Unknown Quantity: A Real and Imaginary History of Algebra

Book Description

"Here is the story of algebra." With this deceptively simple introduction, we begin our journey. Flanked by formulae, shadowed by roots and radicals, but escorted by an expert who navigates unerringly on our behalf, we are guaranteed safe passage through even the most treacherous mathematical terrain.

Our first encounter with algebraic arithmetic takes us back thirty-eight centuries to the time of Abraham and Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, Ur and Haran, Sodom and Gomorrah. Moving deftly from Abel's proof to the higher levels of abstraction developed by Galois, we are eventually introduced to what algebraists have been focusing on during the last century.

As we travel the ages, it becomes apparent that the invention of algebra was more than the start of a specific discipline of mathematics - it was also the birth of a new way of thinking that clarified both basic numeric concepts as well as our perception of the world around us. Algebraists broke new ground when they discarded the simple search for solutions to equations and concentrated instead on abstract groups. This dramatic shift in thinking revolutionized mathematics.

Written for those among us who are unencumbered by a fear of formulae, Unknown Quantity delivers on its promise to present a history of algebra. Astonishing in its bold presentation of the math and graced with narrative authority, our journey through the world of algebra is at once intellectually satisfying and pleasantly challenging.

Customer Reviews:

A very interesting, pleasant read.......2007-09-06

If you enjoy math or history or biography the book has all of these; good explanations, little details and interesting footnotes that I've not seen elsewhere. A very nice style that pulls one along to read another page. A book to keep and to give as a gift.

excellent.......2007-08-17

Of all pop math authors, Derbyshire is particularly good at explaining things. This book covers a lot of topics, yet the explanation of group theory is better than "The Equation Which Couldn't Be Solved". Admittedly, this is heavier reading than Fermat's Enigma, but much easier than some books by Maor and Nahin. Derbyshire has gotten this stuff down to an art form, and I look forward to future books.

Not for the Curious non mathematician.......2007-07-12

Despite the authors claim in the introduction, that this is for the curious non mathematician, this is not the case. I am a curious non mathematician, and I am struggling with this book considerably. I picked up this book because in a recent Biography of Einstein I learnt that in the topology of the universe he was working with something Riemann Surfaces, of which I have no concept and the Biography (being a Biography) did not elucidate. I was hoping that this book would educate me, but I doubt that I will even get that far.
While I cannot refute the history of Algebra that he documents, it is presented in a dry manner, disconnected from the real world. After reading half way through the book, I know about complex numbers and who invented them and the symbology for manipulating them, but have no Idea why I would care.
The book is undoubtedly a learned Tome, and it might be unfair of me to give it only a 3*. but I know no more about Algebra now than I did when I picked up the Book. Maybe I'll go back to the beginning and try again - Maybe not.

Excellent Book But Not For the Math-Phobic.......2007-06-24

Written in a style that is clear, authoritative, and often quite witty, this excellent book covers the history of algebra from ancient times to the present. Although algebra was originally created to fulfill practical needs, its evolution led it away from practicality and into abstractness until it came to dwell, as the author notes, "almost alone in a realm of perfect uselessness" (p. 315). However, the author points out that starting in the twentieth century modern science, especially physics, has discovered uses for mathematical objects that had been discovered in the nineteenth century. Throughout the book, mini-biographies of various important mathematicians who lived over the centuries are presented; these add a most-welcomed human touch to an otherwise rather cold topic. The author's obvious enthusiasm for his subject matter is quite contagious, making the book hard to put down. This tome would make an excellent complement to a course in modern algebra. As a result, I believe that those who would likely appreciate this book the most are mathematicians and serious math buffs. As a physicist, I had to read certain passages more than once for the concepts being presented to finally sink in. General readers with little or no mathematical knowledge would enjoy the writing style as it pertains to the biographical/historical snippets, but they may be hard pressed to get the full gist of many of the mathematical descriptions and arguments.

great book about math and not a math book.......2007-03-02

This is a fine book. I recommend it to anyone with an interest in history, science, or biography.
There are many portraits of fascinating people. You can see how the mathematicians fit into
the times and culture. There is a good description of the mathematics involved.

In mathematics books, as in most subjects, a critical choice is the choice of level, both the
assumed background of the reader and the speed of introducing new material. The same critical
choice applies to books about science. The level of the primers is the hard part. The readers
differ greatly in mathematical background, manipulative skill, and mathematical maturity. Do not
be put off by the difficulty of the primers. The heroes wrestled with the subject matter, too.
If it is hard for you, that might make it easier to appreciate how hard it was for them. It was.

I hope this book sparks a desire to learn more math, but this is not the book to learn it from.
Mathematics, even more than other sciences, is best learned by doing. Find a text book, with
exercises and answers. Learning about mathematics from this fine book is fine, but learning
mathematics from it is like learning to skate from "How to do a quad axel."

