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Best Biology & Life Sciences

Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst
Sapolsky's storytelling concept is delightful but it also has a powerful intrinsic logic: he starts by looking at the factors that bear on a person's reaction in the precise moment a behavior occurs, and then hops back in time from there, in stages, ultimately ending up at the deep history of our species and its evolutionary legacy. Sapolsky keeps going: How was that behavior influenced by structural changes in the nervous system over the preceding months, by that person's adolescence, childhood, fetal life, and then back to his or her genetic makeup? The result is one of the most dazzling tours d'horizon of the science of human behavior ever attempted, a majestic synthesis that harvests cutting-edge research across a range of disciplines to provide a subtle and nuanced perspective on why we ultimately do the things we do...for good and for ill. Sapolsky builds on this understanding to wrestle with some of our deepest and thorniest questions relating to tribalism and xenophobia, hierarchy and competition, morality and free will, and war and peace. "Sapolsky has created an immensely readable, often hilarious romp through the multiple worlds of psychology, primatology, sociology and neurobiology to explain why we behave the way we do. “[Sapolskly’s] new book is his magnum opus, but is also strikingly different from his earlier work, veering sharply toward hard science as it looms myriad strands of his ruminations on human behavior. The familiar, enchanting Sapolsky tropes are here—his warm, witty voice, a sleight of hand that unfolds the mysteries of cognition—but Behave keeps the bar high. It is a magnificent culmination of integrative thinking, on par with similar authoritative works, such as Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs, and Stee l and Steven Pinker’s The Better Angels of Our Nature .” — Michael Shermer, American Scholar. They should put Behave in hotel rooms instead of the Bible: the world would be a much better, wiser place” — Kate Fox, author of Watching the English. Behave ranges at great length from moral philosophy to social science, genetics to Sapolsky’s home turf of neurons and hormones—but all of it is aimed squarely at the question of why humans are so awful to each other, and whether the condition is terminal.” — Vulture. You feel like a lucky auditor in a fast-paced undergraduate course, where the implications of fascinating scientific findings are illuminated through topical stories and pop-culture allusions.” — Nature “Sapolsky’s book shows in exquisite detail how culture, context and learning shape everything our genes, brains, hormones and neurons do.” — Times Literary Supplement. “[Sapolsky] does an excellent job of bringing together the expansive literature of thousands of fascinating studies with clarity and humor….A tour-de-force.” — Library Journal (starred review). “Sapolsky finds not the high moral drama of the soul choosing good or evil but rather down-to-earth biology….a remarkably encyclopedic survey of the sciences illuminating human conduct.” — Booklist (starred review). “Read Robert Sapolsky’s marvelous book Behave and you’ll never again be surprised by the range and depth of our own bad behavior. —David Eagleman, PhD, neuroscientist at Stanford, author, presenter of PBS's The Brain " Behave is a beautifully crafted work about the biology of morality. Its depth and breadth of scholarship are amazing, building on Sapolsky’s own research and his vast knowledge of the neurobiology, genetic, and behavioral literature. For instance, Behave includes fair evaluations of complex debates (like over sociobiology) that I was involved in, and tackles controversial questions such as whether our hunter-gatherer ancestors warred on each other. All this is done brilliantly with a light and funny touch that shows why Sapolsky is recognized as one of the greatest teachers in science today.” —Paul R. Ehrlich, author of Human Natures.
Reviews
"The downside of reading Sapolsky's latest work is it will cause you to question long held beliefs about guilt or innocence, good and evil, moral or immoral."
"We are capable of both far worse than we want to believe and can do more to change the world for the better than we tend to think we're able; and in both cases it's because of things we don't know, can't explain or don't want to control. But the more we try to expand the tiny sliver of knowledge we do have, with respect for how small that sliver is; and the more awareness we can have that the world around us and our biology drive much more of what we do in any moment than our conscious intellect, emotions or "free will" do - the more hope we have of doing more to change the world with the little bit of actual influence we possess."
"The newest on brain science by the world wide expert, Robert Sapolsky."
"Nature , nurture, early childhood experience (including abuse), and peer pressure all have an impact on behavior. There is no "silver bullet" that explains individual behavior. The pop culture rewrite probably would run 200 pages without the plumbing and wiring diagrams."
"This is an impressive book."
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The Anatomy Coloring Book
