Conversations with Carl Sagan
Sagan, Carl. Conversations with Carl Sagan. University Press of Mississippi, 2006. Print. pp. 167.
Though a well-regarded physicist Carl Sagan (1934-1996) is best known as a writer of popular nonfiction and science fiction and as the host of the PBS series Cosmos. Through his writings and spoken commentary, he worked to popularize interests in astronomy, the universe, and the possibility of extraterrestrial life.
From the beginning of his public career, when he co-wrote Intelligent Life in the Universe to the very end as he worked on the 1997 film adaptation of his novel Contact, these subjects absorbed him. This interest in space was rooted in his understanding of the smallness and vulnerability of humanity measured against the immense size and power of the universe. This profound philosophical humility, mixed with personal exuberance, comes through in Conversations with Carl Sagan.
In interviews and profiles, Sagan discusses with verve a wide variety of topics--the environment, nuclear disarmament, religion, politics, extraterrestrial life, astronomy, physics, robotics. Whether he is discussing his science fiction or his well-researched nonfiction works, his voice embraces reason and skepticism. This volume shows how Sagan, a lifelong skeptic, refined his views and expressed amazement that Earth, for all his belief in extraterrestrial life, encompasses everything about which he cared.
From the beginning of his public career, when he co-wrote Intelligent Life in the Universe to the very end as he worked on the 1997 film adaptation of his novel Contact, these subjects absorbed him. This interest in space was rooted in his understanding of the smallness and vulnerability of humanity measured against the immense size and power of the universe. This profound philosophical humility, mixed with personal exuberance, comes through in Conversations with Carl Sagan.
In interviews and profiles, Sagan discusses with verve a wide variety of topics--the environment, nuclear disarmament, religion, politics, extraterrestrial life, astronomy, physics, robotics. Whether he is discussing his science fiction or his well-researched nonfiction works, his voice embraces reason and skepticism. This volume shows how Sagan, a lifelong skeptic, refined his views and expressed amazement that Earth, for all his belief in extraterrestrial life, encompasses everything about which he cared.
Comet
Sagan, Carl. Comet. New York: Ballantine, 1997, Print. pp. 398.
WHAT ARE THESE GRACEFUL VISITORS TO OUR SKIES? WE NOW KNOW THAT THEY BRING BOTH LIFE AND DEATH AND TEACH US ABOUT OUR ORIGINS.
Comet begins with a breathtaking journey through space astride a comet. Pulitzer Prize-winning astronomer Carl Sagan, author of Cosmos and Contact, and writer Ann Druyan explore the origin, nature, and future of comets, and the exotic myths and portents attached to them.
The authors show how comets have spurred some of the great discoveries in the history of science and raise intriguing questions about these brilliant visitors from the interstellar dark. Were the fates of the dinosaurs and the origins of humans tied to the wanderings of a comet? Are comets the building blocks from which worlds are formed? Lavishly illustrated with photographs and specially commissioned full-color paintings, Comet is an enthralling adventure, indispensable for anyone who has ever gazed up at the heavens and wondered why.
Comet begins with a breathtaking journey through space astride a comet. Pulitzer Prize-winning astronomer Carl Sagan, author of Cosmos and Contact, and writer Ann Druyan explore the origin, nature, and future of comets, and the exotic myths and portents attached to them.
The authors show how comets have spurred some of the great discoveries in the history of science and raise intriguing questions about these brilliant visitors from the interstellar dark. Were the fates of the dinosaurs and the origins of humans tied to the wanderings of a comet? Are comets the building blocks from which worlds are formed? Lavishly illustrated with photographs and specially commissioned full-color paintings, Comet is an enthralling adventure, indispensable for anyone who has ever gazed up at the heavens and wondered why.
Armageddon Now: The End of the World A to Z
Willis, Jim. Armageddon Now: The End of the World A to Z. Detroit: Visible Ink Press, 2006. Print. pp. 450.
Is it the end of the world as we know it? According to a considerable minority in this country alone, the end just may be near. How else can we explain the mind-boggling popularity of such prophets as Nostradamus and Edgar Cayce?
