History of science Books

5039 products


  • The University of Chicago Press The Dictionary of Nineteenthcentury British Scientists

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisContaining more than 1,200 new entries on both major and minor figures of British science, this four-volume dictionary examines how the theories and practices of scientists were shaped by Victorian beliefs about religion, gender, imperialism, and politics, presenting a rich panorama of the development of science in the nineteenth.

    Out of stock

    £999.99

  • University of Chicago Press The Practical Imagination The German Sciences of

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisDrawing on the work of Foucault and Bourdieu, this book sets out to illuminate the practical imagination as it was exhibited in the transformation of the political and social sciences during 19th-century Germany. Using information from many sources, it examines the learned disciplines of the time.Table of ContentsList of Tables and Figures Acknowledgments Introduction: A Theoretical Framework 1: The Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Background: Classification 2: The French Revolution and Napoleonic Era, 1789-1815: Assimilation 3: The Sciences of State at Their Height, 1815-1840: Deliberation 4: A Period of Transition, 1840-1866: Variation 5: A Truncated Revival, 1866-1890: Organized Research and Charisma 6: The Wilhelminian Era, 1890-1914: Specialization and Clarification Epilogue Appendix: The Data from University Catalogues Abbreviations Bibliography Index

    Out of stock

    £999.99

  • The University of Chicago Press Geography and Revolution

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisExamines the ways in which place and space matter in a variety of revolutionary situations. The authors assemble a set of essays that uncover not only the geography of revolutions but also the role of geography in revolutions.

    Out of stock

    £999.99

  • Choked

    The University of Chicago Press Choked

    2 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    2 in stock

    £28.50

  • The University of Chicago Press Waters of the World The Story of the Scientists

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £999.99

  • University of Chicago Press When Physics Became King

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisAs recently as two hundred years ago, physics as we know it today did not exist. Born in the early nineteenth century during the second scientific revolution, physics struggled at first to achieve legitimacy in the scientific community and culture at large. In fact, the term physicist did not appear in English until the 1830s. When Physics Became King traces the emergence of this revolutionary science, demonstrating how a discipline that barely existed in 1800 came to be regarded a century later as the ultimate key to unlocking nature's secrets. A cultural history designed to provide a big-picture view, the book ably ties advances in the field to the efforts of physicists who worked to win social acceptance for their research. Beginning his tale with the rise of physics from natural philosophy, Iwan Morus chronicles the emergence of mathematical physics in France and its later export to England and Germany. He then elucidates the links between physics and industrialism, the technology of statistical mechanics, and the establishment of astronomical laboratories and precision measurement tools. His tale ends on the eve of the First World War, when physics had firmly established itself in both science and society. Scholars of both history and physics will enjoy this fascinating and studied look at the emergence of a major scientific discipline.

    Out of stock

    £999.99

  • University of Chicago Press Novelties in the Heavens Rhetoric and Science in

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisIn this fascinating work, Jean Dietz Moss shows how the scientific revolution begun by Copernicus brought about another revolution as well--one in which rhetoric, previously used simply to explain scientific thought, became a tool for persuading a skeptical public of the superiority of the Copernican system. Moss describes the nature of dialectical and rhetorical discourse in the period of the Copernican debate to shed new light on the argumentative strategies used by the participants. Against the background of Ptolemy's Almagest, she analyzes the gradual increase of rhetoric beginning with Copernicus's De Revolutionibus and Galileo's Siderius nuncius, through Galileo's debates with the Jesuits Scheiner and Grassi, to the most persuasive work of all, Galileo's Dialogue. The arguments of the Dominicans Bruno and Campanella, the testimony of Johannes Kepler, and the pleas of Scriptural exegetes and the speculations of John Wilkins furnish a counterpoint to the writings of Galileo, the centerpiece of this study. The author places the controversy within its historical frame, creating a coherent narrative movement. She illuminates the reactions of key ecclesiastical and academic figures figures and the general public to the issues. Blending history and rhetorical analysis, this first study to look at rhetoric as defined by sixteenth- and seventeenth-century participants is an original contribution to our understanding of the use of persuasion as an instrument of scientific debate.Table of ContentsChapter 1: The Expansion of Rhetoric into Science Part One: The Celestial Revolution Chapter 2: Copernicus' Revolutionary Thesis Chapter 3: Evidence from the Heavens: Galileo and Kepler Chapter 4: The Significance of the Sunspot Quarrel Part Two: The Hermeneutical Crisis Chapter 5: Interpreting Scripture Chapter 6: Dominicans on the Side of Galileo Chapter Chapter 7: Galileo's Appeal to the Church Part Three: The Triumph of Rhetoric Chapter 8: The Delicate Balance: Galileo versus Grassi Chapter 9: The Final Salve: Galileo's Dialogue Chapter 10: Galileo Interpreted for Englishmen Postscript: Dialectic and Rhetoric in Modern Science

    Out of stock

    £999.99

  • The University of Chicago Press Darwins Most Wonderful Plants A Tour of His Botanical Legacy

    Out of stock

    Out of stock

    £999.99

  • The University of Chicago Press Time Travelers

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £999.99

  • The University of Chicago Press The Origins of Theoretical Population Genetics

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisTracing the development of population genetics through the writings of such luminaries as Darwin, Galton, Pearson, Fisher, Haldane and Wright, this text sheds light on this complex field as well as its bearing on other branches of biology.

    Out of stock

    £999.99

  • The University of Chicago Press The Wardian Case How a Simple Box Moved Plants and Changed the World

