Book Description

Quantum Mind: The Edge Between Physics and Psychology is the most comprehensive work to date venturing into that challenging junction of psychology, new physics, and shamanism. It takes the reader on a journey through the universe on paths of reason and magic, math and myth. By exploring principles found in psychology, math, physics, and shamanism, it becomes possible to link a cosmic perspective with ordinary life.

Mindell assumes the reader has no prior knowledge of physics, and explores the fundamentals of math and physics in terms of psychological and Shamanic experiences. And, he includes practical exercises based upon these principles to create a new understanding of the foundations of psychological health, relationships, and community. Mindell reveals how all of us can benefit by bringing together humanity's traditional wisdom and shamanism with contemporary science. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Holistic Understanding of Ourselves
Being someone who has been on the path of self-discovery for many years, I find this book to be an informative piece of the puzzle that we call ourselves. Dr. Mindell pulls together physics, mathematics, and self- discovery in a way that I have not previously seen. Quantum Mind is a must read for anyone who is attempting to understand themselves and their environment. This book is a book that has a lot of information that is based on physics and mathematics so the book is more of a study time than a story time.

Beginning of a new science
Mindell's Quantum Mind is bringing the discussion on the connection between consciousness and matter to a new level. I want to focus on the aspect that was the most exciting to me. He shows, that our definition of physics, of psychology and of religion needs to be updated, and how in fact the progress of both sciences is blocked by how these fields define themselves. Mindell makes it clear, that psychology cannot make the next quantum jump without including the insights from QM, and physics needs the study of consciousness to understand the contradictions it's facing. Mindell brings forth his process-oriented concepts, which bridge these two worlds, and in fact establish a new scientific field, for which a term still needs to be coined.
As a psychologist, I found the theoretical and mathematical aspects of physics really well explained, and liked it, that I had a choice as a reader, how detailed I wanted to get involved in them. I was still be able to follow his line of thought in those instances, when I choose to skip the math parts.

The exercices in the book show, how modern physics and psychological theories are not only abstract concepts, but experiences that we have on an ongoing basis, and how they are connected to our personal development and spiritual understanding of our existence and the universe we live in. We understand Newtonian physics experientially, when the cup that we drop on the floor keeps breaking. We develop a similar intuitive understanding of Quantum Mechanics in addition to the theory, when we do Mindell's exercises at the end of each chapter. This is one of the huge side benefits of this book. QM never became popular knowledge because its concept are not "anschaulich" or intuitive, but rather mathematical. Mindell's book belongs in every personal and public library.

Seminal, ground-breaking, informative.
In Quantum Mind, Arnold Mindell takes the reader to the common root underlying both physics and psychology to reveal physics as the basic pattern for understanding psychology, and the psychology of perception as the basis of physics. Mindell offers a wealth of practical guidance backed by theoretical insight. He brings quantum awareness to such everyday matters as difficult relationships, physical symptoms and life-threatening illness, spiritual emergence, and the complexities of community life in a world of human diversity. Starting with the psychological foundations of numbers and counting, Quantum Mind takes the reader on a fascinating tour of mathematics, quantum physics, relativity, and cosmology -- showing at each point the myriad levels on which human consciousness and the physical world intertwine and co-create one another. The reader comes to know the universe and individual consciousness as two sides of an interactive mirror reflecting one another. Quantum Mind is a seminal, ground-breaking, enthusiastically recommended, completely accessible survey and analysis that will engage, inform, and challenge students of psychology, psychotherapy, physics, and the symmetry between the mathematics of physics and everyday perceptual experience. ... Read more

Book Description

Chaisson/McMillan's writing style and pedagogically driven art program are recognized as being scientifically accurate yet accessible to non-science majors. The integrated media program contains the market's only E-book. It provides readers with innovative and interactive tools to learn and test their understanding of astronomy concepts.Topics covered include Astronomy and the Universe, Our Planetay System, Stars and Stellar Evolution, Galaxies and Cosmology, and more.For one or two-semester introductory astronomy course. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

My Favorite Book
There is no better book on Astronomy. It's comprehensive, authoritative, and technical, yet completely accessible and fun to read for any novice. It covers every aspect of the Universe and Solar System with the latest information and theories, with thousands of interesting diagrams and pictures that explain things concisely. It also serves as a reference with it's many charts and listings. Every page is crammed with pertinent and fascinating reading; I didn't even realize it was a textbook for 2 days. This is the best 92 dollars I ever spent. (832 pages)

Beautiful book
Bought in on sight, compulsively, just couldn't deny myself the pleasure of possessing this piece. It's a book of basic astronomy, nothing terribly technical in it, good for a high-school student. The book is absolutely magnificent: nice paper, clear type, an awful lot of colorful illustrations, all very appropriate, in one word, everything you can wish for in a science book -- it is so beautiful, like a toy, you wanna eat it. If you got a kid, buy it. Actually, if you don't have a kid, buy it anyway, a kid is just a good excuse to spend the money on it; your family will fight over it.

nice book
It is a nice book of astronomy. New datas and complete explanations make it worth reading!

What astronomy lovers should know other than telescopes ...
Written for non-science college students, this book is highly recommended for anyone interested in astronomy. Its breath, clarity, superb illustrations and software are first rate. Prentice Hall appears to hvae repurposed this text for amateur astronomers in another book, Astronomy: A Beginner's Guide to the Universe, which is nearly identical, albeit abbreviated in areas. Both books are an excellent value and users need to decide whether the academic version is worth more. Having read "Astronomy Today" cover to cover, there is much than can be shortened, such as when the authors discuss difficulties encountered in obtaining astronomy knowledge, rather than the knowledge itself. Its generous illustrations reinforce much of the text, taking this philosophy further, it could have been that much of the text could take a back seat to more detailed illustrations. Nevertheless a marvelous job!

