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30 Science


74652 THE SONG OF SOLOMON AND PSALMS: Sacred Texts, Poetry of


Divine and Spiritual Love by Gerald Benedict


A wonderful collection of some of the best-loved poetic texts of the Old Testament as translated in the King James Bible. The Song of Solomon, also known as The Song of Songs, features beautiful verses


of love that offer an allegory of the relationship between God and the Children of Israel - exquisite poetry full of tenderness and humanity. The Psalms include hymns of praise and thanksgiving, profound meditations, moving laments that have inspired mystics of various faiths. 219pp. £6.99 NOW £2.50


73872 CHRISTIANS AND THE FALL OF ROME by Edward Gibbon


‘The primitive Christians perpetually trod on mystic ground, and their minds were exorcised by the habits of believing the most extraordinary events.’ Gibbon’s subversive and iconoclastic description of the rise of Christianity inspired outrage upon publication. It remains one of the most eloquent and damning indictments of the delusory nature of faith. Penguin paperback with embossed cover. 91pp. $8.95 NOW £2.25


74571 WHY DID JESUS, MOSES, THE


BUDDHA & MOHAMMED CROSS THE ROAD? Christian Identity in a Multi-Faith World by Brian McLaren


Faith inspires, guides and gives meaning to the lives of many, many people in our world. But why does it so often make human beings less peaceful, less kind and less understanding towards those of other faiths? The author tackles some of the hardest questions about living in a multi-faith world, and shares a hopeful vision of reconciliation and collaboration that is rooted in Jesus, his message and his way. Is it possible to discover, live, teach and practise a Christian identity that is both strong, yet benevolent towards other faiths? He presents an ‘integrated vision’ that he believes to be ‘persuasive, coherent and beautiful’. 326 paperback pages. £12.99 NOW £4


74629 I CHING translated by James Legge With the original introduction and edited here by Laura Roth, here is the classic extraordinary work of history, philosophy and prophecy that has survived for thousands of years. This new edition includes the main text and all seven appendices as well as interpretations and commentary specifically geared towards contemporary readers. Contemplate the passages highlighted in red as you look at every aspect of self improvement from career to love and family. The lined pages for you to write on are to encourage reflective exercise. Beautifully designed and pocket sized, 528pp in softback.


£9.99 NOW £2.50 73875 AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO: Selected


Writings foreword by Francine du Plessix Gray A foundation work that shaped Western religious thought and culture, Augustine of Hippo (354-430) is one of the most influential figures in the history of the church. A bishop, philosopher and doctor of the church whose thought has moulded the Western tradition, Augustine was deeply spiritual and his writings emphasised the soul’s experience of God in its depth. The book features selections from his writings including Confessions and The City of God. His writings give joy and solace. 146pp, paperback. £8.99 NOW £4


74509 POWER OF THEN by James Bremner Bremner believes we can all be inspired by the wisdom of 14 world thinkers including Plato and Jung in the west and, in the east, the eighth century Buddhist and Daoist Li Bai and the 13th century Muslim Jalaluddin Rumi. Two of the most popular thinkers in the collection are the 15th century English mystics Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe. The 12th century abbess and musician Hildegard of Bingen was another mystic who wrote down her visions. The classical philosopher Diogenes lived in a barrel for long periods to demonstrate his freedom and the 20th century theosophist Krishnamurti encouraged people to remove conflict from their lives. The 17th century Jesuit de Caussade believed that the divine author was writing the book of our lives in our hearts. 234pp, paperback. £10.99 NOW £2.50


74558 MASKS OF CHRIST by Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince By the authors of The Templar Revelation, the sub-title of this work is ‘Behind the Lies and Cover-Ups About the Man Believed to be God’. In a dramatic reconstruction of Jesus’s life, they uncover the shocking extent to which Christians have been deliberately misled about the founding figure of their religion for over two millennia. ‘A succession of discoveries in the past two centuries has shown that many of the Gospel stories are mistaken or distorted.’ ‘Of all the masks given to Christ, these two are the most critical. Whether he was essentially Jewish or pagan is the single most important question that can ever be asked about Christ... It is the backbone of this book.’ 430pp in paperback. £12.99 NOW £5


