Book Description
The most successful theory in all of science--and the basis of one third of our economy--says the strangest things about the world and about us. Can you believe that physical reality is created by our observation of it? Physicists were forced to this conclusion, the quantum enigma, by what they observed in their laboratories. Trying to understand the atom, physicists built quantum mechanics and found, to their embarrassment, that their theory intimately connects consciousness with the physical world. Quantum Enigma explores what that implies and why some founders of the theory became the foremost objectors to it. Schrodinger showed that it "absurdly" allowed a cat to be in a "superposition" simultaneously dead and alive. Einstein derided the theory's "spooky interactions." With Bell's Theorem, we now know Schrodinger's superpositions and Einstein's spooky interactions indeed exist. Authors Bruce Rosenblum and Fred Kuttner explain all of this in non-technical terms with help from some fanciful stories and bits about the theory's developers. They present the quantum mystery honestly, with an emphasis on what is and what is not speculation. Physics' encounter with consciousness is its skeleton in the closet. Because the authors open the closet and examine the skeleton, theirs is a controversial book. Quantum Enigma's description of the experimental quantum facts, and the quantum theory explaining them, is undisputed. Interpreting what it all means, however, is controversial. Every interpretation of quantum physics encounters consciousness. Rosenblum and Kuttner therefore turn to exploring consciousness itself--and encounter quantum physics. Free will and anthropic principles become crucial issues, and the connection of consciousness with the cosmos suggested by some leading quantum cosmologists is mind-blowing. Readers are brought to a boundary where the particular expertise of physicists is no longer a sure guide. They will find, instead, the facts and hints provided by quantum mechanics and the ability to speculate for themselves.
Customer Reviews:
Importance of Einstein's inquisitiveness........2007-10-03
Remember "Blue Velvet" movie and frequently shouting "don't you f@#$ look at me!!" Frank (played with raving mania by Dennis Hopper)? Maybe Frank knew something we do not. But.. jokes aside - it is again about Einstein mostly, and about his two famous quips: "I like to think that the moon is there even if I am not looking at it" and: "God does not play dice". He related to measurement/observation problem and Nature's randomness. His questions, musings and skepticism spawned further research into "what is going on?" bringing quantum physics and consciousness enigma into the light. As we read the text, we learn that physicists can be divided into two groups: these who does not want to enter the hazy border of physics and philosophy, and much smaller but not less respected cluster of open-minded scientists who are not afraid to investigate and ask dipper questions. Second group consist(ed) among others Schrodinger himself and John Wheeler - dreamer and colleague of Einstein. There is something wrong with the way science is conducted, and authors clearly point at it quoting many names and opinions. For example: reductionism may be soon in retreat and reasoning by induction has logical problems. Mathematics is not always a panacea for theory -says Stephen Hawking: "The usual approach of science of constructing a mathematical model cannot answer the questions of why there should be a universe for the model to describe" (string cosmologists take heed!). Even philosopher and physicist Victor Stenger ("The Unconscious Quantum") - strong believer in empirical facts/observations and total critic of consciousness admits that we do not live in deterministic Newtonian clockwork universe. I mention him here because I read several of his books not without pleasure. In conclusion: "Quantum Enigma" is a fascinating and provocative book. The only small disappointment comes from marginal treatment of Roger Penrose's interpretation of quantum weirdness that goes without any need to invoke observers or parallel universes. For details one may check June 2005 Discover magazine. Soon after this book was published, May 12th 2007 New Scientist magazine printed information about planned experiments at the University of California , Santa Barbara. The researchers believe they will have ruled out one of the most popular explanations for how quantum things turn classical and that decoherence theory cannot be correct. Experiment will offer an inside into the fundamental nature of quantum measurement, and possibility to take a quick peek inside the box, glimpse the cat's state and observe "superposition" marching one step at a time. This could be a very profound discovery..stay alerted.
Quantum questions at their best.......2007-09-12
A good concise format for the most pressing quantum questions.
A very good read. Recomended for anyone needing more input on how our peception of reality, changes as quantum questions arise..
IM
Absolute must-read.......2007-08-24
I just finished reading Quantum Enigma and it has left me stunned.
Although I am sure many folks would not agree, I think the topic of this book examines the most important questions facing us humans -- the fundamental nature of consciousness and "reality", and how the two interact. The authors explain how quantum theory clearly shows that microscopic particles behave in a way that does not "make sense". Not only can those particles exist in two places at once, but the theory shows that they only exist when observed by something or someone. And since our everyday macroscopic objects are theoretically made up of those tiny particles, what does that mean about the chair I am sitting on? Is it there only because I am here? As stated on page 156, "There is no way to interpret quantum theory without in some way addressing consciousness."
This is not a "pop-quantum" book like the Tao of Physics or The Dancing Wu Li Masters. Nor does it present nonsensical extrapolations of quantum theory to spiritual phenomena, as in the "What the Bleep..." movie. But it does explore realms where most physics text books do not go -- the juncture of physics and philosophy. It shines a bright light on physicists' "skeleton in the closet", the enigmatic meaning of quantum theory.
The book is written in a friendly and entertaining manner, without sacrificing depth or seriousness. I enjoyed the photos of the great minds of quantum theory - Bohr, Heisenberg, Einstein, etc - the guys who knew from the start that quantum theory required a different world view.
It may be true, in some sense, that nothing exists unless and until "observed"! How can that possibly be? The authors don't provide an answer, but the beauty of this book for me was the courageous and competent way in which it asks the questions. And they freely admit that "The more deeply you think about quantum mechanics, the more strange it seems." No kidding.
--Joel Nisson
A perspective shaking journey.......2007-08-14
The concepts are simple but profound, mind creates matter. This book takes this idea and a few other mind bending, and mind blowing concepts that quantum physics has shown us about ourselves, and our universe and expands on them in a readable format. The astonishing realization for me is the apparent direct correlation between what quantum physics has told us about reality, and what mystics have been saying for thousands of years, especially the Buddha. This book is a must buy for any inquiring minds out there. It will change the way you look at yourself, and the world!!
Excellent treatment of the subject.......2007-08-10
The authors do a great job of presenting the issue. Some of the basic quantum concepts seem a bit dumbed-down, but their focus on the subject of quantum physics vs. consciousness is precise and well-thought-out. Refreshingly free of all the wooly-headedness that plagues other discussions of this type ("The Holographic Universe" comes to mind as a particularly bad example), which hijack science, broadly and clumsily applied, to justify belief in everything from ESP to reincarnation. They stick to the science, and properly so. Quantum mechanics is already so weird, it doesn't need to be conflated into anything else.
