Science

What happens to your body after you have died? Fertilizer? Crash Test Dummy? Human Dumpling? Ballistics Practise?Life after death is not as simple as it looks. Mary Roach's Stiff lifts the lid off what happens to our bodies once we have died. Bold, original and with a delightful eye for detail, Roach tells us everything we wanted to know about this new frontier in medical science. Interweaving present-day explorations with a history of past attempts to study what it means to be human Stiff is a deliciously dark investigations for readers of popular science as well as fans of the macabre

From Matthew Crawford, 'one of the most influential thinkers of our time' (Sunday Times), comes The World Beyond Your Head - a hugely ambitious manifesto on flourishing in the modern world.In this brilliant follow-up to The Case for Working with Your Hands, Crawford investigates the challenge of mastering one's own mind. With ever-increasing demands on our attention, how do we focus on what's really important in our lives?Exploring the intense focus of ice-hockey players, the zoned-out behaviour of gambling addicts, and the inherited craft of building pipe organs, Crawford argues that our current crisis of attention is the result of long-held assumptions in Western culture and that in order to flourish, we need to establish meaningful connections with the world, the people around us and the historical moment we live in.Praise for The Case for Working With Your Hands:'The best book I have read for ages . . . a profound exploration of modern education, work and capitalism' Telegraph'Full of interesting stories and thought-provoking aper us enlivened with humour . . . Important, memorable and enjoyable' The Times'Masterly' EconomistMatthew Crawford is a philosopher and mechanic. He has a Ph.D. in political philosophy from the University of Chicago and served as a postdoctoral fellow on its Committee on Social Thought. Currently a senior fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia, he also runs Shockoe Moto, a motorcycle repair shop.

Blossoming from a correspondence between Luce Irigaray and Michael Marder, Through Vegetal Being is an intense personal, philosophical, and political meditation on the significance of the vegetal for our lives, our ways of thinking, and our relations with human and nonhuman beings. The vegetal world has the potential to rescue our planet and our species and offers us a way to abandon past metaphysics without falling into nihilism. Luce Irigaray has argued in her philosophical work that living and coexisting are deficient unless we recognize sexuate difference as a crucial dimension of our existence. Michael Marder believes the same is true for vegetal difference.Irigaray and Marder consider how plants contribute to human development by sustaining our breathing, nourishing our senses, and keeping our bodies and minds alive. They note the importance of returning to ancient Greek tradition and engaging with Eastern teachings to revive a culture closer to nature. As a result, we can reestablish roots when we are displaced and recover the vital energy we need to improve our sensibility and relation to others. This generative discussion points toward a more universal way of becoming human that is embedded in the vegetal world.

Despite their conceptual allergy to vegetal life, philosophers have used germination, growth, blossoming, fruition, reproduction, and decay as illustrations of abstract concepts; mentioned plants in passing as the natural backdrops for dialogues, letters, and other compositions; spun elaborate allegories out of flowers, trees, and even grass; and recommended appropriate medicinal, dietary, and aesthetic approaches to select species of plants.In this book, Michael Marder illuminates the vegetal centerpieces and hidden kernels that have powered theoretical discourse for centuries. Choosing twelve botanical specimens that correspond to twelve significant philosophers, he recasts the development of philosophy through the evolution of human and plant relations. A philosophical history for the postmetaphysical age, The Philosopher's Plant reclaims the organic heritage of human thought. With the help of vegetal images, examples, and metaphors, the book clears a path through philosophy's tangled roots and dense undergrowth, opening up the discipline to all readers.

Only by inhabiting Dao (the Way of Nature) and dwelling in its unity can humankind achieve true happiness and freedom, in both life and death. This is Daoist philosophy's central tenet, espoused by the person-or group of people-known as Zhuangzi (369?-286? BCE) in a text by the same name. To be free, individuals must discard rigid distinctions between right and wrong, and follow a course of action not motivated by gain or striving. When one ceases to judge events as good or bad, man-made suffering disappears, and natural suffering is embraced as part of life.Zhuangzi elucidates this mystical philosophy through humor, parable, and anecdote, using non sequitur and even nonsense to illuminate truths beyond the boundaries of ordinary logic. Boldly imaginative and inventively written, the Zhuangzi floats free of its historical period and society, addressing the spiritual nourishment of all people across time. One of the most justly celebrated texts of the Chinese tradition, the Zhuangzi is read by thousands of English-language scholars each year, yet, until now, only in the Wade-Giles romanization. Burton Watson's conversion to pinyin in this book brings the text in line with how Chinese scholars, and an increasing number of other scholars, read it.

