Tom Nelson reports:
I hate the idea of spending $9.99 on a climate hoax book, but I plan to get my money’s worth.
Searching Mann’s book for “denier” yielded 125 hits; “Morano” had 27 hits; “McIntyre” had 166 hits; “Watts” had 16 hits.
Mann’s book currently has 15 reviews on Amazon, all five-star, many by his warmist friends. I hope some climate realists eventually review the book as well.
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While I realize that many people don’t want to buy this book, please don’t pull a Peter Gleick and do reviews apparently in absentia. (I can’t emphasize this enough – don’t post a review if you have not read it.)
For some balance, may I also recommend Don’t Sell Your Coat by Harold Ambler.
The book is out on Kindle and doing much better, for instance competing successfully with Michael Mann’s The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars. It is now number 3 just ahead of Mann’s new book.
Buy the book here, also now on Kindle here.
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I can’t wait to see Josh’s take on this book title.
If you want some insight to the reviewers, just google all those that wrote over the top reviews. For example Rob Honeycutt: Rob Honeycutt, Skeptical Science, March 12, 2011
An attorney friend of mine and I are going to the UCLA Mann talk and book signing on the 13th. Not even sure why I am going.
Tom Gray says:
February 8, 2012 at 4:45 pm
As I looked now on Amazon, there are 17 5 star reviews and 11 1 star reviews. Isn’t that the problem. People are just yelling slogans at one another….
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I agree, though I found the top rated review to be the most insightful comment so far.
There is also 1-2 star review now. I haven’t read the book but I seriously doubt it deserves either 5 or 1 star ratings.
I’m also uncertain where the Best Seller Rating of 4 is coming from. In the Math and Science category, “Raising Chickens for Dummies” has a higher rank.
Mr. Watts, is the only point of this post to get your viewers to go over to Amazon and give poor reviews or am I missing something?
[REPLY: What part of “While I realize that many people don’t want to buy this book, please don’t pull a Peter Gleick” do you fail to understand? -REP]
Maybe review it as though it was one of David Hasselhoff’s vocal offerings……
I noticed that they are starting to use the standard “debunked long ago” form of argument in those reviews. Why do people think that because they have argued against a position (or read someone else arguing) that that makes that position “debunked”.
Anybody who uses the word “debunked” in a scientific context should be banned from publishing in that field for no less five years.
Oh My, from reviewer Scott Mandia on his blog: Global Warming: Man or Myth?
Scientists can also wear their citizen hats. Anthony Watts’ Minions Attack Mike Mann and Make Mockery of Amazon Review Process
Sigh. I knew it was going to happen eventually. It is a shame that the science deniers are much better organized than the rational people. As of 8 AM this morning, Dr. Michael E. Mann’s latest book The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars: Dispatches from the Front Lines had 15 reviews, all of which were 5 stars. My review (posted below) had 58 out of 59 votes for being helpful.
Enter climate science denier Anthony Watts whose blog has never missed an opportunity to smear a climate scientist. This morning, Watts posted about Mike Mann’s new book and within hours the Amazon reviews turned ugly. Of course, Watts tells his readers “While I realize that many people don’t want to buy this book, please don’t pull a Peter Gleick and do reviews apparently in absentia.” referring to his false claim that National Academy of Sciences member Dr. Peter Gleick posted a 1 star review of Donna Laframboise’s book without reading it. I also read that book and it deserved the 1 star.
As of 7 PM EST tonight there are now eleven 1 star reviews and all of the 5 star reviews are being sabotaged by vote downs and negative comments. My detailed review is suddenly not helpful – only favored by 87/172 people.
Anthony’s Army is having an impact. let the whining begin!
Nenndul says:
“Anybody who uses the word “debunked” in a scientific context should be banned from publishing in that field for no less five years.”
Same goes for “robust”.
REP, that wasn’t an answer to my question. What is the point to this post? The author hasn’t read the book yet and so no informative critique was offered. Is there any reason for a post like this except to get people over to Amazon to write reviews or click the helpful button? Doesn’t that strike as a bit childish for a science blog?
[REPLY: So, you think the arrival of Dr. Mann’s much anticipated book is not news? Anthony has announced it’s arrival, directed interested parties to the site, and has cautioned against commenting on something that hasn’t been read. What is the substance of your complaint? If Anthony had done anything else you’d be complaining that he was trying to prevent people from reading it. -REP]
Jeff says:
February 8, 2012 at 5:54 pm
“Maybe review it as though it was one of David Hasselhoff’s vocal offerings……”
Awww..now you’ve done it! You have me thinking of the NEW Sponge Bob Movie – “It’s a Sponge Bob Climate!”.