Book Description
Nathan Bedford ForrestÂ's astounding military abilities, passionate temperament, and tactical ingenuity on the battlefield have earned the respect of Civil War scholars and military leaders alike. He was a man who stirred the most extreme emotions among his followers and his enemies, and his name continues to inspire controversy.
In this comprehensive biography, Forrest is illuminated as the brilliant battlefield tactician that he was--and the only Confederate cavalry leader feared by Ulysses S. Grant. Historians Eddy W. Davison and Daniel Foxx offer a detailed explanation of the Fort Pillow Â"massacre,Â" unraveling the facts to prove that it was not indeed a massacre. The book also discusses ForrestÂ's role in the Ku Klux Klan and how he came to be its first grand wizard.
Dispelling several myths, this is a study of the complete Forrest, including his rise as a self-made millionaire in Memphis, his remarkable success leading the Seventh Tennessee Cavalry, and his life following the Civil War. Although the book is filled with vivid battle narratives, it goes beyond ForrestÂ's military life to examine other aspects of this enigmatic leader—his role as husband and father, for example, and his dramatic call for full citizenship for Black Southerners.
Customer Reviews:
The Best Book On General Forrest , I've Ever Read !!!!.......2007-10-04
For anyone with an interest in the Civil War's most interesting character , General Nathan Bedford Forrest , this new book is a MUST ; "Nathan Bedford Forrest , In Search of the Enegma" , by Eddy W. Davison & Daniel Foxx (and forward by Ed Bearss) !!
I own many books , old & new , on General Forrest's life and activities . This is the very best that I have ever read on this topic . There are plenty on good ones and some are on very specific topics , such as the new books "Forrest's Escort & Staff" , by Michael R. Bradley and "Men of Fire" , Grant & Forrest at the Battle of Fort Dolelson , by Jack Hurst ! These 2 new books concerning General Forrest are excellent & are must reads for "Forrest entheusists" , but are basically on very specific topics concerning Forrest . "In Search of the Enegma" covers Forrests life , with emphasis on the civil War , of course , but is in search of The Man , behind the legend !
It is extremely well written , in every way , but I must comment on the way that "battles & engagements & troop activity" of General Forrest's are described ! Everyone with an interest in General Forrest has read about his part in battles at Shiloh or Brice's Crossroads or the Tupelo & Memphis Raid ,for example . I have from several good books ! I have never had such normally "complex battle situations" ; with moving men & horses & confussion & indecisions & mistakes & foul weather & poor communications & heroism & bravery & inactions & retreats----so clearly described & made more understandable than ever before ! Davison & Foxx turn a battle into a "moving picture in your mind" ! You are "there" & you "feel" the situation . You understand more about the "Why's" of how these battles & engagement , concerning Forrest , turned out as they did & its very interesting reading & not "dead facts" !
These two authors , Davison & Foxx , give first hand accounts , often from "non-famous" soldiers & civilians , recorded long after the war , that add "something new or a different prespective" on General Forrest ! The indepth research is fantastic ! You find out from Union reports , just what was being discussed concerning Forrest & his command , as certain actions were about to take place or were happening ! You see how unique Forrest was in almost always "creating the illusion" of haveing a much , much larger force than was reality , to his enemy . Also , you see how confussing Forrests actions & objectives were to the opposite side in a conflict !
Just a splendid work on Nathan Bedford Forrest , by two excellent researchers & story-tellers !
A MUST Read , for anyone interested in Forrest !
Just the over-all best book on this topic of Nathan Bedford Forrest , that I have ever read ! Highly recommended to all who want to know & understand more on "Forrest The Enegma" and Forrest The Man !
A WHOLE LIBRARY IN ONE BOOK!.......2007-09-11
I have a whole library of nearly every book ever written about or mentioning Forrest. Heck, after all, my son is named after him! The book is thoroughly written and well researched. The material contained within is found in a multitude of other sources, but the beauty of this book is that the authors have all the pertinent information in one large volume and presented it wonderfully. No joke, you'd have to buy a ton of books (if you could find them all)and spend more time reading than your eyes could take, to get the information presented in this volume. If I were to buy one book to learn about Forrest, then this one would be it. The definitive work and an excellent value.
The collaborative work of American Civil War experts.......2007-08-04
The collaborative work of American Civil War experts Eddy W. Davison (Adjunct Professor of History, Ottawa University, Phoenix, Arizona and a member of the Board of Directors of the Scottsdale Civil War Roundtable), and Daniel Fox (Professor Emeritus of History, Ottawa University, Phoenix, Arizona), "Nathan Bedford Forrest: In Search Of The Enigma" is the man almost universally acknowledged as the best cavalry leader the Confederate army had in leading the Seventh Tennessee Cavalry. But in the decades following the civil war, Nathan Bedford Forrest was also the subject of enduring controversy as a man both acclaimed and vilified, respected and hated, and generally difficult to categorize. This new and detailed biography reveals Forrest to be complex, possessing a military genius and a generally tragic figure of his times. The biographers cover his childhood, marriage, life as a businessman who became a self-made millionaire in Memphis, Tennessee, his work as a civic leader, and offers explanation for the alleged massacre at Fort Pillow, Tennessee, his dramatic call for full citizenship for Black Southerners, and his post-civil war involvement with the infamous Ku Klux Klan. A very strongly recommended addition to academic and community library Civil War Studies and American Biography collections, "Nathan Bedford Forrest" is a work of meticulous and detailed scholarship -- and a prized contribution to the growing body of Civil War literature.
The Best on Forrest.......2007-08-01
I have read many books about this unusual military genius, but this one is far and away the most complete, up-to-date and informative. Most highly recommended to allstudents of the War Between the States.
A Great Soldier.......2007-06-12
Best biograqphy of Forrest since Brian Wills book. Both should be read in conjunction with each other to get a fuller picture of the man.Forrest was a product of his times and should be accepted as such.
Amazon.com
When Andrew Wiles of Princeton University announced a solution of Fermat's last theorem in 1993, it electrified the world of mathematics. After a flaw was discovered in the proof, Wiles had to work for another year--he had already labored in solitude for seven years--to establish that he had solved the 350-year-old problem. Simon Singh's book is a lively, comprehensible explanation of Wiles's work and of the star-, trauma-, and wacko-studded history of Fermat's last theorem. Fermat's Enigma contains some problems that offer a taste of the math, but it also includes limericks to give a feeling for the goofy side of mathematicians.
Book Description
xn + yn = zn, where n represents 3, 4, 5, ...no solution
"I have discovered a truly marvelous demonstration of this proposition which this margin is too narrow to contain."
