Long before the space race captured the world's attention, K. E. Tsiolkovskii first conceived of multi-stage rockets that would later be adapted as the basis of both the U.S. and Soviet rocket programs.
Often called the grandfather of Russian rocketry, this provincial scientist was even sanctioned by Stalin to give a speech from Red Square on May Day 1935, lauding the Soviet technological future while also dreaming and expounding on his own visions of conquering the cosmos. Later, the Khrushchev regime used him as a "poster boy" for Soviet excellence during its Cold War competition with the United States. Ironically, some revisionists have since pointed to such blatant promotion by the Communist Party in an attempt to downplay Tsiolkovskii's scientific contributions.
James T. Andrews explores the complexities of this man to show that Tsiolkovskii was much more than either a rocket inventor or a propaganda tool. He was a science popularizer, novelist, technical inventor, and visionary, whose science fiction writings included futuristic drawings of space stations long before they appeared on any engineer's drawing board.
Mining a myriad of Russian archives, Andrews produces not only a biographical account but also a study of Soviet technological propaganda, local science education, public culture in the 1920s and 1930s, and the cultural ramifications of space flight.

Essentially, this is a story of hope, faith and love. These pages expose a war with cancer in a humorous, while brutally honest manner. The story is laid out in a sequential format representing the events as they occur. It details the immediate and ongoing trials triggered by the disease as seen through the eyes of a married couple, John and Georgetta Warner.

As treatments fail and different medications are employed in the conflict, John and Georgetta write about how they are changed by the ever shifting face of cancer. They come to appreciate the value of time, friends and family as they continue to maintain control in an uncontrollable situation.

Stone, Plaster, and Stars offers the insightful memoir of author and dentist Dr. Suja Ravilla Ramana. Charmingly blending dental practice with the world and the universe outside of dentistry, it uses anecdotal humor to transform dentistry into an entertaining enterprise. Ramana traces her own journey, from her time as a rebellious teenager who turns up her nose at the profession only to find that it might be the way out of an identity crisis. She provides a glimpse into indigenous connotations, aiming to tickle the curiosity and imagination of others. It offers an inspired cosmic perspective that has been woven into real-life events through years in college, marriage to a neurosurgeon, and establishment of her practice. The narrative captures images of the conflicting challenges of youth and conformity, of growing up and independent thinking, and of professional choices and finding a niche in the cosmic universe. Many of the events described here are real, and some of the people were inspired from the world of dentistry. Stone, Plaster, and Stars offers a ringside view of the world from her corner of it.

The book about John Michell (1724-93) has two parts. The first and longest part is biographical, an account of Michell's home setting (Nottinghamshire in England), the clerical world in which he grew up (Church of England), the university (Cambridge) where he studied and taught, and the scientific activities he made the center of his life. The second part is a complete edition of his known letters. Half of his letters have not been previously published; the other half are brought together in one place for the first time. The letters touch on all aspects of his career, and because they are in his words, they help bring the subject to life. His publications were not many, a slim book on magnets and magnetism, one paper on geology, two papers on astronomy, and a few brief papers on other topics, but they were enough to leave a mark on several sciences. He has been called a geologist, an astronomer, and a physicist, which he was, though we best remember him as a natural philosopher, as one who investigated physical nature broadly. His scientific contribution is not easy to summarize. Arguably he had the broadest competence of any British natural philosopher of the eighteenth century: equally skilled in experiment and observation, mathematical theory, and instruments, his field of inquiry was the universe. From the structure of the heavens through the structure of the Earth to the forces of the elementary particles of matter, he carried out original and far-reaching researches on the workings of nature.

This autobiography by Doctor Lloyd Duncan, a semi-retired surgeon in Tennessee, covers the period of time from his birth in 1931 to the present. The book is replete with accounts of the depression era, the pre WW ll and WW ll years, and high school triumphs and disappointments. Immature, broke, emaciated and homesick at Yale University, he nevertheless earned his letters swimming on some of the school's greatest teams. He graduated from Yale in 1953 and from medical school in 1956. He vividly describes many humorous, dramatic or tragic events that he subsequently witnessed or experienced as a physician, Naval Flight Surgeon, practicing surgeon, husband, father and grandfather.