For more than 35 years, The Anatomy Coloring Book has been the #1 best-selling human anatomy coloring book! Immediately recognizing the potential of this method, Dr. Elson encouraged Kapit to do a “complete” coloring book on anatomy and offered to collaborate on the project. The first edition of The Anatomy Coloring Book was published in 1977, and its immediate success inspired the development of a completely new field of publishing: educational coloring books. In the early 1990s, Kapit wrote and designed The Geography Coloring Book, now in its second edition. This is his seventh text, having authored It’s Your Body and The Zoology Coloring Book and co-authored The Human Brain Coloring Book and The Microbiology Color. ing Book. Dr. Elson was assistant professor of anatomy at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, participated in the development of the Physician’s Assistant Program, lectured and taught dissection anatomy at the University of California School of Medicine in San Francisco, and taught general anatomy, from protozoons to humans, at City College of San Francisco.
Reviews
"IMPORTANT: Make sure you READ ALL the information in the section labeled "INTRODUCTION TO COLORING" BEFORE you start coloring your first page. For example, I chose Red, Orange and Yellow for the "Levators"; 2 colors of Blue for the "Zygomaticus Major" and "Zygomaticus Minor"' and 2 shades of Brown for the "Depressors" (page 44). NOTE: I realize this takes extra time planning your colors, but it really makes it easier to memorize when there is a consistant plan in place for what the colors visually symbolize."
"I was skeptical about the idea of a coloring book but it's helped me visualize things that you can't always get your hands on."
"My granddaughter started her education in the field of medicine this fall with an anatomy and physiology class at college. When I began my education in the nursing field back in 1982 my A and P professor suggested everyone in class get the anatomy and physiology coloring book offered at the college bookstore."
"This book has helped me SO much with anatomy 101. easy to read, easy to understand. easy to color. Highly recommend this for educational coloring."
"I would definitely recommend this book to anyone taking an anatomy class because this book helped me so much in my college-level anatomy I and II classes."
"My 15 year old loves this coloring book."
"It's a great learning tool for all ages."
"got this for my A&p classes in hopes of breaking up boring studying."
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Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
In this fascinating account, Mary Roach visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries and tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are no longer with them. “This quirky, funny read offers perspective and insight about life, death and the medical profession.... You can close this book with an appreciation of the miracle that the human body really is.”. - Tara Parker-Pope, Wall Street Journal. “A laugh-out-loud funny book... one of those wonderful books that offers up enlightenment in the guise of entertainment.”. - Michael Little, Washington City Paper.
Reviews
"At the same time, she never shies away from the discomfort people feel; indeed, one of the most compelling threads in each chapter is discussing with the various people she meets how they manage to maintain a proper emotional balance when they’re working with the dead all the time. But that also feels like a key part of why the book works; after all, death is a fundamentally personal event, and there’s little way to read Stiff and not spend time thinking about what you would want done with your own remains, be it cremation, burial, donation, or more. And Roach builds her own debate into the book, concluding the book with a chapter that finds her pondering what to do with her own remains, having done all these studies and researches into our possible fates."
"Also, avoid this book if you're squeamish; forensic experiments on natural rates of decay are important but very stinky. She clearly understands the emotional difference between an anonymous cadaver and your beloved relative's remains, but she tells the truth: one way or another, everybody's molecules re-enter the planetary pool. I'll quote the first paragraph of the introduction to give you a sense of Mary Roach's style: The way I see it, being dead is not terribly far off from being on a cruise ship. In this age of funeral homes and hospital death, who among us has any sense of what happens to a dead body, either by natural decay or by the ministrations of a mortician?"
"Wonderfully written, Stiff tells of all the things that happen to dead bodies in the quest to find out more about live bodies."
"i would like to think that the souls who were thoughtful enough to give their bodies up, not only for the betterment of the medical profession, but for others to benefit from their donated organs, are looking over the readers' shoulders as we enjoy this book."
"Very interesting examination of death and what happens, or should happen, to our 'mortal coil' once we shuffle it off."
"Death is very much a part of life as this book will show you and also give you a good laugh along the way!"
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Best Anatomy & Physiology

