This is another contribution to a growing library of books that focus on the misreporting of facts by the media. In particular, issues that are dealt with include, but are not limited to, misuse of statistics, exaggeration of minor facts, weaknesses and misinterpretations of surveys, possible motives to deliberately mislead, etc. I must agree with some prior reviewers that the book does contain a certain amount of repetition. Although some of these replications appear to have been made to cast a somewhat different slant on a given issue, they have been a bit overdone.

Some books on this topic tend to be rather light-hearted and even humorous and are likely aimed at a very bread readership. This one, on the other hand, has a much more serious tone and, as a result, may be most appealing to the more seriously interested readers. The writing style is authoritative, focussed, scholarly but, at times, rather dry. As pointed out above, the occasional repetition that it contains has already proven annoying to some readers.

This book comprises a series of historical snippets varying in length from a couple of lines to, occasionally, more than a page. These are divided into ten chapters, each focussing on a particular theme, e.g., politics, war, science (mostly inventions), arts, crimes, sports (much on cricket and British football), etc. The incidents discussed span the period from about the twelfth century A.D. to the present. Although several parts of the world are involved, the events are more heavily weighted on British history. In a book such as this, it is inevitable that a given reader would find the descriptions of some events of much more interest than others; this was certainly my case. But overall, the book makes for interesting reading.

The writing style is generally lively, entertaining, engaging and occasionally humorous. However, a reader not familiar with British culture and politics may find some events less appealing and perhaps even a bit obscure. This book can be enjoyed by anyone, but it should be of particular interest to history buffs with a love of trivia.

This book is a serious overview of what impact the diesel engine and the gas turbine have had on important aspects of globalization, i.e., in moving cargo and people around the world. In roughly the first third of the book, the author discusses the history and development of engines and how the diesel engine and the gas turbine came to stand out for certain applications, i.e., to power cargo ships and jet engines, respectively. Highlights of the lives of some of the inventors are also briefly presented. The rest of the book is mainly devoted to further developments and uses of these devices. Near the end, the author presents a brief overview of what the future is likely to hold.

The author, an expert on this subject, does not waste words. The book reads more like a textbook or scientific/engineering monograph than a work that is meant to entertain the casual reader. As a result, the book is clear, rather dry and dense with extensively referenced information. The theory and practice of how the machines work are covered rather briefly, but ample references are provided for those wanting to dig deeper. On the down side, I found several passages to be rather tedious to read and, for me, rather boring, i.e., mainly lists of types of ships or airplanes or engines (including lists of model numbers) as manufactured by various companies in different countries, their specifications, cargo capacities of various carriers as a function of time, type of transporter and destination, geographical routes followed during shipping, types of products imported and exported by different countries, etc., etc. But despite these relatively minor shortcomings, I did overall enjoy reading the book and I learned quite a bit.

In this fascinating book, the author, a historian, presents the nitty-gritty details of various scandals that have occurred though history - from the time of the ancient Greeks to the twenty-first century. Although most of these scandals involve the military, hence the title, upper political echelons and royalty are also involved. Many countries are featured, but Britain and the USA play the most prominent roles. In addition to a brief introduction and a short afterword, seventy-two stories are recounted over about three hundred pages - giving an average of about four pages per story, although some are much shorter and others significantly longer.

The author's writing style is friendly, lively, often humorous and quite entertaining. However, I found that a few descriptions of scandalous shenanigans are so convoluted that they are a bit more difficult to follow. This book should be of interest to a wide readership, but history enthusiasts are in for a treat since many of the details that are presented are not usually found in regular run-of-the-mill history books.

With friendly, lively and engaging prose, the reader is painlessly guided on a brief but fascinating tour of our solar system. The author, a professor of planetary astronomy, has discovered several objects at the outer periphery of the solar system - including what briefly became the tenth planet. This discovery ultimately precipitated, to the chagrin of many, the demotion of Pluto from planethood to dwarf planet, resulting in an eight-planet solar system - a decision, oddly enough, that greatly pleased the author. The logic used by the International Astronomical Union in defining what is meant by "planet" and the associated politics are very well covered. The author melds his professional life and the excitement of his discoveries with parts of his personal life - from being single to finding his soul mate to the birth of his daughter and watching her evolve. Overall, the book contains many elements that one would find in any good read: intellectual adventure, romance, scientific discovery, surprise, disappointment, humour and horror (at what appeared to be an attempt at intellectual theft/scientific fraud).

This highly accessible and captivating book should be of interest to anyone, particularly science buffs as well as those wanting to know the inside story of why Pluto was demoted as it was - and this from a scientist who had a front row seat.