My father's autobiographical recollections, given in the present chapter, were written for his children, - and written without any thought that they would ever be published. To many this may seem an impossibility; but those who knew my father will understand how it was not only possible, but natural. The autobiography bears the heading, 'Recollections of the Development of my Mind and Character, ' and end with the following note: - "Aug. 3, 1876. This sketch of my life was begun about May 28th at Hopedene (Mr. Hensleigh Wedgwood's house in Surrey.), and since then I have written for nearly an hour on most afternoons." It will easily be understood that, in a narrative of a personal and intimate kind written for his wife and children, passages should occur which must here be omitted; and I have not thought it necessary to indicate where such omissions are made. It has been found necessary to make a few corrections of obvious verbal slips, but the number of such alterations has been kept down to the minimum. - F.D.]

A biographical history of Francis E. Stanley and Freelan O. Stanley, identical twins from Kingfield, Maine, and inventors and manufacturers of the Stanley Steamer, the Stanley Dry Plate, and numerous other inventions and works of fine craftsmanship, including violins. This book focuses on the lives of the brothers and their families in Newton, Massachusetts, while it explores the social and manufacturing history of one of Boston's most notable suburbs in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

With a foreword by Bill Bryson 'Compelling . . . moving and often startlingly visceral' Times Literary Supplement 'Horrifying. But, in the end, inspiring.' William Leith, London Evening Standard 'A wonderful meditation on the human condition and a testament to the power of love' Max Pemberton, columnist and author of Trust Me, I'm a (Junior) Doctor 'As gripping as a thriller' Daily Express * * * At the age of 38, Rikke Schmidt Kjaergaard, a Danish scientist, wife and mother of three, is struck down by an acute bout of bacterial meningitis. She awakes from a coma in intensive care to find herself completely paralysed, unable to show she is conscious except by blinking her eye. It becomes her only form of communication as in the months that follow, Kjaergaard's husband Peter sits beside her helping to interpret every eye movement. She struggles with every basic of life - painfully learning how to breathe, move, eat and speak again. Despite being given a five per cent chance of survival, she works intensively to recover and achieve every small breakthrough. The Blink of an Eye is a celebration of love and family and every little thing that matters when life is in the balance - written by a scientist uniquely able to describe her physical and mental journey to recovery.

This candid autobiography, the last work by renowned psychologist Albert Ellis, is a tour de force of stimulating ideas, colorful descriptions of memorable people and events, and straightforward, no-nonsense talk. Ellis, the creator of one of the most successful forms of psychotherapy--Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)--recounts the memorable episodes of his life; discusses how he coped with emotional problems at different stages of life; describes his love life; and subjects his own self-description to a ruthlessly honest critique.
The heart of Ellis's book is his analysis of the psychological leitmotifs that have appeared again and again throughout his life. He describes the aim of this autobiography as follows: "As far as I can, I shall present my bad and good, stupid and intelligent, weak and strong points. Why? Because, following H. G. Wells's recommendation, I want to go as all-out as I can. I want to acknowledge my idiocies--and use REBT to feel sorry about but unashamed of them. I want to make the point--again a central tenet of REBT--that all humans are fabulously fallible--including, of course, me. We have no real choice about this, but we can unconditionally accept ourselves--our so-called essence or being--with our fallibility. That will momentously help us, probably encourage us to acquire unconditional self-acceptance (USA) and possibly inspire other people to give it to themselves, too." With a concluding chapter by Ellis's widow, Debbie Joffe Ellis, describing the final years of his life, this is the definitive summation of the life and work of one of psychology's most successful thinkers and practitioners.

A mother tells the journey of her daughter's recovery from Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder to Functioning Recovery and independent living, giving tips to parents on how to navigate the medical and educational domain. This story is an example of the unique obstacles facing a parent raising a child with Autism. The challenges they face getting supports. What is Sensory Processing Disorder, CranioSacral Therapy and Bio-Medical Therapy, and what roles they play on the road to Functioning Recovery and independent living? See actual projective trials pertaining to sensory supports. Is educational discrimination the reason there is difficulty getting help in school? As this story unfolds it provides useful tips to other parents to help them on their journey with their child. This story is notable because this mother's daughter was successful overcoming numerous obstacles while providing useful tools, inspiration and hope to others.

This much-needed bibliography and filmography brings together lists of books about Alzheimer's and caregiving, including biographies, poetry, and even fiction, as well as in instructional and dramatic films.

Most people will, at some point or another, either find themselves dressed in a tiny hospital gown or staring at someone else dressed in a tiny hospital gown. Whether from the perspective of a patient, a family member, or a medical professional, we all have a significant stake in the process of medical education. While numerous memoirs recount physicians' grueling experiences during residency, few focus on the even more formative portion of medical training: the third year of medical school-the clinical year. Short White Coat: Lessons from Patients on Becoming a Doctor is the disarmingly honest, yet endearing and sometimes funny account of a medical student's humbling initiation into the world of patient care.