Hartmut Rosa advances an account of the temporal structure of society from the perspective of critical theory. He identifies three categories of change in the tempo of modern social life: technological acceleration, evident in transportation, communication, and production; the acceleration of social change, reflected in cultural knowledge, social institutions, and personal relationships; and acceleration in the pace of life, which happens despite the expectation that technological change should increase an individual's free time.According to Rosa, both the structural and cultural aspects of our institutions and practices are marked by the "e;shrinking of the present,"e; a decreasing time period during which expectations based on past experience reliably match the future. When this phenomenon combines with technological acceleration and the increasing pace of life, time seems to flow ever faster, making our relationships to each other and the world fluid and problematic. It is as if we are standing on "e;slipping slopes,"e; a steep social terrain that is itself in motion and in turn demands faster lives and technology. As Rosa deftly shows, this self-reinforcing feedback loop fundamentally determines the character of modern life.

Now in its third edition, Dennis Howitts Introduction to Qualitative Methods in Psychology is better than ever. This trusted and valuable student resources provides clear explanations and examples that take the reader through qualitative research from data collection to analysis. It also features dedicated sections offering guidance on ethics, quality and report writing. Methods are broken down to give step-by-step practical advice and guidance, ensuring that students can understand the theory and carry out their own research. All of this is achieved while providing a thorough theoretical and historical context for the qualitative methods.

'The story of a disease that plunged its victims into a prison of viscous time, and the drug that catapulted them out of it' Guardian Hailed as a medical classic, and the subject of a major feature film as well as radio and stage plays and various TV documentaries, Awakenings by Oliver Sacks is the extraordinary account of a group of twenty patients. Rendered catatonic by the sleeping-sickness epidemic that swept the world just after the First World War, all twenty had spent forty years in hospital: motionless and speechless; aware of the world around them, but exhibiting no interest in it - until Dr Sacks administered the then-new drug, L-DOPA, which caused them, temporarily, to awake from their decades-long slumber.

'If you did not think that gallium and iridium could move you, this superb book will change your mind' The Times In Uncle Tungsten, Oliver Sacks evokes, with warmth and wit, his upbringing in wartime England. He tells of the large science-steeped family who fostered his early fascination with chemistry. There follow his years at boarding school where, though unhappy, he developed the intellectual curiosity that would shape his later life. And we hear of his return to London, an emotionally bereft ten-year-old who found solace in his passion for learning. Uncle Tungsten radiates all the delight and wonder of a boy's adventures, and is an unforgettable portrait of an extraordinary young mind.

"e;The computer world is like an intellectual Wild West, in which you can shoot anyone you wish with your ideas, if you're willing to risk the consequences. "e; --from Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age, by Paul GrahamWe are living in the computer age, in a world increasingly designed and engineered by computer programmers and software designers, by people who call themselves hackers. Who are these people, what motivates them, and why should you care?Consider these facts: Everything around us is turning into computers. Your typewriter is gone, replaced by a computer. Your phone has turned into a computer. So has your camera. Soon your TV will. Your car was not only designed on computers, but has more processing power in it than a room-sized mainframe did in 1970. Letters, encyclopedias, newspapers, and even your local store are being replaced by the Internet.Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age, by Paul Graham, explains this world and the motivations of the people who occupy it. In clear, thoughtful prose that draws on illuminating historical examples, Graham takes readers on an unflinching exploration into what he calls "e;an intellectual Wild West."e;The ideas discussed in this book will have a powerful and lasting impact on how we think, how we work, how we develop technology, and how we live. Topics include the importance of beauty in software design, how to make wealth, heresy and free speech, the programming language renaissance, the open-source movement, digital design, internet startups, and more.

