The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution (Hardcover)

by Richard Dawkins (Author)

Textbook Details
* Hardcover: 480 pages
* Publisher: Free Press (September 22, 2009)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 1416594787
* ISBN-13: 978-1416594789
* Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.6 inches
* Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds

Textbook Description
In 2008, a Gallup poll showed that 44 percent of Americans believed God had created man in his present form within the last 10,000 years. In a Pew Forum poll in the same year, 42 percent believed that all life on earth has existed in its present form since the beginning of time.

The Greatest Show on Earth is a stunning counterattack on advocates of “Intelligent Design,” explaining the evidence for evolution while exposing the absurdities of the creationist “argument.” Dawkins sifts through rich layers of scientific evidence: from living examples of natural selection to clues in the fossil record; from natural clocks that mark the vast epochs wherein evolution ran its course to the intricacies of developing embryos; from plate tectonics to molecular genetics. Combining these elements and many more, he makes the airtight case that “we find ourselves perched on one tiny twig in the midst of a blossoming and flourishing tree of life and it is no accident, but the direct consequence of evolution by non-random selection.”

The Greatest Show on Earth comes at a critical time: systematic opposition to the fact of evolution is menacing as never before. In American schools, and in schools around the world, insidious attempts are made to undermine the status of science in the classroom. Dawkins wields a devastating argument against this ignorance, but his unjaded passion for the natural world turns what might have been a negative argument into a positive offering to the reader: nothing less than a master’s vision of life, in all its splendor.

The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution Review
Dawkins has written another very intelligent, hugely entertaining and informative book. It is a shame he had to write it. It is incredible that it is necessary to spell out the overwhelming evidence for evolution, which in the 21st century should be obvious to everyone by simply using common sense. Dawkins does it very well though, and his many examples and enthusiasm for the subject makes it a fantastic read even when you don’t need any convincing. Having the evidence presented this way does makes it easier to argue against the idiots that wouldn’t understand the objective truth if their lives depended on it. In any case, read it and enjoy it, this book can only enrich your life and appreciation of what’s truly beautiful.

I bought the audio book and the book. I listened to the book and it is great to hear Dawkins and his wife read, they are great readers and have excellent voices. The illustrations in the book are very helpful so that’s why I bought the book too; but you don’t necessarily need the illustrations for the audiobook. The book itself is an air tight case for evolution by natural selection. Being someone that is well read on evolution, I found out even more outstanding evidence by reading the Greatest Show on Earth. It debunks some of the ubiquitous misconceptions, and lays out the most convincing evidence from molecular genetics. The book purely lays out the science behind evolution, so even the religious reader would not feel like Dawkins is being overly antagonistic. This is an excellent book that needed to be written.

This is a seminal work in the evolutionary canon. The opening section on the distinction between the lay vs. scientific definitions of the word theory, while ridiculous that it has to be made, is crucial. Those who argue that the book lacks a formal ‘disproving’ of ID or Creationism obviously are COMPLETELY missing the point. Would a person writing a book to explain the scientific evidence for the heliocentric model be expected to refute the geocentric model? Would a person writing a book to explain the scientific evidence for germ theory be expected to refute the humoral theory of illness? Etc

This is another great work by Richard Dawkins, very well written and argued, with many fine illustrations. Carl Sagan, in The Demon-Haunted World, called science our candle in the dark. There are people who are afraid of this candle’s light and want to extinguish it, this book is an attempt by Dawkins to protect it. Buy it, read it, think and wonder!