Marvin Gozum, MD

great in depth explanations and pictures for non scientists
Designed as a textbook for non science college students, it contains great pictures and well written explanations of all parts of astronomy. I noticed this book while browsing through a bookstore and, much to my surprise, fell in love with it and had to have it. I have learned a lot. ... Read more

Book Description

Radiative Processes in Astrophysics: This clear, straightforward, and fundamental introduction is designed to present-from a physicist's point of view-radiation processes and their applications to astrophysical phenomena and space science. It covers such topics as radiative transfer theory, relativistic covariance and kinematics, bremsstrahlung radiation, synchrotron radiation, Compton scattering, some plasma effects, and radiative transitions in atoms. Discussion begins with first principles, physically motivating and deriving all results rather than merely presenting finished formulae. However, a reasonably good physics background (introductory quantum mechanics, intermediate electromagnetic theory, special relativity, and some statistical mechanics) is required. Much of this prerequisite material is provided by brief reviews, making the book a self-contained reference for workers in the field as well as the ideal text for senior or first-year graduate students of astronomy, astrophysics, and related physics courses. Radiative Processes in Astrophysics also contains about 75 problems, with solutions, illustrating applications of the material and methods for calculating results. This important and integral section emphasizes physical intuition by presenting important results that are used throughout the main text; it is here that most of the practical astrophysical applications become apparent. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

An Almost Perfect Book for a Course on Astrophysics
One of the peculiarities of Astrophysics is that, as a
subject, is difficult to teach. It requires to go deep into
the physics of the objects under study (which span the whole
Universe) but alto to keep a broad view (the so called "Big
Picture") since most of the objects and their histories
cannot be understood if they are isolated from the others.
One of the problems a teacher faces is, hence, how to strike a
balance between these two disparate goals within the limited
time of one or two academic terms.

Rybicki and Lightman success with this book is to take the
physics of astrophysical problems involving radiation from
the general approaches of the physics books to the particular
conditions of most of the cases that astronomy cares about
without leaving rigorousity along the way. With a little
abuse of language: They bring Physics a step closer to
Astronomy.

On the other hand, the area of actual applications that
astronomers use is almost neglected. For example, the
introductory chapters on Radiative Transfer and Black
Body Radiation could have served to motivate a chapter on
theoretical basis of photometry (theoretical approach to
color indices, extinction by dust or other microscopic
particles). This would have given the student a more
realistic flavor of the tools that astrophysicists use
in their everyday (every night?) work. The Problem Sets,
in addition, are claiming for a few numerical
applications to profit from the, now easily available
to students, computer power.

Every serious astrophysics teacher and student should
use this book... and think hard on how to take the
next step from Rybicki and Lightman to the Absolute
Magnitude versus Color Index diagrams.

Excellent Discussion
Thorough, concise, and very readable. Topics are clearly presented, equations are elegantly explained. One of the most useful texts I own.

Standard Text in the Field
This is THE standard text in the field of astrophysical radiation processes. Covers most processes of interest for the astrophysicist, at a depth adequate for graduate students. Well written and understandable. A must buy, despite the very high price. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Very difficult to teach from
After surveying available undergraduate texts in astrophysics and consulting colleagues, I settled on this as the best available despite qualms about its size and cost. My students are finding its size and sheer length overwhelming; we are forced to leave out so much material that they are questioning whether it's worth it. The system of units used (cgs) is becoming (if it is not already) obsolete in most areas of astrophysics. In every chapter there are references to material yet to be covered, requiring one to flip back and forth, often over hundreds of pages. Finally, with a 1996 publication date, much of the material is becoming dated (I know, a new edition will be even more expensive).

All that said, there are remarkably few errors in the text, figures, and problems for a work of this size. The instructor's solution manual is clear, comprehensive, and generally correct.

A superb introductory text
Carroll's 'Introduction to Modern Astrophysics' is admittedly the best textbook out there for a simple, comprehensive introduction to astrophysics. Generally suited for an intermediate/advanced course in astrophysics/astronomy, this book can in fact be used as a self-study text for those interested in knowing how physical principles and simple but elegant mathematics explain a lot about how the universe works. From Kepler's mechanics to Einstein's General Relativity, this book could not have been written in a better way. It is sure to create an immediate interest and thrill for the subject since it covers the whole of astrophysics and the chapters are well-supplemented with exercises designed to round up everything.
I've been using this text for a semester course in astrophysics in my sophomore year and I really enjoyed reading through the text, specially the last few chapters which deal with the relativity theory of gravitation.

Excellent and encyclopedic
There are very few comprehensive astrophysics text books at the junior/senior level. In trying to find a book which surveys most of the field I found only three possibilities. Two were good (Astrophysical Concepts by Harwitt and Astrophysics by Bowers and Deeming) but this one is EXCELLENT. The level of presentation is mathematically accessible to advanced undergrads in physics, math, comp sci, and engineering while the underlying physics is reviewed before it is applied. The exercises are interesting and complete and include several nice computer based problems in each chapter.

For a one semester survey class the size and scope of this book will induce heart attacks in your students but the organization and clear layout of the text allows the instructor to select a set of topics which (a) cover a wide range of astrophysical ideas and (b) don't depend strongly on the omitted material.

Highly recommended.

A must-have for astrophysics beginners and theory lovers!
The book is a comprehensive book which guides you to the every corner of modern astrophysics.

From Kepler's Law to Relativity, from the geocentric model to modern cosmology, this book gives very clear descriptions of every aspect that you might be interested in.

The mathematical equations and formulaes are clear and tidy, wordings are simple enough to understand.

Therefore, not only if you are to take an astrophysics course at university, even if you just a high-school student or an amateur who is interested in knowing more about our universe, well, maybe in an mathematical way, this is a book for you. ... Read more

Book Description

Every chapter of Radiative Heat Transfer offers uncluttered nomenclature, numerous worked examples, and a large number of problems - many based on "real world" situations, making it ideal for classroom use as well as for self-study.The book's 22 chapters cover the four major areas in the field: surface properties; surface transport; properties of participating media; and transfer through participating media.Within each chapter, all analytical methods are developed in substantial detail, and a number of examples show how the developed relations may be applied to practical problems.

ú Extensive solution manual for adopting instructors
ú Most complete text in the field of radiative heat transfer
ú Many worked examples and end-of-chapter problems
ú Large number of computer codes (in Fortran and C++), ranging from basic problem solving aids to sophisticated research tools
ú Covers experimental methods ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Especially commended to students of engineering
Now in an updated and expanded second edition, Radiative Heat Transfer by Michael F. Modest is a college-level mechanical and chemical engineering textbook, specifically written and intended for advanced students already familiar with basic calculus. Individual chapters address radiative exchange between a variety of surfaces; equations, functions, and methodologies; the influence of conduction and convention, and much, much more. An advanced resource and an excellent text or supplement to engineering education, Radiative Heat Transfer is especially commended to students of Mechanical Engineering and Chemical Engineering. ... Read more

Book Description

Uniting staunchly opposed viewpoints into one groundbreaking new perspective, this startling and timely work illuminates the complete interdependence between Biblical reports and modern scientific discoveries. Comparing key events from the Old Testament with the most current findings of biochemists, paleontologists, and physicists, Gerald Schroeder resolves age-old debates about miracles, the origins of the universe, the first life on Earth, and the meaning of free will. Through thoughtful, engaging discussions--even using Einstein's theory of relativity to validate a six-day creation timetable--The Science of God ultimately proves both Darwin and creationists right. ... Read more

Reviews (78)

The Diference between faith and reason
One of the most interesting facts of this book, in my experience, is people's reactions after reading it. Religous christians attack it for being unorthodox. Religous Jews tend to want to debate its points. Why?

