Biography: science, technology and medicine Books

Book Synopsis"We''ve been invited to witness a bonfire of marijuana by the Taliban. Anyone interested?"Amid the missionaries, mercenaries and misfits drawn to the world''s most dangerous and volatile hotspots stands Dr John Parker.From Cholera to Ebola is a captivating collection of true stories 25 years in the making.Whether challenging the bureaucracy of refugee camps to cradling children as they died, Dr Parker operated far from his comfort zone, from the norms of medical practice and from the decencies of humanity.His is a life that swung from heartbreaking hopelessness to sheer ecstasy as he battled PTSD to chase his next ''fix'' over increasingly dangerous missions."There are some things you cannot be taught; you have to live them."

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis"In me, there is the red of miry clay, the brown of spring floods, the gold of ripening tobacco. All of these hues are me; I am, in the deepest sense, colored.” From these fertile soils of love, land, identity, family, and race emerges The Home Place, a big-hearted, unforgettable memoir by ornithologist and professor of ecology J. Drew Lanham.Dating back to slavery, Edgefield County, South Carolina—a place "easy to pass by on the way somewhere else"—has been home to generations of Lanhams. In The Home Place, readers meet these extraordinary people, including Drew himself, who over the course of the 1970s falls in love with the natural world around him. As his passion takes flight, however, he begins to ask what it means to be "the rare bird, the oddity.”By turns angry, funny, elegiac, and heartbreaking, The Home Place is a remarkable meditation on nature and belonging, at once a deeply moving memoir and riveting exploration of the contradictions of black identity in the rural South—and in America today.Trade ReviewForeword Reviews Best Book of 2016 and Nautilus Silver Award Winner Praise for The Home Place “A groundbreaking work about race and the American landscape, and a deep meditation on nature, selfhood, and the nature of home. It is thoughtful, sincere, wise, and beautiful. I want everyone to read it.”—Helen Macdonald, author of H Is for Hawk “Consider The Home Place required reading—it’s a thoughtful and relevant-as-ever look at race and identity in the great outdoors.”—Outside “A lyrical story about the power of the wild, The Home Place synthesizes J. Drew Lanham’s own family history, geography, nature, and race into a compelling argument for conservation and resilience.”—National Geographic "By surrendering the world to imperial and industrial standards, we chop away at the very surroundings that allow us to live. Yet the dominant common sense asks us to divide our loyalties: Either we support racial justice or we support the environment. There can be no more important task in the world today than to upend this rotten dichotomy, to heal the manufactured rift between environmentalism and the fight for social justice. Lanham's memoir—'a colored man's love affair with nature'—offers us one way to begin." —Chronicle of Higher Education, "Best Scholarly Books of the Decade" “When you’re done with The Home Place, it won’t be done with you. Its wonders will linger like everything luminous. You might find yourself hoping for a world where every family has a J. Drew Lanham in it.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune “A beautifully rendered and deeply personal story of the complex geographies of home, and displacement . . . The Home Place is a deft examination of how we come to define ourselves in a world that, in turn, is relentlessly trying to define who we are—and how we can take those definitions over and make our own.”—Sierra “There are no fireworks here—simply the musings of an African-American naturalist who, throughout his lifetime, has trained himself to marvel at the minor. Trust me, that is enough. . . . Of the many powerful lessons J. Drew Lanham bestows upon readers, perhaps this last one is his best: proof that human nature, like Mother nature herself, can still surprise us with its grace.”—Los Angeles Review of Books "J. Drew Lanham's The Home Place is a stunning read, a masterpiece, a soft rebellion that touches the deepest of our instincts." —Marine Ornithology “An extraordinary and trailblazing perspective on nature and race, told by a southern black man who became a natural scientist and a bird watcher. J. Drew Lanham’s colorful and long-awaited memoir deeply enriches our understanding of American culture and the environmental movement, rising as it does from the silence of an entire people. This is a captivating and crucial biology and a volume that I'll proudly add to my bookshelf.”—Janisse Ray, author of Ecology of a Cracker Childhood “Wisdom and generosity fill the pages of The Home Place. This memoir and story of a familial ecosystem is anchored firmly in the Piedmont clay of South Carolina that J. Drew Lanham's enslaved ancestors worked and would later come to own—and love. A man ‘born of forests and fields,’ Lanham thinks deeply about the land writ large and our connections to it as well as to each other. His honest and insistent words encourage us to cultivate a broader, deeper perspective that recognizes ties between race and environment in deliberate ways.”—Lauret Savoy, author of Trace “The Home Place teems with life—notably the author’s own remarkable one. This wise and deeply felt memoir of a black naturalist’s improbable journey travels the hallways of academia, the fields and forests of ornithological study, and the dusty clay roads of the rural south where it all began with grace, humility, and an abiding appreciation for this exquisite world.”—William Souder, author of Under a Wild Sky “Your world will change while reading this beautiful, deep, and generous book. A book by a scientist that goes far beyond science, a book by a black man that looks issues of race in the eye but then transcends them, a book by a loving son who, in the end, finds a new identity, The Home Place is really about what it means to be human, and in particular what it means to be human in relationship to the land. It is a love song to family, soil, trees, birds, and wildness itself. Read it and be enlarged.”—David Gessner, author of All the Wild That Remains “Rapturous and illuminating . . . A shrewd meditation on home, family, nature, and the author’s native South.”—Kirkus “Insightful . . . Encouraging readers to pay closer attention to nature, J. Drew Lanham gathers the disparate elements that have shaped him into a nostalgic and fervent examination of home, family, nature, and community.”—Publishers Weekly

