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Books > Language & Literature > Biography & autobiography > Science, technology & engineering
CHOSEN AS A BOOK OF 2022 BY THE GUARDIAN AND THE NEW STATESMAN 'A
STAND OUT' SUNDAY TIMES 'STARTLINGLY HONEST AND DEVASTATINGLY GOOD'
RACHEL CLARKE, GUARDIAN 'BRILLIANT' OBSERVER 'POWERFUL AND
EVOCATIVE' ADAM KAY 'YOU EMERGE KNOWING HOW LUCKY YOU ARE TO HAVE
READ IT' ALI SMITH, NEW STATESMAN From the frontlines of the NHS,
the story of a junior doctor's love, loss and grief through the
Covid-19 crisis
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In early 2020, junior doctor Roopa Farooki lost her sister to
cancer. But just weeks later, she found herself plunged into
another kind of crisis, fighting on the frontline of the battle
taking place in her hospital, and in hospitals across the country.
Everything is True is the story of Roopa's first forty days of the
Covid-19 crisis from the frontlines of A&E and the acute
medical wards, as struggling through her grief, she battles for her
patients' and colleagues' survival. Working thirteen-hour shifts,
she returns home each evening to write through her exhaustion,
chronicling the devastating losses and slowly eroding
dehumanisation happening in real time on the ward.
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A Wild Idea
(Hardcover)
Jonathan Franklin
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R743
R662
Discovery Miles 6 620
Save R81 (11%)
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Ships in 18 - 22 working days
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Walking
(Hardcover)
Henry David Thoreau
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R432
Discovery Miles 4 320
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Ships in 18 - 22 working days
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This biography of the famous Soviet physicist Leonid Isaakovich
Mandelstam (1889-1944), who became a Professor at Moscow State
University in 1925 and an Academician (the highest scientific title
in the USSR) in 1929, describes his contributions to both physics
and technology. It also discusses the scientific community that
formed around him, commonly known as the Mandelstam School. By
doing so, it places Mandelstam's life story in its cultural
context: the context of German University (until 1914), the First
World War, the Civil War, and the development of the Socialist
Revolution (until 1925) and the young socialist country. The book
considers various general issues, such as the impact of German
scientific culture on Russian science; the problems and fates of
Russian intellectuals during the revolutionary and
post-revolutionary years; the formation of the Soviet Academy of
Science, the State Academy; and the transformation of the system of
higher education in the USSR during the 1920s and 1930s. Further,
it reconstructs Mandelstam's philosophy of science and his approach
to the social and ethical function of science and science education
based on his fundamental writings and lecture notes. This
reconstruction is enhanced by extensive use of previously
unpublished archive material as well as the transcripts of personal
interviews conducted by the author. The book also discusses the
biographies of Mandelstam's friends and collaborators: German
mathematician and philosopher Richard von Mises, Soviet Communist
Party official and philosopher B.M.Hessen, Russian specialist in
radio engineering N.D.Papalexy, the specialists in non-linear
dynamics A.A.Andronov, S.E. Chaikin, A.A.Vitt and the plasma
physicist M.A.Leontovich. This second, extended edition
reconstructs the social and economic backgrounds of Mandelstam and
his colleagues, describing their positions at the universities and
the institutes belonging to the Academy of Science. Additionally,
Mandelstam's philosophy of science is investigated in connection
with the ideological attacks that occurred after Mandelstam's
death, particularly the great mathematician A.D.Alexandrov's
criticism of Mandelstam's operationalism.
"American Prometheus is the first full-scale biography of J. Robert
Oppenheimer, "father of the atomic bomb," the brilliant,
charismatic physicist who led the effort to capture the awesome
fire of the sun for his country in time of war. Immediately after
Hiroshima, he became the most famous scientist of his
generation-one of the iconic figures of the twentieth century, the
embodiment of modern man confronting the consequences of scientific
progress.
He was the author of a radical proposal to place international
controls over atomic materials-an idea that is still relevant
today. He opposed the development of the hydrogen bomb and
criticized the Air Force's plans to fight an infinitely dangerous
nuclear war. In the now almost-forgotten hysteria of the early
1950s, his ideas were anathema to powerful advocates of a massive
nuclear buildup, and, in response, Atomic Energy Commission
chairman Lewis Strauss, Superbomb advocate Edward Teller and FBI
director J. Edgar Hoover worked behind the scenes to have a hearing
board find that Oppenheimer could not be trusted with America's
nuclear secrets.
"American Prometheus sets forth Oppenheimer's life and times in
revealing and unprecedented detail. Exhaustively researched, it is
based on thousands of records and letters gathered from archives in
America and abroad, on massive FBI files and on close to a hundred
interviews with Oppenheimer's friends, relatives and colleagues.
We follow him from his earliest education at the turn of the
twentieth century at New York City's Ethical Culture School,
through personal crises at Harvard and Cambridge universities. Then
to Germany, where he studied quantum physics with the world's
mostaccomplished theorists; and to Berkeley, California, where he
established, during the 1930s, the leading American school of
theoretical physics, and where he became deeply involved with
social justice causes and their advocates, many of whom were
communists. Then to Los Alamos, New Mexico, where he transformed a
bleak mesa into the world's most potent nuclear weapons
laboratory-and where he himself was transformed. And finally, to
the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, which he directed
from 1947 to 1966.