Because Schroeder, a religous Jew, accepts the value of the many supportive texts that Jews read along with the bible. Christians reject these texts and look mainly to the texts obvious meaning. That is unfortunate.

Imagine, a 12th century Jewish comentator described the "big bang" in almost exactly the way a high school physiscs teacher would in 2001?. The writers of the talmud saw each stage of creation "evolving" into the next and discussed whether 6 days for the divine was the same as 6 days as they experience it. For me, such facts are mind blowing.

I urge anyone interested in understanding a Jewish approach to the world to read this text. We believe people were created with reason exactly so we could probe the mysterys of creation and help in the divine plan. Along with everything else, Schroeder demonstrates that much current science was prefigured by religous scholars who used holy texts as their source.

If you want to understand why faith and reason are not in conflict, I urge you to read this book.

An amazing, thought-provoking read
I never realized that a book dealing with science could be so poetic and intriguing. Yet Dr. Schroeder has written such a book: a real page turner. Using information from the fields of micro-biology to quantum mechanics to cosmology, as well as traditional biblical commentaries from past centuries, Dr. Schroeder brings amazing and convincing data to support his thesis that science and the Bible are not only compatible but the study of one is enhanced by the study of the other. The knowledge brought from both do not compete or contradict, but converge.

Without being in any way dogmatic or preachy, Dr. Schroeder shows how biblical texts have within them the hidden meanings known in ancient times which we can only now more completely understand with the help of science. One cannot come away from this book without a deeper appreciation of the intricacies of of the world we live in from the smallest particle to the scope of the expanding universe. The "how" that we can learn from science is absolutely mind-boggling. Dr. Schroeder helps synthesize this with the no less intriguing "why" that we can gain form biblical sources.

Anyone interested in such diverse topics as what kind of statistical possibilities are necessary for random evolution, the naturalness of miracles, and what kind of god allows the good to suffer will appreciate this awesome book.

Science of the Goofed!
The most charitable comment I can give to this book is that "it is a journey". More specifically, it is a torturing journey. The author tends to mix up very simple scientific methodology and metaphysical philosophy. Often, Gerald seems to look like an armchair philosopher and jumps to unsupported onotological conclusion. One may find plenty philosophical problems in the analysis, arguments from personal credulity and incredulity. The arguments are not even close to being convincing. I would not recommend this chauvinistic exegesis to anyone would like to 'find things out'.

Thinking outside the box,-- a seminal effort worth a read
As a scientist in an ongoing search for truth, I have been disappointed by ham-handed efforts of the creation crowd to cling to extreme minority viewpoints of credentialed scientists from diverse fields of science that would collectively be required to support a *literal* interpretation of Genesis. Similarly, I have been mystified by scientists who reflexively dismiss the idea of some kind of intelligent design outright by way of circular reasoning, arguing that since intelligent design can never be disproven, it is not scientific and thus could not be truth, since only science can properly assess truth.

It is hard to understate, then, the moxie of Schroeder's innovative attempt to reconcile with Genesis scientifically DOMINANT paradigms (i.e. universe many billions of years old, terrestrial life hundreds of millions of years old, species variation to extensive degree by alteration or differential expression of genes). Schroeder introduces his intent thus: "In the following chapters, I attempt to avoid the subjective tendency of bending Bible to match science or science to match Bible." (softcover p.19) Whether he was successful or not is in the eye of the reader, but the explicit intent is refreshing.

This book, then, would be of particular interest to two groups:

1) Scientists who wonder how their mainstream conclusions could possibly be reconciled with ancient accounts of creation from the Hebrew Torah.

2) Jews and Christians who are discomforted by the apparent incompatability between the text of their faith versus the observed truth about our planet and universe as collected and interpreted by the VAST MAJORITY of professional scientists.

The prime example of this reconciliation is Schroeder's attempt to fit a 15-billion year old universe with the six-day account of Genesis by arguing that: 1) from a collective, "Creation-wide" perspective, time advanced differently in the primordial hot universe (time dilation), and 2) that "days" in the ancient hebrew text only adopted the terrestrial perception (instead of universal perception) of time passage upon the creation of man late in the "creation" process.

Later chapters address other issues, such as the likelihood that genetic variation by mutation at rates observed in today's laboratories (or even much greater rates) were sufficient to generate the speciation evidenced in the fossil record within the abbreviated time-frame indicated by the fossil record itself.

By virtue of his theological background and professional training (MIT-trained physicist), Schroeder is uniquely qualified to attempt such a reconciliation. However, as evidenced by several previous reviews, this training is not enough-- at least not enough to win over skeptical scientists. It may be that the sheer enormity of burgeoning data within each of the fields (molecular genetics, population genetics, paleontology, geology, as well as cosmology and particle physics) is simply too great for one individual to incorporate into solid perspective within *each and every* discipline to present an airtight case on all scientific fronts.

Previous reviewers have asserted gross inaccuracies with the science presented in this book. As a clinical neuroscientist, I am not in a position to assault or defend Schroeder on evolution, genetics, particle physics or cosmology. However, I would argue against throwing the baby out with the bathwater. For example, the latest data on cosmic background radiation indicates an accelerating expansion of the universe, and an approximate age of 13.7 billion years instead of the 15 Schroeder cites. Must this nullify the core of his whole premise? Maybe so, but not enough to discard this book out of hand.

The strength of this work is in its innovation. Schroeder rightly notes that the Bible is silent on many subjects, and actually leaves room for many observed phenomena, such as speciation and niche-filling by DNA alteration. It is only the rigid mindset of many religious individuals that closes this possibility.

The weaknesses of the book lie in the specific physical science undergirding Schroeder's arguments, as well as in his over-reliance on conjecture. I thus was left with the same mind-set I had before I read the book, namely that the simplest explanation for why the Genesis account is not borne out by the findings of mainstream science is that Genesis was inspired and spoke great *truth* on a metaphorical and didactic level-- but not at a literal level.

