Earth Sciences, Geography & Environment Books

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Book SynopsisThe Whale in the Living Room follows the thrilling adventures of film-maker, John Ruthven, as he travels the globe, dives into our oceans and passionately recounts his life-affirming experiences.What creatures could remain undiscovered in the 95 per cent of the seas that have not been thoroughly explored? How vast, really, are our oceans? The surface of Mars and Venus are better known to us than Earth''s seabed. Yet to map the world''s ocean to even 100-metre blocks of accuracy, something that environmentalists say is essential for its protection, could take another 300 years. Even creatures that are known to us, like the giant squid, have proved too difficult to accurately capture on film. Quite literally immersed in his subject, John can help readers understand the magnitude of our planet''s oceans and why it is so important for us to protect our seas and the creatures that inhabit them. He is the only producer to have worked full-time o

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Book SynopsisThe Sun, Energy, and Climate Change conveys one central idea – that we can utilize energy without continuing to harm the planet by increasing our reliance on energy from the sun. This accessible guide stresses the sun’s importance as our ultimate energy source by focusing on climate change from an energy perspective and explains the naturally balanced energy transfer from the sun to the earth and society’s consumption of this energy. This book is for anyone worried about environmental damage from our reliance on fossil fuels and the global fight against climate change. The key message being we do not have to accept the inevitable and can work to prevent the worst.Table of ContentsFormation of The Sun and The Planets.- Energy Sources on Earth.- Energy from the Sun.- Energy Without the Sun.- Environmental Concerns Arising from Human Energy Consumption.- Energy Mix Around the World.

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Book SynopsisA Nobel Peace Prize-winner outlines his radical economic vision for a better future. Muhammad Yunus is the economist who invented microcredit, founded Grameen Bank, and earned a Nobel Peace Prize for his work towards alleviating poverty. Here, he proposes his vision for a new kind of capitalism, where altruism and generosity are valued as much as profit making, and where individuals not only have the capacity to lift themselves out of poverty, but also to affect real change for the planet and its people. A World of Three Zeroes offers a challenge to young people, business and political leaders, and ordinary citizens everywhere to improve the world for everyone before it’s too late.Trade Review‘A book to make Wall Street quake — if Wall Street paid attention to the developing world … The author's humane proposal for economic reform, far from impractical, makes for provocative reading for development specialists.’ * Kirkus Reviews *‘The book has a lotto like and Yunus's faith in the entrepreneurial spirit is uplifting. His focus is on communities in developing countries but with lessons for everyone, and a wealth of ideas.’ * In The Black *

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Book SynopsisIn every part of the globe, in every pocket of the sea, in ancient ground beneath your feet, up tall mountains you can’t see, in stones, in plants, in birds and beasts, lie nature’s secret stories.  This beautiful field-guide explores the histories and mysteries hidden in the wild, just waiting to be shared.   Readers are invited on a journey around our wonderful world, through wild forests, over mountains high, to the bottom of our oceans and the earth beneath us. Each chapter investigates a different environment, and within, the pages tell the secret stories of the animals, plants, and natural phenomena of these habitats. Some secrets tell us of links between species, or unusual adaptations and features, others tell us how nature has evolved, and many hold the keys to understanding our planet’s past.   Readers will come away with a

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Book SynopsisSaltmarshes are often remote, inhospitable places, neither land nor sea, as hard to pin down as they are to navigate. In this saline odyssey, Clive Chatters has explored his favourite creeks, pools and mudflats to bring us an absorbing celebration of the ecology, biology, geology and history of this scarce and mysterious habitat. There are Tadpole Shrimps, and rare sedges, waders and Wild Celery even inland saltmarshes in this tour de force by a superb naturalist and writer. BRETT WESTWOOD, naturalist, author and radio presenter Saltmarshes are among Britain''s most diverse and dynamic landscapes. They abound around our shores but may also be found inland and at altitude wherever water, salt and vegetation combine. The species they support range from extreme rarities of specialised habitats to the less demanding denizens of coastal wetlands. Here is a landscape of international importance for migratory birds, endemic plants and an exceptional Trade ReviewA detailed and wide-ranging look at the natural history and diversity of one of Britain's most ecologically important landscapes. -- Mark Whitley * The Countryman *A remarkable book ... Chatters writes with authority and eloquence on an enormous range of topics and draws from an impressive range of sources. -- Ros Bennett * British Wildlife *Clive Chatters has maintained the standard in this excellent new book which deals with an often remote and slightly inhospitable habitat that attracts wildlife in droves. As the series names suggests, the focus is strongly on British examples but the author roams the country widely and brings the marshes he visits vividly to life. Splendid stuff. -- Alan Crowden * BES Bulletin *The stories Clive Chatters tells are based on decades of first-hand experience and extensive research, and he is to be congratulated on a superb read ... hard to put down. -- Tim Rich * BSBI News *Well researched and well-illustrated throughout ... contains a wealth of information about its subject matter, focusing on the wildlife, history, development and past and future conservation of this marginal coastal habitat. -- Ian Woodward * BTO *Table of ContentsPreface 1. Introduction 2. Far from the shore 3. On the wind 4. In the Highlands 5. Atlantic gateway 6. The merse of the Solway Firth 7. Bae Ceredigion 8. Genesis of the Humber 9. Seawalls and the Severn 10. Capital marsh country 11. The legacy of the Solent's artwork 12. Southampton's Spartinas 13. Conservation before conservationists 14. The advent of nature conservation 15. Modest proposals 16. The rise of regulation 17. International perspectives 18. Invasive and non-native species 19. Conservation in practice 20. Rejuvenation 21. Time and tide Appendix A: A provisional inventory of inland saltmarshes in Britain Appendix B: Special Areas of Conservation in Britain supporting saltmarsh habitats References and further reading Species names Illustration credits Index

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Book SynopsisExam Board: IBLevel: Standard levelSubject: Environmental Systems & SocietiesFirst Teaching: September 2015First Exam: Summer 2017Stretch your students to achieve their best grade with these year round course companions; providing clear and concise explanations of all syllabus requirements and topics, and practice questions to support and strengthen learning. - Consolidate revision and support learning with a range of exam practice questions and concise and accessible revision notes- Practise exam technique with tips and trusted guidance from examiners on how to tackle questions- Focus revision with key terms and definitions listed for each topic/sub topic

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Book SynopsisThere are at least 31,460 freshwater lochs in Scotland, and hundreds of sea lochs. This stunning book showcases more than 50 of the most popular, interesting and beautiful, and is a perfect guide for anyone visiting or exploring Scotland, or wanting to find out about these iconic and breathtaking locations, sometimes sitting by spectacular coast and other times nestled in between towering mountains. Take in the classics such as Loch Ness and Loch Lomond, then meander round Loch Fyne (where red squirrels were first reintroduced to Scotland in 1847), the long Loch Long (20km and the straightest in Scotland), the fjord-like Loch Goil, and Scotland''s oldest inhabited castle at Loch Sween. Discover the stunning Loch Awe (with its less attractive legend of the goddess who created it being transformed into an immortal hag), Loch Linnhe (bordered by the stunning railway line used for the filming of Harry Potter''s Hogwart''s Express) and Loch Nevis (Europe''s deepest sea locTrade ReviewFrom spectacular coasts to mountain nooks, this inspiring book showcases 50 of the msot interesting lochs that frame the landscape of Scotland...the perfect guide for anyone wanted to know more about these iconic locations. * Countryside Magazine *A comprehensive guide to 50 of Scotland's lochs * The Scotsman Magazine *Packed with maps and information on local facilities, this book is a really useful guide for boaters, walkers, and anyone wanting to know more about these iconic and breathtaking locations. * Sailing Today *fascinating... thanks to this book, I am now much more knowledgable about the 50 lochs featured in this splendid voyage of discovery introducing the wonderful world of Scottish lochs. * Best of British *a comprehensive guide... packed with photos, maps and information on local facilities. * Practical Boat Owner *Unrivalled scenery, unique wildlife and spacious landscapes are what Scotland’s iconic lochs are all about…a good reader for walkers and boaters. * Coast *The ultimate guide to Scotland’s lochs for both boaters and walkers. * Evergreen *The presentation of this book is excellent, with detailed maps and much information on local facilities, while the photography is superlative. * Waterways World *

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Book SynopsisWith weather conditions continually evolving, skippers need to factor forecast data into every passage plan and be prepared to modify it if the situation changes. This spiral-bound instant reference guide will help you draw the most relevant weather information from a variety of sources, understand and apply broader forecast data to your location and your anticipated route, and know when and how to make those necessary alterations.In clear, practical language, and with diagrams, photographs, explanations and bulleted lists, the book is also a useful primer or overview for RYA Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster Offshore students by following the contents of the course:- Basic terms / the Beaufort Scale- Air masses- Cloud types- Weather patterns associated with pressure and frontal systems- Sources of weather information- Interpret a shipping forecast, weatherfax and weather satellite information- Land and sea breezes- Sea fog- Use of a barometTrade ReviewA valuable tool for yachtsmen. Written in a clear and practical manner. Spiral bound and splash proof for an extra level of practicality. * Sailing Today *Helpful for beginners and a valuable aide-memoire for the experienced passage planner. * The Cruising Association *Table of ContentsRough proposed structure: Introduction Putting this book in the context as an aide-memoire, aimed at minimising risk when at sea. Terminology and acronyms. Weather – Large scale A section on large-scale weather. Other more-detailed publications and sources of information. Weather – small scale Effects of headlands, straits etc. Sea breeze effects. Thunderstorms. Visibility. Communications ‘Official’ GMDSS communications systems, VHF, NAVTEX, Rafiofax, RTTY, Inmarsat. De facto source of the same information using Internet systems near the coast and out at sea. Available services. GMDSS forecasts. Information available on the Internet. Using the information Planning for the next few days. Reducing the uncertainty. Forecasts prior to departure. Monitoring on passage.