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisA dynamic and fresh exploration of the naturalist Mark Catesby—who predated John James Audubon by nearly a century— and his influence on how we understand American wildlife.In 1722, Mark Catesby stepped ashore in Charles Town in the Carolina colony. Over the next four years, this young naturalist made history as he explored deep into America’s natural wonders, collecting and drawing plants and animals which had never been seen back in the Old World. Nine years later Catesby produced his magnificent and groundbreaking book, The Natural History of Carolina, the first-ever illustrated account of American flora and fauna. In Nature’s Messenger, acclaimed writer Patrick Dean follows Catesby from his youth as a landed gentleman in rural England to his early work as a naturalist and his adventurous travels. A pioneer in many ways, Catesby’s careful attention to the knowledge of non-Europeans in America—the enslaved Africans and Native Americans who had their own sources of food and medicine from nature—set him apart from others of his time. Nature’s Messenger takes us from the rice plantations of the Carolina Lowcountry to the bustling coffeehouses of 18th-century England, from the sun-drenched islands of the Bahamas to the austere meeting-rooms of London’s Royal Society, then presided over by Isaac Newton. It was a time of discovery, of intellectual ferment, and of the rise of the British Empire. And there on history’s leading edge, recording the extraordinary and often violent mingling of cultures as well as of nature, was Mark Catesby. Intensively researched and thrillingly told, Nature’s Messenger will thrill fans of exploration and early American history as well as appealing to birdwatchers, botanists, and anyone fascinated by the natural world.Trade Review“In Nature’s Messenger, Catesby is the avatar of an age of explosive discovery and exchange. Catesby was an important scientist whose work prefigured and informed the better known achievements of Audobon and Lenneaus. Thanks to Nature’s Messenger, Catesby’s legacy can now be perused.” -- The Times Literary Supplement"In this enlightening biography, nature writer Dean traces the life of British naturalist Mark Catesby (1683–1749), whose The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands was among the first European accounts of the flora and fauna of the Americas and influenced John James Audubon. An informative account of an important if lesser-known naturalist." -- Publishers Weekly“Nature's Messenger delivers on the promise of its title and subtitle with a tale of adventure in Colonial America and the Caribbean. The messenger is surpassed by his message in this story of a great book — one created by a talented, if enigmatic and largely forgotten, lover of Southern nature.” * The Chattanooga Times Free Press *Praise for A Window to Heaven"A stupendous chronicle. A book whose scope, themes, and drama are worthy of Denali itself." -- Kevin Fedarko, author of THE EMERALD MILE"No matter how many times the Denali story gets told, it never gets old. The trick is to make it new. Outdoors writer Patrick Dean has done just, casting the climb in new light. The story reverberates today. Dean presents Stuck as an imperfect but still commendable model for our own times. We should pay attention." -- David A. James * The Anchorage Daily News *"A rich and sensitive portrait. With grace and clarity Dean reveals Hudson Stuck as a missionary-explorer who was both fully of his time and able to recognize some of its deepest prejudices. Wonderful." -- Niel Shea * National Geographic *

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe remarkable (The Telegraph) life story of legendary cardiac surgeon and scientist Magdi Yacoub, an outsider who succeeded against the odds, now available in paperback Veteran journalists Simon Pearson and Fiona Gorman follow the remarkable life of heart surgeon Magdi Yacoub from his formative years in Egypt, through spectacular success at Cairo University, to his long and distinguished career in Britain. Although at times he clashed with the medical establishment in London, Yacoub pioneered great advances in heart surgery. He was knighted in 1992, and in 2014, he was awarded the highest honor in the gift of the Queen, the Order of Merit.Written with unprecedented access and drawing on extensive interviews and research, the biography recounts how Yacoub transformed the treatment of children with congenital heart disease. He performed some of the first heart transplants in Britain and the first heart-lung transplants in Europe. At London's Harefield Hospital, he created the greatest heart transplant center in the world. Among his patients are men and women who are still thriving more than thirty-five years after he gave them new hope. This story is also about science, the development of new medical techniques, and a deeper understanding of how the human body works. Today, at an age when most people have long since retired, Yacoub is still pushing the boundaries of scientific understanding and surgical know-how. He is also taking heart surgery to places that until now have had little access to cardiac treatment, developing centers of excellence across Africa, including in Egypt, where his hospital in Aswan has an international reputation, and a new center is rising in Cairo.Yacoub's life is one of triumph and tragedy, success and failure, fierce criticism and high praiseit is also an enthralling journey through the worlds of scientific research and medical politics and ethics at the highest levels.