On the whole, I found it a fascinating read. In accord with previous reviewers, I liken this effort to a Model-T. Crude in the light of today, yet innovative at its introduction, with the potential to be honed with further investment in this line of reasoning. This whole line of inquiry would benefit enormously by some kind of COLLABORATIVE work, with each chapter penned by a bona-fide expert in that field of the physical sciences, where this expert can build a much more solid case in conjunction with the totality of data in his or her field. I could even envision anonymous contribution, inasmuch as publicly arguing for some kind of intelligent designer is probably not conducive to garnering tenure in the Paleontology Department of Secular State University....

Great subject to attempt to tackle
Not one of his best books. I thought the hidden face of God was much better for the money. Schroeder sympathizes with the intelligent design movement and makes a compelling case for his cause from a theological standpoint. For Schroeder, the mind can be converted into energy and energy can then be converted into mass. This is the next great step in physics and is just a few years before discovering the path for this venture. However there is much speculation and little evidence to back up the claims presented. The book is often lax on supportive evidence and testimony.

Schroeder believes physics will drastically change in the following years but his revolutionary view ends with that subject. Schroeder seems to blindly accept many other avenues without fail, such as geological dating, human evolution, and even embryology. Subjects which have much more subjective and questions marks. Further Schroeder's rational for doing so is not much more than simply accepting the status quo. His whole argument, for instance, against YEC and Noah's flood revolve around dated writing tablets. Schroeder argues the flood could not have altered dating schemes because certain writing pieces are dated at 10,000ys old. This is simply flawed reasoning and can be explain by skewed dates produced because of the flood.

There were several chapters were Schroeder went off topic and started going on some tirade. The chapter on free will was interesting but I expected more. His chapter on randomness and how mathematically evolution has many problems was very detailed. I thought that his take on Adam being the first human with a soul was an interesting way of interpreting genesis. A tough topic to cover, but Schroeder does ok. ... Read more

Book Description

This Second Edition continues the fine tradition of its predecessor by exploring the various automatic control systems in aircraft and on board missiles. Considerably expanded and updated, it now includes new or additional material on: the effectiveness of beta-beta feedback as a method of obtaining coordination during turns using the F-15 as the aircraft model; the root locus analysis of a generic acceleration autopilot used in many air-to-air and surface-to-air guided missiles; the guidance systems of the AIM-9L Sidewinder as well as bank-to-turn missiles; various types of guidance, including proportional navigation and line-of-sight and lead-angle command guidance; the coupling of the output of a director fire control system into the autopilot; the analysis of multivariable control systems; and methods for modeling the human pilot, plus the integration of the human pilot into an aircraft flight control system. Also features many new additions to the appendices. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Automatic Control of Aircraft and Missiles by J H Blakelock
Blakelock's text is a very fine book. You may also find Control Systems Engineering by Nise (now in 3rd Edn)of benefit.

The reference book to have for missile simulation
I used this book as a ready refence for all my six degree-of-freedom missile modeling. An excellent presentation. There are 13 chapters with 9 Appendices. I suspect this book is out-of-print - get it while you can! ... Read more

Book Description

The breakup of the Space Shuttle Columbia as it reentered Earth's atmosphere on February 1, 2003, reminded the public--and NASA--of the grave risks posed to spacecraft by everything from insulating foam to space debris. Here, Alan Tribble presents a singular, up-to-date account of a wide range of less conspicuous but no less consequential environmental effects that can damage or cause poor performance of orbiting spacecraft. Conveying a wealth of insight into the nature of the space environment and how spacecraft interact with it, he covers design modifications aimed at eliminating or reducing such environmental effects as solar absorptance increases caused by self-contamination, materials erosion by atomic oxygen, electrical discharges due to spacecraft charging, degradation of electrical circuits by radiation, and bombardment by micrometeorites. This book is unique in that it bridges the gap between studies of the space environment as performed by space physicists and spacecraft design engineering as practiced by aerospace engineers.

... Read more

Reviews (3)

Pretty good text for Space Environment Interactions
I wouldn't call this text amazing, but it is certainly adequate. I used this book for a graduate level course in space environment interactions mostly because there was a lack of other resources available. This book gives a decent overview, without getting too bogged down with the physics involved. However, the professor had to pull a large chunk of his material from other sources (out of print sources) because Tribble is a little to basic. As an aerospace engineer, I don't care so much about the EE stuff, so Tribble does a good job summarizing the EE physics. Overall, a sufficient reference that gives a good overview of s/c-environment interactions.

AMAZING!!
I bought this book along with about 7 others like it and this was only one of two that were great at explaining everything in words a high school student would understand! This book is amazing and after taking AP Chemistry and Physics it has become even more useful! If you want to design the fuselages of spacecraft this is a must buy! Also Alan Tribble has written a few other good books I have seen.

Excellent.
This book is one of the best I have found on the topic of a spacecraft's environment. It provides an introduction the many environments one finds with launch, various orbits and deep space missions. The physic of space are presented with enough detail that the engineer involved in spacecraft design gains an understanding of the environments that are encountered in space. The excellent references at the end of each chapter allow the reader to study the topic in more depth when needed. The book is written in a textbook format, with compulsory study questions at the end of each chapter. At times the math seemed disproportionate or irrelevant to the topic, but that is not unlike most textbooks. The several charts and figures are clear and applicable to the discussion in the text, never superfluous. I expected this book to serve as a reference that I could pull from the shelve, when needed, but the book is so well written and enjoyable, I instead read the book cover to cover. ... Read more

Book Description

All of science springs from the observations of nature. In this classic book, the late Marcel Minnaert accompanies the reader on a tour of nature's light and color and reveals the myriad phenomena that may be observed outdoors with no more than a pair of sharp eyes and an enquiring mind. From the intriguing shape of the dapples beneath a tree on a sunny day, to rainbows, mirages, and haloes, to the colors of liquid, ice, and the sky, to the appearance of the sun, moon, planets, and stars - Minnaert describes and explains them all in a clear language accessible to the general reader.

The author's enthusiasm inspires the reader, who is encouraged and given abundant opportunity to make his or her own observations and perform simple experiments. Yet the phototgrapher, astronomer, or physicist will also find a wealth of detailed information, much available elsewhere, on more exotic phenomena assembled by Minnaert over many years. Among them are Sun dogs, the fata morgana, coronae, glories, noctilucent and iridescent clouds, and haloes.

This volume includes 80 new photographs, over half in color, illustrating many of the phenomena - ordinary and exotic - discussed in the book. Most of the new photos are by Pekka Parviainen, the renowned Finnish nature photographer.