With these words, the seventeenth-century French mathematician Pierre de Fermat threw down the gauntlet to future generations. What came to be known as Fermat's Last Theorem looked simple; proving it, however, became the Holy Grail of mathematics, baffling its finest minds for more than 350 years. In Fermat's Enigma--based on the author's award-winning documentary film, which aired on PBS's "Nova"--Simon Singh tells the astonishingly entertaining story of the pursuit of that grail, and the lives that were devoted to, sacrificed for, and saved by it. Here is a mesmerizing tale of heartbreak and mastery that will forever change your feelings about mathematics.
Customer Reviews:
One of the deep pleasures of my reading life..........2007-08-26
Once upon a time, two roads diverged into a yellow wood and I elected to pursue the path of an English and literature major. Along the neglected wayside lay a path toward mathematics, a discipline in which I was more academically proficient (not that I was bad at the other) but the purpose and pleasure of which had somehow escaped me. Though math had always been relatively easy for me, I believed -- perhaps through the way it had been taught and presented -- that it had never been "fun." Somehow its beauty had lain hidden beneath the drudgery of pedagogy. It was only years later that I discovered G. H. Hardy's "A Mathematician's Apology" and E. T. Bell's "Men of Mathematics" and learned to appreciate the joy of mathematics and its symmetry (ironically, the same appreciation that fires my love for Jane Austen). Though I will never become a professional mathematician, it is through books like "Fermat's Enigma" that I can share in the mathematician's joy of discovery that is the holy grail of every intellectual pursuit.
To ignore or to shy from this book because of a fear of math is to place unnecessary limits on your understanding of the world. Simon Singh does a masterful job of making accessible the story of an impenetrable math problem and telling it through the history of the mathematics that surround it and through the personalities of the mathematicians who pitted themselves against it and who ultimately led to its solution. There are no threatening equations here that are not solved for you -- only the challenge to get your mind around ideas that perhaps are new.
There is tremendous human drama along the way -- from the struggles of Sophie Germaine, who disguised herself as a man to study under the great mathematician Carl Gauss, to Evariste Galois, the brilliant young mathematician who died at the age of twenty in a dual he felt powerless to avoid, to Yutaka Tanyama, the brilliant Japanese mathematician whose conjecture pointed the way to Andrew Wiles' ultimate solution but who tragically took his own life before he was to ever see the proof, to the elation and doubts of Wiles himself when his much-heralded proof was found eventually to contain a fatal error. The story is not just a thumbnail history of the purest of sciences, but a story of human redemption as we see Wiles' struggles to correct his proof beneath the uncomfortable gaze of an anxious academic community.
Give yourself a chance on this one. I have read it time and again (and again) and have never failed to be moved by Wiles' ultimate triumph -- or in how articulately he uses metaphor to state his problem or the honesty with which he addresses his failures and shares his joy.
Informative, but not casual reading.......2007-08-23
Simon Singh makes difficult topics readable, although not necessarily totally understandable. This comment applies to Fermat's Enigma. The bulk of the book concerns the history of number theory and here it is truly outstanding. The description of the final solution was Jabberwocky to me.
Engaging even for the layman.......2007-06-11
Though some parts of it were way over my head (suffice it to say that math has never been my strong suit), it was still an interesting history of math and the seemingly unsolvable theorem that plagued it for hundreds of years. It was really fascinating to see how passionate some people are about math, how they have the sort of strong emotions for their subject that I traditionally ascribe to artists. This book did a really nice job of showing the astounding potential of the human mind and it offered some pretty astonishing history of the study of mathematics.
Simply Wonderful.......2007-04-16
There are two books that I have assigned my Algebra II class to read in the past - this was one of them (The other was "Bringing Down the House by Mezrich).
This book weaves together so many different themes :
The suspense and drama of Wiles solving the problem, wonderful diversions into mathematical history, and great insights into mathematical ways of thinking through interesting problems (like the mutilated chessboard, or the Bridges of Konigsburg problems)
I couldn't ask for a better book to teach my students what real mathematics is, in a fun and entertaining way.
Both professional mathematicians, and everday people who like math will enjoy this read.
Capturing the mathematical treasure hunt.......2007-02-26
Fermat's Enigma was one of the world's great unsolved mysteries - Pierre de Fermat postulated several theorems, whose proofs he left undocumented. Was he speculating, or did he really do it? One at a time, mathemeticians knocked off his theorem. Except for one - Fermet's last theorum.
Simon Singh takes us to Princeton, where Andrew Wiles locks himself away for years to solve the problem. The book does talk in math, but Singh explains it as he goes, and anyone that recalls high school algebra should be able to follow 90% of it. And the other 10% doesn't detract from the story. Wiles follows old mathematics, synthesizes new mathematics, and even takes a few wrong turns. In the end, the story is as much about gripping obsession as it is about pure math, and is a good read for a general audience.
Amazon.com
Few Americans have examined carefully the nation whose economy and industry is bound up with their own, whose future will inescapably shape theirs--Japan, that is. Dutch journalist Karel van Wolferen does the job, and very well indeed, depicting a Japan alternately awed and disgusted by the world beyond its shores, governed by a puppet emperor in the service of the zaikaijin, a gerontocracy of businessmen who control the national economy, just as they have done for generations. Their hierarchy is reinforced by the fear that, as in 1945, hostile powers will not only overpower the Japanese economy but denature the Japanese people, introducing foreign concepts of democracy and even the specter of an "impure race." Although Van Wolferen balances his account by highlighting what he regards as positive Japanese traits, including thrift, respect for elders, industriousness, and self-control, The Enigma of Japanese Power remains a controversial text in the nation it assays to describe with discomforting accuracy.
Book Description
A full-scale examination of the inner workings of Japan's political and industrial system.
Customer Reviews:
Power Explained.......2006-10-10
Van Wolferen does an excellent job of exploring the basis of power in Japanese society. As you read the book, you'll learn that Japanese power is a very collective and amorphous thing. There is no one person or one group in charge of everything. There is no strong political leader, such as America has in its president. Power flows almost like water.
Another interesting thing that Van Wolferen covers in his book is that the way that Japanese people are today is not due to culture. The Japanese character has been molded by political decisions made in the past. It's interesting to see how he comes at this idea. Read the book and check it out for yourself.
Fascinating and thought-provoking.......2005-10-23
Journalist Karel van Wolferen makes a compelling case for the argument that there is virtually no one in control of the Japanese state: it's ruling elite consists of administrators who jockey for position as they seek advantage for their respective ministries, thereby making it difficult for Japan to speak with a unified voice on the international front or make commitments to foreign governments on which it can follow through. Detractors unfairly stain van Wolferen's name with the epithet "Japan-basher," but it was clear to me that he felt a great deal of empathy for the average Japanese, who he says also suffers under the system he describes.
