I just bought it. Anything that you are rereading and is a field that interests me, I know I should just get it. Thanks for the unintended recommendation, billytea.

It's a fantastic read. The author has been at the forefront of evolutionary thought through the 20th century, so he speaks with authority. Frankly, more so than Dawkins, not to diss his ability either to communicate evolutionary ideas or to marry former Time Ladies. (This is not simply a gratuitous comparison, as there's at least one point of contention between the two in which Mayr is fairly scornful of Dawkins' position.) And he's not afraid to use that authority; he'll quite happily stake out a position on contentious issues and argue his case, objectivity be damned. (For instance: he argues against birds being descended from dinosaurs, arguing instead that they both evolved from a common ancestor. I should note that subsequent fossil finds in China have pretty much spelt the end of this particular controversy.)

His relationship to a lay audience is complicated, however, I think he does a great job of explaining key ideas with admirable clarity. (His section on explaining the five different concepts that went into Darwin's theory of evolution is superb.) However, where his explication runs into technical terminology, he'll simply use it, without either skirting or explaining (if it's not germane to his main point). That can appear daunting; I'm appreciative, however. I've been reading the book with Wikipedia open on my iPhone, and where he drops these nods to a deeper topic, I'll take a detour to gather what he's referring to. I spent an entire afternoon plumbing the details of archosaurs and synapsids, and following linky treasure hunts, before getting back to the printed page.

Plus, it has a seahorse on the front, and carries Ryan's stamp of approval. ("Seahorse!" Back cover: "No seahorse.")

Those are some excellent pics. I love the lighting for the jellyfish; I recall Monterey's presentation being simply arresting.

Clarification: Monterey has Blackfooted Penguins.

Otters: We saw Kit whose surrogate parent was Toola (she has a seizure disorder! But she's an excellent surrogate Otter Mommy.)

I recall Monterey's presentation being simply arresting.

Yep. I noticed that as well. One of the best I've ever seen.

Doesn't hurt that it was funded originally by David Packard (Of Hewlett-Packard) and has close ties to Silicon Valley.

It looks amazing. Also, seahorses.

That can appear daunting; I'm appreciative, however.

Given my happy obsession with the subject, I have no issue with this. At best, I know what he's talking about. At EVEN BETTER, I go learn something new.

Is it because of you that I have (and clearly forgot about until I just opened a different book reader) Breakthrough!: How the 10 Greatest Discoveries in Medicine Saved Millions and Changed Our View of the World by Jon Queijo? Because this looks pretty interesting too.

Is it because of you that I have (and clearly forgot about until I just opened a different book reader) Breakthrough!: How the 10 Greatest Discoveries in Medicine Saved Millions and Changed Our View of the World by Jon Queijo? Because this looks pretty interesting too.

If it is, then it would be through a tortuous route. I've not heard of this book before, though I approve of the topic. I've put it on my wishlist.

If it is, then it would be through a tortuous route.

Could be physicist uncle. I know vaccination is one of the breakthroughs discussed and we were talking about that a while back. Or who knows. People mention interesting books and I often check them out. Or Powell's. Mmm, Powell's.

I've put it on my wishlist.

I am through the intro and part of the first chapter(Hippocrates), it's interesting. Written so far for the layperson but not condescending.

So, I'm watching TV while I have workmen in the house. If I'm not at work at this time, I'm usually asleep. I have discovered that my TV gets Al Jazeera. It's very interesting. I sort of learned how to make a gas mask out of a 2 liter bottle and an aluminum can.

I love the aquarium pictures! I want to go!

Billytea, aren't there penguins native to Australia? Or am I terribly confused.

Aha! - security cameras may have filmed the Picasso thief - with the piece under his arm!!