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Book SynopsisPause for a moment and look up at the skies. There is ever-changing beauty to behold in the cloudscape. Learn the difference between common cloud types (do you know your cirrostratus from your cumulonimbus?) and find out which is most likely to herald the arrival of the rains or approaching fair weather. - Includes 30 illustrated cards plus an altitude map poster and introduction to cloud spotting- Learn the difference between common cloud types and find out more about their formation and what they may mean for the day ahead- A mindful new challenge to break through the constant noise of our busy modern world- An inspirational gift for those who want to stay connected with nature and find some headspace in a busy world- The author, Gavin Pretor-Pinney, founded the Cloud Appreciation Society and is an established author on cloud spotting

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Book SynopsisIn 2008, the first Green New Deal was devised by Pettifor and a group of English economist and thinkers, but was ignored within the tumults of the financial crash. A decade later, the ideas was revived within the democratic socialists in the US, forefront by Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. The Green New Deal demands a radical and urgent reversal of the current state of the global economy: including total de-carbonisation and a commitment to fairness and social justice.Critics on all sides have been quick to observe that the GND is a pipe dream that could never be implemented, and would cost the earth. But, as Ann Pettifor shows, we need to rethink the function of money, and how it works within the global system. How can we bail out the banks but not the planet? We have to stop thinking about the imperative of economic growth-nothing grows for ever. The program will be a long term project but it needs to start immediately.Trade ReviewThe Case for the Green New Deal succinctly explains what the GND is, where the idea came from, why it's necessary, and how to make it happen. As an economist and expert in monetary theory, Pettifor is uniquely well placed to describe how the GND can be funded. * Morning Star *Demanding drastic, even impossible change as...Pettifor [does] may just be a way to ensure that something is done. * Financial Times *This awareness-raising contribution to an important debate should expand our understanding of what's possible and encourage us to take action * Labour Briefing *The Case for the Green New Deal...serves to inform and inspire a politics of alternatives to the otherwise forthcoming destruction of our planet. * Counterfire *Crucially, Pettifor debunks the idea that we could not afford to fund [a Green New Deal], arguing that the state is capable of financing a zero-emissions programme if constraints are put on moving capital. * Independent - Best Climate Change Books *

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Book SynopsisThe true story of the greatest mystery of Arctic exploration—and the rare mix of marine science and Inuit knowledge that led to the shipwreck’s recent discovery.Trade Review"... his [Paul Watson's] account of the final uncovering of Erebus and Terror wrecks is riveting..." -- The Observer"This fascinating book weaves together the story of the lost Franklin Expedition of 1845 and the remarkable people and events that led to the shipwreck’s discovery in 2014." -- Choice

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"For both professionals and amateurs, the volume offers valuable information about and stunning pictures of these intriguing animals. From an academic perspective, the educational value of Snakes of the World is unsurpassed."---J. Whitfield Gibbons, The Quarterly Review of Biology"This book is a veritable tour de force."---David Gascoigne, Travels with Birds"[Clear] and copiously illustrated."---J. Burger, Choice"You will learn about constrictors and venomous species and myriad more oddball offerings in this interesting book."---Geoff Carpentier, North Durham Nature"[This book] provides a valuable glimpse into this fascinating facet of herpetology, and I hope this reference will excite a new generation of naturalists to become explorers of our wonderful planet."---Howard O. Clark Jr., Sonoran Herpetologist"I learnt much from the text, and appreciated seeing many beautiful images of snake species I had not seen before. That this was all brought together in one relatively small volume is a credit to the author and publishers, and so I strongly recommend [this book]. Finally, I very much hope that this book increases understanding and appreciation of these wonderful creatures."---Christopher McInerny, Herpetological Bulletin"A superb book in its scope. It is an invaluable and welcomed reference guide to this intriguing group of reptiles and deserving of a place on not only every herpetologist’s bookshelf but also on that of anyone interested in these beautiful, fascinating and, in many cases, endangered creatures."---David Wareham, British Naturalists Association

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

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Book SynopsisGlobal warming is perhaps the most dramatic example of what Timothy Morton calls “hyperobjects”—entities of such vast temporal and spatial dimensions that they defeat traditional ideas about what a thing is in the first place. Morton explains what hyperobjects are and their impact on how we think, how we coexist, and how we experience our politics, ethics, and art. Trade Review"In Hyperobjects, Timothy Morton brings to bear his deep knowledge of a wide array of subjects to propose a new way of looking at our situation, which might allow us to take action toward the future health of the biosphere. Crucially, the relations between Buddhism and science, nature and culture, are examined in the fusion of a single vision. The result is a great work of cognitive mapping, both exciting and useful."—Kim Stanley Robinson, author of Shaman, 2312, and the Mars trilogy"Not only does Morton range from William Wordsworth to the Velvet Underground to Nagasaki to Republican denialism, he does it in a way that marshals these disparate allusions in the service of a cogent idea, one that manages to come off as both intuitive and radical."—Newsweek"[This book] is bold, stimulating, and provocative. With extraordinary verve and audacity, Morton makes his hyperobjects into harbingers for a new epoch, on a planetary scale, a task in which he is assisted by the general consensus about the Anthropocene, the current era of human-induced planetary change."—Los Angeles Review of Books"Whatever your hopes or fears for the next major era in human history, Morton is telling us that it has already happened and it is us."—3 Quarks Daily"A relentless torrent of commentary that presents challenges to most contemporary scholarship on both sides of the still upheld nature/culture divide."—Qui Parle"Morton’s work bridges a gap between academia and the global warming movement with a postmodern angle."—Vogue"Morton is unafraid to mix theory with personal and often confessional material, anchoring his arguments to his own experience of the world."—A Year’s Work in Critical Culture and TheoryTable of ContentsContentsAcknowledgmentsA Quake in Being: An Introduction to Hyperobjects Part I. What Are Hyperobjects?ViscosityNonlocalityTemporal UndulationPhasingInterobjectivityPart II. The Time of HyperobjectsThe End of the WorldHypocrisiesThe Age of AsymmetryNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisWhy has the chicken become the meat par excellence, the most plentifully eaten and popular animal protein in the world, consumed from Beijing to Barcelona? As renowned historian Paul Josephson shows, the story of the chicken's rise involves a whole host of factors; from art, to nineteenth-century migration patterns to cold-war geopolitics. And whereas sheep needed too much space, or the cow was difficult to transport, these compact, lightweight birds produced relatively little waste, were easy to transport and could happily peck away in any urban back garden. Josephson tells this story from all sides: the transformation of the chicken from backyard scratcher to hyper-efficient industrial meat-product has been achieved due to the skill of entrepreneurs who first recognized the possibilities of chicken meat and the gene scientists who bred the plumpest and most fertile birds. But it has also been forced through by ruthless capitalists and lobbyists for “big farmer”, at the expense of animal welfare and the environment. With no sign of our lust for chicken abating, we're now reaching a crisis point: billions of birds are slaughtered every year, after having lived lives that are nasty, brutish and short. The waste from these victims is polluting rivers and poisoning animals. We’re now plunging “egg-first” into environmental disaster. Alongside this story Josephson tells another, of an animal with endearing characteristics who, arguably, can lay claim to being man’s best friend long before the dog reared its snout or the cat came in from the cold. Lionized in medieval romances and modern cartoons, the chicken’s relationship to humanity runs deep; by treating these animals as mere food products, we become less than human.Trade Review"Timely, important and forensically researched."Australian Book Review"This book swiftly and very readably outlines the century-long rise of [factory farming corporations] and the re-creation of the chicken into the world�s staple food. Josephson brings the various corporate and scientific personalities of his story alive, and despite the relatively breezy tone he�s chosen to adopt, he never flinches from the ugly reality of his subject."Open Letters Review"Wise and scrupulously referenced."The Spectator MagazineTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction: Egg First 1 Chicken Culture 2 Ecology and Industry 3 Chicken as Machine 4 Shit and Feathers 5 Pecking and Protest 6 Drumsticks Epilogue: Broiler Chernobyl Notes Index

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Book SynopsisThis open access book serves as a reference for the key elements and their significance of Klaus Hasselmann's work on climate science and on ocean wave research, all based on a rigorous and deeply physical thinking. It summarizes the original articles (mostly from the 1970 and 1980s; some of which are hard to find nowadays) and brings them in a present-day context. From 1975 until 2000, he was (founding) Director of the Max Planck Institute of Meteorology, which he made to one of the world-leading academic institutions. He first made the issue of anthropogenic climate change accessible to analysis and prediction and later transformed climate science into a significant factor in forming public policy. The book is written by co-workers and colleagues of Klaus Hasselmann, who—many under his immediate supervision—joined him in this effort. With this background, they present the key achievements and assess the significance of these for the present state of knowledge and scientific practice.Table of Contents1. All based on a rigorous and deeply physical thinking.- 2. Anthropogenic climate change accessible to analysis.- 3. Anthropogenic climate change accessible to prediction.- 4. Climate science into a significant factor in forming public policy.

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Book SynopsisA beautifully presented gift for anyone with an intrigue for geographical curiosities.This beautifully designed book presents unusual borders, enclaves and exclaves, divided or non-existent cities and islands.Numerous conflicts have left countries divided and often shattered. Remnants of countries can by design or accident be left behind as a legal anomaly in this complex world.Most people believe that a country's borders are clearly defined: just lines that separate countries. Everything on one side of the line belongs to one country and everything on the other side belongs to another country. This might be the case most of the time, but there are unusual exceptions to this unwritten rule.Examples include: Campione d'Italia where Italian residents have to travel 15km through Switzerland to reach the nearest available Italian territory Tomb of Suleyman Shah which is a tiny Turkish enclave within Syria which was moved closer to Turkey when Lake Assad was created but still stayed in Syria Pheasant Island which for half a year belongs to the Spanish city of Irun, and the remaining half, to its French twin-town, Hendaye Canadian Stanstead and American Beebe Plain where the boundary line runs along the centre of the main street, so that the houses on one side of the street are in Canada and on the other in the United StatesThese and many more instances are captured in this fascinating book full of strange geographical intrigue.International Cartographic conference 2021 overall winner of the atlas category and shortlisted for the 2020 Edward Stanford Travel Writing.Trade Review“offering something new through its focus on borders and all their idiosyncrasies” Geographical

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Book SynopsisLonglisted for the Wainwright Prize 2024 for Nature Writing[A] joyously readable book it riffs along like breeze in the hedgerow.' John Lewis-Stempel inCountry LifeHart's passion for the potential that resides here is intoxicating. Occasionally an environmental solution comes along that is sobreathtakingly simple you can't believe that not everyone is already doing it.'Sunday Times[Hart] has written an eye-opening and inspiring book which will leave you with a deep appreciation of these wonderful habitats'Daily MailIn this joyous journey around the wild edges of Britain, Christopher Hart takes us through the life, ecology and history of the humble British hedge, showing us how this much-loved (but somewhat overlooked) feature is inextricably woven into our language, history and culture.Hedges or hedgerows have long been an integral part of the British landscape; a bastion of privacy for our gardens, a protective presence on winding country lanes and a vital hiding place for birds and beasts on farmland.This man-made marvel is finally getting its time in the sun. Recognised as an environmental hero and a powerful climate ally, hedgerow is now considered the greatest edge habitat on earth, offering thorny scrub, mature woodland, grassland and even wetland. It plays a critical role in carbon sequestration and provides essential protection against the elements.Hedgelandshighlights the hawthorn and hazel of ancient hedges; the abundance of wildlife, from the elusive dunnock to the striking nightingale, the industrious hedgehog to the little harvest mouse; and the free pickings that the hedgerow offers, making it an essential and delicious element of any countryside ramble.Hedgelandswill tell you everything you never thought you needed to know about this wild, diverse and rich habitat and you might even look at your humble hedge in a whole new way.Hedgelandscombines history, celebration, lament and warning. Christopher Hart is a companionable writer, and makes a powerful case that, at a time of ecological hazard, well-nurtured hedges can play an astonishing role in buttressing the future.'The SpectatorA wonderful history of the threads that stitch the British countryside together.' Jake Fiennes, author ofLand HealerA passionate celebration and exploration of our wonderful hedgerows. You'll be swept along by Hart's intoxicating enthusiasm.' Dave Goulson, author ofSilent Earth

