Category Archives: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

The Joy of x – Steven Strogatz

by Myrna Posted on March 10, 2019

READ GREEN WITH E-BOOKS

The Joy of x
A Guided Tour of Math, from One to Infinity
Steven Strogatz

Genre: Mathematics

Price: $2.99

Publish Date: October 1, 2013

Publisher: HMH Books

Seller: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company


“Delightful . . . easily digestible chapters include plenty of helpful examples and illustrations. You’ll never forget the Pythagorean theorem again!” — Scientific American Many people take math in high school and promptly forget much of it. But math plays a part in all of our lives all of the time, whether we know it or not. In The Joy of x , Steven Strogatz expands on his hit New York Times series to explain the big ideas of math gently and clearly, with wit, insight, and brilliant illustrations. Whether he is illuminating how often you should flip your mattress to get the maximum lifespan from it, explaining just how Google searches the internet, or determining how many people you should date before settling down, Strogatz shows how math connects to every aspect of life. Discussing pop culture, medicine, law, philosophy, art, and business, Strogatz is the math teacher you wish you’d had. Whether you aced integral calculus or aren’t sure what an integer is, you’ll find profound wisdom and persistent delight in The Joy of x .

Read original article:  

The Joy of x – Steven Strogatz

Posted in alo, Anchor, FF, GE, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, LAI, LG, ONA, PUR, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Joy of x – Steven Strogatz

Liquid Rules – Mark Miodownik

by Myrna Posted on February 16, 2019

READ GREEN WITH E-BOOKS

Liquid Rules

The Delightful and Dangerous Substances That Flow Through Our Lives

Mark Miodownik

Genre: Science & Nature

Price: $14.99

Expected Publish Date: February 19, 2019

Publisher: HMH Books

Seller: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company


Sometimes explosive, often delicious, occasionally poisonous, but always interesting: the New York Times- bestselling author of Stuff Matters shows us the secret lives of liquids: the shadow counterpart of our solid “stuff.” We all know that without water we couldn’t survive, and that sometimes a cup of coffee or a glass of wine feels just as vital. But do we really understand how much we rely on liquids, or the destructive power they hold?   Set over the course of a flight from London to San Francisco, Liquid Rules offers readers a fascinating tour of these formless substances, told through the language of molecules, droplets, heartbeats, and ocean waves. Throughout the trip, we encounter fluids within the plane—from a seemingly ordinary cup of tea to a liquid crystal display screen—and without, in the volcanoes of Iceland, the frozen expanse of Greenland, and the marvelous California coastline. We come to see liquids as substances of wonder and fascination, and to understand their potential for death and destruction. Just as in Stuff Matters, Mark Miodownik’s unique brand of scientific storytelling brings liquids and their mysterious properties to life in a captivating new way.

Link:  

Liquid Rules – Mark Miodownik

Posted in alo, Anchor, Casio, FF, GE, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, LAI, ONA, PUR, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Liquid Rules – Mark Miodownik

