Search results for ""Bill Bryson" "The Body""
Transworld Publishers Ltd The Body
Book SynopsisBill Bryson was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1951. His bestselling books include The Road to Little Dribbling, Notes from a Small Island, A Walk in the Woods, One Summer and The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. In a national poll, Notes from a Small Island was voted the book that best represents Britain. His acclaimed work of popular science, A Short History of Nearly Everything, won the Aventis Prize and the Descartes Prize, and is the biggest selling non-fiction book of the 21st century. The Body: A Guide for Occupants was shortlisted for the Royal Society Science Book Prize and is an international bestseller.Bill Bryson was Chancellor of Durham University 2005-2011. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society. He lives in England.Trade ReviewA directory of wonders. Extraordinary stories about the heart, lungs, genitals ... plus some anger and life advice – all delivered in the inimitable Bryson style -- Gavin Francis * Guardian *Remarkable ... Every page is dense with scientific facts written as vividly as a thriller, as well as answers to conundrums such as why we don’t fall out of bed when we are asleep ... It is woven through with the kind of human stories that Bryson has made his trademark. * Mail on Sunday *Readable and useful ... witty, jargon-free prose that glides you through 400 pages. It’s fun to read because it’s not just comprehensive, but quirky. -- Richard Morrison * The Times *SCIENCE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019: 'so packed with arresting facts (you eat 60 tons of food in a lifetime) and unlikely anecdotes (such as Isambard Kingdom Brunel's six weeks with a half-sovereign lodged in his throat) that you barely notice the sheer volume of anatomical knowledge you're digesting ... makes complex subjects simple and eminently entertaining.' * Sunday Times *It is a feat of narrative skill to bake so many facts into an entertaining and nutritious book..where Byrson really shines is in his imaginative glosses on the facts he has collected. * The Daily Telegraph *
£10.44
Penguin Random House Children's UK A Short History of Nearly Everything
Book SynopsisBill Bryson (Author, Reader) Bill Bryson was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1951. His bestselling books include The Road to Little Dribbling, Notes from a Small Island, A Walk in the Woods, One Summer and The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. In a national poll, Notes from a Small Island was voted the book that best represents Britain. His acclaimed work of popular science, A Short History of Nearly Everything, won the Aventis Prize and the Descartes Prize, and was the biggest selling non-fiction book of its decade in the UK. His new book The Body: A Guide for Occupants is an extraordinary exploration of the human body which will have you marvelling at the form you occupy.Bill Bryson was Chancellor of Durham University 20052011. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society. He lives in England.Trade ReviewPossibly the best scientific primer ever published. * Economist *'A travelogue of science, with a witty, engaging, and well-informed guide who loves his patch and is desperate to share its delights with us' -- Peter Atkins * The Times *'A thoroughly enjoyable, as well as educational, experience. Nobody who reads it will ever look at the world around them in the same way again' -- William Hartston * Daily Express *'Brims with strange and amazing facts...destined to become a modern classic of science writing' -- Ed Regis * New York Times Book Review *'It deserves to sell as many copies as there are protons in the full stop that ends this review (at least 500,000,000,000).' -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *
£18.36
Transworld Publishers Ltd One Summer
Book SynopsisBill Bryson was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1951. His bestselling books include The Road to Little Dribbling, Notes from a Small Island, A Walk in the Woods, One Summer and The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. In a national poll, Notes from a Small Island was voted the book that best represents Britain. His acclaimed work of popular science, A Short History of Nearly Everything, won the Aventis Prize and the Descartes Prize, and is the biggest selling non-fiction book of the 21st century. The Body: A Guide for Occupants was shortlisted for the Royal Society Science Book Prize and is an international bestseller.Bill Bryson was Chancellor of Durham University 2005-2011. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society. He lives in England.Trade ReviewBill Bryson is a true master of popular narrative. Over the course of his career, he has bestowed a beautiful clarity on even the most recondite of subjects...Has history ever been so enjoyable? -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *A fascinating snapshot of a season during which America, for better or worse, ushered in the modern world. * Sunday Times *A gifted raconteur...The book is filled with eccentric, flamboyant characters and memorable stories...highly amusing. * Guardian *A great new form of literature: biography of a few months in one country. -- Matt Ridley * The Times (Books of the Year) *Few writers of nonfiction, and,let's be honest,few enough writers of novels, can crack the narrative whip like Bryson. One Summer fairly whirls along...full of exhilarating, fact-filled fun...surely the most sublime distraction published this year. * Observer *
£10.44
Crown Publishing Group (NY) Bill Brysons African Diary
Book SynopsisFrom the author of A Short History of Nearly Everything and The Body comes a travel diary documenting a visit to Kenya. All royalties and profits go to CARE International. In the early fall of 2002, famed travel writer Bill Bryson journeyed to Kenya at the invitation of CARE International, the charity dedicated to working with local communities to eradicate poverty around the world. He arrived with a set of mental images of Africa gleaned from television broadcasts of low-budget Jungle Jim movies in his Iowa childhood and a single viewing of the film version of Out of Africa. (Also with some worries about tropical diseases, insects, and large predators.) But the vibrant reality of Kenya and its people took over the second he deplaned in Nairobi, and this diary records Bill Bryson’s impressions of his trip with his inimitable trademark style of wry observation and curious insight. From the wrenching poverty of the Kibera slum in Nairobi to the meticulously manicured grounds of the Karen Blixen house and the human fossil riches of the National Museum, Bryson registers the striking contrasts of a postcolonial society in transition. He visits the astoundingly vast Great Rift Valley; undergoes the rigors of a teeth-rattling train journey to Mombasa and a hair-whitening flight through a vicious storm; and visits the refugee camps and the agricultural and economic projects where dedicated CARE professionals wage noble and dogged war against poverty, dislocation, and corruption. Though brief in compass and duration, Bill Bryson’s African Diary is rich in irreverent, poignant, and morally instructive observation. Like all of this author’s work, it can make the reader laugh, think, and especially, feel all at the same time.
