1,419 clear wood engravings present, in natural, lifelike poses, over 1,000 species of animals. Included are many different versions of the familiar animals most wanted and used by commercial artists and craftsmen. Arranged according to the following seven categories, the illustrations portray mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, insects, and other invertebrates.
Selected for their visual impact and usability by artist-collagist Jim Harter, these illustrations form one of the most extensive, royalty-free pictorial sourcebooks of animals ever assembled for the specific use of illustrators, graphic designers, craftspeople, decoupeurs, and collagists. Captions give modern common-name identifications, and a thorough index provides immediate access to individual animal pictures. Because of the accuracy and detail of most of the renderings, naturalists will also enjoy browsing through this volume and using it for illustrative purposes.
Environmental scientists reveal the victims of humanity's massive assault on nature.
Gerardo Ceballos, Anne H. Ehrlich, and Paul R. Ehrlich serve as witnesses in this trial of human neglect, where the charge is the massive and escalating assault on living things. Nature is being annihilated, not only because of the human population explosion, but also as a result of massive commercial endeavors and public apathy. Despite the well-intentioned work of conservation organizations and governments, the authors warn us that not enough is being done and time is short for the most vulnerable of the world's wild birds and mammals. Thousands of populations have already disappeared, other populations are dwindling daily, and soon our descendants may live in a world containing but a minuscule fraction of the birds and mammals we know today.
The Annihilation of Nature is a clarion call for engagement and action. These outspoken scientists urge everyone who cares about nature to become personally connected to the victims of our inadequate conservation efforts and demand that restoration replace destruction. Only then will we have any hope of preventing the worst-case scenario of the sixth mass extinction.
Apes--to look at them is to see a mirror of ourselves. Our close genetic relatives fascinate and unnerve us with their similar behavior and social personality. Here, John Sorenson delves into our conflicted relationship to the great apes, which often reveals as much about us as humans as it does about the apes themselves.
From bonobos and chimpanzees to gibbons, gorillas, and orangutans, Ape examines the many ways these remarkable animals often serve as models for humans. Anthropologists use their behavior to help explain our fundamental human nature; scientists utilize them as subjects in biomedical research; and behavioral researchers experiment with ways apes emulate us. Sorenson explores the challenges to the complex division between apes and ourselves, describing language experiments, efforts to cross-foster apes by raising them as human children, and the ethical challenges posed by the Great Ape Project. As well, Ape investigates representations of apes in popular culture, particularly films and advertising in which apes are often portrayed as human caricatures, monsters, and clowns.
Containing nearly one hundred illustrations of apes in nature and culture, Ape will appeal to readers interested in animal-human relationships and anyone curious to know more about our closest animal cousins, many of whom teeter on the brink of extinction.
It won't help. You can't get out of the way, you can't dig a hole deep enough to hide. The end is coming, and there's nothing you can do about it.
So why read this book?
Because you can't look away when not just the religious fanatics are saying we're all going to be destroyed but the scientists are in on the act too. Here's what they're saying:
- We're a million years over due for a mass extinction.
- The sun at radiation minimum is acting much worse than at solar maximum, and one misdirected spewing of plasma could fry us in an instant.
- The magnetic field--which shields us from harmful radiation--is developing a mysterious crack.
- Our solar system is entering an energetically hostile part of the galaxy.
- The Yellowstone supervolcano is getting ready to blow, and if it does, we can look forward to nuclear winter and 90 percent annihilation.
- The Maya, the world's greatest timekeepers ever, say it's all going to stop on December 21, 2012.
So, see? There's nothing you can do, but you might as well sit back and enjoy the show.
That's why you should read this book.
*****
Dear Reader,
If there were a chance that opening this book could set off a chain of events that would lead to Apocalypse, to the end of Life as we know it, would you be tempted? Finger poised uncertainly above the flashing red button? How about if the Apocalypse promised to result in a new age of enlightenment, a Heaven on Earth like never before?
Personally, I'll take the security of my cozy life over a chance at nirvana. But status quo may no longer be an option, for any of us. This book will convince you that there is a nonnegligible chance that the year 2012 will be more tumultuous, catastrophic, and, quite possibly, revelatory, than any other year in human history.
Parts of this book are best read with a bowl of popcorn: looking into the jaws of a great white shark in search of the meaning of death; touring a picturesque Guatemalan town with Mayan shaman just weeks before it is utterly destroyed. Other sections go better with a tranquilizer, such as the impending eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano, or the mass extinction headed our way--on the scale of the great collision that destroyed the dinosaurs and 70 percent of all other species, our best scientists contend that it's now overdue. Nail-biters should beware the fact that the next peak in the sunspot cycle, due in 2012, is widely expected to set records for the number and intensity of solar storms pummeling the Earth with radiation and igniting natural calamities such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and Katrina-sized hurricanes. And that our entire solar system appears to be moving into a dangerous interstellar energy cloud.
Is it a coincidence that the burgeoning war between Christianity and Islam seems hell-bent for Armageddon? Or that numerous other religions, philosophies, and cultural traditions are signaling that the end is near, with 2012 emerging as the consensus target date? A new era is about to be born, with all the pain and blood and joy and release that birth naturally entails.