Prime Obsession: Bernhard Riemann and the Greatest Unsolved Problem in Mathematics

Average customer rating:

Zeta function made easy
A wonderful primer on a very complicated topic
Very good popular book on a difficult subject
I don't have a complain, a great book
Interesting read

Prime Obsession: Bernhard Riemann and the Greatest Unsolved Problem in Mathematics
John Derbyshire
Manufacturer: Plume
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Unknown Quantity: A Real and Imaginary History of Algebra
Journey through Genius: The Great Theorems of Mathematics
Riemann's Zeta Function
Gamma: Exploring Euler's Constant
Dr. Euler's Fabulous Formula: Cures Many Mathematical Ills

ASIN: 0452285259
Release Date: 2004-05-25

Amazon.com

Bernhard Riemann was an underdog of sorts, a malnourished son of a parson who grew up to be the author of one of mathematics' greatest problems. In Prime Obsession, John Derbyshire deals brilliantly with both Riemann's life and that problem: proof of the conjecture, "All non-trivial zeros of the zeta function have real part one-half." Though the statement itself passes as nonsense to anyone but a mathematician, Derbyshire walks readers through the decades of reasoning that led to the Riemann Hypothesis in such a way as to clear it up perfectly. Riemann himself never proved the statement, and it remains unsolved to this day. Prime Obsession offers alternating chapters of step-by-step math and a history of 19th-century European intellectual life, letting readers take a breather between chunks of well-written information. Derbyshire's style is accessible but not dumbed-down, thorough but not heavy-handed. This is among the best popular treatments of an obscure mathematical idea, inviting readers to explore the theory without insisting on page after page of formulae.

In 2000, the Clay Mathematics Institute offered a one-million-dollar prize to anyone who could prove the Riemann Hypothesis, but luminaries like David Hilbert, G.H. Hardy, Alan Turing, André Weil, and Freeman Dyson have all tried before. Will the Riemann Hypothesis ever be proved? "One day we shall know," writes Derbyshire, and he makes the effort seem very worthwhile. --Therese Littleton

Book Description

In 1859, Bernhard Riemann, a little-known thirty-two year old mathematician, made a hypothesis while presenting a paper to the Berlin Academy titled “On the Number of Prime Numbers Less Than a Given Quantity.” Today, after 150 years of careful research and exhaustive study, the Riemann Hyphothesis remains unsolved, with a one-million-dollar prize earmarked for the first person to conquer it.

Alternating passages of extraordinarily lucid mathematical exposition with chapters of elegantly composed biography and history, Prime Obsession is a fascinating and fluent account of an epic mathematical mystery that continues to challenge and excite the world.

Customer Reviews:

Zeta function made easy.......2007-10-15

Prime Obsession is one of the best books for people interested in mathematics but do not have an advanced background in it. John Derbyshire builds the entire edifice brick by brick making clear at every step what he may be leaving out and why he is doing so. I highly recommend this book. Thank you Dr. Derbyshire.

A wonderful primer on a very complicated topic.......2007-09-22

Derbyshire's style of writing lends itself well to imagining this Brit-turned-American actually providing the audio track in your head. If you have a chance to catch his Radio Derb on Nation Review Online, you'll see what I mean.

The book is quite good at providing a historical survey of number theory, how natural numbers and primes work and how all this eventually relates to a very difficult, unsolved modern math puzzle: Riemann's Hypothesis. Through most of the book, Derbyshire does a good job explaining the fundamental math in play on the way to our modern understanding of the puzzle. In fact, I dare say these explanations are vastly superior to the ways most folks are taught math in schools and universities. There are points near the end where the math is so complicated for a newcomer that he makes explicit note to jump over some of these areas and provide the result of the jump. Probably a wise move but it does leave some wanting the full background.

On the whole, it's a great tour of a field of math (and a way of thinking) that eludes 99.99% of the populace -- but is now more accessible.

I was going to say that I hope he write more of these books to popularize advanced math. However, it seems he already has with a book on algebra: Unknown Quantity.

Very good popular book on a difficult subject.......2007-08-20

John Derbyshire is a British-born author. He originally studied mathematics at the university in England, though after graduation he would work on another jobs. Living now in the United States, for the last few years Derbyshire has been a right-wing (if usually unconventional) writer for the conservative magazine National Review. His first non fiction book deals with the Riemann hypothesis, one of the great unsolved problems in Mathematics. The book is divided into odd-numbered chapters (which contain the mathematical exposition, as simply as it can without compromising the subject matter) and even-numbered chapters (which deal with the historical and biographical background matter). I found the mathematical chapters fascinating, yet increasingly difficult, despite the author's efforts (I am not a mathematician). As to the historical chapters, they are superb, telling us the life and anecdotes of not just Bernhard Riemann (a truly towering genius of math, and someone who really went through a difficult and short life), but also of other great mathematicians, such as Euler, Gauss, David Hilbert and Edmund Landau. Strongly recommended.

I don't have a complain, a great book.......2007-06-11

It is always good to read a book on math with a mix of history. I think the author, John Derbyshire, accomplish in these pages the explanation of one of the unsolved problems in mathematics, the Riemman Hypotesis, in a fairly understandable way, maybe to all kind of audiences. This book is good and you can see it in its almost five star review.
Besides of being a mathematical biography, it is curious to see how mathematics developes in order to solve an equation, providing a glimpse on number theory and a introduction to mathematical thought. Whether solving this problem is useful or not, I think so, because it may help us in future endeavours. There is no doubt whatsoever, Riemann was an splendid mathematician.

Interesting read.......2007-05-31

I personally always find it interesting to learn about the person behind the discovery. Derbyshire develops the history of the Riemann Hypothesis while simultaneously developing the character of Riemann himself. This way, you acquire a wealth of knowledge about the mathematical problem AND learn about the reclusive and odd Riemann.

My only objection is that the narrative seemed to drag at times; otherwise, I found this book to be very interesting.