Read more less

Book Synopsis Follow the remarkable journey of a trailblazing American leader, Dr. Antonia Novello, the first woman and the first Hispanic Surgeon General of the United States Dr. Antonia Novellois a vanguard in the United States and Puerto Rico, whose enduring commitment to service has left an indelible mark on the world of public health. With a distinguished career spanning more than four decades, including serving as the US Surgeon General and the New York State Commissioner of Health during 9/11, her story highlights an unwavering dedication to improving the well-being of individuals and communities.? Dr. Novello?sstory is one of challenges faced and overcome, of resilience and perseverance, and of shattering glass ceilings and opening doors for future generations of leaders. With honesty and openness, she shares her early battles with childhood illness and her desire to overcome stereotypes, while also chronicling her meteoric rise through various roles in the field of health care, leading to her service as the nation?s top medical officer. From her struggles to her celebrations to her tireless advocacy for the health of young people, each chapter offers a glimpse into the resilience and wisdom that have shaped her life, unveiling the profound lessons she has gathered along the way. InDuty Calls,readers will learn about: Dr. Novello?searly life and her struggles with congenital megacolon Her medical school and internship experiences How she became the first female/first Hispanic Surgeon General of the United States Dr. Novello?swork as the New York State Commissioner of Health during 9/11 Her efforts to vaccinate and provide health care resources to her home in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria Wisdom and insights Dr. Novellogained through her life experiences, as well as her advice for the next generation (and everyone else!)

Read more less

Book SynopsisAward-winning author, Thom Hatch presents the definitive biography of George Bird Grinnell (1849-1938), who was recognized in his time as “The Father of American Conservation.” This book chronicles not only Grinnell’s life, but also offers a history of his accomplishments in saving the wildlife and natural resources of this country. A remarkable man, Grinnell was known as a model of intellectual diversity, integrity, and professional dedication. He was a daring adventurer and explorer; crusading magazine publisher and editor (Forest and Stream, now Field and Stream); prolific author; accomplished outdoorsman; notable paleontologist, ethnologist, ornithologist, and anthropologist; presidential advisor; advocate for Native Americans; and this country’s first environmental activist, whose contributions in that arena are unparalleled in American history.Table of ContentsCONTENTS Introduction Chapter One: The Budding Naturalist Chapter Two: A Tenderfoot in the West Chapter Three: Buffalo Hunting With the Pawnee Chapter Four: Custer and Black Hills Gold Chapter Five: Yellowstone Country Chapter Six: Traveling, Collecting, and Writing Chapter Seven: Crusading Editor Chapter Eight: A Presidential Friendship Chapter Nine: Author and Advocate for Native America Chapter Ten: The Harriman Expedition Chapter Eleven: Grinnell’s Glacier Chapter Twelve: Preserving the Legacy Bibliography

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe compelling personal account of Dr. Wu Jieping (1917 - 2011), one of China's most prestigious Physicians, who experienced the great revolution of the old China and developed from a former style of intellectual into a national leader of the new China. New 2024 edition features maps and photographs to assist learning.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisDiscover one of the Scottish Enlightenment's brightest stars. Among the giants of the Scottish Enlightenment, the name of James Hutton is overlooked. Yet his Theory of the Earth revolutionised the way we think about how our planet was formed and laid the foundation for the science of geology. He was in his time a doctor, a farmer, a businessman, a chemist yet he described himself as a philosopher – a seeker after truth. A friend of James Watt and of Adam Smith, he was a polymath, publishing papers on subjects as diverse as why it rains and a theory of language. He shunned status and official position, refused to give up his strong Scots accent and vulgar speech, loved jokes and could start a party in an empty room. Yet much of his story remains a mystery. His papers, library and mineral collection all vanished after his death and only a handful of letters survive. He seemed to be a lifelong bachelor, yet had a secret son whom he supported throughout his life. This book uses new sources and original documents to bring Hutton the man to life and places him firmly among the geniuses of his time.Trade Review'In his attention to the social context of Hutton's life and work, Ray Perman provides a welcome addition to the still short First Geologist bookshelf. James Hutton: The Genius of Time helps us to appreciate Hutton and the scientific fuse he lit' -- Andrew H. Knoll * Times Literary Supplement *'It is hard to see how Ray Perman's excellent biography of James Hutton is ever likely to be supplanted as the definitive account of Hutton's life and ideas' -- Ken Lussey * Undiscovered Scotland *'This engaging biography offers a rich and sympathetic account of one of the most important intellectual stars of the Enlightenment' -- Allan Massie * The Scotsman *'Thought-provoking, easy-to-digest, and peppered with tales that could form the basis of a binge-worthy TV drama' * Scottish Field *'Perman deftly picks his way through Hutton's life explaining his complex theories and mind-stretching ideas' * History Scotland Magazine *

Read more less

Book Synopsis'[This] crisply succinct, beautifully synthesized study brings to life Tesla, his achievements and failures...and the hopeful thrum of an era before world wars.' - NatureNikola Tesla is one of the most enigmatic, curious and controversial figures in the history of science. An electrical pioneer as influential in his own way as Thomas Edison, he embodied the aspirations and paradoxes of an age of innovation that seemed to have the future firmly in its grasp. In an era that saw the spread of power networks and wireless telegraphy, the discovery of X-rays, and the birth of powered flight, Tesla made himself synonymous with the electrical future under construction but opinion was often divided as to whether he was a visionary, a charlatan, or a fool. Iwan Rhys Morus examines Tesla's life in the context of the extraordinary times in which he lived and worked, colourfully evoking an age in which anything seemed possible, from capturing the full energy of Niagara to communicating with Mars.Shattering the myth of the 'man out of time', Morus demonstrates that Tesla was in all ways a product of his era, and shows how the popular image of the inventor-as-maverick-outsider was deliberately crafted by Tesla - establishing an archetype that still resonates today.Trade ReviewSuperb * Nick Smith, Engineering and Technology magazine *[This] crisply succinct, beautifully synthesized study brings to life Tesla, his achievements and failures...and the hopeful thrum of an era before world wars. -- NatureThere have been other Tesla biographies, but this is the one I have been waiting for ... Tesla, he shows us, was - like his one-time boss and rival Thomas Edison - inventing nothing less than the electrified future. -- Philip Ball, author of Invisible: The Dangerous Allure of the UnseenClear and engaging ... a pleasure to read * Physics Today *

