History of science Books

Book SynopsisDraws readers inside the circle of intellectuals, scientists, politicians, businessmen, and clergymen who brought Charles Darwin's controversial ideas to post - Civil War America. This title situates Darwinism in the context of the Gilded Age.Trade Review"Readers who want an engaging story... will find Banquet at Delmonico's to be a literary treat." (Boston Globe) "On one level, the book is a study of how ideas are understood, reworked, mangled and applied to society: Banquet at Delmonico's is like a racier version of The Metaphysical Club, Louis Menand's worthy study of the origins of pragmatism. But... Werth also offers a portrait of how ideas can be transformed if their originators vacate the public sphere." (Nation) "Histories of ideas are rarely page-turners, but Werth has done the trick." (Kirkus, starred review) "A beautifully written classic of non-fiction narrative." (Nature) "What Werth has done, cleverly, in addition to drawing Spencer out from behind Darwin's shadow... is to create a narrative double helix of his own." (Los Angeles Times) "A surprisingly suspenseful and fast-paced story.... Banquet at Delmonico's crackles with energy and wit.... Werth is a gifted writer, and his subject is especially important in our current economic crisis." (New York Times Book Review)"

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Book SynopsisAlthough they are often rendered in forms unfamiliar to Western eyes, maps have existed in most cultures. In this text contributors from a variety of disciplines collaborate to describe and address the significance of traditional cartographies.Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface David Woodward 1. Introduction David Woodward and G. Malcolm Lewis Traditional Cartography in Africa 2. Cartographic Content of Rock Art in Southern Africa Tim Maggs 3. Indigenous Mapmaking in Intertropical Africa Thomas J. Bassett Traditional Cartography in the Americas 4. Maps, Mapmaking, and Map Use by Native North Americans G. Malcolm Lewis 5. Mesoamerican Cartography Barbara E. Mundy 6. Mapmaking in the Central Andes William Gustav Gartner 7. Indigenous Cartography in Lowland South America and the Caribbean Neil L. Whitehead Traditional Cartography in Arctic and Subarctic Eurasia 8. Traditional Cartography in Arctic and Subarctic Eurasia Elena Okladnikova Traditional Cartography in Australia 9. Icons of Country: Topographic Representations in Classical Aboriginal Traditions Peter Sutton 10. Aboriginal Maps and Plans Peter Sutton Traditional Cartography in the Pacific Basin 11. The Pacific Basin: An Introduction Ben Finney 12. Traditional Cartography in Papua New Guinea Eric Kline Silverman 13. Nautical Cartography and Traditional Navigation in Oceania Ben Finney 14. Maori Cartography and the European Encounter Phillip Lionel Barton 15. Concluding Remarks David Woodward and G. Malcolm Lewis Editors, Authors, and Project Staff Bibliographical Index General Index Ellen D. Goldlust-Gingrich

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Book SynopsisToday few would think of astronomy and astrology as fields related to theology. Fewer still would know that physically absorbing planetary rays was once considered to have medical and psychological effects. This book reveals how Renaissance artworks were designed to be not only beautiful but also - perhaps even primarily - functional.

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Book SynopsisSuitable for scholars and students of American history, and for scientists and others who want to better understand modern science and science in America, this title offers the significant contributions to the study of the history of science, technology, and medicine during the twentieth century, all drawn from the pages of the journal Isis.

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Book SynopsisSet in the context of a new field of engineering, driven apace by conflict, this fascinating history follows the mathematicians and scientists who learnt to fly in order to expand our understanding of aeronautics. Tony Royle makes accessible the mathematics and the personal stories that forever changed the course of aviation.Trade Review"The Flying Mathematicians of World War I is an entertaining and inspiring read that communicates the power of mathematics, along with the romance and personal adventure of flying. The teaching of both engineering and history needs narratives like this one to give students a sense of the value of individual intellectual curiosity and direct experience." Sean F. Johnston, University of Glasgow and author of Techno-Fixers: Origins and Implications of Technological Faith"This book challenges our image of the swaggering warrior-turned-test-pilot who possessed the "right stuff" at the dawn of the supersonic era. Instead we meet an earlier and entirely different breed – the mathematicians, engineers, and scientists of Great Britain during World War I, many of whom learned to fly (some losing their lives) so they could better understand and test the aircraft they were responsible for designing. Thoroughly researched and thoughtfully analysed, written by an experienced pilot, this book is accessible to anyone interested in aviation history." Alan D. Meyer, Auburn University and author of Weekend Pilots: Technology, Masculinity, and Private Aviation in Postwar America

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Book SynopsisThis portrait of the cave bear conveys facts about this animal, including its structure, habits, and society, the Ice Age environment, sexual and racial variations, and extinction. The text also details the relationship between man and bear, and theories surrounding bear-hunting and bear cults.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThe book is novel, easy to read and combines excellent cartoons with good personal vignettes and history. I spent many years mastering genetics and yet learned new and valuable things from this book. Take a look, you will not be disappointed. -- Robert Trivers, Rutgers University A unique, richly detailed, and fun biography of DNA grounded in deep historical and philosophical knowledge--Rosenfield, Ziff and Van Loon give us everything we need to know about biology's most important molecule. -- Oliver Sacks Right now, you may not know the difference between a prokaryote and a eukaryote, but read this richly detailed work and that could be your next cocktail party opener. Toronto Globe & Mail A clear summary of the DNA story with a lighthearted approach. CHOICE