Counting My Chickens . . .: And Other Home Thoughts

Average customer rating:

a Mitford Memoir, but a little thin, interesting though
Lovely Book By A Wonderful Woman
A Small Jewel From the Last Mitford Girl
Delightful
Delightful read

Counting My Chickens . . .: And Other Home Thoughts
The Duchess of Devonshire
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Hons and Rebels (New York Review Books Classics)
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ASIN: 0374130299

Book Description

A unique window on an extraordinary life lived with tremendous zest, discrimination, and intelligence

The Duchess of Devonshire is the youngest of the Mitford siblings, the famous brood that includes the writers Nancy and Jessica. Like them, she has lived an unusually full and remarkable life, and like them she has an inimitable expressive gift. In Counting My Chickens, she has gathered extracts from her diaries and other writings to create a multifaceted portrait of her life at Chatsworth, the home of the Dukes of Devonshire, that is pithy, hilarious, wise, and always richly rewarding.

Under the Duchess's inspired supervision, Chatsworth has become one of England's most frequently visited great houses, welcoming over 400,000 visitors a year. The Duchess reveals what it takes to keep such an establishment alive and prospering, tells of transporting a goat by train from the Scottish island of Mull to London, discusses having her portrait painted by Lucian Freud, and provides rich reminisces of growing up a Mitford--along with telling anecdotes about friends from Evelyn Waugh to John F. Kennedy. From Tom Stoppard's adoring Introduction to the author's meditation on the beauty of Elvis Presley's voice, COUNTING MY CHICKENS offers continuous surprise and delight.

Customer Reviews:

a Mitford Memoir, but a little thin, interesting though.......2005-07-25

The Duchess of Devonshire is of course the youngest of the 6 Brilliant Mitford sisters born early in the twentieth century, and she is the only surviving one now. This book is really two things, a collection of her various writings and collection of her memories both of friends and of family.

I got this at the same time as I bought her Chatsworth Cookbook, and I have to say I think the other was a better buy - maybe in food I find more relevance, but the anecdotes relating to food and people seemed more real and interesting. I don't think the Duchess is a naturally good writer. When talking about herself I found I was interested - she revealed things like her favourte books (including Beattrix Potters Ginger and Pickles) to her love of chickens and hwo they are looked after. I found the anecdotes about her friends and family less easy to read. It wasn't like she was name dropping - these people really were her friends and family - but I found the writing felt more stilted, more formal and less easy to read. Her various writings for papers have been reprinted in collection here and are of interest for their subject rather than for their eloquence.

There have been better memoirs of the Mitford family, and better writing, but I have never seen a memoir of the latest Ducehss of Devonshire and given her acheivements and interests I think one is long overdue.

Personally while this was 'nice' I would be more inclined to purchase the Chatsworth cookbook which has lots of nice stories in it and seems to flow better - but if you are a hardened Mitrodite then don't walk past this, it is enlightening and I really would like to know more about this youngest mitford's life.

Lovely Book By A Wonderful Woman.......2005-01-12

Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire, shows to the world the emotional warmth and range of interests which have endeared her to her family and friends for over eighty years. Extolled by James Lees-Milne throughout his life, Debo, the people at Hatchards tell me, is their favorite author when it comes to book-signings. When I bought a copy of this book there the clerk remarked "Ah, the Duchess, bless her." And so she has been, and is, by all.

A Small Jewel From the Last Mitford Girl.......2004-10-18

Counting My Chickens is a collection of newspaper and magazine columns by Deborah Freeman-Mitford Cavendish, the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire. "Debo" is the youngest and only surviving Mitford Girl, the fabulous daughters of Lord and Lady Redesdale who scandalized and delighted the British and the world from the 1930s onward.

Although this is a very short book cut into many small, fairly unconnected segments, there is nevertheless much that charms. The celebrated Mitford wit,most clearly displayed by Debo's sisters Nancy and Jessica, is in evidence, particularly in the sections that deal with Debo's childhood and early adult years (she once traveled by train from Scotland with a goat, milking it in first class waiting rooms on the way.)

Also in evidence is the extraordinariness of Debo's life as wife of a Duke and as chatelaine of one of England's great mansions, Chatsworth House. She casually drops names like Harold Macmillan and John Kennedy (both of whom were indirectly related to her husband) and at the same time records some of the merriments and aggravations that come with having your home on display to tourists several months each year. Occasionally Debo will drop a barbed comment or two on the silliness of some politicians and visitors, but for the most part she is soft spoken and accomodating.

Few Duchesses have written or revealed much about their lives, so its nice that one has done so now, at a time when the House of Lords is being democratized and the aristocracy must seem more anachronistic than ever.

Delightful.......2004-07-12

For someone who claims to be the "illiterate" Mitford, this charming little book is a well-crafted lark into the world of a 21st century Duchess. It is very light and entertaining, filled with anecdotes about her and her life. Also featured are stories about her family, but this is not the book to read if you are interested in a tell-all expose of the Mitfords. Most of the book concentrates on the Duchess's family, and home. Chatsworth is one of the finest home in England, and one of the first to become a self-sustaining tourist destination. Anyone who has visited Chatsworth would enjoy reading about the "other side" of that house.

Fans of the Mitford family will be delighted by the stories, most of which don't appear in other Mitford books and biographies. Even if you're not familiar with the Mitford family, this book provides a fascinating picture of the worldview of someone who has lived a long and extremely interesting life. I really hope to see more from Debo.

Delightful read.......2003-03-02

This book is homey and comforting. I loved her piece on being
discovered talking to yourself! There is so much that is so wise,
human and to the point. Maybe the negative reviewers are too young to appreciate the subtle joy of this book. It certainly is one volume that I will reread from time to time and keep for the guest room. Anyone who is old enough to remember civility in daily life, service in shops and neither voice mail nor cell phones impinging on your daily life will really enjoy this COUNTING MY CHICKENS.