Human Anatomy & Physiology (Marieb, Human Anatomy & Physiology) Standalone Book
The condition of this book is like new meaning it appears as a new book but may have been gently used and has little to no cover scratches, corner defects, or writing/highlighting.
Reviews
"I just received the "Human Anatomy & Physiology, Books a la Carte Plus MasteringA&P with eText -- Access Card Package (9th Edition)". Also, it might be important to note that I ordered this book directly from Amazon and not from someone who is using Amazon to sell their book. When you look at the reviews for "Human Anatomy & Physiology" it will show reviews from people who received the hardcover book, the kindle book, and the 3-holed punched book. When ordering make sure you order "Human Anatomy & Physiology, Books a la Carte Plus MasteringA&P with eText -- Access Card Package (9th Edition)" if you need the full package. However, if you copy and paste the full title: "Human Anatomy & Physiology, Books a la Carte Plus MasteringA&P with eText -- Access Card Package (9th Edition)", you should be able to find the correct package. It's usually nothing a little tape couldn't correct but if you are the kind of person who is rough on their books, turns pages aggressively, throws their books across the room, then you might want to invest in the hard cover book."
"I just do not see the justification to charge someone almost $200 for a new book when the previous edition is almost the exact same, with just replacing of pictures. Always try to get the previous edition if you can, your save a lot of money, around 1/5 the price. These publishers just drive me nuts, I understand they need to make money, but come on, most of these books are never completely rewritten and they come out with a new edition every 2-3 years and those editions like this one, are almost exactly the same, except for replacement of pictures and a few updated stories/examples. Getting the older book, will save you money, so you will be able to purchase the other software."
"My package included the Brief Atlas, Access Code Card, 10 System Suite CD Rom and Loose Leaf book."
"WARNING: When you click-on to the “Sprial-Bound” textbook for: Human Anatomy & Physiology Laboratory Manual, “Fetal Pig” Version Plus Mastering A&P with eText -- Access Card Package (12th Edition). You will be mis-directed to the “Sprial-Bound” textbook for: Human Anatomy & Physiology Laboratory Manual, “Cat Version” Plus MasteringA&P with eText -- Access Card Package (12th Edition). IF you don’t notice the mis-direction (and mistakenly) order the wrong version, you will be required to pay for the return shipping!"
"It is written at a college level and if you are looking for a "wiki-level" view of anatomy this is probably overkill for you."
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Best Biology

The Anatomy Coloring Book
For more than 35 years, The Anatomy Coloring Book has been the #1 best-selling human anatomy coloring book! Immediately recognizing the potential of this method, Dr. Elson encouraged Kapit to do a “complete” coloring book on anatomy and offered to collaborate on the project. The first edition of The Anatomy Coloring Book was published in 1977, and its immediate success inspired the development of a completely new field of publishing: educational coloring books. In the early 1990s, Kapit wrote and designed The Geography Coloring Book, now in its second edition. This is his seventh text, having authored It’s Your Body and The Zoology Coloring Book and co-authored The Human Brain Coloring Book and The Microbiology Color. ing Book. Dr. Elson was assistant professor of anatomy at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, participated in the development of the Physician’s Assistant Program, lectured and taught dissection anatomy at the University of California School of Medicine in San Francisco, and taught general anatomy, from protozoons to humans, at City College of San Francisco.
Reviews
"IMPORTANT: Make sure you READ ALL the information in the section labeled "INTRODUCTION TO COLORING" BEFORE you start coloring your first page. For example, I chose Red, Orange and Yellow for the "Levators"; 2 colors of Blue for the "Zygomaticus Major" and "Zygomaticus Minor"' and 2 shades of Brown for the "Depressors" (page 44). NOTE: I realize this takes extra time planning your colors, but it really makes it easier to memorize when there is a consistant plan in place for what the colors visually symbolize."
"I was skeptical about the idea of a coloring book but it's helped me visualize things that you can't always get your hands on."
"My granddaughter started her education in the field of medicine this fall with an anatomy and physiology class at college. When I began my education in the nursing field back in 1982 my A and P professor suggested everyone in class get the anatomy and physiology coloring book offered at the college bookstore."
"This book has helped me SO much with anatomy 101. easy to read, easy to understand. easy to color. Highly recommend this for educational coloring."
"I would definitely recommend this book to anyone taking an anatomy class because this book helped me so much in my college-level anatomy I and II classes."
"It's a great learning tool for all ages."
"Very informative, and makes things a bit more fun."
"I bought this coloring book for my girlfriend when she started massage school."
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Best Botany

