Biography: science, technology and medicine Books

Book Synopsis#1 New York Times non-fiction bestseller #2 Sunday Times non-fiction bestsellerSHORTLISTED FOR THE FINANCIAL TIMES BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDCHOSEN AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR BY APPLE, AMAZON, THE TIMES AND FINANCIAL TIMESEpic feats. Epic failures. An epic story.Walter Isaacson charts Elon Musk’s journey from humble beginnings to one of the wealthiest people on the planet – but is Musk a genius or a jerk?   From the author of Steve Jobs and other bestselling biographies, this is the astonishingly intimate story of Elon Musk, the most fascinating and controversial innovator of our era – a rule-breaking visionary who helped to lead the world into the era of electric vehicles, private space exploration and artificial intelligence. Oh, and took over Twitter. When Elon Musk was a kid in South Africa, he was reguTrade Review‘Its portrait of the tech maverick is fascinating. . . a persuasive mixture of alarm and deep admiration' * Daily Telegraph *‘[Isaacson] has done something amazing with the Musk biography which is to write a 688-page quick read’ * Financial Times *‘Whatever you think of Mr Musk, he is a man worth understanding – which makes this a book worth reading’ * The Economist *‘A penetrating new biography’ * Daily Mail *‘A beat-by-beat book that follows the tycoon inside important rooms, as well as exploring obscure regions of his mind’ * The Times *‘A comprehensive, deeply reported chronicle of the world-shaping tech mogul’s life’ * Politico *‘An experienced biographer’s comprehensive study’ * Observer *‘He forms his own conclusions, which are mostly admirably balanced and mature. . . Isaacson, in his quest for a comprehensive audit of the Musk phenomenon, errs slightly on the side of the voyeur in these encounters, but I can’t blame him. It’s quite the spectacle’ * Independent *‘The book contains a series of illuminating anecdotes about Musk’ * Guardian *'Isaacson offers both an engaging chronicle of his subject’s busy life so far and some compelling answers’ * Wall Street Journal *‘The most complete profile of Musk yet’ * Time Magazine *'There’s not much middle ground on Musk – people love him or hate him – but Isaacson is best positioned to figure out what makes him tick’ * Los Angeles Times *‘The resulting book delves deep into the billionaire’s demons, including childhood bullies and a difficult father, and interrogates their relationship to his success’ * New York Times *‘Isaacson deftly handles complicated matters like the development of electric vehicles, rockets and artificial intelligence while also deeply exploring Musk’s background and family’ * AP News *‘This fast-paced biography. . . [is] a head-spinning tale about a vain, brilliant, sometimes cruel figure whose ambitions are actively shaping the future of human life' -- Ron Charles * CBS Sunday Morning *‘Everything you'd expect from a book on Musk. . . While the stories are fascinating and guaranteed to spark a mountain of coverage, founders and entrepreneurs will also unearth valuable lessons’ * Inc. *‘The book is bursting with stories. . . A deeply engrossing tale of a spectacular American innovator’ * New York Journal of Books *‘Walter Isaacson’s intimate account of a tech titan’ * TLS *‘this biography of Elon Musk is still fascinating. How could it not be? . . . He has spoken to practically everybody’ * Evening Standard *‘a highly readable portrait of a very unusual personality. . . It is a considerable achievement on Isaacson’s part to have persuaded this reviewer. . . to adopt a more sympathetic view of Musk and set aside much of the familiar media caricature of him.’ * Literary Review *‘Described by the FT as a “688-page quick read” for the TikTok generation, Isaacson’s biography of the South African entrepreneur races along at bone-rattling speed. That certainly makes for an entertaining exploration of Musk the celebrity’ * Financial Times, Technology *‘From its cover… to its size (nearly 700 pages), this account of the world’s highest profile technology entrepreneur shouts importance… Isaacson does a good job of illustrating the crazy genius of his multiple projects' * Financial Times, Business *‘[There are] few biographers who have had so much access to powerful people as Walter Isaacson. So his biography Elon Musk is a must-read. . . in my view, it is the details about his attitude towards artificial intelligence at Tesla, or his dealings with the Ukrainian government, which are most fascinating. Whatever you think of Musk, [this is] an illuminating book that forces us to confront a crucial question: are innovators always half-mad?’ -- Gillian Tett * Financial Times *‘This biography, written with his approval, follows him from his dweebish, unhappy childhood to Twitter trolling adulthood’ * The Times, Books of the Year *'Isaacson, a highly respected biographer, does an excellent job in tying him down. Musk cooperated in its writing, but it's no hagiography, delving into dark family secrets, exposing Musk's anti-social nature, his addiction to drama and risk, his tendency to, in the words of his ex-wife, go "king-crazy"' * Daily Mail, Biographies of the Year *

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Book SynopsisThe definitive, internationally bestselling biography of Albert Einstein from the author of The Innovators, Steve Jobs and Benjamin Franklin.**Now the basis of Genius, the ten-part National Geographic series on the life of Albert Einstein, starring the Oscar, Emmy, and Tony Award-winning actor Geoffrey Rush** How did Einstein’s mind work? What made him a genius? Isaacson’s biography shows how Einstein’s scientific imagination sprang from the rebellious nature of his personality. His fascinating story is a testament to the connection between creativity and freedom. Isaacson explores how an imaginative, impertinent patent clerk – a struggling father in a difficult marriage who couldn't get a teaching job or a doctorate – became the locksmith of the mysteries of the atom, and the universe. His success came from

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Book SynopsisThe best-selling author of Leonardo da Vinci and Steve Jobs returns. In 2012, Nobel Prize winning scientist Jennifer Doudna hit upon an invention that will transform the future of the human race: an easy-to-use tool that can edit DNA. Known as CRISPR, it opened a brave new world of medical miracles and moral questions. It has already been deployed to cure deadly diseases, fight the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, and make inheritable changes in the genes of babies.  But what does that mean for humanity? Should we be hacking our own DNA to make us less susceptible to disease? Should we democratise the technology that would allow parents to enhance their kids? After discovering this CRISPR, Doudna is now wrestling these even bigger issues. THE CODE BREAKERS is an examination of how life as we know it is about to change – and a brilliant portrayal of the woman leading the way.

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Book SynopsisDava Sobel, acclaimed and bestselling author of Longitude, chronicles the life and work of the most famous woman in the history of science and the untold story of the young women who trained in her laboratory.For decades Marie Curie was the only woman in the room at international scientific gatherings, and despite constant illness she travelled far and wide to share the secrets of radioactivity, a term she coined. She is still the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two scientific fields.Her ingenuity extended far beyond the laboratory walls; grieving the death of her husband, Pierre, she took his place as professor of physics at the Sorbonne, devotedly raised two daughters, drove a van she outfitted with x-ray equipment to the front lines of World War I, befriended Albert Einstein and inspired generations of young women to pursue science as a way of life.Approaching Marie Curie from a unique angle, Sobel navigates her remarkable discoveries and fame alongside the women who became her

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Book SynopsisA new, fully updated edition of David Attenborough's groundbreaking Life on Earth.David Attenborough's unforgettable meeting with gorillas became an iconic moment for millions of television viewers. Life on Earth, the series and accompanying book, fundamentally changed the way we view and interact with the natural world setting a new benchmark of quality, influencing a generation of nature lovers.Told through an examination of animal and plant life, this is an astonishing celebration of the evolution of life on earth, with a cast of characters drawn from the whole range of organisms that have ever lived on this planet. Attenborough's perceptive, dynamic approach to the evolution of millions of species of living organisms takes the reader on an unforgettable journey of discovery from the very first spark of life to the blue and green wonder we know today.To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the book's first publication, David Attenborough revisited Life on Earth, completely updating andTrade Review‘It does not disappoint. The new Life on Earth is as glorious as the first’Guardian ‘A beautiful and wide ranging work. The breadth of natural history covered is extraordinary and mesmerising. Life on Earth is still breathtakingly rich, and we would know far less about it were it not for Attenborough’s wonderful skills of communication over the years: our cultural and scientific lives would be poorer without him’New Scientist ‘This natural history masterpiece offers a spectacular snapshot of a once-wild planet’New Scientist

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Book SynopsisFollowing his blockbuster biography of Steve Jobs, The Innovatorsis Walter Isaacson''s story of the people who created the computer and the Internet. It is destined to be the standard history of the digital revolution and a guide to how innovation really works. What talents allowed certain inventors and entrepreneurs to turn their disruptive ideas into realities? What led to their creative leaps? Why did some succeed and others fail? In his exciting saga, Isaacson begins with Ada Lovelace, Lord Byron''s daughter, who pioneered computer programming in the 1840s. He then explores the fascinating personalities that created our current digital revolution, such as Vannevar Bush, Alan Turing, John von Neumann, J.C.R. Licklider, Doug Engelbart, Robert Noyce, Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs, Tim Berners-Lee and Larry Page. This is the story of how their minds worked and what made them so creative. It''s also a narrative of how their ability to collaborate and m