£13.50
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Your SENSEational Human Body
Book Synopsis''Accessible and fun ... truly a kind of genius!'' Bill Bryson----Everything you thought you knew about your senses is wrong!How many senses do you have? I bet you said five. But you'd be wrong. You have THIRTY-TWO! This SENSE-ational human body book explores the thirty-two amazingly awesome, broccoli-hating, wee-sniffing senses that help you figure out the world around you. They tell you ...How some people can SMELL sickness,When you need to do a POO,And why words CAN actually hurt you!With bold and fun illustrations by John Devolle, this is the perfect book for kids that are curious about our bodies and how they work.
£11.69
Abrams Over My Dead Body
Book SynopsisTrade Review“Astonishing. . . fascinating . . . powerful . . .Focusing on these particular physical places enables Melville to change how we think about the past, making it a more complete and honest telling . . . This clever, sensitive book gives us a new way to think about death, not as the final chapter, but as a window onto life in America.” * New York Times Book Review *“[A] fascinating examination of how we treat, and mistreat, our dead . . . Melville has researched, reported and written a powerful book that not only summons us to embrace equitable treatment of all Americans in death but also in life.” * Associated Press *“Entertaining and illuminating . . . Melville’s wry humor enlivens discussions of arcane yet intriguing historical figures and archaeological discoveries. This colorful study fascinates.” * Publishers Weekly *“It is this same appreciation for the dead, as well as for history, that drives journalist Greg Melville as he explores America’s cemeteries in Over My Dead Body . . . all with a perfect balance of geeky joy, deep reverence and a meticulous knack for research. Melville’s prose is pure pleasure mixed with wry asides, but even among his most amusing anecdotes, he never loses sight of the gravity that still vibrates through the stories of the dead." * Bookpage *“You hold in your hands a treasure map, a gentle, sly, and poignant presence leading us to places in America and in our lives that have been hiding in plain sight. This tale is about cemeteries, but it’s really about how beautiful is life. We go forward living well by being aware how and where life ends up, so to speak—that’s the amazing, enlightening journey of this book. If you love Ian Frazier, Bill Bryson, or Caroline Alexander, this one’s for you.” * DOUG STANTON, #1 New York Times bestselling author of 12 Strong *“Greg Melville is a graveyard connoisseur. In Over My Dead Body, he drags his wry wife and patient kids through rural cemeteries, garden burial grounds, and locked churchyards—not to mention bone vaults and the continent’s busiest city park—while he strips away myths and unearths buried sins, exploring cycles of fashion and need in the American history of mourning.” * JUDY MELINEK & T.J. MITCHELL, New York Times bestselling authors of Working Stiff, First Cut, and Aftershock *“Melville is an ideal guide, carrying a revealing lantern into both beautiful and disturbing corners of the nation’s undervalued graveyards. At the end of a glorious excursion, he leaves you with a deep appreciation of the rich heritage sleeping just under Americans’ feet. Captivating.” * DR. LINDSEY FITZHARRIS, New York Times bestselling author of The Facemaker *“If every graveyard is a library of compact life stories, this essential book is the grand, sweeping history of American burials: their humble beginnings, surprising (and often controversial) heyday, and questionable future. Greg Melville comes to the subject firsthand and writes with infectious enthusiasm, deep respect, and a healthy dose of wit. You'll dig it.” * MARK ADAMS, New York Times bestselling author of Turn Right at Machu Picchu *“Witty, warm, and bristling with fascinating history and firsthand details, this book about the places where our bodies return to the earth is essential—no, vital—reading.” * ROBERT MOOR, New York Times bestselling author of On Trails: An Exploration *“Greg Melville has written a wonderful book about a fascinating piece of Americana that has, for too long, needed a disinterment. Over My Dead Body is, at various times, haunting, thoughtful, and laugh-out-loud hilarious, and is so chock-full of informative ‘who knew?’ moments that the pages almost seem to turn themselves.” * MONTE BURKE, New York Times bestselling author of Saban and Lords of the Fly *This revelatory book about the places we bury our dead brims with life–from body snatchers to racist policies, religious rituals to digital immortalization. I couldn't put it down. * ALLISON HOOVER BARTLETT, author of The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession *“Author Greg Melville is a great tour-guide as he takes readers on a wide-eyed journey through history of both America and American death. Each of the cemeteries he profiles in his book is different and remarkable, borderline creepy, not gruesome but unusual enough to hold your interest as Melville explains why he chose each cemetery to study before he takes a few side-paths . . .” * Goshen News *
£12.99
Vintage Publishing The Beautiful Cure: The New Science of Human
Book SynopsisUnderstand how our immune system fights disease and enables the body to heal itself.'Thrilling... Reads like the best kind of adventure story' STEPHEN FRY'Excellent' TIM SPECTOR, Sunday Times bestselling author of Spoon-Fed Here, Professor Daniel Davis charts the groundbreaking scientific quest to understand how it fights disease and enables the body to heal itself. He explains how it is affected by stress, sleep, age and our state of mind, and reveals how all of this knowledge is now unlocking a revolutionary approach to medicine and well-being. The Beautiful Cure tells a dramatic story of detective work and discovery, of puzzles solved and of the mysteries that remain, and of lives sacrificed and saved. SHORTLISTED FOR THE ROYAL SOCIETY SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE 'Wonderful... recounts in exceptionally clear and sympathetic prose how research into the immune system has resulted in a health revolution' HENRY MARSH 