Top ten Sunday Times Bestseller'Engaging, ambitious and creative' GuardianWhere are we? Are we alone? Who are we? Why are we here? What is our future?Human Universe tackles some of the greatest questions that humans have asked to try and understand the very nature of ourselves and the Universe in which we live.Through the endless leaps of human minds, it explores the extraordinary depth of our knowledge today and where our curiosity may lead us in the future. With groundbreaking insight it reveals how time, physics and chemistry came together to create a creature that can wonder at its own existence, blessed with an unquenchable thirst to discover not just where it came from, but how it can think, where it is going and if it is alone.Accompanies the acclaimed BBC TV series.

The hilarious feminist account of the female body by the award-winning comedian** PRE-ORDER SARA PASCOE'S NEW BOOK SEX POWER MONEY NOW**'HILARIOUS' Daily Telegraph'Brilliant' Frankie BoyleSometimes Sara Pascoe confuses herself. She gets wildly and pointlessly jealous. She spends too much time hating her bum. And you know what she hates more than her bum? Her preoccupation with her bum. She's had sexual experiences with boys she wasn't really into, but still got a post-coital crush on them. She's ruined brand-new relationships by immediately imagining them going into reverse. There was so much about her behaviour that Pascoe wanted to understand. So she started researching what makes us - women - tick. And what she read made her eyes fall out of her face. Reader, here is everything science has to tell us about love, sexuality, infidelity, boobs, periods, pubes, broodiness, and clever old fat. Merry Christmas and Hallelujah! Suddenly being a woman doesn't look like such a minefield after all.'Fresh and HONEST' Guardian'Timely and INTELLIGENT' The Times'FUNNY, sad, angry, affronted, engaging and ENLIGHTENING' Stylist

Focusing on military strategy, psychology and tactics, The Art of War has been a source of great strategic inspiration throughout the ages and its enduring wisdom has had a far-reaching impact beyond its Ancient Chinese origins. This new edition offers a comprehensive new introduction, with commentary and notes on the core text.

Barthes investigation into the meaning of photographs is a seminal work of twentieth-century critical theory. This is a special Vintage Design Edition, with fold-out cover and stunning photography throughout. Examining themes of presence and absence, these reflections on photography begin as an investigation into the nature of photographs - their content, their pull on the viewer, their intimacy. Then, as Barthes contemplates a photograph of his mother as a child, the book becomes an exposition of his own mind. He was grieving for his mother at the time of writing. Strikingly personal, yet one of the most important early academic works on photography, Camera Lucida remains essential reading for anyone interested in the power of images. 'Effortlessly, as if in passing, his reflections on photography raise questions and doubts which will permanently affect the vision of the reader' Guardian

An insightful look inside the life of a hive and the bees that make it a home.

"How long are you going to wait before you demand the best for yourself?"- Epictetus, Stoic philosopherWhere can you find joy? Gain strength? How should we face our fears? Deal with the death of a loved one? And what about those reoccurring depressing thoughts?While traditional schooling doesn't address such questions, it's exactly what ancient schools of philosophy were all about: They taught you how to live. Even though these schools don't exist anymore, you and I and most people are in as much need of a philosophy that guides us through life as we ever were.This compelling, highly actionable guide shows you how to deal more effectively with whatever life throws at you and live up to your best self.A mix of timeless wisdom and empowering advice, The Little Book of Stoicism will point the way to anyone seeking a calm and wise life in a chaotic world.

The author challenges the conventional wisdom that light is just another physical entity. He outlines a new role of light in the formation of the three main components of the universe - God, still light; the dual light waves emanated from God and the material world both organic and inorganic which is made of light bent into various spiral forms. Reading this book "is an important step toward understanding both the intellectual and spiritual balances that exist in the universe."

Everything you are-your personality, beliefs, aspirations, talents and fears-is the result of your soul's many incarnations. To help you tap into this wealth of past-life experience and dramatically increase your potential for success in this lifetime, past-life psychic and author Ainslie MacLeod offers THE OLD SOUL'S GUIDEBOOK: Who You Are, Why You're Here, and How to Navigate Life on Earth. Building on his award-winning books THE INSTRUCTION and THE TRANSFORMATION, Ainslie delivers unique insights and exercises to help you:¿ Understand why your destiny is so much more obvious than you think¿ Identify past-life sources of present-life issues like low self-esteem, unexplained ailments, and irrational fears¿ Escape the victimization trap through self-empowerment "Past lives explain everything," shares Ainslie. "Without knowing where you've been, you can never truly know where you're going. Understanding your soul's journey is the key to living a happier and more fulfilling life."

