Customer Review: I love reading about China. This book began well and intrigued me, but it soon lost its intrigue. It seemed to flatten out and never redeemed itself. I am a glad that I read it,
however I found it only average.
Customer Review: I grabbed this one off the public library shelf on a whim. It looked like it might be really boring but as I was due in my reading regimen (3 books/week -- 2 fiction, one non-fiction) for a non-fiction read, this one seemed at least by its cover information to be informative. What a rare and... more info
Customer Review: While leading up to the catastrophic eruption of Krakatoa, Simon Winchester goes to great lengths describing the cultural and economic history of Sumatra and Java and the geology of plate tectonics and the volcanic activity of the Pacific Rim. I found Winchester's accounts well-written and engaging... more info
Customer Review: I like everything by Simon Winchester..except this book just didn't grab my interest like his others have. It is still well written and informative...but it just wasn't as appealing to me as his others.
Customer Review: Sometimes sea-changes in thinking come from the most unexpected places. Emerging technologies and an favorable economic conditions facilitated a boom in British inland canal building during the mid-18th century. All that digging revealed previously-unknown, or possibly just unappreciated, fossils.... more info
Customer Review: This annual collection of great stories from the road comes from various award-winning writers - including Solas Awards winners - and represents the best in travel literature writing, making it a powerful pick for any library strong in travel writing. THE BEST TRAVEL WRITING 2008: TRUE STORIES FROM... more info
Customer Review: I finished reading this book yesterday. It is only the second book by Simon Winshester that I have read. The first was "Krakatoa," which a friend loaned me to read. I had mixed feelings about "Krakatoa" -- parts were really good but I felt that Winchester went off on too many tangents. In contrast,... more info
Customer Review: As a great fan of travel writing and of Simon Winchester I've got to give a thumbs down for this book. Not very engaging writing. The concept is great - up a river, back in time, but Winchester doesn't really stick to this method - he does go up a river (although sometimes by boat, sometimes by car,... more info
Customer Review: This is a review of the audio CD version of Outposts, which is an abridged version of the book, read by the author. In a word, Outposts got me hooked on Winchester's writing, and I've gone on to listen to the audio version of five of his other books, all equally facinating in their respective ways.... more info
Customer Review: This well researched and very readable book describes Joseph Needham's quest to show the inventiveness of the Chinese people by documenting in detail their early inventions, many made centuries before their reinvention by Europeans. The number and breadth is nothing short of astonishing. It puts to... more info
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