FROM THE REVIEWS:

PHYSICALIA "Photographers, astronomers and physicists will find a wealth of information on light phenomena in nature such as sun dogs, fata morganas, coronae, glories, noctilucent and iridescent clouds and haloes. All phenomena are described and explained in a clear language accessible to both scientists and laymen. This book contains 13 chapters, in which 273 phenomena are carefully described...The descriptions are lavishly illustrated with drawings, black-and-white and color photographs. The physical basis of all phenomena is clearly explained...The 80 new photographs mostly by the renowned Finnish nature photographer Pekka Perviainen, included in this new edition, help greatly to make this book attractive. This book shows clearly how intense physics and many nature phenomena are interwoven. It is interesting reading for a scientific minded observer of nature, including physicists with a keen eye for physical phenomena outside the laboratory."

CRUISING WORLD "Minnaert flawlessly explicates natural and artificial light effects from rainbows, halos, and twinkling heavenly bodies to the rarer evanescent dewbows, coronas, eclipse eccentricities and legendary Fata Morgana. After studying, diagramming and occasionally justifying them with mathematical formulae, he assembled them into this colorful encyclopedia, which he has made surprisingly lively with literary references, folklore and personal reminiscences...It belongs in the cockpit where it will serve best those sailors who wish to see more deeply into the universe's fascinating empire of light."

OPTIK "From the intriguing shape of the dapples beneath a tree on a sunny day, to rainbows, mirages, and haloes, to the colors of liquid, ice, and the sky, to the appearance of the sun, moon, planets, and stars - Minnaert describes and explains them all in a clear language accessible to the layman. The author's enthusiasm inspires the reader, who is encourages and given abundant opportunity to make his or her own observations and perform simple experiments. Yet the photographer, astronomer, or physicist will also find a wealth of detailed information, much unavailable elsewhere, on more exotic phenomena assembled by Minnaert over many years...The book is an invitation to rejoice in nature and science."

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYICS "Minnaert's book is a gem!...It is a wonderful book that should be known by everyone who has an interest in the natural visual world. It has enriched my life and the lives of many people whom I know."

SKY & TELESCOPE "LIGHT AND COLOR IN THE OUTDOORS is a one volume reference that covers every imaginable interaction of atmosphere and light from rainbows and halos to Sun pillars and noctilucent clouds. First published in 1940...this definitive book is once again available."

EDWARD R. TUFTE, AUTHOR OF "THE VISUAL DISPLAY OF QUANTITATIVE INFORMATION" "A change-your-life classic . . . This deeply perceptive book changes our own perceptions of all kinds of light and color events in the outdoors. You will never see the same way again outdoors. Some examples involve elementary optics (which explain the visual phenomena) but nearly all the 278 short chapters can be appreciated by the visually alert reader. My favorite examples include dappled light, rainbows (there are always two), and differences between reflected and transmitted light in seeing leaves and grass. The Dover edition is fine; the Springer-Verlag edition is better with its excellent color photographs." ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A Change-Your-Life Classic
This deeply perceptive book changes our own perceptions of all kinds of light and color events in the outdoors. You will never see the same way again outdoors. Some examples involve elementary optics (which explain the visual phenomena) but nearly all the 278 short chapters can be appreciated by the visually alert reader. My favorite examples include dappled light, rainbows (there are always two), and differences between relected and transmitted light in seeing leaves and grass. The Dover edition is fine; the Springer-Verlag edition is better with its excellent color photographs.

Eye Pleasure
One of the most phenomenal books I've ever seen. This book describes and explains in very easily read prose, the complex visual phenomena of the natural world. It is almost a meditation on the natural world outdoors. I read it often not just as a reference. Be sure to read the introduction to the work. An excellent buy--I have purchased five copies over the years as gifts.

Great, great, great. Lives up to its promise.
Had the Dover edition (still available) for years, it's wonderful. Saw the updatedhardbound edition and shelled out fifty bucks on the spot, it's even better.If you have any interest in shadows, rainbows, halos, mirages, etc. you will find this book enormously satisfying. I've never seen such a wealth of phenomena so well observed, analyzed, and described. You will see more and notice more after you read this book. What is it? It's not quite optics, not quite natural history, not quite psychophysics or perceptual psychology. Unique. Reading Jack London and wonder what sun-dogs are? Reach for this book. Reading Hersey's "The War Lover" and wonder about the glory around airplane shadows? Reach for this book. ... Read more

Book Description

For more than 30 years the book Practical Gear Design, later re-titled Handbook of Practical Gear Design, has been the leading engineering guide and reference on the subject. It is now available again in its most recent edition. The book is a detailed, practical guide and reference to gear technology. The design of all types of gears is covered, from those for small mechanisms to large industrial applications. The presentation is designed for easy reference for those involved in practical gear design, manufacture, applications and problem solving. The text is well illustrated with clear diagrams and photographs. The many tables provide needed reference data in convenient form. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Handbook Of Pratical Gear Design
Anyone who engineers or specifies gears or gear drives would benefit from this book. Information on the design and function of gears is found in this well thought out text book. This book (written 1983) is greatly expanded and updated from the original (1954) version that I read in 1973. At this time, Handbook of Practical Gear Design is not quite the state of the art in gear engineering it is an excellent resource. All types of gearing are discussed. Read all the articles completely because the last part of the articles usually has newer information. (for example: the article on Hunting Teeth on page 3.8.) This is one of the great books in gear engineering and I consider this book a basic source in gaining the knowledge of great gear design. ... Read more

Book Description

VOYAGES THROUGH THE UNIVERSE provides students and professors with the ideal combination of authors and experience. It is written by an award-winning astronomy educator (Fraknoi) and two distinguished research scientists (Morrison at NASA and Wolff at NOAO). This author team combines the latest science with classroom-tested teaching strategies and a student-friendly approach. Through unique group activities and a focus on astronomy as a human endeavor, the authors engage and involve students, helping them both understand and enjoy astronomy. The market-leading technology package includes access to InfoTrac®College Edition (free!) and TheSky? Student Edition CD-ROM (free!), as well as an optional package with the RedShift? College Edition CD-ROM (including animations) along with an accompanying workbook. ... Read more

Book Description

Since earliest times, humanity has pondered the incomprehensible mysteries of the universe, life...and the afterlife. Was there somewhere on Earth where, after death, mortal man could join the immortal Gods? Where was this place? By whom was it established? And does it still exist today?