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Book SynopsisOne-Straw Revolutionary represents the first commentary on the work of the late Japanese farmer and philosopher Masanobu Fukuoka (1913 – 2008), widely considered to be natural farming’s most influential practitioner. Mr. Fukuoka is perhaps most known for his bestselling book The One-Straw Revolution (1978), a manifesto on the importance of no-till agriculture, which was at the time of publication a radical challenge to the global systems that supply the world’s food, and still inspires readers today. Larry Korn, who apprenticed with Mr. Fukuoka in Japan at the time, translated the manuscript and brought it to the United States, knowing it would change the conversation about food forever. The One-Straw Revolution, edited by Korn and Wendell Berry, was an immediate international success, and established Mr. Fukuoka as a leading voice in the fight against conventional industrial agriculture. In this new book, through his own personal narrative, Larry Korn distills his experience of more than thirty-five years of study with Mr. Fukuoka, living and working on his farm on Shikoku Island, and traveling with Mr. Fukuoka to the United States on two six-week visits. One-Straw Revolutionary is the first book to look deeply at natural farming and intimately discuss the philosophy and work of Mr. Fukuoka. In addition to giving his personal thoughts about natural farming, Korn broadens the discussion by pointing out natural farming’s kinship with the ways of indigenous cultures and traditional Japanese farming. At the same time, he clearly distinguishes natural farming from other forms of agriculture, including scientific and organic agriculture and permaculture. Korn also clarifies commonly held misconceptions about natural farming in ways Western readers can readily understand. And he explains how natural farming can be used practically in areas other than agriculture, including personal growth and development. The book follows the author on his travels from one back-to-the-land commune to another in the countryside of 1970s Japan, a journey that eventually led him to Mr. Fukuoka’s natural farm. Korn’s description of his time there, as well as traveling with Mr. Fukuoka during his visits to the United States, offers a rare, inside look at Mr. Fukuoka’s life. Readers will delight in this personal insight into one of the world’s leading agricultural thinkers.Trade ReviewCHOICE- "This book brings fascinating insight and perspective to the contributions of Masanobu Fukuoka (1913-2008), the founder of the worldwide natural farming movement. Written by a former student and farm intern of Fukuoka, it recounts his life and work, and documents the author's own travels in Japan and early experiences working on Fukuoka's farm in the 1970s. It goes on to discuss natural farming techniques using Fukuoka's farm as a case study, and describes the writing and publication of The One Straw Revolution (1975) and the resultant rise in international interest in natural farming. As it compares natural farming with indigenous farming, traditional Japanese agriculture, permaculture, and modern-day organic farming, the direction of the book changes from memory and reflection to an oversimplified discussion of agricultural theory. As a memoir it is compelling.”“Larry Korn shines a light on the path that Fukuoka discovered integrating indigenous agriculture with a deep reverence for the land and natural processes. Many revolutions of the sun later, it is clear that the continued illumination of this path is necessary to bring about a stewardship culture of soil, plant, animal, and human. We are fortunate to have a torch bearer in Korn who embodies the words of Taoist sage, Lao T’zu, ‘what you do is what you are.’”--Don Tipping, founder of Seven Seeds Farm and Siskiyou Seeds“This mind-opening book will provide the proper contextual knowledge and understanding on how nature works for any practitioner involved in farming, ranching, ecosystem restoration, or natural-resource management.”--Ray Archuleta, conservation agronomist, Natural Resources Conservation Service“Larry Korn virtually brings Masanobu Fukuoka back to life in One-Straw Revolutionary by highlighting his experience of more than thirty-five years of study with Mr. Fukuoka. Here we not only get a new look at Mr. Fukuoka’s natural farming but also his life in general. For those who have or have not read the insightful The One-Straw Revolution, I highly recommend this delightful book about one of the world’s great agricultural thinkers.”--John P. Reganold, Regents Professor of Soil Science & Agroecology at Washington State University“One-Straw Revolutionary is a profound sharing of the essential philosophy of natural farming translated through the friendship between Larry Korn and Masanobu Fukuoka. Larry’s engaging story offers wise insights into authentic practices that honor the community of all life. I deeply resonate with both the author’s perspectives and Fukuoka’s clear understanding of a revolutionary pathway for creating abundance by honoring the natural patterns of our earth.”--Katrina Blair, author of The Wild Wisdom of Weeds“In One-Straw Revolutionary, Larry Korn revisits his experiences with Masanobu Fukuoka, one of the most important thinkers in agricultural history. This book is a sort of sequel to Mr. Fukuoka’s The One-Straw Revolution, clarifying and amplifying that book and then going on to reveal Mr. Korn’s own intriguing contributions to the new social and agricultural order.”--Gene Logsdon, author of Gene Everlasting and A Sanctuary of Trees “I still think The One-Straw Revolution is the best book Rodale ever published, and we can thank Larry Korn for bringing it to us. Larry’s deep insight into Fukuoka-san’s Zen-like approach to farming threw a new light on the organic method of farming and gardening for me, as I was then an editor of Organic Gardening magazine. Through Larry, I was able to see that the question is not, ‘What can I do next?’ but rather, ‘What can I stop doing without diminishing the results?’ This impulse toward simplicity is the master’s great gift to the world, carried forth into the world by Larry Korn.”—Jeff Cox, author of twenty books, including the best-selling From Vines to Wines and the James Beard Foundation-nominated The Organic Cook’s Bible, and former managing editor of Organic Gardening magazine

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Book SynopsisA Sunday Times Book of The YearA Mail on Sunday Book of The YearAn Independent Book of The YearA The Times Book of The YearDuring the US book tour for his memoir, Hitch-22, Christopher Hitchens collapsed in his New York hotel room to excoriating pain in his chest and thorax. As he would later write in the first of a series of deeply moving Vanity Fair pieces, he was being deported 'from the country of the well across the stark frontier that marks off the land of malady.' Over the next year he underwent the brutal gamut of modern cancer treatment, enduring catastrophic levels of suffering and eventually losing the ability to speak. Mortality is the most meditative collection of writing Hitchens has ever produced; at once an unsparingly honest account of the ravages of his disease, an examination of cancer etiquette, and the coda to a lifetime of fierce debate and peerless prose. In this eloquent confrontation with mortality, Hitchens returns a human face to a disease that has become a contemporary cipher of suffering.Trade ReviewCharacteristic of his elegant wit: philosophical, literary, ironic, sardonic, reflective and resentful * The Times *His unworldly fluency never deserted him, his commitment was passionate, and he never deserted his trade. He was the consummate writer, the brilliant friend. In Walter Pater's famous phrase, he burned 'with this hard gem-like flame.' Right to the end. -- Ian McEwanHitchens's voice remains civilised, searching and ready to vanquish all his enemies -- Colm TóbínA trenchant, learned, iconoclastic and splendidly witty commentator on public life and, as here, on his own private triumphs and travails... unremittingly elegant, a master of graceful prose -- John Banville

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Book SynopsisThe #1 New York Times Bestseller ‘Walter Isaacson is not an art historian, he’s simply a lover of Leonardo, who manages to communicate the sheer joy of this remarkable man’Books of the Year - The Times He was history’s most creative genius. What secrets can he teach us? Based on thousands of pages from Leonardo da Vinci's astonishing notebooks and new discoveries about his life and work, Walter Isaacson weaves a narrative that connects his art to his science. He shows how Leonardo’s genius was based on skills we can improve in ourselves, such as passionate curiosity, careful observation, and an imagination so playful that it flirted with fantasy. He produced the two most famous paintings in history, The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa. But in his own mind, he was just as much a man of science and technology. With a passionTrade Review‘In Isaacson, Leonardo gets the biographer he deserves – an author capable of comprehending his often frenetic, frequently weird quest to understand. This is not just a joyful book; it’s also a joy to behold…Isaacson deserves immense praise for this very human portrait of a genius’ * The Times *'A lavish, loving biography of the great Renaissance polymath…this sumptuous, elegantly written and diligently produced offering that perfectly catches the contradictions of the man…[a] splendid work that provides an illuminating guide to the output of one of the last millenium’s greatest minds’ * Observer *‘Walter Isaacson keeps the mortal man to the fore. For all his supernatural gifts as an artist and natural scientist. Leonardo was resolutely human (illegitimate, vegan, in need of patrons) rather than the near deity of legend. Isaacson is an assured guide to Leonardo’s fallibility – so many projects started, so few completed – as well as his extraordinary curiosity and his even more remarkable painterly skills that were sharpened by intense observation' * Sunday Times *'To read this magnificent biography of Leonardo da Vinci is to take a tour through the life and works of one of the most extraordinary human beings of all time in the company of the most engaging, informed, and insightful guide imaginable. Walter Isaacson is at once a true scholar and a spellbinding writer. And what a wealth of lessons there are to be learned in these pages' -- David McCullough'A powerful story of an exhilarating mind and life...a study in creativity: how to define it, how to achieve it' * New Yorker *