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Book SynopsisNautilus Award Gold Medal Winner, Ecology & Environment In Matter and Desire, internationally renowned biologist and philosopher Andreas Weber rewrites ecology as a tender practice of forging relationships, of yearning for connections, and of expressing these desires through our bodies. Being alive is an erotic process—constantly transforming the self through contact with others, desiring ever more life. In clever and surprising ways, Weber recognizes that love—the impulse to establish connections, to intermingle, to weave our existence poetically together with that of other beings—is a foundational principle of reality. The fact that we disregard this principle lies at the core of a global crisis of meaning that plays out in the avalanche of species loss and in our belief that the world is a dead mechanism controlled through economic efficiency. Although rooted in scientific observation, Matter and Desire becomes a tender philosophy for the Anthropocene, a “poetic materialism,” that closes the gap between mind and matter. Ultimately, Weber discovers, in order to save life on Earth—and our own meaningful existence as human beings—we must learn to love.Trade Review“The most powerful antidote to our pernicious culture of excessive material consumption is the creation and nurturing of communities, finding happiness in human relationships rather than seeking it in material possessions. At the very heart of community, at all levels of life, we find a fundamental impulse to establish connections. The author of this beautifully written book identifies this yearning for connections with the essence of love. In his philosophical meditations, Andreas Weber deepens the recent scientific advances toward a new systemic understanding of life by investing them with a vital emotional dimension. While the experience of being fully alive is, for him, an erotic experience, it has also been recognized as the very essence of spirituality. An important and inspiring book!”—Fritjof Capra, author of The Web of Life; coauthor of The Systems View of Life“Andreas Weber is an indispensable voice in ecological and philosophical thought. With fearless probity and autobiographical intimacy, Matter and Desire composes the symphonic grand design of desire, relationships, the metaphysics of the body—and much more—as page by page we experience Weber’s elegant subversion of all convenient ways of looking at the natural world. This is a timeless yet urgent, and splendid book.”—Howard Norman, author of I Hate To Leave This Beautiful Place“Andreas Weber offers us the best medicine I know for a culture benumbed by dead-end pursuits. Pulsing with life, his work delivers us from the centuries-long dichotomies between mind and matter that have robbed us of vitality, joy, and true purpose. It brings us home to the fertile reciprocities that link us with all forms and levels of life; in so doing, it reflects and reinforces great spiritual teachings of our planet.”—Joanna Macy, author of Coming Back to Life“A slow tidal wave of change is gathering force and will take us beyond the mechanistic world of Newton toward one of becoming. Andreas Weber’s Matter and Desire is a passionate evocation of intermingled life surging. He writes with the poetry, care, and insight that urges us forward.”—Stuart Kauffman, professor emeritus, biochemistry and biophysics, University of Pennsylvania; and MacArthur Fellow“With a dazzling blend of biological rigor and poetic grace, Andreas Weber explains the principles of erotic connection that lie at the heart of life on Earth. It is a journey that transcends the reductionist taxonomies of modern science and explains the transformational role of desire, interdependence, and meaning in the glorious unfolding of natural ecosystems—and in our own lives. Be prepared for a bracing adventure!”—David Bollier, author of Think Like a Commoner“When Andreas Weber looks on a meadow, he sees ‘part of our body, folded outward, ready to be strolled through.’ The ocean’s tides are ‘the way the Earth perceives the moon,’ and gravitation is ‘the Earth’s tender longing for us.’ With such graceful, lucid lines, Weber invites us to see a world filled with delight and one that yearns, as we do, for contact: the erotics of encounter. Part scientific reflection, part philosophical reverie, part lyrical benediction for the stones and swifts and plants and water ouzels of his beloved Ligurian countryside, Matter and Desire is a deeply felt book from a profoundly humane writer.”—Fred Bahnson, author of Soil and Sacrament; director, Food, Health, and Ecological Well-Being Program, Wake Forest University School of Divinity“Every page of Weber’s deeply illuminating new book is a passionate journey into the experience of being alive and in relationship. As an emergent ‘erotic ecology,’ this book is urgently needed medicine for a planet suffering from a shortage of love.”—David Lukas, author of Language Making Nature“Two hundred years ago, John Keats complained that modern science would ‘unweave a rainbow.’ This visionary and poetic discourse by Andreas Weber achieves the near-miraculous task of reweaving the stunning beauty of the natural world back into the realm of science. Transcending conventional barriers between categories of Western thought, with a style reminiscent of Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Weber explores some profound implications of modern biology and physics, presenting his vision of biology as the erotic science with the recognition that to truly experience love, we need to be fully connected to the creativity of life.”—Jeremy Lent, author of The Patterning Instinct“To read this marvellous book is to enter a secret garden where you’ll discover a natural world far more alive, sentient, and meaningful than science has so far dared suppose. With luminous prose Weber’s ‘erotic ecology’ charts a path into a new scientific understanding in which atoms, organisms, and entire ecosystems overflow with purpose, interiority, and psyche, lighting up your life, helping you experience reality with freshness and depth of vision. A masterpiece.”—Dr. Stephan Harding, author of Animate Earth“A stunning piece of writing, as existential as it is experiential, Matter and Desire delves into the ‘science of the heart’ in compelling prose that frequently dances on the edge of poetry. The book provides vivid depictions of a big love: a near-mystical practice of discovering who we are through the creative energies that surround us and dwell within us. Andreas Weber ably guides his readers on this relational journey, articulating ecological intuitions that may have gone unnoticed yet were always on the tips of our tongues. From the forces of desire within molecules to the mistle thrush’s song vibrating in the evening air, Weber offers a bold and convincing case for the physicality of feeling and the ‘biology of love.’ The result is a profound meditation that bravely explores the subjectivity of a living biosphere and our particular relations within it. If philosophy literally means the love of wisdom, then in Matter and Desire, Weber presents the wisdom of love, a reflective account of his intentional free-fall into the embrace of matter.”—Gavin Van Horn, director, Cultures of Conservation, Center for Humans and Nature“If what Andreas says is anything to go by—that love permeates all things so intrusively that the world can only be conceived in terms of relationship—then holding this book in your hand is an outrageous act of lovemaking, the breadth and depth of which you will never know! This is a gasp of a book.”—Bayo Akomolafe, author of These Wilds Beyond our Fences

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Book SynopsisIntroducing Human Geographies is a âtravel guideâ into the academic subject of human geography and the things that it studies. The coverage of the new edition has been thoroughly refreshed to reflect and engage with the contemporary nature and direction of human geography.This updated and much extended fourth edition includes a diverse range of authors and topics from across the globe, with a completely revised set of contributions reflecting contemporary concerns in human geography. Presented in four parts with a streamlined structure, it includes over 70 contributions written by expert international researchers addressing the central ideas through which human geographers understand and shape their subject. It maps out the big, foundational ideas that have shaped the discipline past and present; explores key research themes being pursued in human geographyâs various sub-disciplines; and identifies emerging collaborations between human geography and other disciplines in the areas of technology, justice and environment. This comprehensive, stimulating and cutting-edge introduction to the field is richly illustrated throughout with full colour figures, maps and photos.The book is designed especially for students new to university degree courses in human geography across the world, and is an essential reference for undergraduate students on courses related to society, place, culture and space.

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Book SynopsisShortlisted for the Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award, and one of The Observer’s ‘Thirty books to help us understand the world’. Are we really to blame for the climate crisis? Over 70 per cent of global emissions come from the same 100 organisations, but fossil-fuel companies have taken no responsibility themselves. Instead, they have waged a 30-year campaign to blame individuals. The result has been disastrous for our planet. In The New Climate War, renowned scientist Michael E. Mann argues that all is not lost. He draws the battle lines between the people and the polluters — fossil-fuel companies, right-wing plutocrats, and petro-states — and outlines a plan for forcing our governments and corporations to wake up and make real change.Trade Review‘Mann shows that corporations and lobbyists have been successful in convincing us that climate change will be fine, if we just recycle our bottles and turn out the lights. Instead, he says, global warming is a problem way too hot for any one person to handle. He’s optimistic though, because he sees what we really can and will do. Read his book, and let’s get to work.’ -- Bill Nye, science educator, CEO of The Planetary Society‘Fossil fuel companies have, for decades longer than I have been alive, been the largest contributors to the climate crisis that affects my generation today — all in pursuit of profits and growth. In The New Climate War, Michael Mann holds them to account, and shows us how we can take the bold steps we must all take together to win the battle to save this planet.’ -- Greta Thunberg, climate activist‘This book takes the reader behind the front lines into the decades long information war waged by the fossil fuel industry and those that share their interests. From his perspective as a leader in the battle for scientific reason, Michael Mann provides hope and a roadmap for all of us to address the systemic issues fuelling climate change, and shows how we can come together to wage a new war in the fight for our future.’ -- Leonardo DiCaprio, actor and environmental activist‘With this book, Michael Mann details the challenges we face from enemies (“inactivists”) both without and within while dropping critically important breadcrumbs for us to follow to lead us out of the forest of despair and set us on the path of victory in a battle we must win. We need an army of Michaels, stat!’ -- Don Cheadle, actor, activist, and UN global goodwill ambassador‘Brilliant.’ -- Ben Cooke * The Times *‘A strategic, wide-ranging overview of humanity’s present predicament and an exploration of possible pathways out of it.’ -- Jonathan Watts * The Guardian *‘Comprehensive.’ * The Financial Times *‘The main focus of Mann’s book is a call to arms in the new war against “inactivists” who are using new tactics of “deception, distraction, and delay” to prevent the phase-out of fossil fuels. Mann is a robust character ... Mann does not pull his punches, but his aim is usually strong and true. This book will no doubt prove controversial for some climate campaigners, as well as the deniers, but I hope it will be read by everybody who is engaged in making the case for action.’ -- Bob Ward * The Observer *‘Pulling no punches, Michael Mann lays out our predicament and tells the shocking story of persistent climate denial and corporate deception. We are in a war for the planet, but one we are now on the verge of winning. And he deftly cuts through the propaganda and shows us the path forward.’ -- Jerry Brown, California governor, 1975-1983, 2011-2019‘For over two decades, Michael Mann has been our Janus at the gates, defending climate science from corporate-funded insinuations of confusion and suspicion. We would not have progressed this far had it not been for his unflinching and brilliant rejoinders to the traffickers of doubt. This chronicle of ongoing climate injustice may make you mad, but hopefully it will make us act. This is the only civilisation we have. Mann is its resolute champion once again.’ -- Paul Hawken, founder of Project Drawdown‘The New Climate War is an insightful treatise on how the polluting fossil fuel industry and their right-wing allies have deflected the blame for the climate crisis. The book charts a common sense course for collective actions to force government and corporations to make real solutions to the climate crisis — an existential threat to humanity and the planet.’ -- Robert D. Bullard, professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy at Texas Southern University‘Thought-provoking.’ -- Pilita Clark * Financial Times *‘The New Climate War is a punchy, provocative, informed … deeply personal take on the crisis, by a respected voice in the climate science and communications field.’ -- John Gibbons * The Irish Times *‘A fascinating journey through the minds and motivations of the champions of climate denialism as well as the more recent climate doomists. Along the way, we learn of the unequivocal scientific evidence and the rapid evolution of technological solutions. Most importantly, public opinion finally seems to be at a ‘tipping point’ to catalyse political will to leave the next generation a sustainable world — and not a moment too soon!’ -- Rosina Bierbaum, professor at University of Michigan and University of Maryland, and former Acting Director of OSTP‘Few people bear more scars from the climate wars than Michael Mann — and few have fought longer and harder for a basic, rational approach to dealing with this greatest of crises. Because of his persistence — and that of so many others — we are finally making progress!’ -- Bill McKibben, author of Falter: has the human game begun to play itself out?‘The New Climate War is engaging, approachable, and ultimately deeply uplifting. Mann outlines a hopeful vision of the transformation we must undertake in order to create a better, brighter future on this planet. He makes the clear case that our species is capable of great change, laying out exactly why and how we can rise to overcome the grave challenges before us.’ -- Sasha Sagan, author of For Small Creatures Such As We‘Provocative … The New Climate War makes a compelling case both for revising the global Green New Deal and for counteracting disinformation from climate sceptics.’ -- John Meagher * Irish Independent *‘Mann is the genuine article ... his prose rattles along, entertaining and horrifying us in equal measure as he exposes scientists, politicians, the conservative media and other supposed experts who have slowed climate action by caring more about the interests of big industry.’ -- Philippa Nuttall Jones * New Statesman *‘Mann’s call to get serious about climate change couldn’t be more timely.’ -- Richard Schiffman * New Scientist *‘Michael Mann is a pre-eminent climate scientist whose academic pedigree is beyond question.’ -- Art Flynn * Irish Examiner *‘A wonderfully confrontational book.’ -- David Robbins * Sunday Independent *‘This book is a must read not just for people currently working to address climate change but also for those who are new to the climate fight, the latter of whom will learn much about past challenges, struggles, and attacks that have been aimed at climate champions.’ * Science Magazine *‘One of the world’s leading climate scientists embarks on a journey into the minds of climate change deniers to try to understand their motivations and strategies … Blunt, lucid … Consistently displaying his comprehensive command of climate science and the attendant politics … An expert effectively debunks the false narrative of denialism and advocates communal resistance to fossil fuels.’ * Kirkus Reviews *‘Mann starts from the premise that we can save the planet from the worst impacts of climate change if we move to net-zero carbon emissions. As a scientist, he dismisses most scenarios of an uninhabitable Earth because they’re based on a misunderstanding of methane feedback loops, and, as a citizen, he has no time for “climate doom porn” because it leads to political paralysis. But if Mann is “objectively hopeful”, he’s not naïve. The challenges are real and the vested interests of business as usual are powerful ... Michael Mann may or may not be a Climate Jedi, but he is a climate smart guy and The New Climate War is a must read.’ -- Donald Wright * The Globe & Mail *‘The New Climate War is an informed, opinionated guide to an ever-changing conflict.’ * Shelf Awareness *‘An engrossing mix of footnoted history, acerbic political commentary, and personal anecdotes.’ * Science News *‘[P]unchy and illuminating … uses both peer-reviewed climate science research and combative wit to expose the strategies of people and industries bent on deflecting responsibility and limiting the systemic change necessary to move the world away from dependence on planet-destroying fossil fuel ... Mann clearly has skin in this game. Both his professional and personal reputations have been viciously attacked in response to his work. Here he fights back, settles some scores, and argues for the necessity and possibility of aggressive, systemic changes. It’s a bracing read — both eye-opening and even fun.’ -- Alden Mudge * BookPage *If there’s ever a Hall of Fame for climate scientists, Michael Mann will be among the first to be inducted. * Rolling Stone *‘The New Climate War is an enlightening exposé of something that many of us probably already took as given: vested financial interests are psychotic in their efforts to control the dialogue.’ -- David Ferrell * The Canberra Times *‘Fantastic.’ -- David Ritter * Pro Bono Australia *‘The New Climate War is a detailed, passionate, and insightful overview of the latest schemes by fossil fuel interests and their minions to halt or delay a transition to a clean energy economy.’ * The Progressive *‘Lucid, accessible, and an important read for anyone who cares about the present and future of climate action.’ * The Centre Daily Times *‘Mann’s book is an important addition to the pushback against inaction and doom that has delayed action against climate change for too long and led too many to surrender without even a fight.’ * Sierra Club magazine *‘Spirited.’ -- Caroline O’Doherty * Irish Independent *‘Extremely insightful.’ -- Tim Rook * H and V News *‘Few people bear more scars from the climate wars than Michael Mann — and few have fought longer and harder for a basic, rational approach to dealing with this greatest of crises. Because of his persistence — and that of so many others — we are finally making progress!’ -- Bill McKibben, author of Falter: has the human game begun to play itself out?‘Mann is an excellent communicator, and his book is also a very good place to find out what the current climate science actually does and does not say.’ -- Bibek Bhattacharya * Mint *‘Mann’s book is enlightening. Despite the seriousness of the subject, his book entertains, raises awareness, and inspires optimism. That is how we fight for the climate.’ -- Claudia Detsch, IPS Journal‘[The New Climate War] explains very clearly, with researched facts, that the focus on individual behaviours to slow climate chaos is the result of a marketing campaign that has succeeded in guilt tripping the individual and deflecting responsibility from the fossil fuel companies, where it belongs.’ -- Ruah Swennerfelt * Friends Journal *‘[The New Climate War] is a book relevant to people everywhere, and especially those in our region concerned about environmental change.’ -- Richard Frost‘An engaging, well-documented book about climate politics and the industrial and political forces that have resisted the science of climate change and continue to manipulate and distort public perceptions about its causes and effects.’ -- Susan Glick * Seacoast Online *‘An important and timely book — well worth reading.’ -- Stephen Shenfield * WSPUS Newsletter *‘This book can jolt you out of despair and ‘doomism’ over climate change.’ -- Jean Boivin * Blackrock Investment Institute *