After years of painstaking research -- combining recent archaeological discoveries with ancient texts and artifacts -- noted scholar Zecharia Sitchin has identified the legendary Land of the Gods...and provided astounding new revelations about the Great Pyramids, the Sphinx, and other mysterious monuments whose true meanings and purposes have been lost for eons.

Reviews (18)

An interesting rewrite of history
How did an ancient civilization move quarried stones in the mountains of Lebanon that weighed in excess of 2 million pounds each? Who really built the Great Pyramids of Giza, and when? Why are ancient Sumerian cities arranges in precise geometric positions? What did the quests of Giglamesh and Alexander the Great really find? This book attempts to shed true light on many of these historical misconceptions. This book has been exhaustively researched, translated from the ancient texts by Sitchin himself, and it shows in Sitchin's writing. He is a brilliant historain of ancient Sumeria, Mesopotamia, and Egypt. It is rather hard to keep all of the names straight in this book, because he covers so much ground. It might take me a second third read before I can fully digest the book. But it is worth the effort because the implications are so profound. At times his writing style is a bit dry. This is a recommended read for people of scientific mind who would like to shed the lies that they may have been force fed in todays closed-minded institutions.

Man's search for the immortality of the gods
In this second entry in the Earth Chronicles series, Sitchin focuses on man's eternal and perpetual search for immortality and ties his findings in with his theories of ancient Sumer and the Annunaki who originally colonized earth. In particular, he discusses Alexander the Great's desperate search for a way to escape an early death as well as Gilgamesh's epic search for everlasting life; more importantly, he provides a map of their quests, identifying their most important destinations with the ancient Sumerian sites he wrote about in The 12th Planet. Basically, the ultimate destinations of the men of legend corresponded to the areas from which the Annunaki journeyed back and forth between earth, their orbiting spacecraft, and their home planet. Having described an intricate grid system accounting for the specific locations of the ancient cities both before and after the Deluge, he makes some fascinating arguments. I was most struck by his conclusion that the new, post-Deluge space port was actually Jerusalem. As always, Sitchin incorporates Biblical texts into his story, revealing compelling connections between the books of the Bible and the ancient records of the earliest Middle Eastern cultures.

I found myself plodding to some degree through the first half of the book, even laying the book aside for a few days, but the latter sections here are quite interesting because they focus on ancient Egypt. Sitchin's discussions of the ancient Egyptian monuments, particularly the Great Pyramids at Giza are enlightening and fascinating. He forcibly argues that the pyramids were never meant to serve as burial places of ancient Egyptians and that the Great Pyramids and the majestic Sphinx were built long before Khufu, Chefren, and other pharaohs of the 4th Dynasty came to power. Egyptologists dispute this conclusion, of course, but the evidence as presented by Sitchin and other scholars is quite strong on this point. Sitchin lays waste to the only real evidence we have that Khufu built the Great Pyramid. The masons' markings found in the chambers above the King's Chamber in the Great Pyramid purportedly show that Khufu was the builder, but Sitchin puts forth a very convincing argument that those marks were forged (and rather unconvincingly in fact) by an unscrupulous pseudo-archaeologist.

I try to read these books with an open mind. I can't say if Sitchin is correct or not in his theories, but I can say that he breathes life into an ancient world I would otherwise know very little about, and he tells a fascinating story in a very engaging manner.

Not such a stretch if you Think!
Mr. Sitchin has nothing to gain by espousing pseudoscience or pseudohistory. He would only stand to lose. Ancient History as a discipline has been proclaimed true to a great extent by proclamation that the "ancients"told us all. This is all well and good as a baseline. I have no quarrel with Herodotus or Tacitus.
Read the bibliographies in this series. These ARE NOT the idle ramblings of a 'crank". If you truly pay attention, you will see the obvious scholarly work that has been done. Only the intellectually insecure will be intimidated and resort to common mockery.

If nothing else, this should send you into deeper studies of the ancient Near East. You won't be sorry. This is thought provoking at the very least and definitely entertaining to the casual reader and the more imaginative history buffs.

Look at and think about civilization, pre-Egyptian, pre-Indus Valley(?) and you will learn quite a bit. Better yet, you will be driven to learn more by yourself!

Shame on Avon and Amazon.com
Do not buy the mass market edition. Shame on Avon Publishing!!! The type is so small that it is virtually unreadable, and any graphics, maps or diagrams cannot be distinguished. Pay the extra money to buy the edition published for Earthlings, not for Lilliputians.
Most people will be drawn to the cheaper version offered by this on-line retailer, so shame on the on-line retailer for even carrying this edition. I am not exaggerating. The book is UNREADABLE.

If only I could read it....
I might like this book, but I'll never know because it's in 4 point type--the size of footnotes. It's totally unreadable! Shame on Avon for cheaping out to cram this into 328 pages by making the type microscopic. Buy some more paper and print a readable book, people!!... ... Read more

Book Description

Who are the ancient astronauts? Why did they first come to Earth? Why are they returning now? What part did they play in building the great monuments of antiquity? What part did they play in the formation of present and earlier civilizations? With what other beings do we share our universe? And where does the Earth fit into the cosmic scheme of things?

Almost twenty years of experimental work with telepathy led to the "breakthrough" contact recorded in this book. The Ra Material is an account not only of the events leading up to this contact, but of over 200 pages of verbatim transcripts of each and every conversation!, illustrated, 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Profound
The Ra material is the transcription of the taped communications between researcher Don and the entity RA, a being that is talking through Carla, often referred to as the "instrument" throughout the book (s), in a state of deep trance. The transcriptions are carried out by Jim and the three are always present during all sessions, creating a triangulation of light that allows for RA, a sixth dimensional being, that calles itself a "socialmemory complex", to come through and speak.

RA has choosen this group because of the purity of their intent and makes himself available to them for questions about the Universe, the Creator, the dimensions, Karma, the law of One and any other material that might aid people in understanding universal truths that might be helpful for mankinds evolution.

The materail is very esoteric and requires some concentration. However, it is well worth the effort, as it is enlightening, very precise, accurate and informative. The explanations around the shift in dimensions we are about to undergo on the planet, that Ra defines as the harvest, are devoid of hype and sensation. Harvest is a process that all beings and planetary bodies eventually encur, following physical/spiritual law just as eclipses do or the seasons.The science of the harvest ( ascension) is explained in depth here as is the chakra system and it's role in Soul evolution.

Also extremely interesting the explanation of the polarization of entities into Service to Self orintated entities and Service to Others orientated entities and the implications these have in the ascension process and the roles they play within the bigger picture.