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Book SynopsisWinner of the Moore Prize for Human Rights Writing in 2023 "This book will stay with me for years." ADAM KAY, author of This is Going to Hurt "Black puts a human and profoundly humane face on what it's like to be a doctor." FORBES A brilliant, painful and honest book. Read it. MARY HARPER, BBC Africa Editor Benjamin Black has the most amazing gift for telling a story. I could not put the book down. VICTORIA MACDONALD, Channel 4 News Courage meets crisis in a doctor''s extraordinary true account on the frontlines of maternal healthcare during a deadly epidemic in Sierra Leone. In May 2014, as the country grapples with the highest maternal mortality rate globally, a new, invisible threat emerges: Ebola. Dr. Benjamin Black finds himself at the centre of the outbreak. From the life-and-death decisions on the maternity ward to moral dilemmas in the Ebola Treatment Centers, every moment is a crossroads where a single choice could tip the balance between survival and catastrophe. The tension is palpable, and the stakes are unimaginably high. One mistake, one error of judgment, could spell disaster. Belly Woman is a powerful piece of reportage and advocacy that draws parallels between two global outbreaks of infectious diseases: Ebola and COVID-19. Black''s firsthand experience on the frontlines of a global health crisis bears witness to the raw emotions, tough decisions, such as the need to carry out medically-mandated abortions to save lives, and the unwavering dedication that defines the lives of those who step up when the world needs them most. Compelling for readers with an interest in medical memoirs, social justice, and humanitarianism, as well as healthcare professionals and maternal health caregivers.

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Book Synopsis''A monumental achievement - one of the great scientific biographies.'' Michael FraynThe Strangest Man is the Costa Biography Award-winning account of Paul Dirac, the famous physicist sometimes called the British Einstein. He was one of the leading pioneers of the greatest revolution in twentieth-century science: quantum mechanics. The youngest theoretician ever to win the Nobel Prize for Physics, he was also pathologically reticent, strangely literal-minded and legendarily unable to communicate or empathize. Through his greatest period of productivity, his postcards home contained only remarks about the weather.Based on a previously undiscovered archive of family papers, Graham Farmelo celebrates Dirac''s massive scientific achievement while drawing a compassionate portrait of his life and work. Farmelo shows a man who, while hopelessly socially inept, could manage to love and sustain close friendship.The Strangest Man is an extraordinary and moving human story, as well as a study of one of the most exciting times in scientific history.''A wonderful book . . . Moving, sometimes comic, sometimes infinitely sad, and goes to the roots of what we mean by truth in science.'' Lord Waldegrave, Daily Telegraph

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Book Synopsis'Indecently entertaining.' A Daily Mail Book of the WeekAn Amazon US Best Book of 2022''A fascinating tale of poisons and poisonous deeds which both educates and entertains.'' Kathy ReichsAs any reader of murder mysteries can tell you, poison is one of the most enduring and popular weapons of choice for a scheming murderer. It can be slipped into a drink, smeared onto the tip of an arrow or the handle of a door, even filtered through the air we breathe. But how exactly do these poisons work to break our bodies down, and what can we learn from the damage they inflict?In a fascinating blend of popular science, medical history, and narrative crime nonfiction, Dr Neil Bradbury explores this most morbidly captivating method of murder from a cellular level. Alongside real-life accounts of murderers and their crimes some notorious, some forgotten, some still unsolved are the equally compelling stories of the poisons involved: eleven molecules of death that work their way through the humanTrade Review‘This very splendid book is essentially a detailed primer on how to dispose of your enemies. … A winning mixture of hard science and true crime stories, is almost indecently entertaining.’ Daily Mail ‘Lively … Bradbury is an engaging, cheerful tour guide.’ New York Times Book Review ‘Captivating in its storytelling and just enough science for the geeks. A tremendously entertaining dip into the dark and compelling world of death.’ Professor Dame Sue Black, author of All That Remains: A Life in Death ‘We’ve all seen Colonel Mustard dead in the library from poisoning. Instead of telling us why, in this original and invigorating book, Neil Bradbury focuses on how, exploring the workings of crime from a scientific basis. Fascinating.’ Judith Flanders, author of The Invention of Murder 'Neil Bradbury writes with wit, flair, and authority.' Lindsey Fitzharris, bestselling author of The Butchering Art ‘An engrossing history of poisons, poisonings and poisoners. Alongside the very human stories of the people who fall victim to these deadly substances, it’s packed with quirky detail and easily digestible (pun intended) science.’ Kate Morgan, author of Murder: The Biography 'Weaves jaw-dropping true stories and spellbinding histories behind the most infamous poisons.' Lydia Kang, bestselling author of Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything 'An unselfconsciously jaunty work of horror. Its stories may leave you eyeing your housemates and sniffing your coffee.' Judy Melinek, M.D. and T.J. Mitchell, bestselling authors of Working Stiff ‘An accessible and fascinating study.’ Publishers Weekly starred review ‘Appealing to any true crime fan … genre-bending.’ Booklist ‘A frightening romp … fascinating, edifying, and terrifying.’ Library Journal