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Book SynopsisNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ? ?With a thoughtfully curated series of essays, poetry, and conversations, the brilliant scientist and climate expert Ayana Elizabeth Johnson has assembled a group of dynamic people who are willing to imagine what seems impossible, and articulate those visions with enthusiastic clarity.??Roxane GayOur climate future is not yet written. What if we act as if we love the future?A SMITHSONIAN BEST BOOK OF THE YEARSometimes the bravest thing we can do while facing an existential crisis is imagine life on the other side. This provocative and joyous book maps an inspiring landscape of possible climate futures.Through clear-eyed essays and vibrant conversations, infused with data, poetry, and art, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson guides us through solutions and possibilities at the nexus of science, policy, culture, and justice. Visionary farmers and financiers, architects and advocates, help us conjure a flourishing future, one worth the effort it will take?from every one of us, with whatever we have to offer?to create.If you haven?t yet been able to picture a transformed and replenished world?or to see yourself, your loved ones, and your community in it?this book is for you. If you haven?t yet found your role in shaping this new world or you?re not sure how we can actually get there, this book is for you.With grace, humor, and humanity, Johnson invites readers to ask and answer this ultimate question together: What if we get it right?On possibility and transformation with:Paola Antonelli ? Xiye Bastida ? Jade Begay ? Wendell Berry ? Régine Clément ? Steve Connell ? Erica Deeman ? Abigail Dillen ? Brian Donahue ? Jean Flemma ? Kelly Sims Gallagher ? Rhiana Gunn-Wright ? Olalekan Jeyifous ? Corley Kenna ? Bryan C. Lee Jr. ? Franklin Leonard ? Adam McKay ? Bill McKibben ? Kate Marvel ? Samantha Montano ? Kate Orff ? Leah Penniman ? Marge Piercy ? Colette Pichon Battle ? Kendra Pierre-Louis ? Judith D. Schwartz ? Jigar Shah ? Ayisha Siddiqa ? Bren Smith ? Oana Stanescu ? Mustafa Suleyman ? Jacqueline Woodson

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Book SynopsisFrom dinosaurs fighting to their deaths to elephant-sized burrowing ground sloths, this book takes readers on a global journey deep into the earth’s past. Locked in Time showcases fifty of the most astonishing fossils ever found, brought together in five chapters that offer an unprecedented glimpse at the behavior of prehistoric animals.Trade ReviewA rousing romp through the fossil record. Dean R. Lomax's storytelling and Bob Nicholls's artwork reanimate the lifestyles and behaviors of long-extinct species. Revel along as old bones, teeth, and footprints tell the tale of dinosaur mating dances, fighting mammoths, and pterodactyl nurseries. -- Steve Brusatte, University of Edinburgh paleontologist and New York Times best-selling author of The Rise and Fall of the DinosaursVividly told with stunning illustrations, Locked in Time is an essential book for any fossil fan. From the ancient steps of a horseshoe crab to courting dinosaurs, Lomax and Nicholls achieve the closest thing to time travel in bringing the prehistoric back to life. -- Riley Black, author of The Last Days of the DinosaursWhen we think about the animals of the past, we’re drawn to a small handful of movie dinosaurs, but in this fascinating and engaging book, Lomax brings to life incredible moments in the lives of animals from throughout prehistory, discovering the universal in the specific and offering us an insight into our sense of place on this planet. While being immersed in scientific literature, Lomax has a gift for extracting events from millions of years ago and giving them meaning for everyone today. -- Ellie Harrison, presenter of Dinosaur BritainA beetle within a lizard within a snake, a giant beaver that made huge corkscrew burrows three meters deep, a mammal that ate dinosaurs, insects caught in the act of mating, and dinosaurs with cancer . . . Dean R. Lomax presents an extraordinary tour through recent fossil discoveries that shed light on all aspects of the life of the past. These extraordinary scenarios are brought to life in exquisite reconstructions by Bob Nicholls. These are fossils that don’t make it into the textbooks; your appreciation of the history of life will never be the same again! -- Michael J. Benton, professor of vertebrate paleontology, University of BristolA number of exceptional, spectacular fossils show—via the most direct evidence imaginable—that the extinct animals of the past were once very much alive. They preserve animals giving birth, swallowing prey, and even having sex. Others reveal cases where animals died from poisoning, choking, or even when locked in combat. Join Dean Lomax in this beautifully illustrated, thoroughly researched but accessibly written tour of animals forever locked in time. -- Darren Naish, lead scientific consultant for Prehistoric PlanetIlluminates how we pieced together our understanding of behaviors in the animal kingdom. . . . Buckle up—it's a journey. * Inverse *An outstanding and highly original piece of popular science that overflows with Lomax’s enthusiasm and passion. Believe me, you have not seen a book like this before. * Inquisitive Biologist *Meticulously researched and Dr [Dean] Lomax is a most eloquent and well-informed tour guide. Renowned palaeoartist Bob Nicholls provides the sumptuous illustrations that brings Dean’s narrative to life. * Everything Dinosaur *A strikingly illustrated study that will have immense value and appeal for both paleontology students and non-specialist general readers alike, 'Locked in Time: Animal Behavior Unearthed in 50 Extraordinary Fossils' is impressively well written and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation. Exceptionally well informed and informative, 'Locked in Time: Animal Behavior Unearthed in 50 Extraordinary Fossils' is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college and university library Paleontology collections and supplemental studies curriculums. * Midwest Book Review *Fascinating and highly recommended. * AIPT Science *This informative, educational, and entertaining book will make a good addition to the paleontology aficionado’s library. * Fossil News *Fully achieves what it sets out to do: educate and entertain. * Quarterly Review of Biology *A captivating and accessible read...Highly recommended. * Choice *[Lomax] covers 50 extraordinary fossils, in five fascinating chapters that offer an unprecedented glimpse at the real-life behaviours of prehistoric animals. The book is illustrated by striking and scientifically rigorous illustrations by renowned palaeoartist Bob Nicholls. A great read for those interested in ancient life. * Deposits Magazine *Lomax is an easy narrator, deftly weaving personal reminiscence and passion among the paleontological facts. There’s an abundance of ‘impeccable, large illustrations and photographs.’ I had a blast with this book. -- Ola G * Re-enchantment of the World *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Unlocking the Prehistoric World1. Sex2. Parental Care and Communities3. Moving and Making Homes4. Fighting, Biting, and Feeding5. Unusual HappeningsAcknowledgmentsFurther ReadingIndex

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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 SynopsisHome for the Soul is about creating a considerate and sustainable home that also sparks happiness and reflects the spirits, passions and tastes of its inhabitants. A shift in awareness means that we are increasingly thoughtful about the materials we use, the scarcity of the earth’s resources and how to lighten our footprint on the planet. In Home for the Soul, Sara Bird and Dan Duchars show how to create a beautiful home that suits its inhabitants while causing minimum damage to our increasingly fragile environment including using non toxic, vegan paints and fabrics. The first section shares ideas for the elements of a stylish yet sustainable home, from lighting to linens, while in Part Two, Sara and Dan visit soulful homes and their owners to discover how they have created interiors that are beautiful yet responsible at the same time. Home for the Soul shows how a mindful, ethically sourced and eco-friendly ethos can be at the heart of modern homemaking. It looks at sustainable, renewable and reclaimed materials, using traditional skills and choosing organic and hand-produced homewares. No matter how new or old a building, or what your own particular style is, there are simple ways to add warmth, contentment and soul to our homes.Trade Review“If your ecological footprint is one of the main things you consider when creating your personal space, this book is a great place to get truly beautiful and thoughtful ideas.” – Greatist.com"The authors...prove that sustainability and style need not be mutually exclusive, and deftly demonstrate how to achieve the former without sacrificing the latter." – The English Home"An inspirational guide to creating stylish interiors that spark happiness, while respecting the planet, with thoughtful, sustainable decorating and design ideas." – Country Homes & Interiors

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Book SynopsisThis book serves as a guide for those seeking a profound understanding of regenerative design principles, offering practical insights and techniques to implement sustainable methodologies on the farm, smallholding and even the back garden. Caters to farmers, agricultural practitioners, home-growers and anyone engaged in where their food comes from.