74650 PLATO’S REPUBLIC: Abridged and Modernised by Alan Jacobs


Plato’s seminal work ‘The Republic’ is the crowning achievement of his art and philosophy. It is the first human attempt at the intellectual creation of an ideal state. In the dialogues, Socrates discourses with his companions on educational theory, the place of poetry, music, mathematics and art in society, ethical doctrines, the concept of justice, and the foundations of political thought. The book is also a critique of political systems such as democracy and oligarchy. These readable dialogues are the summation of the thought of one of Western civilisation’s greatest philosophers. This edition is an abridgement and modernisation of the work of Thomas Taylor (1758-1835). 220pp. £7.99 NOW £2.75


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74548 AGE OF ABSURDITY by Michael Foley


The thorny problem of happiness is the subject of this witty investigation into how fulfilment eludes us as we work, love and grow old in the 21st century. Foley proposes a strategy of not just accepting but embracing modern life, by learning that absurdity is the new sublime. ‘Literary reading can deepen and extend experience by improving understanding of the self, the world and other people. Detachment, busyness, responsibility, this is philosophy for today. 260pp in paperback.


£8.99 NOW £3 SCIENCE


The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.


- Isaac Asimov


75151 ENCYCLOPEDIA ANATOMICA by Monika von Dürling, Marta Pogessi and


Georges Didi-Huberman From the eccentric Museo La Specola in Florence comes this amazing collection of waxworks depicting the human anatomy in all its dazzling complexity. The 27 wax bodies and 1500 part and organ


studies that make up the museum’s collection are presented here; from skeletons to vein structures, organs to nerves, and arteries to the delicate pores of the skin, the human body is mapped out in meticulous and exacting detail. Texts explaining the human anatomy in laypersons’ terms and exploring the historical and cultural significance of the wax figures complete this “total body experience.” Softcover, 140mm x 195mm, 704 pages. Just back in print from Taschen ONLY £13


75696 SPACE PROBES: 50 Years of Exploration from


Luna I to New Horizons by Philippe Seguela In 1959 a Vostok 8K72


rocket carried Luna I up towards the moon. Spherical in shape, weighing 361kg and just 62cm in diameter, the probe carried five scientific instruments and was the first


artificial object to free itself from Earth’s gravity. After 34 hours it passed within 5,995km of the moon. It was meant to land on it, but by missing its target it also became the first artificial object to enter solar orbit, and still circles to this day between earth and Mars. There are presently several probes heading out into or in orbit around planets of the solar system sent by the US, Russia, China and India investigating the moon, Mars and its moon Phobos, the asteroid belt, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Pluto and there are plenty more planned. And what about those such as Voyagers I and II which are now well over 12 billion miles away, the Mars Rover and Venus and Solar probes? Arranged by destination (beginning with the moon, then Venus, Mars, Mercury, the gas giants, the Dwarf Planets, the Sun, comets and asteroids), this describes when, who, mission and, naturally the results, with literally out-of-this-world images of the planets and their moons, our moon and the sun. With full schematic diagrams and explanations of the technology, short essays on notable people, the physics of gravity and orbit and the Apollo program 1966-72, the USSA-USA space race, future missions, plus a quick reference chronological index and a glossary of terms. 375pp, 8½”×10¾”, breathtaking colour and b/ w photos.


£30 NOW £9


75182 BRITANNICA GUIDE TO GENETICS


introduced by Steve Jones Published in collaboration with the Encyclopedia Britannica, here is the most exciting developments in life sciences, from Mendel to the Human Genome Project. Every living human cell contains a unique sample of DNA, a twisted helix of information that holds the code not just to an individual but to life itself.