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Book SynopsisA preeminent geneticist, winner of the 2022 Nobel Prize in medicine, hunts the Neanderthal and Denisovan genomes to answer the biggest question of them all: how did our ancestors become human?Neanderthal Man tells the riveting personal and scientific story of the quest to use ancient DNA to unlock the secrets of human evolution. Beginning with the study of DNA in Egyptian mummies in the early 1980s and culminating in the sequencing of the Neanderthal genome in 2010, Neanderthal Man describes the events, intrigues, failures, and triumphs of these scientifically rich years through the lens of the pioneer and inventor of the field of ancient DNA, Svante Pääbo. We learn that Neanderthal genes offer a unique window into the lives of our ancient relatives and may hold the key to unlocking the mysteries of where language came from as well as why humans survived while Neanderthals went extinct. Pääbo redrew our family tree and permanently changed the way we think about who we are and how we got here. For readers of Richard Dawkins, David Reich, and Hope Jahren, Neanderthal Man is the must-read account of how he did it.Trade Review"Neanderthal Man opens with this episode [when Paabo and his team first sequenced Neanderthal DNA], and it's a nice touch by Paabo, bringing us straight to the moment when his long, painstaking effort to tease ancient DNA out of hominin fossils yielded its first dramatic results." --David Quammen, Harper's "Paabo has provided us with a fabulous account of three decade of research into ancient DNA, culminating in 2010 with the publication of the Neanderthal genome... Paabo's book has to be compared to The Double Helix (1968), James Watson's brilliant but controversial account of how the structure of DNA was discovered. When taken together they provide an insight into how bio-molecular science has both changed and remained much the same during the last half-century. Both are strong personal accounts of scientific discovery, exposing how science is driven as much by passion, ambition, and competition as by rational thought and the sharing of knowledge. In both books the reader is gripped by life stories of far greater interest than those in may novels before being plunged into passages of near-unintelligible science (despite much simplification) that are nevertheless strangely enthralling." --Steven Mithen, New York Review of Books "I came for the cavemen, but I stayed for the geeky nail-biter of a story about doing historic science in a climate of fierce international competition and rapid technological innovation... Truth be told, DNA sequencing is pretty wonky stuff, but perhaps it's Paabo's own passionate investment in the undertaking that makes his story so exciting to read about; Neanderthal Man does for paleogenetics something like what Steven Spielberg did for the legislative process in Lincoln... [T]his book is a vibrant testimonial to what might be the greatest creation of modern humans: the scientific method." --Laura Miller, Salon "Much of Paabo's book is devoted to the details of the difficulties [of extracting DNA from ancient bones], and how they were overcome by an awesome combination of technology, ingenuity and persistence. It's a story of how modern high-concept science is done, shot through with the crackle of problem-solving and the hum of project tension, with occasional riffs of annoyance about major scientific journals and people who want dinosaur DNA." --The Independent (UK) "If Paabo weren't such a good storyteller, the book might have bogged down with descriptions of things like the different techniques of polymerase chain reaction, and all it takes to build a clean lab. But he's a clever enough writer to keep the reader's attention with a fast-paced story and wonderful details." --23andMe blog "This is a fascinating story of how modern science and especially computer technology is opening vistas onto our prehistoric history." --The Explorers Journal "Paabo provides a fascinating look at how his personal life intersected with the founding of a scientific field that has revolutionized evolution." --Science News "In Neanderthal Man, Svante Paabo offers readers a front-row seat to the still-unfolding understanding of this enigmatic human ancestor by recounting his own years of work... Paabo quite candidly relays the doubts and challenges that accompanied more than a decade of discovery--a labor that elevated Neanderthals from troglodyte brutes inhabiting a dead-end branch of the human family tree to a complex species that interbred with other hominins, including Homo sapiens. Never one to shy away from provocative statements or even-more-provocative research, Paabo gives what appears to be an honest and open account of his pioneering studies of Neanderthal genetics." --The Scientist "Evolutionary biologists are, general, pretty interesting people to talk to, but rarely would you describe their lives as thrilling. The notion of combining an autobiography with a popular science book may therefore not seem especially compelling. However, in this case both the author and the science are quite extraordinary, and inextricably linked." --Evening Standard (UK) "Paabo's tale describes a process approaching the Platonic Idea of contemporary science: a lot of very smart people collaboratively working their butts off, persisting through mistakes and failures and numbingly repetitive but essential tasks and political machinations and technological inadequacies because they believe the Truth is Out There. And finally finding it. Others have not yet weighed in, and this being top-level and therefore monumentally competitive science, contrarians may well emerge. But if the Neanderthal genome project was anything like what Paabo describes, we are damn lucky." --Tabitha Powledge, Genetic Literacy Project "Paabo passionately chronicles his personal story, from graduate school through the culmination of the Neanderthal project 30 years later, and the scientific implications of this exciting research... In accessible prose, Paabo presents the science so that laypersons will understand the nature and import of his work. But it's his discussion of the scientific process that steals the show... He discusses what it took to build a case tight enough to convince even the most skeptical of colleagues and he goes on to demonstrate that scientific knowledge is cumulative and ever-evolving." --Publishers Weekly, starred review "Svante Paabo's Neanderthal Man is the incredible personal story of one man's quest for our human origins using the latest genome sequence tools. Paabo takes us through his exciting journey to first extract DNA from ancient bones then sequence it to give us the first real glance at our human ancestors, and showing ultimately that early humans and Neanderthals interbred to produce modern humans. This is science at its best and reinforces that contained in each of our genomes is the history of humanity." --J. Craig Venter, Chairman and President, J. Craig Venter Institute "Svante Paabo, a major architect in the study of paleo-DNA, has written a personal, insightful and sometimes very frank book about his relentless quest to understand the human family tree. The first scholar to extract genetic material from Neanderthals, Paabo writes candidly about the seemingly insurmountable trials and tribulations he had to overcome to give us intriguing new insights into human origins." --Donald Johanson, Founding Director of the Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, and author of Lucy: The Beginnings of Humankind "This is the fascinating account of Svante Paabo's efforts to sequence Neanderthal nuclear DNA... [H]is personal story, from graduate to world-renowned scientist, make this a very enjoyable book... The study of Neanderthals has kept palaeontologists occupied for more than a century, but Paabo convinces us that decoding their DNA will provide insights into how different we are from them and what makes us so unique." --BBC Focus "[An] engaging book... Neanderthal Man is devoted--and devoted is definitely the word--to the years-long ancient DNA project to sequence the Neanderthal genome. Paabo and his far-flung team did that to an accuracy that exceeds most of the contemporary genomes being sequenced today... Before I read Neanderthal Man, I thought I knew something about contamination of ancient DNA. In fact, though, I had no clue. No matter how well informed you are about genetics, Svante Paabo will teach you things." --Tabitha Powledge, PLOS Blogs / On Science Blogs "[A] revealing glimpse into the inner workings of scientific research... Since Neanderthals are our closest evolutionary relatives, the author's work in decoding Neanderthal DNA gives scientists a way to understand how we differ genetically from them and offers the opportunity to learn what genetic changes have made humans unique on this planet." --Kirkus Reviews "The tale Paabo tells is largely one of technological improvement enabling the elimination of contamination and speeding up the sequencing process. Secondarily, it's about creating scientific foundations and multinational scientific cooperation to pursue the promises of research into ancient DNA, including that of nonhuman species as well as hominins." --Booklist "It is a rare thing to read about an important development in science by its principal innovator, written in the spirit and style in which the research unfolded. Neanderthal Man is a dispatch from the front, and if you want to learn how real science is really done, I suggest you read it." --Edward O. Wilson, University Research Professor, Emeritus, Harvard University "[A]n excellent glimpse into how modern science proceeds as a global, social activity... Paabo has to navigate through collaborators and competitors (including people who spend time in both categories), guardians of the bones he wants to grind into dust, touchy issues of nationalism, and more. In the process, he helps found a new research institute and builds a team dedicated to studying ancient DNA. If anyone doubts that science is a social activity, the doubt won't survive reading this book... Paabo paints a picture of how a major scientific advance rose out of a mix of politics, persuasion, careful management, and struggles with technology and technique. For that alone, it's valuable." --Ars Technica "If there is one name associated with ancient DNA, it is Svante Paabo... Paabo pioneered and has largely led the field for the past three decades. His book, Neanderthal Man, is perfectly timed, beautifully written and required reading--it is a window onto the genesis of a whole new way of thinking." --Nature

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Book SynopsisIn this stunning memoir, beloved internationally acclaimed earth advocate chronicles her journey to reconnect with the earth, offering a model for how we all can nurture the wild around and inside ourselves.In 1991, twenty-four-year-old Lynx Vilden crawled out of a sweat lodge covered in mud, her face streaked with tears, and whispered a promise to the earth: “I will love you and cherish you, I will learn how to live and share what you teach me.” That promise became Vilden’s life purpose: to return to the ways of our oldest ancestors, to a simpler life, and to listen deeply to Earth and what she has to say. Over the next thirty years, Vilden’s mission would lead her far from the city streets and punk bands of London and Amsterdam where she was raised, on a long and winding journey spanning continents and seasons, and filled with indigenous wisdom, Stone Age hunting skills, and important lessons from nature.In this illuminating memoir, Vilden shares the joys that await all of us when we reconnect with the earth, when we recognize what has been lost, and understand what we gain by meaningfully returning to our roots and become rewilded. Return is a glimpse into her extraordinary world—from stories about mentoring Silicon Valley millennials at her Stone Age immersion in rural Washington State to adventures traveling among Sami reindeer herders in Arctic Sweden to detailing the intricacies of just how to pursue and survive a wild lifestyle inspired by Stone Age humans.This extraordinary debut ultimately invigorates our hunger to renew our bonds with the earth and awaken our wildest, most primal selves.Trade Review"Lynx Vilden's life has been an atavistic quest to find, and perhaps even recover, some fundamental meaning and substance that still lurks in our most elemental human nature. Here, Lynx has shared her life's work– her relentless passion to explore, identify, and recapture the organic and symbiotic relevance of the human experience. In Return, this remarkable woman has faithfully sought and truly found the marrow in the bone." — Joe Hutto, author of Illumination in the Flatwoods, The Light in High Places, and Touching the Wild “ …an exploration of what a closer relationship with the natural world can offer us…a spirited debut. A rigorous, colorful portrait of true wilderness living.” — Kirkus “[A] mesmerizing and ethereal autobiography mixed with aspects of spirituality…” — Booklist "Return is a story of a remarkable woman who is living the Stone-Age ways. For Lynx, the past, present and future are intertwined. By learning the skills of our ancestors, she reminds Mankind of our forgotten abilities." — Miriam Lancewood, author of international bestseller Woman in the Wilderness

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Book SynopsisIn 1966 John Berger spent three months in the Forest of Dean shadowing an English country GP, John Sassall. Sassall is a fortunate man - his work occupies and fulfils him, he lives amongst the patients he treats, the line between his life and his work is happily blurred.In A Fortunate Man, Berger's text and the photography of Jean Mohr reveal with extraordinary intensity the life of a remarkable man. It is a portrait of one selfless individual and the rural community for which he became the hub. Drawing on psychology, biography and medicine A Fortunate Man is a portrait of sacrifice. It is also a profound exploration of what it means to be a doctor, to serve a community and to heal.With a new introduction by writer and GP, Gavin Francis.Trade ReviewI only wish I could do justice in a few words to the richness that makes this book so compelling * * Guardian * *A miniature masterpiece of observation and a profound meditation on the nature and value of the doctor-patient relationship -- POLLY MORLANDIn 1967 A Fortunate Man marked the most significant step forward in the collaboration of a writer and photographer since Let us Now Praise Famous Men by Walker Evans and James Agee. Incredibly, it still does . . . A masterpiece -- GEOFF DYERA genuine tour de force . . . The intimate portrait of one man and his microscopic world reveals the faults and strains of a whole society * * Observer * *It's one of my favourite books in the world, an ongoing inspiration as to how books should be written (and photography used) -- ALAIN de BOTTONJohn Berger seems to me peerless; not since Lawrence has there been a writer who offers such attentiveness to the sensual world with responsiveness to the imperatives of conscience -- SUSAN SONTAGA book about caring that will make you care, and a book about deep healing that may heal your soul. It is also, almost 50 years on, uncannily timely -- SIMON GARFIELDThis disturbingly beautiful book will continue to haunt you long after you have set it aside -- RICHARD HOLLOWAYThis extraordinary book unravels the tangled branches of the everyday to reveal the brightness within. It inspires me to think more slowly, more deeply, to wear acquired knowledge lightly, to open my senses more fully to the wonders in the plain and close-at-hand -- JAMES MEEKA masterpiece of witness; a three-way meditation on humanity, society and the value of healing -- GAVIN FRANCIS

