Gravitational Waves (eBook)

How Einstein’s spacetime ripples reveal the secrets of the universe

Brian Clegg

On 14 September 2015, after 50 years of searching, gravitational waves were detected for the first time and astronomy changed for ever.

Until then, investigation of the universe had depended on electromagnetic radiation: visible light, radio, X-rays and the rest. But gravitational waves – ripples in the fabric of space and time – are unrelenting, passing through barriers that stop light dead.

At the two 4-kilometre long LIGO observatories in the US, scientists developed incredibly sensitive detectors, capable of spotting a movement 100 times smaller than the nucleus of an atom. In 2015 they spotted the ripples produced by two black holes spiralling into each other, setting spacetime quivering.

This was the first time black holes had ever been directly detected – and it promises far more for the future of astronomy. Brian Clegg presents a compelling story of human technical endeavour and a new, powerful path to understand the workings of the universe.

Brian Clegg’s most recent books are The Reality Frame (Icon, 2017), What Colour is the Sun? (Icon, 2016) and Ten Billion Tomorrows (St Martin’s Press, 2016). His Dice World and A Brief History of Infinity were both longlisted for the Royal Society Prize for Science Books. He has also written Big Data for the Hot Science series. Brian has written for numerous publications including The Wall Street Journal, Nature, BBC Focus, Physics World, The Times and The Observer. Brian is editor of popularscience.co.uk and blogs at brianclegg.blogspot.com.

Astroquizzical (eBook)

A Curious Journey Through Our Cosmic Family Tree

Jillian Scudder

In this enthralling cosmic journey through space and time, astrophysicist Jillian Scudder locates our home planet within its own ‘family tree’. Our parent the Earth and its sibling planets in our solar system formed within the same gas cloud. 

Without our grandparent the Sun, we would not exist, and the Sun in turn relies on the Milky Way as its home. The Milky Way rests in a larger web of galaxies that traces its origins right back to tiny fluctuations in the very early universe.
Following these cosmic connections, we discover the many ties that bind us to our universe. 

Based around readers’ questions from the author’s popular blog ‘Astroquizzical’, the book provides a quirky guide to how things work in the universe and why things are the way they are, from shooting stars on Earth, to black holes, to entire galaxies.
For anyone interested in the ‘big picture’ of how the cosmos functions and how it is all connected, Jillian Scudder is the perfect guide.

Jillian Scudder is an astrophysicist and assistant professor at Oberlin College, Ohio. She has been writing ‘Astroquizzical’, a blog answering space-related questions from the public, for over five years. Her writing has also been published in Forbes, Quartz, Medium, and The Conversation. This is her first book.

Quantum Economics (eBook)

The New Science of Money

David Orrell

A decade after the financial crisis, there is a growing consensus that economics has failed and needs to go back to the drawing board. David Orrell argues that it has been trying to solve the wrong problem all along.

Economics sees itself as the science of scarcity. Instead, it should be the science of money (which plays a surprisingly small role in mainstream theory). And money is a substance that turns out to have a quantum nature of its own.

Just as physicists learn about matter by studying the exchange of particles at the subatomic level, so economics should begin by analysing the nature of money-based transactions. Quantum Economics therefore starts with the meaning of the phrase ‘how much’ – or, to use the Latin word, quantum.

From quantum physics to the dualistic properties of money, via the emerging areas of quantum finance and quantum cognition, this profoundly important book reveals that quantum economics is to neoclassical economics what quantum physics is to classical physics – a genuine turning point in our understanding.

David Orrell is a scientist and writer of books on science and economics. According to the Sunday Times ‘Orrell is an engaging and witty writer, adept at explaining often complicated theories in clear language.’ His latest books are The Money Formula: Dodgy Finance, Pseudo Science, and How Mathematicians Took Over the Markets, written with Paul Wilmott; and Economyths: 11 Ways Economics Gets It Wrong (Icon Books, 2017).

The Graphene Revolution (eBook)

The weird science of the ultra-thin

Brian Clegg

In 2003, Russian physicists Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov found a way to produce graphene – the thinnest substance in the world – by using sticky tape to separate an atom-thick layer from a block of graphite.

Their efforts would win the 2010 Nobel Prize for Physics, and now the applications of graphene and other ‘two-dimensional’ substances form a worldwide industry.

Graphene is far stronger than steel, a far better conductor than any metal, and able to act as a molecular sieve to purify water. Electronic components made from graphene are a fraction of the size of silicon microchips and can be both flexible and transparent, making it possible to build electronics into clothing, produce solar cells to fit any surface, or even create invisible temporary tattoos that monitor your health.

Ultra-thin materials give us the next big step forward since the transistor revolutionised electronics. Get ready for the graphene revolution.

Brian Clegg’s most recent books are The Reality Frame (Icon, 2017) and What Colour is the Sun? (Icon, 2016). His Dice World and A Brief History of Infinity were both longlisted for the Royal Society Prize for Science Books. He has also authored Big Data and Gravitational Waves for the Hot Science series, and has written for Nature, BBC Focus, Physics World, The Times and The Observer.