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewCurrent hopes for a technological answer to global warming are not an altogether new quest; they echo a rich history of attempts to work upon the weather. James Rodger Fleming explores this history thoroughly, parading a colorful variety of scientists, visionaries, and charlatans who reveal important lessons about our past-and possible future. -- Spencer Weart, author of The Discovery of Global Warming With humanity's planetary impact reaching a Richter scale equivalent, what seem to be quick fixes become exceedingly tempting. Fixing the Sky's historical insights are a revelation--an anchor and essential base from which to consider addressing the greatest challenge in the history of our species. -- Thomas E. Lovejoy, George Mason University and The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment James Rodger Fleming's book is a kind of tour de folie, an authoritative recounting over two centuries of weather changers and climate controllers, rainmakers and rain fakers, and cloud seeders and fog dissolvers. All in all, an engrossing work about vain hopes and technological hubris--as well as a cautionary tale to anyone concerned with attempts to engineer the planet. -- Dan Kevles, Yale University Provides an essential foundation for understanding the long and dubious scientific tradition from which plans for climate control hail. -- W. Patrick McCray Science Fixing the Sky is a very readable, in-depth popular account of the history of weather modification, ranging from myth and movies to experiments, commercial ventures, and proposals for the future control of weather and climate... Recommended.Choice Choice Provides a detailed account of weather modification... The topic is an important one, and the book is relevant for scientists, stakeholders, policy makers, and concerned citizens alike. -- Rasmus E. Benestad American Scientist The topic is an important one, the book is relevant for scientists, stake-holders, policy makers, and concerned citizens alike. Sigma Xi (Reprint of American Scientist Review) I recommend this book to those interested in weather and climate modification and the history of applied meteorology. The Weather Doctor Blog Fleming has provided another valuable contribution to the still tiny but emerging historiography of global warming. -- Sam White Monthly Review An entertaining book about a serious issue. -- Gail Cooper Technology and Culture Fleming is a masterful writer, at the top of his game, and his skill and good humor make this book a blast to read. -- Paul Edwards H-Environment Roundtable Reviews This interesting and original work, building off of Fleming's previous studies of meteorology and climate science history, provides valuable perspective on what may soon become serious policy debates over how to respond to global warming. H-Environment a very useful and entertaining book. -- David Philip Miller Metascience This is a marvellous text for classroom adoption, and will engage undergraduates with its resolute, fairminded and comprehensive approach to a difficult and utterly fascinating subject. -- Mott Greene Ambix Fleming's book should be mandatory reading for each climate engineering enthusiast, as it provides historical precedent to the current debate. Anyone interested in climate change-related issues will benefit from the book because of its easily accessible and jargon-free style. -- Axel Michaelowa Climate Policy ...not just a stellar addition to the history of science, but also a major contribution to the discussion on the role of history in science policy. -- Vladimir Jankovic IsisTable of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Stories of Control 2. Rain Makers 3. Rain Fakers 4. Foggy Thinking 5. Pathological Science 6. Weather Warriors 7. Fears, Fantasies, and Possibilities of Control 8. The Climate Engineers Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisHow does science advance from entrenched orthodoxy to embrace new ideas? How do we come to accept as truths propositions that at first seem like heresies?Trade ReviewJames Lawrence Powell breaks new ground. His scholarship is deep, and his stories are well-written and enriched with human detail. Anyone with an interest in how science progresses will profit from reading this book. -- Spencer Weart, director emeritus of the Center for History of Physics of the American Institute of Physics, author of The Discovery of Global Warming Absorbing. Publishers Weekly This clear and well-written book offers four classic examples that show how science progresses-despite tough opposition, generally accepted ideas are often slowly replaced by newer, better ones. As an apocryphal medical school dean told incoming students: 'Half of what we will teach you in the next four years is wrong. The problem is that we don't know which half.' James Lawrence Powell's new title provides a lively look at how the sciences, in this case the geosciences, really work. -- Seth Stein, Northwestern University, author of Disaster Deferred: How New Science is Changing Our View of Earthquakes in the New Madrid Seismic Zone This is first-rate story telling, with heroes, villians, and the often-unexpected discoveries that created revolutions in our concept of the planet. -- David Morrison Skeptical InquirerTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface Introduction Part I. Deep Time The Abyss of Time A Great Mistake Has Been Made The Bank of Time Account Overdrawn Strange Rays An Hourglass of Great Precision Geochronology Duck Soup Part II. Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics An Idea to Pursue A Very Trusting Man Dead on Arrival Geologists Unite Against Heresy Continental Drift: Not Even Wrong Postwar Surprises Wandering Poles or Drifting Continents? The Final Confrontation Spreading Seafloors HypotHESSes The Discovery of the Century All This Rubbish Part III. Meteorite Impact A Trivial Process To Hunt a Star The Moon's Face Rosetta Stone To a Rocky Moon Worlds in Collision Dinosaur Killer Out with a Bang Cosmic Pinball Part IV. Global Warming Origins of the CO2 Theory Tedious Calculations of Extraordinary Interest Destructive Criticism A Unique Experiment of Planetary Dimensions Giant Brains Warming Is Unequivocal From Heresy to Truth Acknowledgments Notes Recommended Reading Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisJ. David Archibald explores how Darwin first came to the conclusion that species had evolved in different regions throughout the world. Carefully retracing Darwin’s gathering of evidence and the evolution of his thinking, Origins of Darwin’s Evolution achieves a new understanding of how Darwin crafted his transformative theory.Trade ReviewCharles Darwin begins The Origin of Species by saying that while on HMS Beagle he was struck by two classes of facts: the strange distributions of plants and animals on Earth, and the progression of forms in the fossil record from the oldest rocks to the youngest. These, and not variations in populations, first led him to doubt theories of special creation and the fixity of species. In this book, J. David Archibald shows how the facts of paleontology and biogeography led Darwin to suspect that organisms changed through time, and eventually to develop the central theory of all of biology. A very nice read that will open the perspectives of a great number of readers. -- Kevin Padian, Museum of Paleontology, University of California, BerkeleyThis is a fresh and stimulating reevaluation of the nature of Darwin’s argumentation behind his theory of evolution through natural selection. Particularly important is the focus on the evidence Darwin himself thought most important: the geographical distribution of organisms around the globe. This is a book that should be read both by Darwin scholars and by today’s practicing evolutionists. -- Michael Ruse, author of Defining Darwin: Essays on the History and Philosophy of Evolutionary BiologyIn this thoughtful and carefully researched book, Archibald makes it abundantly clear that it was biogeography, not geology or the fossil record, that provided Darwin and his supporters with the earliest compelling evidence for evolution. Origins of Darwin’s Evolution fills a significant gap in the literature on Darwin’s research methods and the birth of the modern theory of evolution. -- Michael Ghiselin, author of The Triumph of the Darwinian Method[In Archibald's book,] Darwin’s argumentative structure is illuminated, his process in developing the theory is detailed, and the otherwise difficult to interpret roles and relationships of his South American finds become beautifully clear. -- Charles H. Pence, Louisiana State University * The Quarterly Review of Biology *Appealing and concise. * Isis *This carefully researched book will appeal to both naturalists and historians of science. * Choice *A comprehensive, well-written, and accessible account of a relatively underexplored history of what Darwin believed to be the earliest major proof of evolution. The great strength of this book lies in bringing to life Darwin’s relationship with a cast of historical characters, his own intellectual development, and the observations that first lit the thought of evolution and the search to solve the species puzzle. * British Journal for the History of Science *This is one of those seemingly modest tomes that turns out to be indispensable for the Darwin scholar—and for everyone interested in the natural history of evolution. * Systematic Biology *Table of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgments1. Establishing the Fact of Evolution2. Darwin’s Geological Education3. The Gravest Objection4. Marking Time5. The Immutablists6. Discovering the Long Dead7. Relating the Long Dead and Collecting the Recently Living8. Describing the Long Dead and the Recently Living9. Private Musings then Shared Sketches10. Darwin’s Historical BiogeographyEpilogue: What Many Reviewers MissedReferencesIndex

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Book SynopsisJ. David Archibald explores how Darwin first came to the conclusion that species had evolved in different regions throughout the world. Carefully retracing Darwin’s gathering of evidence and the evolution of his thinking, Origins of Darwin’s Evolution achieves a new understanding of how Darwin crafted his transformative theory.Trade ReviewCharles Darwin begins The Origin of Species by saying that while on HMS Beagle he was struck by two classes of facts: the strange distributions of plants and animals on Earth, and the progression of forms in the fossil record from the oldest rocks to the youngest. These, and not variations in populations, first led him to doubt theories of special creation and the fixity of species. In this book, J. David Archibald shows how the facts of paleontology and biogeography led Darwin to suspect that organisms changed through time, and eventually to develop the central theory of all of biology. A very nice read that will open the perspectives of a great number of readers. -- Kevin Padian, Museum of Paleontology, University of California, BerkeleyThis is a fresh and stimulating reevaluation of the nature of Darwin’s argumentation behind his theory of evolution through natural selection. Particularly important is the focus on the evidence Darwin himself thought most important: the geographical distribution of organisms around the globe. This is a book that should be read both by Darwin scholars and by today’s practicing evolutionists. -- Michael Ruse, author of Defining Darwin: Essays on the History and Philosophy of Evolutionary BiologyIn this thoughtful and carefully researched book, Archibald makes it abundantly clear that it was biogeography, not geology or the fossil record, that provided Darwin and his supporters with the earliest compelling evidence for evolution. Origins of Darwin’s Evolution fills a significant gap in the literature on Darwin’s research methods and the birth of the modern theory of evolution. -- Michael Ghiselin, author of The Triumph of the Darwinian Method[In Archibald's book,] Darwin’s argumentative structure is illuminated, his process in developing the theory is detailed, and the otherwise difficult to interpret roles and relationships of his South American finds become beautifully clear. -- Charles H. Pence, Louisiana State University * The Quarterly Review of Biology *Appealing and concise. * Isis *This carefully researched book will appeal to both naturalists and historians of science. * Choice *A comprehensive, well-written, and accessible account of a relatively underexplored history of what Darwin believed to be the earliest major proof of evolution. The great strength of this book lies in bringing to life Darwin’s relationship with a cast of historical characters, his own intellectual development, and the observations that first lit the thought of evolution and the search to solve the species puzzle. * British Journal for the History of Science *This is one of those seemingly modest tomes that turns out to be indispensable for the Darwin scholar—and for everyone interested in the natural history of evolution. * Systematic Biology *Table of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgments1. Establishing the Fact of Evolution2. Darwin’s Geological Education3. The Gravest Objection4. Marking Time5. The Immutablists6. Discovering the Long Dead7. Relating the Long Dead and Collecting the Recently Living8. Describing the Long Dead and the Recently Living9. Private Musings then Shared Sketches10. Darwin’s Historical BiogeographyEpilogue: What Many Reviewers MissedReferencesIndex

