the book is written well . I especially like the "evolutionary connection" segment at the end of each chapter. My only gripe is is that while it repeatedly stresses in the text and test data bank that the "population is the smallest unit of evolution", it fails to explicitly mention that the "gene is the smallest unit of selection". It make the authors suspect to be adherence of the old "group selection" thinking.
   
   Also would it be nice had it address basic sociobiological concepts which are cornerstone of evolutionary thinking.



4. The price beats what most college bookstores charge. I always reccommend purchasing online it could cut the cost of the book in half. However if your going to purchase your college book online you should visit the college bookstore and find out what the instructor requires for the class a few weeks ahead of time so you dont get stuck paying for expedited shipping.