    Out of stock

    Trade Review“Environmental historian Keogh charts the history of the Wardian case, a traveling greenhouse, in his fascinating debut. . . . Any gardener fascinated by history will find this well-told story fruitful.” * Publishers Weekly *“Explores how a humble box made of wood and glass changed the course of world history. . . . [A] well-balanced, thoughtful account. . . . Keogh carefully teases out the connections between this innovation and its multiple consequences. . . . An in-depth study that will suit detail-oriented gardeners and natural history buffs.” * Kirkus Reviews *"An airtight box built in the late 1820s of glass panes and a wooden frame, the Wardian case was ingenious in its construction and application. Its inventor, an amiable English physician and amateur botanist named Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward, discovered that plants rooted in moist soil, then hermetically sealed in the box, and that box placed in a sunny location, could grow for weeks, even months, with little maintenance. . . . Keogh tracks the preeminent role, for better or worse, that the Wardian case played over the next century, first in the creation of many of the world’s major botanic gardens, then in the development of a massive international market for nonnative plants, resulting in the colonization of nations for the cultivation of cash crops and the often-ruinous spread of plant pests, diseases, and invasive species. If the Wardian case has long been abandoned for the air-freighting of plant material, Keogh's bittersweet history reveals just how impactful that simple box remains today." * Booklist *“In The Wardian Case, Keogh covers the Ripping Yarns-style consequences of its use: from plant hunters sending back specimens to British nurseries and a gardening public hungry for new ornamental species such as rhododendrons, camellias and fuchsias, the huge economic benefits for empire builders—not only the British (including in Keogh’s native Australia) but French and German and the new territories of the United States. Commercial agricultural crops such as coffee, cocoa, tea, rubber, bananas, and cinchona (from which antimalarial quinine made) were transplanted to continents far from their native home. And, very much in tune with today’s gimlet revisionist eye on colonial history, Keogh examines the dark side of this. While the colonists and investors may have reaped the benefits of these new plantations (sometimes with crops smuggled from their home countries), the indigenous people lost their precious lands to mile-after-mile of monoculture, and were often used as indentured labor in the harshest of conditions.” * Daily Telegraph *"Engrossing, well-illustrated. . . . The tires on your car. The tea in your cup. The exotic plants in your garden or decorating your home. These and many more everyday items that have become part of our lives trace their roots to Ward’s eureka moment. But Keogh’s meticulous, globe-trotting investigation is a sobering reminder of the profound impact humans have had on the planet simply by moving plants." -- Dean Jobb * The Scotsman *"Keogh presents the remarkable story of this chance discovery and its world-changing effects. If you are already familiar with Wardian cases, you’ll be delighted with this opportunity to learn the fascinating history of their discovery and development. And if you’re unfamiliar with them, this book will introduce you to one of the most on-the-surface mundane but in reality most world-changing technological innovations of the nineteenth century." -- Johannes E. Riutta * Well-read Naturalist *"Keogh’s book, the first to discuss the Wardian case, really explains how this invention drove the revolution in plant relocation. He steps back through time to paint a vivid picture of Dr. Ward, his associations with both amateur and professional horticulturalists, and how the exploration in remote regions of the world—along with the successful transportation of then-unknown plants—forever changed our botanical world. Of course, nineteenth-century imperialism reared its ugly head during this era and that too is addressed by Keogh. Whether you are interested in collections of rare orchids, the history of quinine plantations, expansion of tea growing regions in the world, or the early days of rubber trees, this book covers it all in amazing well-researched detail. Our world has been changed dramatically due to this one invention, and for that reason alone it is well worth reading about." -- Elaine Holden * Monadnock Ledger-Transcript *"The Wardian case was nothing more than a simple wooden box. Yet it’s no exaggeration to say that this box literally changed the world we live in. Now an Aussie environmental historian has chronicled its remarkable history in an entertaining new book. If you’re a sucker for tales about early plant explorers (as I am) this is an eye-opening read. It made me realize the debt we gardeners owe to Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward, a medical doctor and amateur botanist who devised the box (a forerunner to the modern terrarium) to help plants survive in the dirty air of Victorian London. . . . Predictably, all the botanical bustling about the globe had a downside. Invasive species spread too and the soil used in the boxes transported myriad diseases and bugs. But what happened makes a great story, and Keogh tells it well. The photos are also fascinating." * Trellis *"Keogh documents many such examples of desirable plant translocations: tea, bananas, fever bark, orchids, cacao, and others of horticultural interest. Alongside the desirable plants, pests were also moved, and such global ecological alteration is also part of the story. Keogh details these plant introductions and related scientific studies, set within the cultural and expeditionary context of a network of influential scientists, colonists of varied circumstances, and government colonizers, along with biographical notes on the plant explorers whose efforts were critical to these ventures. Recommended." * Choice *"The Wardian Case is abundantly illustrated, meticulously researched and evidence-based—more than thirty pages of detailed notes supplement the text—and engagingly written. Keogh is to be congratulated on bringing the story of this humble, but world-changing, box to greater prominence and to the attention of all, and adding to the debate about botanical Imperialism. This is powerful plants-and-people fare!" * Botany One *"Keogh’s research resurrects a vanished technology and makes possible a new set of questions about the events it silently witnessed." * Victorian Studies *Top 10 Books of 2020 * American Horticultural Society *“Gutenberg’s printing press, Bell’s telephone, and the Wrights’ flying machine transformed the world. So did Nathaniel Ward’s revolutionary plant box. The Wardian Case is brilliantly researched and fairly presents dual legacies of botanical introduction and unintended consequence.” -- Michael Dosmann, keeper of the Living Collections, Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University“The Wardian Case gives us profuse examples of how the case made possible some of the important botanical introductions into Europe and other countries, and how it was used (successfully and less so) in practice. We learn how the case evolved and changed after Ward died in 1868. Then there are the problems caused by transporting plants and their soil around the world, leading to invasive plants and animals. Along the way we hear about various botanical journeys and expeditions and some of the movements of important crop plants, such as rubber, bananas, tea, and cinchona. Fresh, fascinating, and largely untold, the story of nineteenth-century surgeon and naturalist Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward, his ‘big’ invention, and its impact on the world then and now deserves the kind of scholarship Keogh provides.” -- Tim Entwisle, director and chief executive, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (Australia)“The Wardian Case explores how a seemingly mundane piece of Victorian technology has transformed global environments, in large ways and small, by facilitating the global exchange of living plants. Detailed and nuanced, it is not just the history of an object, but also of a national and then global network of people interested in long-distance plant transfers. It shows how the Wardian case helped create new kinds of social, biological, and ecological connections between distant parts of the world, from the early nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. Keogh’s writing is vivid and lively, and the book sparkles when he describes Ward’s houses and his broader world. Elsewhere it is filled with rich images—of children in India struggling to carry heavy Wardian cases, of Japanese carpenters trying to figure out how to build a Wardian case, of new species of worms from Southeast Asia appearing in Kew, and of the author’s own encounter with the ecological legacy of the Wardian case, with his sons on a beach in Australia. Engaging and accessible, this is a significant contribution.” -- Stuart McCook, University of Guelph, author of "Coffee Is Not Forever: A Global History of the Coffee Leaf Rust""The Wardian Case, with its quality illustrations, informative graphs and maps, together with clear and vivid prose, makes it an insightful read and a valuable contribution to the field of environmental history. It brings to the fore the ecological legacy of the Wardian case – today’s world of cash-crop plantations and plant diseases that threaten native species. In short, it deserves a wide readership both inside and outside academia." * History Australia *Table of ContentsIntroduction Part 1. Possibilities 1. Experiments with Plants 2. A Brief History of the Plant Box 3. Global Gardens 4. Science at Sea 5. On the Move 6. House of Ward Part 2. Panoramas 7. Logistics of Beauty 8. Kew’s Case 9. Case of Colonialism 10. Burning Questions 11. Wardian Cages Conclusion: Case Closed? Acknowledgments Notes Index

    Out of stock

    £999.99

  • The University of Chicago Press The Peoples Peking Man

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisOffers a social history of Chinese paleoanthropology and a cultural - and at times comparative - history of assumptions and debates about what it means to be human. Focusing on issues that push against the boundaries of science and politics, this book offers an innovative approach to modern Chinese history and the history of science.Trade Review"This is one of the few books on science in twentieth-century China, a burgeoning area of research, and the first book on popular science in China. The People's Peking Man unquestionably breaks new ground." - Fa-ti Fan, Binghamton University"