Read more less

Book Synopsis'Combines a career's worth of expertise with a long history of pain treatment. For anyone concerned with pain treatment, or anyone who has struggled to manage pain of any kind, it's an important read.' GQPain is a universal human experience, but we understand very little about the mechanics behind it. We hurt ourselves, we feel pain, we seek help from a professional or learn to avoid certain behaviours that cause pain. But the story of what goes on in our body is far from simple. Even medical practitioners themselves often fail to grasp the complexities between our minds and bodies and how they interact when dealing with pain stimulus.Common conception still equates pain with tissue damage but that is only a very small part of the story - the organ which produces pain is the brain. Case studies show that a woman who has undergone a caesarean reports dramatically less pain than a patient who has had a comparably invasive operation. The soldier who drags themselves to safety after being shot deals with pain in a remarkably different way from someone suffering a similar injury on a street. The truth is that pain is a complex mix of nerve endings, psychological state, social preconceptions and situational awareness.Using case studies and medical history, Dr Lalkhen guides us through all aspects of pain, from chronic to acute, and the current landscape of pain treatments - from medication (including opioids) to electrical nerve stimulation. Whether it's a mild ache or severe discomfort, we all encounter pain in our lives and this important and illuminating book enables us to understand and cope with an experience that for so many can become all-consuming.Trade ReviewCombines a career's worth of expertise with a long history of pain treatment. For anyone concerned with pain treatment, or anyone who has struggled to manage pain of any kind, it's an important read. * GQ *As timely as it is important. What makes the book so prescient is the fact that Lalkhen understands exactly what is at stake. A life free from pain is a blessing while a life plagued by pain is a curse. * Scientific Inquirer *This splendid book - informative, empathic, and wise - about a universal experience will surely promote healing. * Booklist (Starred Review) *Lalkhen's mission? To change our understanding of pain so that it can be better managed... Lalkhen's genius rests in explaining the synthesis of body, mind and spirit in its manifestation... A fusion of history, psychology and science, Pain is a call to increase not only our level of emotional literacy but also empathy, particularly in the medical profession. * The Australian *Lalkhen knows a lot about pain and how sneaky it can be. A teacher and clinician, he describes the history of pain relief: how it allows surgery, what led to the opiate crisis, how pain affects people in different ways, and how pain can outlast tissue damage... This is a book to read if you are objectively curious about how pain works. * Listener *Drawing on research and his own experiences as a physician, the author explains that pain is largely misunderstood by both the public and medical professionals... With insights both scientific and personal, Lalkhen's study sheds light on a mysterious corner of physiology and medicine. * Publishers Weekly *[Lalkhen] illuminates his specialty... [and] takes up pain as experienced by patients and dealt with by doctors. Readers [will find] a sensitive doctor who writes well about an ongoing epidemic. * Kirkus Reviews *Provides appropriately detailed and understandable information while also offering suggestions practitioners should consider. * Library Journal *[Lalkhen] fulfills his mission [to 'explain pain in all its forms'] well, beginning with the anatomical mechanics of pain and a history of human relationships with pain, concluding with helpful prescriptions - including mindfulness - for changing our relationship to the way we suffer. * Mindful Magazine *A rather deep, and interesting book that could well find a home on any doctor's bookshelf. * NB Magazine *Table of Contents0: Introduction: An unexpected journey 1: How does pain work? 2: A brief history of pain 3: Give me something for the pain 4: The line between pleasure and pain - opioids and addiction 5: Pain with no injury 6: Pain management - needles, narcotics and knives 7: A journey of a thousand miles. 8: Torpedo fish 9: Do not go gentle into that good night 10: Show me the money - private pain practice 11: The beginning of the end

Read more less

Book SynopsisA fascinating, forgotten story of the six brilliant women who launched modern computing. As the Cold War began, America’s race for tech supremacy was taking off. Experts rushed to complete the top-secret computing research started during World War II, among them six gifted mathematicians: a patriotic Quaker, a Jewish bookworm, a Yugoslav genius, a native Gaelic speaker, a sophomore from the Bronx, and a farmer’s daughter from Missouri. Their mission? Programming the world’s first and only supercomputer—before any code or programming languages existed. These pioneers triumphed against sexist attitudes and huge technical challenges to invent computer programming, yet their monumental contribution has never been recognised—until now. Over a decade, Kathy Kleiman met with four of the original six ENIAC Programmers and recorded their stories. Here, with a light touch and a serious mind, she exposes the deliberate erasure of their achievements and restores the women to their rightful place as revolutionaries, bringing to life their camaraderie, their determination, and their rapidly changing world. As big tech struggles with gender inequality and momentum builds in restoring women to history, the time has come for this engrossing story to be uncovered and celebrated.Trade Review'Kleiman has a novelist’s gift for crafting a page-turning narrative, and the one on offer is both revelatory and inspiring. Fans of Dava Sobel’s The Glass Universe and Margot Lee Shetterly’s Hidden Figures are in for a treat.' -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn 1859 Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species. In this bedrock of biology books Darwin carved a new origin-story for all life: evolution rather than creation. In his new biography J. David Archibald describes and analyses Darwin’s prodigious body of work, as well as his equally productive home life – he lived with his wife and seven children in the hectic environs of Down House, south of London. There among his family and friends Darwin continued to experiment and write many more books on orchids, sex, emotions, and earthworms until his death in 1882, when he was honoured with burial at Westminster Abbey. This is a fresh, up-to-date account of the life and work of a most remarkable man.Trade ReviewDon’t let the slender stature of this book fool you. This is a powerful and authoritative guide to the complex and often misrepresented life and work of Charles Darwin. J. David Archibald has mastered the sources and takes his readers on an extraordinary journey. – John van Wyhe, historian of science, Director of Darwin Online

