Axemaker's Gift [Audio Cassette]

James Lee Burke (Author), James Burke (Narrator), Robert Ornstein (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1995

In this intellectual journey through human culture, historian James Burke and pyschologist Robert Ornstein take a revolutionary look at history. 2 cassettes.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Prolific psychologist Ornstein and historian Burke, best known for his PBS-TV series Connections, have written an ambitious, entertaining, not always convincing survey of the interaction of technology, culture, history and the human mind. Early hominids' use of tools, they maintain, altered the brain's structure over millennia, favoring reason over emotion and fostering sequential thinking, which generated language, logic and rules. With the advent of agriculture and writing in Mesopotamia came social hierarchy. The authors strain mightily to prove that successive advances in technic?the Greek alphabet, the weight-driven clock, Gutenberg's printing press, scientific method, London's stock exchange, modern clinical medicine, computers, etc.?radically altered the structure of society, increasingly concentrating power and knowledge in the hands of a specialized ruling elite that imposed ever greater degrees of conformity on the masses. A "cut-and-control" outlook that divides the world into manipulable units is held responsible for our present ecological crisis. The authors' proposed solution is a world of small communities with participatory democracy and "webbed education" whereby information-technology users can access all knowledge as a dynamic whole.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

From the first stone used by prehistoric man to the electronic wonderland that currently exists in the United States, each new technology has had a double-edged effect, say the authors. The material in this abridgment ranges from very interesting to pedantic, and in the end it fits into the apocalyptic class of books that warn of the horrors being unleashed by modern man. The ironic conclusion is that our salvation can be brought about by a "web" of computers, which can bring electronic learning to all people. Coauthor Burke, who hosts the PBS series Connections, also serves as reader. Not a necessary purchase.?Theresa Connors, Arkansas Technological Univ., Russellville
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Audio Renaissance (September 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559273526
• ISBN-13: 978-1559273527
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,605,942 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #90 in Books > Books on Cassette > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > General
  • #97 in Books > Books on Cassette > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Sociology

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Starts out strong, runs out of gas, January 9, 2000

By 

Russell Ginns (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Axemaker's Gift (Audio Cassette)

I love Burke's books, especially Connections and The Day The Universe Changed. Combined with the author's great presentation, they are some of the finest non-fiction audio books in existence.

Unfortunately, this one really loses its way about half way through its course. What starts out as an excellent outline of prehistoric human development devolves into a meandering, unrealistic plea for changing human behavior.

Of course, you could just ditch the second tape in the set and listen to the first cassette several times. It's quite good on its own.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommend story for history enthusiasts ..., July 16, 1999

By 

Arnold Veness - See all my reviews

This review is from: Axemaker's Gift (Audio Cassette)

July 16, 1999

I first became aware of James Burke work through the Discovery/TLC channels and when I stumbled across his audio novel Connections I had to try it out. Connections was great and so I was encouraged to try out his other audio novels which were just as ingenious and entertaining.

The quality of James Burke's work set the stage for what has become a new age in bedtime stories. My new born son then 3 months was quickly introduced to the art of the audio novel as his new bedtime stories.

Its been well over a year now after several dozen audio novels the little guy has now turned 18 months old. The very creative story of The AxeMaker's Gift still gets a replay every few months and he enjoys it every time.

The only sad part about the James Burke audio novels is that I haven't seen a new one in a very long time.

I highly recommend this creative story about history and the connections which brought us to where we are!

Arnold D Veness

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Beginnings..., September 20, 2001

By 

Gregory Nixon (Prince George, BC, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Axemaker's Gift (Audio Cassette)

An important, timely & vital point is being made by these authors. I listened intently to their ideas, mostly while jogging. I loved the prehistoric stuff, but after that it all became pretty familiar. I agreed with their thoughts on controlling our technology instead of it controlling us, but there's not much we can do about it when, in so many ways, we *are* our technology. Still, it is good & inspiring & true. Everyone should read it. I just gave it three stars because in the middle sections my running pace slowed considerably, indicating non-involvement.