Natural History Books

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Book SynopsisAstronomy, perhaps the first of the sciences, was already well developed by the time of Christ. Seventeen centuries later, after Newton showed that the movements of the planets could be explained in terms of gravitation, it became the paradigm for the mathematical sciences. In the nineteenth century the analysis of star-light allowed astrophysicists to determine both the chemical composition and the radial velocities of celestial bodies, while the development of photography enabled distant objects invisible to the human eye, to be studied and measured in comfort. Technical developments during and since the Second World War have greatly enlarged the scope of the science by permitting the study of radiation.This is a fascinating introduction to the history of Western astronomy, from prehistoric times to the origins of astrophysics in the mid-nineteenth century. Historical records are first found in Babylon and Egypt, and after two millennia the arithmetical astronomy of the Babylonians merged with the Greek geometrical approach to culminate in the Almagest of Ptolemy. This legacy was transmitted to the Latin West via Islam, and led to Copernicus''s claim that the Earth is in motion. In justifying this Kepler converted astronomy into a branch of dynamics, leading to Newton''s universal law of gravity. The book concludes with eighteenth- and nineteenth-century applications of Newton''s law, and the first explorations of the universe of stars.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewPacked with information as it is, Hoskin's short introduction makes an astonishingly good read. * Curtis Wilson, JHA *Table of Contents1. The Sky in Prehistory ; 2. Astronomy in Antiquity ; 3. Astronomy in Middle Ages ; 4. Astronomy Transformed ; 5. Astronomy in the Age of Newton ; 6. Exploring the Universe of Stars ; Epilogue ; Further Reading

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Book SynopsisFossils have been vital to our understanding of the formation of the earth and the origins of all life on it. However, their impact has not been limited to debates about geology and evolution: attempts to explain their existence has shaken religion at its very roots, and they have remained a subject of ceaseless fascination for people of all ages and backgrounds. In this delightful book, Keith Thomson provides a remarkably all-encompassing explanation of fossils as a phenomenon. How did Darwin use fossils to support his theory of evolution? What are ''living fossils''? What fossils will we leave behind for future generations to examine? Building on the scientific aspects, he places fossils in a very human context, highlighting their impact on philosophy and mythology, our concept of time, and today''s popular culture. What quickly becomes obvious is that the discovery of fossils and the ways in which they have been interpreted over time makes for fascinating reading. From the black market to the Piltdown Man, and from mythological dragons to living dinosaurs, fossils hold a permanent place in the popular imagination.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Table of Contents1. Introduction ; 2. A cultural phenomenon ; 3. In the popular imagination ; 4. Some things we know, some things we don't ; 5. Against the odds ; 6. Bringing fossils to life ; 7. Evolving ; 8. Of molecules and man ; 9. Fakes and fortunes ; 10. Back to the future ; Further reading

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Book SynopsisA bold, visionary, and mind-bending exploration of how the geometry of chaos can explain our uncertain world - from weather and pandemics to quantum physics and free willCovering a breathtaking range of topics - from climate change to the foundations of quantum physics, from economic modelling to conflict prediction, from free will to consciousness and spirituality - The Primacy of Doubt takes us on a unique journey through the science of uncertainty. A key theme that unifies these seemingly unconnected topics is the geometry of chaos: the beautiful and profound fractal structures that lie at the heart of much of modern mathematics. Royal Society Research Professor Tim Palmer shows us how the geometry of chaos not only provides the means to predict the world around us, it suggests new insights into some of the most astonishing aspects of our universe and ourselves. This important and timely book helps the reader makes sense of uncertainty in a rapidly changing world.Trade Reviewimportant book * Andrew Robinson, Nature *The Primacy of Doubt also contains very informative explanations as to the application of chaos theory in climate and meteorological models, and why meteorologists failed to predict southern Britain's 1987 hurricane. To my mind this were probably the book's strongest areas and are 'must reads' for those with an interest in climate forecasting. * Jonathan Cowie, SF2 Concatenation *Quite possibly the best popular science book I've ever read... The Primacy of Doubt is like getting off one of those exciting roller coaster rides, when your immediate inclination is to think 'I want to do that again, but I'll have a bit of a break first.' I will be reading this book again, without doubt. Remarkable. * Brian Clegg, Popular Science *delightful and substantive * William Hooke, Living on the Real World *The Primacy of Doubt provides a remarkably broad-ranging account of uncertainty in physics, in all its various aspects. I strongly recommend this highly thought-provoking book. * Roger Penrose, OM, FRS, winner of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics *Tim Palmer is a scientific polymath. It's hard to think of anyone else who could have written so authoritatively—and so accessibly—on themes extending from quantum gravity to climate modelling. This fascinating and important book offers some profoundly original speculations on conceptual linkages across different sciences. * Lord Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal of the United Kingdom *The Primacy of Doubt is an important book by one of the pioneers of dynamical weather prediction, indispensable for daily life. * Suki Manabe, winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physics *In a whirlwind of a book that's partly scientific autobiography and partly the manifest of a visionary, Tim Palmer masterfillly weaves together climate change and quantum mechanics into one coherent whole. Using uncertainty as a unifring principle, Palmer puts forward new perspectives on old problems. A revolutionary thinker way ahead of his time. * Sabine Hossenfelder, author of Lost in Math *An exploration of the amorphous concept of uncertainty... [an] informative, ingenious book. * Kirkus Reviews *Physicist Palmer delivers a challenging but rewarding look at how uncertainty helps scientists make sense of the world... Despite the complexity of his arguments, the author succeeds at bringing complicated theories within reach of those who have a basic familiarity with physics. Science-minded readers, take note. * Publishers Weekly *Provocative... useful for scientists and non-scientists alike * Jessica Flack, Physics World *Table of ContentsPreface 1: The Primacy of Doubt DS From Two Perspectives Part I: The Science of Uncertainty and the Geometry of Chaos 2: Chaos, Chaos Everywhere 3: The Geometry of Chaos 4: Noisy, Million-Dollar Butterflies 5: Quantum Uncertainty DS Determinism Lost? Part II: The Science of Uncertainty to Predict Our Chaotic World 6: The Two Roads to Monte Carlo 7: Climate Change: Catastrophe or Just Lukewarm? 8: Pandemics 9: Financial Crashes 10: Deadly Conflict and the Digital Ensemble of Spaceship Earth 11: Decisions! Decisions! Part III: The Science of Uncertainty to Understand Our Chaotic World 12: Quantum Uncertainty: Determinism Regained? 13: Noisy Billion-Dollar Brains 14: Free Will, Consciousness and Theology Acknowledgements Bibliography

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Book SynopsisThe Natural History of Selborne (1789) is written as a series of letters, which describe with wit and precision the flora and fauna White observes in his Hampshire parish. A classic of nature writing, this edition includes contemporary illustrations, a contextualizing introduction, and an appendix of readers' responses over 200 years.Trade Review'I can wholeheartedly recommend this edition ... Beautifully produced ... Secord's introduction - surely one of the chief reasons to purchase this new edition of a book never out of print - provides a nuanced and stimulating account of the origins, character, and legacies of Selborne.' * Diarmid A. Finnegan, Journal of Historical Geography *'This Oxford edition offers new insights into a work that has been hugely popular. ' * Land and Business *