Le Bon's superb and innovative study of crowd psychology is published here without abridgment.First appearing in the 1890s, Gustav Le Bon's account of the crowd is an important work of early psychology. In life, Le Bon was famous for mastering aspects of several scientific disciplines, forging progress in each. This is true with his investigations on crowd psychology compiled in this book.Le Bon first examines the mental characteristics of all crowds. Whether they possess moral constraints, can adopt ideas or reason out circumstances, or carry a religious undercurrent is investigated.The second part investigates the various beliefs and sentiments which can develop within a crowd. What opinions a crowd may form about aspects remote to it, and close to it, are discussed. All are impeccably and comprehensively categorized by Le Bon, who turns to each in detail.The book's final stages classify various different crowds. He discusses types of crowd defined as criminal - such as rioters and looters.

This insightful manual by Andrew Taylor Still, the founder of osteopathic medicine, sheds light upon the thinking and practices of osteopathy - in so doing, he reveals the history behind the treatment.By explaining the fundamental reasoning behind osteopathic procedure, Still offers readers a blueprint of his own medical practice. Descriptions of treatment inclusive of case studies make this text a valuable document in the history of osteopathy. We learn how processes of the body involving the bones, organs, blood and nerves interact - these processes form pillars of A. T. Still's attitude to human maladies and disease. Chapters of this book are devoted to regions of the body which Still holds to be significant to osteopathy. The functions of the organs are discussed, and their behavior when confronted with sickness and fever detailed. More curiously, Still also appends a chapter on earwax - a useful substance which he held in high regard as the example of nature never making anything in vain.

GOD Works Through YOUTHIS BOOK is for those who have never tried to prove God, those who think they havetried, those who have tried and failed, those who still have hope and for those whoare daily proving Him. This book is for YOU.The purpose of this book is fivefold:1. To bring you into a true relationship with the Laws of God.2. To give you a tried and true remedy for human ills, problems and needs.3. To make real the things which you know but have not experienced.4. To give form and substance to your prayers, treatments and desires.5. To lead you to discover the Real You.J. Lowrey Fendrich tells the story of a Chinese philosopher who once came to a missionaryand offered to pay him to translate a portion of the New Testament for him each day. Themissionary agreed, and for the first lesson opened the Bible and read aloud the words,After this manner therefore, pray ye: Our Father -To his surprise the aged Chinese stopped him and said, "That will be enough for today."A year later he returned and said he was ready for the second lesson."I thought," said the missionary, "that you employed me to read to you every day.""I did," replied the old man, "but it took me a year to understand this much."The words in this book are only challenges. The real substance of the lessons is containedbetween the lines. This means that you should mark, learn and inwardly digest them asyou read. As Isaiah said, you will have to wait upon the Lord. You will have to conditionyour mind through meditation and contemplation. The more you study the lessons, themore light and understanding you will receive. "Mary kept all these things and ponderedthem in her heart [Soul]."One of my earliest efforts to put the Truth into print was called This Works. It has longbeen out of print, but requests for copies still reach me. Those who so faithfully rememberthe pamphlet will recognize that the material it contained is embraced by this volume.I have written half the book, but you must write the other half - not on paper but in yourdaily life. It remains for you to embody the thought in your consciousness. May each hourspent in the study of these lessons bring you manifold blessings!- ROBERT A. RUSSELLDr. Robert A. Russell was an exceptional author and had an uncannyability to make the most difficult spiritual subjects easy to understandand apply. While known primarily for two works "GOD Works ThroughYou" and "GOD Works Through Faith" he was in fact a prolific authorwith over 16 titles to his credit. We have spent the last several yearstracking down his legacy of works and will be publishing them all inthe coming years, each a spiritual classic in their own right.Barry J Peterson, CEO Audio Enlightenment