    Out of stock

    £999.99

  • The University of Chicago Press The Mantle of the Earth

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisTrade Review"In its ambitious scope and humanistic approach, the book is an excellent example of the erudite scholarship that traces the emergence and mutability of an earthly imagination manifest in changing cartographic practices over time. . . . There is, for example, a brilliant exposé of how, in Renaissance Europe, the dissection of the mantle by mapmakers echoed the contemporaneous slicing open and pinning back of the tissues of the human body in anatomical science. . . . As an account of ideas and artifacts The Mantle of the Earth provides a sweeping backdrop to current-day scientific technologies and practices." -- Deborah P. Dixon * Science *"Although appropriated by geophysics the Mantle of the Earth has a much longer history magnificently narrated by della Dora. She gives to the critical zones a much richer mythical dimension combining metaphors of weaving and unveiling all the way to Gaia. A masterpiece." -- Bruno Latour"della Dora unfolds a sweeping history of geographical imaginations that shows indelibly how constructions of global space are bound up with the epistemological presumptions and social preoccupations of the periods in which they emerge. The book will be indispensable for cultural historians of cartography and environmental thought as well as rewarding for scholars of the specific cultural contexts that feature in the genealogies. Further,The Mantle of the Earth has resonances beyond scholarship in that it holds out alternative ways of contemplating the earth against a backdrop of global environmental change." * Imago Mundi *"The Earth's mantle constitutes a major concept in modern geosciences.. Veronica Della Dora's book invites us to go beyond our modern definitions of the object to explore the genealogy of the term." * Metascience *“Probing the constellation of meanings that the earth’s mantle has thrown up in European and North American history from antiquity to the present day, della Dora offers nothing less than a genealogy of our attitudes to the earth and its environments. Polyglot, profound, and at times poetic, The Mantle of the Earth is an astonishing intellectual history with vital resonances to our present planetary condition.” -- Robert J. Mayhew, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol“The Mantle of the Earth is an exceptional book. Thoroughly researched, endlessly interesting, and beautifully written, it takes a notion that seems straightforward and explores it in multiple insightful and productive ways. Its breadth is quite extraordinary. Della Dora also wears her learning lightly, until you start looking at the notes, which are staggeringly erudite. Fabulous.” -- Stuart Elden, University of Warwick, author of "The Birth of Territory," "Shakespearean Territories," and "Canguilhem"“An ambitious, wide-ranging, and detailed inquiry into a compellingly evident (yet underexamined) topic, namely, the metaphor of the earth’s mantle (or veil) and the intellectual genealogy and representational geography of this term. Notions of fabrication—in weaving; in the textures of surfaces; and in maps, as veils and as substantive forms of earthly representation—are employed with ease and insight. Clear, with hardly a word of jargon and numerous well-chosen illustrations that help illuminate the text, The Mantle of the Earth is impressive in its scholarly depth and range.” -- Charles W. J. Withers, Geographer Royal for Scotland, professor emeritus, University of EdinburgTable of ContentsIntroduction: On Mantles, Maps, and MetaphorsPart I: Clothing Creation 1. Mythical Cloaks 2. Biblical and Byzantine Garments 3. Medieval VerniclesPart II: Unveiling Space 4. Renaissance Stage Curtains 5. Drapes, Lights, and Shadows 6. Romantic VeilsPart III: The Surfaces of Modernity 7. The Surfaces of Geography 8. Pierced Surfaces and Parted Veils 9. The Green MantlePart IV: Weaving Worlds 10. Cartographic Embroideries 11. The Digital Skin Epilogue Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Notes Bibliography Index

    Out of stock

    £999.99

  • The University of Chicago Press The Sloth Lemurs Song

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £999.99

  • University of Chicago Press The Wardian Case

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisTrade Review“Environmental historian Keogh charts the history of the Wardian case, a traveling greenhouse, in his fascinating debut. . . . Any gardener fascinated by history will find this well-told story fruitful.” * Publishers Weekly *“Explores how a humble box made of wood and glass changed the course of world history. . . . [A] well-balanced, thoughtful account. . . . Keogh carefully teases out the connections between this innovation and its multiple consequences. . . . An in-depth study that will suit detail-oriented gardeners and natural history buffs.” * Kirkus Reviews *"An airtight box built in the late 1820s of glass panes and a wooden frame, the Wardian case was ingenious in its construction and application. Its inventor, an amiable English physician and amateur botanist named Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward, discovered that plants rooted in moist soil, then hermetically sealed in the box, and that box placed in a sunny location, could grow for weeks, even months, with little maintenance. . . . Keogh tracks the preeminent role, for better or worse, that the Wardian case played over the next century, first in the creation of many of the world’s major botanic gardens, then in the development of a massive international market for nonnative plants, resulting in the colonization of nations for the cultivation of cash crops and the often-ruinous spread of plant pests, diseases, and invasive species. If the Wardian case has long been abandoned for the air-freighting of plant material, Keogh's bittersweet history reveals just how impactful that simple box remains today." * Booklist *“In The Wardian Case, Keogh covers the Ripping Yarns-style consequences of its use: from plant hunters sending back specimens to British nurseries and a gardening public hungry for new ornamental species such as rhododendrons, camellias and fuchsias, the huge economic benefits for empire builders—not only the British (including in Keogh’s native Australia) but French and German and the new territories of the United States. Commercial agricultural crops such as coffee, cocoa, tea, rubber, bananas, and cinchona (from which antimalarial quinine made) were transplanted to continents far from their native home. And, very much in tune with today’s gimlet revisionist eye on colonial history, Keogh examines the dark side of this. While the colonists and investors may have reaped the benefits of these new plantations (sometimes with crops smuggled from their home countries), the indigenous people lost their precious lands to mile-after-mile of monoculture, and were often used as indentured labor in the harshest of conditions.” * Daily Telegraph *"Engrossing, well-illustrated. . . . The tires on your car. The tea in your cup. The exotic plants in your garden or decorating your home. These and many more everyday items that have become part of our lives trace their roots to Ward’s eureka moment. But Keogh’s meticulous, globe-trotting investigation is a sobering reminder of the profound impact humans have had on the planet simply by moving plants." -- Dean Jobb * The Scotsman *"Keogh presents the remarkable story of this chance discovery and its world-changing effects. If you are already familiar with Wardian cases, you’ll be delighted with this opportunity to learn the fascinating history of their discovery and development. And if you’re unfamiliar with them, this book will introduce you to one of the most on-the-surface mundane but in reality most world-changing technological innovations of the nineteenth century." -- Johannes E. Riutta * Well-read Naturalist *"Keogh’s book, the first to discuss the Wardian case, really explains how this invention drove the revolution in plant relocation. He steps back through time to paint a vivid picture of Dr. Ward, his associations with both amateur and professional horticulturalists, and how the exploration in remote regions of the world—along with the successful transportation of then-unknown plants—forever changed our botanical world. Of course, nineteenth-century imperialism reared its ugly head during this era and that too is addressed by Keogh. Whether you are interested in collections of rare orchids, the history of quinine plantations, expansion of tea growing regions in the world, or the early days of rubber trees, this book covers it all in amazing well-researched detail. Our world has been changed dramatically due to this one invention, and for that reason alone it is well worth reading about." -- Elaine Holden * Monadnock Ledger-Transcript *"The Wardian case was nothing more than a simple wooden box. Yet it’s no exaggeration to say that this box literally changed the world we live in. Now an Aussie environmental historian has chronicled its remarkable history in an entertaining new book. If you’re a sucker for tales about early plant explorers (as I am) this is an eye-opening read. It made me realize the debt we gardeners owe to Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward, a medical doctor and amateur botanist who devised the box (a forerunner to the modern terrarium) to help plants survive in the dirty air of Victorian London. . . . Predictably, all the botanical bustling about the globe had a downside. Invasive species spread too and the soil used in the boxes transported myriad diseases and bugs. But what happened makes a great story, and Keogh tells it well. The photos are also fascinating." * Trellis *"Keogh documents many such examples of desirable plant translocations: tea, bananas, fever bark, orchids, cacao, and others of horticultural interest. Alongside the desirable plants, pests were also moved, and such global ecological alteration is also part of the story. Keogh details these plant introductions and related scientific studies, set within the cultural and expeditionary context of a network of influential scientists, colonists of varied circumstances, and government colonizers, along with biographical notes on the plant explorers whose efforts were critical to these ventures. Recommended." * Choice *"The Wardian Case is abundantly illustrated, meticulously researched and evidence-based—more than thirty pages of detailed notes supplement the text—and engagingly written. Keogh is to be congratulated on bringing the story of this humble, but world-changing, box to greater prominence and to the attention of all, and adding to the debate about botanical Imperialism. This is powerful plants-and-people fare!" * Botany One *"Keogh’s research resurrects a vanished technology and makes possible a new set of questions about the events it silently witnessed." * Victorian Studies *Top 10 Books of 2020 * American Horticultural Society *“Gutenberg’s printing press, Bell’s telephone, and the Wrights’ flying machine transformed the world. So did Nathaniel Ward’s revolutionary plant box. The Wardian Case is brilliantly researched and fairly presents dual legacies of botanical introduction and unintended consequence.” -- Michael Dosmann, keeper of the Living Collections, Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University“The Wardian Case gives us profuse examples of how the case made possible some of the important botanical introductions into Europe and other countries, and how it was used (successfully and less so) in practice. We learn how the case evolved and changed after Ward died in 1868. Then there are the problems caused by transporting plants and their soil around the world, leading to invasive plants and animals. Along the way we hear about various botanical journeys and expeditions and some of the movements of important crop plants, such as rubber, bananas, tea, and cinchona. Fresh, fascinating, and largely untold, the story of nineteenth-century surgeon and naturalist Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward, his ‘big’ invention, and its impact on the world then and now deserves the kind of scholarship Keogh provides.” -- Tim Entwisle, director and chief executive, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (Australia)“The Wardian Case explores how a seemingly mundane piece of Victorian technology has transformed global environments, in large ways and small, by facilitating the global exchange of living plants. Detailed and nuanced, it is not just the history of an object, but also of a national and then global network of people interested in long-distance plant transfers. It shows how the Wardian case helped create new kinds of social, biological, and ecological connections between distant parts of the world, from the early nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. Keogh’s writing is vivid and lively, and the book sparkles when he describes Ward’s houses and his broader world. Elsewhere it is filled with rich images—of children in India struggling to carry heavy Wardian cases, of Japanese carpenters trying to figure out how to build a Wardian case, of new species of worms from Southeast Asia appearing in Kew, and of the author’s own encounter with the ecological legacy of the Wardian case, with his sons on a beach in Australia. Engaging and accessible, this is a significant contribution.” -- Stuart McCook, University of Guelph, author of "Coffee Is Not Forever: A Global History of the Coffee Leaf Rust""The Wardian Case, with its quality illustrations, informative graphs and maps, together with clear and vivid prose, makes it an insightful read and a valuable contribution to the field of environmental history. It brings to the fore the ecological legacy of the Wardian case – today’s world of cash-crop plantations and plant diseases that threaten native species. In short, it deserves a wide readership both inside and outside academia." * History Australia *Table of ContentsIntroduction Part 1. Possibilities 1. Experiments with Plants 2. A Brief History of the Plant Box 3. Global Gardens 4. Science at Sea 5. On the Move 6. House of Ward Part 2. Panoramas 7. Logistics of Beauty 8. Kew’s Case 9. Case of Colonialism 10. Burning Questions 11. Wardian Cages Conclusion: Case Closed? Acknowledgments Notes Index