Read more less

Book SynopsisAs well as being an important medieval theologian, Albertus Magnus (Albert the Great) also made significant contributions to the study of astronomy, geography and natural philosophy, and his studies of the natural world led Pope Pius XII to declare Albertus the patron saint of the natural sciences. Dante Alighieri acknowledged a substantial debt to Albertus's work, and in the Divine Comedy placed him equal with his celebrated student and brother Dominican Thomas Aquinas. In this, the first full, scholarly biography in English for nearly a century, Irven M. Resnick and Kenneth F. Kitchell Jr narrate Albertus's key contributions to natural philosophy and the history of science, while also revealing the insights into medieval life and customs that his writings provide.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Life and Works of Robert Wood (1717-1771) commemorates the Irish classicist and traveller on the 250th anniversary of his death and provides the general reader with a study that can be regarded as a source book for the fascinating life and career of a much-neglected figure in the realm of Irish eighteenth-century travels and antiquarianism. The book starts by setting the context of eighteenth-century travels to the east and then examines the primary sources emanating from Wood’s own eastern voyages, as well as the relevant literary sources available to him before, during, and after his travels. It then provides an extensive and much-needed biographical account of Robert Wood, with particular reference to his Irish and English patrons, before examining the main results of the second tour (1750-1751), namely his three pioneering books: Ruins of Palmyra (1753), Ruins of Balbec (1757), and The Original Genius of Homer (1775). It ends by considering the enormous legacy of Robert Wood, in terms of the popularity of his books; the variety and quality of portraits commissioned by his friends and associates; his contribution to the study of classical literature; his influence on architectural drawing in late eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Europe; and the cultural significance of his work on building design. The text also reflects on the somewhat questionable nature of his works, in terms of the fact that his second voyage of the east, and the entire production of the first two books, were financed by his friend Dawkins, whose wealth derived from a slave plantation in Jamaica.Table of ContentsList of Figures ; Foreword ; Acknowledgements ; Dedication ; Introduction ; Eighteenth-Century British Travellers in the East ; A British Extension of the Grand Tour ; Motives for Undertaking the Eastern Voyage ; Eighteenth-Century Interest in the East ; The Role of Learned Societies and Academies ; The Sources ; Part 1: Primary Sources as Evidence for Wood’s Eastern Travels ; Part 2: Literary Sources Available to Robert Wood Prior to His First Eastern Voyage (1742-1743) ; Part 3: Literary Sources Available to Robert Wood for His Second Eastern Voyage (1750-1751) ; Biographical Account of Robert Wood ; Early Life ; Education ; First Grand Tour and Eastern Voyage (1738-1743) ; Third Grand Tour and Eastern Voyage (1749-1751) ; Third Grand Tour as Tutor to the 3rd Duke of Bridgewater (1754-1755) ; Wood Settles in London ; Death and Posthumous Matters ; Ruins of Palmyra (1753) ; Physical Description, Structure, Publication and Price of the Book ; Preface ; Immediate Reception of the Book ; Narrative ; Explanation of the Plates ; Ruins of Balbec (1757) ; Physical Description, Structure, Publication and Price of the Book ; Preface ; Immediate Reception of the Book ; Narrative ; Explanation of the Plates ; The Original Genius of Homer (1775) ; Development of the Book ; Physical Description and Structure of the Book ; Publication and Price of the Book ; Preface ; Immediate Reception of the Book ; Narrative ; Conclusion ; Brief Analysis of the Essay ; A Comparative View of the Ancient and Present State of the Troade ; Illustrations and Map ; Brief Analysis of the Comparative View ; Conclusion: The Legacy of Robert Wood ; Translations and Further Editions of Robert Wood’s Books ; Portraits of Wood ; Wood’s Contribution to the Study of Classical Literature ; Wood’s Contribution to Architectural Drawing in Late Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Europe ; The Cultural Significance of Wood’s Work on Building Design ; Epilogue ; Bibliography ; Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhat makes a man abandon his family and his successful professional life for the goldfields of Australia? John Hutchinson left the coalfields of 19th Century Tyneside to become a surgeon, a physician and a pioneer of chest medicine.His research on lung capacity using his newly-designed machinereceived international acclaim.And then, just as the pinnacle of professional success was within his reach, he cast it all aside and travelled to Australia as a ship's surgeon.He was involved in the first large-scale miner's strike, colliery disasters, navigated the chaos of medical education in the early 19th century, invented the spirometer, and did some meticulous research.He then travelled to Melbourne in the early days of the Australian gold rush, and on to the goldfields of Victoria, before moving on to Fiji.Artist, sculptor, musician, and engineer, Hutchinson was a man of many parts, and his design for a spirometer survived until modern times, as did his term for maximum breathable air: vital capacity.In this book a renowned respiratory specialist discusses some of the other factors that influenced his life, including some crucial misconceptions about the causes of disease.