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Book Synopsis“A WONDERFUL READ … Christine''s deep love for turtles comes through on each page."—CRAIG FOSTER, MY OCTOPUS TEACHER “Will appeal to anyone interested in the world around us.”—DR. JANE GOODALLFilled with reverence and wonder for the natural world, this captivating book reveals the secret life of sea turtles, one of the oldest living creatures on Earth, and the story of one female scientist’s fight to save their future.In 2015, a team of researchers carefully removed a plastic straw from a sea turtle’s nostril off the coast of Costa Rica. The disturbing incident, which was captured on video, went viral, leading to corporate straw bans around the world. In this evocative book, reminiscent of Jane Goodall’s memoir In the Shadow of Man, the marine biologist behind the camera, Christine Figgener, recounts her own life spent studying and protecting sea turtles.From the time she was

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewBestselling physicist Carlo Rovelli argues in this enjoyable and provocative little book that a little-known Greek philosopher invented the idea of the cosmos -- Tim Adams * Observer *Carlo Rovelli’s Anaximander is a knockout: there’s nobody like Rovelli for bridging the Two Cultures, and I was enlarged by his lucid, optimistic account, full of fascinating historical nuggets, of what scientists do and why it’s exciting -- Sam Leith * TLS , Best Books of the Year *Rovelli is a very good scientist and a very good writer. He explains some of the most conceptually difficult and densest areas of physics lightly and breezily. Here, he tells the story of an ancient thinker who had a revolutionary idea about the Earth's place in the cosmos -- Tom Whipple * The Times *Anaximander is a delight and so is this book -- James McConnachie * Sunday Times *As Rovelli's fans will expect, this book is excellent. It is never less than engaging, and enviably compendious -- Tim Smith-Laing * The Telegraph *A celebration of the scientific spirit of inquiry and the remarkable achievements of one man more than 2,500 years ago -- John Sellars * TLS *A bold and persuasive case that this ancient Greek philosopher scientist was the founder of critical thinking -- Adam Rutherford * Start the Week, BBC Radio 4 *This is seriously astounding. So lucid, so imaginative, so subtle, and so large in scope. It's like the best primer you can imagine for the non-scientist on why what you think you know about Ptolemy and Copernicus, or Popper and Kuhn, is not quite right -- Sam Leith * Twitter *

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Book SynopsisUncle Tungsten radiates all the delight and wonder of a boy’s adventures, and is an unforgettable portrait of an extraordinary young mind.Oliver Sacks evokes, with warmth and wit, his upbringing in wartime England. He tells of the large science-steeped family who fostered his early fascination with chemistry. There follow his years at boarding school where, though unhappy, he developed the intellectual curiosity that would shape his later life. And we hear of his return to London, an emotionally bereft ten-year-old who found solace in his passion for learning. ‘If you did not think that gallium and iridium could move you, this superb book will change your mind’ – The TimesTrade ReviewThis book is both a heartwarming account of a delightful, eccentric family life and an inspiring record of a remarkable intellectual odyssey. * Mail on Sunday *The amalgamation of personal recollection and scientific history makes a luminous, inspiring book. * Sunday Telegraph *Uncle Tungsten is really about the raw joy of scientific understanding; what it is like to be a precocious child discovering the alchemical secrets of reality for the first time: the sheer thrill of finding intelligible patterns in nature. * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisLonglisted for the National Book Award for Nonfiction and A New York Times Notable Book of 2018.Our understanding of the tree of life', with powerful implications for human genetics, human health and our own human nature, has recently completely changed.This book is about a new method of telling the story of life on earth through molecular phylogenetics. It involves a fairly simple method the reading of the deep history of life by looking at the variation in protein molecules found in living organisms. For instance, we now know that roughly eight per cent of the human genome arrived not through traditional inheritance from directly ancestral forms, but sideways by viral infection.In The Tangled Tree, acclaimed science writer David Quammen chronicles these discoveries through the lives of the researchers who made them such as Carl Woese, the most important little-known biologist of the twentieth century; Lynn Margulis, the notorious maverick whose wild ideas about mosaic' creatures pTrade ReviewPraise for Tangled Tree: ‘[Quammen] is our greatest living chronicler of the natural world … There are vivacious descriptions on almost every page.’ New York Times ‘In The Tangled Tree, celebrated science writer David Quammen tells perhaps the grandest tale in biology … He presents the science – and the scientists involved – with patience, candour and flair.’ Nature ‘Quammen adds some intriguing new discoveries’ New Scientist Praise for David Quammen: ‘One of that rare breed of science journalists who blends exploration with a talent for synthesis and storytelling’ Nature ‘Mr. Quammen is, by trade, neither professional environmentalist nor scientist. He is a writer. And the book he has worked on for 10 years is intelligent, playful and refreshingly free of cant … In Mr. Quammen’s hands, the bad news of species extinction unaccountably uplifts. For it reminds us of nature’s sheer, ornery diversity, and why it needs to be preserved. We share in the excitement of a new scientific discipline aborning. By book’s end, we glean hints of hope that the future may not be entirely bleak … Here is what a book can be’The New York Times Book Review ‘Quammen is no ordinary writer. He is simply astonishing, one of that rare class of writer gifted with verve, ingenuity, humour, guts, and great heart’ Elle

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Book SynopsisA prismatic look at the meeting of Marie Curie and Albert Einstein and the impact these two pillars of science had on the world of physics, which was in turmoil. In 1911, some of the greatest minds in science convened at the First Solvay Conference in Physics. Almost half of the attendees had won or would go on to win the Nobel Prize. Over the course of those few days, these minds began to realise that classical physics was about to give way to quantum theory, a seismic shift in our history and how we understand not just our world, but the universe. At the centre of this meeting were Marie Curie and a young Albert Einstein. In the years preceding, Curie had faced the death of her husband. She was on the cusp of being awarded her second Nobel Prize, but scandal erupted all around her when the French press revealed that she was having an affair with a fellow scientist, Paul Langevin. The subject of vicious misogynist and xenophobic attacks in the French press, Curie found herself in a storm that threatened her scientific legacy.Albert Einstein proved a supporter in her travails. He was young and already showing flourishes of his enormous genius. Curie had been responsible for one of the greatest discoveries in modern science. Utilising never before seen correspondence and notes, Jeffrey Orens reveals the human side of these brilliant scientists, one who pushed boundaries and demanded equality in a man’s world, no matter the cost, and the other, who was destined to become synonymous with genius.

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Book SynopsisMaria Mies’ achievements include developing groundbreaking praxis and theory around the concept of “housewifisation”, the violence of colonisation and profound writings about ecofeminism. She fights the Multilateral Agreement of Investment, she fights the General Agreement on Trade in Services, she fights against the patenting of life and tackles reproductive and genetic engineering as well as food security, but she never gives up hope that there is an alternative to present day injustice and exploitation; that “the good life” is possible.

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Book SynopsisShips of Mercy tells the riveting true story of Mercy Ships, the astonishing fleet of hospital ships that sail the globe, bringing dramatic change to the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the most impoverished and disease-stricken corners of the world.Ships of Mercy is a page-turner of the highest quality, an inspiring testimony both to the essence of the human spirit and God''s amazing providence.It tells the story of a teenager''s extraordinary vision brought to reality in the form of a multi-million dollar life-saving mission. It also tells the story of a family of people from diverse backgrounds who have sacrificed their comfort and security in order to perform remarkable acts of grace and kindness.Trade ReviewThis memoir describes... a life well spent in the service of humanity * Irish Catholic *

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Book SynopsisREBEL GIRLS is a global, multi-platform empowerment brand dedicated to helping raise the most inspired and confident generation of girls through content, experiences, products, and community. Originating from an international best-selling children's book, Rebel Girls amplifies stories of real-life women throughout history, geography, and field of excellence. With a growing community of nearly 20 million self-identified Rebel Girls spanning more than 100 countries, the brand engages with Generation Alpha through its book series, award-winning podcast, events, and merchandise. With the 2021 launch of the Rebel Girls app, the company has created a flagship destination for girls to explore a wondrous world filled with inspiring true stories of extraordinary women.

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Book SynopsisAs gripping as it is gruesome, How to Solve a Murder is a fascinating insight into the career of a forensic scientist. Includes a foreword from Dr Richard Shepherd, bestselling author of Unnatural Causes.FRACTURED SKULLS. GAS MASKS. BRAIN BUCKETS. VATS OF ACID. PICKLED BODY PARTS.Not the usual tools of trade, but for Chief Forensic MedicalScientist Derek and Forensic Secretary Pauline they were just part of a normal day in the office inside the world-famous Department of Forensic Medicine at Guy's Hospital in London.Derek has played a pivotal role in investigating some of the UK's most high-profile mass disasters and murder cases. Derek's innovative work on murder cases, in particular, has seen him credited as a pioneer of forensic medical science, after developing ground-breaking techniques that make it easier to secure a conviction and also identify a serial killer.Warmly recalled and brilliantly told, these intriguing revelations will open your eyes to the dark world inhabited by th

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Book SynopsisThis 3-volume work forms the second in a series of monographs by Henry Noltie documenting the more important collections of Indian botanical drawings in the Library of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Book 1, The Life and Work of Robert Wight, provides the definitive biography of Wight. Book 2, Botanical Drawings by Rungia & Govindoo: the Wight Collection. Book 3, Journeys in Search of Robert Wight, describes the author's travels as he carried out the research that underpins his work.