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Book SynopsisVery Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring Almost everything we know about the Universe has come from studying the messages carried by light from outer space. Until only a handful of decades ago, this meant observing optical photons in the narrow visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. However, recent technological developments have now enabled us to extend this range and explore the Universe at radio, infrared, ultraviolet, X-ray, and gamma-ray wavelengths. The observations reveal a plethora of exotic phenomena such as young galaxies at the edge of the visible Universe, quasars, pulsars, colliding galaxies, and exploding stars, often at great distances. We have discovered that the Universe is expanding and that the expansion itself is accelerating. Closer to our home planet, we track killer asteroids and comets. Working closely together, observational astronomy and astrophysics have shown us how stars produce their energy, where the chemical elements come Table of ContentsList of illustrations Preface 1: The observable Universe 2: The life and death of stars 3: Big telescopes 4: The radio Universe 5: Observations from space 6: The transient Universe 7: Multi-messenger astronomy 8: A bigger picture Further Reading Index

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Book SynopsisDo a little armchair time travel, rub elbows with a four-dimensional intelligent life form, or stretch your mind to the furthest corner of an uncharted universe. With this astonishing guidebook, Surfing Through Hyperspace, you need not be a mathematician or an astrophysicist to explore the all-but-fathomable concepts of hyperspace and higher-dimensional geometry.No subject in mathematics has intrigued both children and adults as much as the idea of a fourth dimension. Philosophers and parapsychologists have meditated on this mysterious space that no-one can point to but may be all around us. Yet this extra dimension has a very real, practical value to mathematicians and physicists who use it everyday in their calculations. In the tradition of Flatland, and with an infectious enthusiasm, Clifford Pickover tackles the problems inherent in our 3-D brains trying to visualize a 4-D world, muses on the religious implications of the existence of higher-dimensional consciousness, and urges allTrade Review"Pickover alternates expositions of math, physics and geometry with episodes of instructional science fiction while showing interested amateurs the mathematical and physical properties of higher spatial dimensions."--Publishers Weekly "Is there, asks Clifford Pickover, more to our Universe than forwards, sidewards, and up? Before I knew it, I was well and truly infected. After explaining how his book would cover all the usual stuff about higher dimensions--their unimaginability, their weird properties, and how physicists think they may hold the key to understanding the Universe--Pickover sprung his trap: 'I want to know if humankind's gods could exist in the fourth dimension'....I read the book in two sittings. I'm still under its influence, which is all the more perplexing considering how abstract and unworldly higher dimensions are."--Robert Mathews, New Scientist "Mark my words: within a few months, you too will come across others in the grip of infection by this amazing book."--New Scientist "Extraordinary book."--Daily Telegraph (UK) "In recent years, Pickover has taken up the helm once worn by Isaac Asimov as the most compelling popular explainer of cutting-edge scientific ideas."--"In Pittsburgh" "Pickover alternates expositions of math, physics and geometry with episodes of instructional science fiction while showing interested amateurs the mathematical and physical properties of higher spatial dimensions."--Publishers Weekly "Is there, asks Clifford Pickover, more to our Universe than forwards, sidewards, and up? Before I knew it, I was well and truly infected. After explaining how his book would cover all the usual stuff about higher dimensions--their unimaginability, their weird properties, and how physicists think they may hold the key to understanding the Universe--Pickover sprung his trap: 'I want to know if humankind's gods could exist in the fourth dimension'....I read the book in two sittings. I'm still under its influence, which is all the more perplexing considering how abstract and unworldly higher dimensions are."--Robert Mathews, New Scientist "Mark my words: within a few months, you too will come across others in the grip of infection by this amazing book."--New Scientist "Extraordinary book."--Daily Telegraph (UK) "In recent years, Pickover has taken up the helm once worn by Isaac Asimov as the most compelling popular explainer of cutting-edge scientific ideas."--"In Pittsburgh"Table of ContentsPreface Introduction 1: Degrees of Freedom 2: The Divinity of Higher Dimensions 3: Satan and Perpendicular Worlds 4: Hyperspheres and Tesseracts 5: Mirror Worlds 6: The Gods of Hyperspace Concluding Remarks Appendix A: Mind-Bending Four Dimensional Puzzles Appendix B: Higher Dimensions in Science Fiction Appendix C: Banchoff Klein Bottle Appendix D: Quaternions Appendix E: Four-Dimensional Mazes Appendix F: Smorgasbord for Computer Junkies Appendix G: Evolution of Four-Dimensional Beings Appendix H: Challenging Questions for Further Thought Appendix I: Hyperspace Titles Notes Further Readings About the Author Addendum Index

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Book SynopsisThe natural history museum is a place where the line between "high" and "low" culture effectively vanishes - where our awe of nature, our taste for the bizarre and our thirst for knowledge all blend together. But, as this text shows, there is more going on in these institutions than just smart fun.Trade Review"In Stuffed Animals, the natural history museum is a dimly lit stage for scientific dreams. Inside its cabinet of wonder, the mysteries of the natural world are laid bare and the rupture between the scientific and the sublime is momentarily healed."--Voice Literary Supplement"Rich in detail, lucid explanation, telling anecdotes, and fascinating characters.... Asma has rendered a fascinating and credible account of how natural history museums are conceived and presented. It's the kind of book that will not only engage a wide and diverse readership, but it should, best of all, send them flocking to see how we look at nature and ourselves in those fabulous legacies of the curiosity cabinet."--Boston Herald"Asma has already established himself as one of the most creative minds working in cultural history and the history of science. Stuffed Animals and Pickled Heads is an incredibly stimulating discussion of the role of natural history museums in culture and society. It should be read by all, both practicing scientists and philosophers, and the broadly curious general reader."--Michael Ruse, author of The Darwinian Revolution: Science Red in Tooth and Claw"Strap yourself into your seat and prepare for a thrilling ride back into history and natural history through Stephen Asma's time machine--two hundred years back into the history of natural history museums, and two million years back into natural history itself. The weird and the wonderful are on display and visually striking, as Asma traces our journey to understand our origins and evolution, and how we have struggled mightily to convey millions of years of time and change to a species whose chronology is set in decades. A gripping tale with great illustrations that are absolutely necessary--for we are the most visual of all the primates, and there is no greater theatre than evolution."--Michael Shermer, author of The Borderlands of Sciencehistoryh Asma's Stuffed Animals and Pickled Heads surveys the presence and evolution of natural history museums around the world interviewing curators, scientists and exhibit designers and providing many observations of the history of these museums and how their contents and approaches have evolved. The result is an excellent and intriguing survey of the evolution of natural history collections."--The Bookwatch