Quantum Economics (Paperback)

The New Science of Money

David Orrell

A decade after the financial crisis, there is a growing consensus that economics has failed and needs to go back to the drawing board. David Orrell argues that it has been trying to solve the wrong problem all along.

Economics sees itself as the science of scarcity. Instead, it should be the science of money (which plays a surprisingly small role in mainstream theory). And money is a substance that turns out to have a quantum nature of its own.

Just as physicists learn about matter by studying the exchange of particles at the subatomic level, so economics should begin by analysing the nature of money-based transactions. Quantum Economics therefore starts with the meaning of the phrase ‘how much’ – or, to use the Latin word, quantum.

From quantum physics to the dualistic properties of money, via the emerging areas of quantum finance and quantum cognition, this profoundly important book reveals that quantum economics is to neoclassical economics what quantum physics is to classical physics – a genuine turning point in our understanding.

David Orrell is a scientist and writer of books on science and economics. According to the Sunday Times ‘Orrell is an engaging and witty writer, adept at explaining often complicated theories in clear language.’ His latest books are The Money Formula: Dodgy Finance, Pseudo Science, and How Mathematicians Took Over the Markets, written with Paul Wilmott; and Economyths: 11 Ways Economics Gets It Wrong (Icon Books, 2017).

The Graphene Revolution (Paperback)

The weird science of the ultra-thin

Brian Clegg

In 2003, Russian physicists Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov found a way to produce graphene – the thinnest substance in the world – by using sticky tape to separate an atom-thick layer from a block of graphite.

Their efforts would win the 2010 Nobel Prize for Physics, and now the applications of graphene and other ‘two-dimensional’ substances form a worldwide industry.

Graphene is far stronger than steel, a far better conductor than any metal, and able to act as a molecular sieve to purify water. Electronic components made from graphene are a fraction of the size of silicon microchips and can be both flexible and transparent, making it possible to build electronics into clothing, produce solar cells to fit any surface, or even create invisible temporary tattoos that monitor your health.

Ultra-thin materials give us the next big step forward since the transistor revolutionised electronics. Get ready for the graphene revolution.

Brian Clegg’s most recent books are The Reality Frame (Icon, 2017) and What Colour is the Sun? (Icon, 2016). His Dice World and A Brief History of Infinity were both longlisted for the Royal Society Prize for Science Books. He has also authored Big Data and Gravitational Waves for the Hot Science series, and has written for Nature, BBC Focus, Physics World, The Times and The Observer.

Who Is Dracula’s Father? (Paperback)

And Other Puzzles in Bram Stoker’s Gothic Masterpiece

Jon Sutherland

When it was first published in 1897 – 120 years ago – Irish author Bram Stoker’s Dracula was ranked by the Daily Mail above work by Mary Shelley and Edgar Allan Poe, as well as Wuthering Heights. Yet it never made

Stoker any money.

Since 1931’s film Nosferatu the Vampire, however, it has never been out of print and is legendary among fans of the dark, macabre and mysterious …

Critic John Sutherland, a Dracula fan since childhood – and author of the literary puzzle classics Is Heathcliff a Murderer? and Can Jane Eyre be Happy? explores the enigmas and puzzles of this towering giant of gothic

novels, such as:

Who was Dracula’s father? Why does the Count come to England? Does the Count actually give Jonathan a ‘love bite’? Why does every country we know of have a vampire legend? And finally – how long is it before we’re all vampires?

The book also includes 'Dracula Digested' by John Crace, author of the Guardian's Digested Reads column.

John Sutherland is Lord Northcliffe Professor Emeritus at University College London and an eminent scholar in the field of Victorian fiction, author of many works including The Longman Companion to Victorian Fiction. He has also written the bestselling popular titles Is Heathcliff a Murderer? and Can Jane Eyre be Happy?, and such scholarly jeux d’esprit as Curiosities of Literature.

A Family Business: The Story of Stannah Lifts (Hardback)

The First One Hundred and Fifty Years - 1867 to 2017

Alan Stannah

Brian Stannah Peter Pugh

This is the exciting story of how a family has built a business which has just celebrated its 150th anniversary.

Needless to say, the company has had its difficult moments but the family have stuck to their determination to create high-quality products and provide employment for many people. The current number of employees is no fewer than 2,000.

The Stannah family have also been determined to sell their lifts, stairlifts, escalators and walkways, not only throughout the British Isles but throughout the world. There are subsidiaries in twelve countries as well as over 30 distributorships overseas. Their achievements have been officially recognised by four Queen’s Awards. Furthermore, the Stannah family and their employees were thrilled to receive HRH The Prince of Wales who came to their plant in Andover in February 2011 on an official visit.