English Parish Records: Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Derbyshire (English Parish Records (Software))

Average customer rating:

English Parish Records: Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Derbyshire (English Parish Records (Software))

Manufacturer: Ancestry.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: CD-ROM

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ASIN: 1931279780

Book Description

Staffordshire: Brewood - Parish Registers, 1562-1649 Staffordshire: Burslem - Parish Registers, 1578-1761 Staffordshire: Burslem - Parish Registers, 1761-1809 Staffordshire: Upper Arely - Parish Registers, 1564-1812 Staffordshire: Betley - Parish Registers, 1538-1812 Staffordshire: Stoke-upon-Trent - Parish Registers, 1629-1688 Staffordshire: West Bromwich - Parish Registers, 1608-1658 Staffordshire: Stoke-upon-Trent - Parish Registers, 1734-1797 Staffordshire: Stoke-upon-Trent - Parish Registers, 1754-1812 Staffordshire: Bucknall-cum-Bagnall - Parish Registers, 1762-1812 Staffordshire: Tipton - Parish Registers, 1513-1736 Staffordshire: Rugeley - Parish Registers, 1569-1722 Staffordshire: Tettenhall - Parish Registers, 1602-1744 Staffordshire: Lichfield - St. Mary Parish Registers, 1559-1671 and St. Chad Parish Registers, 1636-1811 Staffordshire: Bilston - Parish Registers, 1684-1746 Staffordshire: Sedgley - Parish Registers, 1558-1684 Warwick: Stratford on Avon - Parish Registers of Baptisms, 1558-1652 Warwick: Stratford on Avon - Parish Registers of Marriages, 1558-1812 Warwick: Rowington - Parish Registers, 1612-1812 Staffordshire: Rowley Regis & Burslem - Parish Registers, 1809-1812 Staffordshire: Burslem & Rowley Regis - Parish Registers, 1772-1812 Warwick: Weddington - Parish Registers, 1663-1812 Warwick: Solihull - Parish Registers, 1538-1668 Warwick: Stratford on Avon - Parish Registers of Burials, 1558-1623 Derbyshire: Mickleover & Littleover - Register of Mickleover,1607-1812; and Littleover, 1680-1812 Staffordshire: Castel-Church - Parish Church, 1568-1812 Staffordshire: Milwich - Parish Registers, 1573-1711 Staffordshire: Penkridge - Parish Registers, 1575-1735 Staffordshire: Weeford - Parish Registers, 1562-1812 Staffordshire: - Roman Catholic Registers, 1720-1830 Staffordshire: Madeley - Registers of Baptisms and Burials, 1567-1775, Registers of Marriages, 1567-1812 Staffordshire: Chebsey - Parish Registers, 1660-1812 Staffordshire: Kingsley - Registers of Baptisms and Burials, 1561-1795, Registers of Marriages, 1561-1754 Staffordshire: Seighford - Parish Registers, 1561-1812 Derbyshire: Chesterfield - Parish Register, 1558-1600 Derbyshire: Chesterfield - Parish Register, 1601-1635 Staffordshire: Blymhill - Parish Registers, 1561-1812 Staffordshire: Croxden, Bradley - Parish Registers, 1674-1812 Staffordshire: Muckelstone - Parish Registers, 1555-1701 Staffordshire: Bloxwich - Registers of Baptisms, 1721-91, Registers of Burials, 1733-91 Staffordshire: Sedgley - Registers of Marriages, 1781-1831 Staffordshire: Wolstanton - Parish Registers, 1624-1769 Staffordshire: Biddulph - Parish Registers, 1558-1642, 1653-1684 Staffordshire: Rushall, Pelsall - Rushall Parish Registers, 1660-1770 and Pelsall Parish Registers, 1763-1812 Staffordshire: Brierley Hill - Registers of Baptisms and Burials, 1766-1800 Staffordshire: Tettenhall - Registers of Marriages, 1744-1839 Staffordshire: Wednesfield - Registers of Baptisms and Burials, 1751-1837 Staffordshire: Penn - Parish Registers, 1748-1837 Staffordshire: Newcastle under Lyme - Parish Registers, 1771-1812 Staffordshire: Lapley - Parish Registers, 1538-1756 Staffordshire: Himley - Parish Registers 1665-1812 Staffordshire: Wolstanton - Parish Registers, 1769-1812 Staffordshire: Trentham - Parish Registers, 1744-1812 Staffordshire: Trentham - Parish Registers, 1558-1744 Staffordshire: Tamworth - Parish Registers, 1558-1614 Staffordshire: Ellenhall - Parish Registers, 1539-1812 Staffordshire: Newcastle under Lyme - Parish Registers, 1563-1705 Staffordshire: Newcastle under Lyme - Parish Registers, 1705-1770. Staffordshire: Ranton - Parish Registers, 1655-1811 Staffordshire: Alstonfield - Parish Registers, 1538-1812 Derbyshire: - Registers of Marriages, 1538-1813 Derbyshire: - Registers of Marriages, 1538-1812 Derbyshire: - Registers of Marriages, 1558-1837a Derbyshire: - Registers of Marriages, 1558-1837b Warwick: - Registers of Marriages, 1538-1812 Warwick: - Registers of Baptisms, 1657-1824 Warwick: - Parish Registers, The Franiscan Registers and Register of Marriages, 1538-1812 Staffordshire: Rowley Regis - Parish Registers, 1539-1684 Staffordshire: Rowley Regis - Parish Registers, 1685-1771/2 Staffordshire: Tatenhill - Parish Registers, 1563-1812 Staffordshire: Penn - Parish Registers, 1570-1754 Staffordshire: Pipe Ridware - Parish Registers, 1571-1695 Staffordshire: Berkswich & Walton - Parish Registers, 1601-1812 Staffordshire: Baswick, Walton, & Barlaston - Parish Registers, 1573-1812 Staffordshire: Hints - Parish Registers and Index, 1558-1812 Staffordshire: Weston under Lizard - Parish Registers, 1654-1812 Staffordshire: Standon - Parish Registers, 1558-1812 Staffordshire: Stowe - Parish Registers, 1613-1689 Staffordshire: Leek - Parish Registers, 1634-1694/5 Staffordshire: Ellastone - Parish Registers, 1538-1700 Staffordshire: Rocester - Parish Registers, 1705-1812 Staffordshire: Norton-in-the-Moors - Parish Registers, 1754-1837 Staffordshire: Barton-under-Needwood - Parish Registers, 1571-1812 Staffordshire: Lichfield - Cathedral Registers, 1660-1754 Staffordshire: Walsall - Parish Registers, 1646-1754 Staffordshire: Milwich - Parish Registers Index, 1573-1711, Parish Registers, 1713-1812. Staffordshire: Codsall - Registers of Baptisms and Burials, 1587-1812, Registers of Marriages, 1587-1843 Staffordshire: Keele - Parish Registers of Marriages, 1540-1812, Registers of Baptisms, 1540-1700 Staffordshire: Armitage - Parish Registers, 1623-1812 Staffordshire: Wolverhampton - Registers of Marriages, 1660-1734 Staffordshire: Wolverhampton - Registers of Marriages, 1735-1776 Staffordshire: Gnosall - Parish Registers, 1572-1699 Staffordshire: Hamstall Ridware - Parish Registers, 1598-1812 Staffordshire: Haughton - Parish Registers, 1570-1812 Staffordshire: Eccleshall - Parish Registers, 1573-1618 Staffordshire: Eccleshall - Parish Registers, 1620-1656

