28 Science SCIENCE


Curiosity is one of the permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous intellect.


- Samuel Johnson, The Rambler


71142 PATHFINDERS: The Golden Age of Arabic Science by Jim Al-Khalili


The Golden Age of Arabic science, defined by the author as science written in the Arabic languages, started in the 8th century and lasted for 700 years, embracing the work of Christians and Jews as well as Muslims. Iraqi-born Al-Khalili asks why a golden age of science was able to take place under the Abbasids of Baghdad, and how


much the much the scholars of that time actually knew. How much was assimilated from Persian, Greek and Indian cultures? He draws parallels between the Arab Golden Age and the European Renaissance, arguing that what we now take for granted as the evidence-based scientific method originated not with Renaissance humanism but with Arab masters such as al-Razi, a pioneer of hospitals and medical ethics, Ibn al-Haytham, one of the first masters to challenge Ptolemy’s geocentrism, and the polymath al-Biruni. The Abbasid caliphs played a role similar to the Medici family in Florence, with al-Ma’mun turning the House of Wisdom from a palace library into one of the greatest centres of learning the world has ever seen. The mystical theology of al-Ghazali with its innate conservatism may have played its part in bringing the spirit of free enquiry to an end, and the destruction of Baghdad in 1258 has also been blamed, but the author prefers the explanation that the Muslim world was slow to take advantage of the benefits of printing. Colour reproductions. £25 NOW £8.50


70068 TURBULENCE by Giles Foden Albert Einstein, the great quantum physicist, is said to have quipped, ‘After I die, I hope God will explain turbulence to me’. Even now, it remains one of the last unfathomable mysteries of modern physics. In this gripping blend of fact and fiction, the fate of 2,500,000 men, 3,000 landing craft and the entire future of Europe, depends on the right weather conditions in the English Channel on the day of the D-Day landings. Will a team of Allied scientists be able to agree an accurate forecast five days in advance? A Scot, Wallace Ryman, has devised a system that could solve all the difficulties but he is a reclusive pacifist who stubbornly refuses to divulge his secrets. A young maths prodigy from the Met Office is sent to Scotland to uncover Ryman’s


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methodology, but events begin to spiral out of control. 352 paperback pages. £12.99 NOW £2.50


69975 DARWIN’S


NOTEBOOK: The Life, Times and Discoveries


of Charles Robert Darwin Here are family snapshots, jottings, notes and sketches, together with Darwin’s own comments at various times of his life from a very young age. Here too misapprehensions are corrected by the author so that the scientist’s real achievements can be


appreciated. He was not, in fact, the inventor of the theory of evolution but the inventor of the theory of natural selection and, as the discoverer of dozens of species of beetles and birds, and the world authority on barnacles, he offered theories that would later form the foundations of disciplines such as cosmology and socio- biology and even psychology. 160 pages, colour and b/ w illus.


£11.99 NOW £4


27140 ORIGIN OF SPECIES by Charles Darwin


A Grain in the balance will determine which individual shall live and which shall die... Darwin’s theory of natural selection issued a profound challenge to orthodox thought and belief: no being or species has been specifically created; all are locked into a pitiless struggle for existence, with extinction looming for those not fitted for the task. Yet The Origin of Species (1859) is also a humane and inspirational vision of ecological interrelatedness, revealing the complex mutual interdependencies between animal and plant life, climate and physical environment, and - by implication - within the human world. Combines the rigour of science with the subtlety of literature. Paperback reprint. ONLY £4


70419 THE NAKED MAN: A


Study of the Male Body by Desmond Morris By the author of the international bestseller of the 1970s The Naked Ape, and following the success of The Naked Woman, Desmond Morris now studies the masculine body from head to toe. He examines biological features of the male anatomy and describes the many ways they have been


modified, suppressed or exaggerated by local customs and changes in social fashions. It is packed full of scientific facts, engaging anecdotes and thought- provoking conclusions in all he is looking at the evolution, biomechanics, behaviour and psychology of the human male. 280pp.


$25.99 NOW £6


69735 OF MEN AND GALAXIES by Fred Hoyle


Astronomer and mathematician Sir Fred Hoyle (1915- 2001) coined the phrase ‘Big Bang theory’ to describe the currently accepted explanation of the beginning of the Universe. His important work centred on the origins of stars and the elements within stars. In this compilation of popular lectures delivered in 1964, Hoyle comments on the nature of the scientific enterprise, delivers his view of


SCOTTISH INTEREST


My foot is on my native heath, and my name is MacGregor.