Over the past century new discoveries about genes have been heralded as leaps of progress in modern science, forcing us to ask how much our genes determine our lives and human nature. The major ideas, discoveries and personalities in our quest to understand the raw material of life is presented by Steve Jones from University College, London. The guide explores the frontiers of our present day study of genetics and what we might expect in the future. 380pp in paperback. Diagrams. $13.95 NOW £5


75184 BRITANNICA GUIDE TO THE BRAIN


introduced by Cordelia Fine As cognitive neuroscience continues to explore the neural mechanisms that underline memory, perception, self-identity, judgement and action, it should never lose sight of the fact that every brain has been individually influenced by culture, experience and context. Exciting new evidence of the brain’s ‘neuroplasticity’ most obviously


underlines this point, with its demonstration of structural and functional changes in the brain in response to experience. Western versus East culture-based differences have been seen in the brain scanner where preferred judgement tasks translate into striking differences in brain activation. Our voyage around the


human brain is the most up-to-date and accessible journey through neuroscience which describes how the brain functions, what is the mind, is the brain a computer, what do mental disorders tell us about who we are, what is memory and how we should judge intelligence. Cordelia Fine looks at current debates in neuroscience and the new research into the role of the brain and behaviour. 365pp in paperback with diagrams. $13.95 NOW £5


75074 IT’S ABOUT TIME: From Calendars and Clocks to Moon Cycles and Light Years -


A History by Liz Evers How many locksmiths does it take to build an atomic clock? This enthralling book is full of thought- provoking info on timekeeping, its origins, advances and impact, as well as time-related trivia from early man to the modern day. Mankind has spent millennia


developing new ways of measuring time, describing and quantifying it, and such methods have given rise to some of the most technically remarkable and aesthetically beautiful devices ever created. This gripping volume is a tribute to the creation, customs and conventions of timekeeping in its myriad forms. 224 pages with line drawings. £12.99 NOW £4


75067 ACCIDENTAL SCIENTIST: The Role of Chance and Luck in Scientific Discovery


by Graeme Donald Encompassing everything from Botox to lobotomies, fingerprinting to DNA profiling and even the cellphone, it proves the theory that a little luck goes a long way. It turns out that countless everyday objects, gadgets and useful gizmos


were invented entirely by accident! This book is a tribute to trial and error, and the scientists who happened to stumble upon discoveries that we cannot imagine our lives without. So the next time that you are following cat’s eyes along the motorway, using the microwave, or reaching for your mobile phone, remember that it was not only scientific brilliance but also pure chance that brought them into existence. 224 pages, illus. £12.99 NOW £4.50


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


73923 A MORE PERFECT HEAVEN: How


Copernicus Revolutionised the Cosmos by Dava Sobel


In a book as unusual and compelling as her much- acclaimed history of John Harrison’s success in computing longitude, Sobel brings alive the thrilling story of Nicolaus Copernicus who controversially stated that the Sun was at the centre of our universe, with the planets, including the Earth, revolving round it. In 1539, a young German mathematician, Georg Joachim Rheticus, drawn by rumours of a celestial revolution, travelled to Poland to find Copernicus. He spent two years collaborating with his mentor in expanding the brief sketch into a full manuscript, then carried the finished work to a printer in Nueremberg for publication. This book De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres) forever changed humankind’s understanding of its place in the universe. In an unforgettable portrait of the key characters at a moment of great scientific change. Science made fascinating. 273 pages, illus, map, chronology. £14.99 NOW £6


73935 BOLTZMANN’S TOMB: Travels in


Search of Science by Bill Green C. P. Snow once claimed that science and art are separate and mutually incomprehensible cultures.


Along


with lyrical meditations on the tragic life of Galileo, the mystical Johannes Kepler, the wildly eccentric Tycho Brahe and the universal vision of Sir Isaac Newton, the author’s ruminations return throughout to the lesser- known figure of Ludwig Boltzmann. He shows us that science, like art, is a lived adventure or as an equation - particularly the one that Boltzmann formulated, S=k log W, that he thought of ‘in terms of molecules, of caged birds trying to escape confinement, of wolves set free on to a thousand square miles of tundra’. 208 pages, illus. £16.99 NOW £4.50


74438 WEATHER BOOK: Why it Happens and Where it Comes From by Diana Craig


The weather affects all of us, pretty much all of the time. We grumble about it when it is too hot or too cold, and our spirits lift when we are blessed with glorious days, yet we know surprisingly little about it. This book will teach you how


different forces interact to produce the world’s changing weather, what causes extreme weather such as hurricanes and electrical storms, how weather forecasts are made and how weather can affect your mood and energy levels. 192 pages with line drawings and diagrams.