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Book SynopsisMichael R. Rampino builds on the latest findings from leading geoscientists to take “neocatastrophism” a step further, toward a richer understanding of the science behind major planetary upheavals and extinction events. Cataclysms offers a cosmic context for Earth’s geologic evolution.Trade ReviewCataclysms is a useful, well-written and not overly technical summary of Neocatastrophism since the Alvarez team published the initial work in the early 1980's. Rampino paints a lively picture of how work in the area of geoscience is actually done - aided and abetted to good purpose by copious illustrations -- Niles Eldredge, author of Eternal Ephemera As late as 1964, it was hard to find a scientist who believed that crashing meteorites, rather than volcanism, had caused craters on the Moon and the Earth. In this well-written and provocative book, Michael Rampino tantalizes us with his examination of the relationship between astronomy and geology, which he argues could become truly predictive of the past and future. Cataclysms takes us far out, indeed. But if there is one lesson from the history of geology, it is that we should listen to those like Rampino who think outside the box - or even outside the solar system. -- James Powell, author of Fixing the SkyTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1. Catastrophism Versus Gradualism 2. Lyell's Laws 3. The Alvarez Hypothesis 4. Mass Extinctions 5. Kill Curves and Strangelove Oceans 6. Catastrophism and Natural Selection: Charles Darwin Versus Patrick Matthew 7. Impacts and Extinctions: Do They Match Up? 8. The Great Dying: The End-Permian Extinctions 9. Catastrophic Volcanic Eruptions and Extinctions 10. Ancient Glaciers or Impact-Related Deposits? 11. The Shiva Hypothesis: Comet Showers and the Galactic Carousel 12. Geological Upheavals and Dark Matter Epilogue: What Does It All Mean? A New Geology Sources and Further Reading Index

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Book SynopsisThe renowned cognitive scientist Philip Lieberman demonstrates that there is no better guide to the world’s living—and still evolving—things than Darwin and that the phenomena he observed are still being explored at the frontiers of science. Lieberman relates the insights that led to groundbreaking discoveries in both Darwin’s time and our own.Trade ReviewLieberman's The Theory That Changed Everything takes Darwin's theory out of academia's dusty lecture halls, returning it to where it began—with a young person curious about the world around them. Engagingly, Lieberman explains how Darwin developed his theories and why those theories matter today. The final chapter, 'What would Darwin Think About…' will energize high school and college biology classes for years to come. -- John J. Shea, Stony Brook UniversityAn awesome accompanying book for anyone who reads On the Origin of Species. -- Rob DeSalle, curator of entomology at the American Museum of Natural HistoryStrikes a balance between the historical context in which Darwin made his remarkable contributions to science and contemporary scientific work. -- Christina Behme, Brandon UniversityLieberman clearly explains complex issues such as epigenetic mechanisms...engage[s] readers interested in the evolution of humans. * Publishers Weekly *An enjoyable and well-written book for those who appreciate Species and its impact on our lives today. * Library Journal *Written with an infectious delight in the way that Darwin’s thinking continues to guide scientific inquiry across disciplines. * Los Angeles Review of Books *Big brains, language, and almost infinite cultural flexibility are quintessential human features. This lucidly written little gem from a leader in the study of human language evolution uses language as a case study to explain how a Darwinian approach is the only way to understand the evolution of human brains and behavior. Written in a very personal voice, it provides a fully accessible synthesis of research in fields as diverse as linguistics, functional genomics, psychology, neuroanatomy, and evolutionary theory. It makes excellent supplementary reading for a diverse range of courses, from evolutionary biology to anthropology and linguistics. -- David Pilbeam, Harvard UniversitySuited for general readers and students interested in the sciences. * Choice *Table of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgments1. Strawberries2. No Cats, No Flowers3. Grandfather Erasmus4. Crafting the Human Brain5. What Would Darwin Think About . . .NotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisStefani Engelstein argues that the sibling paradigm shaped the modern subject, life sciences, human sciences, and collective identities such as race, religion, and gender. Integrating close readings with panoramic intellectual history, Sibling Action presents a compelling new understanding of systems of knowledge.Trade ReviewAs inviting, invigorating and stimulating an academic book as I have encountered. An astonishing read from the first page to the last. -- Adrian Daub, Stanford UniversityTable of ContentsList of IllustrationsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: The Sibling and ModernityPart I. Recuperating the Sibling1. Sibling LogicPart II. Fraternity and Revolution2. The Shadows of Fraternity3. Economizing Desire: The Sibling (in) LawPart III. Genealogical Sciences4. Living Languages: Comparative Philology and Evolution5. The East Comes Home: Race and ReligionEpilogue: Spawning DisciplinesNotesWorks CitedIndex

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Book SynopsisThere are few fields of science that carbon-14 has not touched. In Hot Carbon, John F. Marra tells the untold story of this scientific revolution, weaving together the workings of the many disciplines that employ carbon-14 with gripping tales of the individuals who pioneered its possibilities.Trade ReviewWonderfully engaging...Hot Carbon offers a timely perspective on how mind-bogglingly connected our planet is — and how 14C will continue to be important in helping us to understand what lies ahead. * Nature *It has been a joy to read an academic book where the author did not seek to dazzle by his own brilliance. It was even a greater joy to find a narrative strong enough to sustain my interest from beginning to end. -- Richard Joyner * Times Higher Education *[A] remarkable history of carbon-14. * Observer *You may never have heard of carbon-14, but from chemistry to physiology to oceanography, no isotope has affected more aspects of modern life. With precision and verve, oceanographer John F. Marra profiles the most important isotope on earth. -- Eli Kintisch, correspondent, Science magazineThis is an engaging and witty account of the discovery of carbon-14 – there are surprising twists and turns along the way. With its entertaining descriptions of carbon-14’s role in understanding fundamental life processes, dating archaeological specimens, and chronicling past climate, this book is a page-turner for anyone interested in the history of scientific discovery. -- James J. McCarthy, Alexander Agassiz Professor of Biological Oceanography, Harvard UniversityThe more times I read this book, the more favorably impressed I am with the clarity and drama of the narrative. Marra’s work will be very well received and appreciated by those interested in how science advances. This is true particularly now, when there is so much controversy surrounding the validity of science per se. -- Richard T. Barber, Harvey W. Smith Professor Emeritus of Biological Oceanography in the Division of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Duke UniversityHot Carbon offers a timely perspective on how mind-bogglingly connected our planet is – and how 14 C will continue to be important in helping us to understand what lies ahead. * True Viral News *Table of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsPrologue: Aboard the Research Vessel Endeavor, South of Iceland, May 19911. Discovery2. Discovery’s Wake3. The “Invisible Phenomenon”4. Dating5. Photosynthesis6. Calvin’s Cycle7. Scintillations and Accelerations8. The Shroud of Turin and Other Relics9. Ocean Circulation10. Carbon-14 in the Ocean11. Ocean Fertility12. Resolution: Plankton Rate Processes in Oligotrophic Oceans13. Carbon-14 and ClimateEpilogueAppendix 1. List of Nobel Prize Winners MentionedAppendix 2. The Periodic Table of ElementsNotesReferencesIndex