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Biology with MasteringBiology (8th Edition) (Hardcover)

by Neil A. Campbell (Author), Jane B. Reece (Author)

Textbook Details
* Hardcover: 1393 pages
* Publisher: Benjamin Cummings; 8 edition (December 7, 2007)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0321543254
* ISBN-13: 978-0321543257
* Dimensions: 11.2 x 9.4 x 1.6 inches
* Shipping Weight: 7.4 pounds

Textbook Description
The best-selling biology textbook in the world just got better! Neil Campbell and Jane Reece’s BIOLOGY is the unsurpassed leader in introductory biology. The book’s hallmark values–accuracy, currency, and passion for teaching and learning–have made Campbell/Reece the most successful book for readers for seven consecutive editions. More than 6 million readers have benefited from BIOLOGY’sclear explanations, carefully crafted artwork, and student-friendly narrative style.

Introduction: Themes in the Study of Life, The Chemical Context of Life, Water and the Fitness of the Environment, Carbon and the Molecular Diversity of Life, The Structure and Function of Large Biological Molecules, A Tour of the Cell, Membrane Structure and Function, An Introduction to Metabolism, Cellular Respiration: Harvesting Chemical Energy, Photosynthesis, Cell Communication, The Cell Cycle, Meiosis and Sexual Life Cycles, Mendel and the Gene Idea, The Chromosomal Basis of Inheritance, The Molecular Basis of Inheritance, From Gene to Protein, Control of Gene Expression, Viruses, Biotechnology, Genomes and Their Evolution, Descent with Modification: A Darwinian View of Life, The Evolution of Populations, The Origin of Species, The History of Life on Earth, Phylogeny and the Tree of Life, Bacteria and Archaea, Protists, Plant Diversity I: How Plants Colonized Land, Plant Diversity II: The Evolution of Seed Plants, Fungi, An Introduction to Animal Diversity, Invertebrates, Vertebrates, Plant Structure, Growth, and Development, Transport in Vascular Plants, Soil and Plant Nutrition, Angiosperm Reproduction and Biotechnology, Plant Responses to Internal and External Signals, Basic Principles of Animal Form and Function, Animal Nutrition, Circulation and Gas Exchange, The Immune System, Osmoregulation and Excretion, Hormones and the Endocrine System, Animal Reproduction, Animal Development, Neurons, Synapses, and Signaling, Nervous Systems, Sensory and Motor Mechanisms, Animal Behavior, An Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere, Population Ecology, Community Ecology, Ecosystems, Conservation Biology and Restoration Ecology.

Biology with MasteringBiology 8th Edition Review
I completed my B.A. in biology over 30 years ago and got this book for self-study and to catch up with progress in topics outside of my work experience. The sections seem well written and illustrated. Since this is an introductory text it has sidebars and interviews meant to interest the intro student. I’d leave those out, if only to make the book less massive.

The order came very quickly. The product was in great condition. I did not know it was NOT hardcover, however so I has to purchase a new textbook.

This was my first experience at ordering books online. My daughter is going to college and this book was much cheaper than I could get it in the bookstore. I also liked to have the 14 day return policy in case it was the wrong book. The book was in excellent condition and came in the time it was promised.

This book has a great layout, and it has a great website that coincides with it. It’s easy to read and not very complex. Obviously, some Biology prerequisite should be in order if using this book, but other than that, I say it’s one of my better textbooks this semester, if not the best.

This book is a good biology text book — it’s pretty easy to read and has interesting examples and real-world applications of some of the concepts. The MasteringBio website, though, is AWESOME. It comes with an e-book version of the text book, so you don’t have to carry it around with you (good because it is huge and really heavy). It also has quizzes and mini tests that you can take online to see if you understand the material. The best part in my opinion though is that there are all kinds of animations and interactive learning tools that make the material super easy to understand. I absolutely recommend it!

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Fingerprints of God: The Search for the Science of Spirituality (Hardcover)

by Barbara Bradley Hagerty (Author)

Textbook Details
*Hardcover: 336 pages
* Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover (May 14, 2009)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 1594488770
* ISBN-13: 978-1594488771
* Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
* Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds

Textbook Description
Is spiritual experience real or a delusion? Are there realities that we can experience but not easily measure? Does your consciousness depend entirely on your brain, or does it extend beyond?

