UK MAINLAND ORDERS RECEIVED BY FRIDAY DECEMBER 13TH 2013 WILL BE DESPATCHED IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS


72808 MAPPING THE UNIVERSE: The Interactive History of Astronomy


by Professor Paul Murdin OBE, Fellow of the Royal


Astronomical Society Includes facsimiles of Galileo’s notes and sketches made in 1610


during his first detailed observations of the planet Jupiter and four of Jupiter’s moons, Sir Isaac Newton’s own drawing, made in 1668, of his first reflecting telescope design, and William Herschel’s notes recording the moment in 1781 when he first saw the planet Uranus. We see how astronomers have always used the newest, most advanced technology of their time to analyse the trace messages of light and other radiations sent by distant


heavenly bodies to our own planet. Nearly half a century ago now, humankind left the first footprints on the surface of the Moon and, today, it is possible to send spacecraft to the nearest of the planets as proxies for human explorers. 124 pages 27cm x 30.5cm,


amazing colour photos. £30 NOW £8.50


Richard Feynman and Stephen Hawking. ‘Why do raindrops fall to the ground?’ ‘What is light?’ lead to some of the most profound discoveries that humanity has ever made. 208 pages with elasticised bookmark, illus.


£12.99 NOW £4


71959 SEED OF KNOWLEDGE STONE OF PLENTY: Understanding the Lost Technology of


the Ancient Megalith-Builders by John Burke and Kaj Halberg Generations of archaeologists have puzzled over the question of why our pre-industrial ancestors invested huge amounts of labour and time to erect enormous creations of stone and earth such as pyramids, henges and mounds. According to the evidence cited here, megaliths are always built on ground where certain natural electromagnetic energies are concentrated and can be tapped to produce more food. Corn seeds, for example, placed on one of the oldest Meso-American pyramids, grew dramatically better, particularly if placed there on days of high electric energy. 255 pages, illus in colour.


£26 NOW £5 72628 PRESENT AT THE


CREATION: The Story of Cern and the Large Hadron Collider by Amir Aczel


Will the hidden dimensions posited by string theory be revealed? Will we at last identify the nature of the dark matter that makes up more than 90% of the cosmos? And will the Higgs Boson confirm at last the Standard Model of particles and their interactions that is among the great


theoretical achievements of 20th century physics? The Large Hadron Collider is the biggest and by far the most powerful machine ever built. The collider is now crashing protons at record energy levels never before created by scientists. After accelerating the beams to 99.9999991% of the speed of light, it collides the protons head-on, annihilating them in a flash of energy. Within the LHC’s detectors, scientists hope to see empirical confirmation of key theories in physics and cosmology. Through the eyes and words of the men and women who conceived and built CERN and the LHC, the author enriches all of us with a firm grounding in the scientific concepts. 271 pages illus in colour. $25.99 NOW £6


73073 FATE OF THE SPECIES: Why the Human Race May Cause Its Own Extinction and How we can Stop It by Fred Guterl


As editor of Scientific American, and having covered technology, science and international affairs for ten years at Newsweek, the author hears more scary stories in a day than most of us do in a year. But are we really approaching a new ice age, global warming, nuclear winter or worldwide drought? Do we know enough to speculate on what our future will look like? Will our immune systems be overwhelmed by so-called super- bugs or will the disappearance of numerous species cripple the biosphere? We have found ourselves in a trap. Technology helped to get us into a mess, but it is the only thing that can help us to survive it. From machines to synthetic biology, from reverse genetics that create a deadly flu virus to the possibility of human extinction, and from ecosystems to climate change. 209 pages.


£18.99 NOW £6.50


72204 PATRICK MOORE: The Autobiography by Patrick Moore


As the presenter of ‘The Sky at Night’ - the world’s longest-running TV series with the same presenter, Sir Patrick Moore has been honoured with an OBE, a CBE and a knighthood and was also involved in the lunar mapping carried out prior to the NASA Apollo missions. He has written more than 60 books, all on his 1908 Woodstock typewriter. A self-taught musician and talented composer, he has played for the Lord’s Taverners’ charity cricket team. 276 paperback pages with many b/w and colour photographs. £7.99 NOW £3