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Book SynopsisIn The Alchemy of Disease, John Whysner offers an accessible and compelling history of toxicology and its key findings. He details the experiments and discoveries that revealed the causal connections between chemical exposures and diseases.Trade ReviewThe field of toxicology has become increasingly sophisticated as our knowledge of biology continues to evolve. As a scientist, it is enjoyable to read how John Whysner presents the information, and I have no doubt that the general public and students will find it equally enjoyable and informative. -- Samuel M. Cohen, Havlik-Wall Professor of Oncology, University of Nebraska Medical CenterI often tell students in the biological sciences that the best way to learn about a topic is not just to learn what knowledge has been discovered, but rather how the discoveries were made. Whysner’s scholarly yet reader-friendly book reads like a series of fascinating stories derived from his lifetime of experience in the world of toxicology and public health, and what a storyteller he is! The book shows him to be a remarkable science historian as each link between chemical exposures and human diseases is placed in a captivating historical context. The extent to which Whysner has been intimately involved in major discoveries is absolutely mind-boggling. -- Joseph H. Graziano, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia UniversityWhysner provides an honest evaluation of the science of toxicology, engaging readers with fascinating, well-paced narratives of subjects such as chronic arsenic poisoning. -- Katherine Watson, Oxford Brookes UniversityWhysner's book is a valuable addition to the history of toxicology and allied fields, as it benefits from the institutional knowledge of a professional working in the field of toxicology for five decades. The author brings to light technical aspects of the science that some may not be aware of, especially concepts of risk assessment, dose response, and links between cancer rates and the reality of the state of the science. -- Dale A. Stirling, Consultant in Environmental & Public Health History and author of The Nanotechnology Revolution: A Global Bibliographic Perspective and A Bibliographic Guide to North American Industry: History, Health & Hazardous WasteWhysner ... delivers an illuminating overview of the history of toxicology. Serious students of medical history will appreciate this detailed, historical account of toxicology’s contributions to better health. * Publisher's Weekly *We all have only so much time on this Earth and so much to learn. This fine book presents an efficient and highly enjoyable way to learn the principles and history of the monumental subject of toxicology. -- Judge Lawrence P. Riff * Los Angeles Daily Journal *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroductionPart I: Why Do We Need Toxicology?1. Cancer Clusters: Truth Can Be Obscure2. Death from Arsenic and Venoms: Truth Can Be Obvious3. Paracelsus: The Alchemist at Work4. Mining and the Beginnings of Occupational Medicine5. The Chemical Age6. The Bioassay BoomPart II: How Do We Study Toxicology, and What Have We Learned?7. Lead: A Heavy Metal Weighing Down the Brain8. Rachel Carson: Silent Spring Is Now Noisy Summer9. The Study of Cancer10. How Are Carcinogens Made?11. Some Carcinogens Directly Affect Genes12. Cancer Caused by Irritation13. Cigarette Smoking: Black, Tarry Lungs14. What Causes Cancer?Part III: How Do We Use Toxicology?15. Protecting Workers from Chemical Diseases16. The Importance of Having a Good Name17. Can We Accurately Regulate Chemicals?18. The Dose Makes the Poison19. Are We Ready to Clean Up the Mess?20. Legal Battles21. The Toxicology of WarPart IV: The Unfinished Business of Toxicology22. Opiates and Politics23. The Toxicology of Climate Change24. Animal Models for Human Disease25. Are Animal Cancer Bioassays Reliable?26. Hormone Mimics and Disrupters27. Building Better Tools for Testing28. An Ounce of Prevention Is Worth a Pound of CureNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisThis book traces the evolution of our understanding of the heart from the dawn of civilization to the present. Vincent M. Figueredo—an accomplished cardiologist and expert on the history of the human heart—explores the role and significance of the heart in art, culture, religion, philosophy, and science across time and place.Trade ReviewVincent Figueredo helps us to understand the heart as a cultural symbol, biological miracle, and central theme in human history. A tour-de-force of scholarship and storytelling, The Curious History of the Heart is a great read and an important one. -- Daniel Weiss, president and CEO, Metropolitan Museum of ArtWhat a wonderful reading experience. This book takes you on a fascinating historical journey of heart; from first being considered the vessel of our soul, to being a simple pump, to perhaps the heart is a bit of both. A must read to stimulate your brain and warm your heart. -- Ted W. Love, president and CEO, Global Blood TherapeuticsAs a cardiologist, I know the heart inside and out. However, I learned even more about this amazing organ by reading my colleague’s book. You will, also! -- Thad F. Waites, chairman, Mississippi State Board of HealthFor those compelled by the mysteries of the human heart, Vincent Figueredo has written the definitive guide and done so with diligence and panache, teaching us about the heart’s place in history, literature, music and science. Figueredo is a renowned cardiologist, but he’s an equally gifted storyteller. The Curious History of the Heart is a gem. -- Tom Barbash, New York Times bestselling author of On Top of the World and The Dakota WintersProvocative and broad in scope, this offers much food for thought. * Publishers Weekly *The Curious History of the Heart tops the nonfiction list in Book Riot's May 2023 round up of exciting titles. * Book Riot newsletter *The title is accurate: understanding of the heart from early civilization to the present has indeed followed a “curious” path, and the book provides, through its short descriptions of events enabling the current understanding, a lighthearted tour of culture and science interactions through time. Recommended. * Choice Reviews, American Library Association (ALA) *Overall, The Curious History of the Heart was an educational and entertaining read that blended history with science in ways that kept me engaged throughout the entire book. Highly recommended if you’re interested in history or medicine or both. * For the Novel Lovers blog *Table of ContentsIntroductionPart I: The Ancient Heart1. The Heart Means Life2. Heart and Soul3. The Heart and God4. An Emotional Heart 5. Ancient Understanding of the Physical Heart6. Ancient Heart DiseasePart II: The Heart Goes Into the Darkness and Comes Out in the Light7. The Dark Ages8. The Islamic Golden Age9. The Viking Cold Hjarta10. American Heart Sacrifice11. The Heart Renaissance12. Hither and ThitherPart III: heART13. The Heart in Art14. The Heart in Literature15. The Heart in Music16. Heart RitualsPart IV: Heart 10117. The Pump18. Heart Anatomy19. Heart Sounds20. The Color of Blood21. The Heart’s Electrical System22. What Is an EKG?23. What Is Blood Pressure?24. What Is Heart Failure?25. What Is “Having a Coronary”26. Sex, Race, and Ethnicity in Heart Disease27. Sudden Death of an Athlete28. The Word “Heart”Part V: The Modern Heart29. Enlightenment and the Age of Revolution30. The Twentieth Century and Heart Disease31. Aspirin32. The Twentieth Century and Heart Surgery33. The Heart Now34. Broken Heart Syndrome35. The Heart-Brain Connection36. The Future HeartAfterwordAcknowledgmentsNotesBibliographyFurther ReadingIndex