Botany in a Day: The Patterns Method of Plant Identification
It is possible to instantly recognize a plant never before seen, and in many cases, to know its edible or medicinal properties on the spot-even before you have identified it down to the species! Botany in a Day is principally written for North America, but used and adored by readers all over the world. Botany in a Day is your passport connection to nature and discovering the amazing world of plants! Instead of merely camping in the wilderness or passing through it, you will become part of the process as you learn about nature by using it to meet your needs for shelter, fire, water and food. Our book Shanleya's Quest: A Botany Adventure for Kids Ages 9-99 utilizes the same patterns method of identifying plants as Botany in a Day, but in a metaphorical story form where children of all ages can join young Shanleya on her journey to learn the plant traditions of her people. With this book and Tom's Slipform Stone Masonry DVD/VHS Video you will be able to build your quality, earth-friendly Dream home on a budget, even while the "experts" say it isn't cost effective. Learn the basic rules of this economic ecosystem and you will be empowered to use your resources to more effectively achieve your desired quality of life, while making the world a better place to be.
Reviews
"I really like the concept of this book and had a good time studying it, though some parts were a bit technical."
"this book was recommended by an MPH herbalist who has helped me with hypertension - depression - severe leg cramps - it is excellent - well written - and really good for a beginner."
"I can't wait to really dig into it and learn a bunch!"
"This is a very good book for someone trying to find edible plants around home."
"But if you read the intro pages you will understand the plant parts better which makes it easier to remember the differences between the families."
"As a national parks naturalist, this proves to be one of the best resources I own!"
"This book was written by a passionate teacher."
"This is not only informative, but also fun to read."
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Best Ecology

The Death and Life of the Great Lakes
The Death and Life of the Great Lakes is prize-winning reporter Dan Egan’s compulsively readable portrait of an ecological catastrophe happening right before our eyes, blending the epic story of the lakes with an examination of the perils they face and the ways we can restore and preserve them for generations to come. In an age when dire problems like the Flint water crisis or the California drought bring ever more attention to the indispensability of safe, clean, easily available water, The Death and the Life of the Great Lakes is a powerful paean to what is arguably our most precious resource, an urgent examination of what threatens it and a convincing call to arms about the relatively simple things we need to do to protect it. “Dan Egan’s deeply researched and sharply written The Death and Life of The Great Lakes . nimbly splices together history, science, reporting and personal experiences into a taut and cautiously hopeful narrative. early acclaim, [ The Death and Life of the Great Lakes ] is easy to read, offering well-paced, intellectually stimulating arguments, bolstered by well-researched and captivating narratives.”. - Lekelia Danielle Jenkins, Science. “This book feels urgent to policymakers and laypersons alike.”. - Kerri Arsenault, Literary Hub. The Death and Life of the Great Lakes is an engaging, vitally important work of science journalism.”. - Eva Holland, The Globe and Mail. “Dan Egan has done more than any other journalist in America to chronicle the decline of this once-great ecosystem, to alert the public to new threats, and to force governments to take remedial action.”. - Grantham Prize for Excellence in Reporting on the Environment, Special Merit citation.
Reviews
"He makes a cogent argument that the Great Lakes are left open to the import of more invasive species in small ship ballast tanks, which are the only ones which can still get through the St. Lawrence Seaway, and these ships bring less than 2% of foreign cargo into the United States. Bottom Line: That cargo could just as easily be off-loaded to trains and trucks at our seaports at very little extra cost."
"The book can be trying to read if you love the Great Lakes and grew up near them as I did; almost everything humans have done in and to the Great Lakes watershed have caused problems. Sadly Egan's book did little to allay that fear."
"If you like having fresh water to drink from the Great Lakes or live near one of the "HOMES," this book is for you."
"All Americans and especially those who live near or have a familiarity with the Great Lakes will be disturbed by what is presented in this well-written book."
"A well-researched book that should be required reading for every Michigander."
"Having lived,vacationed and traveled around the Great Lakes most of my life, I have gained a much deeper understanding and appreciation for these spectacular inland seas."
"Any midwesterner drawing water from the Great Lakes will appreciate this thoughtful and well-researched book."
"Sad reading about one calamity after another to the Great Lakes."
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Best Zoology