I have mixed feelings about this book. As indicated in the subtitle, the main theme is the first English colony in America, including the hardships and problems that the colonists faced. But, as it turns out, these details form a small part of the overall story presented here. Much space is devoted to the religious and political situation in Europe, particularly the conflict between England and Spain. There is also much on the preamble to the colonization, the various personages that were involved to varying degrees, the evolving mindsets in England during the attempted colonization and, of course, the aftermath. Although the European history presented is generally quite interesting, some information seems like a bit of a digression from the main topic. The parts where the actual colonization is discussed, the interactions with local natives, the search for the lost colonists and the theories on what could have happened to them make for very captivating reading and do make up, at least in part, for some of the other issues that seem rather dull in comparison.

The prose is clear, friendly, authoritative, accessible, sporadically lively but, as pointed out, occasionally a bit monotonous - especially for a reader expecting much more on the colonists themselves. The book should attract those seriously interested in the many issues that played various roles in the early European colonization of North America.

Despite this book's title, it really recounts the reign of Nero - the last Roman emperor in the Julian line. The author, a historian, does briefly discuss the fire itself, its devastating effects and its aftermath. He considers this disaster the turning point in Nero's popularity which declined from then on until the bloody end a couple of years later. Most of the Nero biographers that I am familiar with tend to paint Nero with the same brush: cruel, lascivious, crazy, etc. This author, on the other hand, suggests that the ancient sources, on which current biographies of Nero are based, are biased. He claims that Nero was well-liked before the fire and would have done well in the rough and cruel times in which he lived, had the tables not turned on him as they did.

The author writes well. In fact, all of the historical books of his that I have read thus far read almost like novels. As part of this friendly style, and as already pointed out by some prior reviewers, he takes a few liberties by adding information that cannot really be known, e.g., some facial expressions, some scenes, some minor events that "would" have happened, some likely conversations, etc. However, these don't detract from the main historical facts and make for spellbinding reading. Overall, the book is quite captivating, lively and accessible. It should be of interest to a wide readership, especially ancient history enthusiasts.

This is the third book by this author that I've had the pleasure to read, so far; I have not yet been disappointed. The book contains one hundred little snippets about various events in the world of science that have occurred throughout history. These snippets are, on average, about three pages in length and are divided into ten sections of ten stories each. Each such section has a main theme in which the author focuses on a particular field/topic, e.g., physics, chemistry, biology, inventions, accidents, frauds, etc. The timeline roughly spans the period from Ancient Greek times to the twentieth century. I have noticed that a few of these stories have been recounted in other similar works and so may seem familiar to some readers.

In my opinion, the author's writing style is one of this book's strongest assets. It is witty, often tongue-in-cheek, occasionally quite humorous, always lively and widely accessible; the author's choice of words in certain key instances is absolutely impeccable. This book should appeal to a very wide readership: from science buffs to those simply wanting to enjoy a light-hearted yet educational read. I highly recommend it!

It has often been said that the sea holds many mysteries, particularly in the way that it behaves. An insufficient knowledge of this occasionally-violent behaviour may lead to vast destruction and death to the unwary. The author, a "world-recognized physical oceanographer", takes the reader on a fascinating journey across time and (earthly) space as he explores the sea's many peculiarities and its awesome power. He discusses many of the disasters that have occurred throughout history that were caused by storm surges, rogue waves, tsunamis and other maritime phenomena - some of which have eluded explanation for millennia. He even discusses the many types of tides, their causes and their hazards. The book contains a few photographs, a couple of maps and several etchings. In my opinion, the book's only (minor) shortcoming is its lack of explanatory diagrams illustrating the mechanics of some of the phenomena discussed; in particular, such diagrams would have been quite useful in the chapters on tides.

The writing style is clear, authoritative, highly accessible and quite captivating. This book should be of interest to both science and history buffs as well as to anyone who is intrigued by the power of the sea and some of its effects on humanity over time.

This captivating book recounts a series of murders that took place in late nineteenth century France; this in light of the development of the forensic science that helped capture the killer - a mass murderer. Roughly the first half of the book is composed of chapters that alternate between two main themes: i) the life and crimes of the mass-murderer in question, and ii) the evolution of forensic techniques (including the individuals who were instrumental in developing and using them). These two themes merge in second half of the book which focuses on activities surrounding the ultimate capture of the murderer, his incarceration, his trial, his conviction and the aftermath. In this second half, much space is devoted to the determination of whether the accused was mentally stable or insane. Intriguing arguments in support of each side are presented. Modern views on the mental disposition of today's criminals are also discussed.

The writing style is quite lively, authoritative, very accessible and incredibly gripping - a true page-turner. Technical terms are very clearly explained as they occur. This book should be of great interest to all true crime and forensic science buffs; but it can also be enjoyed by general readers who love being riveted to their chairs with suspense.