The most refreshing aspect of this book is that it avoids that tired cliche of Japan writing: the portrait of the Japanese as purely the unique product of a unique culture, as if they were a charming and polite race not entirely of this world. Get to know them personally and you find that we have far more in common than not. Power corrupts in Japan, just as it does everywhere else. People have a tendency to value the status quo and defend their own interests in Japan, just as they do everywhere else. It is not difficult to believe that in Japan, a country that has always been hierarchically organized and has had the dubious benefit of being isolated from the outside world for much of its history, the elite at the top of that hierarchicy would exercise their power to protect the state of affairs that sustains them, however short-sighted a policy that might ultimately prove to be.
Van Wolferen's book deserves serious consideration, not to be dismissed as the diatribe of a racist.
Breathtaking.......2005-04-10
Published just as the infamous Japanese 'bubble' economy was set to burst - and from which, more than ten years down the road, Japan has yet to recover - van Wolferen's work remains a classic in the field. The Dutch journalist spent more than thirty years reporting from Japan. Though the tenor of Japan's relationship with the outside world has changed considerably in the intervening years, much of what van Wolferen noted remains true.
Following publication, van Wolferen's speaking engagements dried up or were suddenly canceled, and he was tagged with the 'Japan basher' moniker. More than anything, van Wolferen had broken the taboo of uttering what all knew to be, on various levels, the truth about how Japan's political and bureaucratic culture functions.
In places the book is dense. The general reader can skip to relevant sections. They include pieces on education, the elusive Japanese state, the all-pervasive bureaucracy, the middle class, ritual in society, intimidation, the press, and others. Very persuasive.
Japanese Power - Political Observations.......2004-11-12
Karel van Wolferen's The Enigma of Japanese Power presents to us a picture of the Japanese government as a corrupt and manipulative "System" in which individuals have few rights and are often ignored. What distinguishes this book from others in the area is the explanation given for how this came to be. Whereas Ruth Benedict and Chie Nakane use cultural and structural approaches to Japanese society, respectively, Van Wolferen views it from a political perspective. This allows The Enigma and Japanese Power to remain relevant even after the "bubble burst" of the Japanese economy.
One of Van Wolferen's central topics in this book is that not everything is as it appears in Japan - certainly not a new idea to the field. However, the political viewpoint he takes is refreshing. For example, he claims that there are two "Confusing Factors" (5) about Japan that cause problems when dealing with other countries. The first fiction is that Japan has a responsible central government. Note the word "responsible," since Japan clearly has a central government. Instead of a transparent government in which people are responsible for their decisions, Van Wolferen tells us that there is no one individual or group that has complete control over the country. Rather, power is divided among many ministries, politicians, and bureaucrats. At the start of the second chapter he tells us that, of course Japan has laws and regulations, several political parties, and unions workers can join. However, he then also explains that just because these institutions exist with our Western names attached to them does not mean they function in the same manner.
For example, Van Wolferen describes politics in Japan as a "rigged one party system" (28), even though there are quite a few opposition parties. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which is neither liberal nor democratic, is primarily "a vote-getting machine" (30) and a policy-oriented organization dead last. Through gerrymandering the voting districts to favor rural areas - where the LDP has always had strong support -, buying votes, and pork-barrel politics (making promises to help a city by funneling money to it if a certain politician is elected for the area) the LDP has managed to virtually monopolize seats in the Diet. Due to this tremendous amount of power, policy debates and outcries against LDP corruption "are performances that are democratically reassuring but with not the slightest influence on developments in the countries affairs" (30). Due to this overwhelming power, the people are virtually at the LDP's mercy.
The other fiction about Japan that Van Wolferen thinks causes problems is that Japan has a free-market economy. He quotes Chalmers Johnson in describing Japan and other Asian countries as "capitalist developmental states" (6). In this system the economy of a country depends on a good relationship between industry and bureaucrats. In other words, the industry "advises" the bureaucracy about what they should do and the bureaucrats make policies that reflect those "suggestions." For example, Van Wolferen points out the banning of oral contraceptives in order to "[prevent] any decline in the lucrative abortion industry" (53) as an example of this. The incentives for bureaucrats are top positions in big business after retirement (known in Japan as amakudari - descent from heaven).
Van Wolferen argues that the ability to say or present one thing and take a completely different course of action - and that no one seems to care - is due to a lack of any universal truths or beliefs held by the Japanese. He says that because the political elites were able to pick and choose what aspects of Buddhism and Confucianism were adopted by society, they were able to weed out anything that detracted from their power. In this way, religion came to be a tool the government used to project an image that those in power were beyond the law, yet were still benevolent rulers. However, in Western thought, the government is seen as a protector of the people, answerable to the same laws as the commoners. In other words, Van Wolferen states that the lack of "truths, rules principals or morals that always apply, no matter what the circumstances" (9) enables the Japanese to accept seemingly hypocritical viewpoints and stances without flinching.
I enjoyed reading The Enigma of Japanese Power. It is popular Nihonjinron at its peak - easily accessible, entertaining, and does not stray too far from the generally held views of Japan. Some would argue that this third fact detracts from the book, but I do not agree. By looking at Japan through a political viewpoint, rather than a cultural one like countless others, Van Wolferen is able to garner more validity. Reducing everything done differently in Japan to culture or tradition gets us nowhere. Instead, by looking at the situation differently we can see that there are specific reasons why the Japanese are they way they are. It is important to realize, however, that this political view has its limitations as well, which I believe Van Wolferen makes clear that he knows.
Chomskyan hatchet job on Japan.......2004-02-06
van Wolferen had the benefit of living in Japan for 20 years as a journalist without ever having learned to read or write Japanese. One wonders how much credibility Americans would give a book about American culture and politics written by a journalist who had lived in the US for 20 years without learning to read or write English.
But that's not the problem with van Wolferen: Ruth Benedict and Lafcadio Hearn wrote worthwhile books about Japan without learning the language, in Benedict's case without even having visited Japan. The problem is van Wolferen's style and thesis.
His style is tendentious, full of false premises, unwarranted assumptions, unsubstantiated assertions, and hysterical exaggeration. His thesis is that Japan is a uniquely evil country, much like Noam Chomsky's attitude toward America.
Here is a small example: In Chapter 15 "The Japanese Phoenix" van Wolferen states: "The most famous slogan of the Meiji period was 'fukoku kyohei', 'rich country, strong military', and the response to the real or imaginary external threat was an effort to make Japan invincible."
Well, what about that external threat? Was it "real" or was it "imaginary"? van Wolferen by offering us the two alternatives implies that the Japanese imagined or at least seriously exaggerated the external threat. And was the goal truly to be "invincible", or was it just to be competitive?