Where the Animals Go: Tracking Wildlife with Technology in 50 Maps and Graphics
These astonishing infographics explain how warblers detect incoming storms using sonic vibrations, how baboons make decisions, and why storks prefer garbage dumps to wild forage; they follow pythons racing through the Everglades, a lovelorn wolf traversing the Alps, and humpback whales visiting undersea mountains. “Cheshire and Uberti write about billions of data points being collected―some by citizen scientists―and their ravishing maps put this information to good use…[They] show us with precision and clarity where the animals go.”. - The Washington Post. “In recent years, technology has made it possible to track animal movements from afar in more and more detail… [Cheshire and Uberti] have dipped into this deluge of data to create 50 beautiful and engaging maps that reveal the wanderings of animals.”. - National Geographic.
Reviews
"This book is a fascinating compilation of detailed information about tracking various animal populations of our planet, interspersed with focus on particular individual creatures and their stories."
"Wonderful book—original, scoentific, and engaging."
"An incredible book."
"Beautiful book and a great way to represent data in a very approachable way."
"There is a lot to be learnt from this challenging book."
"wonderful book--a must have!"
"Fascinating."
"fascinating book for all the nature freaks out there."
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Best Paleobiology

Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters
Prothero’s discussion of intelligent design arguments includes more historical examples and careful examination of the “experiments” and observations that are exploited by creationists seeking to undermine sound science education. By concentrating the diverse scientific literature into numerous lucid examples, Donald R. Prothero does the fields of geology, biology, and science education a major service. He provides a unique source that will be invaluable to college professors and high school teachers alike, and because his book provides abundant, clearly described examples of evolution in the fossil record, and also synthesizes important information about the Bible, it will make a valuable addition to any scientist’s library.
Reviews
"And yet the instant the word "evolution" pops up, a large portion of our population still throws up an endless series of flimsy and in some cases ridiculous defenses that insist that it just isn't--can't be!--so. But it does add a few more planks of reason to this growing edifice of facts about the process of evolution."
"I have a degree in Biology (and left the "pure sciences" for medical school) yet I had trouble keeping up with his frequent references to various periods and epochs. I would also imagine that those untrained in biology would have a difficult time keeping up with lengthy un-illustrated descriptions of anatomy."
"By citation of specific anatomical changes over time Prothero demonstrates in meticulous detail what is currently known about the transitions from species to species. Also important, Prothero discusses the predictive power of evolutionary theory by citing examples of scientists' extrapolations beyond known anatomical structures to what would be expected if one species really were transitioning to another species. The author clearly demonstrates the existance of transitional forms ("missing links") from invertebrates to vertebrates to fish to amphibians to reptiles to mammals."
"This is the best book on the fossil record I've ever read. It's one of the best science books I've ever read. You won't realise how deep the fossil record is just of hominids, or dinosaurs, or synapsids, or prehistoric mammals."
"Mr. Prothero clearly explains what the rocks say, how they say it, and how it proves Evolution is an accurate description of how we've come to the place we are today."
"Prothero is the consummate scientist."
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Best Earth Sciences

