Customer Reviews (1)

Great Overview of Stars + Brief Biology
"The Exploding Suns" covers much history of human's study of the sky and much about stars and life in a surprisingly interesting manner. Descriptions are given about observations throughout history, especially of supernovas (which are what the text comes back to again and again -- hence the second portion of the title).

The question that seems to be the main motivation for this book is, how do we explain our present situation? However, that question is too broad, so Asimov answers many smaller questions to build the big picture. Where did all the elements come from? How did they form? How did life arise? How did life develop? (The last two are not explained as thoroughly as the first two.) These are just some of the questions that motivates the reader throughout the book.

Asimov leads the reader through many different types of stars and explains, quite clearly, how a star goes nova or supernova. Of course, if you are looking for the mathematics behind all of this science, this is not the text! Near the end of the text, Asimov also describes some basic biology and gives a "quick" explanation of how life has evolved. Regardless, it is great if you are just interested in the topic, which was my situation. Also, no prior background is assumed; this text is self-contained. Overall, I found the text lively and engaging, something that is not a given with this subject matter. 5 well earned stars.

"Updated Edition" (What's new?)
From what I could gather from my updated edition, the "only" update is an added chapter. This new chapter, written by Dr. William A. Gutsch Jr., is worth reading since it contains new developments through recently observed supernovas and describes some modifications to our theories of Type I supernovas (as described in earlier chapters of the book). This isn't saying the earlier chapters are worthless; they explain a lot and this background is needed to understand the recent observations. From my understanding, the modifications to the theory really are modifications to fit the new observations and not an entirely reworked theory, so reading Asimov's text will not be a waste of time (it is not outdated -- new discoveries build on it). ... Read more

Product Description
Text extracted from opening pages of book: CENSORSHIP AND THE PUBLIC LIBRARY WITH OTHER PAPERS George F. Bowerman Librarian, Public Library of the District of Columbia THE H. W. WILSON COMPANY NEW YORK 1931 Published March 1931 Printed in the United States of America TO SALLY MY BEST CRITIC PREFACE A librarian, more than almost any one else, knows that too many books are published. Why then, add to that number one consisting for the most part of reprinted papers? These twenty essays are collected primarily for my own convenience. However, many of those pre viously published have been quoted or cited in bib liographies. One essay is reported to be required reading for the students of a large library school. It is my hope, therefore, that in this convenient form these papers, including the four not heretofore pub lished, may have a wider reading by members of the library profession and especially by its younger re cruits, and that they may not altogether lack readers among non-librarians. It is thirty-seven years since I entered the library profession thru the door of the New York State Li brary School. In my excursion of nearly three years into the newspaper and encyclopedic editorial field, though I did not cease to be a librarian, I was com pelled to write. That I brought back to library work proper the habit of writing is, perhaps, the cause of the existence of these twenty papers, the thirty listed but not reprinted and the many others not even listed. In these thirty-seven years I have seen great changes in library development and practice. I have seen a more general recognition of the public library as an essential factor in public education; that recog nition is gradually expressing itself in constantly increasing support from the public treasury. I have seen. a fuller recognition of librarianship as a profes 8 CENSOESHIP AND THE LIBKAEY sion, with advancing standards of education, training and personal qualifications. I have seen library salaries increased from meager pittances to salaries that in certain cases are on a par with those paid to other professional workers. Library work for children was all but unknown thirty-seven years ago. Now it is fast coming to be recognized as one of the most important fields of library work, requiring special personal gifts and training, and meriting proper recognition in salaries and professional stand ing. Adult education was a term practically unused thirty-seven years ago, perhaps because it was then thought that adults needed no further education. Some librarians, perhaps considered visionary by others of their colleagues, long since saw the oppor tunity and looked forward to its realization. Now, a strong world-wide adult education movement is well under way, and in America at least the library is generally recognized as a large and indispensable factor in it. The writer desires to record his satis faction at having a part in this forward movement in librarianship, his joy in the work of being a librarian. These essays express some of the special inter ests, preoccupations and endeavors of the writer to emphasize the literary and sociological aspects of library work, to multiply the cooperative relations of the library with other and allied agencies, to raise the standards of librarianship, to increase library salaries, and to secure professional recognition for librarians. That the usefulness of these papers to these ends may be increased by their publication in book form is also the hope of the writer. a F. B. The Public Library Washington, D. C. December 1, 1930 CONTENTS CENSORSHIP AND THE PUBLIC LIBRARY 13 Bead before the Washington Literary So ciety and other organizations in January 1930. ( Libraries. 35: 127-35, 182-6. 1930) THE SELECTION OP BOOKS FOR PUBLIC LIBRARIES 43 First read before the Washington Literary Society in 1908; often revised and given be fore many other organizations, THE NEW BIOGRAPHY ... 71 Bead before the Washington Literary So ciety in December, 19 ... Read more