'Thoroughly absorbing... Davis is a wonderful storyteller' BILL BRYSONTrade ReviewThrilling ... An eye-opening tour de force of scientific writing that reads like the best kind of adventure story -- Stephen FryOne of the best accounts I have yet come across of the nature of biological science … Daniel Davis’s wonderful book recounts in exceptionally clear and sympathetic prose how research into the immune system has resulted in a health revolution -- Henry Marsh * New Statesman *Thoroughly absorbing ... Davis is a wonderful storyteller -- Bill BrysonTerrific ... Davis relates the extraordinary modern developments in supercharging the body’s own immune system to fight disease, and one day maybe even eliminate cancer -- Steven Poole * *****Telegraph *Thrilling … Do not underestimate the importance of immunology. This field relates to you personally -- Adam Rutherford * Guardian *An inspirational book that not only reveals the secret joys of scientific discovery but is jam-packed full of revelations for non-scientists * Mail on Sunday *Forget AI, robotics, the internet of things. This is where the future feels strange and exciting: in the 'inner universe' of our immune system, and in the radically new therapies that are using it to conquer disease * Sunday Times *Highly readable, beautifully researched, backed up with notes, references and interviews by Davis himself, whose status as an immunology professor confers added credibility. He believes that we now know enough about the major components and interactions of the immune system to begin manipulating them to cure diseases such as cancer. We stand, he predicts, on the threshold of a medical revolution * New Scientist *A sweeping tour d’horizon … lucid and entertaining … Much as Siddhartha Mukherjee did in his book The Gene, Davis expertly weaves together human stories and scientific endeavour * The Times *New ways to treat cancer, diabetes, arthritis and other age-related diseases … Davis is a sure and engaging guide to these developments * Observer *
£9.99
WW Norton & Co The Spark of Life
Book Synopsis"This is a wonderful book. Frances Ashcroft has a rare gift for making difficult subjects accessible and fascinating." —Bill Bryson, author of The Body: A Guide for OccupantsTrade Review"A gem that sparkles." -- William Bynum - Wall Street Journal"Ashcroft celebrates 'the body electric.'…Fascinating." -- Nature"An extraordinary fusion of culture and cutting-edge science." -- Nick Smith - Engineering and Technology"The more incredible the process, the more elegant Ashcroft's explanation…Ashcroft's book carries the eponymous spark of life." -- Telegraph"The human body is a symphony of complicated chemical and electrical signals. Let Ashcroft’s book serve as your program guide." -- Tony Miksanek - Booklist (starred review)
£13.29
Orion Publishing Co A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived: The
Book Synopsis'A brilliant, authoritative, surprising, captivating introduction to human genetics. You'll be spellbound' Brian CoxThis is a story about you. It is the history of who you are and how you came to be. It is unique to you, as it is to each of the 100 billion modern humans who have ever drawn breath. But it is also our collective story, because in every one of our genomes we each carry the history of our species - births, deaths, disease, war, famine, migration and a lot of sex. In this captivating journey through the expanding landscape of genetics, Adam Rutherford reveals what our genes now tell us about human history, and what history can now tell us about our genes. From Neanderthals to murder, from redheads to race, dead kings to plague, evolution to epigenetics, this is a demystifying and illuminating new portrait of who we are and how we came to be.***'A thoroughly entertaining history of Homo sapiens and its DNA in a manner that displays popular science writing at its best' Observer 'Magisterial, informative and delightful' Peter Frankopan'An extraordinary adventure...From the Neanderthals to the Vikings, from the Queen of Sheba to Richard III, Rutherford goes in search of our ancestors, tracing the genetic clues deep into the past' Alice RobertsTrade ReviewI very much enjoyed and admired . . . A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived -- Bill Bryson * OBSERVER Books of the Year 2016 *An effervescent work, brimming with tales and confounding ideas carried in the "epic poem in our cells". The myriad storylines will leave you swooning . . . Rutherford, a trained geneticist, is an enthusiastic guide -- Colin Grant * GUARDIAN *A thoroughly entertaining history of Homo sapiens and its DNA in a manner that displays popular science writing at its best -- Robin McKie * OBSERVER *A brilliant, authoritative, surprising, captivating introduction to human genetics. If you know little about the human story, you will be spellbound. If you know a lot about the human story, you'll be spellbound. It's that good -- Brian CoxAdam Rutherford's book is well-written, stimulating and entertaining. What's more important, he consistently gets it right -- Richard DawkinsIf you are ethnically British, one thing is certain: your ancestors definitely had sex with Neanderthals. On the other hand, they probably didn't have sex with Vikings, who, it turns out, did a fair bit more pillaging than raping. And, depending on the flakiness of your earwax, it is just conceivable that your relatives' unattractiveness to hairy and horned invaders was related to their body odour. DNA is fragile, confusing and contains a lot of pointless data. But unlike other accounts of human history it doesn't lie. Adam Rutherford's soaring book is an exposition of what this new science really tells us about who we are -- Tom Whipple * THE TIMES *One of the most extraordinary things about this book is its sheer breadth. Rutherford, a writer and geneticist, weaves from our genes a fascinating tapestry of human history from its most primitive origins to its sophisticated present, and beyond ... The writing is concise and often funny, and Rutherford never takes himself or his subject too seriously ... It is one of those rare books that you'll finish thinking you haven't wasted a single second -- Brad Davies * INDEPENDENT *Magisterial, informative and delightful -- Peter FrankopanRutherford takes off on an extraordinary adventure, following the wandering trail of DNA across the globe and back in time. And on the way, he reveals what DNA can - and can't - tell us about ourselves, our history and our deep evolutionary heritage. From the Neanderthals to the Vikings, from the Queen of Sheba to Richard III, Rutherford goes in search of our ancestors, tracing the genetic clues deep into the past . . . Wide-ranging, witty, full of surprises and studded with sparkling insights - Rutherford uncovers the epic history of the human species, written in DNA -- Alice RobertsA captivating delight. With witty, authoritative and profound prose, Adam Rutherford tackles the biggest of issues - where we came from, and what makes us who we are. He does more than any author to cut through the confusion around genetics, and to reveal what modern genetics has to say about our identity, history and future -- Ed YongGenetics is opening up the past as never before - Adam Rutherford puts the genes in genealogy brilliantly -- Matt Ridley
£11.69
Penguin Books Ltd Whats Eating the Universe
Book Synopsis''Brilliant. You won''t find a clearer, more engaging guide to what we know (or would like to know) about the universe and how it is put together'' Bill BrysonCelebrated physicist and global bestselling author Paul Davies tells the story of the universe in thirty cosmological conundrumsIn the constellation of Eridanus there lurks a cosmic mystery. It''s as if something has taken a huge bite out of the universe, leaving a super-void. What could be the culprit? A super massive black hole? Another, bigger universe? Or an expanding vacuum bubble, destined to envelop and annihilate everything in existence?Scientists now understand the history of our universe better than the history of our own planet, but they continue to uncover startling new riddles-the hole in the universe being just one. In this electrifying book, award-winning physicist Paul Davies walks us through the puzzles and paradoxes that have preoccupied cosmologists from ancient Greece to the present day. Laying bare the audacious research that has led us to mind-bending solutions, Davies reveals how we might begin to approach the greatest outstanding enigmas of all.Trade ReviewBrilliant. You won't find a clearer, more engaging guide to what we know (or would like to know) about the universe and how it is put together. -- Bill Bryson * author of The Body: A Guide for Occupants *Paul Davies gives us a thought-provoking, fascinating, and delightful journey through some of the big questions that have perplexed and tantalized scientists throughout history. These are the questions and paradoxes that have stumped and teased history's greatest minds. What happened before the beginning? What is the meaning of the universe? Are there other universes? -- Michio KakuPaul Davies brings his customary lucidity to a survey of some of the most fascinating and puzzling aspects of our universe, simultaneously educating us about its vertiginous wonders and giving us a real sense of science's questions as it confronts and explores them and wrestles with their mystery. It is an absorbing and stimulating read, one of the best of its kind. -- A.C. Grayling * author of The Frontiers of Knowledge *Compelling ... Davies excels in succinctly addressing the cosmological conundrums that haven't received as much attention as dark matter, dark energy, what triggered the big bang and the fate of the universe * Forbes *A whistle-stop tour of the biggest mysteries that cosmologists are investigating today ... a fun way of making sure you're all caught up on where cosmology is at today * Physics World *What's Eating the Universe? is a veritable feast for curious minds. Davies, a polymath and lyrical writer, masterfully tackles all the big questions ranging from why this Universe to the meaning of life and the significance of the present moment-a whirlwind journey through ideas that have shaped our understanding of the cosmos and its constituents. -- Priyamvada Natarajan * author of Mapping the Heavens: The Radical Scientific Ideas That Reveal the Cosmos *A great introduction for readers new to physics ...Lessons in cosmology and astrophysics abound in this enthusiastic primer * Publishers Weekly *Understanding theoretical physics is a daunting task, but What's Eating the Universe?is here to guide readers through the field. Each chapter is short-less than 10 pages-but jargon-free and full of information ... Regardless of the reader's prior physics knowledge, the book provides an accessible introduction to cosmology * Physics Today *What's Eating the Universe? is Paul Davies at his very best. He brings a lifetime of experience in explaining mysteries of space and time to offer thought-provoking essays on deep questions in bite-sized, easily digestible chunks. There is no better overview of the advances made by cosmologists in recent decades. -- John Gribbin * author of Six Impossible Things: The ‘Quanta of Solace’ and the Mysteries of the Subatomic World *A delightful account of the cutting edge of modern cosmology. He is truly exceptional at explaining all of this in his inimitable style--let's say 'astropoetry' -- Simon Mitton, University of CambridgeA whistle-stop tour of the major questions in contemporary cosmology -- Philip Ball, author of Beyond Weird: Why Everything You Thought You Knew about Quantum Physics Is Different
£10.44
Dorling Kindersley Ltd What If... the Moon Was Made of Cheese
Book SynopsisEmma Young is a science journalist and author, who has written for the Guardian, the Sydney Morning Herald, and New Scientist. She has also written popular science books for both adults and children, including an adaptation of Bill Bryson's The Body for children - A Really Short Journey Through the Body.Super Freak, aka Dan Whitehouse, is a Birmingham based illustrator who draws you into his world of cartoon characters and positive vibes with humour and a primary colour palette to dazzle your senses. He takes inspiration from Pop Art and Mid Century comics, combining a crew of cheeky characters and graffiti-inspired compositions with bright bold colours to create work full of energy and optimism.