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Book SynopsisHow do we get to know air? Aeropolis: Queering Air in Toxicpolluted Worlds offers a speculative and interdisciplinary framework to reorient common understandings of air and air pollution as matter “out there.” Aeropolis contests regimes of managing air which ultimately operate toward upholding dominant modes of world-making that are dependent on forms of exclusion and inequity. Instead, Aeropolis proposes that air is thought of as a city, to center its social, cultural, political, ecological entanglements. Drawing upon feminist technoscience and queer ecological frameworks, Aeropolis moves away from solutions toward a methodology of “designing-thinking-making” that redirects and connects our understandings of air—as designers, as citizens—with ongoing struggles for just futures. Moving through a series of design interventions, histories of air, and theoretical coordinates, Aeropolis thinks with air across its many forms—through smog and dust, bodies and breath, pollen and weeds, and from urban design to geopolitics, polluted environments to open data, parks to aerial infrastructures. It insists that we acknowledge the diversity of air and its relation to humans, non-humans, and environments, both physically and affectively. That we become sensible to air by following its unruliness—by living, breathing, seeing, holding, touching, queering airs.With contributions from María Puig de la Bellacasa and Timothy K. Choy.Trade ReviewThe airs of Aeropolis are full of political agonism and liberatory potential, and this book serves as a guide to navigating the world of the potently-affective and semi-visible. -- Jaffer Kolb * BOMB Magazine *

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Book SynopsisThere''s so much we don''t know about what lies deep beneath the ocean''s surface - and the time to find out is growing increasingly precious . . .Professor Alex Rogers is one of the world''s leading experts in marine biology and oceanology, and has spent his life studying the deep ocean - and in particular the impact of human activity on the ecosystems of the oceans. In this timely, galvanising and fascinating book - replete with stunning photography of strange and beautiful creatures - Professor Rogers offers a fundamentally optimistic view of humanity''s relationship with the oceans - and also a very personal account of his own interaction with the seas.

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Book SynopsisA comprehensive, illustrated identification guide for beginners and serious collectors alike, featuring special colour photography of specimens held at the Natural History Museum, London.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“A convincing book that could make a big difference in the way we think about modern economic problems.”—Peter Passell, New York Times Book Review

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Book SynopsisAn absorbing celebration of the ecology, biology and cultural history of the rich hedgerow heritage in the British Isles.Much of the UK is intensively farmed, and in such landscapes hedges are often the only refuge for wildlife. In addition to providing shelter, protection and food for animals, they also connect and bind together the patches of habitat that do remain, as well as playing vital roles in soil conservation and flood prevention in short, they are vital for nature's recovery.In Hedges, Robert Wolton brings together decades of research, while also incorporating personal experiences from his farm in Devon, to explore the ecology, nature conservation and wider environmental values of our hedges. From improving water quality and producing wood fuel as a renewable energy source to the use of hedges in boosting crop pollination, this engaging and authoritative book will help to inspire people to value and look after the remarkably rich hedgerow he

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Book SynopsisEurope where the sun dares scarce appear For freezing meteors and congealed cold.' - Christopher Marlowe In this innovative and compelling work of environmental history, Philipp Blom chronicles the great climate crisis of the 1600s, a crisis that would transform the entire social and political fabric of Europe. While hints of a crisis appeared as early as the 1570s, by the end of the sixteenth century the temperature plummeted so drastically that Mediterranean harbours were covered with ice, birds literally dropped out of the sky, and ‘frost fairs’ were erected on a frozen Thames – with kiosks, taverns, and even brothels that become a semi-permanent part of the city. Recounting the deep legacy and sweeping consequences of this ‘Little Ice Age’, acclaimed historian Philipp Blom reveals how the European landscape had ineradicably changed by the mid-seventeenth century. While apocalyptic weather patterns destroyed entire harvests and incited mass migrations, Blom brilliantly shows how they also gave rise to the growth of European cities, the appearance of early capitalism, and the vigorous stirrings of the Enlightenment. A sweeping examination of how a society responds to profound and unexpected change, Nature’s Mutiny will transform the way we think about climate change in the twenty-first century and beyond.Trade ReviewA book that skilfully creates a historical panorama, in such a gripping and thrillingly informative way that it’s a joy. * Giessener Allgemeine Zeitung *An exciting history book, and an educational one. * Stern *A case study that connects the birth of the modern world with the climate change of the time. A fascinating panorama of a whole era. * Freie Presse *An imposing panorama of politics, economics and intellectual history ... [Blom] has written an informative history of the early modern age, which also prompts us to think about the connections between climate and innovation. * Deutschlandfunk Andruck *“Drawing on rich sources, including diaries, letters, account ledgers, paintings, and religious sermons as well as data gleaned by climate historians and scientists, journalist and translator Blom creates a vivid picture of the European landscape during the Little Ice Age and of social, political, and cultural changes that may have been accelerated by climate change ... An absorbing and revealing portrait of profound natural disaster. * Kirkus Reviews *A sweeping story, embracing developments in economics and science, philosophy and exploration, religion and politics. Blom delivers much of his argument through compressed, beautifully clear life sketches of prominent men. […] Blom’s hypothesis is forceful, and has the potential to be both frightening and, if you hold it up to the light at just the right angle, a little optimistic. The idea can be put like this: climate change changes everything -- John Lanchester * New Yorker *Lively . . . an eye-catchingly grand thesis * Sunday Times *Provocative . . . lively and intelligent * Literary Review *Table of ContentsUnit - 1: PROLOGUE: Winter Landscape Chapter - 1: Life without Money Chapter - 2: The Great Experiment Unit - 2: "GOD HAS ABANDONED US": Europe, 1570-1600 Chapter - 3: A Monk on the Run Chapter - 4: God’s Wind and Waves Chapter - 5: Harsh Frosts and Burning Sun Chapter - 6: A Time of Confusion and a Fiery Mountain Chapter - 7: Pilgrims and Their Hunger Chapter - 8: Truth and Wine Chapter - 9: Wine in Vienna Chapter - 10: The Lights Go Out Chapter - 11: Witches and Spoiled Harvests Chapter - 12: The Truth in the Stars Chapter - 13: Doctor Faustus Chapter - 14: Infinite Worlds Chapter - 15: The Tower of Books Unit - 3: THE AGE OF IRON Chapter - 16: Hortus Botanicus Chapter - 17: Revolutionary Places Chapter - 18: The City Devours Its Children Chapter - 19: The Magic of Green Cheese Chapter - 20: The Great Transformation Chapter - 21: A Picture of the World Chapter - 22: Idle Talk and Fabrications Chapter - 23: A Warning and a Call to Repent Chapter - 24: Tears Too Plentiful to Count Chapter - 25: The Revolution of the Barrel of a Musket Chapter - 26: Sell More to Strangers Chapter - 27: The State as Machine Chapter - 28: A Profitable Trade Chapter - 29: The Curse of Silver Chapter - 30: Officer, Retired Chapter - 31: The Subversive Republic of Letters Chapter - 32: Germanus incredibilis Chapter - 33: Virtue in the Drowning Cell Chapter - 34: Leviathan Chapter - 35: An Inventory of Morality Unit - 4: ON COMETS AND OTHER CELESTIAL LIGHTS Chapter - 36: The Madness of Crowds Chapter - 37: The Antichrist Chapter - 38: The Messiah and the Whore Chapter - 39: The Fair on the Ice Chapter - 40: The Face of Change Chapter - 41: The Price of Change Chapter - 42: Tapissier du roi Chapter - 43: The Public Sphere and the Vices of Bees Chapter - 44: The Floating Reverend Unit - 5: EPILOGUE: Supplement to The Fable of the Bees Chapter - 45: Songbirds, Wood Lice, and Corals Chapter - 46: Freedom and Luxury Chapter - 47: Inherited Compromises Chapter - 48: New Metaphors Chapter - 49: The Theology of the Market Chapter - 50: The Market and the Fortress Acknowledgements - i: Acknowledgments Section - ii: Notes Section - iii: Bibliography Section - iiii: Illustration Credits Index - v: Index

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Book SynopsisEducation is a critical part of safety - and not getting lost, or knowing how to get found if you do, is one of the most important lessons. Simple techniques to navigate out of dangerous situations are the focus of this handy waterproof reference guide, along with basic compass use and travelling by simple bearings. Contents also cover navigation skills around obstacles, pacing beads, aiming off, and dead reckoning. Developed by noted survival expert and woodsman Dave Canterbury, this is one of a 10-part series on survival skills. Made in the USA.

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Book SynopsisThis is a book about simplicity – not destitution, parsimoniousness or self-denial, but the restoration of wealth in the midst of an affluence in which we are starving the spirit. It is a book about the advantages of living a less cluttered, less stressful life than that which has become the norm in the overcrowded and manic-paced consuming nations. It is a book about having less and enjoying more, enjoying time to do the work you love, enjoying time to spend with your family, enjoying time to pursue creative projects, enjoying time for good eating, enjoying time just to be.Trade ReviewIn keeping with its title, this is a straightforward book, beautifully illustrated, well ordered, with clear directions and useful references. What is more, it is written without cant, and, most importantly, not by a zealot but by a practitioner. Only someone who has sought to practise the simple life would know its detail, the small matters that make it so. -- David Cadman * Resurgence *Table of ContentsIntroduction Why Voluntary Simplicity? A Short History of Simplicity Obstacles to Simplicity Laying the Foundations for a Simpler Lifestyle The Gifts of Simplicity The Sacred Arts of Life Conclusion

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Book SynopsisWangari Muta Maathai was born in Nyeri, Kenya, in 1940. She is the founder of the Green Belt Movement, which, through networks of rural women, has planted over 30 million trees across Kenya since 1977. In 2002, she was elected to Kenya's Parliament in the first free elections in a generation, and served as Deputy Minister for the Environment and Natural Resources. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 in recognition of her campaigns for democracy and environmental reform during the dictatorship of Daniel arap Moi. She died in 2011.Trade ReviewWangari Maathai's memoir is direct, honest, and beautifully written - a gripping account of modern Africa's trials and triumphs, a universal story of courage, persistence, and success against great odds in a noble cause -- Bill ClintonRenowned and admired throughout her native Kenya and across Africa for her pioneering struggle against deforestation and for women's rights and democracy, selfless and steadfast, Ms. Maathai has been a champion of the environment, of women, of Africa, and of anyone concerned about our future security -- Kofi AnnanWangari Maathai is a prophet for our time and Unbowed is a call to arms for all of us who feel that the planet is overwhelmed by careless, corrupt or violent leadership. I have long suspected that the voice to lead us forward would come out of Africa, and it has - a voice of humor, sense, strength and compassion. Read this book and pass it on -- Alexandra FullerWangari Maathai is the rare leader who knows how to create independence, not dependence. On the page as in person, her example makes each of us a little stronger, wiser and braver than we ever thought we could be * Gloria Steinem *Compelling. . . A striking reminder that the peace award, more than any other Nobel honor, recognizes success achieved through tremendous adversity * The Seattle Times *