    Out of stock

    £27.41

  • How Life Works

    The University of Chicago Press How Life Works

    1 in stock

    1 in stock

    £19.22

  • The University of Chicago Press Watching Vesuvius A History of Science and

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisMount Vesuvius has been famous ever since its eruption in 79 CE, when it destroyed and buried the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. In this title, the author argues that this investigation and engagement with Vesuvius was paramount to the development of modern volcanology.Trade Review"Watching Vesuvius explores the question of Vesuvius as an object of study in the early modern science of volcanism from the investigations and opinions of humanists and naturalists in the late Renaissance to the early eighteenth-century philosophizing on volcanoes and the development of geology later in the century. Around this history of science, Sean Cocco weaves a deep cultural history of the relationship between nature and culture in the theories and practices of the peoples in the city of Naples." (John A. Marino, University of California, San Diego)"

    Out of stock

    £999.99

  • The University of Chicago Press The Science of Deception Psychology and Commerce

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisSuitable for scholars and general readers alike, this title brings together the story of deception in American commercial culture with its growing use in the discipline of psychology. It reveals how deception came to be something that psychologists studied and also employed to establish their authority.Trade Review"What if psychology was not just the heir of philosophy or physiology, as so many disciplinary histories have implied, but instead emerged through an engagement with the deceptive practices of the marketplace, from the 'low' humbuggery of carnival shows to the duplicity of corporate managers? Michael Pettit's wide-ranging and entertaining book maps out this alternative cultural history of American psychology in compelling terms." (Ken Alder, author of The Lie Detectors: The History of an American Obsession)"

    Out of stock

    £999.99

  • University of Illinois Press Science on the Home Front American Women

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisA critical assay of the rhetorical and cultural obstacles faced by women scientistsTrade Review"Recommended."--Choice"Jack does an excellent job of expanding notions of genre, arguing that scientific genres not only regulated gender norms and determined access to knowledge and expertise, they also decided who could speak within the academy and whose work was considered valuable."--Rhetoric & Public Affairs"Jordynn Jack is the first to tell in splendid detail what opportunities existed during World War II for scientific women, what they accomplished, and what barriers remained. No other books are comparable to this excellent text."--Londa Schiebinger, author of Nature's Body: Gender in the Making of Modern Science"Jack has worked insightfully through a wide variety of documents that have been less studied, and she introduces important women psychologists, anthropologists, physicists, and nutritionists whose stories have been neglected. A stimulating and compelling work about gender and genre in science."--Ann B. Shteir, coeditor of Figuring It Out: Science, Gender, and Visual CultureTable of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Introduction 1 1. Women Psychologists Forecast Opportunity 13 2. Women Anthropologists Study Japanese Internment 40 3. Women Physicists on the Manhattan Project 71 4. Women Nutritionists on the National Research Council 99 Conclusion: Regendering Scientific Cultures 127 Notes 139 Bibliography 145 Index 159

    Out of stock

    £999.99

  • University of Illinois Press Science on the Home Front

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisA critical assay of the rhetorical and cultural obstacles faced by women scientistsTrade Review"Recommended."--Choice"Jack does an excellent job of expanding notions of genre, arguing that scientific genres not only regulated gender norms and determined access to knowledge and expertise, they also decided who could speak within the academy and whose work was considered valuable."--Rhetoric & Public Affairs"Jordynn Jack is the first to tell in splendid detail what opportunities existed during World War II for scientific women, what they accomplished, and what barriers remained. No other books are comparable to this excellent text."--Londa Schiebinger, author of Nature's Body: Gender in the Making of Modern Science"Jack has worked insightfully through a wide variety of documents that have been less studied, and she introduces important women psychologists, anthropologists, physicists, and nutritionists whose stories have been neglected. A stimulating and compelling work about gender and genre in science."--Ann B. Shteir, coeditor of Figuring It Out: Science, Gender, and Visual CultureTable of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Introduction 1 1. Women Psychologists Forecast Opportunity 13 2. Women Anthropologists Study Japanese Internment 40 3. Women Physicists on the Manhattan Project 71 4. Women Nutritionists on the National Research Council 99 Conclusion: Regendering Scientific Cultures 127 Notes 139 Bibliography 145 Index 159