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Book SynopsisWhat can radical historians learn by engaging with new trends in world history? This title explores some of the possibilities created by the dialogue between world history and radical history - in the way we frame our research, narrate our stories, and teach our subjects.Trade Review"By focusing squarely on the cultural dimensions of social welfare policy, Sanford Schram brilliantly illuminates recent turns in policy and politics. Nor does he slight the material for the symbolic. Rather he shows the close connections between the cultural and material aspects of policy. Most welcome of all, Schram's work is imbued with a rare empathetic concern for the people who are both the beneficiaries and victims of social welfare." - Frances Fox Piven, Graduate Center of the City University of New York "If you want a flesh-and-blood story of the real agendas that lie behind policy-making in the age of tough love, After Welfare is the best book on the topic. Schram's incisive expose makes for spectacular common sense." - Andrew Ross, New York University "This engagingly written book lays bare the dirty little secrets' of a new order of social policy, one that shores up inequality by tapping into cultural reserves of race and gender prejudice while publicly presenting a neutral face. Its power derives from Schram's eloquence, his sharp wit, and his talent for persuading the reader to scrutinize social policy through the lens of social theory." - Lisa Disch, University of Minnesota "Sanford Schram's After Welfare is an exemplary combination of political theory, cultural critique, applied policy analysis and astute and comprehensive mapping of the contemporary politics of welfare. It should engage a wide readership in both academia and the policy community." - Michael J. Shapiro, University of Hawaii

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Book SynopsisTakes the reader on a journey through 150 years of scientific thinking, imagining, and arguingTrade ReviewFor those with an interest in conodont paleontology. * The Guardian *If you want a[n]...entertaining and interesting account of the discovery of knowledge through the analytical, political, and idiosyncratic activities of researchers, The Great Fossil Enigma will serve you well. * Science Magazine *...[A] valuable contribution to the history of science. * thisviewoflife.com *Simon Knell has written, and written particularly well, the history of our conception and misunderstanding of the conodonts. It is the best semi-popular account of the history of paleontology that I have read since Gould's Wonderful Life. The Great Fossil Engima deserves to be widely read and enjoyed, not just by those who work on conodonts, but by a broad cross-section of paleontologists, geologists and anyone with an interest in our understanding of the natural world. * Priscum *Knell focuses on discussions, antagonisms, diverse conclusions, and a slowly emerging consensus about where these tooth-like structures were located in the animal and to what group of known animals these fossils pertained. Readers will learn how scientists develop ideas and interact with colleagues, and how animosities and cooperative relationships develop and change. . . . Recommended. * Choice *Simon Knell's contribution is a coherent and fascinating account of the history of an extinct fossil group. It has good reference notes and a valuable index. It will stand the test of time, but it deserves to be read now. * Earth Science History *Simon Knell tells the fascinating story from the early days of discovery up to the present, when conodont affinities continue to stimulate debate amongst the scientific community. . . [he] has . . . beautifully painted [the picture] of the enigma that is the conodont animal. * Geological Magazine *This is one of the best books, which the reviewer has had a chance to read in the past years. It is strongly recommended to a broad circle of geologists and palaeontologists, as well as to those interested in the history/philosophy/sociology of the modern science. * Zentralblatt Geologie und Palaontologie *Table of ContentsPrefaceList of IllustrationsPrelude: The Impossible Animal1. The Road to El Dorado2. A Beacon in the Blackness3. The Animal with Three Heads4. Another Fine Mess5. Outlaws6. Spring7. Diary of a Fossil Fruit-Fly8. Fears of Civil War9. The Promised Land10. The Witness11. The Beast of Bear Gulch12. The Invention of Life13. El Dorado14. Over the Mountains of the MoonNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisTraces the movement of minerals as they circulate from Mexican mines to markets, museums, and private collectionsTrade ReviewFerry is primarily concerned with three fields in which minerals are valued: ore mining, mineral collecting, and mineralogy. As any respectable ethnographer, she aims to understand the intimate bond between the human and the object (in this case, the mineral) and how meaning is attached to it, value created, and value given or taken away. . . [A] jewel to those interested in ore mining, mineral collecting and mineralogy, or the anthropology of value.May 2015 * American Ethnologist *Students with little knowledge of the topic as well as scholars in this area will enjoy this book, part of the 'Tracking Globalization' series. . . . Highly recommended. * Choice *Minerals, Collecting, and Value makes a novel contribution to the anthropology of natural resources by weaving together theories of value and concepts from actor network theory to historicize the formation of U.S.-Mexico as a transnational space. * Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Anthropology *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Making Value and U.S.-Mexican Space1. Histories, Mineralogies, Economies2. Shifting Stones: Mineralogy and Mineral Collecting in Mexico and the United States3. Making Scientific Value4. Mineral Collections and Their Minerals: Building Up U.S.-Mexican Transnational Spaces5. Making Places in Space: Miners and Collectors in Guanajuato and Tucson6. Mineral Marketplaces, Arbitrage, and the Production of DifferenceConclusionAppendix: Sources and MethodsNotesReferencesIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"This slim book, graced with beautiful facsimile reproductions of gorgeous paleontological folio art, is a treasure trove of vertebrate paleontological history, sacred and arcane." * The Quarterly Review of Biology * Patrons of Paleontology is a good introduction to the ambitious individuals and institutions that pursued their own, national, and institutional interests over centuries in a variety of contexts. * Journal of American History *Who pays for palaeontological research and why? Patrons of Paleontology will be a useful reference guide for anyone interested in the early history of the subject and some of the social and historical context in which it occurred. -- Paul Barrett * Priscum, The Newsletter of the Palentological Society *Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Cost of Doing Business1. The Beginnings of Government Support for Paleontology2. Eighteenth-century and Early Nineteenth-century Paleontologists and Patrons3. Developments in Government Support for Paleontology in the United States Between 1830 to About 18804. Paleontology in Mid Nineteenth-Century Surveys Outside the United States5. Government Support for Paleontology in the Late Nineteenth Century and the Turn of the Twentieth Century: 1880 to about 1940Conclusion: The Chain of PaleontologyAppendix: Glossary of Prominent Patrons and PaleontologistsAnnotated Bibliography of Primary SourcesBibliography of Secondary SourcesIndex

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Book SynopsisFeatures contributors who are scientists, and who felt the necessity of righting the record that protrayed women as constitutionally or intellectually unsuitable for careers in the sciences. This work discovers and recovers the contributions women have made to the development of their fields.Trade Review"Women of Science presents ample evidence of the important scientific contributions made by women. Yet this book is more than a reference - it is delightful and inspiring reading." Association for Women in Science Magazine " ... destined to become a standard reference in its field ..." Isis " ... fascinating ... an illuminating collection of biographies of many remarkable women." Journal of American Medical Women's Association " ... an important book ..." Caut Bulletin ACPU " ... an illuminating and revisionist history of science ..." Boston PhoenixTable of ContentsPrefaceIntroduction, by G. Kass-SimonWomen in the Field: The Role of Women in Archaeology before 1960Cynthia Irwin-WilliamsWomen in GeologyMichele L. AldrichStraying from Their Orbits: Women in Astronomy in AmericaPamela E. MackContributors to American Mathematics: An Overview and SelectionJudy Green and Jeanne LadukeWomen in the Intellectual Development of Engineering: A Study in Persistence and Systems of ThoughtMartha Moore TrescottIntellectual Contributions of Women to PhysicsL.M.JonesBiology Is DestinyG. Kass-SimonWomen in Medical SciencePartricia FarnesWomen in ChemistryJane A. MillerWomen in CrystallographyMaureen M. JulianAfterwordPatricia FarnesContributorsName IndexSubject Index

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Book SynopsisExplores what the last few decades of European/American, feminist, and postcolonial science and technology studies can learn from each other. This book proposes new directions for thinking about objectivity, method, and reflexivity in light of the new understandings developed in the post-World War II world.Trade Review" ... a fascinating and important book." --Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development

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Book SynopsisThis novel approach to philosophy of science asserts that experimentation is at the center of science and explains the experimental process through an analogy with theatrical performance.Trade Review"Crease's brilliantly exploited theatrical analogy places scientific theorizing back into the wider context of experimental inquiry." - Robert C. Scharff