Average customer rating:

Sparkles with wit and originality. Bonus points for violating The Big Taboo
Alternates between blazing and befuddling
A Dissapointment...
I hated to see it end....
A many layered story

The Slightest Provocation
Pam Rosenthal
Manufacturer: NAL Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Clandestine
The Raven Prince
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ASIN: 0451219473

Book Description

As children of feuding Derbyshire landowners, Mary Penley and Kit Stansell eloped against their families' wishes. But neither their ardor nor their marriage could survive their own restless natures. Nine years later, Kit is a rising star in the military while Mary has made her way in a raffish, intellectual society of poets and reformers. A chance meeting re-ignites their passion, but still they have very different values. Yet when Kit uncovers a political conspiracy that threatens all of England, they agree to put their differences aside. Amid danger and disillusionment, Kit and Mary rediscover the bonds that are stronger than time, the selves who have never really parted-and the love that is their destiny.

Customer Reviews:

Sparkles with wit and originality. Bonus points for violating The Big Taboo.......2007-08-04

What likeable people - despite their flaws, or maybe because of them.

Childhood sweethearts who wed impulsively, this couple have nobody but themselves to blame for the falling-out that separated them. No big misunderstanding, no interfering relatives, no traumatic event; just two impulsive, spoiled young people whose romance isn't strong enough to see them through the difficult first year of marriage. Flashbacks to his adulterous affairs and her disastrous revenge (with his best friend!) don't inspire much sympathy. Nine years later, a tentative reunion turns into a name-calling, vase-throwing battle of blame. But when the dust clears, it's as if old demons have been exorcised, making room for the emergence of the love that should have been.

Kudos to author Pam Rosenthal for adding a generous dollop of reality to this otherwise frothy treat. The sex-in-a-carriage scene that is a staple of historical romance is done here with as much humor as sensuality, rather like sex in the back seat of your father's Buick; both participants wind up admitting that they're probably too old for that sort of thing and will wait for a bed next time. Most impressive is the handling of romance's big taboo: a bout of impotence that has the heroine snapping, "It's not as if it's that important," and the hero stomping out in a snit.

A few hours and one ego-boost later, he's back in fine form. Demonstrating, as happens in real life, that perfection is not a prerequisite to grown-up romance.

Alternates between blazing and befuddling.......2007-06-20

Pam Rosenthal is a wonderful author. Her book, "The Bookseller's Daughter" was one of my favorite finds. When I saw that this book had been nominated for a Rita, I knew I had to read it.

The fact that I'm posting this review in June, when the Rita nominees were posted in late March, tells you something. The first five chapters of this book are phenomenal. They're clear, compelling, and absolutely fantastic. And Rosenthal really can write. Her voice is exotic and delicious.

BUT. And this is a big but.

Rosenthal isn't very good at handling subplots. There's a spy-for-the-crown subplot. There's a who's-Kit's-father-semi-subplot. There are subplots involving other people who want both the hero and the heroine. And they intersect the main plot with dizzying speed. They're barely connected, and as a whole, the book feels disjointed, rushed, and worst of all, incomplete. I never really understand how the two manage to reconcile. I'm supposed to believe that somehow, they just stop throwing glassware at each other? And, oh my head, the other plots are just BORING.

A Dissapointment..........2007-01-26

I dont know what I really expected from this book, but I never found it.... it was really lacking in depth. Maybe I missed something following up to all these people and events. Its written like I should already know everything. The detail just wasnt there. I dunno, numerous sex-romps followed by marital bickering and resentments just didnt do it for me. ....Id really prefer 1/2 a star .... oops.

I hated to see it end...........2006-12-06

The correct title of this book review would be 'sheer self indulgence.' I really enjoy Pam Rosenthal's romances; like really. Think of them as the dark chocolates of the book world: rich, sensual, intense, multilayered, sensual [did I already say that?]. Rosenthal's books are historically well grounded, and I enjoy her forays into English and French history. Enough said, here's a brief summary of The Slightest Provocation.