- Sir Walter Scott, Rob Roy


71315 ABERDEEN IN THE 70s: A Decade of Change by Raymond Anderson Kipper ties, bell-bottom trousers, tank-tops, glitter make-up, platform- sole shoes - the 70s was a time of excess and certainly improved with age. There were groundbreaking TV series, films and stage shows but for the northeast of Scotland, the black, black oil continued to have an impact. By June 1970 brief


reports in the local Press of oil company interest in the North Sea had grown into talk of multi million pound exploration. The oil revolution brought considerable wealth and job opportunities to the area, but in time there would also be the Piper Alpha tragedy. In this compilation of mono photographs we can see that much of the story of Aberdeen in the 70s sprang from that discovery plus huge changes at the harbour and the airport, the demolition of old parts of the city, and the rapid spread of new building including the new suburbs. 400 images showing the fashion, protests and unrest, Gordon Banks and Scottish football, Jubilee street parties, the September gale of 1976, the Bay City Rollers in concert, busy heliports, the mayor’s office and much more to spark recognition, pleasure and nostalgia. 192pp in softback. £12.99 NOW £4


71318 ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF EDINBURGH’S


SUBURBS by Sandy Mullay The city of Edinburgh grew rapidly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As more and more industry and workers arrived, in the space of but a few generations the small villages on the city’s periphery were absorbed by the new housing, civic building, roads and amenities.


However, many of these villages managed to retain an identity, and their names live on even today, places such as Trinity, Warriston, Drylaw, Blackhall, Portobello, Leith, Craiglockhart, Craigmillar etc. In words and old photographs, over 200 in total, dating back to the end of the 19th century, Sandy Mullay gives us a concise history of each district, featuring local anecdotes, myths and folklore, bizarre episodes and local notable characters. We see the changes caused by the increase in population and industry and the whole process of urbanisation is laid out fascinatingly in front of us. 176pp, Softback. B/w photos and maps. £12.99 NOW £5


68603 EDINBURGH: A History of the City by Michael Fry


A romantic landscape of sea and glen, broad vistas and hidden corners, Edinburgh is set on seven hills embellished by a style of architecture combining stern classicism with antiquarian whimsy. This provides the backdrop to much of the dark drama of the Scottish past, from Mary Queen of Scots to Bonnie Prince Charlie and beyond. It sets in stone a history shaped by nation, Union and Empire. Here are John Knox and James Boswell, David Hume and Walter Scott, Stevenson’s Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. 419 pages with plates in colour and b/w.


£25 NOW £5.50 69196 CONTEMPORARY SCULPTURE IN


SCOTLAND by Andrew Patrizio This magnificent exploration presents modern Scottish sculpture in its many forms, from the work of the work of the post-war giants like Eduardo Paolozzi and William Turnbull, who continued to influence the scene right until the end of the century, to successive generations of sculptors such as Ian Hamilton Finlay, the Boyle Family and David Mach, who have achieved worldwide acclaim. In addition, it also highlights an energetic younger generation prominent on the international stage, including Andy Goldsworthy, Douglas Gordon, Christine Borland, Jake Harvey and Tracy Mackenna. Profiles of 24 notable artists and their work. With approx 100 stunning colour photos. 1999 first edition, 164pp, 10½”×11½”.


£29.95 NOW £6


70565 MY HEART’S IN THE LOWLANDS


by Liz Curtis Higgs


This delightful armchair travel book takes us on a journey through the verdant hills and glens of Dumfries and Galloway to explore quaint villages and crumbling castles, old book shops and charming tea rooms. Thomas Carlyle was once asked by Queen Victoria to name the loveliest road in Britain ‘The road


from Creetown to Gatehouse of Fleet,’ he answered. ‘Dark green woods, wild flower meadows, the bay reappeared as you continued to climb in an ever- changing scene until we reached the second or third millennium BC with huge jagged stones thrust into the ground as if flung from heaven surrounding a gaping burial chamber on a grassy summit. Cairnholy.’ Charming line illus, 256pp in paperback. £8.99 NOW £4


69251 SCOTTISH HERITAGE FOOD AND COOKING


by Carol Wilson and Christopher Trotter The ready availability of wild salmon gave rise to such dishes as Coulibiac, a salmon pie with eggs, mushrooms and fennel, Smoked Haddock Flan and West Coast Fisherman’s Stew. Roast Hare with Beetroot and Crowdie or Loin of Wild Boar with Bog Myrtle are two of


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life on Earth from the perspective of astronomy, and speculates about the future. He suggests that ‘the emergence of intelligent life is not a meaningless accident.’ In conclusion, he conjectures that contact with more advanced civilisations may prove vital to mankind. 70 page paperback reprint. ONLY £3.25


