The richness & variety of birdsong is both a scientific mystery & a source of wonder. David Rothenberg has a unique approach to this fascinating subject, combining the latest scientific research with a deep understanding of musical beauty & form. Can the standard explanations of territoriality or sexual selection account for so many species` astonishing inventiveness & devotion to singing? Whether playing the clarinet with the white-crested laughing thrush in Pittsburgh or jamming in the Australian winter breeding grounds of the Albert`s lyrebird, Rothenberg touches the heart & soul of birdsong, offering an intimate look at the most lovely of natural phenomena. ...

From one of America`s most brilliant writers, a New York Times bestselling journey through psychology, philosophy, & lots of meditation to show how Buddhism holds the key to moral clarity & enduring happiness. At the heart of Buddhism is a simple claim: The reason we suffer-and the reason we make other people suffer-is that we don`t see the world clearly. At the heart of Buddhist meditative practice is a radical promise: We can learn to see the world, including ourselves, more clearly & so gain a deep & morally valid happiness. In this ”sublime” (The New Yorker), pathbreaking book, Robert Wright shows how taking this promise seriously can change your life-how it can loosen the grip of anxiety, regret, & hatred, & how it can deepen your appreciation of beauty & of other people. He also shows why this transformation works, drawing on the latest in neuroscience & psychology, & armed with an acute understanding of human evolution. This book is the culmination of a personal journey that began with Wright`s landmark book on evolutionary psychology, The Moral Animal, & deepened as he immersed himself in meditative practice & conversed with some of the world`s most skilled meditators. The result is a story that is ”provocative, informative &...deeply rewarding” (The New York Times Book Review), & as entertaining as it is illuminating. Written with the wit, clarity, & grace for which Wright is famous, Why Buddhism Is True lays the foundation for a spiritual life in a secular age & shows how, in a time of technological distraction & social division, we can save ourselves from ourselves, both as individuals & as a species. ...

From one of America`s most brilliant writers, a New York Times bestselling journey through psychology, philosophy, & lots of meditation to show how Buddhism holds the key to moral clarity & enduring happiness. At the heart of Buddhism is a simple claim: The reason we suffer-and the reason we make other people suffer-is that we don`t see the world clearly. At the heart of Buddhist meditative practice is a radical promise: We can learn to see the world, including ourselves, more clearly & so gain a deep & morally valid happiness. In this ”sublime” (The New Yorker), pathbreaking book, Robert Wright shows how taking this promise seriously can change your life-how it can loosen the grip of anxiety, regret, & hatred, & how it can deepen your appreciation of beauty & of other people. He also shows why this transformation works, drawing on the latest in neuroscience & psychology, & armed with an acute understanding of human evolution. This book is the culmination of a personal journey that began with Wright`s landmark book on evolutionary psychology, The Moral Animal, & deepened as he immersed himself in meditative practice & conversed with some of the world`s most skilled meditators. The result is a story that is ”provocative, informative &...deeply rewarding” (The New York Times Book Review), & as entertaining as it is illuminating. Written with the wit, clarity, & grace for which Wright is famous, Why Buddhism Is True lays the foundation for a spiritual life in a secular age & shows how, in a time of technological distraction & social division, we can save ourselves from ourselves, both as individuals & as a species. ...

Why do I have to wash? Why don`t aeroplanes fall down? Where do mountains come from? Why is the sea blue? Why do I dream? This book invites young people to discover more about the world around them by asking & answering questions for themselves. The book is structured around twentytwo questions, each one tackled over two spreads. The first spread explores the question & answer, supported by a detailed illustration, photograph or diagram. The second spread asks further questions on a similar theme to help build an understanding of how science underlies everything from the ingredients in our fridge to reaching the moon. The tone of the text is fresh & informal without being flippant. ...

Between 1492 & 1914, Europeans conquered 84 percent of the globe. But why did Europe rise to the top, when for centuries the Chinese, Japanese, Ottomans, & South Asians were far more advanced? Why didn`t these powers establish global dominance? In Why Did Europe Conquer the World? Distinguished economic historian Philip Hoffman demonstrates that conventional explanations, such as geography, epidemic disease, & the Industrial Revolution fail to provide answers. Arguing instead for the pivotal role of economic & political history, Hoffman shows that if variables had been at all different, Europe would not have achieved critical military innovations, & another power could have become master of the world. In vivid detail, Hoffman sheds light on the two millennia of economic, political, & historical changes that set European states on a distinctive path of development & military rivalry. Compared to their counterparts in China, Japan, South Asia, & the Middle East, European leaders--whether chiefs, lords, kings, emperors, or prime ministers--had radically different incentives, which drove them to make war. These incentives, which Hoffman explores using an economic model of political costs & financial resources, resulted in astonishingly rapid growth in Europe`s military sector from the Middle Ages on, & produced an insurmountable lead in gunpowder technology. The consequences determined which states established colonial empires or ran the slave trade, & even which economies were the first to industrialize. Debunking traditional arguments, Why Did Europe Conquer the World? reveals the startling reasons behind Europe`s historic global supremacy. ...