    Out of stock

    £999.99

  • OD Naloxone and the Politics of Overdose Inside

    MIT Press Ltd OD Naloxone and the Politics of Overdose Inside

    10 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe history of an unnatural disaster—drug overdose—and the emergence of naloxone as a social and technological solution.For years, drug overdose was unmentionable in polite society. OD was understood to be something that took place in dark alleys—an ugly death awaiting social deviants—neither scientifically nor clinically interesting. But over the last several years, overdose prevention has become the unlikely object of a social movement, powered by the miracle drug naloxone. In OD, Nancy Campbell charts the emergence of naloxone as a technological fix for overdose and describes the remaking of overdose into an experience recognized as common, predictable, patterned—and, above all, preventable. Naloxone, which made resuscitation, rescue, and “reversal” after an overdose possible, became a tool for shifting law, policy, clinical medicine, and science toward harm reduction. Liberated from emergency room protocols and distributed in take

    10 in stock

    £33.00

  • MIT Press Ltd A Heart Afire

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisA deeply compelling biography of the pioneering children’s heart doctor Helen Taussig, who helped start heart surgery and became a global force against preventable suffering.In A Heart Afire, Patricia Meisol renders a moving portrait of the indomitable pediatrician and global patient activist Helen Taussig (1898-1986), who famously gathered and publicized evidence linking thalidomide to birth defects, leading to US drug safety laws. Taussig also developed the Blalock-Taussig shunt (along with Alfred Blalock) for infants with congenital heart defects. Spanning Taussig’s childhood in Boston, her struggle with dyslexia, her progressive hearing loss, her research contributions, and the founding of her own fledgling children’s heart clinic, this book chronicles Taussig’s ambition, tenacity, and formidable work ethic. As Meisol shows, Taussig not only saved lives, but also set a bold precedent for other women doctors in the twentieth century, who

    2 in stock

    £28.80

  • Chinas Transition to Modernity

    University of Washington Press Chinas Transition to Modernity

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisTrade Review"This book invites us to a deeper reflection on the split between the humanities and the sciences. . . .This highly erudite book will surely reach a broad audience among historians of science and philosophy in China." -- Thierry Meynard * Journal of Jesuit Studies *"Hu’s book offers the reader a treasure trove of diverse stories from 17th and 18th century Chinese intellectual history that are important to understand the genesis and legacy of Dai’s thought." -- Manuel Sassmann * Monumenta Serica *"This admirable book casts new light on an 18th-century Chinese intellectual giant and on the complex interplay within and between politics and ideas during that time of dynastic vigor and cultural self-confidence. . . . [It] belongs on the short must-read list of all advanced students of 'early modern' Chinese history. Essential." * Choice *"Anyone interested in eighteenth-century Chinese intellectual history should be grateful to Minghui Hu. . . . Hu’s revisionist study sheds new light on the innovativeness of Dai Zhen’s learning and thinking, enriching our understanding of the scientific and technical dimensions of kaozheng scholarship." -- On-cho Ng * Journal of Asian Studies *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments 1. The Man and His Times 2. How Jesuit Science Conquered the Kangxi Court 3. Searching for Truth in the Origins of Civilizations 4. How to Build a Coalition around Science 5. An Outsider Enters the Mainstream 6. How to Dethrone Jesuit Science 7. Bringing It Home to the Palace of LightMonumenta Serica 8. Legibility of Visionary Scholars Notes Bibliography Index

    2 in stock

    £91.00

  • Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group Chasing Venus

    Out of stock

    Out of stock

    £999.99

  • Brave Genius

    Random House USA Inc Brave Genius

    10 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe never-before-told account of the intersection of some of the most insightful minds of the 20th century, and a fascinating look at how war, resistance, and friendship can catalyze genius. In the spring of 1940, the aspiring but unknown writer Albert Camus and budding scientist Jacques Monod were quietly pursuing ordinary, separate lives in Paris. After the German invasion and occupation of France, each joined the Resistance to help liberate the country from the Nazis and ascended to prominent, dangerous roles. After the war and through twists of circumstance, they became friends, and through their passionate determination and rare talent they emerged as leading voices of modern literature and biology, each receiving the Nobel Prize in their respective fields.  Drawing upon a wealth of previously unpublished and unknown material gathered over several years of research, Brave Genius tells the story of how each man endured the most terrible episode of the twentieth century and then blossomed into extraordinarily creative and engaged individuals. It is a story of the transformation of ordinary lives into exceptional lives by extraordinary events--of courage in the face of overwhelming adversity, the flowering of creative genius, deep friendship, and of profound concern for and insight into the human condition.

    10 in stock

    £15.19

  • Caesars Last Breath

    Little, Brown & Company Caesars Last Breath

    10 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    10 in stock

    £16.99

  • Early Greek Science

    W. W. Norton & Company Early Greek Science

    10 in stock

    Book SynopsisAlthough there is no exact equivalent to our term science in Greek, Western science may still be said to have originated with the Greeks, for they were the first to attempt to explain natural phenomena consistently in naturalistic terms, and they initiated the practices of rational criticism of scientific theories.

    10 in stock

    £15.20

  • The Reluctant Mr Darwin An Intimate Portrait of

    WW Norton & Co The Reluctant Mr Darwin An Intimate Portrait of

    10 in stock

    Book Synopsis"Quammen brilliantly and powerfully re-creates the 19th century naturalist's intellectual and spiritual journey."--Los Angeles Times Book Review

    10 in stock

    £12.34

  • Shores of Knowledge

    WW Norton & Co Shores of Knowledge

    10 in stock

    Book SynopsisAn engrossing history of the voyages of exploration that ignited curiosity about nature and gave birth to modern science.Trade Review"Ranges across 400 years of history with characters from Christopher Columbus to Charles Darwin. Shores of Knowledge explains how the curiosity of Old Europe broke free of church dogma, creating the world we inhabit today." "A unique perspective... Appleby tells it through the contributions of an array of characters-explorers, writers, collectors and early naturalists- giving the reader a sense of the progress over the centuries as seen through their eyes." -- Marcia Bartusiak "An ambitious book that covers the sweep of history from Columbus to Darwin-and finds unexpected kinship between explorers and scientists of those centuries... Fascinating!" -- Mark Anderson, author of The Day the World Discovered the Sun "An invigorating journey through time and space, shedding insight into the relationship between science and society." -- John Gribbin, author of Erwin Schrodinger and the Quantum Revolution "Like an exotic seed washed up from a distant land, Joyce Appleby's Shores of Knowledge blossoms in marvelous ways. This supple and sparkling chronicle of discovery shows why even Columbus was baffled by his myriad discoveries, and how Europeans gradually decoded the mysteries of the New World. A lucid account of cultural transmission." -- Laurence Bergreen, author of Columbus "Christopher Columbus's landing in the Western Hemisphere in 1492 marked a decisive moment in world history. But as Joyce Appleby argues in this lucid and economically written survey of scientific thought, its intellectual impact unfolded gradually. In riveting prose, she shows how American geography, peoples, flora, and fauna forced European scientists to alter their understanding of nature. Those interested in the intersection of exploration and scientific knowledge should book passage on Professor Appleby's charming, story-filled journey across the Atlantic and back again." -- Peter Mancall, author of The Fatal Journey

