Most of us have heard at least some intriguing stories about famous scientists - stories that help illustrate how they came upon their great discoveries. Some such stories involve Galileo and the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Isaac Newton and a falling apple, Benjamin Franklin and a kite, just to name a few. But are these stories literally true or are they exaggerations or simply pure fabrications? In this spellbinding book, the author, a professor of history, examines the veracity of such myths and legends about science/scientists that have propagated though the centuries and into modern times. Although the book has 14 chapters, each of whose title identifies a certain possible myth, the actual number of them that are discussed add up to 31, as indicated in the "List of Myths and Apparent Myths" (p. vii).

The author's approach is to explore hard evidence usually in the form of reliable original sources/documents that date as close as possible to the events in question. He also discusses some possible reasons why such myths are created, embellished and propagated over time, and how careful historians must be in separating fact from pure fiction before recounting what seems to have really happened.

The prose is very clear, friendly, lively and quite engaging. This book should appeal the most to science and history buffs - especially those with a penchant for the history of science.

I am not well-read in the UFO literature department. In fact, I've been more of a distant fence sitter on the subject - somewhere in between those who claim to see UFOs everywhere and those who would never acknowledge their existence even if one bumped into them. After reading this book, I find myself in agreement with the author that 1) UFOs are a real phenomenon, 2) we have no idea what they are or where they come from, and 3) they should be taken seriously by our governments and carefully studied within the limits of what is possible.

The book contains 28 chapters, 15 of which (about half the book) have been written by various high-ranking officials from different countries, most of whom have had major UFO encounters. The result is prose that is very even-tempered, logical, composed and, when describing UFO encounters, very detailed.

Something that particularly stands out in this book is the different approaches on the UFO issue taken by different governments in countries where major UFO incidents have been reported. It seems that European countries and South American ones are more accepting of the existence of the UFO phenomenon, whereas in North America, particularly the USA, UFOs are the subject of ridicule. The author provides a wealth of fascinating information on the history of how this unfortunate situation came about.

Despite the many contributors to this book, the writing styles are all very similar: very clear, often lively and always quite captivating. I found the book to be very hard to put down and believe that it can be enjoyed by everyone - from hard-nosed sceptics to true believers.

This short monograph concisely depicts what was known at the time of its writing about the Minoan civilization. The author, a professor who is a published expert in this field, describes the likely origin of the Minoans, their evolution, their religion, their lifestyle, their likely interactions with other societies, their writing, etc. The book contains a great many descriptions of various archaeological finds, e.g., pottery, tools, tombs, palaces, structures, buildings, art, etc.

Since I did not find any publication date nor dated references in this book, it is not clear how much of the information/theories presented have been superseded by more recent scholarship. The only year that appears in the text that could be used to partially bracket its publication date is 1952; thus the book was published sometime after that year.

Nevertheless, the prose is clear and authoritative. The book would most likely appeal to those who, like me, have a fascination for ancient Cretan history.

I gave this book the above rating mainly because it is clear, authoritative, well-written and covers just about every feature of past volcanic eruptions that, I believe, really matters: scientific/technical aspects, environmental effects and impacts on humanity. Also, it is a topic that I find quite fascinating.

After describing in technical detail how volcanoes work, the substances that they emit, their effects on the environment and techniques used to date eruptions, the author reconstructs past volcanism based on available evidence, e.g., geological, archaeological, ice cores, tree rings, etc. He also focuses on a few well-studied eruptions and on lessons learned from them. This information is then used in the reconstructions of likely past eruptions of various volcanoes - both unknown and known - hence the term "forensic volcanology" on which this book focuses. The final chapter contains a discussion on the risks due to volcanoes and on possible emergency preparedness plans for those who could be affected by future eruptions.

With such a catchy title, one would expect that the book would be aimed at the general reader wishing to painlessly learn more about volcanic eruptions. The book certainly has much to offer. However, because it is rather technical and can be a bit heavy-going at times, I believe that it would be better suited for serious science buffs. It could also be used as a supplementary text in university courses on volcanoes and their effects.

Those who have enjoyed some of this author's prior books, as I have, should not be disappointed with this one. In over 130 stories divided into 17 parts/themes, various unusual snippets of British history are recounted; most stories are less than two pages long. The great majority of these are not ones that you would find in conventional history books. They are, in most cases, obscure, little-known and quirky odds and ends - some partly based on legend and folklore - that have somehow found their way into the footnotes of British history. The author and his team should be commended for the tremendous effort that must have been involved in unearthing so many gems and making them available in such an enjoyable way to the general reader.

The author has a very chatty, lively, charming, witty and often tongue-in-cheek way of expressing himself - making this book very hard to put down. This is a book that can be relished by absolutely anyone, particularly history enthusiasts.

This book was written from the point of view of a reporter rather than a scientist/engineer. Consequently, the author has strived to touch upon as many angles as possible on this timely topic. After a brief excursion into the early history of batteries, the author quickly goes through the highlights of early twentieth century developments in this field. Then, over the course of the book, the focus evolves mainly onto such topics as business matters, politics, economics, corporate competition, litigation issues, exploration, mining and science and technological problems. Also included are accounts of the author's travels around the world to see key places/facilities and to meet key individuals.

