Inyo County Free Library - New Acquisitions

These are books and media new to the library and cataloged by the Inyo County Free Library.

Additional information about each title can be found in the catalog (click on the title). For older acquisition lists choose from Select another list. To request any of these titles please contact your local library branch.

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NEW RELEASE

Dreams of earth and sky

By Dyson, Freeman J.

Publishing Date: [2015]

Classification: 500

Call Number: 500 DYS

Dyson "celebrates openness to unconventional ideas and the spirit of joyful dreaming in which he believes that science should be pursued. Throughout these essays, which range from the creation of the Royal Society in the seventeenth century to the scientific inquiries of the Romantic generation to recent books by Daniel Kahneman and Malcolm Gladwell, he seeks to break down the barriers that separate science from other sources of human wisdom"--Amazon.com.

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Knocking on heaven's door: how physics and scientific thinking illuminate the universe and the modern world

By Randall, Lisa

Publishing Date: c2011

Classification: 500

Call Number: 500 RAN

"From the one of Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World"-- and bestselling author of Warped Passages--an exhilarating and readable overview of the latest ideas in physics and a rousing defense of the role of science in our lives"--Provided by publisher.

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The common sense of science

By Bronowski, Jacob

Publishing Date: 1978

Classification: 500

Call Number: 501 BRO

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The end of discovery

By Stannard, Russell

Publishing Date: 2010

Classification: 500

Call Number: 501 STA

"Many scientists make extravagant claims as to the scope and power of scientific thinking, claiming that ultimately it will provide a complete understanding of everything. But Russell Stannard, himself an eminent high-energy physicist, strongly disagrees with this grandiose claim. Indeed, in The End of Discovery, Stannard argues that eventually - perhaps in a few decades, perhaps in a few centuries - fundamental science will reach the limit of what it can explain. On that day, the scientific age, like the stone age and the iron age before it, will come to an end. To highlight the boundaries of scientific understanding, Stannard takes readers on an engaging tour of some of the deepest questions facing science today - questions to do with consciousness, free will, the nature of space, time, and matter, the existence of extraterrestrial life, and much more. For instance, from his own research field, he points out that to understand the subatomic world, scientists depend of particle accelerators, but to understand the very smallest units of nature, it has been calculated that we would need an accelerator the size of a galaxy. Clearly, unless a new approach comes along, we might never understand fully the most basic building blocks of the universe. As a scientist, Stannard remains hopeful that several of the questions addressed will one day be answered. But other puzzles will remain for all time - and we may never even realize it when we have hit an insuperable barrier in those directions. He assures us that there will always be new uses of scientific knowledge. Technology will continue. But fundamental science itself - the making of fresh discoveries as to how the world works - must ultimately grind to a halt."--Publisher's description.

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The science delusion: asking the big questions in a culture of easy answers

By White, Curtis

Publishing Date: c2013

Classification: 500

Call Number: 501 WHI

"... presents a scathing critique of the 'delusions' of science alongside a rousing defense of the role of art and philosophy in our culture"--From publisher description.

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Before Galileo: the birth of modern science in medieval Europe

By Freely, John

Publishing Date: 2012

Classification: 500

Call Number: 509.409 FRE

A history of science in the Dark Ages documents the achievements of lesser-known European scholars, including the monk Saint Bede, who effectively paved the way for the discoveries of such luminaries as Galileo and Newton.

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Lewis Carroll in numberland: his fantastical mathematical logical life : an agony in eight fits

By Wilson, Robin J.

Publishing Date: 2008

Classification: 500

Call Number: 510.92 WIL

As Wilson demonstrates, Carroll--who published serious, if occasionally eccentric, works in the fields of geometry, logic, and algebra--made significant contributions to subjects as varied as voting patterns and the design of tennis tournaments, in the process creating imaginative recreational puzzles based on mathematical ideas. --from publisher description.

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The fractal geometry of nature

By Mandelbrot, Benoit B.