    10 in stock

    £12.99

  • A Brief History of Creation Science and the

    WW Norton & Co A Brief History of Creation Science and the

    10 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe epic story of the scientists through the ages who have sought answers to life’s biggest mystery: How did it begin?Trade Review"A fascinating, fast-paced tour through the ages of how some of the greatest minds and characters in history have pondered one of the greatest questions in science…[A] rich, masterfully woven tale of our still-evolving ideas about life and how it came to be." -- Sean B. Carroll, author of Brave Genius and Remarkable Creatures"Far more accurate and up-to-date than any previous work targeted to the general public." -- James Strick - Science"A wonderful new history of debates about the origin of life." -- Adam Frank - NPR"Thoroughly engaging…An absorbing account…A Brief History of Creation reveals as much about the process of science as it does about the puzzle of the origin of life. That’s no mean achievement." -- John Farrell - Wall Street Journal"A well-written and lively account of the science and history behind one of the most fascinating questions in science—how animate matter emerged from inanimate matter—enriched by engaging portraits of the scientists involved and a feel for the very human scientific enterprise at work." -- Alan Lightman, Professor of the Practice of the Humanities, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and author of Einstein’s Dreams"A joyous and infinitely readable history of our ongoing quest to know how we came to be. Mesler and Cleaves elegantly narrate the evolution of philosophical and scientific inquiry, infusing the subject with all the dramatic intrigue it deserves and bringing historical figures to life as vividly as characters in a novel. A thrilling read." -- Nina Siegal, author of The Anatomy Lesson"With fully accessible and engaging prose, artfully weaving history, philosophy, and science, Bill Mesler and H. James Cleaves II tell what is perhaps the greatest of all scientific stories, the quest to understand the origin of life." -- Marcelo Gleiser, Appleton Professor of Natural Philosophy, Dartmouth College, and author of The Island of Knowledge

    10 in stock

    £12.34

  • Symphony in C

    WW Norton & Co Symphony in C

    10 in stock

    Book SynopsisA Science News Favorite Book of 2019 An enchanting biography of the most resonant—and most necessary—chemical element on Earth.Trade Review"Covering topics from carbon’s ancient origins to the threats that carbon compounds pose to our future climate, Hazen’s book is a fascinating read. Symphony in C chronicles cutting-edge science that’s helping researchers make better sense of the carbon-rich world around us." -- Science News"From the Big Bang to coal, carbohydrates, and ultra-strong high-tech nanofibers, Robert M. Hazen provides an illuminating and enjoyable guide to the remarkable odyssey of carbon, the element of life. Enjoy the trip!" -- Andrew Knoll, Fisher Professor of Natural History, Harvard University"A valuable and welcome explanation of why we would do well to pay more attention to the sixth element—and of how much more remains to be discovered about its planetary role through time." -- Nature"C is the element carbon. C is a musical note. Scientist-musician Hazen uses the element and the note to compose a symphonic masterpiece that reveals how the primitive life that began on our planet four billion years ago has evolved into Darwin’s ‘endless forms most beautiful.’" -- David W. Deamer, author of Assembling Life"Hazen’s virtuoso performance captures the wonder of the sixth element—from volcanic gases to al dente pasta to life’s very beginnings—while telling the wonderful stories about the people behind the discoveries." -- Terry Plank, Arthur D. Storke Memorial Professor of Geochemistry, Columbia University"This book is an incredibly rich story of carbon and its role in of life. Hazen has outdone himself in delivering an engaging, edifying, great read. If you don’t know why carbon is important in your life, or even if you think you do, you should put down whatever you’re reading and get this book." -- Paul G. Falkowski, author of Life’s Engines

    10 in stock

    £19.94

  • The Discoverers A History of Mans Search to Know

    Random House USA Inc The Discoverers A History of Mans Search to Know

    10 in stock

    Book SynopsisAn original history of man's greatest adventure: his search to discover the world around him.  In the compendious history, Boorstin not only traces man's insatiable need to know, but also the obstacles to discovery and the illusion that knowledge can also put in our way. Covering time, the earth and the seas, nature and society, he gathers and analyzes stories of the man's profound quest to understand his world and the cosmos.

    10 in stock

    £19.22

  • Penguin Publishing Group Emc2

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisTrade Review"This is not a physics book. It is a history of where the equation [E=mc2] came from and how it has changed the world. After a short chapter on the equation's birth, Bodanis presents its five symbolic ancestors in sequence, each with its own chapter and each with rich human stories of achievement and failure, encouragement and duplicity, love and rivalry, politics and revenge. Readers meet not only famous scientists at their best and worst but also such famous and infamous characters as Voltaire and Marat...Bodanis includes detailed, lively and fascinating back matter...His acknowledgements end, 'I loved writing this book.' It shows." —The Cleveland Plain Dealer"E=mc2, focusing on the 1905 theory of special relativity, is just what its subtitle says it is: a biography of the world's most famous equation, and it succeeds beautifully. For the first time, I really feel that I understand the meaning and implications of that equation, as Bodanis takes us through each symbol separately, including the = sign...there is a great 'aha!' awaiting the lay reader." —St. Louis Post-Dispatch"'The equation that changed everything' is familiar to even the most physics-challenged, but it remains a fuzzy abstraction to most. Science writer Bodanis makes it a lot more clear." —Discover"Excellent...With wit and style, he explains every factor in the world's most famous and least understood equation....Every page is rich with surprising anecdotes about everything from Einstein's youth to the behind-the-scenes workings of the Roosevelt administration. Here's a prediction: E=mc2 is one of those odd, original, and handsomely written books that will prove more popular than even its publisher suspects." —Nashville Scene"You'll learn more in these 300 pages about folks like Faraday, Lavoisier, Davy and Rutherford than you will in many a science course...a clearly written, astonishingly understandable book that celebrates human achievement and provides some idea of the underlying scientific orderliness and logic that guides the stars and rules the universe." —Parade"Bodanis truly has a gift for bringing his subject matter to life." —Library Journal [starred review]"Entertaining...With anecdotes and illustrations, Bodanis effectively opens up E=mc2 to the widest audience." —Booklist"Accessible...he seeks, and deserves, many readers who know no physics. They'll learn a handful-more important, they'll enjoy it, and pick up a load of biographical and cultural curios along the way." —Publishers WeeklyTable of ContentsPrefacePart 1: Birth1. Bern Patent Office, 1905Part 2: Ancestors of E=mc²2. E is for Energy3. =4. m Is for mass5. c Is for celeritas6. ²Part 3: The Early Years7. Einstein and the Equation8. Into the Atom9. Quiet in the Midday SnowPart 4: Adulthood10. Germany's Turn11. Norway12. America's Turn13. 8:16 AM - Over JapanPart 5: Til the End of Time14. The Fires of the Sun15. Creating the Earth16. A Brahmin Lifts His Eyes Unto the SkyEpilogue: What Else Einstein DidAppendix: Follow-Up of Other Key ParticipantsNotesGuide to Further ReadingAcknowledgmentsIndex

    2 in stock

    £16.15

  • Prime Obsession

    Penguin Publishing Group Prime Obsession

    10 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe definitive story of the Riemann Hypothesis, a fascinating and epic mathematical mystery that continues to challege the world.In 1859, Bernhard Riemann, a little-known thirty-two year old mathematician, made a hypothesis while presenting a paper to the Berlin Academy titled  “On the Number of Prime Numbers Less Than a Given Quantity.”  Today, after 150 years of careful research and exhaustive study, the Riemann Hyphothesis remains unsolved, with a one-million-dollar prize earmarked for the first person to conquer it.Alternating passages of extraordinarily lucid mathematical exposition with chapters of elegantly composed biography and history, Prime Obsession is a fascinating and fluent account of an epic mathematical mystery that continues to challenge and excite the world.