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Book SynopsisThe life and genius of Henry Royce, the outstanding, retiring, and often tyrannical founder of Rolls-RoyceTrade Review"Here, Peter Reese tells the story of Frederick Henry Royce, who, despite two years of formal education and his father dying in the poorhouse when he was nine years old, built the company form nothing." * This England *Feature in Country Life magazine * Country Life magazine *"Eminently readable, fascinating and quite readable..." * Auto Express *

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Book SynopsisWhen Oliver Sacks was twelve years old, a perceptive schoolmaster wrote in his report: 'Sacks will go far, if he does not go too far'. It is now abundantly clear that Sacks has never stopped going . . .From its opening pages on his youthful obsession with motorcycles and speed, On the Move is infused with his restless energy. As he recounts his experiences as a young neurologist in the early 1960s, first in California and then in New York, where he discovered a long-forgotten illness in the back wards of a chronic hospital, as well as with a group of patients who would define his life, it becomes clear that Sacks's earnest desire for engagement has occasioned unexpected encounters and travels – sending him through bars and alleys, over oceans, and across continents.With unbridled honesty and humour, Sacks shows us that the same energy that drives his physical passions –bodybuilding, weightlifting, and swimming – also drives his cerebral passions. He writes about his love affairs, both romantic and intellectual, his guilt over leaving his family to come to America, his bond with his schizophrenic brother, and the writers and scientists – Thom Gunn, A. R. Luria, W. H. Auden, Gerald M. Edelman, Francis Crick – who influenced him.On the Move is the story of a brilliantly unconventional physician and writer – and of the man who has illuminated the many ways that the brain makes us human.Trade ReviewDeeply moving. . . a gift to his readers - of erudition, sympathy and an abiding understanding of the joys, trials and consolations of the human condition -- Michiko Kakutani * New York Times *Sacks's empathy and intellectual curiosity, his delight in, as he calls it, "joining particulars with generalities" and, especially, "narratives with neuroscience" - have never been more evident than in his beautifully conceived new book. . .remarkably candid and deeply affecting * Boston Globe *Honest, lucid, passionate, humorous, humane and human (also slightly Martian). . .[a] marvelous memoir, which is as unconventional and singular as the man himself -- Colin McGinn * Wall Street Journal *Absorbing * Chicago Tribune *A fascinating account - a sort of extended case study, really - of Sacks' remarkably active, iconoclastic adulthood. . . .On the Move is filled with both wonder and wonderments * LA Times *Intensely, beautifully, incandescently alive * Newsday *On the Move is as much a dense journal of Sacks's own astonishing, incident-rich life as a meaty handbook on how to live * Globe and Mail *No matter what he writes about - whether struggling to understand what his patients are going through, or describing his love of swimming or photography - Sacks always seems open to learning more. He appears keenly interested in everything and everyone he encounters. He's a wonderful storyteller, a gift he says he inherited from his parents, both of whom were doctors. But as he proves again in his latest . . . book, it's his keen attentiveness as a listener and observer, and his insatiable curiosity, that makes his work so powerful * San Francisco Chronicle *On the Move is entertaining and illuminating and sometimes shocking, and it's given a deep tinge of poignancy by Sacks' public announcement in February that he has terminal cancer. If On the Move is his effort, at age 81 and in the face of death, to record a life well lived, he has succeeded beautifully * Tampa Bay Times *A compelling read. . .The memoir offers a glimpse into one of the greatest minds of our time, made all the more special by the knowledge that it's one of his last gifts to a devoted readership * Men’s Journal *[Sacks'] delving accounts of the invalids he treats have until now stood in stark contrast to his restraint about revealing himself deeply, even though autobiographical threads run through such books as A Leg to Stand On, Uncle Tungsten and Hallucinations. A doctor - concerned, engaging, humane, eccentric and unforthcoming - has occupied the foreground in his self-description. With On the Move, he has finally presented himself as he has presented others: as both fully vulnerable and an object of curiosity. -- Andrew Solomon * New York Times *His truly has been a life lived to the full - and beyond . . . it is the adventure of ideas he has undertaken that has bestowed on his life its remarkable originality -- Will Self * Guardian *[Sacks] could not have written a more breathtaking account of his too-full life. Who knew the most important medical writer of our time was also a complete and total badass? * Men's Fitness *Sacks' zest for life has been extraordinary. . .Coursing through On the Move is his constant sense of joy in the natural world, in scientific epiphanies, and people in all their oddity. . . one of the most singular and inspiring men of our time -- Peter Forbes * Independent *Sacks's accounts are startling in their frankness and express the release of a wise man who, never burdened by snobbery, has also shed that petty encumbrance, embarrassment. . . In February this year Sacks revealed that he has terminal cancer. He wrote in The New York Times that, though not without fear, his predominant feeling is gratitude. "I have loved and been loved; I have been given much and I have given something in return." This book is a remarkable record of those exchanges * London Evening Standard *In this genial and often humorously narrated life, [Sacks] is very much alive and full of passionate energy, as well as of and wry self-awareness . . . He is an astute observer of the life around him. Judging from early motorcycle diaries and writings included here, he could have had an alternative career on the road with Hunter S Thompson * Guardian *Like many of his readers, some months ago I responded with a sense of real personal sadness when reading Sacks' New York Times op-ed announcing his "bad luck" of now facing a terminal cancer. I felt as if a vital window on the world were being closed. On the Move is a glorious memoir that throws open that window and illuminates the world that we have seen through it. In this volume Sacks opens himself to recognition, much as he has opened the lives of others to being recognized in their fullness -- Michael Roth * The Atlantic *This moving book confirms that it is Sacks's expansive passions for learning and for experience that have made his such a vigorous, fascinating and influential life . . .This book is a delight and a fine prompt to return to his earlier work * New Statesman *A lively read and a fascinating insight into a man who changed the way the world sees things. . .revealingand heartbreaking * Courier Mail *What emerges from On the Move is a celebration not just of a life, but of life itself, in all its glorious variousness and possibility. . . [a] joyous whirlwind of a book -- James Bradley * Capital City Daily *A wonderful legacy to leave behind . . .It's an unmitigated pleasure to be in the company of this physician, teacher and storyteller * Big Issue Australia *An affecting read. . .Much will be lost when we can no longer eagerly await the next gift from this dearly loved,stray Santa * The Conversation *

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Book SynopsisSpinster Mary Anning, uneducated and poor, was of the wrong sex, wrong class and wrong religion, but fate decreed that she was exactly the right person in the right place and time to pioneer the emerging science of palaeontology, the study of fossils.

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Book SynopsisCurie is the most significant woman in the history of science and one of the most consequential figures of our time.

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Book Synopsis300 years ago, in April 1721, a smallpox epidemic was raging in England. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu knew that she could save her 3-year-old daughter using the process of inoculation. She had witnessed this at first hand in Turkey, while she was living there as the wife of the British ambassador. She also knew that by inoculating - making her daughter the first person protected in the West - she would face opposition from doctors, politicians and clerics. Her courageous action eventually led to the eradication of smallpox and the prevention of millions of deaths. But Mary was more than a scientific campaigner. She mixed with the greatest politicians, writers, artists and thinkers of her day. She was also an important early feminist, writing powerfully and provocatively about the position of women. She was best friends with the poet Alexander Pope. They collaborated on a series of poems, which made her into a household name, an 'It Girl'. But their friendship turned sour and he used his pen to vilify her publicly. Aristocratic by birth, Mary chose to elope with Edward Wortley Montagu, whom she knew she did not love, so as to avoid being forced into marrying someone else. In middle age, her marriage stale, she fell for someone young enough to be her son - and, unknown to her, bisexual. She set off on a new life with him abroad. When this relationship failed, she stayed on in Europe, narrowly escaping the coercive control of an Italian conman. After twenty-two years abroad, she returned home to London to die. The son-in-law she had dismissed as a young man had meanwhile become Prime Minister.

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Book SynopsisRenowned as one of the greatest creative forces in the world of the automobile, Lotus's Colin Chapman (1928-82) left a mixed legacy. Was he an unparalleled innovator or an uninhibited exploiter of the uncredited ideas of others? In this landmark book, celebrated author Karl Ludvigsen gets to grips with the legend, digging deep beneath the skin of Chapman and his cars to explore and expose the motivations that drove this mercurial and controversial genius. Interviews with key figures in the Chapman story mesh with information from the author's extensive archives to make this book a unique and compelling encounter between the engineer-innovator and the historian-investigator. Originally published in 2010, the book has become a standard text, not only on the man but also on the evolution and design of racing cars. Thus it is being reissued to meet continuing popular demand.