Written during his third year of medical school at the University of Pennsylvania, James Feinstein's Short White Coat uses a series of engaging narrative essays to illustrate the universal life lessons that his very first patients teach him. He gracefully examines some of the most common issues and feelings that medical students encounter while learning how to meet, talk with, touch, and care for their patients. Along the way, he learns from his own mistakes before discovering the answer to the question that plagues every medical student: "Do I have what it takes to become a doctor?"

When Jagannath Giri left India to seek a better future in the United States, he thought his wife and children would join him in short order. Just leaving his homeland was a big step. He had lived there all of his thirty-eight years, but he desperately wanted to further his education--and the best place to do that was in the United States.

Even though he arrived in the United States with just $8 in his pocket, he earned a doctoral degree in engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. He became the first man in the world to prove that composite material is lighter and stronger than the conventional aluminum used to make airplanes, and his temporary separation from his family became more permanent when he accepted a job at his alma mater.

Giri fought valiantly to get his family visas to join him in the United States, but the paperwork was tedious, and his native country was fighting a "brain drain." After nine long years, however, the family was finally reunited.

In his autobiography, Giri looks back at how he fought to earn an education, keep his family together, and live a moral life.

In the memoir Beyond the Mountain Road the author shares his compelling life story beginning with his birth in a city nestled in the Colombian Andes and continuing with the fascinating details of his journey through a life built on hope, faith, dreams, ambition, and love.

With a warm, narrative style, Francisco Quintero vividly describes the events that shaped his character and personality. He reminisces about his childhood and recounts the difficult years he suffered as a young student following the persecution and destruction of his family due to political reasons. As he advances chronologically through his life, Dr. Quintero offers insight into his adventures in medical school, his initial encounters with patients during his hospital training, his introduction to the love of his life, and the creation of his family. His anecdotes-some humorous, some tragic-include details of the family's eventual voyage to the United States, where they live the American dream.

Beyond the Mountain Road is the remarkable true story of a family that was able to overcome obstacles and hardship through courage and determination. Above all, it is a captivating love story.

Richard Owen (1804-92) was, after Darwin, the most important figure in Victorian natural history. He was, for most of the six decades of his career, Britain's foremost comparative anatomist and vertebrate palaeontologist. Leader of the nineteenth-century museum movement, he founded London's monumental Natural History Museum, wrote and published copiously and won every professional honour. Positioned at the cutting edge of Victorian science, his work attracted enormous general interest, and he himself came to symbolise 'natural history' in the public mind. His company was sought by royalty (Prince Albert), prime ministers (especially Sir Robert Peel), and by contemporary literati such as Charles Dickens. Owen was, however, a controversial figure whose disagreements with colleagues developed into epic power struggles, the most notorious of which were with Darwin and Huxley. As the most renowned opponent of natural selection, Owen was type-cast as a Cuvierian creationist and became the bete noire of the Darwinian evolution debate. In this comprehensive intellectual and scientific biography, Nicolaas Rupke argues that Owen was no simple-minded anti-evolutionist and, moreover, should be freed from the distortion of the evolution dispute that was only a minor part of his work, yet has come to dominate his memory. Using the museum movement as the primary context of explanation, Rupke throws new light on a wide area of Owen's activities. He reveals the central division in Owen's scientific oeuvre between the functionalism of Oxbridge natural theology and the transcendentalism of German nature philosophy. This epistemological duality confused and puzzled his contemporaries as well as laterhistorians. But as Rupke convincingly demonstrates, it was a fundamental extension of the intellectual and political manoeuvering for control of Victorian cultural institutions, and an inextricable part of the rise to public authority of the most articulate proponents of the scientific study of nature.

Gee My ’n Mán! handel oor ou Kalahari Gemsbokpark, vanaf die tyd dat hulle nog met kamele gepatrolleer het, die oorlog teen die berugte Witbooi (wat tonele bevat waarvan die leser moeilik sal vergeet) en veldwagter Joep le Riche se avonture en nagmerries in daardie vroeë jare.

Hy was die een wat hom die meeste beywer het vir die proklamering van hierdie gebied as ’n wildtuin en baie jare lank was Joep le Riche die Gemsbokpark en die Gemsbokpark was Joep le Riche.

Humor en swaarkry gaan hand aand hand in hierdie boeiende en insiggewende vertelling.