72291 A FORCE OF NATURE by Richard Reeves


Ernest Rutherford was born in colonial New Zealand, a different world from Cambridge to which he won a scholarship at the age of 24. His work oversees revolutionised modern physics and among his discoveries were the orbital structure of the atom and the concept of the ‘half-life’ of radioactive materials. This led to a massive re-evaluation of the age of the Earth, previously judged to be just 100 million years old. He and the young men working under him were the first to split the atom unlocking tremendous forces which as Rutherford himself predicted would bring us the atomic bomb. He was awarded a Nobel Prize and made Baron Rutherford by the Queen, was a great humanist and teacher. Under his boisterous direction, a new generation of remarkable physicists emerged from the famous Cavendish Laboratory. Here is a ruddy, genial man and a pivotal figure in scientific history. 207pp in paperback with illus. Remainder mark. $14.95 NOW £6


72346 ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE: Why Our


Planet is Unique by John Gribbin There must be intelligent life “out there” - for some this is a simple article of faith; for others a simple matter of statistics, given an effectively infinite number of stars and planets. But just hold your horses, says John Gribbin. He argues, was the impact of an object the size of Mars hitting a very young Earth, resulting in the Moon, hence tides, as well as a tilt of 23°, hence seasons. Then, some 600 million years ago a comet collided with Venus, putting Earth into a “snowball” state of deep freeze. As Earth thawed, the microscopic unicellular organisms which had populated the planet virtually unchanged for three billion years suddenly began to evolve into complex multicellular ones and this sudden change, known as the Cambrian Explosion, marked the start of the rapid evolution of life which ultimately led to ourselves. What are the chances of two disasters of cosmic proportions affecting the same planet, and their results being positive? Not good, says Gribbin. 219pp.


! $25.95 NOW £7


72646 THE DISCOVERY OF JEANNE BARET: A Story of Science, the High Seas, and the First Woman to Circumnavigate the Globe by Glynis Ridley


The mesmerising account of an intrepid, intelligent woman, who battled against 18th century male prejudice to live the life she wanted. Now, our author reveals all, including the newly discovered notebook, written in Baret’s own hand, that proves her scientific acumen, recording the thousands of specimens she collected, most famously the vine bougainvillea. Jeanne Baret was the mistress of an eminent botanist. When her lover was appointed as ship’s naturalist, she disguised herself as a teenage boy and signed on as his assistant. 288 pages. $25 NOW £5


72182 GENIUS OF BRITAIN: The Scientists Who Changed the World


by Robert Uhlig


In a magnificent volume, with contributions from some of the greatest names of today, including Richard Dawkins evolutionary biologist, James Dyson dynamic inventor, designer and engineer, David Attenborough naturalist and veteran broadcaster, Robert


Winston the pioneer of IVF, and the physicists Jim Al- Khalili and Kathy Sykes, it encompasses the heart- stopping story of people who pushed the boundaries. 340 pages with colour and b/w archive photos, tree of Famous Scientists and Key Dates in British Science. £20 NOW £5


72780 PROGRAMMING THE UNIVERSE by Seth Lloyd


Subtitled ‘A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos’ here is a book concerning every computer which needs a programme, the set of instructions that tells it what patterns to create. The history of the Universe consists of a sequence of information- processing revolutions, each of which builds on the previous one. The current revolution in electronic computing arises out of the invention of language and of logic. Building on recent breakthroughs in quantum computation, Seth Lloyd shows that the Universe itself is a gigantic computer. 222pp. £18.99 NOW £4


73094 BLIP, PING AND BUZZ: Making Sense of Radar and Sonar


by Mark Denny


Weaving history with basic science, the author deftly reveals, to curious readers, technology buffs and experts alike, the world of radar and sonar. He begins with an early history of the Chain Home radar system used during World War II, then uses diagrams and formulae to


show how electromagnetic and sound waves are transmitted, received and converted into images, allowing you literally to see in the dark. There is a fascinating section on bioacoustic echolocation, with a focus on the superior sonar systems of bats and whales, and we can confidently say that you will be entranced. 274 pages with diagrams, line drawings and photos, technical notes and glossary. £21.50 NOW £7.50