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Book SynopsisThis book and the study that preceded it highlight the pioneering discoveries through which physicians and biomedical researchers of Greek origin contributed to the progress of clinical medicine, biomedical research and the pharmaceutical industry at the global level in the 200 years from the Greek revolution of 1821 to 2021.The book represents one of the many initiatives that Greeks from Greece and abroad pursued to promote scientific excellence.The selection of the 63 individuals among more than 120 nominees, apart from the criteria of bibliographic references, was made with unanimous approval by the scientific council for the originality, timeliness, and global impact of their work, but also for their leading role in international scientific initiatives.

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Book SynopsisA personal and literary examination of hypochondria.A free-wheeling philosophical essay, Hypochondria combines cultural critique, literary history, and Rees’s own experience of health anxiety to ask what we might learn from the hypochondriac’s discomforting experience of their body.Hypochondria is unashamedly capacious in its range of references, from the writings of Robert Burton, Franz Kafka and Charlotte Brontë to original yet accessible readings of theorists like Lauren Berlant and Maurice Blanchot. Whether he is discussing Seinfeld, John Donne or his own hypochondriac past, Rees reveals himself to be a wry and perceptive critic, exploring the causes - and the costs - of our desire for certainty.An exercise in what Freud calls “evenly suspended attention,” Hypochondria demonstrates the rewards and the perils of reading (too) closely the common but typically overlooked aspects of our everyday lives."In Hypochondria, Will Rees pulls off an almost impossible balancing act. He recalls his personal history with great clarity and vulnerability, and he assembles a dazzling archive of his fellow writers and hypochondriacs: Melville, Kafka, Freud, Sartre, Didion. Hypochondria, Rees shows us, is a specific case of fantasizing about what we cannot know - we are all, in our own ways, hypochondriacs." - Merve Emre, author of The Personality Brokers"I marvelled at this elegant and intellectually capacious book. Unmoored by its elusive subject, Rees innovates an utterly engrossing mode of inquiry that seems forged from the very material of hypochondria itself — radical doubt. And, like all good hypochondriacs, this book is many things at once: a philosophical intrigue, a meticulous catalogue of symptoms, a literature of writerly ailments, and a gripping tale of desire’s shadow. Here are hypochondria’s many indignities, but also its raptures and romance. What emerges from Rees’s ability to dwell in uncertainty is proof of doubt’s generative potential; its questions are insistent and hard-won vital signs. What if we are what we read? What if health is little more than blissful ignorance? What if we can never be sure of just how sick we really are?" - Daisy Lafarge, author of Paul"Hypochondria is a beautifully written, exacting, exquisite piece of literature and an urgent intervention into a deeply necessary conversation that has languished in the shadows for far too long. This book is as clever as it is brave, and it will change and move everyone who reads it. To capture the intricacies of our relationship with illness, both individually and in our collective consciousness, is one of the most difficult things a writer can do - Will has done it perfectly. Everyone must read this book." - Lucia Osborne-Crowley, author of The Lasting Harm"''The position of hypochondria has never been less certain,'' Will Rees writes in this extraordinary and utterly compelling new book. Part personal memoir, and part riveting history of the fateful and absorbing uncertainty that is hypochondria, this book will be an illumination for anyone who has ever wondered if they are ill." - Adam Phillips, author of On Giving Up

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Book SynopsisNewton’s Notebook is a biography with a difference. It provides a full and detailed account of Sir Isaac Newton’s life and discoveries, but is written, designed and illustrated to look like a personal notebook.By mining the rich sources of Newton’s own journals and books, and incorporating a variety of quotations and illustrations, Newton’s Notebook brings its subject to life more vividly than any ordinary biography. It reveals the man behind the theories and examines Newton’s personal and family life as well as the amazing impact of his ideas and the world’s reaction to them.

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE ROYAL SOCIETY TRIVEDI SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE 2024''Fascinating, witty and perspective-shifting . . . I finished it not only better informed about a captivating branch of mathematics, but with an invigorating sense of greater purchase on the world'' OLIVER BURKEMANThomas Bayes was an eighteenth-century Presbyterian minister and amateur mathematician whose obscure life belied the profound impact of his work. Fusing biography, razor-sharp science communication and intellectual history, Everything Is Predictable is a captivating tour of Bayes'' theorem and its impact on modern life. From medical testing to artificial intelligence, Tom Chivers shows how a single compelling idea can have far-reaching consequences.

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Book SynopsisFew people have changed the world like the Nobel Prize winners. Each of them has a unique story to tell, combining advice and inspiration, challenges and discoveries, eureka moments and failures. A call from Stockholm turned a group of twenty-four academics into Nobel Prize winners. This is their call to the next generations worldwide.Trade Review'Stefano Sandrone's wonderful gift to the readers of this book is an opportunity to spend a few precious private moments with 24 Nobel Prize winners. There are wisdom and valuable advice in each chapter, but it is the insights into each Nobelist as a real person, with real life stories, that makes this book very special.' Magdalena Skipper, Editor-in-Chief of Nature'Nobel Life offers tantalising glimpses into the Nobel Prize winners' works, their ideas and their personalities. Showing the humanity of some and the humanness of all, we see curiosity and creativity, collaboration and competition, selfishness and generosity, graciousness and haughtiness.' Shirley M. Malcom, Head of Education and Human Resources Programs of the American Association for the Advancement of Science'In these touching conversational portraits of Nobel Laureates, the reader is invited to follow their scientific quest and personal life trajectories, often marked by unexpected turns. Stefano Sandrone succeeds in revealing the human side of brilliant scientists who emerge as individuals with their passions and quirks, yet humble and with a sense of social responsibility.' Helga Nowotny, Professor emerita at ETH Zurich and Former President of the European Research Council'No interviews have ever discussed all the facets of the lives of these explorers of unknown territories in science and medicine. Stefano Sandrone has formulated intelligent questions for intelligent people.' Anders Bárány, Professor emeritus at Stockholm University and Former Scientific Secretary to the Nobel Committee for Physics'An interesting collection of interviews of Nobel Prize winners. An insight into their minds. Their struggles. Their findings and science. What they were doing when they got the call. All have one thing is common. They are humble and thankful. A wonderful read to enlighten readers.' Amit V, NetGalley Reader'This would make a superlative choice for library acquisition, as well as for readers who enjoy science writing and biography … Five stars. Well written and interesting with insights into a world most of us will never experience.' Annie Buchanan, Goodreads'The book includes much vivid detail about the human side of science.' Matthew Reisz, Times Higher Education'sometimes funny, occasionally poignant, and always insightful … Highly recommended for all readers.' Z. B. Johnson, Choice ConnectTable of Contents1. The periodic table Roald Hoffmann; 2. Eureka in Disney world Peter Agre; 3. Flying high Richard Ernst; 4. I'll show you what a woman can do Françoise Barré-Sinoussi; 5. Toys' stories Aaron Ciechanover and Edmond Fischer; 6. Clarity Tim Hunt; 7. Mentoring Martin Chalfie, Hamilton Smith and Johann Deisenhofer; 8. A stroke of colour Roger Tsien; 9. Impact factors Randy Schekman; 10. Know thyself Venkatraman Ramakrishnan; 11. Memory and vision Eric Kandel and Torsten Wiesel; 12. Words and people Daniel Kahneman; 13. Christmas and carol Elizabeth Blackburn and Hamilton Smith; 14. Rocket science Kary Mullis; 15. The big bang practice Arno Penzias, Hamilton Smith and David Gross; 16. Houston, we have a solution and many questions John Mather; 17. À la recherche of space and time Brian Schmidt; 18. Leadership and society Roger Myerson; 19. Of kings and cabbages Bob Solow; 20. Foreword to the future; Index.