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Book SynopsisHugh Brody has an international reputation as an anthropologist and documentary film-maker of the Inuit peoples. This book is a marvellous account of hunter-gatherer culture, gleaned from years of living and hunting with the Inuits of the Arctic and the salmon-fishing tribes in the Canadian Northwest. Brody explores the frontiers between hunters and farmers, and shows us how the encounter between radically different ways of being in the world is at the core of human history. He travels through exquisite landscapes of ice and snow, with people who know the land as part of their selves. Posing the question, ''Why did the farmer triumph over the hunter-gatherer?'', Brody finds answers in a variety of places, among them the Book of Genesis, the great creation myth at the centre of the agriculturalist view of the world.This is a book that invites the reader to embark on a series of expeditions, into the territories of hunter-gatherers, and into radical ideas about what itTrade Review'Often eloquent, sometimes moving, and always fascinating... Brody's gripping book brings the resourceful intelligence and courage of hunter-gatherers vividly to life.' New Scientist 'The case for the hunter's ethic has never been more persuasively argued than in this wide-ranging, eloquent book.' TLS

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Book SynopsisNever before have our cities been as important as they are now. The drivers of innovation and growth, they are essential to the prosperity of nations. But they are also destructive, plunging us into housing crises and deepening inequality. How can we keep the good and break free of the bad? In this bracingly original work of research and analysis, leading urbanist Richard Florida explores the roots of this new crisis and puts forward a plan to make this the century of the fairer, thriving metropolis.Trade Review‘Richard Florida is the great pioneer thinker who first explained how the influx of creative people was reviving cities…[he] takes a hard look at the problems and, as usual, comes up with some smart new policies.’ -- Walter Isaacson, bestselling author of The Innovators‘Deserves to stand alongside Thomas Piketty’s Capital as an essential diagnosis of our contemporary ills, and a clear-eyed prescription of how to cure them… Anyone interested in the crisis of inequality and in the vitality of our cities will want to read this book.’ -- Steven Johnson, bestselling author of How We Got To Now‘A powerful account – packed with evidence – of the forces driving urban segregation and deepening inequality and the way private wealth and power outflanks the poor and powerless.’ -- Stewart Lansley, author of A Sharing Economy and co-author of Breadline Britain‘Like the superstar cities it describes, this book is dense, complex and stimulating. Florida’s well-researched and fluent exposé of inequality is a wake-up call to all the major actors engaged in planning, designing and managing cities in the 21st century.’ -- Ricky Burdett, Professor of Urban Studies, London School of Economics‘Using data as his torch, Richard Florida shines a light on one of the great challenges of our century.’ -- Charles Montgomery, author of Happy City‘Bracingly confronts this tension between big-city elites and the urban underclass.’ * Wall Street Journal *‘The New Urban Crisis is well worth reading for the original research, clear-headed critique and the skilled analysis of solid data… Florida writes in personally positioned transparent language without taking refuge in academic jargon, making the book accessible to a broad audience.’ * New York Journal of Books *‘Cites are engines for prosperity and progress, but it’s essential that the benefits extend far and wide. Florida proposes promising ideas for building stronger cities that offer greater opportunities for all.’ -- Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City‘[Florida] vividly expose[s] how gentrification, followed by rising housing costs, concentrated affluence and glaring inequality, has pushed the displaced into deteriorating suburbs far from mass transit, employment, services and decent schools… [The New Urban Crisis is] nuanced and proposes solutions.’ * Washington Post *

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Book SynopsisThis is the first book to explore how to use permaculture design and principles for people - to restore personal, social and planetary well-being. People & Permaculture widens the definition of permaculture from being mainly about land-based systems to include our own lives, relationships and society. This book provides a framework to help each of us improve our ability to care for ourselves, our friends, families and for the Earth. It is also a clear guide for those who may be new to permaculture, who may not even have a garden, but who wish to be involved in making changes to their lives and living more creative, low carbon lives. People & Permaculture transforms the context of permaculture making it relevant to everyone. Including over 50 practical activities, People & Permaculture empowers readers with tried and tested tools to initiate positive change in their lives. It is a hands-on yet powerful guide to creating a sustainable world.Trade ReviewPicking up this book for the first time is to hold a route map to the future in the palm of your hand. Use what you learn from it and be warned your life will change forever. You will become a co-creator of a beautiful new world. People & Permaculture is a pathway to this new world. It will indeed change your life if you absorb its wisdom and apply its tools and techniques. It will enhance your personal and professional relationships and help you to design better projects. It is a big step forward in permaculture thinking and a valuable addition to any library. May it bring you balance and fulfilment and enable you to become an even more effective advocate for the Earth. Polly Higgins, Barrister, author of Eradicating Ecocide

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Book SynopsisIn Volume 2, they dive deep into the detail in a comprehensive manual of growing fruit and vegetables on a small farm and market garden scale. Subjects include:* growing methods* soil preparation* plant densities and crop associations* irrigation and harvesting* growing year-round* vegetables, micro greens, tree crops and forest gard