Part of the bestselling Capstone Classics Series edited by Tom Butler-Bowdon, this collectible, hard-back edition of The Prophet provides an accessible and insightful introduction to this timeless spiritual workThe Prophet is an inspirational book of 26 poetry fables written in English by Lebanese-American poet and writer Kahlil Gibran. One of the most translated books in history, Gibran's famous work has been translated into over 100 different languages since its first publication in 1923. The book provides timeless spiritual wisdom on universally-shared aspects of life, such as giving, buying and selling, beauty and friendship, eating and drinking, crime and punishment and spirituality and religion.The book follows Almustafa, a man who has waited for twelve years for a ship to take him from the island of Orphalese back to his home. He has come to know the people on the island, who consider him a wise and insightful man. On the day Almustafa's ship finally arrives, he feels a deep sadness. The local elders ask him not to leave. Almustafa speaks of his philosophy of life and the truths he has discovered to the gathered crowd. His words have an almost magical quality to them. As he prepares to board his ship, it becomes clear that Almustafa's words do not refer to his journey home, but rather to the world he came from before he was born. The Prophet is a metaphor for the mystery of life and an exploration of the human condition. Inspirational and extremely readable for modern audiences, this classic text teaches us:* We should be glad of the experience of coming into the world* The separation you feel from other people is not real* True marriage gives both people space to develop their individuality* Enjoying your work is expressing your love for whoever benefits from it* Sorrow makes space for more joy in another season of lifeFeaturing an insightful introduction from the editor, The Prophet: The Spirituality Classic is a must-read book for anyone interested in exploring the undeniable truths of life we all share.

In Mind to Matter, award-winning researcher Dawson Church explains how our minds create matter, and that we can now trace the science behind each link in the chain from thought to thing. He theorizes that when our minds are in flow, they coordinate with nature's emergent intelligence to produce synchronous outcomes.

A lavishly illustrated look at the groundbreaking Apollo 11 mission, in honour of the 50th anniversary, featuring stunning and previously unpublished images that tell the incredible story of the first men on the moon.

The mysterious phenomena that could unlock the secrets of the universe.

This book is a guide to better understanding our younger selves in order to shape who we wish to be in the future. It explores to what extent we can pin our actions in the present to our experiences in the past, and how we might then break free from the learnt patterns of our childhoods.

'A fascinating celebration of the impact that structural engineering has on all our lives.[an] eye-opening book' The Sunday Times In BUILT, structural engineer Roma Agrawal takes a unique look at how construction has evolved from the mud huts of our ancestors to skyscrapers of steel that reach hundreds of metres into the sky. She unearths how engineers have tunnelled through kilometres of solid mountains; how they've bridged across the widest and deepest of rivers, and tamed Nature's precious - and elusive - water resources. She tells vivid tales of the visionaries who created the groundbreaking materials in the Pantheon's record-holding concrete dome and the frame of the record-breaking Eiffel Tower. Through the lens of an engineer, Roma examines tragedies like the collapse of the Quebec Bridge, highlighting the precarious task of ensuring people's safety they hold at every step. With colourful stories of her life-long fascination with buildings - and her own hand-drawn illustrations - Roma reveals the extraordinary secret lives of structures.

Hellenistic astrology is a tradition of horoscopic astrology that was practiced in the Mediterranean region from approximately the first century BCE until the seventh century CE. It is the source of many of the modern traditions of astrology that still flourish around the world today, although it is only recently that many of the surviving texts of this tradition have become available again for astrologers to study. Hellenistic Astrology: The Study of Fate and Fortune is one of the first comprehensive surveys of this tradition in modern times. The book covers the history, philosophy, and techniques of ancient astrology, with a special focus on demonstrating how many of the fundamental concepts underlying the practice of western astrology originated during the Hellenistic period. 

In this classic work of spiritual guidance, the founder of the Rochester Zen Center presents a comprehensive overview of Zen Buddhism. Exploring the three pillars of Zen-teaching, practice, and enlightenment-Roshi Philip Kapleau, the man who founded one of the oldest and most influential Zen centers in the United States, presents a personal account of his own experiences as a student and teacher, and in so doing gives readers invaluable advice on how to develop their own practices. Revised and updated, this 35th anniversary edition features new illustrations and photographs, as well as a new afterword by Sensei Bodhin Kjolhede, who succeeded Kapleau as spiritual director of the Rochester Zen Center. A moving, eye-opening work, The Three Pillars of Zen is the definitive introduction to the history and discipline of Zen.