In actual fact, the external threat was all too real. The Shogunate was overwhelmed by the power of the small but well-armed flotilla Commodore Perry brought to Tokyo Bay in 1853. The Shogunate's military forces had nothing even remotely comparable to Perry's "black ships". The shelling and burning of Kagoshima in 1863 by the British Royal Navy and the destruction of the guns guarding the Straits of Shimonoseki by naval bombardment in 1864 by a Four Power flotilla (British, French, Dutch, and American) underlined the point that the Japanese were powerless against Western military force. They also had before them the example of China, the source of Japanese High Culture, which was at that time being systematically dismembered by the European powers. The message was clear: Japan was going to share China's fate if it did not modernize.
Doesn't seem like an "imaginary" threat to me. And "invincible"? What about just "competitive with the Western powers"? - which was in fact the real goal of the Meiji Restoration.
This is just one small example. Every page abounds with similar distortions. Interestingly, van Wolferen explicitly states at the outset, on page 24, that he is not interested in objective analysis.
Chalmers Johnson inspired van Wolferen to write this book, and reviewed it extensively. If you share Johnson's neo-Leftist conspiratorial world view, you will find van Wolferen compelling reading. If you are interested in learning about Japan as it really is, don't bother reading this book.
Book Description
ACCLAIM FOR ENIGMA
“CRACKING STUFF…VIVID AND HITHERTO UNKNOWN DETAILS.” –
Sunday Times (London)
“IN A CROWD OF BOOKS DEALING WITH THE ALLIED BREAKING OF THE WORLD WAR II CIPHER MACHINE ENIGMA, HUGH SEBAG-MONTEFIORE HAS SCORED A SCOOP.” –
Washington Post
Winston Churchill called the cracking of the German Enigma Code “the secret weapon that won the war.” Now, for the first time, noted British journalist Hugh-Sebag-Montefiore reveals the complete story of the breaking of the code by the Allies—the breaking that played a crucial role in the outcome of World War II.
This fascinating account relates the never-before-told, hair-raising stories of the heroic British and American sailors, spies, and secret agents who faced death in order to capture vital codebooks from sinking ships and snatch them from under the noses of Nazi officials. Sebag-Montefiore also relates new details about the genesis of the code, little-known facts about how the Poles first cracked the Luftwaffe’s version of the code (and then passed it along to the British), and the feverish activities at Bletchley Park, Based in part on documents recently unearthed from American and British archives—including previously confidential government files—and in part on unforgettable, firsthand accounts of surviving witnesses, Enigma unearths the stunning truth about the brilliant piece of decryption that changed history.
Download Description
Most histories of the cracking of the Enigma code focus on the work done by the codebreakers at Bletchley Park, Britain's famous counterintelligence station. In addition to providing new details about the genesis of the code and the activities at Bletchley, Enigma tells, for the first time, the hair-raising stories of those who put their lives on the line to give the codebreakers the materials they needed. While researching the book, noted British journalist Hugh Sebag-Montefiore tracked down many of the surviving players in the Enigma drama. These witnesses-some of them speaking on the record for the first time-provide unforgettable firsthand accounts, including gripping stories of the secret agents, naval officers, and ordinary seamen who faced death in order to snatch vital codebooks from under the noses of Nazi officials and from sinking ships.
Customer Reviews:
Good but not great history of cracking the naval enigma.......2007-05-06
Without a doubt the Allies' cracking the German enigma is one of the greatest, and perhaps the deciding, accomplishment of World War Two. Winston Churchill called the cryptanalysts at Bletchley Park the geese who consistently laid golden eggs, without ever cackling.
This history of the battle to break the naval enigma is a good book; thorough, well-researched, not excessively tedious (because the technical details are relegated to appendices.) All the same, I found the book to be akin to reading a corporate history; the capture of U-boats and other boats with code books, the sinking of ships, and betrayal of secrets becomes repetitive. If this really interests you, you'll really like the book. Alas, I think that a good book could have been a great book if it had also gone into further detail than to simply mention that the Germans had also cracked some of the Allies' naval codes.
Crypto and history buffs will enjoy this book; the less enthusiastic will probably find it a slog.
Great writing, but limited mainly to Navy Enigma.......2006-04-24
Mr Sebag-Montefiore is an excellent story teller. It is diffcult to put this book aside.
In contrast to other books on Enigma the technical details of the breaking are given in Appendixes, which makes reading easier. This is a very good idea.
My only qualm is that the story is mainly that of the navy Enigma. Little is devoted to the air force and army Enigma, which is a pity.
A blow-by-blow account.......2004-08-03
The Ultra secret was kept for a long time after WWII. Recently declassified, it was the Allied code name for the Enigma ciphering system used by the Germans to coordinate U-boat attacks, to gather weather reports and intellegence, etc. This book is interesting in that the author gives ample space to the sailors and intellegence officers that gathered hard data, often from sinking U-boats, instead of focussing exclusively on the technical work performed at Bletchley Park. The result is an action-packed account that speeds through the material, while giving the reader a glimpse at the personalities and actions of the people responsible for solving the Enigma.
The book is arranged roughly chronologically, but Sebag-Montefiore divides his chapters into subject areas that span months at a time. This makes for a better flow. Therefore, the book backtracks from time-to-time, but it is never confusing, due to the skill of the author (and his editor). Oft-neglected episodes are included, much to the benefit of the book - because the U.S. and Britain were the two largest Allied powers, many books overlook contributions by other nations. Not so with this book - the Polish codebreakers that originally duplicated the Enigma and broke the peacetime ciphers are given more space than the celebrated Alan Turing. Likewise, the Canadian contribution to convoy duty (and therefore U-boat hunting and intellegence gathering from sinking U-boats) is given its rightful share of space.
The author wisely keeps the pace moving with events and doesn't allow the narrative to bog down in technical descriptions of the deciphering procedures. These procedures are gathered as appendices at the end of the book. The appendices are not great - they are descriptive without going into the mathematical detail, and therefore come across as "hand-waving." Luckily this difficulty does not detract from the main part of the book, so is not a fatal flaw, but those looking for a technical explanation should look elsewhere.
The Whole Story.......2004-04-14
"Enigma" by Hugh Sebag-Montefiore is an up-to-date look at the history of the cracking of the code, from the initial efforts in Poland through the final changes the German's made in May of 1945. The most impressive thing about this book is how comprehensive it is. The author covers all of the aspects of the code-breaking effort. Including some of the technical details involved in breaking the code, the personalities of those involved, the stories of their efforts to capture code books and equipment, and the effects that their efforts had on the war. The book is arranged in chronological order, with appendixes provided to give more of the detail of the technical aspects. The epilogue includes a wrap-up of what happened to the major participants after the war. This is a very worthwhile read for anyone interested in World War II and Enigma.
The other story of the breaking of Enigma.......2003-10-05
Whereas many other books concerned with Enigma have concentrated on the work of the cryptanalysts of Bletchley Park this deals with those other people crucial to the effort. The seamen of the Royal Navy, secret agents, Polish cryptanalysts and ironically the Germans.