Read more less

Book SynopsisJames Sowerby (1757-1822) was an outstanding artist and natural historian, renowned for his discoveries and prodigious output of beautiful, scientific books of plants, fungi, animals, fossils and minerals, all at a key historical time; the age of Enlightenment in Great Britain. Beautifully illustrated with artwork and letter and manuscript extracts, this first full biography of Sowerby is a fascinating artistic and historical account, which extends beyond that of one key player.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAlexander von Humboldt was the most admired scientist of his day. But the achievements for which he was most celebrated in his lifetime always fell short of perfection. When he climbed the Chimborazo, then believed to be the highest mountain in the world, he did not quite reach the top; he established the existence of the Casiquiare canal, between the great water systems of the Orinoco and the Amazon, but this had been well known to local people; and his magisterial work, Cosmos, was left unfinished. This was no coincidence. Humboldt's pursuit of an all-encompassing, immersive approach to science was a way of finding limits: of nature and of the scientist's own self. A Longing for Wide and Unknown Things portrays a scientific life lived in the era of German Romanticism -- a time of radical change, where the focus on the individual placed a new value on feeling, and the pursuit of personal desires. As Humboldt himself admitted, he 'would have sailed to the remotest South Seas, even if it hadn't fulfilled any scientific purpose whatever'.Trade Review'Scrupulous and absorbing.' * Times Literary Supplement *'[A] captivating new biography of Alexander von Humboldt . . . dramatically drawn.''Evocative and perceptive . . . plenty of wit and insight to brighten the pages'.‘A Longing For Wide and Unknown Things is that . . . rare thing, a completely convincing biographical portrait of a highly complex individual, done in less than 250 pages . . [a] lovely, profound book.’ '[A] subtle biography . . . intriguing'.'Brilliant.''A Longing for Wide and Unknown Things is as entrancing as it is scholarly. Alexander von Humboldt leaps off the page, not just because he gave his name to more places and species than any other human being, but because he embodied the Romantic passion for nature which has captivated posterity. Maren Meinhardt’s book is a delicious way to get to know this irresistible figure.' -- Ferdinand Mount, author of 'The Tears of the Rajas: Mutiny, Money and Marriage in India, 1805-1905''Even in that glory age of Romantic art and scientific and geographical discovery, Alexander von Humboldt stands out as a giant. This is a superb portrait worthy of its impressive subject, a picture of the great man and of his fascinating times written with concision, brio and infectious love.' -- A. N. Wilson'Maren Meinhardt follows Alexander von Humboldt on his many personal and professional journeys, tracing the great naturalist’s footsteps with precision and love. She shows how his longing for wide and unknown things extended beyond the geographical realm to permeate his whole personality. This is biography as it should be: wondrous, romantic and deeply intelligent.' -- Ruth Scurr, author of 'John Aubrey: My Own Life''The great scientific traveller Alexander von Humboldt comes to life in this knowledgeable and illuminating biography. Maren Meinhardt reveals, with wisdom and precision, how von Humboldt’s remarkable life and far-sighted writing, rooted in German romanticism, set the stage for a more expansive and connected view of the natural world.' -- John Ryle, Legrand Ramsey Professor of Anthropology, Bard College, New York'Humboldt’s was a life before its time, and this beautifully attentive and deeply sympathetic book gives us not just its lineaments but something like its “soul”, catching with charm and insight more of the complexity and curiosity of its subject than ought to be possible in such a brief space.' -- Charlie Louth, Associate Professor of German, The Queen's College, University of Oxford