69262 DINOSAUR DOCTOR: The Life and Work of Gideon


Mantell by Edmund Critchley Gideon Mantell (1790-1850) was a respected surgeon and a pioneering geologist and palaeontologist. Using his skill in comparative anatomy, he pieced together unidentified bone fragments found in chalk quarries to evaluate the modes of life of early dinosaurs including the Iguanodon, his most famous discovery. From the


flora and fauna of the rock strata, Mantell established the Age of Reptiles, and he revealed how the soft bodies of animalcules formed the chalk. His collection of antiquities and fossils of every size was exhibited to the public, and later formed a major section of the British Museum. He became embroiled in Whig politics and became a famous writer and lecturer. 256 paperback pages. £18.99 NOW £5.50


70445 BAD IDEAS?: An Arresting History of Our Inventions


by Robert Winston


Britain’s much-loved popular scientist Lord Winston asks here, have our creative ideas always produced the results in line with their original intention, and have they always served us well? The consequences of the development of weaponry, from a spear with which to hunt food to a nuclear arsenal, are self-


evident, but what about more apparently innocuous improvements in the fields of agriculture, communications, medicine and architecture? Winston takes us on a thrilling journey from the earliest hominids to the present day, tracking the unexpected twists and turns of progress. We also meet with key individuals and examine their lives and their brainwaves, how they have been improved, hijacked or ruined by others. 417pp paperback. £13.99 NOW £4


69515 END OF THE CERTAIN WORLD


by Nancy Thorndike Greenspan Subtitled The Life and Science of Max Born the Nobel Physicist Who Ignited the Quantum Revolution. Here is the very first biography of Max Born, a Nobel Prize winner whose role in the ‘Golden Age of Physics’ in the 1920s helped to shape the science of the 20th century and open the door to the modern era. Together with his Wunderkinder, including his assistant Werner Heisenberg, he solved the fundamental commutation law of quantum mechanics. The pupils he had taught, among them Robert Oppenheimer, Edward Teller, Eugene Wigner and John von Neumann, later helped to develop the atom bomb. In 1933, he was forced by the Nazis to emigrate to Great Britain and in 1957, issued a declaration calling on the West German government to renounce the use of nuclear weapons. 374 pages, photos. £18.99 NOW £4


the more exotic main courses based on the availability of game. First courses include Grilled Oysters with Highland Heather Honey, Dressed Crab with Asparagus, Sea Trout Mousse, or for those who prefer soup, the legendary Cullen Skink. 256pp, softback, colour photos. ONLY £3.75


69428 SPORT AND LEISURE IN VICTORIAN


SCOTLAND by George Washington Wilson Edited by Alastair Durie, this first edition dated 1988 is published by Dalesman Books. The University of Aberdeen’s collection of George Washington Wilson’s photographic negatives provides a valuable storehouse of topographical material. They date from 1870-1908 and consist of no less than 45,000 glass negatives. This special collection looks at fishing, hunting, shooting and deerstalking. Here are horseracing days, ice-skating on frozen lakes and ponds, curling, bowling and more. 48 page very large softback. £4.25 NOW £1.50


69429 ROYAL DEESIDE by George Washington Wilson


Visit the Royal Highland Games with Scotland’s most famous photographer and follow Queen Victoria on the old Deeside Railway to Ballater. With an introduction and commentary by John S. Smith. The square at Torphins in the late 1890s is contrasted with the same square in 1984, Banchory High Street, curling on the Loch of Aboyne seen at Ballater and Balmoral, Crathe Church, the Braemar gathering and the Royal Pavillion and more. Large softback, 48pp. £4.95 NOW £1.50


69761 SCOTLAND VISITOR GUIDE, 4TH EDITION


edited by Colin Baxter Photography This user-friendly guide is divided into 14 regions, including the mainland plus Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles. Glasgow offers the superb architecture and designs of Rennie Mackintosh and his contemporaries, while Edinburgh and the Lothians are packed with history. Going north we encounter the amazing landscapes of Argyll and the Isles, including Iona and the spectacular rock formations of Staffa, followed by Perthshire, Dundee, Aberdeen and Grampian. Facilities, opening times and contact details, golf, national parks and annual events. 288pp, softback, maps, numerous colour photos. $24.95 NOW £4.50


70086 POLICIES AND PLEASAUNCES: A Guide


to the Gardens of Scotland by Katie Campbell


Here are tropical forests, diverse botanical gardens, woodland arboreta, rhododendron glades, medieval monastic enclosures, grand parterres, romantic 18th century parklands and a Biblical garden - not to mention more modern creations such as the Garden of Cosmic Speculation and Little Sparta. Readers will be able to locate a Judas tree, a handkerchief tree and a New Zealand cabbage tree, sniff ‘the languid odour of lilies’ and stroll among snake’s head fritillaries. 252 softback pages with maps. £12.99 NOW £5


SCIENCE FICTION


The story so far: In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.