£9.49
Transworld Publishers Ltd Bitch: What does it mean to be female?
Book Synopsis'A dazzling, funny and elegantly angry demolition of our preconceptions about female behaviour and sex in the animal kingdom ... Bitch is a blast. I read it, my jaw sagging in astonishment, jotting down favourite parts to send to friends and reading out snippets gleefully...' Observer'A book that is tearing down the stereotypes and the biases. Absolutely fascinating.' BBC R4 Woman's Hour'From the heir to Attenborough. 5*' - Telegraph'Glorious ... A bold and gripping takedown of the sexist mythology baked into biology ... Full of marvellous surprises. Guardian'Colourful, committed and deeply informed.' Sunday Times'Gloriously original' Daily MirrorA 'sparkling attack on scientific sexism' Nature'Humorous, absorbing, sometimes shocking (for a variety of reasons), and bound to be a conversation starter' BBC Wildlife'Brilliant ... Cooke is a superb science writer' TLS'Zoologist Lucy Cooke's hilarious and enlightening book reclaims evolutionary biology for females of all species.' New Statesman'Introduces us to a marvelous zoetrope of animals.' The Atlantic'[An] effervescent exposé ... [A] playful, enlightening tour of the vanguard of evolutionary biology.' Scientific American Selected for the Telegraph's 'best books for summer 2022' and as one of the Guardian's '50 hottest new books for a great escape'._______________________________________________________________What does it mean to be female? Mother, carer, the weaker sex? Think again.In the last few decades a revolution has been brewing in zoology and evolutionary biology. Lucy Cooke introduces us to a riotous cast of animals, and the scientists studying them, that are redefining the female of the species.Meet the female lemurs of Madagascar, our ancient primate cousins that dominate the males of their species physically and politically.Or female albatross couples, hooking up together to raise their chicks in Hawaii.Or the meerkat mothers of the Kalahari Desert - the most murderous mammals on the planet.The bitches in BITCH overturn outdated binary expectations of bodies, brains, biology and behaviour. Lucy Cooke's brilliant new book will change how you think - about sex, sexual identity and sexuality in animals and also the very forces that shape evolution.__________Praise for Lucy's previous book THE UNEXPECTED TRUTH ABOUT ANIMALS'Endlessly fascinating' - Bill Bryson'I cannot remember when I enjoyed a non-fiction book so much' - Daily Express'A joy from beginning to end' - Guardian'Best science pick: deeply researched, sassily written' - NatureTrade ReviewLucy Cooke's Bitch shows just how far we have come in seeing nature's females for what they actually are.' -- Simon Ing * Telegraph *Surprising sex lives of the animal kingdom: From bondage-loving spiders to 'Scrooge-like' lobsters who save their sperm for a female who's 'worth it', BITCH lifts the lid on kinky creatures -- Claire Toureille * Daily Mail *Best books of 2022 so far: Zoologist Lucy Cooke's hilarious and enlightening book reclaims evolutionary biology for females of all species. * New Statesman *Mr Darwin, your time is up...This is the evolutionary reboot us bitches have been waiting for. -- Sue PerkinsBrilliant ... Cooke is a superb science writer -- Carol Tavris * TLS *
£10.44
Penguin Books Ltd The Compatibility Gene
Book SynopsisShort-listed for the Society of Biology Book Award 2014 Long-listed for the Royal Society Winton prize for science books 2014In The Compatibility Gene, leading scientist Daniel M Davis tells the story of the crucial genes that define our relationships, our health and our individuality. We each possess a similar set of around 25,000 human genes. Yet a tiny, distinctive cluster of these genes plays a disproportionately large part in how our bodies work. These few genes, argues Davis, hold the key to who we are as individuals and our relationship to the world: how we combat disease, how our brains are wired, how attractive we are, even how likely we are to reproduce.The Compatibility Gene follows the remarkable history of these genes'' discovery. From the British scientific pioneers who struggled to understand the mysteries of transplants to the Swiss zoologist who devised a new method of assessing potential couples'' compatibility based on the smell of worn T-shirts, Davis traces a true scientific revolution in our understanding of the human body: a global adventure spanning some sixty years.''Unusual results, astonishing implications and ethical dilemmas'' The Times''Packed with an insider''s knowledge'' New York Times''He makes immunology as fascinating to popular science readers as cosmology, consciousness, and evolution'' Steven Pinker''An elegantly written, unexpectedly gripping account'' Bill Bryson Guardian, Books of the Year Daniel M Davis is director of research at the University of Manchester''s Collaborative Centre for Inflammation Research and a visiting professor at Imperial College, London. He has published over 100 academic articles, including papers in Nature and Science, and Scientific American. He has won the Oxford University Press Science Writing Prize and given numerous interviews for national and international media. He was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2011.Trade ReviewWho am I? What makes me different from everyone else? Daniel Davis recounts the remarkable science that has answered one version of these questions -- Steven PinkerOstensibly about a set of genes that we all have and need, this book is really about the men and women who discovered them and worked out what they do. It's a search for the