£9.99 NOW £3.50 SCIENCE FICTION


If you think this Universe is bad, you should see some of the others.


- Philip K. Dick 75197 MAMMOTH BOOK OF


TIME TRAVEL SF edited by Mike Ashley 25 mind bending science fiction stories by Kage Baker, Michael Swanwick, Christopher Priest, Robert Silverberg, Damien Broderick, Simon Clark, Fritz Leiber, Ellen Klages, John Varley and many others. What happens when we meddle with time? This collection takes us into the past and the future exploring what might


happen if we attempt to manipulate time to our own advantage. 535pp in paperback. $13.95 NOW £5


75600 SALVAGE by Robert Edric


100 years in the future in the far north of England, the Gulf Stream has ceased and the climate is in turmoil. Civil servant Quinn has been appointed to conduct an audit on a remote area of land designated for a brand new model town. Soon he is immersed in a quagmire of corruption. He meets the winners and the losers - Owen,


a suicidal farmer whose every last pig, chicken and sheep has been culled after a slew of viruses; Winston, a disillusioned journalist turned alcoholic with a gallery of photos which show dangerous levels of water below the site, and Pollard, the local man of God whose faith is for sale. But it is Anna, Quinn’s some-time girlfriend in charge of filling the dead cattle pits who faces the deepest abyss of all. And as the heavens open once again, the mountains of toxic soil that surround the site slowly begin to shift. An all-too-plausible Orwellian vision in this acclaimed novel. 348pp. £16.99 NOW £4


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


It’s guid to be merry and wise, It’s guid to be honest and true, It’s guid to support Caledonia’s cause, And bide by the buff and the blue!


- Robert Burns


75442 CASTLES OF SCOTLAND: Places and History text by Christina


Gambaro and Anna Galliani There could be no Scotland without the castles that constitute such an integral part of its landscape and history. Isolated and severe in the mountains of the Highlands yet, by contrast, opulent and fairy-tale on the gentle slopes of Lothian, they


are the symbols of a proud and indomitable land. In the midst of fields of brilliant green dotted with grazing sheep, mountains cloaked in purple heather, dark lakes and lochs reflecting the leaden tones of the sky, the Scottish castles recount the story of a land tormented by centuries of struggle. From the first defensive towers in bare stone to the stately homes of the 19th century, crammed with paintings and precious furniture, the path was long and perilous. The most daring of men fought to defend or conquer these architectural wonders. Artists and architects were commissioned to embellish them. Their fortunes were ensured by the most powerful families. To leaf through the pages of this majestic book, to linger over the magnificent images and read the richly informative texts, is to follow an evocative itinerary through ancient buildings, climbing narrow spiral staircases, crossing imposing halls, admiring splendid libraries, marvelling at the tall, double-walled stone towers called brochs. Here is the spectacular Eilean Donan Castle, which takes its name from the island that it completely engulfs. Here, by contrast, is Drummond Castle which still retains all the features of a 17th century Scottish Renaissance castle, with formal gardens reminiscent of those at Versailles. 136 pages 30.5cm x 25cm very lavishly illustrated in super colour with fold- out triple spreads, and map. ONLY £9


75281 LOST CITY: Old Aberdeen by Jane Stevenson and Peter Davidson The “lost city” of Old Aberdeen is one of Scotland’s greatest but, strangely, least well known architectural treasures. From the 15th century until 1891 this ancient burgh situated on the River Don was legally autonomous from the younger bustling trading town to the south on the Dee, thus it is not a suburb of its larger neighbour but a miniature city, with its own distinct trades, traditions and institutions. A stroll around Old Aberdeen is like a


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