Published in 1951, The Sea Around Us is one of the most remarkably successful books ever written about the natural world. Rachel Carson's rare ability to combine scientific insight with moving, poetic prose catapulted her book to first place on The New York Times best-seller list, where it enjoyed wide attention for thirty-one consecutive weeks. It remained on the list for more than a year and a half and ultimately sold well over a million copies, has been translated into 28 languages, inspired an Academy Award-winning documentary, and won both the 1952 National Book Award and the John Burroughs Medal.
This classic work remains as fresh today as when it first appeared. Carson's writing teems with stunning, memorable images--the newly formed Earth cooling beneath an endlessly overcast sky; the centuries of nonstop rain that created the oceans; giant squids battling sperm whales hundreds of fathoms below the surface; and incredibly powerful tides moving 100 billion tons of water daily in the Bay of Fundy. Quite simply, she captures the mystery and allure of the ocean with a compelling blend of imagination and expertise.
Reintroducing a classic work to a whole new generation of readers, this Special Edition features a new chapter written by Jeffrey Levinton, a leading expert in marine ecology, that brings the scientific side of The Sea Around Us completely up to date. Levinton incorporates the most recent thinking on continental drift, coral reefs, the spread of the ocean floor, the deterioration of the oceans, mass extinction of sea life, and many other topics. In addition, acclaimed nature writer Ann Zwinger has contributed a brief foreword.
Today, with the oceans endangered by the dumping of medical waste and ecological disasters such as the Exxon oil spill in Alaska, this illuminating volume provides a timely reminder of both the fragility and the importance of the ocean and the life that abounds within it. Anyone who loves the sea, or who is concerned about our natural environment, will want to read this classic work. Views: 691
Read the story of relations between the earthly girl and the celestial guest on the pages of this book.Have you heard about angels? And what if one of them will come to you in a dream, and then will appear in reality. And what this meeting prepares for you? Can angels love? And, if so, whether they can fall in love with a human? An unforgettable meeting opened for Nastya the way to heaven and brought her into the spiritual world of our planet. And who is the mysterious Teacher and his 13 friends?Read the story of relations between the earthly girl and the celestial guest on the pages of this book. Views: 690
René Descartes (1596--1650) is one of the towering and central figures in Western philosophy and mathematics. His apothegm "Cogito, ergo sum" marked the birth of the mind-body problem, while his creation of so-called Cartesian coordinates has made our intellectual conquest of physical space possible.But Descartes had a mysterious and mystical side, as well. Almost certainly a member of the occult brotherhood of the Rosicrucians, he kept a secret notebook, now lost, most of which was written in code. After Descartes's death, Gottfried Leibniz, inventor of calculus and one of the greatest mathematicians of all time, moved to Paris in search of this notebook--and eventually found it in the possession of Claude Clerselier, a friend of Descartes's. Liebniz called on Clerselier and was allowed to copy only a couple of pages--which, though written in code, he amazingly deciphered there on the spot. Liebniz's hastily scribbled notes are all we have today of Descartes's... Views: 687
When Tara's father decides to build a shelter for their fairy friends, he gets some pixies to help. The pixies have other ideas.Life in the Stone Age was hard for Karg and his tribe. They couldn’t go into the lower forests because of the predators there and that meant they had to stay in the cold mountains where food was scarce. Then during a hunting trip Karg came across a hidden valley with all the food, water and wood they could ever want. And there were none of the dangers of the lower forests. He was planning to move his family to the valley when he witnessed a sun being born on the ground. It rose into the sky and became a roiling black cap on a growing black stem and reminded him of a mushroom. Karg didn’t realize it but the future of his people was about to change and not necessarily for the better. He’d found a Kthpok nuclear test range and the Kthpok had just discovered that humans were living in the mountains bordering their most sensitive facility. Views: 685
The Firstborn–the mysterious race of aliens who first became known to science fiction fans as the builders of the iconic black monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey–have inhabited legendary master of science fiction Sir Arthur C. Clarke’s writing for decades. With Time’s Eye and Sunstorm, the first two books in their acclaimed Time Odyssey series, Clarke and his brilliant co-author Stephen Baxter imagined a near-future in which the Firstborn seek to stop the advance of human civilization by employing a technology indistinguishable from magic.