The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition
The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition.
Reviews
"The book chronicles the 'refuse to quit on even one man' efforts of Shackleton, who struggled against unimaginable hardships in the most inhospitable place on earth, in an effort to deliver His men to safety ... from what must surely be an unavoidable fate. These men WERE made of sterner stuff."
"Wonderfully documented...Amazing journey within the read itself."
"The story of the Shackleton Expedition is truly amazing, and Caroline Alexander brings it to life with her superb ability to recount the harrowing moments and triumphant rescue of these resourceful explorers."
"Although not what I would usually choose to read, this was a book for my monthly bookclub, and I found myself really enjoying it!"
"This book is released in conjunction with the exhibition to be mounted at the Museum of Natural History next spring; I only wish that some additional material, such as journal pages and related artifacts had been included to give the book a little more "warmth" since the subject matter is so undeniably "chilly"!"
"True story of hardship and great courage in the face of disaster!"
"Comprehensive and beautifully illustrated."
""The Endurance" (his ship) and Shackleton's heroic adventure to save the lives of his crew ought to be required reading for all young men."
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Best Astronomy & Astrophysics

The Hubble Cosmos: 25 Years of New Vistas in Space
With more than 150 photographs including Hubble All-Stars—the most famous of all the noteworthy images— The Hubble Cosmos shows how this telescope is revolutionizing our understanding of the universe. ROBERT P. KIRSHNER, Clowes Professor of Science in the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics at Harvard University, accomplished groundbreaking work on supernovas and the expansion of the universe using the Hubble Space Telescope.
Reviews
"Fantastic book with great pictures and very informative text on the history of Hubble and its role in science."
"Unbelievable pictures."
"A spectacular compilation of the glory that arts supreme in the universe, makes you realize that all the universe is full of light and feel the eternal movement of the spheres, which we are all a part of."
"Beautiful book."
"And a awsum team worked their butt off to make it and put it in Space."
"Beautiful."
"Fabulous pictures and interesting informative text."
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Best Environmental Studies

The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert.
Reviews
"Along the way, other startling observations emerge: biodiversity is declining not only due to the "old causes" such as hunted to extinction for various reasons but also new ones such as global warming impact on life-sustaining ranges, the loss of habitat space, the inability to regenerate a species due to slower reproduction rate and the rapid vulnerability to new diseases (fungal, bacterial or viral). In the prior roughly 500 million years there have been upwards of 25 periods of species extinction, of which five are considered to have been major ones due to breadth and probably rate of surrounding change. Nearly all of these were due to factors beyond the control of the inhabitants at the time: changes in chemical balances, glaciations and global warming due to Earth orbit wobbles, volcanic eruptions and asteroid impact leading to global cooling that killed off many of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. At a speed of change far beyond anything that has happened before - be it global warming by burning millions of years of fossil fuels, by eliminating living space on land or in sea for other species, or by sheer carelessness."
"Kolbert does a very good job reviewing previous extinctions, explaining the science behind current extinctions, and the potential for a sixth extinction due to human activitiy."
"Even in the 1968 Planet of the Apes, the most sophisticated Apes; Cornelius and Zira followed the status quo until this miraculously out of this world Taylor gave them hope for a much more civilized society."
"Presents events of the past, hypothesizes on why and how these events occurred based on scientific evidence, and speculates on possible outcomes in the future."
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Best Physics

Reactions: An Illustrated Exploration of Elements, Molecules, and Change in the Universe
It is then organized by type of reaction including chapters such as "Fantastic Reactions and Where to Find Them," "On the Origin of Light and Color," "The Boring Chapter," in which we learn about reactions such as paint drying, grass growing, and water boiling, and "The Need for Speed," including topics such as weather, ignition, and fire. Nick Mann is the photographer of The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe and Molecules: The Elements and the Architecture of Everything .
Reviews
"I enjoy reading it because it demonstrates new ways to look at atoms and molecules."
"Amazing book with great information and facts with a bit of comedy."
"Theodore Gray explains how elements interact with one another, the basics of chemical reactions, and looks at some ordinary and not so ordinary reactions."
"For someone who is just beginning into chemistry, understanding reactions is helpful, while reading about them...lets just say he makes it fun and engaging."
"Anyone with a chemistry class in their distant past will thoroughly enjoy the full page molecule illustrations our textbooks were lacking and greatly appreciate the clarity they provide when teaching their youngsters about the magic of reactions."
"My 12-year-old loves adding this to her collection by this author!"
"Excellent book which has good reactons on chemistry, therefore. it has good demand."
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Best Mechanics