This Is Your Brain on Parasites – Kathleen McAuliffe

by Myrna Posted on January 16, 2019

READ GREEN WITH E-BOOKS

This Is Your Brain on Parasites

How Tiny Creatures Manipulate Our Behavior and Shape Society

Kathleen McAuliffe

Genre: Life Sciences

Price: $2.99

Publish Date: May 16, 2017

Publisher: HMH Books

Seller: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company


“Engrossing … [An] expedition through the hidden and sometimes horrifying microbial domain.” — Wall Street Journal “Fascinating—and full of the kind of factoids you can't wait to share.” — Scientific American   Parasites can live only inside another animal and, as Kathleen McAuliffe reveals, these tiny organisms have many evolutionary motives for manipulating the behavior of their hosts. With astonishing precision, parasites can coax rats to approach cats, spiders to transform the patterns of their webs, and fish to draw the attention of birds that then swoop down to feast on them. We humans are hardly immune to their influence. Organisms we pick up from our own pets are strongly suspected of changing our personality traits and contributing to recklessness and impulsivity—even suicide. Germs that cause colds and the flu may alter our behavior even before symptoms become apparent.   Parasites influence our species on the cultural level, too. Drawing on a huge body of research, McAuliffe argues that our dread of contamination is an evolved defense against parasites. The horror and revulsion we are programmed to feel when we come in contact with people who appear diseased or dirty helped pave the way for civilization, but may also be the basis for major divisions in societies that persist to this day. This Is Your Brain on Parasites is both a journey into cutting-edge science and a revelatory examination of what it means to be human.   “If you’ve ever doubted the power of microbes to shape society and offer us a grander view of life, read on and find yourself duly impressed.” —Heather Havrilesky, Bookforum  

Read More:  

This Is Your Brain on Parasites – Kathleen McAuliffe

Posted in alo, Anchor, FF, GE, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, ONA, OXO, PUR, The Atlantic, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on This Is Your Brain on Parasites – Kathleen McAuliffe

Kingbird Highway – Kenn Kaufman

by Myrna Posted on December 17, 2018

READ GREEN WITH E-BOOKS

Kingbird Highway

The Biggest Year in the Life of an Extreme Birder

Kenn Kaufman

Genre: Nature

Price: $1.99

Publish Date: April 11, 2006

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Seller: OpenRoad Integrated Media, LLC


An ornithologist’s account of his youthful, year-long, cross-country birdwatching adventure: “A fascinating memoir of an obsession.” — Booklist At sixteen, Kenn Kaufman dropped out of the high school where he was student council president and hit the road, hitching back and forth across America, from Alaska to Florida, Maine to Mexico. Maybe not all that unusual a thing to do in the seventies, but what Kenn was searching for was a little different: not sex, drugs, God, or even self, but birds. A report of a rare bird would send him hitching nonstop from Pacific to Atlantic and back again. When he was broke he would pick fruit or do odd jobs to earn the fifty dollars or so that would last him for weeks. His goal was to set a record—most North American species seen in a year—but along the way he began to realize that at this breakneck pace he was only looking, not seeing. What had been a game became a quest for a deeper understanding of the natural world. Kingbird Highway is a unique coming-of-age story, combining a lyrical celebration of nature with wild, and sometimes dangerous, adventures, starring a colorful cast of characters.

Link to original:

Kingbird Highway – Kenn Kaufman

Posted in alo, Anchor, FF, GE, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, ONA, PUR, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Kingbird Highway – Kenn Kaufman

The Trouble with Physics – Lee Smolin

by Myrna Posted on December 11, 2018

READ GREEN WITH E-BOOKS

The Trouble with Physics
The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next
Lee Smolin

Genre: Physics

Price: $10.99

Publish Date: September 4, 2007

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Seller: OpenRoad Integrated Media, LLC


“A splendid, edifying report from the front lines of theorectical physics” ( San Francisco Chronicle ).   In this illuminating book, renowned physicist Lee Smolin argues that fundamental physics—the search for the laws of nature—is losing its way.   Ambitious ideas about extra dimensions, exotic particles, multiple universes, and strings have captured the public’s imagination—and the imagination of experts. But these ideas have not been tested experimentally, and some, like string theory, seem to offer no possibility of being tested. Even still, these speculations dominate the field, attracting the best talent and much of the funding, while creating a climate in which emerging physicists are often penalized for pursuing other avenues. The situation threatens to impede the very progress of science.   With clarity, passion, and authority, Smolin offers an unblinking assessment of the troubles that face modern physics, and an encouraging view of where the search for the next big idea may lead.   “The best book about contemporary science written for the layman that I have ever read.” — The Times (London)  

This article – 

The Trouble with Physics – Lee Smolin

Posted in alo, Anchor, ATTRA, FF, G & F, GE, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, ONA, PUR, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Trouble with Physics – Lee Smolin

The Perfect Theory – Pedro G. Ferreira

by Myrna Posted on November 23, 2018

READ GREEN WITH E-BOOKS

The Perfect Theory

A Century of Geniuses and the Battle over General Relativity

Pedro G. Ferreira

Genre: Physics

Price: $1.99

Publish Date: February 4, 2014

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Seller: OpenRoad Integrated Media, LLC