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Book SynopsisNewton on Matter and Activity shows persuasively that while the Principia remains within the first two stages of inquiry (mathematical and physical) into nature, Newton spent the next forty years of his life making a philosophical analysis of matter, force, and transmission of force. Close attention is paid to methodological issues, especially Newton''s move beyond inductivism and toward a reproductive theoretical schema of interpretation required to treat of attraction, hardness, and impenetrability. Cross CurrentsTrade Review"While McMullin's study is indebted to the work of contemporary Newton scholars, his arguments are frequently original and he tackles tangled topics with circumspection and admirable clarity. This closely argued book is an up-to-date and judicious study of Newton's natural philosophy, providing a critical survey of a convoluted area of scholarship. In clarifying Newton's ontology, McMullin has made a valuable contribution to Newtonian studies." —International Studies in Philosophy"In this delightfully brief and trenchant book Ernan McMullin elevates several current problems in Newtonian scholarship to a new level of sophistication." —Eighteenth-Century Studies"A major contribution to the growing literature on Newton. . . . Drawing upon both Newton's published and unpublished writings, McMullin explores the more metaphysical side of Newton's physics--questions regarding the nature of matter, force, aether, spirit, and the void--rather than the mathematical and more positivistic side." —Choice

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Book SynopsisWith their dozens of universities and colleges, the Jesuits held a monopoly over higher education in Catholic Germany in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Using rich, previously untapped sources, Marcus Hellyer traces the development of science instruction at these institutions over a period stretching from the Counter-Reformation to the height of the Enlightenment. He argues that the Scientific Revolution was not an all-or-nothing affair; Jesuit professors enthusiastically adopted particular elements, such as experimental natural philosophy, while doggedly rejecting others, such as mechanical theories of matter. Hellyer''s examination of the Jesuit colleges over a span of two centuries, from the late sixteenth century to 1773, demonstrates that digesting the New Science was a lengthy process. crucial components of the Scientific Revolution when the Society was suppressed in 1773. Catholic Physics also explores the fascinating interaction between Jesuit naturalTrade Review". . . it will come as no surprise to read Marcus Hellyer's lucid, learned, judicious account of Jesuit universities and colleges in the German Assistancy, in which their teachers figure not as backward or duplicitous (in feigning not to accept Copernicianism, for instance), but as educators who were phenomenally successful at dominating the universities and colleges of Catholic Germany for two centuries,. . . . Hellyer rejects the view that links scientific progress to Protestantism and sees Catholicism and science as incompatible, and denies that backward Jesuit science [...] somehow stunted the intellectual, cultural, or even moral development of Catholic Germany." —Journal of Ecclesiasstical History“Marcus Hellyer opens a world of diversity and unexpected intellectual foment . . . This volume successfully dispels any ideas that Jesuits were Luddites either philosophically or “scientifically” in the period before their suppression. They did face an increasingly difficult task of reconciling what was developing in the world of science and philosophy with their presuppositional beliefs in the Bible . . . and traditional Catholic theology/philosophy” —American Historical Review“Catholic Physics chronicles natural philosophy education in German universities during the 17th and 18th centuries.” —Science and Theology News"This is a thoughtful, well-documented book. Highly recommended." —Choice"Catholic Physics is a well-researched book, citing nearly three hundred primary sources, most in Latin, and over four hundred secondary sources. [It] is a book the nonspecialist can read without difficulty. . . a worthwhile read." —Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith"Focusing on three German universities—the smaller ones of Mainz and Würtzburg and the larger, more important one of Ingolstadt—Hellyer tells the story of the development of Jesuit, Catholic natural philosophy from the sixteenth through the eighteenth centuries. . . This is an important study of the early modern German Jesuits and their natural philosophical teachings." —Sixteenth Century Journal“Hellyer's book is the first broad attempt to survey the place and changing character of natural philosophy in Jesuit colleges and universities, albeit restricted to the German lands, over a period of almost two centuries, and in doing so it provides an invaluable resource for grasping the greater significance of the Jesuits in the history of early modern science . . . Future claims about the character and development of Jesuit natural philosophy in early modern Europe will need to engage seriously with Hellyer.” —British Journal for the History of Science“. . . explores the relations between knowledge and faith in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries through a careful examination of the Jesuit physics curriculum in the colleges established in a loose-knit and complex political definition of their German province, which included Upper Germany, the Rhineland, Austria, parts of Bohemia and Flanders, and even the English college in Liege.” —Central European History“Hellyer charts an institutionally and intellectually complex terrain with considerable skill and subtlety. His subject matter is natural philosophy as found in Jesuit colleges and universities scattered throughout the territories of early modern Catholic Germany.” —Church History“The great advantage of this thorough study is that it examines natural philosophy over a period of more than 200 years, beginning with the foundation of the first Jesuit colleges in Germany in the 1550s and concluding with the suppression of the society in 1773. Hellyer's work is richly textured, and he moves easily from the rarefied world of early-modern universities and pedagogical theories to the 'real' world theatre of experiment. The result of this thoughtful and nuanced study, which concentrates on a broad swathe of chronology and a number of issues, will hopefully open up new avenues for research in the history of science and early-modern Germany.” —European History Quarterly

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Book SynopsisMathematical Disquisitions:The Booklet of Theses Immortalized by Galileo offers a new English translation of the 1614 Disquisitiones Mathematicae, which Johann Georg Locher wrote under the guidance of the German Jesuit astronomer Christoph Scheiner. The booklet, an anti-Copernican astronomical work, is of interest in large part because Galileo Galilei, who came into conflict with Scheiner over the discovery of sunspots, devoted numerous pages within his famous 1632 Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World SystemsPtolemaic and Copernican to ridiculing Disquisitiones. The brief text (the original was approximately one hundred pages) is heavily illustrated with dozens of original figures, making it an accessible example of geocentric astronomy in the wake of the telescope.Trade Review"Christopher Graney has translated foreign terms and concepts in efficient, modern ways, often trimming from them the complicated metaphysical and rhetorical context. Many of Graney's notes explain mathematical concepts and astronomical phenomena in reference to what astronomers understand today, which will make the text more digestible to an audience familiar with and interested in modern astronomy. The text offers a nice counterbalance to the standard canon of Galileo readings students encounter." —Darin Hayton, Haverford College“In this accessible and engaging translation, Graney makes a strong case for the value of studying the anti-Copernicans. . .The recovery of Locher’s treatise demonstrates that ‘Science’s history matters’ because it shows that true and honest debates within the scientific community have been part of the practice of modern science since its inception.” —Seventeenth-Century News“With this translation, Graney makes available to a wider range of readers Locher’s ideas in a manner unmediated by the thoughts or the agenda of Galileo. It allows them to explore and assess on their own merits the arguments advanced by critics of Copernicanism in the early seventeenth century. This in turn makes it possible to understand contemporary cosmological debates in new ways.” — European History Quarterly"There is much here for Professor Graney’s intended student audience as well as for other interested readers. His efforts will make the understanding of this Copernican debate richer for all." —Renaissance QuarterlyTable of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction Translator’s Note The Structure of the Disquisitions Mathematical Disquisitions, Concerning Astronomical Controversies and Novelties Letter of Dedication Poem and Letter to the Reader Disquisitions 1-44 Approvals and Two Laudatory Poems Notes to the Translation Works Cited Index

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Book SynopsisHow does soil, as an ecological element, shape culture? With the sixteenth-century shift in England from an agrarian economy to a trade economy, what changes do we see in representations of soil as reflected in the language and stories during that time? This collection brings focused scholarly attention to conceptions of soil in the early modern period, both as a symbol and as a feature of the physical world, aiming to correct faulty assumptions that cloud our understanding of early modern ecological thought: that natural resources were then poorly understood and recklessly managed, and that cultural practices developed in an adversarial relationship with natural processes. Moreover, these essays elucidate the links between humans and the lands they inhabit, both then and now.Trade Review“This first collection of essays to center on literary representations of soil makes contributions to both our sense of the historical context of early modern texts, and to our ecocritical theoretical repertoire, offering nine chapters that turn, exhume, overturn, and delve [into] sixteenth- and seventeenth-century materials in sharply insightful, often lyrical ways.”—Chris Barrett Renaissance Quarterly