"American Prometheus is a rich evocation of America at midcentury,
a new and compelling portrait of a brilliant, ambitious, complex
and flawed man profoundly connected to its major events-the
Depression, World War II and the Cold War. It is at once biography
and history, and essential to our understanding of our recent
past-and of our choices for the future.
This book (hardcover) is part of the TREDITION CLASSICS. It
contains classical literature works from over two thousand years.
Most of these titles have been out of print and off the bookstore
shelves for decades. The book series is intended to preserve the
cultural legacy and to promote the timeless works of classical
literature. Readers of a TREDITION CLASSICS book support the
mission to save many of the amazing works of world literature from
oblivion. With this series, tredition intends to make thousands of
international literature classics available in printed format again
- worldwide.
Explorer-naturalists Robert Brown and Mungo Park played a pivotal
role in the development of natural history and exploration in the
late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. This work is a
fresh examination of the lives and careers of Brown and Park and
their impact on natural history and exploration. Brown and Park
were part of a group of intrepid naturalists who brought back some
of the flora and fauna they encountered, drawings of what they
observed, and most importantly, their ideas. The educated public
back home was able to gain an understanding of the diversity in
nature. This eventually led to the development of new ways of
regarding the natural world and the eventual development of a
coherent theory of organic evolution. This book considers these
naturalists, Brown, Park, and their contemporaries, from the
perspective of the Scottish Enlightenment. Brown's investigations
in natural history created a fertile environment for breakthroughs
in taxonomy, cytology, and eventually evolution. Brown's pioneering
work in plant taxonomy allowed biologists to look at the animal and
plant kingdoms differently. Park's adventures stimulated
significant discoveries in exploration. Brown and Park's adventures
formed a bridge to such journeys as Charles Darwin's voyage on
H.M.S. Beagle, which led to a revolution in biology and full
explication of the theory of evolution.
"Jonathan Friedlaender has devoted much of his professional life to
studies of human population variation in Pacific Islanders.. His
collaborator on this memoir of his life and experiences in the
Pacific is Joanna Radin, a young but remarkably knowledgeable
historian of science currently conducting graduate studies at the
University of Pennsylvania. These two professionals weave a
fascinating fabric of complex texture that incorporates the
educational, political, governmental, and research climate of the
1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with the trials and tribulations of a young
researcher and academic trying to make his way in a highly
competitive arena. The book is much more than a series of
recollections about one man's life; rather, it is a history of an
important era in the development of anthropological genetics and
the dramatic transition in this science that took place in the
early 1980s.
Friedlaender's book should have appeal to a number of audiences
- students, professional anthropologists, and lay readers, alike...
Jonathan Friedlaender's Reflections is a valuable addition to the
historical record of this important science. This is a worthwhile
book to read for anyone with interests in the history of science or
the history of a science."
From the Foreword by Professor Michael A. Little, Binghamton
University
'If you want to read a book that moves you both at the level of
sentence and the quality of language and with the emotional depth
of its subject matter, then A Fortunate Woman is definitely the
book you should be reading' Samanth Subramanian, Baillie Gifford
Judge When Polly Morland is clearing out her mother's house she
finds a book that will lead her to a remarkable figure living on
her own doorstep: the country doctor who works in the same remote,
wooded valley she has lived in for many years. This doctor is a
rarity in contemporary medicine, she knows her patients inside out,
and their stories are deeply entwined with her own. In A Fortunate
Woman, with its beautiful photographs by Richard Baker, Polly
Morland has written a profoundly moving love letter to a landscape,
a community and, above all, to what it means to be a good doctor.
'Morland writes about nature and the changing landscape with such
lyrical precision that her prose sometimes seems close to poetry'
Christina Patterson, The Sunday Times 'Timely . . . compelling . .
. a delicately drawn miniature' The Financial Times 'This book
deepens our understanding of the life and thoughts of a modern
doctor, and the modern NHS, and it expands movingly to chronicle a
community and a landscape' Kathleen Jamie, The New Statesman
Triumph over Tragedy by Jay Fox, a popular entertainer known
both in his home, Bermuda, as well as in the USA and
internationally, is the personal story of his journey from a
beginning as a mixed-blood child of a single mother of limited
means in a prejudicial and insular society to a highly popular
singer, songwriter, performer, and respected hotel manager. How he
handled this challenging double life and how it affected his
growing need for meaning in his life leads to a stormy personal
situation and his relocation to Crossville, a small town in
Tennessee. When all was going well personally, with a family and a
horse-training ranch, and professionally, with a busy schedule of
performances and an enthusiastic following of loyal fans, tragedy
struck when a wasp sting turned into an infectious disease,
diagnosed as group-A streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, which cost
him his leg and threatened his very life. His faith in God and the
support of his family, friends, and fans have led him to a future
he could never have anticipated.
Renowned as one of the greatest creative forces in the world of the
automobile, Lotus's Colin Chapman (1928-82) left a mixed legacy.