In Fingerprints of God, award-winning journalist Barbara Bradley Hagerty delves into the discoveries science is making about how faith and spirituality affect us physically and emotionally as it attempts to understand whether the ineffable place beyond this world can be rationally —even scientifically—explained.

Hagerty interviews some of the world’s top scientists to describe what their groundbreaking research reveals about our human spiritual experience. From analyses of the brain functions of Buddhist monks and Carmelite nuns, to the possibilities of healing the sick through directed prayer, to what near-death experiences illuminate about the afterlife, Hagerty reaches beyond what we think we know to understand what happens to us when we believe in a higher power.

Paralleling the discoveries of science is Hagerty’s own account of her spiritual evolution. Raised a Christian Scientist, she was a scrupulous adherent until a small moment as an adult triggered a revaluation of her beliefs, which in turn led her to a new way of thinking about God and faith.

An insightful examination of what science is learning about how and why we believe, Fingerprints of God is also a moving story of one person’s search for a communion with a higher power and what she discovered on that journey.

Fingerprints of God: The Search for the Science of Spirituality (Hardcover) Review
After reading this book nine or fourteen times, I think one’s spiritual experience is real unless it is considered a delusion by mental experts who are experienced in this type of angiosymmetric behaviorism. The main thing to realize is that the author is dreaming, and we are part of that dream. This means that our lives are not measurable unless God has also made a ruler to measure it. Another amazing thing I learned from the book is that God also has fingerprints, although I don’t understand why an omnipotent creator would need them.

Fascinating book about a subject few have braved. Hagerty’s journalistic approach to the science is perfectly woven with her personal story of faith. While discussion of science often looses its appeal after page 2, her great storytelling is at its best and you find yourself staying up late reading more and more – you can almost imagine sitting in a room with her as she tells this riveting story – with her dog at her feet!

This book will give you lots to think about- whether you are religious, spiritual, agnostic or atheist. The author does conclude that “brokenness is the best predictor of spiritual experience”, meaning that a large portion of those who have a spiritually enlightening experience, or are ‘touched by God’, arrive there via a process. One is broken down and then at some low point is ‘touched’ and the author states that people of all belief systems perceive ‘otherness’ in a similar way(having to do with darkness, distance and then a light and ensuing peace). She uses former addicts and alcoholics or those ill with serious and sometimes fatal diseases as examples. What I liked about this book, aside from the fact it is very welll written and organized(I imagine quite tricky given the breadth of the subject matter and the anecdotal nature of many of the references), is that the author was very open minded in looking at the question. She considers the scientific evidence both for and against the existence of some greater force at work in the universe, as well as anecdotal evidence, opinions of doctors, scientists, philosophers- even such famous atheists as Dawkins, and religious clergy of all sorts. She crosses all lines of faith and religion.

Buy Kindle Edition
Fingerprints of God (Kindle Edition)

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Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR Fourth Edition (Text Revision) (Paperback)

by American Psychiatric Association (Corporate Author)

Textbook Details
* Paperback: 943 pages
* Publisher: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.; 4th edition (June 2000)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0890420254
* ISBN-13: 978-0890420256
* Dimensions: 10 x 6.9 x 2.1 inches
* Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds
* Rating:

Textbook Description
Since the DSM-IV® was published in 1994, we’ve seen many advances in our knowledge of psychiatric illness. This Text Revision incorporates information culled from a comprehensive literature review of research about mental disorders published since DSM-IV® was completed in 1994. Updated information is included about the associated features, culture, age, and gender features, prevalence, course, and familial pattern of mental disorders.

The DSM-IV® brings this essential diagnostic tool up-to-date, to promote effective diagnosis, treatment, and quality of care. Now you can get all the essential diagnostic information you rely on from the DSM-IV® along with important updates not found in the 1994 edition.