The basic story line is the destined-for-each-other-from-childhood couple who marry early, love passionately, foolishly quarrel, and angrily part, and now meet again as adults. Nine years after Kit Stansell and Mary Penley separate, they meet again in a French inn and have a passionate reunion [sigh]. But passion just isn't enough when political opinions differ. Each of them, of course, is involved in nineteenth century English politics. While the political/historical story provides a framework for the novel, it's the well drawn, likeable characters that make it move. And move it does. This was one of those rare books that I hated to see end.

A many layered story.......2006-11-17

This is a story with many layers: of time, character, marriage, history and human relationships set primarily in 1817 England, as post-Napoleonic War recession caused discontent among the working classes. The main action begins with a meeting between long estranged spouses: free-thinking, strong willed Mary, who has spent the last nine years wandering among the intelligensia (Byron, Shelley, that crowd); and handsome, sardonic Kit, who is trying to incorporate the maturity he gained during his wartime service into his former life as a free-spirited wastrel. Mary and Kit, both of the upper class, eloped at a young age in the teeth of a family feud. After a year of passionate sex and frolic, they stumble into betrayals and part in anger.

Now, nine years later, they are both at another turning point: Mary is thinking of divorce in order to marry her current lover; Kit is turning his thoughts to a career with the Home Office. Yet, their passionate reconnection side tracks them both into a reconsideration of their past and their future.

Rosenthal tells the story of these two flawed and vibrant people through flashbacks and shifting points of view, including the perspectives of various well-developed secondary characters.

The book is called an "erotic romance" in some marketing which made me hesitate before buying it and lead me to expect something especially graphic and highly charged. However, while Rosenthal does treat readers to some briskly enjoyed encounters between Mary and Kit, those looking for the lengthy descriptions of Stephanie Laurens or the intense sensuality of Jo Beverley and Mary Balogh will be disappointed. Instead, the pleasure of this book comes from the growth of even the most minor characters.

Thierry Henry: The Biography: The Amazing Life of the Greatest Footballer on Earth

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Thierry Henry: The Biography: The Amazing Life of the Greatest Footballer on Earth
Oliver Derbyshire
Manufacturer: John Blake
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ASIN: 1844542815

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needs pruning badly--to about half as long
A Gripping Story
Much too long
Boring and much too long.
Tedious and Overlong

Blind to the Bones
Stephen Booth
Manufacturer: Bantam
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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One Last Breath
Blood on the Tongue: A Crime Novel
Dancing with the Virgins: A Constable Ben Cooper Novel
The Dead Place
Piece of My Heart: A Novel of Suspense

ASIN: 0440242908
Release Date: 2006-06-27

Amazon.com

Family troubles of all shapes and surprises keep the cops hopping and the tension high in English novelist Stephen Booth's fourth Ben Cooper/Diane Fry mystery, Blind to the Bones.

The most affecting of this novel's three plot lines concerns the disappearance of university student Emma Renshaw, who was last seen more than two years ago while on her way home to Derbyshire. Unable to accept that their daughter isn't merely late on the train, that she's more than likely dead, Howard and Sarah Renshaw have gone to extraordinary lengths to find her, consulting psychics and "bombarding the police with theories and suggestions, pleas and demands"--all for naught. But then, suddenly, Emma's blood-stained mobile phone is found, and the Renshaws' faith seems finally to be rewarded. Or is this just another opportunity for disappointment? Meanwhile, Detective Constable Cooper--posted temporarily (he hopes) to a rural crime squad--is investigating burglaries around the depressed old village of Withens, when the battered corpse of one of Emma's ex-housemates turns up on the nearby moors, his face blackened with theatrical make-up and stolen goods left behind in his car. Inquiries lead Cooper to a clannish local family with a history of trouble-making, and put him in the sights of a shadowy group called the Border Rats.

Booth's ability over the course of a story to transform some of his least suspicious players into the most devious (or vice-versa) and his appreciative portrayal of England's scenic Peak District both make for engrossing fiction. Blind to the Bones's subtlest but most intriguing element, though, may be its third plot thread, which finds Detective Sergeant Fry's long-lost, heroin-addicted sister turning up in Edendale, where she tries to enlist Cooper's help in convincing the hard-edged Diane to stop looking for her, once and for all. This track answers several questions about DS Fry's past while raising more--and promising new levels of character development in future installments of this series. --J. Kingston Pierce

Book Description

The villagers of Withens are dying. Emma Renshaw vanished two years ago, her body never found. Now her former housemate has been bludgeoned, his remains discovered near a deserted railway tunnel. Is there a link between the two?

While Detective Sergeant Diane Fry focuses on Emma’s possible murder, her colleague Ben Cooper investigates a series of burglaries. Only one family seems exempt: the Oxleys. Descended from workmen who built the ancient tunnels beneath the village, they stick close to their own–and keep their secrets closer. Caught in the tangle of death and deception are Cooper and Fry. Their personal history and professional relationship have blurred before, and will again, as their cases converge in the most unsettling ways. . . .

Customer Reviews:

needs pruning badly--to about half as long.......2007-10-17

Not many mysteries/police procedurals can sustain 580+ pages: this is definitely not one of the exceptions. Name of the Rose, for example, runs 600 pages. But with that book there's much more than just a mystery--you're being taken to a very unfamiliar world. There's just too much in Blind to the Bones that really does not need to be present--it doesn't add to the story in any way unless what you want is a book that will carry you through a very long plane trip and then you can leave it behind somewhere.