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Trade ReviewIn Minding Animals...Marc Bekoff observes and describes animals as individuals at play, dreaming and grooming, in a book with both brains and a heart. * The Daily Telegraph *To find out about the rich emotional life of nonhuman species, read Minding Animals. * Natural History *Bekoff does a wonderful job showing the reader how learning and understanding and 'minding' animals and their behavior lead to recognition of their feelings as well. Using both his vast knowledge of animals and the observations made by other naturalists, Bekoff illustrates the minds, hearts, spirits and souls of the animal kingdom. * Biology Digest *Interweaving anecdotal stories, discussions of scientific research, and explorations into the philosophy and theology of our relationship with nature and other animals, Bekoff builds a case for the necessity of understanding animals and granting them mutual respect as 'other persons.' The conversational writing style makes for a highly accessible book. * Booklist *With this abundant narrative of Marc Bekoff a new age of intimacy between humans and animals has begun. The companionship, the play, the healing, the guidance, the protection provided by the animals, all these will be needed in the future as never before. Everyone should read Minding Animals, an amazingly thorough, delightful, and most important book. * Thomas Berry, author of The Dream of the Earth and The Great Work *For those of us who have immersed ourselves in the well being of life forms other than human, the fact that they communicate and have feelings is as natural and understandable as breathing. Through this lens we see clearly how their well being is intricately interconnected with our own. In Minding Animals Marc Bekoff has done a wonderful job of showing us how learning to understand and 'mind' animals and their behavior leads us to recognize their feelings as well. Through their layers, we find even more richness and joy of life as we glimpse into ever deeper parts of ourselves. This book is fun, inspiring, thought-provoking and educational! What a great mix! * Julia Butterfly Hill, author of The Legacy of Luna: The Story of a Tree, a Woman, and the Struggle to Save the Redwoods *Just as the best doctors attain detailed and compassionate knowledge of the uniqueness of each patient, so too do the best behavioral biologists * with Marc Bekoff prominently among themlearn to recognize each animal as a distinct individual with its own internal life and experiences. By minding animals, we obtain our best scientific understanding of their evolution and behavior.Stephen Jay Gould, author of The Structure of Evolutionary Theory *Except for relatively minor specializations that relate to whether we walk, run, fly or swim, all we vertebrate animals are physically stunningly similar. Most would also agree that the brain is an organ, as are stomachs, kidneys, and hearts, designed with functions and capacities useful for survival in often complex and indirect ways. There is no evidence, however, that what the brain does differs fundamentally across various species of vertebrates. Differences are in degree with respect to specific functions. In this readable, wide-ranging, and very stimulating book, Marc Bekoff takes this larger holistic view as a basis for a passionate exploration of how we should treat, and what we owe, our fellow-vertebrate creatures, who likely have many emotional and sensory survival mechanisms similar to our own. * Bernd Heinrich, University of Vermont, author of Mind of the Raven *Bekoff is an ethologist: a scientist who studies animal behavior. In this new look at the consciousness of animals, he shares his experiences along with the nitty-gritty details of how animal behaviorists make their living. But Bekoff goes beyond a mere description of the science of ethology. He also tackles bigger issues, such as the questions of animal cognition, intelligence, and their emotional lives. Bekoff has a talent for making his points by leading readers through the evidence for and against an issue and guiding them to a conclusion. Interweaving anecdotal stories, discussions of scientific research, and explorations into the philosophy and theology of our relationship with nature and other animals, Bekoff builds a case for the necessity of understanding animals and granting them mutual respect as 'other persons.' The conversational writing style makes for a highly accessible book. * SciTech Book News *

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Book SynopsisThis collected volume of original essays proposes to address the state of scholarship on the political, cultural, and intellectual history of Americans responses to wilderness from first contact to the present. While not bringing a synthetic narrative to wilderness, the volume will gather competing interpretations of wilderness in historical context.Trade ReviewValuable for both is synthesis and innovation. American Wilderness: A New History successfully draws together essays that explore the paradoxes and controversies that continue to plague this mercurial concept. * Robin O'Sullivan, H-Net Book Review *Table of ContentsCh. 1: Michael Lewis: American Wilderness--An Introduction Ch. 2: Melanie Perreault: American Wilderness and First Contact Ch. 3: Mark Stoll: Religion "Irradiates" the Wilderness Ch. 4: Steven Stoll: Farm Against Forest Ch. 5: Bradley P. Dean: Natural History, Romanticism, and Thoreau Ch. 6: Angela Miller: The Fate of Wilderness in American Landscape Art: The Dilemmas of "Nature's Nation" Ch. 7: Benjamin Johnson: Wilderness Parks and Their Discontents Ch. 8: Char Miller: A Sylvan Prospect: John Muir, Gifford Pinchot, and Early Twentieth-Century Conservatism Ch. 9: Kimberly A. Jarvis: Gender and Wilderness Conservation Ch. 10: Paul Sutter: Putting Wilderness in Context: The Interwar Origins of the Modern Wilderness Idea Ch. 11: Mark Harvey: Loving the Wild in Postwar America Ch. 12: Michael Lewis: Wilderness and Conservation Science Ch. 13: Christopher Conte: Creating Wild Places from Domesticated Landscapes: The Internationalization of the American Wilderness Concept Ch. 14: James Morton Turner: The Politics of Modern Wilderness Donald Worster: Epilogue: Nature, Liberty, and Equality Recommended Readings