A really deep read and well worth the effort. I have read all four volumes and I am about to tackle vol 5. I thoroughly recommend it.

The Ra Material & Law of One books
This "contact" is the only example of so-called channeled material to which I would give an unqualified endorsement -- if by "channeled" one refers to communication with another entity, not one's own subconscious or superconscious, nor "angelic" or hierarchical sources, while in trance.

Guaranteed to interest students of forteana, metaphysics, and matters of the spirit... But, to those of you on the straight and narrow spiritual path, a cautionary note is advised whenever the possibility arises of engaging in "spiritual gossip" that may accompany the "true teachings". And said Goethe: "Thought widens, but paralyzes; whereas action enlivens, but narrows."

Hope I haven't confused you too much with this electronic "contact". Happy distorting.

THE TRUTH OUT THERE BEFORE IT BECAME HIP
The history of psychic channelling and channelled material has a long and checkered past. In the last century, at least in the West, the seriousness and quality of such work has been generally dismissed as something between a quaint parlor trick and delusional doomsday prophesying. In a broader historical context, however, channeling has been accepted for 1000's of years as a genuine means of acquiring valid and useful information. Consider that much of the Bible, as the divinely inspired Word of God, easily qualifies as channelled material. It is from this latter context that I view the RA Material. From an intuitive standpoint the information contained within this first book, as well as, the remaining four other books rings true. The channelled entity RA claims to be a higher dimensional being of collective intelligence with karmic connections to Earth and it's ensouled inhabitants. Essentially, the message is as follows: Long ago, Earth was selected by benevolent higher dimensional beings as a planet for the seeding of Life in all its myriad forms including humankind. These beings are members of an "intergalactic federation" of sorts comprised of various advanced intelligences with representatives from assorted civilizations throughout the universe. There "mission" is to oversee and nurture the development and evolution of other less advanced civilizations while not interfering with planetary affairs or indvidual lives to the point of violating Free Will. One realizes that at some point, the distictions between angels and highly developed extra-dimensional alien beings who watch over us with concern and care are rougly one and the same. Throughout history, they have periodically attempted to gently steer us away from the darkness of possible destruction and towards the light of soul development or evolution by offering wisdom and understanding through various means ranging from inspiration in dreams to direct physical contact. Their message is The Law Of One which states that the Creator is real, that the universe and everything in it is His creation, and that Love is not only also real but a powerful energetic force of Creation. We are all souls having a "human experience" over many physical incarnations for the purpose of learning truths which will allow us to move on to the next level of development in an endless jouney to become one with the Creator again. This is but a brief synopsis and doesn't do justice to the remarkable amount of information and specific detail contained in the five books. The books were written in the early 1980's, and the fact that a great many of RA's statements have come to pass in the last twenty years lends credence to the overall quality of the work and channelling in general. In my experience, this material is the best of it's kind, easily ranking with the Jane Roberts' Seth books. Read the RA Material and enjoy the feeling of wonder again and again.

fascinating, undeniable links to the puzzle of existance
The material of this book has become a keystone in the puzzle of human history for me. Other books that tie in in theme and content are Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsh and The Third Eye and Cave of the Ancients by Tuesday Lobsang Rampa. Ra Material is very "thick" but rewarding reading.

the most clear metaphysical philosophy that I have found
This is the first from a series of five books called THE LAW OF ONE. It describes channeling sessions conducted by the authors who were looking for material that would aid in the spiritual evolution of humankind. Wide range of metaphysical subjects are covered, from ancient Egypt to chakras to the evolution of this universe. The entity providing the information calls itself "RA, a humble messenger of the Law of One". ... Read more

Book Description

University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City. Second edition of an extensive text on the maintenance of the health, performance, and safety of those who fly in air and space. For clinicians and students in general medicine, aviation, or the space program. Previous edition 1986. 51 contributors, 48 U.S. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The authority
This textbook is largely considered the authority in Aerospace Medicine in the United States. If one wants to become familiar with Aerospace Medicine, they must read this text. It moves from history to the many aspects of medicine, which effect the aviator. It is fairly well written, and up-to-date. It is not written with just the FAA or any one military service in mind, but can be generalized to all. Space medicine is also covered. If you need info on this subject this is a good text to purchase. ... Read more

Book Description

Recent advances in technology have allowed ever increasing speeds of aircraft. With this increase in speed comes the need for enhanced systems to navigate and control these vehicles to precise requirements. This book covers the basics through the recent advances in navigation theory and hardware/software. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Excellent book with exhaustive detail
This book contians all the information that anyone could ever need. It also has the best index I have ever seen, making finding the smallest section easy. It does not really cover the basics of each system, but provided you have a basic knowledge then it will build on that. It is up to the reader to decide how much depth they want to go into, this book will take them as far as they could possibly need to go.

A collection of disjoint writings
This book was obviously intended for the experienced navigator or system designer. It certainly reviews all of the traditional and modern navigation systems. However, in trying to explain every minute detail, the basic workings of the technology are never explained.

The average reader will have a very difficult time in just trying to understand how a GPS or VOR or DME system works. A search on the web will present much better explanations.

This is, by far, not a quick read, it is burdened by volumes of mathematics that are of little practical use, and the chapters, written by different authors, are often disjoint.

Simple, key explanations are mentioned (if at all) after pages of technical confusion. It is as if the author could spend several pages explaining to the average desert nomad how to build a snowman in every minute detail -- how to grow the carrot for the nose, how to pick out the best black rocks for the eyes, how to make the body round to "n" degrees of precision -- but he forgets to mention (until page 89) that, oh by the way, you need to have cold weather and snow to make one.

The definitive text on the subject, for engineers and pilots
Engineers and pilots alike will appreciate this book if they skim the math and read it as a survey text, as all possible functional behavior is described for GPS, GLONASS, Inertial systems, VOR, DME, ILS, and more. The intro to the math involved is good, as it walks the line between satisfying a mathematician's love of state space and spherical trig, while not losing the average reader. As an Avionics Systems Engineer tasked with avionics integration, I found the right level of detail when the book describes electronic hardware, software requirements, and system error sources. As a "cover-to-cover" exercise, the reader is advised that this book asks for a high level of commitment. Read a chapter or two at a time (with trash novels in between), the reader's curiosity will sustain him /her for the duration of this well written book. ... Read more

Book Description

Photographs of outer space--produced by earthbound and space telescopes and planet-roving satellites--have captivated a vast audience. And nowhere has this audience found more enthralling views than on Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD), a website so popular that it draws well over one million hits every week. The Universe: 365 Days presents in unprecedented clarity 365 spectacular images culled from the thousands that have been featured on the site, which has been hailed as one of the best science sites by both Scientific American and Popular Science magazines.