“One of the best popular accounts of how Einstein and his followers have been trying to explain the universe for decades ” ( Kirkus Reviews , starred review).   Physicists have been exploring, debating, and questioning the general theory of relativity ever since Albert Einstein first presented it in 1915. This has driven their work to unveil the universe’s surprising secrets even further, and many believe more wonders remain hidden within the theory’s tangle of equations, waiting to be exposed. In this sweeping narrative of science and culture, an astrophysicist brings general relativity to life through the story of the brilliant physicists, mathematicians, and astronomers who have taken up its challenge. For these scientists, the theory has been both a treasure trove and an enigma.   Einstein’s theory, which explains the relationships among gravity, space, and time, is possibly the most perfect intellectual achievement of modern physics—yet studying it has always been a controversial endeavor. Relativists were the target of persecution in Hitler’s Germany, hounded in Stalin’s Russia, and disdained in 1950s America. Even today, PhD students are warned that specializing in general relativity will make them unemployable.   Still, general relativity has flourished, delivering key insights into our understanding of the origin of time and the evolution of all the stars and galaxies in the cosmos. Its adherents have revealed what lies at the farthest reaches of the universe, shed light on the smallest scales of existence, and explained how the fabric of reality emerges. Dark matter, dark energy, black holes, and string theory are all progeny of Einstein’s theory.   In the midst of a momentous transformation in modern physics, as scientists look farther and more clearly into space than ever before, The Perfect Theory exposes the greater relevance of general relativity, showing us where it started, where it has led—and where it can still take us.  

Originally posted here: 

The Perfect Theory – Pedro G. Ferreira

Posted in alo, Anchor, FF, G & F, GE, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, LAI, LG, ONA, PUR, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Perfect Theory – Pedro G. Ferreira

Why We Dream – Alice Robb

by Myrna Posted on November 20, 2018

READ GREEN WITH E-BOOKS

Why We Dream

The Transformative Power of Our Nightly Journey

Alice Robb

Genre: Life Sciences

Price: $14.99

Publish Date: November 20, 2018

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Seller: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company


A fresh, revelatory foray into the new science of dreams—how they work, what they’re for, and how we can reap the benefits of our own nocturnal life While on a research trip in Peru, science journalist Alice Robb became hooked on lucid dreaming—the uncanny phenomenon in which a sleeping person can realize that they’re dreaming and even control the dreamed experience. Finding these forays both puzzling and exhilarating, Robb dug deeper into the science of dreams at an extremely opportune moment: just as researchers began to understand why dreams exist. They aren’t just random events; they have clear purposes. They help us learn and even overcome psychic trauma. Robb draws on fresh and forgotten research, as well as her experience and that of other dream experts, to show why dreams are vital to our emotional and physical health. She explains how we can remember our dreams better—and why we should. She traces the intricate links between dreaming and creativity, and even offers advice on how we can relish the intense adventure of lucid dreaming for ourselves. Why We Dream is a clear-eyed, cutting-edge examination of the meaning and purpose of our nightly visions and a guide to changing our dream lives—and making our waking lives richer, healthier, and happier.

Continue reading: 

Why We Dream – Alice Robb

Posted in alo, Anchor, Casio, FF, GE, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, LAI, ONA, PUR, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Why We Dream – Alice Robb

Sex on Six Legs – Marlene Zuk

by Myrna Posted on November 17, 2018

READ GREEN WITH E-BOOKS

Sex on Six Legs
Lessons on Life, Love, and Language from the Insect World
Marlene Zuk

Genre: Life Sciences

Price: $1.99

Publish Date: August 2, 2011

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Seller: OpenRoad Integrated Media, LLC