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Book SynopsisAn exploration of the hidden history of camping in American life that connects a familiar recreational pastime to camps for functional needs and political purposes.Camping appears to be a simple proposition, a time-honored way of getting away from it all. Pack up the car and hit the road in search of a shady spot in the great outdoors. For a modest fee, reserve the basic infrastructure--a picnic table, a parking spot, and a place to build a fire. Pitch the tent and unroll the sleeping bags. Sit under the stars with friends or family and roast some marshmallows. This book reveals that, for all its appeal, the simplicity of camping is deceptive, its history and meanings far from obvious.Why do some Americans find pleasure in sleeping outside, particularly when so many others, past and present, have had to do so for reasons other than recreation? Never only a vacation choice, camping has been something people do out of dire necessity and as a tactic of political protest. Yet the dominant interpretation of camping as a modern recreational ideal has obscured the connections to these other roles. A closer look at the history of camping since the Civil War reveals a deeper significance of this American tradition and its links to core beliefs about nature and national belonging. Camping Grounds rediscovers unexpected and interwoven histories of sleeping outside. It uses extensive research to trace surprising links between veterans, tramps, John Muir, African American freedpeople, Indian communities, and early leisure campers in the nineteenth century; tin-can tourists, federal campground designers, Depression-era transients, family campers, backpacking enthusiasts, and political activists in the twentieth century; and the crisis of the unsheltered and the tent-based Occupy Movement in the twenty-first. These entwined stories show how Americans camp to claim a place in the American republic and why the outdoors is critical to how we relate to nature, the nation, and each other.Trade ReviewYoung deserves praise for creating fertile ground for historians of the environment, race, class, and gender to further complicate the narrative of camping in North America, as well as demonstrating how others can critically engage with conceptions of government responsibility and public nature. * Jessica M. DeWitt, Western History Quarterly *A rich and compelling book that follows two intersecting paths through the history of camping. The most obvious path is that of recreational camping....The second path is the history of protest camping, from Civil War veterans to Occupy protesters.... While Camping Grounds centers on the practices of camping, as recreation and protest, it situates this analysis in the broader overarching concept of 'public nature.'...[Its] concern, one with implications for the future, is that other forms of camping-such as a mode of protest or as a matter of necessity-are delegitimized, as a market-based recreational ethos crowds out the potential for camping to yield broader public goods....This concept of public nature will serve historians well as they wrestle with how we use, govern, and consume nature to reflect, shore up, and challenge hierarchies of power in the United States. * James Morton Turner, Journal of American History *Recreational camping and political camping, two voluntary but contrasting activities, and functional camping, an involuntary activity, are the three forms of American camping explored in this excellent, well-researched book. Most camping scholarship...concentrates on the first of the three forms while neglecting the other two. Young's...demonstration of the interrelatedness of and shaping interactions between the three forms makes it exceptionally revealing and valuable....Young convincingly demonstrates that camping today is complicated, contains multiple meanings, and can be both a highly popular form of leisure and the justification for an arrest by law enforcement. In addition to being a revealing analysis, Camping Grounds is an engaging narrative....I strongly recommend Camping Grounds to readers who wish to better understand how America came to include an everyday activity that is both praised and condemned, often by the same people. * Terence Young, H-Environment *This is a magnificent study of camping in the US, from the mid-19th century to 2019. Camping has had significantly different meanings at different times in US history, and Young explores three different eras. Early camping was primarily a way of sheltering while traveling, or while in a state of military transition, with emphasis on organizing people....Camping as a choice and pastime emerged later and played a role in changing views of class and race in the US....In the late 19th century, camping became an alternative to resort vacations, taking on social and economic implications. The camping equipment industry and planned campgrounds emerged. The popularity of camping in the second half of the 20th century created environmental and institutional problems, resulting in a wilderness ethic and economic opportunities....Relevant to social and environmental studies and law....Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through professionals.A varied and comprehensive overview of modern camping with ample detail and sociological perspective on the origins of camping and its roles in war, protest, consumerism, and class discrimination. * Zebulin Evelhoch, Library Journal *Young, an environmental historian, traces "camping" back to the Civil War and explores its implications for social justice and political discourse—beyond its more obvious role as a mere diversional outdoor activity. * Lela Nargi, The Sierra Club *In Camping Grounds, Phoebe Young presents the surprisingly political history of sleeping outside, in which veterans, vagrants, migrants, recreationists, protestors, bureaucrats, officials, police, and others have fought over the meaning of public nature, with profound implications for American life and the American social compact. Artfully written, creatively researched, a tour de force that will change the way you see your country. * Louis S. Warren, University of California, Davis *In this brilliant new book, Phoebe Young asks a seemingly simple question: 'What does it mean to camp and why does it matter?' The answer is strikingly complex and in its pursuit Camping Grounds offers a radically inclusive vision of America's public nature and environmental culture. * Char Miller, author of Not So Golden State: Sustainability vs. the California Dream *Phoebe Young strips the innocence from sleeping under the stars, revealing this quintessential American pastime as a precarious practice — one long bedeviled by class tensions, legal wrangling over the definition of camping, and ever-shifting claims on public nature. * Elizabeth Royte, author of Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash *My recommendation?: gather 'round the campfire with a s'more, and read this smart, engaging book. Young exposes the 'simple life' of camping as a complex set of negotiations historically about your environments, your government, your fellow citizens...and yourself. * Jenny Price, Stop Saving the Planet!: An Environmentalist Manifesto *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction: Public Nature Part One: 1850s-1880s Ch. 1. Saving the Union Ch. 2. Seeing the Country Part Two: 1890s-1940s Ch. 3. Tramp Style Ch. 4. Campers' Republic Part Three: 1950s-2010s Ch. 5. The Back to Nature Crowd ch. 6. Tents and Public Statements Epilogue: "We MUST Camp" Notes Index

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThis volume is thought-provoking and attractive, and anyone (of any age) interested in dinosaurs will enjoy looking at it. * Darren Naish, Fortean Times *Peter Schouten's wonderful artwork is the focus of the book...Schouten's attention to detail is impressive. * Darren Naish, Fortean Times *This volume is thought-provoking and attractive, and anyone (of any age) interested in dinosaurs will enjoy looking at it. * Darren Naish, Fortean Times *This work would serve to fire the imagination of even the most recalcitrant of students. This book would not be out of place in the front room of any home. * British Ornithologists' Union *

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Book SynopsisEthical dilemmas and decision-making are a persistent feature of the everyday operations of animal shelters and animal protection organizations. These organizations frequently face difficult decisions about how to treat the animals in their care, decisions that are made all the more difficult by limited funding, material resources, and human labor. Moreover, animal protection organizations must also determine how to act within and toward the wider social and institutional environment in which non-human animals are routinely exploited. The first section of The Ethics of Animal Shelters contains practical recommendations developed by ethicists in response to the ethical challenges identified by employees of the Montreal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. These challenges arise across the organization''s activities, including its internal structure; shelter operations; public campaigns and advocacy work; dealing with the public, animal agriculture and governmental agencies; and their work with feral animals. The second section offers philosophical analyses of the ethical challenges unique to animal shelters. Issues explored include the killing of shelter animals; shelter animals'' diets; medical decision-making procedures; adoption policies; and the role shelters might play in transforming social attitudes and norms.Table of ContentsNotes on contributors Acknowledgements Exploring the ethics of animal shelters: An introduction Part I The Ethics of Animal Shelters: Guidelines and Recommendations Valéry Giroux, Angie Pepper, Kristin Voigt, Frédéric Côté-Boudreau, Nicolas Delon, Sue Donaldson, François Jaquet, Will Kymlicka, Angela Martin and Agnes Tam Part II 1. The value of death for animals: an overview Nicolas Delon 2. Caring in Non-Ideal Conditions: Animal Rescue Organizations and Morally Justified Killing Angie Pepper 3. Decision-making under non-ideal circumstances: Establishing triage protocols for animal shelters Angela Martin 4. What If They Were Humans? Non-Ideal Theory in the Shelter François Jaquet 5. Being Popular and Being Just: How Animal Protection Organizations Can Be Both Agnes Tam and Will Kymlicka 6. Companion Animal Adoption in Shelters: How "Open" Should It Be? Valéry Giroux and Kristin Voigt 7. Transformative Animal Protection Sue Donaldson and Will Kymlicka Afterword Élise Desaulniers