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis biography gives an insider view of 20th century German science in the making. The discovery by Max von Laue in 1912 of interference effects demonstrated the wave-like nature of X-rays and the atomic lattice structure of crystals. This major advance for research on solids earned him the Nobel Prize two years later, the ultimate acclaim as an exceptional theoretician. As an early supporter of Einstein’s relativity theory, he published fundamental papers on light scattering as well as on matter waves and superconductivity. Laue may be counted among the few persons of influence in Germany who – as Einstein put it – managed to “stay morally upright” under Nazism. It is thus surprising that this is the first extensive biography of this famous scientist.Jost Lemmerich could hardly have been better equipped to describe German physics and physicists in the 1920s. His copiously illustrated historical account is based as much on scientific material as on private correspondence, creating a fascinating and convincingly detailed portrait.Trade Review“There can be no doubt that a comprehensive scientific biography of Max von Laue is overdue. He is most famous for the discovery of X-ray diffraction by crystals which earned him the 1914 Nobel Prize in Physics. … His life … deserves interest both from the perspective of physics as a discipline and the performance of a scientist within society. … the material contained in this biography makes it worthwhile to study carefully for anyone making a new attempt.” (Michael Eckert, Physics in Perspective, Vol. 25, 2023)“This book is a scholarly tour de force. It is illustrated with numerous portraits of the scientists and with fully referenced quotes and footnotes from their correspondence. It is a joy to read; and I learnt a lot.” (Moreton Moore, Crystallography Reviews, March 10, 2023)Table of ContentsForeword.- Introduction.- Childhood and youth.- Studies in physics.- Doctoral dissertation and first scientific research.- Private lecturer at the University of Munich.- Professorship in Zurich.- Professorship in Frankfurt am Main, WW I, Nobel Prize in physics.- Berlin – general and special theories of relativity.- Physics and politics in Berlin during the 1930s.- Physics and politics during WW II.- War’s end and Farm Hall.- Back in Germany.- Back in Berlin – in West Berlin.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisBy addressing the enigma of the exceptional success of Hungarian emigrant scientists and telling their life stories, Brilliance in Exile combines scholarly analysis with fascinating portrayals of uncommon personalities. István and Balazs Hargittai discuss the conditions that led to five different waves of emigration of scientists from the early twentieth century to the present. Although these exodes were driven by a broad variety of personal motivations, the attraction of an open society with inclusiveness, tolerance, and – needless to say – better circumstances for working and living, was the chief force drawing them abroad. While emigration from East to West is a general phenomenon, this book explains why and how the emigration of Hungarian scientists is distinctive. The high number of Nobel Prizes among this group is only one indicator. Multicultural tolerance, a quickly emerging, considerably Jewish, urban middle class, and a very effective secondary school system were positive legacies of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Multiple generations, shaped by these conditions, suffered from the increasingly exclusionist, intolerant, antisemitic, and economically stagnating environment, and chose to go elsewhere. “I would rather have roots than wings, but if I cannot have roots, I shall use wings," explained Leo Szilard, one of the fathers of the Atom Bomb.Table of ContentsForeword (Ivan T. Berend) Introduction Preface Joseph A. Galamb Philipp Lenard Part 1, Early 1920s Introduction: Fleeing Ervin Bauer Stephen Brunauer Ladislaus Farkas Dennis Gabor George de Hevesy Theodore von Kármán Arthur Koestler Stephen W. Kuffler Nicholas Kurti Cornelius Lanczos John von Neumann Egon Orowan Michael Polanyi George Pólya Elizabeth Rona Leo Szilard Maria Telkes Edward Teller Eugene P. Wigner “Control”—Imre Bródy Part 2, Late 1930s – Early 1940s Introduction: Before It Is Too Late Michael and Alice Balint Ladislao José Biro Paul Erdos John G. Kemeny Olga Kennard Peter D. Lax George J. Popjak Valentine L. Telegdi Laszlo Tisza Part 3, Immediate Post-World War II Introduction: Post-War and Pre-Soviet Trauma, Endre A. Balazs Zoltan Bay Georg von Békésy Lars Ernster John C. Harsanyi Avram Hershko Georg and Eva Klein Albert Szent-Györgyi Part 4, 1956 Introduction: In the Wake of Suppressed Revolution Laszlo Z. Bito Andy Grove Peter Lengyel Joseph Nagyvary George A. Olah Gabor A. Somorjai Part 5, 1957‒1989 Introduction: Escape from “Paradise” Gyorgy Buzsaki Gabor Fodor Katalin Karikó Charles Simonyi Agnes Ullmann “Control”—Árpád Furka Conclusion: Thirty Years Later, and Continuing Acknowledgments Bibliography Index of Names

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis open access book is intended for common readers who are interested in the life story of Qian Xuesen (also know as Tsien Hsue-Shen). Based on a large number of original archives and historical materials, this book focuses on Qian Xuesen’s years of seeking knowledge from his birth in 1911 to his return to China in 1955 and describes how he grows into a world-known scientist from the aspect of humanity. This book can be used as reference material for Qian Xuesen’s earlier years.Table of ContentsChapter 1 Family and Education.- Chapter 2 Serve the Country through Engineering.- Chapter 3 Life and Study in the United States.- Chapter 4 From Young Scholar to World-Class Scientist.- Chapter 5 Marriage and Family Life.- Chapter 6 Communism Enlightenment and Dedication to His Country.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWith a Foreword by Sydney Brenner (Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine, 2002)This biography details the life of Paul Berg (Emeritus Professor at Stanford University), tracing Berg's life from birth, in 1926, to the present, with special emphasis on his enormous scientific contributions, including being the first to develop technology that led to gene cloning science. In 1980, Berg received a Nobel Prize in chemistry for this work.In addition to his contributions in the research laboratory, Berg orchestrated and oversaw a historic meeting at Asilomar, California that centered on a threatening controversy surrounding the perception by some of the harmful potential of recombinant DNA technology. This meeting did much to forestall this controversy and to put in place the regulation of recombinant DNA work, thus putting fears to rest.The recombinant DNA controversy was a historic outcome of the discovery of gene cloning. Notably, it represented a paramount example of scientific foresight and due diligence by the scientific community, rather than by regulatory entities in the United States and many other countries. The ultimate acceptance of gene/DNA cloning led to a new era of modern biology that thrives to the present.This book is aimed primarily at scientists and those in training. The book strives to simply provide information for the general reader, but is not specifically tailored for a general reading audience.While many books cover the recombinant DNA controversy, none have satisfactorily addressed this historic period and are often contradictory about the many who's, where's, and why's involved. Additionally, the great majority of these were written by non-scientists. This biography of Paul Berg provides access to numerous archived letters and documents at Stanford University not previously addressed, and to the chronology of events as recalled and documented by him, as well as other key personalities, many of whom were interviewed.Table of ContentsGrowing Up in Brooklyn Chapter; The Essential Paul Berg Chapter; College - and World War II; Western Reserve University; Copenhagen; Washington University, St. Louis; Discovering Transfer:RNA; Stanford University - and the Deparlment of Biochemistry; Transcription and Translation: New Directions; Making Recombinant DNA: The First Faltering Step; Making Recombinant DNA: A Reality in Sight; EcoRI Endonuclease: A Major Breakthrough; Coincidence is the Word We Use When We Can't See the Levers and Pulley; Yet Another Stanford Contribution; A Seminal Meeting in Hawaii; The Recombinant DNA Controversy; A Historic Gordon Research Conference; Making Recombinant Molecules with Frog DNA the Controversy Heats Up Asilomar II; The Dissenters: A Different Point of View; The Aftermath; Legislative and Revisionist Challenges to Recombinant DNA; Asilomar II - Lessons Learned; The Nobel Prize in Chemistry; Commercializing the Technology; Life Goes on; The Retirement Years; Public Policy Issues - and Other Interests; Personal I Challenges.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisUsing the plights of twelve very different patients-from dignitaries at the nearby UN, to supermax prisoners at Riker''s Island, to illegal immigrants, and Wall Street tycoons-Dr. Eric Manheimer offers far more than remarkable medical dramas: he blends each patient''s personal experiences with their social implications (Publishers Weekly).Manheimer was not only the medical director of the country''s oldest public hospital for over 13 years but he was also a patient.As the book unfolds, the narrator is diagnosed with cancer and he is forced to wrestle with the end of his own life even as he struggles to save the lives of others.