Mechanical Engineering Reference Manual for the PE Exam, 13th Ed
The extensive index contains thousands of terms, most indexed in a variety of ways, in anticipation of how you’ll search for them. Dynamics and Vibrations: Kinematics; Kinetics; Power Transmission Systems; Vibrating Systems Materials: Engineering Materials Properties and Testing; Thermal Treatment of Metals Fluids: Fluid Properties; Fluid Statics; Fluid Flow Parameters; Fluid Dynamics; Hydraulic Machines Power Cycles: Vapor, Combustion, and Nuclear Power Cycles; Refrigeration and Gas Compression Cycles HVAC: Psychrometrics; Fans, Ductwork, and Ventilation; Heating and Cooling Loads; Air Conditioning Systems Heat Transfer: Natural Convection; Evaporation; Condensation; Forced Convection; Radiation Machine Design: Basic and Advanced Machine Design; Pressure Vessels Thermodynamics: Inorganic Chemistry; Fuels and Combustion; Properties of Substances Control Systems: Modeling and Analysis of Engineering Systems Plant Engineering: Manufacturing Processes; Instrumentation and Measurements; Materials Handling and Processing; Fire Protection Systems; Environmental Pollutants and Remediation; Hazardous Material Storage and Disposal Fundamentals: Math Review; Probability; Statics; Engineering Economic Analysis Law and Ethics: Engineering Law; Ethics. What’s New in This Edition 36 chapters with new material, and 46 chapters with revisions to existing material 300 new equations, and 128 updated equations 27 new tables, and 31 updated tables 7 new examples, and 34 updated examples 10 new appendices, and 27 updated appendices 35 new figures, and 28 updated figures 1,094 new index entries, and 108 updated index entires. Michael R. Lindeburg, PE, is one of the best-known authors of engineering textbooks and references.
Reviews
"I just recently passed the mechanical PE exam (fluids discipline), and I thought I would share the studying strategy that seemed to work for me. The very first thing you should do is purchase this book, the Mechanical Engineering Reference Manual (MERM), even if you do not plan to take the PE for several years. At this pace, in about 3 months you will have read the entire book (around 1500 pages) and at least attempted every single practice problem. At this point you will be in full panic mode, because you won’t feel comfortable with any of the practice problems because as I said, they are much harder than what is on the exam. When you have finished the book, it should be right about the time that you have to choose your specific mechanical discipline for the exam. You will start to feel a lot more comfortable at this point because the questions are much easier than what you’ve seen so far. Update in response to some questions: On test day, you will see people walk into the exam with dozens of books. I went into the exam with only the following materials and it was more than enough: Mechanical Engineering Reference Manual. Practice Problems for the Mechanical Engineering Reference Manual. NCEES Sample Questions and Solutions (Thermal and Fluids Systems). NCEES Sample Questions and Solutions (Mechanical Systems and Materials). NCEES Sample Questions and Solutions (HVAC and Refrigeration). A 1" Three Ring Binder of helpful equations, saturation tables, and conversion factors that I accumulated during the study process. I hope this has helped, and most importantly, good luck!"
"If you master this book, it is the only one you'll need (IMHO) to pass the Mechanical Engineering PE test."
"I borrowed someone's copy of the NCEES practice exam and between these materials and that exam, it's all the prep I did. You will see people with a ridiculous amount of materials on exam day, I took this book and my ASHRAE books (I took the HVAC depth exam) and it was everything I needed."
"Used this book (and ONLY this book + a unit conversion book) for the October 2014 Mechanical PE exam and passed."
"Passed my exam and everyone at work loves this book as a general guide to anything."
"I highly recommend this book."
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Best Mathematics