Publishing Date: c1982

Classification: 500

Call Number: 516.15 MAN

Clouds are not spheres, mountains are not cones, and lightening does not travel in a straight line. The complexity of nature's shapes differs in kind, not merely degree, from that of the shapes of ordinary geometry, the geometry of fractal shapes. Now that the field has expanded greatly with many active researchers, Mandelbrot presents the definitive overview of the origins of his ideas and their new applications. The Fractal Geometry of Nature is based on his highly acclaimed earlier work, but has much broader and deeper coverage and more extensive illustrations. - (McMillan Palgrave)

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Roving Mars: spirit, opportunity, and the exploration of the red planet

By Squyres, Steven W.

Publishing Date: c2005

Classification: 500

Call Number: 523.43 SQU

An inside look at NASA's Mars Exploration Rover mission chronicles the evolution of the project, from its conception in 1995 to successful landing on the planet Mars in 2004, covering the politics, mistakes, and technological innovation involved.

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Looking at earth

By Strain, Priscilla

Publishing Date: c1992

Classification: 500

Call Number: 525 STR

Presents a topographical portrait of Earth, using images collected by spacecraft and remote sensing equipment, created for the Smithsonian Institution's Columbus quincentenary project - (Baker & Taylor)

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Six easy pieces: essentials of physics explained by its most brilliant teacher

By Feynman, Richard P.

Publishing Date: c2011

Classification: 500

Call Number: 530 FEY

"It was Feynman's outrageous and scintillating method of teaching that earned him legendary status among students and professors of physics. From 1961 to 1963, Feynman delivered a series of lectures at the California Institute of Technology that revolutionized the teaching of physics around the world. 'Six not-so-easy pieces', taken from these famous 'Lectures on physics', represent some the most stimulating material from the series. In these classic lessons, Feynman introduces the general reader to the following topics: atoms, basic physics, energy, gravitation, quantum mechanics, and the relationship of physics to other topics..."--P. [4] of cover.

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Six not-so-easy pieces: Einstein's relativity, symmetry, and space-time

By Feynman, Richard P.

Publishing Date: c2011

Classification: 500

Call Number: 530.11 FEY

"...In the challenging 'Six Not-So-Easy Pieces', Feynman delves into one of the most revolutionary discoveries in twentieth-century physics: Einstein's Theory of Relativity..."--P. [4] of cover.

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Sun in a bottle: the strange history of fusion and the science of wishful thinking

By Seife, Charles

Publishing Date: 2008

Classification: 500

Call Number: 539.764 SEI

The author of Zero chronicles the last half century's haphazard attempt to harness fusion energy, describing how governments and research teams throughout the world have employed measures ranging from the controversial to the humorous, in an account that introduces us to the daring geniuses, villains, and victims of fusion science: the brilliant and tortured Andrei Sakharov; the monomaniacal and Strangelovean Edward Teller; Ronald Richter, the secretive physicist whose lies embarrassed an entire country; and Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann, the two chemists behind the greatest scientific fiasco of the past hundred years. Sun in a Bottle is the first major book to trace the story of fusion from its beginnings into the 21st century, of how scientists have gotten burned by trying to harness the power of the sun.

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Moby-duck: the true story of 28,800 bath toys lost at sea, and of the beachcombers, oceanographers, environmentalists, and fools-- including the author-- who went in search of them

By Hohn, Donovan

Publishing Date: 2011

Classification: 500

Call Number: 551.462 HOH

When the author heard of the mysterious loss of thousands of bath toys at sea, he figured he would interview a few oceanographers, talk to a few beachcombers, and read up on Arctic science and geography. But questions can be like ocean currents: wade in too far, and they carry you away. His accidental odyssey pulls him into the secretive world of shipping conglomerates, the daring work of Arctic researchers, the lunatic risks of maverick sailors, and the shadowy world of Chinese toy factories. This work is a journey into the heart of the sea and an adventure through science, myth, the global economy, and some of the worst weather imaginable. With each new discovery, he learns of another loose thread, and with each successive chase, he comes closer to understanding where his castaway quarry comes from and where it goes.

