Authoritative history of man's relationship with whales, presented in lively, straightforward prose. Ellis completes his comprehensive two-volume account of the cetaceans of the world (The Book of Whales, 1980) with a history of man's pursuit of whales. Anticipating that such a story would divide into three parts—ancient man's discovery of whales; the rise of the whaling industry; and the fall of the whaling industry—he found instead multiple beginnings in countries settled by whalers, and endings that devolved on species of whales being hunted to the brink of extinction, at which point they were of no further profit. In the 19th century, he explains, whale oil provided illumination and lubrication that was superior to that of vegetable oils, and whalers were admired as doing a necessary and dangerous job. When hunting meant ``hanging on to a wounded, 60-ton animal with a length of rope attached to a bouncing rowboat,'' there was ground for the whaler's heroic image. After the invention of the grenade harpoon and bow-mounted cannon, though, each species of whale was efficiently and ruthlessly hunted. Ellis records the many whale fisheries throughout history, beginning with those of the Basques in A.D. 1000, who are thought to have hunted the Atlantic gray whale into extinction. (The history of whaling has been a dismal record of human greed always and everywhere). He intersperses his chronicle with diverting interludes on the white whale (the beluga—unlike Moby Dick, a ``small, smiling, puddinglike creature''); the sea- unicorn—actually the narwhal, whose long, straight tusk found its way into crown-jewel collections; and life aboard a whaler, an employment so filthy that one 19th-century chronicle said that cockroaches in the crew's quarters made ``a noise like a flush of quails among the dry leaves of the forest.'' A fine and expert accomplishment. (Three hundred photographs, paintings, drawings, and maps—most seen.)
Pub Date: Oct. 30, 1991
ISBN: 0-394-55839-1
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1991
An intriguing meditation on the nature of the universe and our attempts to understand it that should appeal to both...
Italian theoretical physicist Rovelli (General Relativity: The Most Beautiful of Theories, 2015, etc.) shares his thoughts on the broader scientific and philosophical implications of the great revolution that has taken place over the past century.
These seven lessons, which first appeared as articles in the Sunday supplement of the Italian newspaper Sole 24 Ore, are addressed to readers with little knowledge of physics. In less than 100 pages, the author, who teaches physics in both France and the United States, cogently covers the great accomplishments of the past and the open questions still baffling physicists today. In the first lesson, he focuses on Einstein's theory of general relativity. He describes Einstein's recognition that gravity "is not diffused through space [but] is that space itself" as "a stroke of pure genius." In the second lesson, Rovelli deals with the puzzling features of quantum physics that challenge our picture of reality. In the remaining sections, the author introduces the constant fluctuations of atoms, the granular nature of space, and more. "It is hardly surprising that there are more things in heaven and earth, dear reader, than have been dreamed of in our philosophy—or in our physics,” he writes. Rovelli also discusses the issues raised in loop quantum gravity, a theory that he co-developed. These issues lead to his extraordinary claim that the passage of time is not fundamental but rather derived from the granular nature of space. The author suggests that there have been two separate pathways throughout human history: mythology and the accumulation of knowledge through observation. He believes that scientists today share the same curiosity about nature exhibited by early man.
An intriguing meditation on the nature of the universe and our attempts to understand it that should appeal to both scientists and general readers.Pub Date: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-399-18441-3
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Riverhead
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A magnificent account of a central reality of our times, incorporating deep scientific expertise, broad political and social knowledge, and ethical insight, and Idled with beautifully written biographical sketches of the men and women who created nuclear physics. Rhodes describes in detail the great scientific achievements that led up to the invention of the atomic bomb. Everything of importance is examined, from the discovery of the atomic nucleus and of nuclear fission to the emergence of quantum physics, the invention of the mass-spectroscope and of the cyclotron, the creation of such man-made elements as plutonium and tritium, and implementation of the nuclear chain reaction in uranium. Even more important, Rhodes shows how these achievements were thrust into the arms of the state, which culminated in the unfolding of the nuclear arms race. Often brilliantly, he records the rise of fascism and of anti-Semitism, and the intensification of nationalist ambitions. He traces the outbreak of WW II, which provoked a hysterical rivalry among nations to devise the bomb. This book contains a grim description of Japanese resistance, and of the horrible psychological numbing that caused an unparalleled tolerance for human suffering and destruction. Rhodes depicts the Faustian scale of the Manhattan Project. His account of the dropping of the bomb itself, and of the awful firebombing that prepared its way, is unforgettable. Although Rhodes' gallery of names and events is sometimes dizzying, his scientific discussions often daunting, he has written a book of great drama and sweep. A superb accomplishment.
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1986
ISBN: 0684813785
Page Count: 932
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1986
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