Read more less

Book SynopsisFritz Zwicky was one of the most inventive and iconoclastic scientists of the twentieth century. Among other accomplishments, he was the first to infer the existence of dark matter. He also clashed with better-known peers and became a pariah in the scientific community. John Johnson, Jr.,’s biography brings this tempestuous maverick alive.Trade Review[An] engaging biography…Reveals a life that is far deeper and more nuanced than the caricature…A sympathetic reassessment of his overall legacy. * Wall Street Journal *A lively new biography…Johnson has written a book that explains the astronomical facts simply and clearly without using technical jargon. But the emphasis is on the human characters, not on the science. -- Freeman Dyson * New York Review of Books *[A] spirited biography…Johnson’s book is rich enough to inspire interesting meditations on research, idiosyncrasy—and reputation. * Nature *Of all the science biographies that came out in 2019, this one, about the legendary scientist Fritz Zwicky, was far and away my favorite…[A] gem of a book…If you enjoy biographies of scientists, particularly underappreciated ones, you'll want to pick this one up for sure. -- Ethan Siegel * Forbes *Interesting to read and provides an insight into a rich, complicated character and his engagement with the world he was part of. -- Chris North * BBC Sky at Night *A detailed and insightful biography. The story certainly captures both the way in which Zwicky liked to see himself and the way in which some leading physicists responded to him. Others, however, took offense and did their best to ignore the astronomer, both during his lifetime and afterwards—one of the reasons why he is largely forgotten today. -- Andrew Robinson * Physics World *A well-rounded biography of the brilliant, contrarian scientist…Stands as an evenhanded examination of a pugnacious and imaginative genius, and it should spark new interest in Zwicky. * Publishers Weekly *[An] excellent biography of Zwicky. -- Jeff Foust * Space Review *This is a fitting biography of one of the most brilliant, acerbic, and under-appreciated astrophysicists of the twentieth century. John Johnson has delved deeply into a rich and eventful life, and produced a rollicking account of how Fritz Zwicky split his time between picking fights with his colleagues and discovering amazing things about our universe. -- Sean Carroll, author of The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe ItselfZwicky is everything a good science history book should be. With an eccentric and brilliant scientist at its heart, this book illuminates the very human nature at the center of all the best scientific discoveries. -- Deborah Blum, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and author of The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New YorkThis book is absolutely marvelous—I really could not put it down. -- James Gunn, Princeton UniversityWell researched…An enjoyable read. -- Helge Kragh * Physics Today *Perhaps the most significant gadfly to inspire, annoy, challenge, and provoke astronomy in the 20th century…I ended my read through Johnson’s book glad that, from time to time, such mavericks come along to create a bit of intellectual chaos. -- David Stickland * The Observatory *

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2016"

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn archive of personal trauma that addresses how a culture still toxic to queer people can reshape a bodyIn the summer of 2019, Jonathan Alexander had a minor stroke, what his doctors called an eye stroke. A small bit of cholesterol came loose from a vein in his neck and instead of shooting into his brain and causing damage, it lodged itself in a branch artery of his retina, resulting in a permanent blindspot in his right eye. In Stroke Book, Alexander recounts both the immediate aftermath of his health crisis, which marked deeper health concerns, as well as his experiences as a queer person subject to medical intervention. A pressure that the queer ill contend with is feeling at fault for their condition, of having somehow chosen illness as punishment for their queerness, however subconsciously. Queer people often experience psychic and somatic pressures that not only decrease their overall quality of life but can also lead to shorter lifespans. Emerging out of a medical emergency a

Read more less

Book SynopsisMany people know that Albert Einstein was a brilliant theoretical physicist who revolutionised modern science. What they may not know is that he only learnt to speak at four years old; that he was asked to become the President of Israel in 1952, but refused; or that he was under FBI surveillance for 22 years. This book presents an instant impression of his life with 50 irresistible facts converted into infographics to reveal the scientist behind the science.

Read more less

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

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

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 *

Read more less

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.

Read more less

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 *

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less