A biologist presents a “consistently delightful” look at the mysteries of insect behavior ( The New York Times Book Review ).   Insects have inspired fear, fascination, and enlightenment for centuries. They are capable of incredibly complex behavior, even with brains often the size of a poppy seed. How do they accomplish feats that look like human activity—personality, language, childcare—with completely different pathways from our own? What is going on inside the mind of those ants that march like boot-camp graduates across your kitchen floor? How does the lead ant know exactly where to take her colony, to that one bread crumb that your nightly sweep missed? Can insects be taught new skills as easily as your new puppy?   Sex on Six Legs is a startling and exciting book that provides answers to these questions and many more, examining not only the bedroom lives of creepy crawlies but also some of our own long-held assumptions about learning, the nature of personality, and what our own large brains might be for.   “Smart, engaging . . . Zuk approaches her subject with such humor and enthusiasm for the intricacies of insect life, even bug-phobes will relish her account.” — Publishers Weekly , starred review

Visit site: 

Sex on Six Legs – Marlene Zuk

Posted in alo, Anchor, FF, GE, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, ONA, PUR, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Sex on Six Legs – Marlene Zuk

The Grail Bird – Tim Gallagher

by Myrna Posted on November 13, 2018

READ GREEN WITH E-BOOKS

The Grail Bird
The Rediscovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker
Tim Gallagher

Genre: Nature

Price: $1.99

Publish Date: April 25, 2017

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Seller: OpenRoad Integrated Media, LLC


“ The Grail Bird is an enjoyable read . . . A powerful call for conservation, and an exciting bird adventure” ( The Boston Globe ).   What is it about the ivory-billed woodpecker? Why does this ghost of the southern swamps arouse such an obsessive level of passion in its devotees, who range from respected researchers to the flakiest Loch Ness monster fanatics and Elvis chasers?   Since the early twentieth century, scientists have been trying their best to prove that the ivory-bill is extinct. But every time they think they’ve finally closed the door, the bird makes an unexpected appearance.   To unravel the mystery, author Tim Gallagher heads south, deep into the eerie swamps and bayous of the vast Mississippi Delta, searching for people who claim to have seen this rarest of birds and following up—sometimes more than thirty years after the fact—on their sightings. What follows is his own Eureka moment with his buddy Bobby Harrison, a true son of the South from Alabama. A huge woodpecker flies in front of their canoe, and they both cry out, “Ivory-bill!” This sighting—the first time since 1944 that two qualified observers positively identify an ivory-billed woodpecker in the United States—quickly leads to the largest search ever launched to find a rare bird, as researchers fan out across the bayou, hoping to document the existence of this most iconic of birds.   “ The Grail Bird is less an ecological study than a portrait of human obsession.” — The New York Times

Visit site: 

The Grail Bird – Tim Gallagher

Posted in alo, Anchor, Eureka, FF, GE, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, LAI, ONA, PUR, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Grail Bird – Tim Gallagher

Atlantic Seashore – Kenneth L. Gosner & Roger Tory Peterson

by Myrna Posted on November 6, 2018

READ GREEN WITH E-BOOKS

Atlantic Seashore
A Field Guide to Sponges, Jellyfish, Sea Urchins, and More
Kenneth L. Gosner & Roger Tory Peterson

Genre: Nature

Price: $2.99

Publish Date: August 5, 2014

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Seller: OpenRoad Integrated Media, LLC


Explore the shore with this beautifully illustrated nature guide!   Using the renowned Peterson Identification System, this easy-to-use guide, sponsored by the National Audubon Society, the National Wildlife Federation, and the Roger Tory Peterson Institute, is the perfect companion for exploring the seashore.   More than one thousand illustrations, arranged according to visual similarities, show plant and animal species of the Atlantic Coast from the Bay of Fundy to Cape Hatteras. This guide includes information on how to locate each species by geographic range, tidal range, tidal level, season, topography, and climate.  

Read more:  

Atlantic Seashore – Kenneth L. Gosner & Roger Tory Peterson

Posted in alo, Anchor, FF, GE, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, ONA, PUR, The Atlantic, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Atlantic Seashore – Kenneth L. Gosner & Roger Tory Peterson