Facing oblivion, or at least mega-metamorphosis, is something that few of us are emotionally prepared to do. Thus my excuse for the gallows humor that pervades this story. In a memorable Mary Tyler Moore episode, Mary cracks up laughing at the funeral of Chuckles the Clown who, dressed as a peanut while marching in a parade, was shucked to death by an elephant. If Mary can giggle in the face of death, so can we.
With kind regards,
Lawrence E. Joseph
The earth has died many times, and it always comes back looking different. In an exhilarating, surprising exploration of our planet, Craig Childs takes readers on a firsthand journey through apocalypse, touching the truth behind the speculation. "Apocalyptic Planet" is a combination of science and adventure that reveals the ways in which our world is constantly moving toward its end and how we can change our place within the cycles and episodes that rule it.
In this riveting narrative, Childs makes clear that ours is not a stable planet, that it is prone to sudden, violent natural disasters and extremes of climate. Alternate futures, many not so pretty, are constantly waiting in the wings. Childs refutes the idea of an apocalyptic end to the earth and finds clues to its more inevitable end in some of the most physically challenging places on the globe. He travels from the deserts of Chile, the driest in the world, to the genetic wasteland of central Iowa to the site of the drowned land bridge of the Bering Sea, uncovering the micro-cataclysms that predict the macro: forthcoming ice ages, super-volcanoes, and the conclusion of planetary life cycles. Childs delivers a sensual feast in his descriptions of the natural world and a bounty of unequivocal science that provides us with an unprecedented understanding of our future.
A triumph of organization as well as daring, the Apollo program reflects the success of a dedicated crew of gifted individuals. This well-rounded survey offers insights into the program's management challenges as well as its engineering feats. Contributors include NASA administrator James E. Webb; Christopher C. Kraft, head of the Mission Control Center; engineer Wernher von Braun; Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin, Alan Shepard, and other astronauts.
Informative, exciting narratives explore the issues that set the United States on the path to the Moon, offer perspectives on the program's legacy, and examine the particulars of individual missions. Journalist Robert Sherrod chronicles the selection and training of astronauts. James Lovell, commander of the ill-fated Apollo 13, recounts the damaged ship's dramatic return to Earth. Geologist and Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt discusses the lunar expeditions' rich harvest of scientific information. These and other captivating firsthand accounts form an ideal introduction to the historic U.S. space program as well as fascinating reading for Apollo enthusiasts of all ages.
Most of us do not give a second thought to the elemental rhythms of daily life. In "Apollo's Fire," Michael Sims sets out to open our eyes?literally?to the miraculous events that lie underneath the oldest story on Earth: the passing of a single day. In a profound and witty narrative that begins in the darkness before dawn, progresses through morning, noon, evening, and ends, fittingly, back in darkness, Sims takes us on an exhilarating ride through the oft- overlooked journey that all of us make every day.
Apollo's Fire" is popular science at its most engaging?sure to appeal to fans of Diane Ackerman, Michael Pollan, and Dava Sobel.
Known for its readability and clarity, this Second Edition of the best-selling Applied Regression provides an accessible introduction to regression analysis for social scientists and other professionals who want to model quantitative data. After covering the basic idea of fitting a straight line to a scatter of data points, the text uses clear language to explain both the mathematics and assumptions behind the simple linear regression model. Authors Colin Lewis-Beck and Michael Lewis-Beck then cover more specialized subjects of regression analysis, such as multiple regression, measures of model fit, analysis of residuals, interaction effects, multicollinearity, and prediction. Throughout the text, graphical and applied examples help explain and demonstrate the power and broad applicability of regression analysis for answering scientific questions.
Profitable cold-water fish and vegetable production. Join the aquaponic farming revolution!
Built around a proven 120' greenhouse system operable by one person, The Aquaponic Farmer is the game changer that distills vast experience and complete step-by-step guidance for starting and running a cold-water aquaponic farming business--raising fish and vegetables together commercially. Coverage includes:
As the only comprehensive commercial cold-water resource, The Aquaponic Farmer is essential for farmers contemplating the aquaponics market, aquaponic gardeners looking to go commercial, and anyone focused on high quality food production.
Aquaponic farming is the most promising innovation for a sustainable, profitable, localized food system. Until now, systems have largely focussed on warm-water fish such as tilapia. A lack of reliable information for raising fish and vegetables in the cool climates of North America and Europe has been a major stumbling block. The Aquaponic Farmer is the toolkit you need.
Aquariums For Dummies answers all your fishy questions about keeping an aquarium and makes it easy to get into the swim of things with your own freshwater, brackish, or marine aquarium. You'll discover how to:
With humor and without a lot of jargon, expert Maddy and Mic Hargrove cover all the bases. They give you step-by-step instructions on how to select equipment and set up your aquarium. And they explore an array of important and fun topics, including:
A fun and easy guide to creating and maintaining a beautiful aquarium, Aquariums For Dummies is your entree to the fascinating and rewarding world of fishkeeping.
