Award-winning poet and essayist Mark Tredinnick has written a series of beautifully evocative essays to complement the stunning range of photographs he has selected from the collection of the National Library of Australia. Assembled as a ‘lyric field guide to Australian cloudplay and rainfall, wind and light, storm and calm, hail and snow, cyclone and duststorm, drought and flood, and fire’, Tredinnick uses this platform to examine how we think about Australian weather, challenge our assumptions and contemplate the changes in the weather we have known. With images from legendary photographers such as Harold Cazneaux, Max Dupain and Peter Dombrovskis, among others, this is a gorgeous celebration of Australian weather and a thought-provoking tribute to the people who live with it.

This illustrated and accessible introduction to the science of nature will entertain curious minds both young and old, with or without any background in the subject. In a series of steady-as-she-goes chapters, McPhee breezes through the history of physics, outlining the major players, their achievements, theories and concepts with a selection of step-by-step problems and examples. A beginner’s guide to the study of matter and energy, the book traces the origins of physics in ancient Greece through to more recent discoveries like quantum mechanics and the theories of big thinkers such as Albert Einstein, Richard Feynman and Stephen Hawking. Also available at our special price: The Bedside Book of Geometry, The Bedside Book of Chemistry and The Bedside Book of Algebra.

This illustrated and accessible introduction to the science of nature will entertain curious minds both young and old, with or without any background in the subject. In a series of steady-as-she-goes chapters, McPhee breezes through the history of physics, outlining the major players, their achievements, theories and concepts with a selection of step-by-step problems and examples. A beginner’s guide to the study of matter and energy, the book traces the origins of physics in ancient Greece through to more recent discoveries like quantum mechanics and the theories of big thinkers such as Albert Einstein, Richard Feynman and Stephen Hawking. Also available at our special price: The Bedside Book of Geometry, The Bedside Book of Chemistry and The Bedside Book of Algebra.

This illustrated and accessible introduction to the science of nature will entertain curious minds both young and old, with or without any background in the subject. In a series of steady-as-she-goes chapters, McPhee breezes through the history of physics, outlining the major players, their achievements, theories and concepts with a selection of step-by-step problems and examples. A beginner’s guide to the study of matter and energy, the book traces the origins of physics in ancient Greece through to more recent discoveries like quantum mechanics and the theories of big thinkers such as Albert Einstein, Richard Feynman and Stephen Hawking. Also available at our special price: The Bedside Book of Geometry, The Bedside Book of Chemistry and The Bedside Book of Algebra.

This illustrated and accessible introduction to the science of nature will entertain curious minds both young and old, with or without any background in the subject. In a series of steady-as-she-goes chapters, McPhee breezes through the history of physics, outlining the major players, their achievements, theories and concepts with a selection of step-by-step problems and examples. A beginner’s guide to the study of matter and energy, the book traces the origins of physics in ancient Greece through to more recent discoveries like quantum mechanics and the theories of big thinkers such as Albert Einstein, Richard Feynman and Stephen Hawking. Also available at our special price: The Bedside Book of Geometry, The Bedside Book of Chemistry and The Bedside Book of Algebra.

What was the first sound in the universe? Why is malaria such an effective parasite? Do our brains make us fat? Did you know an amoeba has a thousand times more DNA than a human? So many questions, so many fascinating answers… Another of those questions could be what is the point of good science writing, a question answered persuasively not only explicitly by some of the contributors, but also by the contributions themselves. Gathered from print and electronic books, magazines, newspapers and blogs, with pieces by generalist writers, popular science journalists and renowned scientists, this diverse anthology is worthy of being included in the ranks of the ‘best of...’ anthologies that have become must-reads on our literary landscape.

From religious and political symbols to their use in transport, warfare and putting food on the table, animals have had a profound impact on the history and development of the human species. In looking at the many and diverse ways that animals have shaped us, obvious entries such as the horse, dog and cow stand alongside more surprising choices such as the spiny dye-murex, the sea snail used in the production of Tyrian purple, one of the foundations of the wealth of the Phoenicians. Crammed with informative and quirky facts and illustrated throughout, this is an entertaining read for all the family.

Showing the ‘magic’ of scientific thinking about the world, Richard Dawkins has written a primer that almost everyone in the family, from children in the upper years of primary school to fully fledged adults, can read, learn from and enjoy. Taking questions such as ‘what are things made of?’, ‘when and how did everything begin?’ and ‘why do bad things happen?’, Dawkins gives examples of the various myths humans have created in their attempts to answer such mysteries, including those from the major religious traditions. He then shows how science provides answers that are equally astonishing. The word magic in the title doesn’t refer to the supernatural, but to what Dawkins calls ‘poetic magic’: being moved, exhilarated and filled with wonder at the world.

This beautifully presented 820-page volume is an inspired work. Swainston is one of the foremost aquatic-life artists in the world and has 25 years of experience in the fields of ichthyology and scientific research. For the first time, a complete list of all the known species of Australia’s marine and freshwater fishes has been compiled, including more than 1500 exquisite illustrations and information on the taxonomy and biology of each family. Swainston’s fish range from the beautiful to the bizarre – the astounding Black Gulper and Serpent Eel defy logic but are just two of 190 eel species listed. The author’s faultless artistry and research makes this a fine addition to the reference library as well as a record of remarkable artistic achievement.

Twice every hundred or so years, eight years apart, the planet Venus passes between the sun and the earth, appearing as a small black disc. The last transit took place in 2004 and the next will occur on 5 or 6 June 2012, after which it’s a long wait until the year 2117. In Transit of Venus, Nick Lomb charts our ongoing fascination with this rare planetary event, which has importantly provided a way of measuring the distance of the earth from the sun. Fastidiously researched and crammed with photographic studies, astronomical artefacts and historical illustrations, the book tells the story of the astronomers and explorers who raced around the globe in an attempt to witness the event. Australians won’t need to travel too far for a box seat at the 2012 transit, as it will be clearly visible (weather permitting) in many parts of the country.

This handsome publication presents almost 250 photographs of the world’s most gorgeous trees from Europe, Africa, the Americas and Australia, including the baobab, yucca and dracaena. The book contains 30 species and genera, useful information on each species, distribution maps and an impressive picture index.

Freedom is dangerous. Half of all deaths in developed countries, come from overeating, smoking, drinking too much, failing to exercise, and other deadly behaviours that we indulge in against our own better judgement. Why are we on a campaign of slow-motion suicide? While temptations have multiplied, like fast-food outlets in suburbia, crucial social constraints have eroded. Tradition, family, church, and ideology have lost much of their capacity to circumscribe behaviour, while financial limits, once a ready substitute for thrift, were swept away by surging affluence the proliferation of easy credit. The result is a world that puts more pressure that ever on the ‘self’ in self-control, sorely testing the limits of human willpower. We Have Met the Enemy is an irreverent search for answers that delves into all the homely transgressions that bedevil us daily in a world of freedom, prosperity, and technological empowerment.