The Plot: Bikini Bottom experiences unprecedented warming, so Sponge Bob and Patrick set out for the North Pole on their carbon-free jelly fish to warn the polar bears that their home will be melting away (just like Squidward and Mr. Crabs said it would)! Will they get there in time? Or will the evil Plankton (who is bought and paid for by big oil!) hypnotize them and make them into skeptics?!
Here is the all star cast:
Mike Mann – Sponge Bob
Gavin Schmidt – Patrick
Jim Hansen – Squidward
Kevin Trenberth – Mr. Crabs
David Hasselhoff – himself
And starring Plankton as Plankton.
Special 3-D scenes shot in New York at NASA-GISS! Watch Sponge Bob and Patrick speed through the streets in their special solar-powered electric car trying to keep Plankton from stealing the secret-formula climate models!
sceptical says:
February 8, 2012 at 5:42 pm
I actually learned about this over at SkS. So…..I went to the Amazon site to see what all the fuss was about. In reading the reviews, I read the same old tired arguements that Mr. Mann is correct in his theories, and everyone else is wrong.
Sir: Sorry to tell you this, but you are wrong in your assessement. Just the proxy data from the Sargasso Sea along with other proxy data shows how wrong Dr. Mann is and how poorly tree rings correlate to temperatures. Mr. Mann is wrong, and isn’t man enough to admit it and move on.
LOVE Ambler’s title! I’d lay out $9.99 just for the title.
Jeff said on February 8, 2012 at 5:54 pm:
If you’re German you’ll likely think Mann is great, but in America… Mann just can’t get respect?
Somehow thy analogy hath failed, me thinks…
So, to sum it up, if I get this right, firstly, Amazon’s supposed to be an important global market in US and secondly reviews given by, supposedly, Amazon’s global US customers are supposed to be important?
I’m sorry but it kind of reads like the World Champion Ship in baseball, only US teams allowed.
Read the book – it is a compelling other side of the fence argument not often heard by mobs shouting it down.
Camburn, what are you talking about? How does data from the Sargasso or any other sea show me wrong about the reason why Mr. Watts would post an article like this on his site?
sceptical,
Anthony’s mast head says WUWT is about “Commentary on puzzling things in life…”.
You don’t think Mann’s book qualifies??☺
Smokey, maybe there could have been some type of commentary on it. A critique of the book perhaps. A post by someone who has actually read the book. But this wasn’t offered.
sceptical, you’re hopeless. There was commentary. FYI, “commentary” does not require reading the book [that’s called a “book review”], and it is not a synonym for “critique”. For example, check out the commentary at Bishop Hill.
You know, I could comment [“commentary”, see?] on the Encyclopedia Brittanica, or on the Koran without reading them. I trust you understand that. But I’m not too hopeful.
LMAO, Rob Honeycut’s Amazon review is sickening, just as sickening as the lies I exposed about him when he desperately attacked my list,
http://www.populartechnology.net/2011/02/google-scholar-illiteracy-at-skeptical.html
Why is no one mentioning the excellent true story book of the Hockey Stick?
The Hockey Stick Illusion: Climategate and the Corruption of Science
http://www.amazon.com/Hockey-Stick-Illusion-Climategate-Independent/dp/1906768358
Now, where have I seen this kind of absolute polarization in an Amazon book review, with one side fawning and gushing, and the other side choking down a gag reflex. Oh yeah, I remember now:
http://www.amazon.com/Dianetics-Modern-Science-Mental-English/product-reviews/140314446X/ref=cm_cr_pr_btm_link_38?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&pageNumber=38
Editorial Reviews section:
Reviews:
And of course we “deniers” are a united well-funded front of right-wing fundamentalist anti-science creationist types who proudly wear the “twisted cross” on our sleeves. And there’s poor old Michael E. Mann, chosen by Destiny, against his will, to be the Leader of the hopelessly-outspent hopelessly-out-organized hopelessly-out-unified Climate Resistance!
This is the point where Spock and Scotty fix the transporter malfunction and we can send these reviewers back to their Bizarro parallel universe, right?
He who shall not be named… indeed.
Mark