Like Clockwork

'Like Clockwork' by David Alan Walker

(ISBN 1 870232 12 7)

Unashamedly a child of 'Energy Plants and Man', 'Like Clockwork' (save for the occasional borrowed illustration) was, when first published, an entirely new concept in Portable Document Format (PDF).

Although you may print it if you wish, it is not, at least in its author's opinion, a book for the printed page. (See 'In Praise of Search Engines and Portable Documents') You may buy it on CD from Oxygraphics, or Packard Publishing or download it ('Open Access') from here It is copiously illustrated in colour. On a computer it is able to take advantages of the many facilities afforded by PDF such as bookmarks, internal links and the familiar 'Find' function which make navigating its pages so effortless. Perhaps most importantly, when connected to the Internet it will take a reader directly to relevant Web sites of great excellence. For computers with appropriate facilities it will even, should you welcome them, provide snatches of music and touches of animation. It is sub-titled 'An Unfinished Story' for the very good reason that, it is not, and in some senses, never will be finished. As of October, 2007 it constitutes seven 'finished' chapters (some 130 pages).

A Review in 'New Scientist' (13th January 2001 No2273) said "Like Clockwork does for photosynthesis what A Brief History of Time does for theoretical physics: it takes a baffling but fundamental process and makes it easy to understand. David Alan Walker uses the electronic book format to explain the transfer of energy from sunlight with lots of clear, colourful diagrams and relevant links."

Stand a little less between me and the sun

In 'Trends in Plant Science' John Allen wrote "Like Clockwork is not concise, it is discursive. An unkind epithet might be 'rambling'. Of course a rambler will see, and understand, much more than someone racing through a prescribed itinerary. And what, as David Walker himself might write, is wrong with that? Like Clockwork is thought provoking. It is also fun. And, in spite of David Walker's major and lasting contributions in photosynthesis research, there are still open questions, and a humility that leaves room for the reader to form his own opinions. David Walker is about as far as can be from saying 'because I say so'. Science is not a list of facts, but the way we make the world intelligible. So I know which kind of book I prefer. Like Clockwork is unique, and I warmly recommend it."