73118 PUSHING THE LIMITS: New


Adventures in Engineering by Henry Petroski Here are the stories of significant and daring enterprises, some familiar, some virtually unknown, and some that are still only dreams, all described in their historical and technological contexts. Among these achievements are Philadelphia’s landmark Benjamin Franklin Bridge, London’s incomparable Tower Bridge and China’s ambitious Three Gorges Dam Project. But pushing the limits of technology does not come without risk. Also


chronicled are great technological disasters, such as the 1928 failure of California’s St Francis Dam, the 1999 tragedy of the Texas A&M Bonfire, and the September l l collapse of New York’s World Trade Center towers. 288 roughcut pages, illus. $25 NOW £5.50


73193 WAY WE WORK: Getting to Know the Amazing Human Body


by David Macaulay with Richard Walker


What happens to broccoli once your teeth have done with it? How do your eyes manage to turn at the same time and in the same direction? How do your lungs


know that they have to take air in and out all the time, even when you are not thinking about them, or asleep, or unconscious? Each of us owns and inhabits an exceptional example of biological engineering, and one that deserves to be understood and celebrated. Using their unique perspective and often slightly irreverent humour, the authors lead readers on a highly visual journey through the basic workings of the human body. In seven comprehensive sections they take us from the cells of which we are formed to the individual systems they build. Each double-page spread explores a different aspect of this complex structure, while gradually constructing as straightforward an overview as possible of the links between the inner workings of the body and the world outside. Everyone's journey begins as a single cell that contains everything we will need to get the ball rolling. If all goes well, that single cell will multiply into a population reaching tens of trillions. Once committed to the building of a multicultural organism, no cell exists in isolation. Each is in constant communication with its neighbours. We are able to accomplish the huge number of things we do only because our cells willingly collaborate with each other. They build and operate the systems needed to maintain the steady internal environment upon which they depend. These systems, such as the respiratory, circulatory and digestive are introduced and presented one at a time so as not to overwhelm the reader. How did we ever do without this book? 336 pages 28cm x 22cm lavishly illustrated in colour with glossary. $35 NOW £6


SCIENCE FICTION


73271 AACHEN MEMORANDUM by Andrew Roberts The prize-winning historian has turned into a novelist. May 2045. England has become a minor region of the European super state, politically correct but inert, weighed down by bureaucracy and unaware of past glories. With British culture diluted to near extinction, the nation having lost its Crown and its


Parliament, nationalistic pride is liable to land you in prison, or even worse. Oxford Don Horatio Lestoq finds the dead body of a prominent politician and is immediately tagged as prime suspect. On the run and desperate to clear his name, can he free himself from government conspiracy or will he become ensnared like those who try to reveal fiercely guarded hidden truths? 279pp in paperback. £8.99 NOW £4


72018 THE COMING OF THE TERRAPHILES


by Michael Moorcock The modern genre’s most original voice has invited the Doctor into his multiverse for an adventure sparkling with wit and peril, The Terraphiles are a group obsessed with Earth’s past and dedicated to re-enacting ancient sporting events. The Doctor and Amy join them on a trip to Miggea, a star on the very


edge of reality, and the venue for a competition to win the fabled Arrow of Law. Reality is falling apart, ships are disappearing, and Captain Cornelius and his pirates are looking for easy pickings. The Doctor and Amy have to find out who is so desperate to get the Arrow of Law that they will kill for it. 343pp. £7.99 NOW £2


73024 SIRENS OF TITAN by Kurt Vonnegut


A very funny novel about The Meaningless of It All, vast in scope and staggering in its originality. When Winston Niles Rumfoord flies his spaceship into a chrono- synclastic infundibulum he is converted into pure energy and only materialises when his waveforms intercept Earth or some other planet. As a result, he only


gets home to Newport, Rhode Island once every 59 days, and then only for an hour. But at least, as a consolation, he now knows everything that has ever happened or that will ever happen. First published in 1959, here in facsimile reprinted paperback, 224pp. £7.99 NOW £3.50


10989 LOST WORLD AND OTHER STORIES by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle


The science fiction stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stand alongside those of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. The protagonist, the 'cave-man in a lounge suit', is the maddening, irascible and fascinating Professor George Edward Challenger. In these collected tales he faces adventures such as that high above the Amazon rain forest in The Lost World and the challenges of The Land of Mist. 480pp Paperback ONLY £2