If you are after the technical details of how Enigma worked and how it was cracked then don't get this book. But if you are interested in reading a gripping account of the events surrounding the Battle for the Code and the consequences thereof then this is a must.
Sebag-Montefiore has compiled outstanding source and reference materials to give the human story behind the code breaking efforts by the British. The bravery of the men of the Royal Navy who risked life and limb to steal codebooks and Enigma machines from German warships and submarines. Also covered are the details of the steps that the Germans took to "secure" their code that often backfired making it easier to break and the incompetance of some German radio operators that also compromised security.
Book Description
The Collected Poems of one of the world's greatest living writers, Tomas Tranströmer, now available in this comprehensive edition.
In day's first hours consciousness can grasp the world
as the hand grips a sun-warmed stone.
Translated into fifty languages, the poetry of Tomas Tranströmer has had a profound influence around the world, an influence that has steadily grown and has now attained a prominence comparable to that of Pablo Neruda's during his lifetime. But if Neruda is blazing fire, Tranströmer is expanding ice. The Great Enigma: New Collected Poems gathers all the poems Tomas Tranströmer has published, from his distinctive first collection in 1954, 17 Poems, through his epic poem Baltics ("my most consistent attempt to write music"), and The Sad Gondola, published six years after he suffered a debilitating stroke in 1990 ("I am carried in my shadow / like a violin / in its black case."), to his most recent slim book, The Great Enigma, published in Sweden in 2004. Also included is his prose-memoir Memories Look at Me, containing keys into his intensely spiritual, metaphysical poetry (like the brief passage of insect collecting on Runmarö Island when he was a teenager). Firmly rooted in the natural world, his work falls between dream and dream; it probes "the great unsolved love" with the opening up, through subtle modulations, of "concrete words."
Customer Reviews:
The Scandinavian World of the Sea and the Elements of Nature.......2007-01-20
Tomas Tranströmer is a Swedish poet who is one of the strongest and most frequently honored artists of the time. Robin Fulton has translated and curated the bulk of Tranströmer's published poems in this magnificent book THE GREAT ENIGMA: NEW COLLECTED POEMS and it is a rare treat. In one tome are some of the most moving conversations with and about nature this reader has ever read. Tranströmer's ability to alter the landscape of the sea and the cliffs, the islands and havens, with an imagination that defies comparison: it is a staggering achievement.
Able to succeed in both the very short and the epic form, he finds those niches in our psyches and makes them into words we could never generate. 'It's spring and the air is very strong. I have graduated from
the university of oblivion and am as empty-handed as the shirt
on the clothesline.' Perhaps it is his training and practice as a psychologist that allows his entry into our heads the way few other poets can achieve. A solid (yet one of many equally powerful) examples would be the following 'Sailor's Yarn':
'There are bare winter days when the sea is kin to mountain
country, crouching in grey plumage, a grief minute blue,
long hours with waves like pale lynxes vainly seeking
hold in the beach gravel.
On such a day wrecks might come from the sea searching
for their owners, settling in the town's din, and drowned
crews blow landward, thinner than pipe smoke.
(The real lynxes are in the north, with sharpened claws
and dreaming eyes. In the north, where day lives in
a mine both day and night.
Where the sole survivor may sit at the borealis stove
and listen to the music of those frozen to death.)'
Few collections of poetry are as satisfying as this and to Robin Fulton's translations must go a lot of the credit. This book is stimulus for the adventurous imagination as well as for the lover of great sea songs. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, January 07
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Writing and Excellent History.......2005-07-19
Asprey is one of my favorite historians for his writing style alone. The book moves along, yet leaves nothing out. The descriptions of the battles are written in such a fluid, lucid style that few have achieved. If you want to know every move some particular regiment made in the battle, you won't find that here. This is a general bio of Frederick and not concerned solely with his battles. But Asprey does manage to convey the ebb and flow of the battles through a very direct, almost telegraphic at times, way of writing.
A great introduction to all aspects of Fredericks life.
A Magnificent Biography of Frederick the Great.......2004-03-10
This book may be out of print, but it certainly is not out of style. Mr. Asprey does try to maintian a degree of objectivity throughout the book, but he doesn't always succeed. Nevertheless, this book shines with in depth research of nearly every aspect of the life, politics, loves, and military considerations of Frederick the Great throughout his reign. There is a near 100 page bibliography in the back, replete with sources for further reading. The way the author wove the story of Frederick of Prussia was masterful in holding my attention as well as making me more interested in period politics of the era. What a fascinating era in European development. What a fascinating human being Frederick the Great was. A true humanist philospher king forced to embark upon a war of expansion to ensure his country would be able to dictate it's own course in the near future of Europe (through Germany as he envisioned it) and beyond. A truly cruel and engimatic circumstance to be trapped in as an enlightened human being during the mid 18th century. I cannot say enough good things about this book. I emphatically recommend it to anyone interested in this period of European history. Good coverage of historically significant battles with terrain maps and battle line progression provided as well.
History As A Thriller.......1999-08-02
Robert Asprey's life of Frederick The Great was a fascinating read. The author's understanding of his subject makes Frederick come to life. One can understand the forces that created the man, his strengths and weaknesses.
Asprey also provides a clear view of Europe in Frederick's times. The constant conflicts between its nations is difficult to understand from the perspective of the modern reader. In our times Europe has been at peace for more than 50 years (despite the conflagration in the Balkans) yet in Frederick's time the great nations could not stop warring with each other.
Most fascinating in this book, however, is the suspense filled descriptions of Frederick's major battles and the masterful way the king manuevered through the 7 year war. This was very exciting reading. It also provided insights as to how an inferior force can prevail against what appeared to be overwhelming odds.
Brian Wells, Esquire, reviews "Frederick the Great".......1997-12-16
This is a sparkling book which reveals much about the life and times of a man about which too little is known in our age. Frederick the Great (King of Prussian 1740-1786) militarily united much of the Protestant northern Germany under one crown--the Prussian crown. He did so while supporting the enlightenment idea of toleration of religious differences, at least in theory, and with the goal of making Prussia a major power in central Europe.
Frederick anticipated Napoleon by re-introducing the strategy of the attack to military theory. He laid much of the groundwork for the diplomacy of Bismarck which a hundred years later sould see Frederick's great grand-nephew, William I (reigned 1861-1888) crowned German Emperor in 1871.
Frederick was certainly an genius in some areas of his life. However, as this book points out, he inherited a lot of the tools that he would need for success during his reign from his father, King Frederick William I (reigned 1713-1740). For instance, the army that Frederck the Great used so devastatingly in the War of Austrian Succession (1740-1748) and the Seven Years War (1756-1763), had been painstakingly built by his father.