    10 in stock

    £16.15

  • John Wiley and Sons Ltd Shaping Ecology

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisSir Arthur Tansley was the leading figure in ecology for the first half of the 20th century, founding the field, and forming its first professional societies. He was the first President of the British Ecological Society and the first chair of the Field Studies Council. His work as a botanist is considered seminal and he is recognized as one of the giants of ecology throughout the world. Ecology underpins the principles and practices of modern conservation and the maintenance of biodiversity. It explains the causes of, and offers solutions to, problems of climate change. Yet ecology is a young science, barely 100 years old. Its origins lie in phytogeography, the naming and mapping of plants. Shaping Ecology is a book about a multi-faceted man whose friends included Bertrand Russell, Marie Stopes, Julian Huxley, GM Trevelyan, and Solly Zuckerman. Historical context is provided by Tansley''s family for his parents moved in the Fabian-socialist world of John Ruskin and OcTrade Review“In conclusion, this book is well written and it is easy to locate specific information on Tansley and the broader contexts of his work throughout the book.” (The British Journal for the History of Science, 1 June 2014) “Ayres’s book shows how one man was able to create whole climates of opinion as well as a new discipline; it is warmly recommended.” (Archives of Natural history, 1 August 2013) “Despite hints of Tansley’s personal complexity, we are left with an appreciation of his remarkable professional legacy that continues to foster scientific alliances and conservation of nature. ” (Ecology, 1 April 2013) “To all of us who cherish such wild places in modern Britain, as this book reveals, we owe Tansley a great debt.” (The Biologist, 1 June 2013) “A valuable acquisition for institutions with programs in ecology, botany, environmental sciences, or history of science. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Academic and general readers, all levels.” (Choice, 1 March 2013) “It is directed at ecologists, but it is a straightforward biography and, as such, deserves to be widely read.” (Journal of Insect Conservervation, 8 July 2012) Table of ContentsList of Figures vi Foreword viii Preface and Acknowledgements x 1 Kingley Vale: Worth Fighting For 1 2 The Origins of Ecology 15 3 George Tansley, Christian Socialism, and the Working Men's College 20 4 Highgate School, University College, London, and Trinity College, Cambridge 38 5 Teaching at University College, the Chicks, and Marriage to Edith 48 6 Seashores and Woodlands: Looking for Patterns 60 7 The Managing Director of British Ecology 80 8 Disillusion and Disaffection 101 9 The Oxford Years, 1927-1937 122 10 The Magnum Opus, Grantchester, and Retirement 144 11 The Years of Fulfilment, 1937-1953 155 12 A Detached Liberal Philosopher and Free-thinker 179 References 198 Index 206

    Out of stock

    £999.99

  • The University of Michigan Press NATURES PAST THE ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN HISTORY

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisEnvironmental change is a pressing public issue, and not just in the rich countries of the northern hemisphere. This book seeks to lend some historical depth to debates about modifications of ecological processes, and to explore the global dimensions of the dynamic. It shows how ecology, culture, and market interact to change the value of nature.

    Out of stock

    £999.99

  • The Matter of Everything

    Alfred A. Knopf The Matter of Everything

    10 in stock

    Book SynopsisA surprising, fascinating journey through the experiments that not only unlocked the nature of matter and shaped our understanding of the cosmos but also forever changed the way we live within itA book about the fundamental problems of physics written from a viewpoint I hadn’t come across before: that of the experimenter. A splendid idea, vividly carried out.” –Philip Pullman, best-selling author of His Dark MaterialsPhysics has always sought to deepen our understanding of the nature of matter and the world around us. But how do you conduct experiments with the fundamental building blocks of existence? How do you manipulate a particle a trillion times smaller than a grain of sand? How do you cause a proton to sail around a twenty-seven-kilometer-long loop 11,000 times per second? And, crucially, why is all this important?In The Matter of Everything, accelerator physicist Suzie Sheehy introduces us to the people w

    10 in stock

    £24.00

  • The Transcendent Brain

    Random House USA Inc The Transcendent Brain

    10 in stock

    Book SynopsisFrom the acclaimed author of Einstein?s Dreams comes a rich, fascinating answer to the question, Can the scientifically inclined still hold space for spirituality? ?Lightman…belongs to a noble tradition of science writers, including Oliver Sacks and Lewis Thomas, who can poke endlessly into a subject and…stir up fresh embers of wonder.? ?The Wall Street JournalGazing at the stars, falling in love, or listening to music, we sometimes feel a transcendent connection with a cosmic unity and things larger than ourselves. But these experiences are not easily understood by science, which holds that all things can be explained in terms of atoms and molecules. Is there space in our scientific worldview for these spiritual experiences? According to acclaimed physicist and novelist Alan Lightman, there may be. Drawing on intellectual history and conversations with contemporary scientists, philosophers, and psychologists, Lightman asks a series of thought-provoking questions that illuminate our strange place between the world of particles and forces and the world of complex human experience. Can strict materialism explain our appreciation of beauty? Or our feelings of connection to nature and to other people? Is there a physical basis for consciousness, the most slippery of all scientific problems? Lightman weaves these investigations together to propose what he calls ?spiritual materialism?? the belief that we can embrace spiritual experiences without letting go of our scientific worldview. In his view, the breadth of the human condition is not only rooted in material atoms and molecules but can also be explained in terms of Darwinian evolution. What is revealed in this lyrical, enlightening book is that spirituality may not only be compatible with science, it also ought to remain at the core of what it means to be human.

    10 in stock

    £20.80

  • AirBorne

    Penguin Publishing Group AirBorne

    10 in stock

    10 in stock

    £25.60

  • The Bird Book

    DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley) The Bird Book

    10 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    10 in stock

    £34.00

  • Chemistry 100 Ideas in 100 Words

    DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley) Chemistry 100 Ideas in 100 Words

    10 in stock

    10 in stock

    £15.29

  • The Science Book

    Penguin Young Readers The Science Book

    10 in stock

    10 in stock

    £19.44

  • Blood

    HarperCollins Publishers Inc Blood

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisPowerfully involving narrative and incisive detail, clarity and inherent drama: Blood offers in abundance the qualities that define the best popular science writing. Here is the sweeping story of a substance that has been feared, revered, mythologized, and used in magic and medicine from earliest times--a substance that has become the center of a huge, secretive, and often dangerous worldwide commerce.Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Blood was described by judges as a gripping page-turner, a significant contribution to the history of medicine and technology and a cautionary tale. Meticulously reported and exhaustively documented.

    Out of stock

    £18.99

  • El Libro de la Biología the Biology Book

    10 in stock

    £25.19

  • Yesterdays Tomorrows  Past Visions of the

    Johns Hopkins University Press Yesterdays Tomorrows Past Visions of the

    Book SynopsisFrom Jules Verne to the Jetsons, from a 500-passenger flying wing to an anti-aircraft flying buzz-saw, the vision of the future as seen through the eyes of the past demonstrates the play of the American imagination on the canvas of the future.Trade ReviewWhether it involves gleaming mega-cities, scudding unflawed skies or the inane advertising smile of a man who just loves his personal flying machine, watching Americans look forward is to look back. It is to look at ourselves in our most brilliant and boneheaded moments. Which is great fun. Here, moreover, the fun is enhanced by a cheerful... text and-the real glory-a wonderful abundance of visual material drawn from a Smithsonian traveling exhibit. Boston Globe Many books might be commended as entertaining, instructive, or even fascinating. Yesterday's Tomorrows deserves each of these adjectives... The reader is taken through a gallery populated with forgotten industrial prototypes, architectural models, toy ray guns, flying cavalrymen on 'helihorses,' science fiction props from Hollywood and, or course, all sorts of projects and renderings concerning transportation. Road and TrackTable of ContentsForewordPrefaceChapter 1. Finding the FutureChapter 2. The Community of TomorrowChapter 3. The Home of TomorrowChapter 4. The Transportation of TomorrowChapter 5. The Weapons and Warfare of TomorrowEpilogue Catalogue ListSuggested ReadingIndex