Following the enormously successful format of Abrams' Earth From Above: 365 Days, The Universe: 365 Days has been crafted by the two astrophysicists who in 1995, in collaboration with NASA, created and continue to maintain the APOD website. Accompanying each stunning image is a short explanatory text that greatly expands the reader's appreciation of the wonders of the cosmos. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

beautiful photography
There is a website called "Astronomy Picture of the Day". The website is exactly what it claims to be. Every day the website posts a new picture related to astronomy with a description of that picture written by a professional astronomer. With the first archived photo on that website from June 16, 1995, the editors of "The Universe: 365 Days" had nearly 8 years of photographs to draw on when this volume was published in May 2003. This book can be used like a calendar because that is how this book is laid out: every day of the year has an astronomy photograph, with a description of each picture.

As someone who knows very little about the universe, or astronomy, even with the descriptions next to the pictures I still wasn't always sure what I was looking at and how one picture was truly different from another. I understand that they look different and that they are pictures of very different parts of the universe, but the details are far beyond my comprehension. What is not beyond my comprehension is the fact that these are stunningly beautiful pictures. Even simple pictures that we may have seen many times before, like a picture of our planet from space, is striking and beautiful. Others are of star clusters and galaxies that are so far away and so alien that it boggles the mind to know that there are places like this out there and we really know nothing about what it would be like to travel there.

This book can be read as a calendar, where you flip the page each day and see what new photograph is waiting. It can be read like that, but I couldn't imagine only looking at one of these pictures a day. After seeing one picture, I just had to turn the page to see what wonder was waiting for me, and almost without exception, there was a wonder on every page. Beautiful space photography (though some are on Earth, and others looking out from Earth). If that sounds interesting, this collection is probably for you.

-Joe Sherry

Illuminating !
Ahhh... The beauty of the universe. Do you think it just formed itself? After looking thru the marvelous photos in this book, do yourself a favor and read up on the continuing war between science and religion.
Here is an excerpt from the latest book by Dan Brown...

"Science may have alleviated the miseries of disease and drudgery and provided an array of gadgetry for our entertainment and convenience, but it has left us in a world without wonder. Our sunsets have been reduced to wavelengths and frequencies. The complexities of the universe have been shredded into mathematical equations. Even our self-worth as human beings has been destroyed. Science proclaims that Planet Earth and its inhabitants are a meaningless speck in the grand scheme. A cosmic 'accident'. Even the technology that promises to unite us, divids us. Each of us is now electronically connected to the globe, and yet we feel utterly alone. We are bombarded with violence, division, fracture, and betrayal. Skepticism has become a virtue. Cynicism and demand for proof has become enlightened thought. Is it any wonder that humans now feel more depressed and defeated than they have at any point in human history? Does science hold ANYTHING sacred? Science looks for answers by probing our unborn fetuses. Science even presumes to rearrange our own DNA. It shatters GOD's world into smaller and smaller pieces in quest of meaning... and all it finds is more questions.
The ancient war between science and religion is over. Science has won. But not fairly. Not by providing answers, but by so radically reorienting our society that the truths we once saw as signposts now seem inapplicable. Religion cannot keep up. Scientific growth is exponential. It feeds on itself like a virus. Every new breakthrough opens doors for new breakthroughs. Mankind took thousands of years to progress from the wheel to the car. Yet only decades from the car into space. Now we measure progress in weeks. We are spinning out of control. The rift between us grows deeper and deeper, and as religion is left behind, people find themselves in a spiritual VOID. We cry out for meaning. There is a growing trend of people who profess to believe in UFO's, engage in chanelling, spirit contact, and out-of-body experiences- all these eccentric ideas have a scientific veneer, but they are unashamedly irrational. They are the desperate cry of the modern soul, lonely and tormented, crippled by its own enlightenment and its inability to accept meaning in anything removed from technology.
Science, the 'illuminati' say, will save us. Science, I say, has destroyed us. Since the days of Galileo, the church has tried to slow the relentless march of science, sometimes with misguided means, but always with benevolent intention. Even so, the temptations are too great for man to resist. I warn you, look around yourselves. The promises of science have not been kept. Promises of efficiency and simplicity have bred nothing but pollution and chaos. We are a fractured and frantic species... moving down a path of desruction.
To science, I say this. The church is tired. We are exhausted from trying to be your signposts. Our resources are drying up from our campain to be the voice of balance as you plow blindly on in your quest for smaller chips and larger profits. You even murder unborn children in the name of research that will save lives. But it is the church that points out the fallacy of this reasoning. And all the while, you proclaim that the church is ignorant. But who is MORE ignorant? The man who cannot define lightning, or the man who does not respect its awesome power?
Show me proof that there is a God, you say. I say use your telescopes to look to the heavens, and tell me how there could not be a God. Do you not see God in your science? Have we become so spiritually bankrupt that we would rather believe in mathematical impossibility than in a power greather than us?
Whether or not you believe in God, you must admit that when people abandon their trust in a greather power, they abandon their sense of accountability. Faith, all Faiths are adomitions that there is something we cannot understand, something to which we are accountable... With faith we are accountable to ourselves, to each other, and to a higher truth. Religion is flawed, but only because MAN is flawed. Simply put, we people with faith belong to a brotherhood of imperfect simple souls wanting only to be a voice of compassion in a world rapidly spinning out of control."

~ From Angels & Demons

a must have for all ages, all walks of life
This book is nothing short of phenomenal. I keep buying it for people because I know they will be enthralled. Each photograph is awe inspiring and the accompanying text just boggles the mind. You can get lost for several minutes just gazing at a single photograph, contemplating the nature of the universe. Petty concerns dissolve as you stretch your mind around the concepts so beautifully depicted. This book is a treasure to enjoy for a lifetime.

Gorgeous
You know about the Astronomy Picture of the Day website, don't you? If not, check it out; I can't post the URL here but a quick search will turn it up.

This book is a collection of some of the very best pictures from that marvellous site. Most of the pictures are images of Very Cool Stuff from around the cosmos: comets whacking into Jupiter, galaxies forming, that sort of thing. And wow, it sure is _big_ out there.

The stuff close to home is fascinating enough in its own right that the book pays for itself with just the images from within our very own solar system. The shots of the other planets and their moons are culled from the various flyby missions and, natural