If your library caters to the converted, you may consider purchasing this A-to-Z overview of the history of apocalyptic beliefs. In 200 entries, the Willises (The Religion Book: Places, Prophets, Saints, and Seers) tackle such topics as collisions with asteroids, nuclear war, global warming, and more. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. –Library Journal
Earth Under Siege: From Air Pollution to Global Change
Turco, Richard P., Earth Under Siege: From Air Pollution to Global Change. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. Print. pp. 527.
This acclaimed book examines one of the most important problems facing our modern technological age: environmental pollution. Written to inform general readers--including future policy makers, business administrators, and political leaders--the text offers a comprehensive description of environmental systems, providing a basic understanding of how the world around us works and how human activities affect it.
Building on a popular course he taught at UCLA, Richard Turco clearly explains underlying environmental principles and processes including the role of evolutionary forces in shaping the environment, Earth's energy balance, and biogeochemical cycles. Against this background, Turco surveys local and regional problems, including indoor air pollution, smog, and acid rain, identifying the sources and fates of pollutants and examining human exposure to natural and manmade toxins. He then addresses global issues such as stratospheric ozone depletion and greenhouse climate warming and describes responses to these threats in the form of "global environmental engineering."
Now in its second edition, Earth Under Siege has been revised and updated to reflect advances in knowledge and progress in regulation. It offers a comprehensive overview of environmental issues for students in the physical and life sciences, geography, economics, engineering, environmental management and law, policy studies, and social and health sciences.
Building on a popular course he taught at UCLA, Richard Turco clearly explains underlying environmental principles and processes including the role of evolutionary forces in shaping the environment, Earth's energy balance, and biogeochemical cycles. Against this background, Turco surveys local and regional problems, including indoor air pollution, smog, and acid rain, identifying the sources and fates of pollutants and examining human exposure to natural and manmade toxins. He then addresses global issues such as stratospheric ozone depletion and greenhouse climate warming and describes responses to these threats in the form of "global environmental engineering."
Now in its second edition, Earth Under Siege has been revised and updated to reflect advances in knowledge and progress in regulation. It offers a comprehensive overview of environmental issues for students in the physical and life sciences, geography, economics, engineering, environmental management and law, policy studies, and social and health sciences.
The Astronomy and Astrophysics Encyclopedia
Maran, Stephen P., The Astronomy and Astrophysics Encyclopedia. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, c. 1992. Print. pp. 1002.
There have been a number of astronomy encyclopedias published recently but this one emerges as the most authoritative, academically oriented. Most of the others have been popular in approach, with a good number of color pictures.
The Academic Press Encyclopedia of Astronomy and Astrophysics, ed. by R.A. Meyers (1989), the closest comparison to the present volume, is simply a compilation of 41 articles on astronomy reprinted from that publisher's 15-volume Encyclopedia of Physical Science and Technology, ed. by R. A. Meyers (1987).
The more than 400 contributors to this Van Nostrand Reinhold encyclopedia include many eminent authorities in astronomy. The 403 articles are well written, more authoritative, more current, and contain more information than those in the Academic
Press publication: this volume is not directed simply to the general reader as most other astronomy encyclopedias have been. There are many excellent illustrations and pictures. That none of the pictures are in color does not hinder the presentation of the material. Each article includes cross-references and a current bibliography with many citations dated as late as 1990. An excellent index is also included. This volume is now the premier encyclopedia of astronomy, is well worth its price, and should be considered for purchase by every academic and public library.
-J. O. Christensen, Brigham Young University.
The Academic Press Encyclopedia of Astronomy and Astrophysics, ed. by R.A. Meyers (1989), the closest comparison to the present volume, is simply a compilation of 41 articles on astronomy reprinted from that publisher's 15-volume Encyclopedia of Physical Science and Technology, ed. by R. A. Meyers (1987).
The more than 400 contributors to this Van Nostrand Reinhold encyclopedia include many eminent authorities in astronomy. The 403 articles are well written, more authoritative, more current, and contain more information than those in the Academic
Press publication: this volume is not directed simply to the general reader as most other astronomy encyclopedias have been. There are many excellent illustrations and pictures. That none of the pictures are in color does not hinder the presentation of the material. Each article includes cross-references and a current bibliography with many citations dated as late as 1990. An excellent index is also included. This volume is now the premier encyclopedia of astronomy, is well worth its price, and should be considered for purchase by every academic and public library.
-J. O. Christensen, Brigham Young University.
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors: A Search for Who We Are
Sagan, Carl. Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors: A Search for Who We Are. New York: Random House, c1992. Print. pp. 505.