essence of scientific greatness by a scientist who is headed that way himself -- Armand Marie Leroi, author of 'Mutants'The Compatibility Gene cuts through the complexity to reveal the startling truth about perhaps the most important section of the molecule that defines what it means to be human -- Steve Jones, author of 'Almost Like A Whale'Davis weaves a warm biographical thread through his tale of scientific discovery, revealing the drive and passion of those in the vanguard of research * The Times *Davis makes the twists and turns all count * Guardian *Davis ranges energetically through the research. Cultural references and anecdotes abound * Nature *A fascinating, expertly told story -- Michael Brooks * New Statesman *The genes that make you a true individual ... Davis provides a well-written and easy-to-read account of the sometimes complicated biology behind the crucial genes that affect our lives so profoundly * New Scientist *Wonderful pen-portraits of the many scientists involved in this fast-moving field ... 5 out of 5 stars -- Henry Gee * BBC Focus magazine *Dr. Davis's readable and informative book takes the reader into unexpectedly interesting corners of both the immune system and the lives of immunologists. It is packed with an insider's knowledge - not just of the field, but of where its bodies are buried -- Nicholas Wade * New York Times *An elegantly written, unexpectedly gripping account of how scientists painstakingly unravelled the way in which a small group of genes ... crucially influence, and unexpectedly interconnect, various aspects of our lives... Lab work has rarely been made to seem more interesting or heroic -- Bill Bryson * Guardian, Books of the Year 2013 *
£13.49
Abrams Over My Dead Body
Book SynopsisJournalist Greg Melville’s Over My Dead Body is a lively tour through the history of US cemeteries that explores how, where, and why we bury our dead. “Astonishing. . . fascinating . . . powerful. . .This clever, sensitive book gives us a new way to think about death, not as the final chapter, but as a window onto life in America.” —New York Times Book Review The summer before his senior year in college, Greg Melville worked at the cemetery in his hometown, and thanks to hour upon hour of pushing a mower over the grassy acres, he came to realize what a rich story the place told of his town and its history. Thus was born Melville’s lifelong curiosity with how, where, and why we bury and commemorate our dead. Melville’s Over My Dead Body is a lively (pun intended) and wide-ranging history of cemeteries, places that have mirrored the passing eras in history but have also shaped it. CTrade Review“Astonishing. . . fascinating . . . powerful . . .Focusing on these particular physical places enables Melville to change how we think about the past, making it a more complete and honest telling . . . This clever, sensitive book gives us a new way to think about death, not as the final chapter, but as a window onto life in America.” * New York Times Book Review *“[A] fascinating examination of how we treat, and mistreat, our dead . . . Melville has researched, reported and written a powerful book that not only summons us to embrace equitable treatment of all Americans in death but also in life.” * Associated Press *“Entertaining and illuminating . . . Melville’s wry humor enlivens discussions of arcane yet intriguing historical figures and archaeological discoveries. This colorful study fascinates.” * Publishers Weekly *“It is this same appreciation for the dead, as well as for history, that drives journalist Greg Melville as he explores America’s cemeteries in Over My Dead Body . . . all with a perfect balance of geeky joy, deep reverence and a meticulous knack for research. Melville’s prose is pure pleasure mixed with wry asides, but even among his most amusing anecdotes, he never loses sight of the gravity that still vibrates through the stories of the dead." * Bookpage *“You hold in your hands a treasure map, a gentle, sly, and poignant presence leading us to places in America and in our lives that have been hiding in plain sight. This tale is about cemeteries, but it’s really about how beautiful is life. We go forward living well by being aware how and where life ends up, so to speak—that’s the amazing, enlightening journey of this book. If you love Ian Frazier, Bill Bryson, or Caroline Alexander, this one’s for you.” * DOUG STANTON, #1 New York Times bestselling author of 12 Strong *“Melville is an ideal guide, carrying a revealing lantern into both beautiful and disturbing corners of the nation’s undervalued graveyards. At the end of a glorious excursion, he leaves you with a deep appreciation of the rich heritage sleeping just under Americans’ feet. Captivating.” * DR. LINDSEY FITZHARRIS, New York Times bestselling author of The Facemaker *“Greg Melville is a graveyard connoisseur. In Over My Dead Body, he drags his wry wife and patient kids through rural cemeteries, garden burial grounds, and locked churchyards—not to mention bone vaults and the continent’s busiest city park—while he strips away myths and unearths buried sins, exploring cycles of fashion and need in the American history of mourning.” * JUDY MELINEK & T.J. MITCHELL, New York Times bestselling authors of Working Stiff, First Cut, and Aftershock *“If every graveyard is a library of compact life stories, this essential book is the grand, sweeping history of American burials: their humble beginnings, surprising (and often controversial) heyday, and questionable future. Greg Melville comes to the subject firsthand and writes with infectious enthusiasm, deep respect, and a healthy dose