When a man plunges down a cliff, two adventurous young friends decide to find his killer... While playing an erratic round of golf, Bobby Jones slices his ball over the edge of a cliff. His ball is lost, but on the rocks below he finds the crumpled body of a dying man. With his final breath the man opens his eyes & says, ` Why didn`t they ask Evans?` Haunted by these words, Bobby & his vivacious companion, Frankie, set out to solve a mystery that will bring them into mortal danger... ...

When a man plunges down a cliff, two adventurous young friends decide to find his killer... While playing an erratic round of golf, Bobby Jones slices his ball over the edge of a cliff. His ball is lost, but on the rocks below he finds the crumpled body of a dying man. With his final breath the man opens his eyes & says, ` Why didn`t they ask Evans?` Haunted by these words, Bobby & his vivacious companion, Frankie, set out to solve a mystery that will bring them into mortal danger... ...

What can long-dead dinosaurs teach us about our future? Plenty, according to world-renowned paleontologist & recent star of BBC show The Day the Dinosaurs Died Dr Kenneth Lacovara, who has discovered some of the largest creatures to ever walk the Earth, including the super-massive Dreadnoughtus. By tapping into the wonder that dinosaurs inspire, Dr Lacovara weaves together the stories of our geological awakening, of humanity`s epic struggle to understand the nature of deep time, the meaning of fossils, & our own place on the vast & bountiful tree of life. Go on a journey, back to when dinosaurs ruled the Earth, to discover how dinosaurs achieved feats unparalleled by any other group of animals. Learn the secrets of how paleontologists find fossils, & explore quirky, but fascinating questions, such as: Is a penguin a dinosaur? How are the tiny arms of T. rex the key to its power & ferocity? In this revealing book, Dr Lacovara offers the latest ideas about the shocking & calamitous death of the dinosaurs & ties their vulnerabilities to our own. Why Dinosaurs Matter is compelling & engaging
- a reminder that our place on this planet is both precarious & potentially fleeting. As we move into an uncertain environmental future, it has never been more important to understand the past.
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At twelve years old, Lev Parikian was an avid birdwatcher. He was also a fraud, a liar & a cheat. Those lists of birds seen & ticked off? Lies. One hundred & thirty species? More like sixty. Then, when he turned fifty, he decided to right his childhood wrongs. He would go birdwatching again. He would not lie. He would aim to see two hundred species of British bird in a year. Why Do Birds Suddenly Disappear? is the story of that year, a story about birds, family, music, nostalgia, the nature of obsession & obsession with nature. It`s about finding adventure in life when you twig it`s shorter than you thought, & about losing & regaining contact with the sights, sounds & smells of the natural world. It`s a book for anyone who has ever seen a small brown bird & wondered what it was, or tried to make sense of a world in which we can ask, ` What`s that bird?` & ` What`s for lunch?` & get the same answer. ...

The names of the 300 or so London underground stations are part of the everyday landscape for the Londoners, who strap-hang their way across the capital. We hardly ever question their meanings or origins
- yet these well-known names are linked with fascinating stories of bygone times. Until the mid-19th century, London was almost unbelievably rural, with names belonging to a countryside we could never recognise or imagine today. Who in the twenty-first century, thinks of a real flesh-&-blood shepherd lolling back on a specially-trimmed hawthorn bush, when travelling through Shepherd`s Bush underground station? & who, travelling through Totteridge & Whetstone on the Northern Line, imagines medieval soldiers sharpening their swords & daggers at the aptly named Whetstone, just before engaging in the appallingly bloody battle of Barnet? David Hilliam not only uncovers the little-known history behind the station stops below ground, but also explores the eccentric etymology of some of London`s landmarks from Acton to Wimbledon, offering trivia boxes that will delight the visitor & Londoner alike. This entertaining book will ensure that you will never view your normal journey to work in the same way again.
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