DSM-IV-TR Fourth Edition Review
Like other reviewers, I agree that if you own DSM-IV (burgundy cover), there is absolutely no reason for you to purchase the DSM-IV-TR (silver cover). Might as well wait for DSM-V (won’t that be a treat). If you are not a mental health professional or graduate student, I can’t imagine why you would want to own this book. It is essentially a compilation of symptom and behavior checklists that help clinicians make reliable diagnoses of mental disorders.
I would recommend strongly (for both professionals, students, and the lay public), DSM-IV Made Easy by James Morrison. Morrison’s book makes the DSM come alive. He illustrates technical points well, and provides interesting case exampl

We are in the in-between time, the DSM-IV being over a decade old, and the DSM-V being due out at some unspecified date, but giving the general publication rate of the major DSM revisions and the advance of general knowledge, it cannot be too far into the future. I have the DSM-IV, burgundy-cover edition, and have dipped into the DSM-IV-TR on occasion from the library, but have found no particular reason to need to purchase the TR silver edition for the kind of work I do.
This is a guide that is useful, indeed required, for graduate students in mental health and psychological fields, and for professionals working in those fields. As a pastoral care provider, I find it useful in many cases, but will warn that it is not a definitive tool to be used by itself in the hands of laypersons (which, in terms of professional psychology, I most certainly am). Symptoms and diagnoses are difficult to isolate, and not to be left in the hands of amateurs – to that end, I often worry about the general availability of books such as this (I have a similar fear for the PDR, the Physicians Desk Reference, whereby people try to self-diagnose and self-medicate based on their reading).
The DSM-IV is not without controversy – indeed, the whole psychological enterprise is not without controversy. However, this is the current standard by which the profession measures itself (sometimes a bit in opposition, but there are few who hold the DSM to be meaningless).
Professionals will want to have this book; graduate students may or may not need this particular revision.

I am a psychologist and I have been practicing for about 30 years. I remember the little DSM II. It was the size of the companion small book that can be purchased. The DSM has a history. There was actually a time when psychologists and psychiatrists were considering 2 different texts. Reading the reviewers was interesting as this is my tool to differentiate what my clients present. It is continually being improved and that is the focus of TR. There are subtle differences and clarifications. This book is the basis of identifying the specifics of what we are working with. The DSM IV was a collaborative effort to acurately represent international, cultural, and biological differences. My clients don’t care but some don’t know that an adjustment disorder of mood is different than dysthymia or depression which is again different from Bi Polar disorder. I probably wouldn’t read it if I didn’t do this kind of work. Yet it may be important to people with diagnosed illness. It can assist the capable reader in being an informed consumer.

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Saunders Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN® Examination (Saunders Comprehensive Review for Nclex-Rn) (Paperback)

by Linda Anne Silvestri MSN RN (Author)

Textbook Details
* Paperback: 1280 pages
* Publisher: Saunders; 4 edition (October 23, 2007)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 141603708X
* ISBN-13: 978-1416037088
* Rating:

Textbook Description
There is a reason the new edition of Saunders Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN® Examination has been called “the best NCLEX review book ever.” Essentially, you’ll find everything you need to review for the NCLEX exam under one cover – complete content review and over 4,200 NCLEX-style questions in the book and on the free companion CD! Don’t make the mistake of assuming that the quality of the questions is the same in all NCLEX review books, because only Silvestri’s Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN® Examination includes the kind of questions that consistently test the critical thinking skills necessary to pass today’s NCLEX exam. And, what’s even better is that ALL answers include detailed rationales to help you learn from your answer choices, along with test taking strategies that provide tips for how to best approach each question. It’s easy to see why Silvestri is THE book of choice for NCLEX review. But don’t just take our word for it — read any customer review or ask your fellow classmates to see why Silvestri users believe that there’s nothing else like it!

