Sharp Blue: Review queue three

Crossing the Chasm Geoffrey Moore: Advice on taking high-tech products from early to mainstream markets; insightful, but perhaps the chasm model is just a little too tidy.
The Oxford History of the Crusades ed. Jonathan Riley-Smith: Anatomizes the complexity of the Crusades (in a surprisingly wide sense) and the states they created in the Middle East, Iberia and the Baltic.
Ancient Iraq Georges Roux: A panoramic yet coherent history of the cradle of civilisation from prehistory to the end of its distinctive ancient culture; clearly a labour of love.
The Twelve Caesars Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus: Evocative and insightful portraits of Julius Caesar and the first eleven emperors by a man who had access to the imperial archives.
Maritime Power Peter Padfield: Interesting and convincing (if not entirely coherent) account of the interplay of society and naval strategy in the Napoleonic Wars. The battle scenes are vivid and thrilling.
The Roman Empire From Severus To Constantine Pat Southern: Emphasises the adaptability of the Roman system in the third century and persuasively reassesses the competence of some of the more maligned emperors of that era.
Modern Operating Systems Andrew Tanenbaum: A clear (if opinionated) introductory text on operating system architecture and design.
Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus Ludwig Wittgenstein: The sentences that make up this work are thoughts frozen as brilliant crystals; but thoughts that are obvious, unintelligible or sometimes just plain wrong.
The Middle East Bernard Lewis: A fine survey of Middle Eastern history, but I would have liked more on the Byzantine side of the border, and on Persia.
The Roman World 44BC - AD180 Martin Goodman: A panorama of the Roman Empire at the height of its power, with a refreshing balance between the peripheries and the centre.
A Unified Grand Tour of Theoretical Physics Ian Lawrie: A fascinating journey towards the frontiers of modern physics; more a travellers’ guide than a textbook. (technical)
The Diversity of Life Edward Wilson: A passionate, lucid and evocative discussion of the evolution of complex ecosystems.
The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt ed. Ian Shaw: Collection of essays covering Egypt from prehistory to Byzantine times; good to see full coverage of the intermediate periods.
The Clash of Civilizations Samuel Huntington: An important book for understanding the international politics of our times, but I think the central thesis is oversimplified.
The Road to Reality Roger Penrose: Idiosyncratic, insightful and monumentally comprehensive survey of the state of modern fundamental physics and the prospects for its future; he never quite becomes polemical. (semi-technical)
Nature Via Nurture Matt Ridley: A total demolition of the nature/nurture dichotomy, written with a light style and packed full of fascinating knowledge.
The Hellenistic World F. W. Walbank: Concise but excellent and wide-ranging overview of a neglected and underappreciated age, during which the ancient world was transformed by Alexander’s empire and its aftermath.
Y: The Descent of Men Steve Jones: The content of this account of the evolution, genetics and physiology of maleness is interesting, the style occasionally irritating.
Democracy and Classical Greece J. K. Davies: Another excellent Fontana ancient history, covering a pivotal period in the development of European civlisation.
Annals of Imperial Rome Publius Cornelius Tacitus: Tacitus’ history is the grave, pessimistic view of a Republican unlucky enough to be born during the Principate; Grant’s translation sometimes lacks atmosphere.
A History of the American People Paul Johnson: Huge, detailed and highly affectionate history of the world’s most important country. But maybe there is a little too much on politics and too little on society.
Hackers and Painters Paul Graham: A collection of essays on software engineering that are quirky, thought-provoking and always engrossing. Perhaps LISP is the future!
The Reign of Augustus Dio Cassius Cocceianus: Our most complete account of the Principate of Augustus, written by an apologist for monarchy but not a blind one.
The Art of Unix Programming Eric Raymond: Read this book if you want to understand the culture and philosophy of Unix programmers, and the reasons for Unix’s characteristic design patterns.