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Book SynopsisPhilosophia Botanica (The Science of Botany), by Carl Linnaeus, was originally published in Latin in Stockholm and Amsterdam in 1751. It is a greatly expanded revision of his Fundamenta Botanica (Foundations of Botany) of 1736, summarizing his work on the classification and taxonomy of plants while adding substantial new material. The book represents a critical stage in the evolution of binomial nomenclature, with a single word to describe the genus and another for the species. Special importance is attached to accurate description of the parts of plants, and to the correct use of technical terms. There are also explanations of the effects of soil and climatic conditions on plant growth. The book includes 10 original engravings, with 167 figures showing the shapes of leaves and other parts of the plant, and 6 short memoranda describing Linnaeus'' botanical excursions, detailing his ideas for garden and herbarium construction, and outlining what is required of a botanist and his pupils.Trade Review". . . . . Linnaeus's text of 1751, rendered into a flowing and eminently readable English" and "This book is beautifully produced and well-illustrated. Stephen Freer is to be congratulated on his translation which easily brings 18th century Latin to a modern readership." Dr Mark Newman, Edinburgh Journal of Botany, Dec/Jan. 2006"The translator's meticulous attention to detail and the publisher's lavish production cannot be praised too highly." The Naturalist, July 2006".. . . reading this excellent translation . . . Reviewers of the hardcopy edition have already heaped praise on Stephen Freer's skilful and meticulous translation. I can only add gratitude for providing easy access to one of Linnaeus's most important texts." (Prof. Pieter Baas, The Linnean, October 2006).Linnaeus's Philosophia Botanica is, among other things, a timely reminder of the importance of the classificatory enterprise and the need to continue it. * The Times Literary Supplement *The translator's meticulous attention to detail and the publisher's lavish production cannot be praised too highly. A valuable resource for taxonomists and of great interest to botanists in general and historians of science. * The Naturalist *"As translator, Freer is in a sense invisible in this work, and yet his hand is on every page, presenting Linnaeus' ideas and teachings to a new and wider audience . . . straightforward and very readable. This translation is an important contribution to science and its history . . ." Charlotte Tancin, Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, June 2006."Reading this excellent translation of the Philosophia Botanica, . . . historians, botanists and gardeners are among those who will find it fascinating" Jim Endersby, The Times Literary Supplement, March, 2006"We must be grateful to Stephen Freer and Oxford University Press for bringing us this excellent translation. I urge you not only to buy it but also to read it, because you will enjoy it." Alex S. George, Systematic Biology, Vol. 55, 2006Readers of a review commonly wish to know whether the work is worth buying. For this translation the answer is a resounding 'Yes!'. Systematic Biology, Vol. 55 (3):534-536, 2006All in all this is a delightful and informative translation of a botanical classic...Anyone interested in the history of botany and in teaching botany will enjoy and benefit from reading this book. Plant Science Bulletin, Fall 2005, Vol.51, No.3Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. The library ; 2. Systems ; 3. Plants ; 4. The fruit body ; 5. Sex ; 6. Characters ; 7. Names ; 8. Definitions ; 9. Varieties ; 10. Synonyms ; 11. Sketches ; 12. Potencies ; Plates ; Appendices

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Book SynopsisThe Variety of Life can be read at many levels. Not least it is an extraordinary inventory - an illustrated summary of all the Earthly creatures that have ever lived. Whatever living thing you come across, from E coli to an oak tree or an elephant, The Variety of Life will show you what kind of creature it is, and how it relates to all others. Yet there are far too many creatures to present merely as a catalogue. The list of species already described is vast enough - nearly two million - but there could in reality be as many as 30 million different animals, plants, fungi and protists - and perhaps another 400 million different bacteria and archaea. In the 4,000 million years or so since life first began on Earth, there could have been several thousand billion different species. The only way to keep track of so many is to classify - placing similar creatures into categories, which nest within larger categories, and so on. As the centuries have passed, so it has become clear that the difTrade ReviewReview from previous edition The first part of The Variety of Life provides an excellent discussion and explanation of the systematisation of life, which is far from being static and boring. * The Herald 09/02/00 *This is much more thatn a beautifilly illustrated, engagingly written catalogue * The Independent 09/03/2002 *..wonderful encyclopedic "labour of love". * The Herald 09/02/2000 *Hopefully, the success The Variety of Life deserves will help encourage us "to share (our planet) with so many goodly creatures". * The Herald 09/02/2000 *The Variety of Life is far more than just another good popular science book. It's a celebration of the "huge privilege" it is to share the planet with so many fantastical creatures. * Independent Weekend 08/04/00 *Taxonomy may sound dull, but Tudge makes a brilliant case for it. A seasoned science writer with a delightfully light touch, he can make the most arcane subject appealing... a beautifully illustrated introduction to everything that's ever lived. * Independent Weekend 08/04/00 *...exceptionally clear, user-friendly, and up-to-date...a valuable introduction to the higher classification of organisms and an easily accessible reference work to the entire spread of biodiversity. * Edward O. Wilson, Harvard University *...For all natural historians and anyone professing biology The Variety of Life is a must * Douglas Palmer, Amazon.co.uk January 2000 *Throughout the book, which one might expect to be dryly taxonomical, he inserts adjectives like "fascinating", "marvellous", and "extraordinary". I will let his own words describe his book. * Richard Ellis, The Times 16th March 2000 *This book is a remarkable achievement, giving an authoritative overview of the whole of life in a readable way that should be accessible to anyone with an interest in natural history. Find an excuse to buy it. * Bulletin of the British Ecological Society 2000 *...this is a lovely and accessible book...It will be hugely valuable as a source-book for student libraries, and highly informative for any enthusiastic lay naturalist curious about the life around them and the fossils beneath them. * Nature September 2000 *The book is excellently produced, can be recommended unreservedly to all interested in the life sciences (especially molecular biologists), and is remarkably good value for money. * Galton Insitute Newsletter September 2000 *Table of ContentsCLASSIFICATION AND THE SEARCH FOR ORDER; THE NATURAL ORDER: DARWIN'S DREAM AND HENNIG'S SOLUTION; DATA; CLADE, GRADE, AND A PLEA FOR NONLINNEAN IMPRESSIONISM ; THE DOMAIN OF THE PROKARYOTES: BACTERIA AND ARCHAEA;THE DOMAIN OF THE NUCLEUS: THE EUCARYOTA; MUSHROOMS, MOULDS AND LICHENS: RUSTS, SMUT AND ROT: THE KINGDOM OF THE FUNGI;THE ANIMALS; ANEMONES, CORALS, JELLYFISH AND SEA-PENS; CLAMS AND COCKLES, SNAILS AND SLUGS, OCTOPUS AND SQUIDS; ANIMALS WITH JOINTED LEGS; LOBSTERS, CRABS, SHRIMPS, BARNACLES AND MANY MORE BESIDES; THE INSECTS; SPIDERS, SCORPIONS, MITES, WATER-SCORPIONS, HORSESHOE CRABS, AND SEA SPIDERS; STARFISH AND BRITTLE STARS, SEA URCHINS AND SAND DOLLARS, SEA LILIES, SEA DAISIES AND SEA CUCUMBERS; SEA-SQUIRTS, LANCELETS, AND VERTEBRATES; SHARKS, RAYS AND CHIMAERAS; THE RAY-FINNED BONY FISH; LOBEFINS AND TETRAPODS; THE REPTILES; THE MAMMALS; LEMURS, LORISES, TARSIERS, MONKEYS AND APES: THE ORDER OF THE PRIMATES; HUMAN BEINGS AND OUR IMMEDIATE RELATIVES; THE BIRDS; THE MODERN BIRDS; THE PLANTS; THE FLOWERING PLANTS; DAISIES, ARTICHOCKES, THISTLES AND LETTUCE ; EPILOGUE ; INDEX