the NCLEX-RN Examination Review
Without a doubt this book is a must for nursing students or those preparing to take the NCLEX. I have used it tirelessly to study for tests through nursing school and it has proven invaluable. I like that the book is split up into sections by topic. Not all NCLEX books are designed this way. I also like that at the beginning of each chapter there is an outline defining all the necessary information needed to critically think through questions. It’s like having all your years of nursing school compiled into one book! Following each topic summary there are NCLEX type questions with answers that follow at the end of the chapter. Answers contain rationale as to why the given answer is the correct one. Probably most helpful are the test taking strategies. For anyone who has taken a standardized test such as the SAT or GRE you know it’s all about knowing how to take the test…knowledge is secondary. FInally, the CD that comes with the book is great. In addition to the questions printed in the book, it gives you about 50 more questions per section to answer. Bottom line…get this book.

This book is the best. I just got it last week and already it has helped me a lot. There are priority questions where you list things in numbered order ,which is new for the boards. There are also pictures with questions,which is also new. Studying for my first exam this level(3 out of 4) with this book was even more helpful than I anticipated. I got to the test and noticed many familiar questions being asked and I sat there thinking, thank god I studied that review book. Worth every penny!

I would highly recommend this book if you want to pass the NCLEX-RN exam on your first try. Information learned all those years in nursing school is compacted into this book in such a way that won’t make you feel overwhelmed. Diseases and treatments are simply put. The questions at the end of each review tests what you’ve just reviewed and the rationales provided at the end of each section are excellent. This book is the best I’ve looked at and I am happy to report that I passed on my first try using this book as my primary studying aid.

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Rapid Interpretation of EKG’s, Sixth Edition (Paperback)

by Dale Dubin (Author)

Textbook Details
* Paperback: 368 pages
* Publisher: Cover Publishing Company; 6 edition (October 15, 2000)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0912912065
* ISBN-13: 978-0912912066
* Dimensions: 9.6 x 7 x 0.8 inches
* Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
* Rating:

Textbook Description
Vividly illustrated in color, this text presents a simplified and interactive format for rapid comprehension. Emphasizes understanding rather than memorizing. Previous edition: c1996. For students. Softcover.

Rapid Interpretation of EKG Review
Over the last 25 years of my medical career, I have read just about every book published on EKG interpretation. As a full-time educator, I appreciate simplicity, especially when it is totally practical. Of all the texts I’ve seen, Dubin’s “Rapid Interpretation of EKGs” is simply the best. He explains intricate concepts with simplistic beauty, using a unique programmed learning style and original figures. If you don’t learn “all there is to know” about EKGs from this book, you will never really understand them the rest of your career… Mikel A. Rothenberg, M.D., Emergency Care Educator, Medicolegal Consultant, Professor of Emergency Medical Services — American College of Prehospital Medicine.

This is a wonderful book for nursing or medical students, or anyone who needs to learn EKGs/ECGs. I’m a physician and read EKGs every day and I’ve never seen another text that was able to teach me the necessary concepts so painlessly. Yes, it *IS* written as if the reader is a third grader and I’m sure that offends some people who have spent their life in school or who want to make people believe that EKG reading is some magical art. Personally I enjoy being taken by the hand and shown everything like it was the first time I’d seen it. I think the teaching method presented here is quit effective for the average Joe or Josephine. Reading EKGs is not magic and this book shows you that anyone *can* really do it. I would strongly encourage anyone who has had trouble grasping the concept of EKGs to pick this book up, and that includes physicians, nurses, students, EMTs, medical technicians, respiratory therapists, heck, ANYONE who wants to learn to read EKGs! I give it my highest recommendation.

From the time i started learning about EKG’s, till the point and time this book was bestowed apon me i had no clue on how to read an EKG. I was always always confused. I never knew top from bottom and just tried to memorize as much as i could. That all changed the day this book came in the mail. In a matter of 4 hours i had read more than half it like a story book. The repititions of words (important ones) and relentless number of pictures that were in it made it impossible not to understand. even my mother who is an RN knows how to read EKG’s now. THIS BOOK IS JUST SIMPLY OUTSTANDING IN EVERY ASPECT.

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