Additionally, he inherited a close diplomatic reationship with the British crown from his mother, Sophie Dorothea of Hanover. Sophia Dorothea was the daughter of George I and brother of George II of England. Assured of English neutrality Frederick could have a free hand to deal with Austria during the Seven Years War of 1756-1763.
Asprey writes in a way that is entertaining and still relates a good deal on information to the reader. Because of this, his work on Frederick the Great is a welcome addition to anyone's library.
Average customer rating:
|
Without Enigma: The Ultra & Fellgiebel Riddles
Kenneth Macksey , and
Robin Lumsden
Manufacturer: Ian Allan Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
Intelligence & Espionage | Military | History | Subjects | Books
General | World War II | Military | History | Subjects | Books
General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0711027668 |
Book Description
This new book by distinguished British military historian Kenneth Macksey disputes the importance of Allied code-breaking in World War II and emphasizes the role of anti-Hitler German generals. It is one of the most significant books on the war to appear in recent years.
Average customer rating:
- Not Free SF Reader
- Too enigmatic
- Great book - technically good and no loose plot ends
- QXQF VFLR TXLG VLWD PRUA
- Elegantly written and refreshingly original
|
Enigma
Robert Harris
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Spy Stories & Tales of Intrigue | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
General | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Spy Stories & Tales of Intrigue | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
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Codebreakers: The Inside Story of Bletchley Park
ASIN: 0804115486
Release Date: 1996-09-01 |
Amazon.com
A gripping World War II mystery novel with a cryptographic twist, Enigma's hero is Tom Jericho, a brilliant British mathematician working as a member of the team struggling to crack the Nazi Enigma code. Jericho's own struggles include nerve-wracking mental labor, the mysterious disappearance of a former girlfriend, the suspicions of his co-workers within the paranoid high-security project, and the certainty that someone close to him, perhaps the missing girl, is a Nazi spy. The plot is pure fiction but the historical background, Alan Turing's famous wartime computing project that cracked the German U-boat communications code, is real and accurately portrayed. Enigma is convincingly plotted, forcefully written, and filled with well drawn characters; in short, it's everything a good technomystery should be.
Book Description
"LITERATE AND SAVVY . . . BRIMS WITH WARTIME INTRIGUE."
--The Washington Post Book World
England 1943. Much of the infamous Nazi Enigma code has been cracked. But Shark, the impenetrable operational cipher used by Nazi U-boats, has masked the Germans' movements, allowing them to destroy a record number of Allied vessels. Feeling that the blood of Allied sailors is on their hands, a top-secret team of British cryptographers works feverishly around the clock to break Shark. And when brilliant mathematician Tom Jericho succeeds, it is the stuff of legend. . . .
"A TENSE AND THOUGHTFUL THRILLER."
--San Francisco Chronicle
Until the unthinkable happens: the Germans have somehow learned that Shark has been cracked. And they've changed the code. . . .
"SUSPENSEFUL AND FASCINATING."
--The Orlando Sentinel
As an Allied convoy crosses the U-boat infested North Atlantic . . . as Jericho's ex-lover Claire disappears amid accusations that she is a Nazi collaborator . . . as Jericho strains his last resources to break Shark again, he cannot escape the ultimate truth: There is a traitor among them. . . .
"GRIPPING . . . CAPTIVATING ."
--New York Daily News
"ELEGANTLY RESEARCHED . . . Readers will find themselves perfectly placed to experience one of Britain's finest hours."
--People
"SATISFYING . . . Harris does a crackerjack job here, playing his characters' lives off historical events in surprising ways."
--Entertainment Weekly
"SUSPENSEFUL . . . FIENDISHLY CLEVER."
--Detroit Free Press
Customer Reviews:
Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03
Almost a historical novel where the names have been changed to protect no-one. Tom Jericho is a mathematician type working to decipher the German enigma codes. The people there are being watched by spooks, and to make it a bit of a thriller the author has a girl he was seeing disappear with some information.
The detail about the actual code breaking process is pretty interesting.
Too enigmatic.......2006-12-23
The beginning of this book is good. It's a bleak time in England, WWII, Germany winning the war and they needed desperately somebody to decode Nazi cryptic messages.
Jericho is summoned to help the decoders. Then suddenly there is no difference between Jericho's present and his troubled past.
Characters appear suddenly and there's no way to tell if the characters are part of the story or if they belong to Jericho's constant recollection of memories.
Maybe I expected something like "A Beautiful Mind" (although Russell Crow is not sickly looking at all, in the movie he has some mental issues). Or somebody exceedingly eccentric, finding patterns everywhere: Fibonacci numbers, Penrose tiles, Pascal triangles, and other mathematical phenomena. (There is one mathematical fact mentioned, related to pi.) I wanted to be mesmerized by inscrutable logic and the power of deduction.
I gave up after page123.
Great book - technically good and no loose plot ends.......2006-09-20
With my long background in computers (since '66) and my longtime interest in codes, codebreaking & Enigma, I started this book with some trepidation - as most books of this ilk are poorly written and technically annoying. Not so with this book. It's a genuinely good read with some good plot twists - in fact, you don't know where it's going until the end. Too bad there aren't more good books like this around instead of all the Rambo trash.
QXQF VFLR TXLG VLWD PRUA.......2006-05-01
This is an engrossing novel about an amazing wartime secret -- the decipherment at Bletchley Park of the German military, air force, and naval codes by a gang of eccentric cryptanalysts laboring under depressing, exhausting conditions for months on end. Tom Jericho is a Cambridge mathematician with an extraordinary talent for problem-solving, who loses his heart to Claire Romilly, a clerk-typist in another section of the project. Then Claire goes missing, as do a handful of transcribed ciphered intercepts. Of course, all is not what it seems. Why did Berlin order a change in the code, and can they crack it before too many more men are lost in the North Atlantic? Why did the order come down not to decipher those particular messages? Is there a spy at Bletchley Park? Harris also makes it clear that the folks back home in dreary, shortage-ridden England were every bit as courageous, and suffered just as much, as the soldiers in the line of battle. You'll stay up late to finish this one.
Elegantly written and refreshingly original.......2005-08-29
This is an intelligent, well-constructed book that had me eagerly turning pages right up until the end. Robert Harris confidently takes us into the world of cryptography and cryptographers, frantically pitting human ingenuity, artificial intelligence, mechanical and electronic "bombes", and "Turin machines" (both the revolutionary precursors of our present-day computers) against predatory German submarines set on devastating merchant convoys in the Atlantic. It is an exciting, informed, and enjoyable read.