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Forgotten fires: Native Americans and the transient wilderness

By Stewart, Omer Call

Publishing Date: c2002

Classification: 500

Call Number: 577.2 STE

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How to eradicate invasive plants

By Dunn Chace, Teri

Publishing Date: 2013

Classification: 500

Call Number: 581.62 DUN

Invasive plants are a growing threat to home landscapes, affecting native plants, wildlife, and humans. This clear, easy-to-use book shows you how to recognize the "enemy"; offers eradication options, from simple, organic approaches to the safest and most responsible ways to use chemicals; and enables you to identify 200 of the most common invasives.--COVER.

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NEW RELEASE

Beyond words: what animals think and feel

By Safina, Carl

Publishing Date: 2015

Classification: 500

Call Number: 591.56 SAF

"Weaving decades of field observations with exciting new discoveries about the brain, Carl Safina's landmark book offers an intimate view of animal behavior to challenge the fixed boundary between humans and nonhuman animals. In Beyond Words, readers travel to Amboseli National Park in the threatened landscape of Kenya and witness struggling elephant families work out how to survive poaching and drought, then to Yellowstone National Park to observe wolves sort out the aftermath of one pack's personal tragedy, and finally plunge into the astonishingly peaceful society of killer whales living in the crystalline waters of the Pacific Northwest. Beyond Words brings forth powerful and illuminating insight into the unique personalities of animals through extraordinary stories of animal joy, grief, jealousy, anger, and love. The similarity between human and nonhuman consciousness, self-awareness, and empathy calls us to re-evaluate how we interact with animals" --

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Chasing Doctor Dolittle: learning the language of animals

By Slobodchikoff, C. N.

Publishing Date: 2012

Classification: 500

Call Number: 591.59 SLO

Discusses how animals are capable of interacting intelligently through vocal and physical methods, drawing on work with prairie dogs to present evidence of animal communication methods and how they can be imitated by human researchers.

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River monsters: true stories of the ones that didn't get away

By Wade, Jeremy

Publishing Date: 2011

Classification: 500

Call Number: 597.176 WAD

A companion to the Animal Planet series "River Monsters" highlights the most shocking creatures the author has come across in his travels as an extreme fisherman.

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The private lives of birds: a scientist reveals the intricacies of avian social life

By Stutchbury, Bridget Joan

Publishing Date: [2010]

Classification: 500

Call Number: 598.156 STU

""With her trademark clarity and humor, Bridget Stutchbury---'bird detective' extraordinaire---reveals avian lives of uncommon drama, rife with adultery, divorce, sibling rivalry, lying, social climbing, and life-or-death marathons---a peek into a world at once familiar and wonderfully different from our own."---Scott Weidensaul, author of Of a Feather: A Brief History of American Birding" ""Bridget Stutchbury dodges killer bees, wakes before dawn to follow birds through the forest, and peers through a riparia-scope' at hundreds of eggs. Don't miss her stories of personal adventure and her far-reaching scientific synthesis explaining the amazing behaviors of birds and what they mean for the birds' survival and future."---Miyoko Chu, author of Songbird Journeys" ""A treasure-house of insights into the lives of birds and the glorious evolutionary energy that powers their displays and courtship---and their not infrequent infidelities."---Graeme Gibson, author of The Bedside Book of Birds" ""Be warned: Reading The Private Lives of Birds is likely to make you chuck in your present job to become a bird biologist. Who would have known that our beloved wild birds would turn out to be liars, cheats, and bullies? In elegant and lucid prose, Stutchbury explains why birds act the way they do."---Glen Chilton, author of The Curse of the Labrador Duck" "Biologist Bridget Stutchbury takes us along on her escapades as a bird detective, stalking subjects through the woods for hours, mounting miniature tracking devices on their backs, and taking blood samples from nestlings for DNA analysis. She captures several young white-and-brown male purple martins and paints them the darker color of mature males to see if the painted youngsters are more successful than their unaltered peers in wresting away nest sites from older males. They are!".

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