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Book SynopsisWinner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction, Finalist for the Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction, and the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award, Shortlisted for the Stella Prize, Highly Commended in the Wainwright Prize for writing on global conservation, and a Sunday Independent Book of the Year. How do whales experience environmental change? Has our connection to these animals been transformed by technology? What future awaits us, and them? Fathoms blends natural history, philosophy, and science to explore these questions. Giggs introduces us to whales so rare they have never been named and tells us of whale ‘pop’ songs that sweep across hemispheres. She takes us into the deeps to discover that one whale’s death can spark a great flourishing of creatures. We travel to Japan to board whaling ships, examine the uncanny charisma of these magnificent mammals, and confront the plastic pollution now pervading their underwater environment.Trade Review‘Fathoms is perhaps the finest book written about whales since Moby Dick was published 170 years ago. It’s also one of the best accounts I’ve ever read of the interaction, intended and unintended, between humans and other species — a work of genuinely literary imagination.’ -- Verlyn Klinkenborg * New York Review of Books *‘Fathoms took my breath away. Every page is suffused with magic and meaning. Humanity’s relationship with nature has never been more important or vulnerable, and we are truly fortunate that at such a pivotal moment, a writer of Rebecca Giggs’s calibre is here to capture every beautiful detail, every aching nuance. She is in a league of her own.’ -- Ed Yong, author of I Contain Multitudes‘Fathoms is a magnificent book, as grand and profound in its sweep as the whale itself. Rebecca Giggs is a brilliant writer - her prose packed with wonders and glittering with ideas.’ -- Philip Marsden, author of The Summer Isles‘Fathoms reads like a poem. Its virtuoso thinking is a revelation. I can’t think of many books in which love for the world and uncompromising, ever-deepening rigour come together in this way. Time slows down. This book makes a permanent dent in the reader.’ -- Maria Tumarkin, author of Axiomatic‘Fathoms is a marvel: a glorious, prismatic, deeply affecting hymn to the beauty, majesty, and extremity of whales and the human imagining of them.’ -- James Bradley, author of Clade‘[A] lyrical, wide-ranging meditation on whales and their complex relationship with humanity … Meticulously researched and full of fascinating information.’ -- Books+Publishing‘In Fathoms, Rebecca Giggs rips the metaphors off whales and brings us closer than we can usually get to the creatures themselves. Along the way, she shows us how intimately whales are shaping our lives, how they change air quality, and crime, and even our conception of time. I can't stop thinking about the connections she has unearthed, how a whale is connected to a meteor, a mother's breast, a landfill. Under the spell of her deliciously evocative prose, you get the sense that you are truly, finally, glimpsing a whale in full glory. Like the busks she writes about—tiny missives carved into whalebone corsets by sailors—this book leaves an imprint.’ -- Lulu Miller, author of Why Fish Don’t Exist and co-founder of NPR’s Invisibilia‘Seafaring scrutiny of whales, their oceanic environment, and the dangers to their survival … Giggs presents … scholarship in crisp, creatively written chapters addressing the many layers of the whale population’s unique physiology and evolutionary history, sociality, above-water balletic athleticism, and enigmatic ‘biophony’ of their vocalisations. Most importantly, she analyses how their behaviour can be predictive for the Earth’s future … Giggs reiterates that the whale and its life, legacy, and precarious environmental state are reflective of the greater issues the Earth faces, from ecological upheaval to overconsumption. Whether describing the majesty of the blue whale or the human assault on sea ecology due to paper and plastic pollution, the author’s prose is poetic, beautifully smooth, urgently readable, and eloquently informative. Her passion for whales leaps off the page, urging readers to care and—even more so—become involved in their protection and preservation. Throughout the book, the author’s debut, she brilliantly exposes ‘how regular human life seeped into the habitats of wildlife, and how wildlife returned back to us, the evidence of our obliviousness.’ Refreshingly, she also reveals glimmers of hope regarding what whales can teach the human race about our capacity to ecologically coexist with the natural world. A thoughtful, ambitiously crafted appeal for the preservation of marine mammals.’ STARRED REVIEW * Kirkus Reviews *‘Astonishing ... utterly original ... Fathomsis an attempt to interpret our contemporary moment – and in particular our relationship with the non-human world – through the glistening figure of the whale in all its myriad aspects ... The language of Fathoms has a remarkable, almost gothic intensity. The style is vivid and estranging and luridly compelling, full of weird lights and unexpected textures ... A remarkable literary event because it is a new and hugely ambitious kind of nature writing, verging on poetry. It is itself a whale cure, thrusting us into the dark intestine of the whale, among the indigestible plastics and other pollutants, the better to hear the conscience of tomorrow.’ -- Andrew Fuhrmann * The Monthly *‘In Fathoms, Rebecca Giggs unravels a powerful nonfiction narrative, masterfully blending history, philosophy and science.’ -- Dan Shaw * Happy Magazine *‘This book is nothing less than a small masterpiece. … Rebecca Giggs’ Fathoms – the world in the whale is a remarkable meditation on, nominally, whales, but through them the delicacy and intricacy of human relationships with the environment, and the history and legacy of our intimate and devastating impact upon ecosystems … The book is a striking piece of narrative nonfiction, philosophical and personal at once wrestling with liminal vulnerabilities, fantasies, conceits and projections, and it deserves global attention.’ 4.5 STARS -- Anna Westbrook * ArtsHub *‘Fathoms is horrific, poetic and profound; a morbid dirge shot through with celestial light. As well as being an extensively researched and deeply considered study, the book is also a wunderkammer of tales that illustrate the hot mess of human aggression, obliviousness and folly … Fathoms is a vast book, the scale of which brings to mind the blue whale, anatomically mysterious and the largest creature to have lived. Giggs weaves together cosmological phenomena with their deep-sea reverberations to give us a book that feels universal.’ -- Justine Hyde * The Saturday Paper *‘With remarkable detective work, author Rebecca Giggs explores the habitats and migratory patterns of whales to reveal a great deal about them, and even more about us. It is a hauntingly beautiful examination of the moral force of animals, offering hope as well as despair.’ -- Jeff Maynard * Herald Sun *‘A work of bright and careful genius. Equal parts Rebecca Solnit and Annie Dillard, Giggs masterfully combines lush prose with conscientious history and boots-on-the-beach reporting. With Giggs leading us gently by the hand we dive down, and down, and down, into the dark core of the whale, which, she convincingly reveals, is also the guts of the world.’ -- Robert Moor, New York Times bestselling author of On Trails: an exploration‘Rebecca Giggs’ Fathoms is a triumph, a deliciously rich work of art that, as if by magic, combines exquisite prose that floats off the page and into your heart with scientific accuracy and epic scope. This is by far the best book about whales I have ever read. What an achievement!’ -- Wendy Williams, author of The Language of Butterflies and New York Times bestseller The Horse: the epic history of our noble companion‘One of the most beautifully written nonfiction books I have read in a long time. It's so hard to do justice to the immense importance of whales and the lessons they have for us all. Rebecca Giggs does an extraordinary job of bringing together the science, the history, and the brilliance and fragility of whales.’ -- Christine Kenneally, author of The Invisible History of the Human Race‘Fathoms is a work of profound insight and wonder.’ * X-Press Magazine *‘The book is a masterpiece. I am astonished that it is Giggs’s first, for it reads like the work of a far more experienced author ... Giggs’s exquisite prose is so striking as to be almost poetic, pulling the reader up constantly, either to savour a particularly apposite phrase, or to ponder a deep, unexpected connection. If a whale warrants a pause, then Fathoms warrants many.’ -- Tim Flannery * The Australian *‘Lyrical, meditative and deeply researched, this gorgeous book by WA writer Rebecca Giggs is one to linger over.’ * The Weekend West *‘This is a heavy read, but a fascinating and vital one.’ -- Ellen Cregan * Kill Your Darlings *‘Fathoms is beautifully written, always aiming for the bigger picture: what it means to live in the world; and what it means to be enthralled by the world we live in and destroying it … Fathoms is a glorious, beautiful and deeply important book.’ -- Magdalena Ball * Compulsive Reader *‘Truly remarkable … Each page is full of wonder and revelation.’ -- Grey Kelly * Talking Heads Magazine *‘This is an unforgettable, meticulously researched work that examines the ways that we’re all connected — with whales, with the, environment and each other.’ -- Eliza Henry-Jones * Organic Gardener Magazine *‘Meticulous research and stunning prose … unique, introspective and poetic.’ -- Zoya Patel * Canberra Times *‘[A] moving homage to the whale … A book that begins with obsequies for a whale ends by enlarging our knowledge of, and sense of wonder about, this magnificent species. It is non-fiction told with the vivacity and moral authority that was once reserved for fiction.’ * Australian Financial Review *‘Giggs’ meticulous research is itself awesome. Every page has its breathtaking revelations … For all this wondrous detail, the whale remains a lens through which to consider humanity’s relationship with the environment … Fathoms’ exhilarating poetic language is richly allusive and orchestrated … this marvellous work of haunted wonder ends with a fiercely unabashed vision of humanity moved 'from indecision to action', for whales, for love, for the world.’ -- Felicity Plunkett * Sydney Morning Herald *‘[A] delving, haunted and poetic debut. Giggs is worth reading for her spotlight observations and lyricism alone, but she also has an important message to deliver … [S]he uses whales as invitations to consider everything else: the selfie-isation of environmentalism, the inherent worth of parasites, Jungian psychoanalysis, solar storms, whale songs records going multiplatinum and so much more. In the cascade of mini-essays that results, Giggs comes off as much as a cultural critic as a naturalist.’ -- Doug Bock Clark * The New York Times Book Review *‘There is much to marvel at here … Deeply researched and deeply felt, Giggs’ intricate investigation, beautifully revelatory and haunting, urges us to save the whales once again, and the oceans, and ourselves.’ STARRED REVIEW * Booklist *‘In the whale, Giggs truly does find the world. She finds clues that unlock how humans have engaged nature — tales of greed, aggression, wonder, desperation, longing, nostalgia, love, curiosity and obsession. Her prose is luminous … tracing humankind’s continuing intersection with these alluring creatures, Giggs ultimately uncovers seeds of hope and, planting them in her fertile mind, cultivates a lush landscape that offers remarkable views of nature, humanity and how we might find a way forward together.’ STARRED REVIEW * BookPage *‘Fathoms immediately earns its place in the pantheon of classics of the new golden age of environmental writing.’ -- Stephen Sparks * Literary Hub *‘A profound meditation … Giggs explores how whales have permeated our lives and the many ways we have invaded and transformed theirs. Each chapter orbits a different aspect of this long and fraught relationship — commodification, pollution, voyeurism, adoration, mythology — swerving wherever Giggs’s extensive research and fervent curiosity take her … Giggs’s prose is fluid, sensuous, and lyrical. She has a poet’s gift for startling and original imagery … The lushness of her sentences and the intensity of her vision inspire frequent rereading — not for clarity, but for sheer pleasure and depth of meaning.’ -- Ferris Jabr * Los Angeles Review of Books *‘[W]idens the aperture of our attention with a literary style so stunning that the reader may forget to blink ... In a story that extends across several continents, Ms. Giggs marshals lapidary language to give the crisis a compelling voice. Her prose, like the oceans in which her subjects roam, is immersive; her sentences submerge us in a sea of sensations … [M]ore descriptive than prescriptive concerning the plight of whales and, by implication, the health of the Earth. But as with George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant and E.B. White’s Death of a Pig, Ms. Giggs, tending the final hours of a humpback on an Australian beach, reminds us that paying attention to the close of another creature’s life can be its own form of moral instruction.’ -- Danny Heitman * The Wall Street Journal *‘Immersive … Illustrating the interconnectedness of all life and the ways man's depredations travel from the smallest creatures to this largest of Earth's animals … In lyrical language, Giggs leads readers on a journey through underwater cultures and the place of whales in the chain of life. Recommended for readers interested in nature, ecology, and environmentalism.’ -- Caren Nichter * Library Journal *‘A searching debut … Giggs displays a keen awareness of what it means to write about a creature whose future is just as uncertain as our own.’ * The Nation *‘As well as being dazzlingly well researched and conveyed, the language in Fathoms is wonderful in that it never becomes sentimental and yet is thoroughly moving. Combining reportage, cultural criticism and poem as a call to action in the spirit of Rachel Carson, Giggs is an assured new voice in narrative nonfiction … Gloriously, she presents whales as poets … We need to be moved – therein the particular power of literature to expand the parameters of our compassion … More prescient for its time than the author could have imagined.’ -- Abi Andrews * The Irish Times *‘Fathoms is brilliantly full of wonder.’ * The Economist *‘Masterly.’ * The New Yorker *‘Glorious and astounding.’ -- Robbie Arnott‘With distinctive prose, as philosophical as it is scientific, this is a challenging and illuminating portrait of the oceans’ great cetaceans and what they mean to people.’ -- Helen Scales * BBC Wildlife Magazine *‘Beautiful and insightful.’ -- Pádraic Fogarty * Sunday Independent *‘By looking at the largest of our mammalian cousins Rebecca Giggs returns us to ourselves. This vital and urgent book awakens our wonder and our fear. In dense language, rich in poetry and science, it fathoms a deep empathy for the living world.’ -- Antony Gormley‘Some of the most alive, inventive writing on the planet is nature writing, and Giggs’ Fathoms is glorious proof. Ostentatious, mythic and strange, this is the kind of book that swallows you whole. Entirely fitting for its subject.’ -- Beejay Silcox * The Guardian *‘Fathoms is the result of years of research and contemplation: a cultural, historical and ecological exploration of whales and their place in human life and thought … It is simply one of the most miraculous and illuminating accounts of animality I’ve come across. Read it, read the whole magnificent tome: you’ll leave it filled with renewed awe for cetacean existence.’ -- Geordie Williamson * The Australian *‘A poetic and surprisingly wide-ranging blend of natural history, science and philosophy.’ -- Gemma Nisbet * The Weekend West Australian *‘This remarkable study of whales examines much more than the magnificent creatures of the deep. Through brilliant detective work, Giggs explores the habitats and migratory patterns of whales to reveal a great deal about them, and even more about the human impact on the oceans.’ * The Chronicle *‘Giggs’s style is all the more impactful for its sparseness … Her journey encompasses everything from whale-hunting ships in Japan to Loch Ness monster conspiracy theories in Scotland, with all of the disparate subjects deftly woven together by clipped, polished prose.’ -- Caroline Crampton * The Mail on Sunday *‘Wonder pours out of every page of this gorgeously written and daringly imagined book.’ -- Laura Miller * Slate *‘Extraordinary.’ -- Hannah James * Australian Geographic *‘A book like this shows the best of what reflective, creative non-fiction can do.’ -- Kate Evans * ABC Radio *‘Rebecca Giggs’ enthralling Fathoms: the world in the whale presents whales as immense, enigmatic, intelligent and majestic sea creatures, but also vividly describes the intricate ecosystem of the vast oceans in which they live and die. Drawing from science, history, literature, art and mythology, Fathoms is both epic in scale and rich in detail about the life cycle of whales, their behaviours and sociality.’ -- Donna Lee Brien * The Conversation *‘Lyrical … Facts like these are eye-opening. But the book shines most brightly in its poetry … Giggs’s writing has an old-fashioned lushness and elaborateness of thought … its finest passages — and they are many — awaken a sense of wonder. That other lives as marvellous and mysterious as these still exist is, for the moment at least, a reason to celebrate.’ -- Richard Schiffman * The Washington Post *‘Like fine tapestry, strands unite into a coherent work of great beauty. Yes, this is a book about what whales mean to us, but it’s also about how to interweave and admire cultural and biological stories, metaphors, and meanings.’ -- David George Haskell * Geographical Magazine *'An incredibly wonderful book ... [Giggs] is a fabulous writer' -- Brian Eno‘Giggs' work [Fathoms] … on whales, climate change and pollution has been one of the most affecting [books] I've read in a while.’ -- Sophie Overett * The Courier-Mail *‘It’s rare for whales to get what they deserve from our species, but Giggs’ fascinating and poetic natural history starts to pay back a portion of an impossible debt.’ -- Christopher J. Preston * Geographical Magazine *