The book has been very carefully researched and accurately conveys the bleakness and weaknesses of war-weary Britain in the early 1940s. We are led into the strange and taunt world of Bletchley Park, the WWII center of British cryptographic efforts to crack the various versions of the German Enigma code. Historical fact and personalities (such enigmatic genius Alan Turin) are convincingly interwoven with a multi-leveled story of espionage and betrayal. The writing is excellent; a beautifully told story.
Towards the end of the book there is a quotation from the mathematician G. H. Hardy, "a mathematical proof, like a chess problem, to be aesthetically satisfying, must possess three qualities: inevitability, unexpectedness and economy." What is true of mathematical proofs and chess solutions is also true of good thrillers. Harris has provided us with a brilliantly different espionage book where unexpectedness is present to the final page, and a graceful economy of writing that creates a smooth and enjoyable read. Unlike many books, this is one that I will be rereading next year.
Book Description
Alan Turing, pioneer of computing and WWII codebreaker, is one of the most important and influential thinkers of the twentieth century. In this volume for the first time his key writings are made available to a broad, non-specialist readership. They make fascinating reading both in their own right and for their historic significance: contemporary computational theory, cognitive science, artificial intelligence, and artificial life all spring from this ground-breaking work, which is also rich in philosophical and logical insight. An introduction by leading Turing expert Jack Copeland provides the background and guides the reader through the selection. About Alan Turing Alan Turing FRS OBE, (1912-1954) studied mathematics at King's College, Cambridge. He was elected a Fellow of King's in March 1935, at the age of only 22. In the same year he invented the abstract computing machines - now known simply as Turing machines - on which all subsequent stored-program digital computers are modelled. During 1936-1938 Turing continued his studies, now at Princeton University. He completed a PhD in mathematical logic, analysing the notion of 'intuition' in mathematics and introducing the idea of oracular computation, now fundamental in mathematical recursion theory. An 'oracle' is an abstract device able to solve mathematical problems too difficult for the universal Turing machine. In the summer of 1938 Turing returned to his Fellowship at King's. When WWII started in 1939 he joined the wartime headquarters of the Government Code and Cypher School (GCandCS) at Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire. Building on earlier work by Polish cryptanalysts, Turing contributed crucially to the design of electro-mechanical machines ('bombes') used to decipher Enigma, the code by means of which the German armed forces sought to protect their radio communications. Turing's work on the version of Enigma used by the German navy was vital to the battle for supremacy in the North Atlantic. He also contributed to the attack on the cyphers known as 'Fish'. Based on binary teleprinter code, Fish was used during the latter part of the war in preference to morse-based Enigma for the encryption of high-level signals, for example messages from Hitler and other members of the German High Command. It is estimated that the work of GCandCS shortened the war in Europe by at least two years. Turing received the Order of the British Empire for the part he played. In 1945, the war over, Turing was recruited to the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in London, his brief to design and develop an electronic computer - a concrete form of the universal Turing machine. Turing's report setting out his design for the Automatic Computing Engine (ACE) was the first relatively complete specification of an electronic stored-program general-purpose digital computer. Delays beyond Turing's control resulted in NPL's losing the race to build the world's first working electronic stored-program digital computer - an honour that went to the Royal Society Computing Machine Laboratory at Manchester University, in June 1948. Discouraged by the delays at NPL, Turing took up the Deputy Directorship of the Royal Society Computing Machine Laboratory in that year. Turing was a founding father of modern cognitive science and a leading early exponent of the hypothesis that the human brain is in large part a digital computing machine, theorising that the cortex at birth is an 'unorganised machine' which through 'training' becomes organised 'into a universal machine or something like it'. He also pioneered Artificial Intelligence. Turing spent the rest of his short career at Manchester University, being appointed to a specially created Readership in the Theory of Computing in May 1953. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London in March 1951 (a high honour). In March 1952 he was prosecuted for his homosexuality, then a crime in Britain, and sentenced to a period of twelve months hormone 'therapy'. From 1951 Turing worked on what would now be called Artificial Life, using the Ferranti Mark I computer to model aspects of biological growth, in particular a chemical mechanism by which the genes of a zygote could determine the anatomical structure of the resulting animal or plant. He died in the midst of this groundbreaking work.
Customer Reviews:
An excellent edition, long overdue.......2005-10-25
Enjoy this profound book by the father of the Digital Age. The Essential Turing is an excellent edition and long overdue. Turing's essential works are finally available in a single volume. Turing is one of the most important thinkers of the 20th century--he was rated up there with Einstein in Time magazine's 'The Century's Greatest Minds'. Copeland's lucid commentaries on Turing's work are fascinating and helpful. OUP is to be congratulated on putting Turing into the hands of the popular science book-buyer at long last.
a long overdue book.......2005-09-12
A long overdue book. Copeland collects together Turing's greatest papers. As in where Turing tackled the fundamentals of what is now called a Turing machine - ie. a universal computer. Plus other papers where Turing ruminated on artificial intelligence, and founded that field. Plus coming up with the Turing Test for AI.
Turing's papers are interleaved with chapters by Copeland that give extra context to the times in which Turing lived. Notably on Turing's crucial contribution to the Enigma project at Bletchley Park during World War 2. It is no exaggeration to say that his insight into decoding the German encryptions saved the lives of thousands of Allied soldiers.
Valuable also is a reprinting of Turing's "Treatise on the Enigma", which was only declassified in 1996. Though by then, its essence had been known for decades. Finally, the book lets you read Turing's words on Enigma.
Most Accessible Introduction to Turing.......2005-08-22
This is a terrific book. Turing is one of the most important figures of our time. Copeland's lucid and helpful introductions to Turing's key works make fascinating reading. (The hundreds of footnotes are testimony to the depth of scholarship that underlies Copeland's smooth prose.) Copeland makes Turing, and so the origins of the digital age, accessible to all.
A valuable addition in paraphrasing Turing.......2005-03-22
Copeland's "Essential Turing" reviews Turning's major writings and is a valuable source of knowledge for computer scientists and avid CS/Mathematics readers alike. Turing was a brilliant British mathematician, logician, and cryptographer and is widely considered to be the father of computer science. This book doesn't portray him merely as a code breaker but also provides commentary on his brilliant foundation work as on Artificial intelligence. Discussion on the ultimate Turing test (proposal for a test of a machine's capability to perform human-like conversation) and Entscheidungs Problem is worth reading.
I shelve this book next to Knuth's "The Art of Computer Programming" which may state what it's worth.
A collection of Turing's papers.......2005-03-01
Copeland's book is basically a collection of some of Turing's original papers, completed with a short introduction for each part of the book. I was disappointed by this book as (1) one can easily find copies of Turing's work on the web, (2) there is very little additional value in Copeland's comments, and (3) the papers are not reproduced in their original typeset and layout. Elsevier's "Collected Works of A. M. Turing" (4 volumes) does a much better job and offers Turing's complete work.
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