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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

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Book SynopsisFiguring the Population Bomb traces the genealogy of twentieth-century demographic facts that created a mathematical panic about a looming population explosion. This narrative was popularized in the 1970s in Paul Ehrlich's best-selling book The Population Bomb, which pathologized population growth in the Global South by presenting a doomsday scenario of widespread starvation resulting from that growth. Carole McCann uses an archive of foundational texts, disciplinary histories, participant reminiscences, and organizational records to reveal the gendered geopolitical grounds of the specialized mathematical culture, bureaucratic organization, and intertextual hierarchy that gave authority to the concept of population explosion. These demographic theories and measurement practices ignited the population crisis and moved nations to interfere in women's reproductive lives. Figuring the Population Bomb concludes that mid-twentieth-century demographic figures remain authoritative to this day Trade Review"McCann’s work is a masterly reading of sources, theory, and history. She employs a range of disciplinary tools and methods, thinking not only as a historian but also as a demographer, feminist theorist, and textual and cultural analyst." * Journal of American History *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments List of Abbreviations 1. Matters of Vital Importance: Demography and the Mid-Twentieth-Century Population Imaginary 2. Rereading Malthus: Population and Masculine Modernity 3. Narratives of Exclusion, Mechanisms of Inclusion: Demographic Boundary Work 4. Remaking Malthusian Couplings for the Contraceptive Age 5. Demographic Transitions and Modern Masculinities 6. “Second Sight” and “Fictitious Accuracy to the Numbers” Conclusion: Demographic Convictions and Sound Knowledge Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"McCann’s work is a masterly reading of sources, theory, and history. She employs a range of disciplinary tools and methods, thinking not only as a historian but also as a demographer, feminist theorist, and textual and cultural analyst." * Journal of American History *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments List of Abbreviations 1. Matters of Vital Importance: Demography and the Mid-Twentieth-Century Population Imaginary 2. Rereading Malthus: Population and Masculine Modernity 3. Narratives of Exclusion, Mechanisms of Inclusion: Demographic Boundary Work 4. Remaking Malthusian Couplings for the Contraceptive Age 5. Demographic Transitions and Modern Masculinities 6. “Second Sight” and “Fictitious Accuracy to the Numbers” Conclusion: Demographic Convictions and Sound Knowledge Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisThe evolution and reception of the Renaissance was mediated by, amongst other influences: the Protestant Reformation; the development of science or natural philosophy; and an interest in witchcraft and demonology. These are evaluated alongside the influence of Montaigne's Essays.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“[A] mind-stretching book…skilfully written…[Mazur] has…considerately inserted human “interludes” between the scientific sections.”—John Carey, The Sunday Times“About as free-ranging a meditation on time as you will find."—Matt Hutson, Wall Street Journal“With a narrative punctuated by personal stories of time’s effects on truck drivers, Olympic racers, prisoners, and clockmakers, Mazur’s journey is filled with fascinating insights into how our technologies, our bodies, and our attitudes can change our perceptions. Ultimately, time reveals itself as something that rides on the rhythms of our minds. The Clock Mirage presents an innovative perspective that will force us to rethink our relationship with time, and how best to use it.”—Boomers Daily “Beautifully done…Mazur's first love is theory, and he handles it well, using Zeno's paradoxes to unpack the close relationship between psychology and mathematics.”—Simon Ings, Spectator"This book is not so much about time but the human relationship with it, and if we modify its flow by interaction. It is a refreshingly oblique look at something we all experience every moment of our lives yet tend to see as a given."—Jenny Randles, Magonia Review"Within a mere 230 pages of text, this all makes for a feature-packed, multi-dial super-watch of a book. It bristles with intellectual widgets cunningly squeezed into a machine of modest size. Mazur does the heavy lifting of scientific synopsis and explanation with polished assurance.... Readers will learn plenty from The Clock Mirage, be stretched by it, and have fun en route. It passes the time enjoyably and lproductively."—Boyd Tonkin, The Arts Desk“Marvellous…[Mazur] covers just about every other theorist of time with grace and wit, explains why time speeds up when you’ve got a fever and slows down when you think you’re in danger, and he even finds the time to talk to everyone from city traders to truck-drivers about their very different experiences of clock-watching."—Christopher Bray, The Critic“Mazur opens an intellectual Pandora’s Box and marvels fly out. Our familiarity with time misleads us into thinking it is simple, when it is paradoxical, elusive, and counterintuitive. Highly enjoyable and informative.”—Ian Stewart, author of Do Dice Play God?“A sweeping story in search of answers to a tantalizing mystery: what is time? Mazur offers an astonishing array of ideas, interviews and exposition, exploring time from many fascinating viewpoints.”—Robyn Arianrhod, author of Thomas Harriot: A Life in Science“Mazur has an uncanny ability to engage both a scientific and lay audience through an intertwining of mathematics with tender considerations of humanity, affectingly guiding us to consider our own mortality: the clock winding down within each of us.”—Kia Corthron, playwright and author of The Castle Cross the Magnet Carter, winner of the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize“A journey of discovery in which Mazur, wise in the ways of the wild, invites us to see the edges of the known. This powerful investigation combines formidable research, mathematical expertise, and profound contemplations.”—William Goldbloom Bloch, author of The Unimaginable Mathematics of Borges' Library of Babel“An expansive meditation on the meanings of time. As masterful teacher and earnest fellow traveler, Mazur leads us with heartfelt compassion, philosophical musings, and clear mathematical explanations, to find ourselves at the heart of it all.”—Gizem Karaali, Editor of Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

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Book SynopsisA revealing look at how antislavery scientists and black and white abolitionists used scientific ideas to discredit slaveholdersTrade Review“A smart, wide-ranging and learned book which will reshape our understanding of science’s role in the international movement against slavery.”—Nicholas Guyatt, University of Cambridge“While recent historical literature has shown the complicity of the early science of man in the defense of slavery, Herschthal unearths an equally long intellectual tradition of antislavery science. This innovative book is timely, when science itself is under assault.”—Manisha Sinha, author of The Slave’s Cause: A History of Abolition“A brilliantly written and engaging text that succeeds in complicating how prominently science was featured in the writings and lives of both abolitionists and pro-slavery advocates. Herschthal deftly centers black thinkers and leaders as they engaged with how science and scientific thinking could be utilized radically to help dismantle slavery.”—Deirdre Cooper Owens, author of Medical Bondage: Race, Gender, and the Origins of American Gynecology

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“[Heard’s] focus, bringing to life minutiae of both the living world and the practice of science, is welcome.”—Simon Ings, Spectator“[E]nchanting…Written in an easy-going, chatty style and accompanied by some lovely drawings by Emily Damstra, Heard’s book covers a wide range of organisms.”—Matthew Cobb, Current Biology Magazine“Informative, highly entertaining, and at times even intellectually confrontational...Writing in an enjoyable style that interweaves a scholarly seriousness with amiable playfulness well attuned to his broad audience, Heard presents his readers with a parade of creatures named for a host of personages spanning the famous, the fictional and the personal.”—Johannes E. Riutta, Archives of Natural History “No matter the platform, science communicators need skills in how to transfer niche, technical knowledge to a broad audience with curious minds. It looks like Yale University Press knew this when publishing Stephen B. Heard’s most recent book.”—Joanna Cobley, Museum Worlds: Advances in Research“In Charles Darwin’s Barnacle and David Bowie’s Spider, Stephen Heard tells some of the remarkable stories behind the names of species—and teaches us about how scientists make sense of the natural world along the way. A true pleasure to read.”—Carl Zimmer, author of She Has Her Mother’s Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity“More fun than you’ve ever had with taxonomy in your whole entire life! Delightfully written, thoroughly researched, makes you want to learn Latin, and will give good dinner party stories forever.”—Diana Gabaldon, author of the Outlander series, and PhD in Quantitative Behavioral Ecology“Charles Darwin's Barnacle and David Bowie's Spider is carefully researched, well-written, and contains a wealth of insightful comments. Stephen Heard is a talented writer with a good sense of humor, and he knows how to tell a story.”—Paul Faber, Oregon State University“Stephen Heard’s prose fairly sings with enthusiasm, and he presents truly fascinating stories about the names of living things – stories I guarantee you’ve never heard before.”—Daniel Lewis, author of Belonging on an Island“In a poignant, precise, and friendly style, Stephen Heard introduces the foibles of Western science—or, perhaps more accurately, Western scientists. The result is beautiful, welcoming, and illuminating.”—Nicole Palffy-Muhoray, Yale Peabody Museum