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Book SynopsisThe Natural History of Selborne (1789) is written as a series of letters, which describe with wit and precision the flora and fauna White observes in his Hampshire parish. A classic of nature writing, this edition includes contemporary illustrations, a contextualizing introduction, and an appendix of readers' responses over 200 years.Trade Review'I can wholeheartedly recommend this edition ... Beautifully produced ... Secord's introduction - surely one of the chief reasons to purchase this new edition of a book never out of print - provides a nuanced and stimulating account of the origins, character, and legacies of Selborne.' * Diarmid A. Finnegan, Journal of Historical Geography *'This Oxford edition offers new insights into a work that has been hugely popular. ' * Land and Business *

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Book Synopsis''I envy no body but him, and him only, that catches more fish than I do.''A unique celebration of the English countryside and the most famous book on angling ever published, Walton''s Compleat Angler first appeared in 1653. In 1676, at Walton''s invitation, his friend Charles Cotton contributed his pioneering exploration of fly-fishing. The book is both a manual of instruction and a vision of society in harmony with nature. It guides the novice fisherman on how to catch and cook a variety of fish, on how to select and prepare the best bait and make artificial flies, and on the habits of freshwater fish. It also promotes angling as a communal activity in which the bonds of friendship are forged through shared experience of the natural world.Anecdotes, poetry, music, and song intersperse the rural descriptions, which promote conservation as well as sport. This new edition highlights the book''s continuing relevance to our relationship with the environment, and explores the turbulent history from which it came.ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford''s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.Trade Review'infused throughout with good fun and good sense' * Simon Redfern, The Independent *'a fascinating snapshot of 17th-century England...far more of a page turner than I ever dared hope' * Trout Fisherman *'splendid introduction' * Land and Business *Table of ContentsIntroduction Note on the Text Select Bibliography A Chronology of Izaak Walton and Charles Cotton Maps THE COMPLEAT ANGLER, PART I, by Izaak Walton THE COMPLEAT ANGLER, Part II, by Charles Cotton Explanatory Notes Glossary of Angling Terms

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Book SynopsisFrom a modest beginning in the form of a little shrew-like, nocturnal, insect eating ancestor that lived 200 million years ago, mammals evolved into the huge variety of different kinds of animals we see today. Many species are still small, and follow the lifestyle of the ancestor, but others have adapted to become large grazers and browsers, like the antelopes, cattle, rhinos, and elephants, or the lions, hyaenas, and wolves that prey upon them. Yet others evolved to be specialist termite eaters able to dig into the hardest mounds, or tunnel creating burrowers, and a few took to the skies as gliders and the bats. Many live partly in the water, such as otters, beavers, and hippos, while whales and dugongs remain permanently in the seas, incapable of ever emerging onto land.In this Very Short Introduction T. S. Kemp explains how it is a tenfold increase in metabolic rate - endothermy or warm-bloodedness - that lies behind the high levels of activity, and the relatively huge brain associated with complex, adaptable behaviour that epitomizes mammals. He describes the remarkable fossil record, revealing how and when the mammals gained their characteristics, and the tortuous course of their subsequent evolution, during which many bizarre forms such as sabre-toothed cats, and 30-tonne, 6-m high browsers arose and disappeared. Describing the wonderful adaptations that mammals evolved to suit their varied modes of life, he also looks at those of the mainly arboreal primates that culminated ultimately in Homo sapiens.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewMammals: A Very Short Introduction is part of a series of very short introductions published by Oxford University Press. These are gateway books, designed to draw readers into a topic and invite them to dive deeper if the topic is of interest. In this regard, Tom Kemp has done our profession a great service. We should all have a short stack of these books available to hand out to undergraduates we hope to recruit to the study of mammalogy ... In short, this very short introduction to mammals is a welcome addition to the ... series. * Christopher J Yahnke, Mammology *Tom Kemp is the world's senior authority on the origin and evolution of mammals, and an excellent writer to boot. I very much recommend this concise book as an apt introduction to the palaeobiology of our own peculiar branch on the Tree of Life * Dr Robert Asher, Curator of Vertebrates, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge *Table of ContentsREFERENCES; FURTHER READING; INDEX

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Book SynopsisOur senses are very limited compared to those of other species; some animals see ultraviolet light, communicate using electricity, or navigate long distances with magnetic information. Martin Stevens discusses the remarkable senses in nature and what they are used for, uncovering how they work and how they are shaped by ecology and the environment.Trade Reviewa riveting new volume that explores the extraordinary senses of animals....This volume brings the wonders of these sensory worlds to a more general audience. * Michael J. Ryan, Quarterly Review of Biology, Vol.97, no.1 *While paying its dues to those amazing abilities of animals, Secret Worlds has some very intriguing things to say about the evolution and plasticity of the sense - and above all, the cost of acquiring them. [... ] One can only hope that Stevens will return with fresh insights in a few years. * Simon Ings, New Scientist *Table of ContentsPreface 1: A Plethora of Senses 2: Singing Mice and Painting Pictures with Sound 3: For My Eyes Only 4: Electric Attraction 5: Stars of the Tactile World 6: Smelling in Stereo 7: Homing Turtles and Animal Magnetism 8: A Changing World

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Book SynopsisMartin Stevens explores the extraordinary variety of senses in the animal kingdom, and discusses the cutting-edge science that is shedding light on these secret worlds. Our senses of vision, smell, taste, hearing, and touch are essential for us to respond to threats, communicate and interact with the world around us. This is true for all animals - their sensory systems are key to survival, and without them animals would be completely helpless. However, the sensory systems of other animals work very differently from ours. For example, many animals from spiders to birds can detect and respond to ultraviolet light, to which we are blind. Other animals, including many insects, rodents, and bats can hear high-frequency ultrasonic sounds well beyond our own hearing range. Many other species have sensory systems that we lack completely, such as the magnetic sense of birds, turtles, and other animals, or the electric sense of many fish. These differences in sensory ability have a major bearing on the ways that animals behave and live in different environments, and also affect their evolution and ecology.In this book, Martin Stevens explores the remarkable sensory systems that exist in nature, and what they are used for. Discussing how different animal senses work, he also considers how they evolve, how they are shaped by the environment in which an animal lives, and the pioneering science that has uncovered how animals use their senses. Throughout, he celebrates the remarkable diversity of life, and shows how the study of sensory systems has shed light on some of the most important issues in animal behaviour, physiology, and evolution. He also describes evidence of the disruptive effects of human activities on the way other animals navigate the world.Trade Reviewa riveting new volume that explores the extraordinary senses of animals....This volume brings the wonders of these sensory worlds to a more general audience. * Michael J. Ryan, Quarterly Review of Biology, Vol.97, no.1 *While paying its dues to those amazing abilities of animals, Secret Worlds has some very intriguing things to say about the evolution and plasticity of the sense - and above all, the cost of acquiring them. [... ] One can only hope that Stevens will return with fresh insights in a few years. * Simon Ings, New Scientist *Table of ContentsPreface 1: A Plethora of Senses 2: Singing Mice and Painting Pictures with Sound 3: For My Eyes Only 4: Electric Attraction 5: Stars of the Tactile World 6: Smelling in Stereo 7: Homing Turtles and Animal Magnetism 8: A Changing World