I found here that I wasn't really engaging with any of the characters--there was not anyone I emphasized with. Some books can make up for shortcomings with a sense of an unusual place or setting, so that problems with character development or dialogue can be at least in part overcome by the setting, such as an interesting historical location. But the locations here are not memorable or very interesting. There are too many threads in the book--some are meaningful, some go nowhere--it's not easy to keep track of them.

Some books I want to reread within a year or two, others I may want to reread--e.g. a book about sailing in the Outer Hebrides. These I keep. Other books I'm pretty sure I will not want to reread, and unfortunately Blind to the Bones will thus be given to my local library.

A Gripping Story.......2007-02-15

A newspaper and magazine journalist for over 25 years, Stephen Booth was born in the English Pennine mill town of Burnley. He was brought up on the coast at Blackpool. Stephen gave up journalism in 2001 to write crime novels full time.

Withens is a small village in the Peak District and like many other small town and villages it is troubled by theft and vandalism, but Withens problems stem from mainly one local family, the Oxleys, a family from hell. Now the village is the focus of a murder investigation. A young man's body has been discovered out on the cold and desolate moors nearby and the man is a member of the family from hell, he is an Oxley.

Police are also trying to solve the mystery of a young girl who vanished two years ago. Some new evidence has turned up, but her parents believe that Emma is still alive. With one murder and one unsolved disappearance Withens reputation as a grim place is growing and it looks as though things may get even worse . . .

Much too long.......2006-11-22

This is the fourth book in the Ben Cooper/Diane Fry mystery series centering on the murder of a local man and the two year old disappearance of a 19 year old girl in the small hamlet of Withens. The two cases separate our two protagonists - initially. In a word this book was a slog, about half way through it I just gritted my teeth and gutted it out to the finish - much like running the last half of a marathon - uphill. As in this author's other books there is an interesting plot/mystery with some very crafty twists and turns and all the idiosyncrasies, secrets and alliances of a small rural town are captured here. Unfortunately this is all buried under random observations and ruminations on things such as grocery shopping and supermarkets, birds and rats, maps and geography, backyards and landscaping (or the lack thereof), tunnel building, the introduction and numerous re-introductions of the same characters and a multitude of other extraneous and random topics. There are some authors who can switch from story-line to observations to "inside the characters' heads" musings, ( P.D. James & Minette Walters come to mind), without missing a beat. Unfortunately, that's not true for this book. It's not that the diversions are poorly written - some are even poignant, it's the sheer number of them. At first they're aggravating, then inane and finally just tiresome, continually testing the reader's stamina. I have read all the previous books in this series and unfortunately the magic of the first, "Black Dog", has yet to be recaptured which probably means this will be my last Cooper/Fry mystery.

Boring and much too long........2006-07-01

This was my first Stephen Booth book and I won't be bothered trying another one. I couldn't concentrate on the story, I felt I was being lectured to in a history or geography class during the drawn out descriptions of everything and found myself rolling my eyes. Since I hadn't read the previous books I didn't know the background story between Diane Fry and Ben Cooper and couldn't be bothered reading after chapter 4 to find out what had happened. I found all the characters flat, one dimensional and boring.

Tedious and Overlong.......2005-10-16

Booth has a nice touch as he sketches the rainy, windy, and dreary landscape of Derbyshire. Ben Cooper and Diane Fry are subordinate and boss; sometimes friends and foes--and they each investigate different mysteries that do converge toward the end of the novel.

Emma Renshaw has been missing for over two years, and everyone knows that 20-something adults who disappear are usually dead. But in the case of Emma, could she still be alive and working her way back to her parents? When her cellphone is found bloodstained in a field, Diane picks up the trail gone cold as she tries to track down the missing woman.

Ben, on the other hand, is investigating the death of a young man found in a mining shaft. As he tries to learn more about the victim, the victim's family, and his whereabouts, Cooper discovers a vicious, tightknit family that probably knows the solution to the mystery but absolutely refuses to provide one datum of information to help the police. Why so obstructive, especially since the victim is related to this supposedly tightknit family?

The novel is well written, but it's significantly too long and overburdened with descriptions of well dressings, weirdo villagers who paint their faces and smack sticks on the ground, and so forth. His interest in the folkiness of Derbyshire's inhabitants derails an otherwise interesting, but not captivating mystery.

This is a book that will take you a while to finish--not because of its length--but because many segments of the novel are tedious and irrelevant to the plot. You find it's easy to put down. I know that I was relieved to finish it so I could move on to something else. Maybe I picked the wrong Booth novel in the series on which to begin, but I won't read another.

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Great Fun for Anyone visiting England, or even Wanting to.
Great Fun for Anyone visiting England, or even Wanting to.
Round And About Chatsworth

Round and About Chatsworth
Duchess of Devonshire
Manufacturer: Frances Lincoln
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0711225370

Book Description

The Duchess describes monuments on her 35,000 acre estate, weaving her tales around an album of specially-commissioned photographs. Recounting facts and fables, she takes the reader on four fascinating walks, as gripping from an armchair as they are in the open air.

Customer Reviews:

Great Fun for Anyone visiting England, or even Wanting to........2006-03-27

Just in case you were wondering -- Dowager: a widow holding property received from her deceased husband.

The palace and surrounds of Chatsworth have been in the same family for more than 450 years. It consists of some 35,000 acres and 450 houses. Each year a half million visitors come to the house, and countless more come to take a walk in the vast park areas.

In this book the Duchess provides a guided tour of the estate as it exists today and complements it with pictures out of the past. It is most interesting to see a building as it exists today just above another picture made in 1900, or perhaps a painting from the 1700's when the building was new.