On the down side, the book does not contain any diagrams or illustrations of the various items being developed. The only figure in the entire book is a map of South America. Also there are no tables summarizing the technical specifications/characteristics of the different types of batteries currently available and those being developed; such a table would have been excellent for quick and easy reference. The only table, a list of lithium reserves and identified resources, is given as an appendix. However, most of the information is there but buried in the prose.

The author writes clearly in a style that is often witty, sporadically lively, objective and often quite engaging. As a science buff, I am more interested in the scientific/technical aspects/problems regarding such batteries. Discussions of this type, when they do occur, are reasonable but would have been nicely complemented by, as noted earlier, accompanying figures and tables. This book should be of interest to anyone curious about all facets of the search for batteries that are appropriate for use in electric automobiles.

I have read a number of books of this type over the years. Some are a model of clarity and are truly a pleasure to read. At the other end of the spectrum, there are those that are seriously lacking in this regard and are a chore to go through. In the case of this book, I would place it closer to the latter end of the range. Consequently, I would agree with the prior reviewers who have expressed similar sentiments. More specifically, I often found myself bewildered at how some of the initial equations were set up since very little in the way of explanation was given. Much more space was devoted to going through calculations line by line - something which, in my view, is of much less importance. On the positive side, the author has addressed more than a dozen problems of different types, thus potentially appealing to readers with different interests. I my case, I found a few of these problems to be quite fascinating while in the case of several others, I had no interest whatsoever - the lack of clarity causing me to skim over the material, as in the case of a prior reviewer. Finally, I do agree with the author that the mathematics level for most of the problems is up to about the senior high school level; however, in a few cases, the mathematics is well beyond that.

Overall, I was rather disappointed with this book. Although clearly not ideal for the general reader, this book may appeal to serious math buffs with a very broad range of interests and perhaps a refined intuition to enhance their understanding of what the author is trying to convey.

This is the fifth book that I've read by this remarkable author and I certainly hope that he will have more coming. As alluded to in the subtitle, all of the British monarchs over the past five centuries - from Henry VIII to Elizabeth II - are examined to some extent, some more than others. But the author does not focus on the standard events that can be found in most history books. Rather, he concentrates on these monarchs' lesser-known characteristics, e.g., quirks, eccentricities, personality traits of interest, their affairs, etc., as well as particular occurrences that have featured in their lives - mainly those worthy of gossip, head-shaking and even surprise.

This author's writing style is one of the book's greatest assets. His prose is friendly, clear, lively, often tongue-in-cheek, occasionally humorous and always most engaging. Again, as in his other books, his choice of words at the right occasions is simply priceless. This book can be relished by absolutely anyone.

This book is a bit of a hodgepodge of various bits of information and stories about the chemical elements. All of the known elements appear to have been at least touched upon; some were simply mentioned once or twice in passing, whereas a great many were the subject of more elaborate discussion. Topics that could be contained in the latter category were such things as the discovery of an element, including how, where and by whom, its history, properties, uses, natural abundance and, in some cases, monetary value, e.g., gold, silver and platinum. One also learns a bit about the naming convention of the elements. But, as was pointed out by some reviewers, very little actual chemistry is discussed here, although some such passages do slip in very occasionally.

One element that features very prominently throughout this book is the human element. In addition to scientists - snippets about their lives and activities - the reader is treated to the roles of various elements in art, literature, mythology, folklore, industry, warfare, crime, medicine and society/culture in general.

The prose is clear, friendly, light-hearted and lively. This book should appeal to general readers, liberal arts students and even science buffs who would like to learn more about the chemical elements than their chemistry.

Books about Adolf Hitler usually focus on the usual horrors related to World War II. However, in this one, the author, who was Hitler's valet for ten years, paints a portrait of Hitler in a somewhat different light. He discusses Hitler's day-to-day activities, his work habits, his personal opinions on various members of his inner circle and certain aspects of his personality that one may not be aware of. He also discusses assassination attempts, Hitler's deteriorating health, and ultimately his suicide and its immediate aftermath.

The author does not discuss much about Hitler's various military and political decisions, and even less about their rationale. However, he clearly expresses the view that Hitler was well aware of and controlled everything that was going on in his empire, including the military campaigns, the horrible anti-Jewish activities, etc. These issues are not elaborated upon by the author because, as he claims, his job was only to see to Hitler's personal needs and nothing else. The ten years that he spent as Hitler's personal valet suggest that he did his job exceedingly well and minded his own business. Through the author's eyes, the reader can see Hitler outside his inner circle and gain a glimpse of the type of person that he was under both relaxed and stressful situations.

I found the writing style to be very clear, friendly, often quite lively and some sections quite gripping - especially the last few chapters. This book can be enjoyed by anyone, but should be of particular interest to World War II enthusiasts.