Like that of any human activity, the history of astronomy has been played out under the influence of myriad cultural, institutional, political, sociological, technological, and natural forces. Any history that focuses only on the greatest participants in a field likely misses a great deal of interest and historical value. Inasmuch as astronomy is undertaken by and for human beings, therefore, its history cannot be limited to the lives and achievements of a narrow group.
The Technology of the Novel: Writing and Narrative in British Fiction
The connection between speech and writing in human language has been a matter of philosophical debate since antiquity. By plumbing the depths of this complex relationship, Tony E. Jackson explains how the technology of alphabetic writing has determined the nature of the modern novel.
Plague has erupted periodically throughout most of human history. The plague bacterium, Yersinia pestis, is transmitted by fleas found on many common mammals and through the air as victims develop respiratory symptoms and suffer from coughing spells. This easy transmission has made plague responsible for some of the highest death rates from any epidemic disease in history. "Plague, Second Edition" examines the disease from an epidemiological perspective.
From Library Journal This set of five essays stems from the 1994 Royal Institute Christmas Lectures, filmed and later televised by the BBC. Greenfield, a science writer and professor of pharmacology at Lincoln College in Oxford, presents a survey of the brain that is intended for a general adult readership. Offering both a "top-down" and "bottom-up" approach, Greenfield examines movement and vision to illustrate how various brain functions might be localized, and she describes how neurons communicate and how this activity can be modified by drugs.