This book would be a good suggestion as a gift for anyone planning on a visit to England. It's just as nostalgic as you would expect and great reading.

Great Fun for Anyone visiting England, or even Wanting to........2006-03-27

Round And About Chatsworth.......2006-03-10

The author, The Duchess of Devonshire, is a British national treasure. She has overseen the preservation of one of England's greatest houses, Chatsworth, and then chronicled it in several volumes with enriching personal insights. Round And About Chatsworth is a must for Anglophiles. It is a charming blend of her delightful personality with a tour of this great English home and it's gardens.

Average customer rating:

Eyam is a real place, not just a story
Was Good
I'm no longer a kid but wish I had read this in my teens
review from a ten-year-old, Belfast, Maine
A Parcel Of Patterns , By : Megan Blackwell

A Parcel of Patterns (Aerial Fiction)
Jill Paton Walsh
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0374457433

Book Description

"A parcel of patterns brought the plague to Eyam. A parcel sent up from London to George Vicars, a journeyman tailor, who was lodging with Mrs. Cooper in a cottage by the west end of the churchyard.

So begins Mall Percival's account of how her village of Eyam struggled against the plague. George Vicars dies on September 6, 1665, and by the end of October, twenty-five more townsfolk have been buried. As the deaths continue, the villagers, including Mall, begin to panic--helpless to fight off the disease. Uncertain as to how it is contracted and passed from one person to another, Mall forces herself to make a sacrifice that radically changes her life--she decides to stops seeing Thomas Torre, a man from another village, the man she hopes to marry. In June of 1966, at their minister's urging, the entire village makes a pact to protect those who live in the surrounding countryside by staying within the boundaries of Eyam.
Although Mall longs to see Thomas, she remains steadfast in her resolution, until one day Thomas runs into the center of Eyam, knowing that he will not be allowed to leave, yet fearing that Mall has died. Mall and Thomas marry, but their happiness is short-lived. Finally, in October of 1666, the pestilence subsides. Mall, overwhelmed by grief and sorrow, decides to write a chronicle of all she has witnessed in Eyam, hoping that it will set her free.

Customer Reviews:

Eyam is a real place, not just a story.......2006-03-25

I think some that some of the people who wrote reviews didn't understand that this book is based on true life. The author makes fictitious people the central story, but the facts she described really did happen. When the plague came to Eyam, they decided to shut themselves off and die there, rather than spread it around their families and friends in the surrounding countryside. Eyam in Derbyshire is still there, with people living in the houses described in the book. Visitors can see plaques on the wall giving the names of the people who lived and died there, and would be able to recognise some names that are in the book. If you think of the story told as being a description of incredible bravery, as it was, the book would never seem to be boring or slow.

Was Good.......2005-11-01

I think this book was really good because it made me think about all the people there who do every thing they could to save a love ones life. I was you the readerI would read this book so go read it now.

I'm no longer a kid but wish I had read this in my teens.......2005-03-25

I am intrigued by books about the plague. The attraction? Well, even one of my crappiest, exhaustion-filled day pales in comparison to living through the plague. Or maybe it's those gore filled plague sores that call to me (but I'd never truly admit that).

This book is a bit different than the few that I've read about the plague of the 1600's in that it isn't scholarly, dry or written from the point of view of adults. This fictional tale is told by a young lady named Mal who describes her world with beauty and sensitivity. Initially, the writing style was a bit of a chore and a little difficult to get into. But stick with it, the journey is well worth the work. Once I adjusted myself to the rhythm of the writer and the different language choices (than I'm used to) I fell completely into Mall's world of hard work and young love amidst the threat of unbelievable horror when the Bubonic Plague arrives.

I'm a hard-hearted reader, having read far more than my share of overly sentimental stuff, but this book brought me to tears too many times to count from the sheer strength of this young girl. It makes me all teary just to think about these people. This is a book that should be required reading in schools (if it isn't already).

review from a ten-year-old, Belfast, Maine.......2005-03-03

I thought this book was a very good one for a book report. I like how this book could mix in romance with tragedy, and how the author brings you into the story. The language was a little hard to understand, but otherwise I was able to get the book pretty well. If you are ever thinking about doing a project on the black plague, and you need an historical novel to read, then I recommend this be your first choice.

A Parcel Of Patterns , By : Megan Blackwell.......2004-11-20

A Parcel of Patterns is a medieval history/historical fiction type of book. It is about a teenage girl about the age of 16, named Mall Percival, who sadly watches her whole town die out. The setting is in the 17th century, Derbyshire village in Eyam in England. Mall is the Narator of the story. The plot was basically about a parcel of patterns that was sent to the parson's wife, or the town tailor, that contained a fatal disease that spread throughout the entire town slowly killing it off. The book was theatrical, very down-to-earth. But on the contrary, I thought it was not easy to read, an obstical to get through, because it used Old English which in some cases is not easily understood. It tended to be over-detailed in thought occaisionally. Finally, the plot seemed to drag on until the end where it was picked up and the story came together for the most part.

Veterinary Dentistry for the Nurse and Technician

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Veterinary Dentistry for the Nurse and Technician
Cecilia Gorrel , and Susan Derbyshire
Manufacturer: Butterworth-Heinemann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0750652861

Book Description

This well-illustrated manual offers veterinary technicians and nurses practical advice on performing basic dental procedures. It covers all key day-to-day scenarios in a small animal practice, including equipment, preventive dentistry, and dental radiography. The authors one a world authority on veterinary dentistry, the other a listed veterinary nurse have worked together for more than a decade and have unparalleled experience in animal dentistry and oral surgery.

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