SCOTTISH INTEREST


73329 WILLIE GAVIN, CROFTER MAN


by David Kerr Cameron Sub-titled ‘A Portrait of a Vanished Lifestyle’, here is the second part of a classic trilogy of rural life in Scotland’s North-east Lowlands. Through the eyes of Willie Gavin we experience the hardships of those who struggled to work a barren and inhospitable landscape, as well as the joys brought by events such as weddings and


festivals. It is a portrait of crofting life in the bitter landscapes of these Lowlands and the life of one crofter man in particular. It is a record assembled mainly from a family’s folk memory. Kerr Cameron paints a beautiful lyrical picture of how the crofter took on his thankless task of ‘stitching the quilt of the landscape’ with his beautiful and sensitive observation of the crofter’s work. Here are ways and qualities of a vanished world. 250pp in paperback with select glossary and 12 pages of photos. £8.99 NOW £4.50


73322 BOOK OF ST.


ANDREWS: An Anthology edited by Robert Crawford Arranged kaleidoscopically, here is Liz Lochhead on croquet, John Knox on military bombardment, Andrew Lang on Homer, Les Murray on Robert Fergusson, and contributors like J. M. Barrie, Benjamin Franklin, Seamus Heaney, A. L. Kennedy, R. L. Stevenson, and Susan Fellows on such topics as


horizontal snow, caravans, martyrdom, seabirds, red gowns, love, professors and madness. Languages range from Greek to Gaelic and translations are provided in this writing from four millennia focussing on one of the world’s most famous small towns. 228pp in paperback. £7.99 NOW £3.50


73298 25 WALKS IN AND


AROUND GLASGOW by Alan Forbes


The vibrant city of Glasgow is not just an urban centre but can provide a base for the varied selection of walks given here radiating from its bustling heart and reaching out into the tranquil and attractive countryside surrounding it. This new edition introduces 13 entirely new walks including the


Greenock Cut, a wonderful mix of industrial history and rural scenery, the Corrie of Balglass, a dramatic and secluded corner of the Campsies, the Fourth and Clyde Canal, Doughnot Hill and Land Craigs and many others. Giving distance in miles (circular), start to finish with car parks and landmarks to spot, terrain be it boggy, forested and whether boots or waterproofs are needed, OS Explorer map reference, public transport, refreshments and toilets if any. Paperback with colour photos, 114pp.


£9.99 NOW £3.50


73300 AGE OF THE CLANS: The Highlands from Somerled to the Clearances by Robert Dodgshon In a new and thrilling view of a society too often either dismissed as a backward relic of the past or combed through for similarities with Scotland south of the Highland line, this volume covers the period from the rise of Somerled to the first


Clearances. The period has been chosen as one of considerable continuity and deals with four main themes: the changing political relationships and tensions within the region, the clans - their composition, alliances, strongholds and patterns of display - the changes in settlement over time, and the economy of the Highlands and Islands. Here is no dry economic narrative, but a story of feasting in great halls such as Dunvegan, of the galley fleets of the great lords, of strange pagan survivals in ritual and belief, and of magnificent oral tradition. 64 paperback pages illus in colour and b/w. £6.99 NOW £3.50


73319 SKYE


by Cailean Maclean and Angus Peter Campbell The Cuillin, roughly pronounced Coo-ee-lin, are known the world over as mountains of outstanding beauty, but the Isle of Skye where they are to be found has


much more to offer besides their towering magnificence. From the little crofting townships of the Sleat peninsula to the bustling town of Portree, and from the bizarre rock formations at Trotternish to the romantic Dunvegan Castle, these super pictures will capture your heart. The photographer demonstrates a profound understanding of and affection for a place with which his family has, for generations, had a strong and famous association. He was born and brought up in the Outer Hebrides and has been living on the Isle of Skye for over 30 years, and his pictures reveal the island in all its moods - the Sleat blazing with autumn leaves, the multi-coloured rainbows that so frequently appear on Skye, or The Old Man of Storr shrouded in ghostly mist. Aonghas Phàdraig Caimbeul, to give him his Gaelic name, is an accomplished writer and poet, whose introduction enhances this ‘splendid visual celebration of the Isle of Skye’. 114 pages 25cm by 19cm in dazzling colour or subtle shading, with maps and an introduction in English and Gaelic.


£9.99 NOW £4


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