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Eight Little Piggies: Reflections in Natural History (Norton Paperback)
 
 
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Eight Little Piggies: Reflections in Natural History (Norton Paperback) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "TAHITI IS THE STEREOTYPE, virtually the synonym, of enchantment in our legends..." (more)
Key Phrases: different rules model, straightening rod, giant gibbon, Burgess Shale, New York, Charles Darwin (more...)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In his latest collection of essays originally published in Natural History magazine, paleontologist Gould examines diverse and diverting topics. The title piece refers to toes, and we learn that five is not necessarily the optimum number. Gould re-examines the work of astronomer Edmund Halley and 16th-century Irish Archbishop James Ussher, who pinpointed the moment of creation (Oct. 23, 4004 B.C.); Gould finds an "invisible hand" connecting William Paley, Charles Darwin and Adam Smith. His recollection of an incident in his childhood leads to a discussion of selective memory. Other topics are the extinction of land snails on Moorea, development of the tiny bones of the ear, romanticism about the past and Gould's own ecological "Golden Rule" for our planet. He writes about the threatened red squirrel of Arizona and the "evolution" of old tires into sandals. This collection, easily equal to The Panda's Thumb and Bully for Brontosaurus , will not disappoint Gould's fans. Illustrations. BOMC, QPB and History Book Club selections.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


From Library Journal

With expected wit, insight, and erudition, Harvard geopaleontologist Stephen Jay Gould ( Bully for Brontosaurus , LJ 5/15/91) has written 31 engaging essays on the disparate but related issues of time, change, and organic evolution. Gould critically explores a cascade of ideas that shed new light on ecology, human nature, vertebrate anatomy, neo-Darwinism, and mass extinctions; he even includes personal musings. Of special interest are the essays that deal with William Paley's natural theology, Archbishop James Ussher's biblical chronology, Miocene fossil apes, the Darwinian interpretation of life's struggle for existence, and a reexamination of the Cambrian onychophoran Hallucigenia . Gould respects the scientific quest but has disdain for human intolerance. His own model of organic evolution permeates these analyses (see Wonderful Life , LJ 9/1/89). Rich in thoughts and perspectives, Eight Little Piggies is recommended for all academic and public libraries. BOMC, Quality Paperback Book Club, and History Book Club selections.
- H. James Birx, Canisius Coll., Buffalo, N.Y.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 480 pages
  • Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co. (April 17, 1994)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0393311392
  • ISBN-13: 978-0393311396
  • Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #236,970 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Stephen Jay Gould
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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First Sentence:
TAHITI IS THE STEREOTYPE, virtually the synonym, of enchantment in our legends. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
different rules model, straightening rod, giant gibbon, les poissons fossiles, marine invertebrate species, basilar papilla, radial ribs, soft anatomy, tennis stadium, swim bladder, geological scales, small foxes, multicellular life, neutral theory, domestic breeds, head shield
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Burgess Shale, New York, Charles Darwin, American Museum of Natural History, Adam Smith, Conway Morris, Charles Doolittle Walcott, Gadsden Purchase, Louis Agassiz, Mount Graham Red Squirrel, New Zealand, Old World, Richard Owen, San Francisco, Devil's Tower, Muller Bros, North America, Saint Louis, South Dakota, William Patten, World Series, Bali Ha'i, Papa Joe, Percy Raymond, Voyage of the Beagle
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Eight Little Piggies: Reflections in Natural History (Norton Paperback)
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Customer Reviews

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4.7 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Another superb collection, August 25, 2000
By M164239 (Hampshire United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
This is a mid-point Gould. As his essay style progressed, his essays lengthened, his topics widened and the books kept selling more and more. This is a collection of beautifully written essays, which even with the passage of time lose none of their freshness - the eight little piggies of the title are even more important now with all the recent research on early tetrapods. A good place to start for anyone who's not read Gould before
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent collection of essays on evolution and the envir, July 29, 1998
Gould's essays provide a new viewpoint highly accessible to the scientist and layperson alike concerning the evolution of animal body design, mass extinctions, and human hubris concerning our role in the ecosystem. Gould's tone is at times condescending and pompous, and I, as a biologist, find the certainty he lends his conclusions to be disquieting, but overall it is an enjoyable and informative read that will answer many of the layperson's questions about evolution. I read it as an undergraduate and it influenced me to focus on evolutionary and developmental biology.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Eight Little Piggies: Reflections in Natural History, June 28, 2002
By Joe Zika "Khemprof" (Cincinnati, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)      
This review is from: Eight Little Piggies: Reflections in Natural History (Hardcover)
Eight Little Piggies: Reflections in Natural History by Stephan Jay Gould is pure Gold or is that Gould. This is the sixth in a series of books on Gould's essays found in "Natural History."

We find Gould in a more contemplative mood within these pages, being reflective and personal as he speaks about the importance within our lives of the connections to our past and ancestral generations. But as Gould would put it, " a theme of supreme importance to evolutionists who study a world in which extinction is the ultimate fate of all and prolonged persistence the only meaningful measure of success."

There are essays on extenction, fishtails and frog calls, the coloration of pigeons, the eyes of mole rats, and an in depth personal essay about his maternal grandfather. This last essay brought some fond memories back to me, as I was growing up... yet time waits for no man.

For variety, range, depth and a refinement in writing style, this tome is one of Gould's best, as you read, Gould hits his stride and leads you toward his conclusions, just like my grandfather taught me to be observent and not take things for granted. But to question, the way things are as they seem, just like Gould does to his readers, bringing information to them and through observation and a brilliant mind making things clear.

This is an eductional book, as well, as you read, Gould makes the reader learn painlessly... a good storyteller of thirty-one essays that are truly fascinating.

Read and enjoy this well thought out collection of essays.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Views on science and other topics
Celebrities, whether they start out as scientists, athletes, musicians or any other of a host of occupations, often share one thing in common; they like to share their opinions on... Read more
Published on July 23, 2007 by Newton Ooi

5.0 out of 5 stars A rare engagement between knowledge and common sense
Eight little piggies is just one of a series of essay collections Gould masterly wrote. He was one of the very few people that combines deep knowledge and common sense (by the... Read more
Published on June 25, 2004 by Sergio A. Salazar Lozano

5.0 out of 5 stars A very human science writer
Gould was an expert in writing about science in a way that ordinary, not-particularly-scientific readers could comprehend, at least in a general way. Read more
Published on June 2, 2004 by Nancy H. Johnson

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Gould! He sure does make natural history fun!
Written in a somewhat reflective style, this set of essays, originally from Natural History magazine, provides a great introduction to the quirks of nature and evolutionary... Read more
Published on January 1, 2004 by Chris Moore

5.0 out of 5 stars Gould is good
I admit im not the most interested in some of Gould's subjects (evolution and biology) but he is a great storyteller. Read more
Published on July 4, 2000 by randy_1

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Gould Masterpiece
This book is another fine example of the wonderful writings of Stephen J. Gould, Harvard biologist and natural historian. Read more
Published on October 29, 1998

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