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Book SynopsisA number of extreme weather events have struck the Northern Hemisphere in recent years, from scorching heatwaves to desperately cold winters, and from floods and storms to droughts and wildfires. These events have fuelled intense discussions in scientific conferences, government agencies, cafes, and on street corners around the world. Why are these events happening? Is this the emerging signal of climate change, and should we expect more of this? Media reports vary widely, but one mysterious agent has risen to prominence in many cases: the jet stream.The story begins on a windswept beach in Barbados, from where we follow the ascent of a weather balloon that will travel along the jet stream all around the world. From this viewpoint we observe the effect of the jet in influencing human life around the hemisphere, and witness startling changes emerging. What is the jet stream and how well do we understand it? How does it affect our weather and is it changing? These are the main questions tackled in this book. We learn about how our view of the wind has developed from Aristotle''s early theories up to today''s understanding. We see that the jet is intimately connected with dramatic contrasts between climate zones and has played a key historical role in determining patterns of trade. We learn about the basic physics underlying the jet and how this knowledge is incorporated into computer models which predict both tomorrow''s weather and the climate of future decades. And finally, we discuss how climate change is expected to affect the jet, and introduce the vital scientific debate over whether these changes have contributed to recent extreme weather events.Trade ReviewWoollings suggests that the extreme weather events that have afflicted the northern hemisphere in recent years are connected to the behaviour of the jet stream. He outlines what we know about the jet stream and how it is affecting the planet's climate. * Survival: Global Politics and Strategy *[A] thoroughly original, highly imaginative book ... The book is approachable to an intelligent lay audience. It is judiciously and delightfully illustrated and told as an engaging narrative... * Richard Lofthouse, QUAD *[An] approachable exploration of the jet stream ... The reader is rewarded with plenty of juicy little facts ... a good and surprisingly enjoyable trip around a weather phenomenon. * Brian Clegg, Popular Science *As a professional meteorologist I particularly enjoyed this whirlwind tour through my chosen science in a book that brings seemingly disparate theories together to give a global understanding of the weather ... the book strikes the right balance between facts, figures and diagrams with personal stories about key players in the world of meteorology. I would highly recommend it to both professional meteorologists and those who have an interest in the weather and climate. * Katie Brown, Weather *This book is ideal for lay folk with basic school-level science who have an interest the weather and wish to learn a little more. It would also be a valuable summer holiday read for school leavers anticipating embarking on a meteorology or climate change related course. * Jonathan Cowie, The Science Fact & Science Fiction Concatenation *Tim Woollings is a great story-teller ... I was delighted to find this book a real page-turner! Each topic is treated with a judicious blend of vigor and rigor ... I think this book would be an excellent introduction to the global atmospheric circulation for anyone with a basic background in classical mechanics who is prepared to spend some time grappling with the concepts. But it would also be a good, rapid read for someone who wants a quick overview. * Professor David Andrews *This is an amazing book. In less than 200 slim pages it gives a very readable account of weather and climate ... The reader is given both an interesting historical background and an up-to-date account of many important issues, including climate change. * Sir Brian Hoskins, Imperial College London and University of Reading *This educative, scientifically sound and well-narrated story has the power to inspire further research and reading. A must read for atmospheric scientists and for anyone who enjoys studying our natural environment. * Panos Athanasiadis, CMCC, Bologna *Tim Woollings' book is a grand travelogue of weather, history, and geography, all connected to the winds that circle our globe and the people who have tried to understand them. Anyone who has watched a weather forecast and has wondered why the air does what it does will find this book fascinating. The science is up-to-date and accurate; Woollings doesn't settle for ordinary close-enough-but-wrong explanations but instead explains how weather and climate systems really work. You'll be amazed and awestruck at everything that happens to produce that puff of wind against your cheek. * John Nielsen-Gammon, Texas A&M University *Table of Contents1: Launch 2: Trades 3: Spin 4: Contrasts 5: Waves 6: Storm 7: Tracks 8: Experiments 9: Nino 10: Mountains 11: Gulf 12: Split 13: Drivers 14: Exit 15: Future 16: Changes 17: Confession

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Book Synopsis Simone Marchi presents the emerging story of how cosmic collisions shaped both the solar system and our own planet, from the creation of the Moon to influencing the evolution of life on Earth. The Earth emerged out of the upheaval and chaos of massive collisions in the infancy of the Solar System, more than four billion years ago. The largest of these events sent into orbit a spray of molten rocks out of which the Moon coalesced. As in ancient mythological tales, this giant catastrophe marks the birth of our planet as we know it. Space exploration has shown that signs of ancient collisions are widespread in the Solar System, from the barren and once-habitable Mars to the rugged asteroids. On Earth these signs are more subtle, but still cataclysmic, such as the massive asteroid strike which likely sparked the demise of the dinosaurs and many other forms of life some 66 million years ago. Signatures of even more dramatic catastrophes are concealed in ancient rocks. These events wreaked havoc on our planet''s surface, influencing global climate and topography, while also enriching the Earth with gold and other rare elements. And recently, modern science is finding that they could even have contributed to developing the conditions conducive to life. In Colliding Worlds, Simone Marchi explores the key role that collisions in space have played in the formation and evolution of our solar system, the development of planets, and possibly even the origin of life on Earth. Analysing our latest understanding of the surfaces of Mars and Venus, gleaned from recent space missions, Marchi presents the dramatic story of cosmic collisions and their legacies.Trade ReviewIn Colliding Worlds, Simone Marchi explores the key role that collisions in space have played in the formation and evolution of our solarsystem, the development of planets, and possibly even the origin of life on Earth. Analyzing our latest understanding of the surfaces of Mars and Venus, gleaned from recent space missions, Marchi presents the dramatic story of cosmic collisions and their legacies. * Lunar and Planetary Information Bulletin No. 167 (January 2022) *Although collisions form the main thread running through the book, it's actually wider in scope than that, covering both the history of the Solar System, and the history of our understanding of it. That includes our understanding of our own planet, and one of the eye-opening facts is how long it took the academic world to recognise the role played by collisions in geological history. Basically, the topic got lost for decades in the gap between the geology and astronomy departments. [...] Marchi's first-hand accounts of work he was personally involved in - such as NASAs Dawn mission to the asteroid belt - make especially fascinating reading. For anyone wanting an up-to-date account of the Solar System and the processes that shape it, this is the perfect place to start. * Brian Clegg, Popular Science *Colliding Worlds is a fascinating and fresh look at the history of our solar system through the lens of the cataclysmic events that have profoundly shaped it. Marchi's engaging and clearly written book helps us understand the nature and significance of impacts for Earth's geologic history and the emergence of life, as well as their implications for our sibling terrestrial planets and exoplanetary systems. * Carol A. Raymond, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology *A fascinating story of how our Solar System was formed, and how we have arrived at the current understanding of it, from the unique perspective of cosmic collisions. Information from a few hundred years of planetary and astronomical research to the latest space exploration is marvellously weaved together. The very success of being able to connect diverse subjects in such a coherent and engaging manner attests to the fundamental importance of cosmic collisions, or "creative destruction" as the author puts it, in our search for the grand theory of planetary formation in the coming years. * Jun Korenaga, Yale University *Table of Contents1: Born out of Fire and Chaos 2: A Clash of Giants 3: Wandering Among the Planets 4: Earth's Wild Years 5: A Watery Mars 6: Creative Destruction Endnotes

