"Give me juicy autumnal fruit, ripe and red from the orchard." ~ Walt Whitman (1819-1892), American poet, "Give Me the Splendid Silent Sun"
|
|
New and Recently Released!
|
|
| Faraday, Maxwell, and the Electromagnetic Field: How Two Men Revolutionized Physics by Nancy Forbes and Basil MahonIn 1813, blacksmith's son Michael Faraday abandoned a career as a bookbinder to study the little-understood phenomenon of electricity. Although his tireless efforts led to the development of the first electric motor and generator, as well as the idea of the electromagnetic field (in which electricity and magnetism travel as waves), few took him seriously until James Clerk Maxwell, a Scottish mathematician and physicist, formulated a set of equations to describe Faraday's theories. In this thought-provoking dual biography, science writers Nancy Forbes and Basil Mahon explore the lives of two influential men of science as well as their enduring legacy. |
|
|
The book of eggs : a lifesize guide to the eggs of six hundred of the world's bird speciesby Mark E. Hauber Featuring new photography from Chicago's renowned Field Museum, The Book of Eggs explores 600 examples at actual size, alongside pattern details, clutch images, breeding range maps, and engravings of all the birds. A table of field-guide information identifies order, family, breeding range, nesting habitat, nest characteristics, and conservation status. This accompanies an expert narrative revealing the latest research and thinking on social structure; reproductive strategies; egg colour, maculation, and size; and incubation behaviour. Arranged taxonomically, according to evolutionary relationships, the book brings to light intriguing aspects of breeding biology. The result is a visual delight and an essential reference for every bird enthusiast, natural historian, and conservationist.
|
|
|
Dandelion hunter : foraging the urban wildernessby Rebecca Lerner In this engaging and eye-opening read, forager-journalist Becky Lerner sets out on a quest to find her inner hunter-gatherer in the city of Portland, Oregon. After a disheartening week trying to live off wild plants from the streets and parks near her home, she learns the ways of the first people who lived there and, along with a quirky cast of characters, discovers an array of useful wild plants hiding in plain sight. As she harvests them for food, medicine, and just-in-case apocalypse insurance, Lerner delves into anthropology, urban ecology and sustainability, and finds herself looking at Nature in a very different way. Humorous, philosophical, and informative, "Dandelion Hunter "has something for everyone, from the curious neophyte to the seasoned forager.
|
|
| Dinosaurs Without Bones: Dinosaur Lives Revealed by Their Trace Fossils by Anthony J. MartinYou need bones to study dinosaurs. Or do you? In this accessible, engaging book, paleontologist Anthony Martin introduces ichnology, the study of "trace fossils." Encompassing anything that's neither tooth nor bone, trace fossils may include tracks and trails, burrows and nests, tooth and claw marks, skin, and coprolites (fecal fossils). While they may not form an impressive museum display, trace fossils are essential to understanding the biology and behavior of prehistoric lifeforms. A fascinating guide to a lesser-known sub-specialty of a evolving scientific field, Dinosaurs Without Bones may persuade armchair paleontologists to pursue other recent books about dinosaurs, such as Brian Switek's My Beloved Brontosaurus. |
|
| The Age of Radiance: The Epic Rise and Dramatic Fall of the Atomic Era by Craig NelsonThe atomic age, at least in the popular imagination, began in August 1945 with the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. However, author Craig Nelson takes a broader view of the "age of radiance," beginning in 1895 with German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen’s discovery of x-rays and ending with the 2011 disaster at Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant. Along the way, he explains concepts such as fission and fusion while describing the individuals -- both scientists and civilians -- whose contributions shaped politics and society in the wake of a stunning new technology that promised both limitless energy and total annihilation. |
|
|
Overleafby Richard OgilvyOverleaf is a delightful and thought provoking book dedicated to foliage. Susan Ogilvy's 74 delicate and delightful paintings are a study of that most obvious but smallest coherent part of a tree - the leaf. The paintings of both sides of the leaves of 37 trees found across the temperate regions of Europe and North America are uncluttered and beautiful portraits that will appear akin to everlasting pressing. Richard Ogilvy's thought provoking text reflects on the wonderful, detail complexity of our woodlands and forest. For each tree he has penned a concise portrait - how it relates to the environment, how big it grows, how fast it grows, where it grows, the dependent birds, insects and fungi, the mythology, and the uses we make of the timber.
|
|
| A Window on Eternity: A Biologist's Walk Through Gorongosa National Park by Edward O. Wilson and Piotr NaskreckiJoining forces with nature photographer Piotr Naskrecki, biologist and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Edward O. Wilson takes readers on a lavishly illustrated tour of Mozambique's 1,500 square mile Gorongosa National Park, documenting the region's natural history as well as the devastation wrought by a 16-year civil war that destroyed much of the park's biodiversity -- including 90 percent of its megafauna. Wilson also describes Gorongosa's gradual rebirth, a collaborative effort between scientists and philanthropists whose goal to restore the area to its former glory proceeds at a slow but steady pace. For a moving, yet ultimately hopeful story of conservation against the backdrop of one of the world's most beautiful and valuable ecological treasures, don't miss A Window on Eternity. |
|
| Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruitby Barry EstabrookTomatoes are both a multi-billion dollar industry and a carefully crafted agricultural commodity. Expanding on his 2010 James Beard Award-winning article in Gourmet Magazine, investigative journalist Barry Estabrook traces the life cycle of the mass-produced tomato, from its birth in Florida (which produces one third of the nation's annual crop) through its distribution to supermarkets across the United States. In between, commercially grown tomatoes (bred not for flavour but to facilitate shipping) are given a potent cocktail of pesticides and herbicides (to combat the 60 combined insect species and diseases that attack the plants); harvested (by low-paid migrant workers) while still green; and then artificially ripened by exposure to ethylene gas to create the illusion of a perfect piece of fruit. |
|
| The Fruit Hunters: A Story of Nature, Adventure, Commerce, and Obsession by Adam Leith GollnerDid you know that some half-million plant species worldwide produce fruit -- and that the waxed apples found in supermarkets are among the least appetizing of these? In this fact-filled guide to all things fruit, food journalist Adam Leith Gollner takes us through the history of a food that has started wars and inspired religious devotion. Equally fascinating are Gollner's present-day encounters with people who have devoted their lives to (and sometimes risked their lives for) fruit: botanists, inventors, and exotic fruit-smugglers, aka "fruitleggers." Whether you're a fruit fanatic or just wondering what all the fuss is about, you'll enjoy the fruits of Gollner's labours. |
|
| Banana: The Fate of the Fruit that Changed the Worldby Dan KoeppelThe story of bananas is...well, bananas. Originating in Southeast Asia, this seedless, sexless fruit somehow evolved from an inedible wild plant to one of the world's most popular -- and most genetically vulnerable -- foods. In this riveting biological and cultural history of the banana, journalist Dan Koeppel traces the banana's journey from its birthplace to Africa, where it became a staple crop, to the Caribbean and Central America, where it became the foundation of an industry powerful enough to make (and break) entire nations. |
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|