In a leisurely, lyrical meditation on the roughly four-million-year span since life dawned on Earth, Sagan and Druyan (Comet) argue that territoriality, xenophobia, ethnocentrism, occasional outbreeding and a preference for small, semi-isolated groups are elements in a survival strategy common to many species, including Homo sapiens. Yet society's problems, they assert, increasingly demand global solutions and require a dramatic, strategic shift that the authors optimistically believe humankind is capable of achieving.
This engaging, humane odyssey offers a stunning refutation of the behavioristic worldview with its mechanistic notion that animals (except for humans) lack conscious awareness. Writing with awe and a command of their material, the husband-wife team cover well-trod terrain while they discuss the evolution of Earth's atmosphere and life forms, the genetic code, the advantages of sexual reproduction.
The last third of the book, dealing with chimpanzees, baboons and apes, is the most interesting. Sagan and Druyan find chimps' social life ``hauntingly familiar'' with its hierarchy, combat, suppression of females and chimps' remarkable ability to communicate through symbols. First serial to Parade. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
This engaging, humane odyssey offers a stunning refutation of the behavioristic worldview with its mechanistic notion that animals (except for humans) lack conscious awareness. Writing with awe and a command of their material, the husband-wife team cover well-trod terrain while they discuss the evolution of Earth's atmosphere and life forms, the genetic code, the advantages of sexual reproduction.
The last third of the book, dealing with chimpanzees, baboons and apes, is the most interesting. Sagan and Druyan find chimps' social life ``hauntingly familiar'' with its hierarchy, combat, suppression of females and chimps' remarkable ability to communicate through symbols. First serial to Parade. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Cosmic Horizons: Astronomy at the Cutting Edge
Tyson, Neil deGrasse, Soter, Steven et al. Cosmic Horizons: Astronomy at the Cutting Edge. New York: New Press: Distributed by W.W. Norton, c2001. pp. 253.
NASA scientists and astronomers from some of the most prestigious universities in the US describe recent discoveries of modern astronomy and astrophysics--from dark matter and gamma ray bursts to neutrino observatories and the latest news from SETI. In all there are 40 short pieces (including profiles of astronomers and case studies) as well as introductions to each of the six sections. The numerous color illustrations include Hubble images of planets and galaxies and computer models showing the impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 on Jupiter. c. Book News Inc.
Carl Sagan's Universe
Bilson, Elizabeth M., Terzian, Yervant. Carl Sagan’s Universe. Cambridge, U.K.; New York, NY, USA: Cambridge University Press, 1997. pp. 282.
Carl Sagan's many contributions to science and society have been profound and far-reaching, influencing millions of people around the world. He carried out significant research in planetary science, was closely associated with the US space program, created the highly acclaimed television series Cosmos, and was the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of many best-selling popular science books.
Carl Sagan's Universe is a fascinating and beautifully illustrated collection of articles by a distinguished team of authors, and covers the many fields of science, education, policy making, and related areas in which Sagan worked. The book is divided into four sections, the first two of which provide an absorbing overview of the US space program (as well as a complementary account of the Russian program), and of the history and current status of the search for extraterrestrial life. The final two sections deal with the importance of science education in the successful development of a technological society, and of the shaping of science policy in tackling the problems facing us today.
Also included is a separate chapter by Sagan himself, discussing the place and role of our planet and mankind in the universe. Written in honour of Carl Sagan's many achievements, this book will fascinate and reward anyone interested in planetary science and exploration, the search for extraterrestrial life, or the role of science in the modern world.
Carl Sagan's Universe is a fascinating and beautifully illustrated collection of articles by a distinguished team of authors, and covers the many fields of science, education, policy making, and related areas in which Sagan worked. The book is divided into four sections, the first two of which provide an absorbing overview of the US space program (as well as a complementary account of the Russian program), and of the history and current status of the search for extraterrestrial life. The final two sections deal with the importance of science education in the successful development of a technological society, and of the shaping of science policy in tackling the problems facing us today.
Also included is a separate chapter by Sagan himself, discussing the place and role of our planet and mankind in the universe. Written in honour of Carl Sagan's many achievements, this book will fascinate and reward anyone interested in planetary science and exploration, the search for extraterrestrial life, or the role of science in the modern world.