- Douglas Adams, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe


71009 OBSESSED WITH MARVEL: Test Your Knowledge of the Marvel


Universe by Peter Sanderson This is definitely the most original book we have ever seen. Designed to be used by one player or two, it comprises a whopping 2,500


questions about the Marvel universe, plus a state-of-the- art module that can be set in Random Question Mode or you can ask it for any sequence of your choice. Players are asked to choose an answer from A, B, C or D buttons - which is much more fun, and quicker, than just looking up the answers in a book. The module can then store the number of questions correctly answered and is capable of saving the total even after the module has been turned off so, if you do not have time to finish your game, nothing is lost. Subjects include The Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, The Avengers, X-Men, The Incredible Hulk, Marvel Knights, Horror Heroes, Cosmic Characters and Marvel Time so, if you are especially fond of one of these, or consider yourself particularly knowledgeable in that subject, then you can just set the module to that section alone. But we can bet that the Random Questions will be the most popular. Have endless fun! 320 pages in sepia/white, with free battery-operated Question and Answer Module. $29.95 NOW £7.50


67522 MEMNOCH THE DEVIL: The Vampire


Chronicles by Anne Rice The Vampire Lestat, outsider, canny monster and hero-wanderer, is at last offered the chance to be redeemed. He is brought into direct confrontation with both God and the Devil, and into the land of Death. We are in New York and the city is blanketed in snow. Through the whiteness, Lestat is searching for


Dora, the beautiful and charismatic daughter of a drug lord who arouses his tenderness as no mortal ever has. He is snatched from the world itself by the mysterious Memnoch, who claims to be the Devil and is invited to be a witness at the Creation. The very first of the four Vampire Chronicles. 354pp with roughcut edges. $25 NOW £2


67533 QUEEN OF THE DAMNED: The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice


The blood-drinking rock star mesmerises groupies at a concert in San Francisco but following his moment of glory under the hot lights, basking in the adoration of 15,000 fans and two paramours, Gabrielle and Louis, Lestat realises with a frisson that the concert has aroused from slumber an older, primeval force. Deep in the past Enkil and Akasha ruled the Nile before it was called Egypt and all vampires are descended from them, but if they should walk the earth again they could lead the whole of humanity into extinction. 448pp. $18.95 NOW £1.50


67538 TALTOS: Lives of the Mayfair Witches by Anne Rice


A hypnotic saga of the occult that began with the books The Witching Hour and Lasher. Meet Mr Ash, a tall, quietly spoken sole survivor of an ancient species, the Taltos, thriving among humankind and now the head of a great corporate empire. He is stunned to learn from an old and mysterious friend that another Taltos has been seen, in the very same Scottish glen where centuries ago, long before the coming of the Romans, Ash ruled his clan. At once he is propelled into the world of Rowan Mayfair and into the mysteries of the Mayfair family. 467pp with roughtcut edges. $25 NOW £2


SPORT


It’s just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up. - Muhammad Ali


71340 WILD SWIMMING RECORD BOOK


by Adrian Tierney-Jones There is nothing like the freedom and being at one with nature than swimming in pure fresh water in


some stunningly beautiful British locations. Never before has a book like this been published so we at Bibliophile have grabbed it. It is a guide to 72 swimming locations - lakes, rivers and lidos from the famous Hampstead Ponds to seaside secrets, hidden coves, isolated beaches and secret bays which are ideal places for a spot of wild swimming. Here are lots of outdoor brine pools, reliving the golden age of the lido when we are at the mercy of the mercurial British climate, magical rivers enjoyed on a summer afternoon where the soft and soothing feel of the water as you pass through it brings you close to nature. There are also the changing moods of a river - slow and sluggish encouraging the wild swimmer to float and linger while others boast deep pools or brisk waterfalls that set the skin glowing and give the senses a wake-up call. Lake Windermere and Wastwater, Loch Ness in the mountains and moorlands section to fantastic forces and waterfalls give a more bracing swim for thrill seekers who love plunge pools. All beautifully photographed in colour and with space to note the date, weather, your star rating and notes about each swim, plus OS map grid reference. 128pp. £9.99 NOW £4


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