Circles : Fifty Roundtrips Through History Technology Science Culture

Rating:
Summary: six degrees of historical separation
Review: Circles is a wonderful collection of essays that are as well designed as written. Burke (and I have to admit being a big fan of his) does a very good job of writing about the history of science with enthusiasm bordering on the manic. Imagine sitting down with a deck of cards that contain the biographies of the major inventors of history. Shuffle them with another set of cards containing the major trends in scientific research, political movements, random sociological concepts, and an assortment of oddballs who've been edited out of mainstream history books for reasons of good taste. Deal out a hand of these cards to Burke in a random manner and sit back and wait for the essay that links them together. The results can be mixed, but even his weakest efforts here are still entertaining and interesting.

His writing is hypertensive, not just hyper-text -- sheep that make you thirsty. Picture a sheep in your mind, in a herd, in a pasture of grass, where the pasture is near mountains, tall mountains with snow covered peaks, snow that heats up in the midday sun and melts, trickling down in little creeks, flowing into rivers of cold fresh water, a mental picture of which makes you thirsty. You may not know exactly how you got there, but the ride was great fun.

Rating:
Summary: More of the same, but that's good!
Review: Fans of Burke's previous books (such as myself) will find this another fine, idiosyncratic volume of "connections", following the threads of science, technology, and discovery; the uninitiated may find this one, with its smaller and less dramatic scope, less appealing than "Connections" or "The Day the Universe Changed" or even "The Pinball Effect". It's less pedantic than "The Axemaker's Gift", though, and makes for a more leisurely and enjoyable read. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Splendid introduction to Burke; or just good historical fun
Review: Here he is, the host of the Learning Channel's "Connections 3" taking us on these delightful, circular walks through topiary mazes of history, science, culture, and literature that always, surprisingly, come back to where he started.

He will start with a walk at the Smithsonian, musing on evolution, or reading Keats's "Ode To A Nightingale" and trace the personal relationships, family ties, and partnerships (which are often astonishing) throughout an era - through revolution and serendipity - back to the Smithsonian, or to Keats.

That alone is admirable and fun, but it also conveys a sense of complexity, of how elements we separate into "subjects" (e.g. "history," "politics," "culture," "entertainment," and so on) intertwine and influence each other. It's a holistic way to view history, creating wide sketches of the context of the periods he visits, but Burke never belabors the point. His chapters are short, dense with fact but always wry.

This is a very good introduction to Burke's books, and great fun in its own right.

Rating:
Summary: Burke Puts Babble Into Print
Review: I've loved most of James Burke's Works, but found this one to no be quite up to the standard of his other works. Still a good read.

Rating:
Summary: The Delights of Reading James Burke
Review: James Burke strikes again. The author of such compelling books as Connections, The Day the Universe Changed, the Pinball Effect and the Knowledge Web has come up with yet another catchy title to describe his latest effort. And on no level does he disappoint here, using the metaphor of a circle to begin his journey, describe the improvements and sidebars during the trip, and take us back to almost right where we began.

Tne book is also full of the sort of hooks and traps we have grown to enjoy in his writing over the years. Consider this passage at the beginning of one chapter: "Thanks to mass production and distribution, I can go back to the shop and get a free replacement copy for a cup that I found a flaw in last week. It weas one of those willow-pattern things. Genuine Wedgwood. An ironic term, really, because Wedgwood's original stuff was fake." Just when you think you can get out, he pulls you back in again. And don't think you can skim your way through. The facts in this book are so well interwoven that to skim a sentence may mean losing your place in the chapter.

An excellent book for that rainy day or suuny day in the park, or on the train, or anywhere, for that matter.

Rating:
Summary: Burke Puts Babble Into Print
Review: This book is a seemingly endless sequence of unrelated babble. As an avid reader of science non-fiction, I find this book to be annoying and tedious. It is as if no one even considered proofreading the end product, since each essay absurdly draws connections by making giant leaps in logic without offering any meaningful explanation as to why. Frankly, reading this book gave me a headache, and believe me I tried very hard to read it through -- especially after buying it full retail.

Rating:
Summary: Fun and Wacky Connections
Review: When I read the first chapter of this book, I was amazed at the way that James Burke connected so many different pieces of information, and was able to come full cirlce in his thinking at the end of each chapter. The research that went into the creation of this novel is incredible. There are thousands of fun facts that Burkes somehow found a way to relate to one another. Although the transitions from fact to fact were sometimes confusing, I learned several little tidbits of useful information, ranging from the building of the Suez Canal to the development of the air condintioner. Overall, I thought the book was fun and informative, and contained plenty of fun and wacky facts.

Rating:
Summary: Just Like Sammy Sosa, Burke Just Keeps Hitting Homeruns!
Review: Will someone please tell Mr. Burke it is ok to right a subpar book every now and then? As with his previous works (Connections, The Day the Universe Changed, etc) Mr. Burke just keeps belting out home runs like Sammy Sosa does in Wrigley Field, and were talking out of the park here. What I especially liked was the Preface where Mr. Burke takes time to briefly tell us of his passion and how he looks at every story. In his typical but never tiring British style Mr. Burke continues to tell us of how seemingly meaningless events or the cousin of someones uncle who knew someone totally and radically changed history, either through invention or thought. Previous fans of his work will consider this a "must read" item, those looking for something to satisfy a few nights of reading will find this indespensible. Highly recommended!