of wit. You'll dig it.” * MARK ADAMS, New York Times bestselling author of Turn Right at Machu Picchu *“Witty, warm, and bristling with fascinating history and firsthand details, this book about the places where our bodies return to the earth is essential—no, vital—reading.” * ROBERT MOOR, New York Times bestselling author of On Trails: An Exploration *“Greg Melville has written a wonderful book about a fascinating piece of Americana that has, for too long, needed a disinterment. Over My Dead Body is, at various times, haunting, thoughtful, and laugh-out-loud hilarious, and is so chock-full of informative ‘who knew?’ moments that the pages almost seem to turn themselves.” * MONTE BURKE, New York Times bestselling author of Saban and Lords of the Fly *This revelatory book about the places we bury our dead brims with life–from body snatchers to racist policies, religious rituals to digital immortalization. I couldn't put it down. * ALLISON HOOVER BARTLETT, author of The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession *“Author Greg Melville is a great tour-guide as he takes readers on a wide-eyed journey through history of both America and American death. Each of the cemeteries he profiles in his book is different and remarkable, borderline creepy, not gruesome but unusual enough to hold your interest as Melville explains why he chose each cemetery to study before he takes a few side-paths . . .” * Goshen News *
£999.99
WW Norton & Co The Spark of Life Electricity in the Human Body
Book SynopsisA lively exploration of the surprising role that electricity plays in our bodies.Trade Review"This is a wonderful book. Frances Ashcroft has a rare gift for making difficult subjects accessible and fascinating." -- Bill Bryson, author of At Home: A Short History of Private Life
£999.99
University of Chicago Press The Beautiful Cure The Revolution in Immunology and What It Means for Your Health
Trade Review"An eye-opening tour de force of scientific writing that reads like the best kind of adventure story. As David Attenborough opens our goggling eyes to the natural world without, so Davis brings us face to face with the stunningly clever and, yes, beautiful world within--our immune system. One of those books that makes you look at everything human in a new, challenging, and thrilling way."--Stephen Fry "Brilliantly conveys the excitement of scientific discovery."--Bill Bryson "Davis deftly sketches the history of immune science and the surprising discoveries made by scientists who were initially ridiculed by their peers--the man who first named interferon, an antiviral agent in the blood, was met with disbelief by colleagues who jokingly called it 'misinterpreton.' Today, scientists are successfully tinkering with our natural immune response in the molecular equivalent of taking the brakes off, so that our hunter-killer cells launch war against tumors."-- "Telegraph, Best Books of 2018" "Gives extraordinary new details of an ancient remedy that is already more marvelous, powerful, and flexible than any medicine to come out of a lab."--Roger Highfield "The human body is the most complicated assemblage of chemicals in the known universe. It's a huge scientific challenge to understand how we metabolize, how we acquire immunity, and how drugs work. Daniel Davis is a distinguished expert in this field--and he's a fine writer too. He portrays vividly how great discoveries emerge--via prolonged effort, via cooperation and competition, and sometime sheer luck. This gripping book gives an authentic flavor of how science is actually done--and why it's important for humanity's future."--Martin Rees "This book is an insight into new, remarkable, and almost unnoticed advances in immunology and shows how medicine is moving on from the world of the gene to the world of the antibody."--Steve Jones "A layman's introduction to the current state of the science of immunology. It is not an easy read, not because Davis is wilfully obscure but because his subject matter is extremely complex. Explanations should be as clear as possible, but not clearer than possible."--Anthony Daniels "Literary Review" "An inspirational book that not only reveals the 'secret joys' of scientific discovery but is jam-packed full of revelations for non-scientists."--Jon Dennis "Mail on Sunday" "Davis came to immunology from physics and, like visions of outer space, his picture of the human immune system--the little we actually know of it--is dizzying, intriguing, and strange. . . . Emphasizing that 'no scientist is an island, ' Davis follows the strings of achievements and failures (always at least as valuable as the successes) that have led to radical reinterpretations of how the immune system works. His explanations are rich in technical detail, but always clear: as he recreates the revelatory moments in the labs, he puts the reader right there at the microscope, on the edge of discovery. I was surprised how quickly I became (temporarily) fluent in the language of dendritic cells, receptors, cytokines, and so on. Davis also clearly defines more familiar terms such as interferons and interleukins, explains cortisol's effects and how it's related to cortisone, and flags the truly revolutionary insights in this history of sometimes baffling eureka moments."--Laurie G. "Politics and Prose, Staff Picks" "Davis endeavors to tell the story of human immunology in eight chapters, spanning foundational concepts, pivotal discoveries by brilliant scientists and their collaborators, the personal drama that has accompanied Nobel prizes and other recognition awarded in this highly competitive field, and anecdotes about how individual choices can affect one's immune function and overall health. . . . A heroic effort. . . . The relatively brief overview reveals intriguing connections in immunology's history, helps tie together stove-piped areas of inquiry, and offers fresh perspective on future research strategies."