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Book SynopsisDeserts make up a third of the planet''s land surface, but if you picture a desert, what comes to mind? A wasteland? A drought? A place devoid of all life forms?Deserts are remarkable places. Typified by drought and extremes of temperature, they can be harsh and hostile; but many deserts are also spectacularly beautiful, and on occasion teem with life. Nick Middleton explores how each desert is unique: through fantastic life forms, extraordinary scenery, and ingenious human adaptations. He demonstrates a desert''s immense natural beauty, its rich biodiversity, and uncovers a long history of successful human occupation. This Very Short Introduction tells you everything you ever wanted to know about these extraordinary places and captures their importance in the working of our planet.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a newTable of ContentsINTRODUCTION; EPILOGUE

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Book SynopsisRivers have played an extraordinarily important role in creating the world in which we live. They create landscapes and provide water to people, plants and animals, nourishing both town and country. The flow of rivers has enthused poets and painters, explorers and pilgrims. Rivers have acted as cradles for civilization and agents of disaster; a river may be a barrier or a highway, it can bear trade and sediment, culture and conflict. A river may inspire or it may terrify. This Very Short Introduction is a celebration of rivers in all their diversity. Nick Middleton covers a wide and eclectic range of river-based themes, from physical geography to mythology, to industrial history and literary criticism. Worshipped and revered, respected and feared, rivers reflect both the natural and social history of our planet. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewThis small paperback is a succinct and yet impressively broad and engaging introduction to the subject ... Middleton covers an astonishing amount of ground in five chapters. * Martin Smart, Geographical *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION; EPILOGUE; FURTHER READING

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Book SynopsisThe animal world is immensely diverse, and our understanding of it has been greatly enhanced by analysis of DNA and the study of evolution and development (''evo-devo''). In this Very Short Introduction Peter Holland presents a modern tour of the animal kingdom. Beginning with the definition of animals (not obvious in biological terms), he takes the reader through the high-level groupings of animals (phyla) and new views on their evolutionary relationships based on molecular data, together with an overview of the biology of each group of animals. The phylogenetic view is central to zoology today and the volume will be of great value to all students of the life sciences, as well as providing a concise summary for the interested general reader.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Table of Contents1. What is an animal? ; 2. Animal phyla ; 3. The evolutionary tree of animals ; 4. Basal animals: corals, sponges and jellyfish ; 5. The bilaterians: building a body ; 6. Lophotrochozoa: wondrous worms ; 7. Ecdysozoa: insects and nematodes ; 8. Deuterostomes I: starfish, sea squirts and amphioxus ; 9. Deuterostomes II: the rise of vertebrates ; 10. Deuterostomes III: vertebrates on land ; 11. Enigmatic animals ; Further reading

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Book SynopsisClimate change is a major topic of concern today, scientifically, socially, and politically. It will undoubtedly continue to be so for the foreseeable future, as predicted changes in global temperatures, rainfall, and sea level take place, and as human society adapts to these changes. In this remarkable new work, Jan Zalasiewicz and Mark Williams demonstrate how the Earth''s climate has continuously altered over its 4.5 billion-year history. The story can be read from clues preserved in the Earth''s strata - the evidence is abundant, though always incomplete, and also often baffling, puzzling, infuriating, tantalizing, seemingly contradictory. Geologists, though, are becoming ever more ingenious at interrogating this evidence, and the story of the Earth''s climate is now being reconstructed in ever-greater detail - maybe even providing us with clues to the future of contemporary climate change. The history is dramatic and often abrupt. Changes in global and regional climate range from bitterly cold to sweltering hot, from arid to humid, and they have impacted hugely upon the planet''s evolving animal and plant communities, and upon its physical landscapes of the Earth. And yet, through all of this, the Earth has remained consistently habitable for life for over three billion years - in stark contrast to its planetary neighbours. Not too hot, not too cold; not too dry, not too wet, it is aptly known as ''the Goldilocks planet''.Trade ReviewVery engaging * Michael Gross, Society of Chemical Industry *A balanced, well written, mostly comprehensive and well-argued book. * Times Higher Education Supplement *Table of ContentsPROLOGUE; A BRIEF WORD ON TIME; NOTES; FURTHER READING; REFERENCES

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Book SynopsisThe overnight appearance of mushrooms in a meadow or on a suburban lawn is a marvelous sight. It is one of many awe-inspiring, magical processes that have evolved among the fungi, yet this group remains the least studied and most poorly understood kingdom of organisms. In Mushroom, Nicholas Money offers a vibrant introduction to the world of mushrooms, investigating the science behind these organisms as well as their enduring cultural and imaginative appeal. Beginning with the basics of mushroom biology, Money leads us through a history of mushroom research, painting portraits of the colorful characters involved in their study--among them, Beatrix Potter, the celebrated author and creator of Peter Rabbit, and Captain Charles McIlvaine, a Civil War veteran who engaged in a dangerous quest to determine the edibility of every mushroom in North America. Money also discusses the uses of mushrooms today, exploring their importance as food and medicine, their use as recreational drugs, and asTrade ReviewBotanist Nicholas Money is unashamedly in thrall to the 'fungal sex organ'. In this brilliant scientific and cultural exploration, these organisms of rot and soil positively sparkle. * Nature *Table of ContentsPreface ; Chapter 1: Angels on the Lawn: How Mushrooms Develop ; Chapter 2: Gill Gymnastics: The Beautiful Mechanism of Mushroom Spore Release ; Chapter 3: Triumph of the Fungi: Diversity and Functions of Mushroom ; Chapter 4: Satan's Gourmand: Harvesting Wild Mushrooms ; Chapter 5: Snow White and Baby Bella: Global Industry of Mushroom Cultivation ; Chapter 6: Death Caps: Poisonous Mushrooms and Mushroom Poisoning ; Chapter 7: Magic Mushrooms: The Culture and Science of Hallucinogenic Mushrooms ; Chapter 8: Cures for Mortality?: The Medicinal Mushroom Fraud ; Notes ; Index

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