Their first act was the Discontinuity, in which Earth was carved into sections from different eras of history, restitched into a patchwork world, and renamed Mir. Mir’s inhabitants included such notables as Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, and United Nations peacekeeper Bisesa Dutt. For reasons unknown to her, Bisesa entered into communication with an alien artifact of inscrutable purpose and godlike power–a power that eventually returned her to Earth. There, she played an instrumental role in humanity’s race against time to stop a doomsday event: a massive solar storm triggered by the alien Firstborn designed to eradicate all life from the planet. That fate was averted at an inconceivable price. Now, twenty-seven years later, the Firstborn are back.
This time, they are pulling no punches: They have sent a “quantum bomb.” Speeding toward Earth, it is a device that human scientists can barely comprehend, that cannot be stopped or destroyed–and one that will obliterate Earth.
Bisesa’s desperate quest for answers sends her first to Mars and then to Mir, which is itself threatened with extinction. The end seems inevitable. But as shocking new insights emerge into the nature of the Firstborn and their chilling plans for mankind, an unexpected ally appears from light-years away.
From the Hardcover edition. Views: 682
Lucky Starr And The Oceans Of Venus de Asimov Isaac. , 1978. Views: 682
three singles to adventure takes the reader to south America, where he meets the sakiwinki and the sloth clad in bright green fur, where he can hear the horrifying sound of piranha fish on the rampage, or learn how to lasso a galloping anteater. Views: 680
When Rachel Carson died of cancer in 1964, her four books, including the environmental classic Silent Spring, had made her one of the most famous people in America. This trove of previously uncollected writings is a priceless addition to our knowledge of Rachel Carson, her affinity with the natural world, and her life. Views: 680
Paolo Bacigalupi's debut collection demonstrates the power and reach of the science fiction short story. Social criticism, political parable, and environmental advocacy lie at the center of Paolo's work. Each of the stories herein is at once a warning, and a celebration of the tragic comedy of the human experience.
The eleven stories in Pump Six represent the best Paolo's work, including the Hugo nominee "Yellow Card Man," the nebula and Hugo nominated story "The People of Sand and Slag," and the Sturgeon Award-winning story "The Calorie Man." Views: 680
A volume containing all 18 short stories written by Arthur C. Clarke in the 1960s. They depict a future in which technologies are beginning to dictate man's lifestyle - even to demand life for themselves.
Contents
vii • Preface (The Wind from the Sun) • (1972) • essay by Arthur C. Clarke
3 • The Food of the Gods • (1964) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke
8 • Maelstrom II • (1965) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke
24 • The Shining Ones • (1964) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke
43 • The Wind from the Sun • (1964) • novelette by Arthur C. Clarke
65 • The Secret • (1963) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke
71 • The Last Command • (1965) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke
74 • Dial "F" for Frankenstein • (1965) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke
82 • Reunion • (1971) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke
84 • Playback • (1966) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke
88 • The Light of Darkness • (1966) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke
95 • The Longest Science-Fiction Story Ever Told • (1966) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke
96 • Herbert George Morley Roberts Wells, Esq. • [Editorial (If)] • (1967) • essay by Arthur C. Clarke
99 • Love That Universe • (1961) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke
103 • Crusade • (1968) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke
108 • The Cruel Sky • (1967) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke
129 • Neutron Tide • (1970) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke
131 • Transit of Earth • (1971) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke
146 • A Meeting With Medusa • (1971) • novelette by Arthur C. Clarke Views: 679
Two classic novels in one volume includes a new introduction written by the author. In "The Ghost from the Grand Banks", the "Titanic" is raised 100 years after its sinking, but fatal obsessions rage and the ship may become a deathtrap again. In "The Deep Range", a traumatized astronaut becomes a submarine warden, and finds as many dangers underwater. Views: 678
From the bestselling author of STRIKE BACK, Chris Ryan returns with the second in his new action-packed series.Tough enough? Smart enough? Jack will require all his skills just to stay alive as a Special Forces Cadet . . .In this second book, the cadets are sent to North Korea. A British agent investigating the rogue state's nuclear capabilities has gone missing. The secretive nature of life in Pyongyang means that unfamiliar adults would be attract suspicion and fall under immediate surveillance. So the cadets form part of a young pioneers tour to the North Korean capital. Once there, they must use their skills and training to find out more about the missing agent.In the course of their investigations, they forget the one rule every undercover operator must obey: trust nobody. When a local teenager they befriend betrays his suspicions to the North Korean secret police, the young cadets must use all their skill to escape the authorities and the country. But can... Views: 677