MyMathLab: Student Access KitFind Best Price at Amazon

Best Agriculture

The Market Gardener: A Successful Grower's Handbook for Small-scale Organic Farming
The Market Gardener is a compendium of la Grelinette’s proven horticultural techniques and innovative growing methods. The Market Gardener is a compendium of La Grelinette’s proven horticultural techniques, packed with practical information on: • Setting-up a micro-farm by designing biologically intensive cropping systems, all with negligible capital outlay; • Farming without a tractor and minimizing fossil fuel inputs through the use of the best hand tools, appropriate machinery and minimum tillage practices; • Growing mixed vegetables systematically with attention to weed and pest management, crop yields, harvest periods and pricing approaches. Based on low-tech, high-yield methods of production The Market Gardener is a complete, modern, micro-scale farming handbook which shows that making a living wage growing food without large capital outlay or access to an acreage may be closer than you think.
Reviews
"Even though I knew the book was geared toward someone planning to sell their produce as opposed to a home gardener like myself, I decided to buy the book based on reviews and what I saw in the book via Amazon’s “Look Inside” feature. The impression I get from other books and articles is that you can totally sustain your garden forever and ever off the compost you make yourself, and that may be true, but Jean-Martin states that the time and space they would need to create and maintain compost piles is better utilized by growing more produce- plus the organic compost they buy is predictable in terms of quality and composition, which are both important. This book contains, hands down, THE MOST useful information on crop rotation (and how to implement it) than any other resource I have found to date. Before buying this book I had spent literally weeks on the web, trying to figure out the best way (or at least a practical way) to implement crop rotation and not finding anything beyond very generalized advice to “rotate by crop families” or “follow heavy feeders with light feeders” or “don’t plant the same things in the same beds every year”. Trying to find out if plants needed a two, three, four, or more year rotation was difficult and there was a lot of conflicting information on what plants were heavy vs. light feeders (or in between), how long rotations should be, and so on. This book presented me with a wealth of actual, practical, applicable information on crop rotation, the whys, and how they do it. He gives the common name, the plant family and fertilization needs (good to know for crop rotation), intensive spacing requirements, days in the garden (which may or may not be days to maturity depending on if he direct seeds that plant or not, but it’s easy to tell which are which) and some other various bits of information and notes on the plant in question."
"As for the product, I do like the writing style which makes the book very interesting to read even though I am not from a farm business background."
"Hard work, proper tools and techniques, creative problem solving, and commitment to high standards are major themes of his success."
"Jean-Martin has shown me how to take the puzzle pieces, I have accrued from 35 years of gardening, and put them into a time-table of efficiency that works!"
"I am always looking for good gardening books and when I saw all the positive reviews for this one I knew I had to buy it."
"If you're looking for true encouragement and you're serious about farming, this book grants inspiration and a clearer vision to fuel that passion forward into reality."
"After watching his YouTube videos, I purchased Jean-Martin's book to improve my knowledge of how to produce better crops."
"some useful information, it was originally published in French and some of it was mildly hard to understand because of the way it was translated, a few times I had to reread a paragraph to actually understand what was discussed, but except for a few spots its easy to understand."
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Best Chemistry

Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe
Organized in order of appearance on the periodic table, each element is represented by a spread that includes a stunning, full-page, full-color photograph that most closely represents it in its purest form. The element's position on the periodic table is pinpointed on a mini rendering of the table and an illustrated scale of the element's boiling and/or melting points appears on each page along with a density scale that runs along the bottom. Gray, an element collector and Popular Science columnist, has created a visual homage to the periodic table of the elements. The left-hand side of the spread features a large color image of the element in its true form, when possible.
Reviews
"My personal favorite element is Erbium because of the fact that it has an action potential property like a neuron in the brain."
"It's very informative but uses words that are easier to understand for young minds."
"Kudos to the author for making each of the metals interesting, similar visual appearance notwithstanding. I would be interested in a second edition wherein the author gets some big bucks from, say, National Geographic, and does a nice hardcover in the style of "Our Universe", with all the mythology illustrations and so forth."
"The whole family enjoys paging through it and sharing the facts about elements that we find in it."
"I was so impressed with this book that I bought it for several kids and then bought one for myself."
"The best part is this book is very easy to read."
"Beautiful book!"
"Terrible for a calendar."
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