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Book SynopsisShowcases the work of twenty leading paleoartists who expertly bring these extinct animals to life in exquisite detail.Dinosaurs are endlessly fascinating to people of every age, from the youngest child who enjoys learning the tongue-twisting names to adults who grew up with Jurassic Park and Walking with Dinosaurs. As our knowledge of the prehistoric world continues to evolve and grow, so has the discipline of bringing these ancient worlds to life artistically. Paleoart puts flesh on the bones of long-extinct organisms, and illustrates the world they lived in. Mesozoic Art presents twenty of the best artists working in this field, representing a broad spectrum of disciplines, from traditional painting to cutting-edge digital technology. Some provide the artwork for new scientific papers that demand high-end paleoart as part of their presentation to the world at large; they also work for the likes of National Geographic and provide art to museums aroTrade ReviewPalaeoart has truly crossed the bridge into the realm of fine wildlife art in both the quality and creative content of the work compiled in this tome. * Julius T. Csotonyi, palaeoartist and mural illustrator for the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and LA Museum of Natural History, and author of The Paleoart of Julius Csotonyi *A must-have for scientists, scholars and young dino artists! * Creator of Age of Reptiles, concept artist for Jurassic Park III, and character designer for Disney’s Dinosaur *This is an ambitious collection of some of the most breath-catching depictions not only of our world in the past, but our world at any time. Sometimes weird, but often startlingly natural, Mesozoic Art helps us see life in the past not as science fiction, but living, breathing fact. * Dr Elsa Panciroli, palaeontologist, author of Beasts Before Us and The Earth: A Biography of Life *This book offers new, fresh, naturalistic and exciting depictions of our favourite creatures. Prehistoric Animals are not monsters and these young artists give them the respect they deserve. No doubt Mesozoic Art will inspire a whole new generation of Palaeoartists! * David Krentz, palaeoartist, designer, concept artist, storyboard artist on Prehistoric Planet, Emmy award-winning concept artist on Primal *I was entranced by the work here…Darren and Steve’s captions also provide an effective, insightful commentary…this is obviously a must-have book for anyone interested in palaeoart…More than that, this feels like a definitive summation of where we’re up to in the world of palaeoart, committed to print to be perused for decades to come. * Love in the Time of Chasmosaurs *The gorgeous paintings are accompanied by thought-provoking notes designed to attract artists and scientists alike…Arts and prehistoric science library collections alike must place Mesozoic Art on their lists of important, key acquisitions. * Donovan’s Recommended Reading *Mesozoic Art pulls together a powerful subset of palaeoartists…The print quality equals that of the best fine art books. Paleontology enthusiasts, and perhaps even Audubon aficionados, will not be disappointed. * New York Journal of Books *Table of ContentsForeword Introduction Artist Profiles Gabriel Ugueto Joschua Knuppe Corben Rainbolt Stephanie Dziezyk Emiliano Troco Lucas Attwell Julia D’Oliveira Midiaou Diallo Joanna Kobierska Jed Taylor Pablo Rivera Greer Stothers John Conway Ville Sinkkonen Danielle Dufault Julio Lacerda Brennan Stokerman Raven Amos Mark Witton Jaime Chirinos Glossary

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Book SynopsisThe climate crisis is here. Our chance to stop it has come and gone, but this doesn't have to mean the world is ending.If you care about the planet, and about the people and animals who live on it, there are two ways to think about this. You can keep on hoping that catastrophe is preventable, and feel ever more frustrated or enraged by the world's inaction. Or you can accept that disaster is coming, and begin to rethink what it means to have hope.'The honesty and realism of Jonathan Franzen's writings on climate have been widely denounced and just as widely celebrated. Here, in his definitive statement on the subject, Franzen confronts the world's failure to avert destabilising climate change and takes up the question: Now what?Trade Review Praise for The End of the End of the Earth: ‘… by refusing to hope for the impossible, Franzen, improbably, manages to produce a volume that feels, if not hopeful, then at least not hopeless. There’s nothing he can do – there’s probably nothing any of us can do – to avert or even alleviate the coming catastrophe. But for now, he’s here and he’s alive, and over the course of these essays he offers us a series of partial, tentative answers to the question he poses himself at the beginning: “ How do we find meaning in our actions when the world seems to be coming to an end?” Guardian ‘Can be read, in part, as a welcome alternative to the current, dominant American political tone of one-note belligerence’ Observer ‘Franzen shows himself to be the kind of unacademic critic who recognises and does not disapprove of the Common Reader’s natural tendency to feel for the characters the author has brought into being’ Scotsman

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Book SynopsisA manifesto?and a field guide?for a new dawn of natural history, practiced by community scientists in their own urban jungle.Imagine taking your smartphone-turned-microscope to an empty lot and discovering a rare mason bee that builds its nest in empty snail shells. Or a miniature spider that hunts ants and carries their corpses around. With a team of citizen scientists, that?s exactly what Menno Schilthuizen did?one instance in the evolutionary biologist?s campaign to take natural science to the urban landscape where most of us live today. In this delightful book, The Urban Naturalist, Schilthuizen invites us to join him, to embark on a new age of discovery, venturing out as intrepid explorers of our own urban habitat?and maybe in the process do the natural world some good.Thanks to the open science revolution, real biological discoveries can now be made by anyone right where they live. Schilthuizen shows readers just how to go about making those discoveries, introducing them to the tools of the trade of the urban community scientist, from the tried and tested (the field notebook, the butterfly net, and the hand lens) to the newfangled (internet resources, low-tech gadgets, and off-the-shelf gizmos). But beyond technology, his book holds the promise of reviving the lost tradition of the citizen scientist?rekindling the spirit of the Victorian naturalist for the modern world.At a time when the only nature most people get to see is urban, The Urban Naturalist demonstrates that understanding the novel ecosystems around us is our best hope for appreciating and protecting biodiversity.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Illuminating ... Modern specialists dismiss [Banks] as a jack of all trades, but Musgrave's claim that he changed our world is not an exaggeration.”—John Carey, Sunday Times“Multifarious he [Mr. Banks] was indeed, and Mr. Musgrave treats us to an extensive, admiring account of his subject’s circuitous route to fame and power.”—Wall Street Journal"Charismatic Sir Joseph Banks discovered hundreds of new plants, but was much more than just an explorer.”—Peter Sheridan, Daily Express“[An] enthusiastic admiration of its subject and commitment to repairing a calumny-damaged reputation”—Steven Shapin, London Review of Books“Readers will get a good idea of the range of Banks' scientific and administrative activities in this book, handled with a light touch and tinctured with wit.”—Brent Elliott, The Garden“It is evident that the author knows a great deal about all aspects of Banks’ life and about contemporaneous affairs...One is left with a clear, rounded picture of Banks as a person...I have no doubt the author will achieve his aim to return Banks to his rightful place in our history.”—Patrick Kaye, Sir Joseph Banks Society Magazine “Musgrave’s book is an engaging picture of how a love of plants can lead to many things, even ‘shaping the world’.”—Sandra Knapp, Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland“An enjoyable and informative text to read, it gives a clear picture of the many-sided interests of [Banks], his networks of power and communication and their outcomes. The author addresses issues such as Banks’s character faults, for example, his egotism, his informal relationships with women, or his colonial aspirations.”—Gina Douglas, Archives of Natural History“In this entertaining biography, Musgrave presents a massive amount of information, as well as drawing widely on Banks’s writings, to illustrate the long-held passion for natural history which Banks pursued from a very young age.”—WSG Bulletin CHOICE 2021 Outstanding Academic Title“Sir Joseph Banks was perhaps the greatest scientist of his age and this book is an inspiration to all as we start to re-examine our relationship with nature.”—Robin Hanbury-Tenison OBE, author of The Great Explorers“Combines depth of research with concise exposition of Banks’s remarkable career.”—John Gascoigne, author of Joseph Banks and the English Enlightenment“At long last - a book that shines new light on such a key figure in history! From botanical gardens to Botany Bay, Joseph Banks’s brilliance radiates throughout this important and highly-readable new biography.”—Vanessa Collingridge, author of Captain Cook"In the inimitable prose of garden historian Toby Musgrave, Banks is brought alive as a key figure in facilitating, among many other things, scientific - particularly botanical - endeavour, as part of the global positioning of Georgian England.”—David Mabberly, author of Botanical Revelation“This well-researched and even-handed biography of Banks confirms his importance as a pioneering scientist, philanthropist and explorer.”—Graham Seal, author of The Savage Shore

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Book Synopsis‘Deep adaptation’ refers to the personal and collective changes that might help us to prepare for – and live with – a climate-influenced breakdown or collapse of our societies. It is a framework for responding to the terrifying realization of increasing disruption by committing ourselves to reducing suffering while saving more of society and the natural world. This is the first book to show how professionals across different sectors are beginning to incorporate the acceptance of likely or unfolding societal breakdown into their work and lives. They do not assume that our current economic, social and political systems can be made resilient in the face of climate change but, instead, they demonstrate the caring and creative ways that people are responding to the most difficult realization with which humanity may ever have to come to terms. Edited by the originator of the concept of deep adaptation, Jem Bendell, and a leading climate activist and strategist, Rupert Read, this book is the essential introduction to the concept, practice and emerging global movement of Deep Adaptation to climate chaos.Trade Review“The authors of this book have courage to recognise the reality of our time and face the uncomfortable facts of climate calamity. The theme of this book is indeed scary. But it’s full of bright ideas for how to transmute both fear and difficulty into kind and wise ways of living and working. The thinkers, academics and activists who have contributed to this book embody the wisdom to adapt to this unprecedented catastrophe. They also show the practical ways and means to live and act with the imagination and resilience. Not everyone would agree to these radical ideas but everyone needs to know about them. So, I recommend this book to all.”Satish Kumar, Editor Emeritus Resurgence & Ecologist and Founder, Schumacher College“This book is the “red pill” of our times, offering neither certainty nor confirmation of any story you may be holding about where we are heading in the face of so many colliding crises. What it does offer is togetherness in our insecurity and frameworks in our unknowing for coming to terms with and making sense of these times. I look forward to both “deep adaptation” and “collapsology” entering mainstream discourse, so that we might then imagine creating together, as our current paradigm crumbles.”Gail Bradbrook, co-founder, Extinction Rebellion“The contributors are unafraid to challenge conventional wisdom on the climate crisis and go against the grain with a provocative assessment of what we are now able to achieve and where we should focus our efforts.”Ecologist“Collapse followed by transformation is a common way that complex systems evolve. Perhaps collapse of our high consumption, climate-destabilising society can lead to transformation towards a brighter human future. The Deep Adaptation framework outlined in this book is a helpful way to seek that transformation.”Professor Will Steffen, Australian National University Climate Change Institute“In this book I am joined by scholars from around the world who seek to be present to the suffering and difficulties of our time. Please turn toward these ideas, not away, to find your own path in a turbulent future.”Joanna Macy, author of A Wild Love for the World“Deep Adaptation is only the beginning – it is one in which we expand our thinking and open ourselves to the possibility of a completely new emergent paradigm, as yet unknown. That fills me with curious hope.”Maddy Harland, Permaculture Magazine“riveting”Times Literary Supplement“Lucid, productive, and necessary… Bendell succeeds in distilling a terrifying future into a series of questions that invite people into conversation. By doing so, he gives us a language to speak the unthinkable.”SalonTable of ContentsIntroduction: what now the limits are breached?Jem Bendell and Rupert ReadPart I: The Predicament1. The scientific case of global over-heating and the root of denial2. Deep Adaptation: a map for navigating climate tragedyJem Bendell3. The reasons for anticipating collapsePablo Servigne, Raphaël Stevens, Gauthier Chapelle, Daniel RodaryPart II: Shifts in Being4. Climate Psychology and its Relevance to Deep AdaptationAdrian Tait5. Deeper implications of societal collapse: co-liberation from the ideology of e-s-c-a-p-e.Jem Bendell6. Unconscious addictions: mapping common responses to climate change and potential climate collapseRene Suša, Sharon Stein, Vanessa Andreotti, Tereza ajkova, Dino Siwek, and the Gesturing Towards Decolonial Collective7. Facilitating Deep Adaptation - enabling more loving conversations about our predicamentKatie Carr and Jem Bendell8. The Great Turning: Reconnecting through CollapseSean Kelly and Joanna MacyPart III: Shifts in Doing9. Leadership and management in a context of deep adaptationJonathan Gosling10. What Matters Most? Deep Education Conversations in a Climate of Change and ComplexityCharlotte Von Bulow and Charlotte Simpson11. Riding two horses: The future of politics and activism, as we face potential eco-driven societal collapseRupert Read12. Relocalisation as Deep AdaptationMatthew Slater and Skeena RathorConcluding the Beginning of Deep AdaptationJem Bendell and Rupert Read

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