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Book SynopsisThe untold story of the rise of a new scientific field, ancient DNA research, and how Jurassic Park and popular media influenced its developmentTrade Review“Fun and thought-provoking. . . . Jones builds a wry, often wise, study of science as a very human endeavor. She makes a powerful case that ancient-DNA research feeds off media attention as much as the media feeds off it.”—Victoria L. Herridge, Nature“Elizabeth D. Jones reveals ancient DNA to be a field of scientific research driven by two forms of contamination—DNA from living organisms and public celebration of the idea of old DNA. She demonstrates the often-underappreciated power of celebrity in driving modern science.”—Beth Shapiro, author of How to Clone a Mammoth and Life As We Made It“A fascinating narrative history of ancient DNA. . . . Elizabeth D. Jones’s insightful arguments and riveting storytelling make this book a pleasure to read.”—Caitlin D. Wylie, author of Preparing Dinosaurs: The Work behind the Scenes“Ancient DNA is a clearly written, fascinating portrait of the development of a high-profile scientific field that was shaped by popular beliefs about DNA and dinosaurs—a wild story of lab results timed to coincide with movie premieres.”—Susan Lindee, Janice and Julian Bers Professor, University of Pennsylvania“Groundbreaking. This book not only explains in careful and clear detail the gradual development of ancient DNA techniques, together with the successes, but also interweaves skillfully the story of how the movie Jurassic Park influenced the science. If you read but one book this year on the making of science, it should be this one.”—Michael Ruse, author of Darwinism as Religion: What Literature Tells Us about Evolution“Ancient DNA fills a major gap in the history of a relatively new science, and in the intersection of modern culture and science communication and practice. I expect it will become very influential and likely will attract the same kind of media attention that its subject generates.”—Dennis O’Rourke, Foundation Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, University of Kansas “Elizabeth Jones’s original contribution to science communication studies richly conceptualizes a novel type of scientific field—a ‘celebrity science,’ one that evolved within the dynamics of publicity, journalism, and popular culture.”—Declan Fahy, author of The New Celebrity Scientists: Out of the Lab and into the Limelight

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“I cannot imagine what an alien landing next to these mysterious observatories, the Jantar Mantars, would think! Thankfully we have Perlus’s beautiful book, which allows us to see and understand the cross-cultural breadth of astronomy.”—Anthony Aveni, author of Star Stories: Constellations and People“This is what we need to understand about [the Jantar Mantars]; this is why they were made; this is why they need to be experienced and celebrated. They are of immeasurable value to help anyone so inclined to set off on quests of self‑discovery and personal interpretation.”—Anisha Shekhar Mukherji, from her essay “Time and Space in the Jantar Mantars”“This is an absolutely fascinating presentation, and a major contribution to the history of cultural astronomy in India. The author’s spectacular photographs of the instruments and the clarity of his explanations are a delight.”—Simon Mitton, University of Cambridge“This exquisite volume transports the reader to four fantastical observatories where the outsized instruments—free of lenses, mirrors, cameras, or telescopes—take the spiritual and scientific measure of the heavens.”—Dava Sobel, author of Longitude, Galileo’s Daughter, and The Glass Universe“Viewing Barry Perlus’s striking, immersive photography transports you to the Jantar Mantars of India. The clear text and diagrams elucidate the workings of Maharaja Jai Singh’s gigantic structures.”—Mark SubbaRao, president of the International Planetarium Society

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Leaves the reader with a renewed sense of wonder about our bizarre and vast cosmic habitat.”—Steven Poole, Wall Street Journal“The author ranges elsewhere from ringed planets to enormous clusters of galaxies, gravity waves and the big bang, and she properly emphasizes the contributions of some unjustly overlooked women astronomers, such as Jocelyn Bell, who did not share in the 1974 Nobel Prize awarded for her team’s work on neutron stars. The overall effect of the book is like binge-watching an excellent Netflix documentary series and leaves the reader with a renewed sense of wonder about our bizarre and vast cosmic habitat.”—Steven Poole, Wall Street Journal“This is a fascinating read, but also serves as a contemporary history of some of the most momentous insights of modern science. An excellent book to see us through those cloudy nights this winter!” —Alastair Gunn, BBC Sky At Night (Book of the Month)Co-won the 2019 Science Communication Award, sponsored by The American Institute of Physics Dispatches from Planet 3 is on the longlist for the 2020 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books in the Young Adult Science Book categoryWinner of the 2019 Epiphany awards' Science Awareness award, sponsored by the Novim GroupListed on Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles List for 2019"In this tour of the universe through a mix of well-known and not-so-well-known stories, it's hard to stop and read just one. Fascinating and binge-worthy."--Adam Riess, Nobel Laureate in Physics, 2011“There is no better guide to the cosmos than Marcia Bartusiak. Here she offers a tour of the heavens that is refreshingly down-to-earth, revealing not only the mysteries of the universe but also the inspiring people who brought those secrets to light."—David Baron, author of American Eclipse“An intriguing look at the sky from a top-class science journalist who has always been attuned to the most recent advancements of research.”—Carlo Rovelli, author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics"A fascinating compendium of essays on what scientists currently think the cosmos is like, and on the road to achieving those insights. Bartusiak takes the reader on a breathtaking journey from our familiar solar system to the speculative multiverse and from the beginning of time to the nature of time." —Mario Livio, author of Brilliant Blunders and Why?

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Book SynopsisThe first account of the role Britain played in Einstein's life—first by inspiring his teenage passion for physics, then by providing refuge from the NazisTrade Review“Highly readable.” —Andrew Crumey, Wall Street Journal “Deeply interesting”—Naomi Pasachoff, Metascience“Robinson’s evocative account of a transitional phase in Einstein’s life offers a valuable new perspective on this great scientist’s personality.”—Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal and former president of the Royal Society“A well-researched and very readable book about a less well-known period in Einstein’s life – his contact with England and English scientists.”—Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Visiting Professor of Astrophysics, University of Oxford“I absolutely adore this book – it’s insightful and very well-written. Einstein’s time in and relation to Britain from an Anglophile perspective is a new and valuable contribution. Robinson is also a very fine storyteller.”—Steven Gimbel, author of Einstein: His Space and Times“The very first study of its kind. It wears its thorough and conscientious scholarship lightly on its sleeve­—a splendidly entertaining read.”—Ze’ev Rosenkranz, editor of The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein“A compelling tale of Einstein’s reception in Britain. Robinson casts in bold relief important insights into the nature and character of British and German societies in the interwar period.”—Robert Schulmann, Former head of the Einstein Papers Project

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Book SynopsisAn engrossing history of the voyages of exploration that ignited curiosity about nature and gave birth to modern science.

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Book SynopsisA fascinating look at key thinkers throughout history who have shaped public perception of science and the role of authority.

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