    £31.50

  • Bodies of Evidence

    Johns Hopkins University Press Bodies of Evidence

    Book SynopsisThe mere fact of its having survived from at least the twelfth century (some claimed for it an earlier, Saxon pedigree) lent the inquest the trappings of an exemplary embodiment of the 'genius of English reform.'"-from Bodies of EvidenceTrade Review[A] fascinating story of society endeavoring to find an acceptable modern way to manage the aftermath of death... We now have a comprehensive and strong contextual account of the development of the modern inquest. -- Teresa Sutton Legal History Burney presents a convincing and sophisticated argument. -- Anne Crowther American Historical Review The book promises to enthrall not only the medical historian and philosopher but also today's doctors contemplating their relationship with the rest of society. -- Michael F. Maltese British Medical Journal This is an important book, deserving to be read by historians of politics and of the state as well as of medicine. It should stimulate research, for there is much still to be done on the activities of coroners, the political uses of inquests, and the changing political and jurisprudential role of expertise in the development of the modern state. -- Christopher Hamlin Medical History Ian A. Burney's book, Bodies of Evidence, examines how medical experts displaced the public in investigating suspicious deaths in England. Today, the displacement seems inevitable, the result of increased specialization, the rise of professional elites, and modern governments premised on a bureaucracy of experts. Bodies of Evidence, in a rich cultural mosaic, shows that the public ceded its role only reluctantly and uneasily. -- Laura B. Gilbert New York Law Journal [A] theoretically sophisticated study. -- Elisabeth Cawthon Journal of Interdisciplinary History Burney has avoided a dry, institutional history of the inquest by weaving together abstract concepts of openness, democracy, progress, knowledge, power, the body, ritual, and space with concrete discussions of law, medicine, and politics. -- Lori Williamson History: Reviews of New Books [A] theoretically nuanced work offering rich and original insights. Doody's This book provides an engaging and remarkably thorough history of neurology studded with bonbons of fascinating historical insights... Considering the current debates surrounding the provision of home care services and the roles to be played by informal care givers this book is timely and 'a must' for anyone interested in a true reflection on this topic. -- Shelly A. Martin Canadian Bulletin of Medical History 2002 As accessible as it is acute, Bodies of Evidence is a model of culturally and politically engaged, intellectually uncompromised historical scholarship. -- Roger Cooter Victorian Studies 2003 Carefully researched and comprehensively referenced study. -- Linda Bryder History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences 2007Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroductionChapter 1. The Genealogy of the Popular InquestChapter 2. Registers of Death: Inquests and the Regime of Vital StatisticsChapter 3. From the Alehouse to the Courthouse: Bodies and the Recasting of Inquest PracticeChapter 4. Telling Tales of the Dead: Inquests, Expertise, and the Postmortem QuestionChapter 5. Fatal Exposures: Anesthetic Death and the Limits of Public InquiryEpilogueNotesIndex

    £45.50

  • Valuing Animals

    Johns Hopkins University Press Valuing Animals

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisBoth controversial and compelling, Valuing Animals uncovers the extent to which veterinary medicine has shaped-and been shaped by-this contradictory attitude.Trade ReviewA well-researched book that explores the impact of the value of an animal or its species in shaping the development of the veterinary profession. Vet Med Today A fascinating read and was refreshingly not a tale of inexorable scientific and medical progress toward an idyllic present... brings to light the hows and whys of veterinary medicine and gave me a measure of self-awareness of my professional roots and current role in American society. -- Jodie Gerdin Journal of the History of Medicine This study by Susan Jones is very welcome. Based on a wide variety of scientific and popular sources, she has approached the history of veterinary medicine and the veterinary profession in twentieth-century America from a perspective of changing human-animal relationships, particularly the changing economic and emotional value of domesticated animals... Original and compelling. -- Peter A. Koolmees Medical History Jones's study reveals particularly well the dynamic connections between the history of veterinary medicine and the history of American cultural preoccupations with animals. -- Nigel Rothfels American Historical Review [ Valuing Animals] stimulates thought about the role of veterinarians and how veterinarians interact with their patients and with people who seek guidance and confirmation as to the value of animals. Anthrozoos 2004 [Jones] has a compelling view, and this book is a gem. -- G. Terry Sharrer Journal of American History 2004 Jones' lively and well-written book traces the evolution of the veterinary profession in the twentieth century from the 'horse doctor' of 1900 to today's scientific practitioner. Journal of Interdisciplinary History 2005 A fascinating survey of the changing relationships between Americans and their animals, as mediated by the veterinary profession. Choice 2003 Thoroughly researched, with extensive endnotes (many annotated) and an essay on sources, this book makes important contributions to the diverse fields of economic sociology, comparative medicine, human-animal relationships, American history, and American popular culture. Choice 2003Table of ContentsContents: PrefaceIntroduction1. Doctoring a Nation of Animals at the Century's Turn2. Valuable Patients Horses and the Domestic Animal Economy3. The Value of Animal Health for Human Health4. The Value in Numbers Creating "Factory Farms" at Midcentury5. Pricing the Priceless Pet6. Reconciling Use and HumanitarianismNotes Essay on Sources Index

    2 in stock

    £49.05

  • Cracking the Genome Inside the Race to Unlock

    Johns Hopkins University Press Cracking the Genome Inside the Race to Unlock

    Book SynopsisCracking the Genome is the definitive, balanced account of how the code that holds the answer to the origin of life, the evolution of humanity, and the future of medicine was finally broken.Trade Review"For an up-to-the-minute account of one of the most dramatic periods in present-day science, Cracking the Genome is an essential read. Sunday Times A superb job... A tantalizing glimpse of the ethical perils and technological possibilities awaiting humanity. Los Angeles Times A rollicking good tale about an enduring intellectual monument. American Scientist The race is over, and Davies was there, all along, providing the running commentary-and there, too, at the finish line. In Cracking the Genome, he hands out the prizes. The Independent Davies has tracked one of the most important stories ever to unfold. Davies helps readers understand how the deciphering of our genetic code will revolutionize our lives while posing serious ethical dilemmas. Science News An impressive job of contextualizing the science within a political, economic, and social framework, creating a lively tale as accessible to non-specialists as it is to scientists. Publishers Weekly Investors and others looking for a quick primer on the science and business of biotechnology will find this a useful guide. Business Week In Davies' prose, this story of molecular biology and the Human Genome Project is as compelling as any Arthurian legend. In a fast-moving approachable style, Davies captures the uncovering of biology's Holy Grail, relying on his own expertise in genetics and interviews with key players such as Collins and Venter. -- Margaret R. McLean History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences 2004Table of ContentsPreface to The Johns Hopkins EditionIntroduction Chapter 1. Knights of the Double Helix: The Quest for Biology's Holy GrailChapter 2. Reading the Book of Life: A Quick Voyage around the Human GenomeChapter 3. The Eye of the TIGR: J. Craig Venter—Maverick SequencerChapter 4. Loading the Bases: Francis Collins and the DNA DetectivesChapter 5. The Circle of Life: Decoding the First Free-Living CreaturesChapter 6. Treasures of the Lost Worlds: The Keys to Human Disease from Tristan da Cunha to IcelandChapter 7. Prize Fight: The Creation of Celera GenomicsChapter 8. The Story of Us: The Secrets of Who We AreChapter 9. The Croesus Code: Passion, Personality, and ProfitChapter 10. The Eighth Day: Braving the New World of Designer GenesChapter 11. The Language of God: A Defining Moment in the History of the Human RaceChapter 12. Genomania!NotesAcknowledgments Index

    £30.90

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