Was he an unparalleled innovator or an uninhibited exploiter of the
uncredited ideas of others? In this landmark book, celebrated
author Karl Ludvigsen gets to grips with the legend, digging deep
beneath the skin of Chapman and his cars to explore and expose the
motivations that drove this mercurial and controversial genius.
Interviews with key figures in the Chapman story mesh with
information from the author's extensive archives to make this book
a unique and compelling encounter between the engineer-innovator
and the historian-investigator. Originally published in 2010, the
book has become a standard text, not only on the man but also on
the evolution and design of racing cars. Thus it is being reissued
to meet continuing popular demand.
'Inspirational ... I can't recommend this book highly enough' Bill
Gates Profound and powerful, Mountains Beyond Mountains takes us
from Harvard to Haiti, Peru, Cuba and Russia, as the charismatic
but flawed genius Dr Paul Farmer challenges widely-held
preconceptions about poverty and healthcare. As a medical student,
Farmer found his life's calling: to cure infectious diseases and to
bring the lifesaving tools of modern medicine - so readily
available in the developed world - to those who need them most.
Beginning in Haiti, he tackles the conditions that contribute to so
many unnecessary deaths with his trademark combination of
world-class expertise, unlimited compassion, and the unstinting
dedication of friends and colleagues. Tracy Kidder's magnificent
and moving account shows how, from achieving this modest dream, one
person can make a difference in solving global problems through a
clear-eyed understanding of the interaction of politics, wealth,
social systems and medicine.
Carol's gripping story begins 29 years ago when, as a teenager, she
asks to have her nose surgically altered. But before plastic
surgery can be performed, her world comes crashing down around her
when she receives shocking news-she has a rare disease, Wegener's
granulomatosis.
Though the treatments take their toll on her body, and the
disease ironically changes the shape of her nose, Carol refuses to
let it destroy her spirit. Meanwhile, her mother's persistent
efforts to find information and support for herself led to today's
international Vasculitis Foundation.
Learn how to make the healthcare system work for you. Find out
the value of second opinions and how a positive attitude can save
your sanity. See how compassionate relationships are vital to this
patient's recovery.
Told through the eyes of her mother, Myrna, this moving and
personal story, which details their journey from darkness to hope,
is not only inspiring but a valuable source of information for
anyone touched by a serious chronic illness.
In a world of viral ideas and emotion, who gets to control the
narrative, who gets to be heard, and what does power really cost?
This is the story of the showdown between Elon Musk and Twitter and how
the richest man on earth suddenly came to control one of the most
powerful media platforms in the world. In Character Limit,
award-winning reporters Kate Conger and Ryan Mac draw on exclusive
interviews, unreported documents and internal Twitter recordings to
provide a revelatory, three-dimensional, and definitive account of what
really happened when Musk showed up to takeover Twitter, spoiling for a
brawl and intent on revolution, with his merciless, sycophantic cadre
of lawyers, investors, and bankers.
In part, this is the story of Twitter's founder, Jack Dorsey, who
idealistically dreamed of building a 'digital town square' but detested
Wall Street and never built a profitable business, and Musk, one of the
site's most influential users with over 70 million followers. To Musk,
Twitter—once known for its almost absolute commitment to free
speech—had utterly lost its way. Blaming it for the proliferation of
what he called the “woke mind virus”, he claimed that the survival of
humanity itself depended on the future of the site.
In January 2022, Musk began secretly accumulating Twitter stock. By
April, he was its largest shareholder, and, soon after, he made an
unsolicited offer to purchase the company for the unimaginable sum of
$44 billion. Backed into a corner, Twitter’s board accepted his
offer—only for Musk to change his mind, forcing Twitter to sue him.
Drawing on unparalleled sources, this is the defining story of our time
told in vivid, cinematic detail.
Learn why NASA astronaut Mike Collins calls this extraordinary
space race story "the best book on Apollo" this inspiring and
intimate ode to ingenuity celebrates one of the most daring feats
in human history. When the alarm went off forty thousand feet above
the moon's surface, both astronauts looked down at the computer to
see 1202 flashing on the readout. Neither of them knew what it
meant, and time was running out . . . On July 20, 1969, Neil
Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the
moon. One of the world's greatest technological achievements -- and
a triumph of the American spirit -- the Apollo 11 mission was a
mammoth undertaking involving more than 410,000 men and women
dedicated to winning the space race against the Soviets. Set amid
the tensions and upheaval of the sixties and the Cold War, Shoot
for the Moon is a gripping account of the dangers, the challenges,
and the sheer determination that defined not only Apollo 11, but
also the Mercury and Gemini missions that came before it. From the
shock of Sputnik and the heart-stopping final minutes of John
Glenn's Mercury flight to the deadly whirligig of Gemini 8, the
doomed Apollo 1 mission, and that perilous landing on the Sea of
Tranquility -- when the entire world held its breath while
Armstrong and Aldrin battled computer alarms, low fuel, and other
problems -- James Donovan tells the whole story. Both sweeping and
intimate, Shoot for the Moon is "a powerfully written and
irresistible celebration" of one of humankind's most extraordinary
accomplishments (Booklist, starred review).
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