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Book SynopsisNow a major film starring Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy and Kyle Chandler, directed by Oscar-winner Damien Chazelle, First Man by James Hansen offers the only authorized glimpse into the life of America’s most famous astronaut, Neil Armstrong – the man whose “one small step” changed history. In First Man, Hansen explores the life of Neil Armstrong. Based on over 50 hours of interviews with the intensely private Armstrong, who also gave Hansen exclusive access to private documents and family sources, this “magnificent panorama of the second half of the American twentieth century” (Publishers Weekly, Starred Review) is an unparalleled biography of an American icon. When Apollo 11 touched down on the moon’s surface in 1969, the first man on the moon became a legend. Hansen vividly recreates Armstrong's career in flying, from his seventy-eight combat missions as a naval aviator Trade Review'Let it be said at once that his book is an outstanding success. It has been immaculately researched and is packed with detail, but written in a way that will appeal to readers of all kinds...this is an important book, and should be in every scientific library.' -- Sir Patrick Moore * Times Higher Educational Supplement *‘The man was a fine engineer, a good pilot – although there is some dispute about that – patriotic, cool, courageous and hard-working, just the sort of guy you want next to you when the chips are down.' * Sunday Times *'Although he was the first man to set foot on the moon, Neil Armstrong has always been the least public of the Apollo 11 astronauts. He has seldom given interviews, or lent his name to merchandising tat, or haunted the same professional old-boy circuit as his former colleagues... But at 75, he’s finally decided to break his silence - or to have it broken for him by his official biographer, James R.Hansen.’ * Sunday Telegraph *'To understand Armstrong on his own terms is to see a large truth of our time...[Hansen’s] mastery of detailis put to splendid use. The narrative of the moon mission is crisp and dramatic, the science clear. He deftly takes us back into those few days of global fascination with the adventure of the three distant voyagers and the tense uncertainty about how it would turn out...I finished Hansen’s Apollo story with a wholly fresh sense of awe at the magnitude of NASA’s achievement...a compelling and nuanced portrait of the astronaut.' -- James Tobin * Chicago Tribune *'To understand Armstrong on his own terms is to see a large truth of our time...[Hansen’s] mastery of detailis put to splendid use. The narrative of the moon mission is crisp and dramatic, the science clear. He deftly takes us back into those few days of global fascination with the adventure of the three distant voyagers and the tense uncertainty about how it would turn out...I finished Hansen’s Apollo story with a wholly fresh sense of awe at the magnitude of NASA’s achievement...a compelling and nuanced portrait of the astronaut.' -- U.S. Navy Captain William Readdy * Aviation Week & Space Technology *'Most of the astronauts’ books are about the adventure. Jim Hansen’s well researched and documented book is about the adventurer. First Man is a compelling story of a modern-day Columbus which provides the rare opportunity to understand the personal qualities driving explorers. Quiet, complex, and deep, Armstrong, as fuel was running out, was the right man at the right time to take America and the world to the surface of the moon.' -- Eugene F. Kranz, author of Failure Is Not an Option'A powerful, unrelenting biography of a man who stands as a living testimony to everyday grit and determination... A must for astronaut buffs and history readers alike.' * Publishers Weekly *'Ever since Apollo 11’s "one giant leap for mankind" in 1969 the world has wondered who Neil Armstrong really is. Now, at last, Jim Hansen has stripped away the myths and mysteries to bring us face to face with the man himself. This definitive portrait offers many new and fascinating details about Armstrong and his life and about the momentous and unforgettable era of exploration in which he was lucky enough—and talented enough—to play a key role.' -- Andrew Chaikin, author of A Man on the Moon'This impressively documented and engagingly written biography will stand the test of time.' * Library Journal *'Masterfully written...technically accurate, scholarly yet independent and accessible...Mission accomplished and a perfect touchdown.' -- Leonard David * Ad Astra, The Magazine of the National Space Society *'Hansen’s research is staggeringly impressive... A work that has great appeal for anyone interested in why we explore, who we are in this aerospace age, and what it was about the United States that could enable a little kid from Wapakoneta, Ohio, to take that "one small step" at Tranquility Base in the summer of 1969. A must read!' -- Richard P. Hallion, chief historian for the U.S. Air Force'Jim Hansen has captured the essence of Neil Armstrong, not only as the first man on the Moon, but also as an outstanding aviator and astronaut. I was there for Neil’s other major "space step"—he recovered Gemini 8 from the ultimate end game with aggressive action, cool skill and creative judgement seldom performed in any aviation or space endeavor. Just 16 days after the deaths of the Gemini 9 crew, he probably saved the Moon. Jim Hansen has written an exceptional and accurate account of a unique period in aerospace history and the adventures of Neil Armstrong.' -- Dave Scott, Gemini VIII, Apollo 9, Commander, Apollo 15

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Book SynopsisCharles Ulm and Charles Kingsford Smith were the original pioneers of Australian aviation. Together they succeeded in a number of record-breaking flights that made them instant celebrities in Australia and around the world: the first east-to-west crossing of the Pacific, the first trans-Tasman flight, Australia to New Zealand, the first flight from New Zealand to Australia. Business ventures followed for them, as they set up Australian National Airways in late 1928. Smithy was the face of the airline, happier in the cockpit or in front of an audience than in the boardroom. Ulm on the other hand was in his element as managing director. Ulm had the tenacity and organisational skills, yet Smithy had the charisma and the public acclaim. In 1932, Kingsford Smith received a knighthood for his services to flying, Ulm did not.Business setbacks and dramas followed, as Ulm tried to develop the embryonic Australian airline industry. ANA fought hard against the young Qantas, already an establishment favourite, but a catastrophic crash on the airline's regular route from Sydney to Melbourne and the increasing bite of the Great Depression forced ANA's bankruptcy in 1933. Desperate to drum up publicity for a new airline venture, Ulm's final flight was meant to demonstrate the potential for a regular trans-Pacific passenger service. Somewhere between San Francisco and Hawaii his plane, Stella Australis, disappeared. No trace of the plane or crew were ever found.In the years since his death, attention has focused more and more on Smithy, leaving Ulm neglected and overshadowed. This biography will attempt to rectify that, showing that Ulm was at least Smithy's equal as a flyer, and in many ways his superior as a visionary, as an organiser and as a businessman. His untimely death robbed Australia of a huge talent.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA magnificent, definitive, and indefatigable tribute to an indefatigable man . . . Greene beautifully puts the record straight with a portrait of Wegener as a respected 'cosmic physicist.'—NatureIn this book Mott Greene has ably explained every detail of Wegener’s ideas and research and has created a well-deserved tribute to one of the most creative and energetic scientists of the twentieth century.—MetascienceA remarkably detailed and wonderfully well-written biography of Alfred Wegener . . . Includes insight into what makes a person such as Wegener a genius—what it was about him that led to an ability to create such a novel and correct view of nature. That is the true value of this exceptional book, to be able to feel as though one can literally experience the scientific genius that was Alfred Wegener.—ChoiceMott Greene's magnificent book reveals deep themes and connections to Wegener's many fruitful ideas and extraordinary scientific accomplishments, even as it examines the many distinct dimensions of thought and action that emanated from Wegener's apparently heedless embrace of all manner of risk-taking . . . Anglophone readers, especially, have never had such an opportunity to understand Alfred Wegener.—ScienceDirectThis biography is clearly a labor of love for its author. Greene worked on this book for more than twenty years, conducting archival research, visiting libraries and collections across Europe and in North America, and conducting interviews with key figures, including Wegener’s surviving family members . . . I came away with a renewed appreciation for Wegener as an engaged scientist who refused to let the boundaries of academic disciplines dampen his enthusiasm for scientific endeavor.—AAG Review of BooksMott Greene spent twenty years working on Alfred Wegener, a masterpiece in which he revolutionizes our understanding of Wegener, just as Wegener revolutionized our understanding of the Earth . . . a brilliant and compelling account of the life of one of the most talented, versatile, and remarkable scientists in history.—IsisGreene has created an important work that gives context to one of the most recent paradigm shifts in science . . . Greene tells the story with enough documentation to keep the story grounded in reality, yet uses his prose to maintain interest even after the 'eureka' moment, even after Wegener’s death on the ice.—Science & EducationTable of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgments1. The Boy2. The Student3. The Astronomer4. The Aerologist5. The Polar Meteorologist6. The Arctic Explorer (1)7. The Atmospheric Physicist (1)8. The Atmospheric Physicist (2)9. At a Crossroads10. The Theorist of Continental Drift (1)11. The Theorist of Continental Drift (2)12. The Arctic Explorer (2)13. The Soldier14. The Meteorologist15. The Geophysicist16. From Geophysicist to Climatologist17. The Paleoclimatologist18. The Professor19. Theorist and Arctic Explorer20. The Expedition LeaderEpilogueNotesBibliographical EssayIndex

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Book SynopsisTHE WORLD''S GREATEST TEST PILOT TELLS HIS STORY ''When you read through his life story, it makes James Bond seem like a bit of a slacker''Kirsty Young, Desert Island Discs''The greatest test pilot who ever lived. A true inspiration''Tim Peake, astronaut and former regular British Army Air Corps officer''The stories beggar belief''Guardian''Fascinating reading . . . His amazing life story is quite literally stranger than fiction''Today''s PilotIn 1939, Eric Brown was on a University of Edinburgh exchange course in Germany, and the first he knew of the war was when the Gestapo came to arrest him. They released him, not realising he was a pilot in the RAF volunteer reserve: and the rest is history. Eric Brown joined the Fleet Air Arm and went on to be the greatest test pilot in history, flying more different aircraft types than anyone else.During his lifetime he made a rTrade ReviewThe greatest test pilot who ever lived. A true inspiration -- Tim PeakeWhen you read through his life story, it makes James Bond seem like a bit of a slacker -- Kirsty Young * DESERT ISLAND DISCS *

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