--Audrey R. Glynn "Science" "Davis is a sure and engaging guide to these developments. . . . In each case, Davis shows how these scientific thinkers overturned the previous dogma and progressively deepened the story of immunology. His message is that although knowledge of the immune system has come on in leaps and bounds in the past hundred years, immunology still lacks a unifying theory. 'We must not expect everything the immune system does to fit any one over-arching principle, ' he concludes. 'The system discriminates between self and non-self, and it detects germs, and it responds to danger, and it does all these things concurrently--and messily.'"--Mark Honigsbaum "Observer" "Detailed and fascinating."--Emma Stoye "Chemistry World" "Five stars. We all think we know, at a rough level, how the immune system works. Cells in the blood identify foreign invaders and go into battle with them. Inflammation and perhaps a fever develop, and eventually the body destroys the illegal immigrants. From then on their card is marked: the system remembers the microscopic terrorists, and if they ever reappear they are ganged up on and eliminated immediately. That's immunity. In recent decades, though, the scientific picture has become hugely more complicated, as the immunologist Davis relates in this elegantly concise book."--Steven Poole "Telegraph" "Forget AI, robotics, the internet of things. This is where the future feels strange and exciting: in ourselves, in the 'inner universe' of our messy, complex immune system, and in the radically new therapies that are using it to conquer disease. Davis is passionate about the possibilities of his field. . . . He describes how these cells perform with the fervor of an enraptured dance critic. . . . Davis is right to call the immune system an inner universe. It is just as consciousness-raising and awe-inspiring as the outer universe of black holes and supernovas, yet far less widely known or understood. This eye-opening if demanding book starts to put that right."--James McConnachie "Sunday Times" "Refreshingly sober. . . . Intelligent and insightful."--Jerome Groopman "New York Review of Books" "Davis's wonderful book The Beautiful Cure recounts how research into the immune system in recent decades has resulted in what amounts to a health revolution. Immunotherapy drugs are now worth billions of dollars, and cancers and autoimmune diseases that were once considered untreatable can now be fought and, in a few cases, even cured. There is little doubt that there will be further progress in the years to come. Davis recounts in exceptionally clear and sympathetic prose how all this came about."--Henry Marsh "New Statesman" "A terrific book by a consummate storyteller and scientific expert considers the past and future of the body's ability to fight disease and heal itself. . . . We should all pay more attention to understanding the barricades that evolution has provided us with, that we have learned to train, because this war is endless. The Beautiful Cure is a worthy guide."--Adam Rutherford "Guardian" "The Beautiful Cure sets the stage for a coming revolution in immunology, with fascinating stories of how researchers solved puzzles they didn't know existed."--Jeremy Webb "New Scientist" "The Beautiful Cure is about the history and future of immunology. It is a sweeping tour d'horizon that never shies from complexity but manages, impressively for a science book by a scientist, to remain lucid and entertaining enough to take the reader with it. Much as Siddhartha Mukherjee did in his book The Gene, Davis expertly weaves together human stories and scientific endeavor to give a sense of the grand global collaboration that is still under way to understand 'the complexity, delicacy, and elegance of our immune system.' . . . If anything can be taken from this book it is that life and its mechanisms are too complex for neat stories, however satisfying those stories may be."--Tom Whipple "Times" "The Beautiful Cure . . . focuses on the science of immunology itself, taking us through the evolution of the discipline and the stories behind key advances in the field. . . . Davis conveys a visceral appreciation for how messy, and how human, medical science can be."--David A. Shaywitz "Wall Street Journal" "Davis leaves readers with a reminder that, for all the scientific innovations described here, the human immune system remains 'far more powerful than any medicine we have devised, ' and that sleep, healthy eating, mindfulness, and other complementary practices all appear to help. A modern equivalent of Paul de Kruif's 1926 classic, Microbe Hunters, Davis's work is concise and illuminating."-- "Publishers Weekly" "Davis is a leading immunologist himself and writes gracefully about a subject he knows well, brings alive not only the science, but the scientists themselves, many of whom he knows personally. The Beautiful Cure will give you a new appreciation for the marvels of our biology."-- "Medium"Table of ContentsA note to professional scientists Overview PART ONE: The Scientific Revolution in Immunity 1 Dirty Little Secrets 2 The Alarm Cell 3 Restraint and Control 4 A Multibillion-Dollar Blockbuster PART TWO: The Galaxy Within 5 Fever, Stress and the Power of the Mind 6 Time and Space 7 The Guardian Cells 8 Future Medicines Epilogue Acknowledgements Notes Index
£23.99