Not every family business has been successful and even some of the ones that have been have often not looked after their employees in the way the Stannah family have. In 1980 Brian and Alan Stannah introduced a Performance Plan. The first payout was £50,000 and this grew steadily to reach over £2 million a year in the last 20 years so that the total reward on top of salaries by 2016 was over £50 million. When asked ‘Does it not bother you that you and your brother would be £50,000 better off if you hadn’t set up that scheme?’, Brian Stannah replied ‘I think we’d be worse off.’

This is a book about Stannah, a family business founded in 1867 and therefore 150 years old in 2017.

The family aspect is very important. The five generations since the company was founded by Joseph Stannah have all worked in the business.

The first half of the 20th century meant survival through two world wars and difficult economic circumstances in the 1920s and 30s. Leslie Stannah, known as ‘Pop’, kept the business going in the 1940s and 50s and Brian and Alan Stannah when they took over in the 1960s embarked on over 50 years of sustained growth.

They moved the factory from central London to Andover in the early 1970s and diversified into Microlifts, Homelifts and, most importantly, Stairlifts. They also grew the export side of the business and were rewarded with winning four Queen’s Awards.

Their five children – Jon, Patrick, Alastair, Nick and Helen – all have senior jobs in the business in 2017, and the company now employs over 2,000 people and is still developing new products.

The Stannah family have been magnificent employers, making sure that every employee is well looked after and, in return, employees have given loyal service – many having worked over 25 and sometimes 40 years for the company. In 2017, Brian and Alan were made Members of the British Empire (MBE), a justified acknowledgement of their achievements as a family business. The UK would benefit greatly from having more such businesses.

Peter Pugh was educated at Oundle and Cambridge, where he read History. He was brought up in a family business atmosphere and has written more than 60 books on business including a three-volume history of Rolls-Royce.

He also founded, and is Chairman of, the publishing company, Icon Books Ltd, which has just celebrated its 25th birthday. He is married, has three children and seven grandchildren and lives in Cambridge and Brancaster in Norfolk.

How Iceland Changed the World (eBook)

The Big History of a Small Island

Egill Bjarnason

'A joyously peculiar book' – The New York Times

'A fascinating insight into Icelandic culture and a fresh perspective on her global influence. Warning: may well make readers wish they were Icelandic, too.' – Helen Russell, author of The Year of Living Danishly

The untold story of how one tiny island in the middle of the Atlantic has shaped the world for centuries.

The history of Iceland began 1,200 years ago, when a frustrated Viking captain and his useless navigator ran aground in the middle of the North Atlantic. Suddenly, the island was no longer just a layover for the Arctic tern. Instead, it became a nation whose diplomats and musicians, sailors and soldiers, volcanoes and flowers, quietly altered the globe forever. How Iceland Changed the World takes readers on a tour of history, showing them how Iceland played a pivotal role in events as diverse as the French Revolution, the Moon Landing, and the foundation of Israel. Again and again, one humble nation has found itself at the frontline of historic events, shaping the world as we know it – How Iceland Changed the World paints a lively picture of just how it all happened.

'Egill Bjarnason has written a delightful reminder that, when it comes to countries, size doesn't always matter. His writing is a pleasure to read, reminiscent of Bill Bryson or Louis Theroux. He has made sure we will never take Iceland for granted again.' A.J. Jacobs, New York Times bestselling author of Thanks a Thousand and The Year of Living Biblically

'Bjarnason's intriguing book might be about a cold place, but it's tailor-made to be read on the beach.' – New Statesman

'Egill Bjarnason places Iceland at the center of everything, and his narrative not only entertains but enlightens, uncovering unexpected connections.' Andri Snær, author of On Time and Water

'Icelander Egill Bjarnason takes us on a high-speed, rough-and-tumble ride through 1,000-plus years of history-from the discovery of America to Tolkien's muse, from the French Revolution to the NASA moonwalk, from Israel's birth to the first woman president-all to display his home island's mind-opening legacy.' Nancy Marie Brown, author of The Real Valkyrie and The Far Traveller

'I always assumed the history of Iceland had, by law or fate, to match the tone of an October morning: dark, gray, and uninviting to most mankind. This book challenges that assumption, and about time. Our past, much like the present, can be a little fun.' Jón Gnarr, former mayor of Reykjavík and author of The Pirate and The Outlaw

'How Iceland Changed the World is not only surprising and informative. It is amusing and evocatively animates a place that I have been fascinated with for most of my life. Well worth the read!' – Jane Smiley, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Thousand Acres

'An entertaining, offbeat (and pleasingly concise) history of the remote North Atlantic nation … perfect for a summer getaway read' – The Critic

EGILL BJARNASON is an Icelandic journalist, based in Reykjavík. His work has appeared in New York Times, National Geographic, Associated Press, Al Jazeera Online and Lonely Planet. As a Fulbright Foreign Student grantee, he earned a Master’s degree in social documentation at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he also worked as a teaching assistant in photography and statistics for two years.

Jonathan Ball (Hardback)

A Tribute

Various

Michele Magwood Michele Magwood

An edited collection of over 40 essays in tribute to Jonathan Ball, the founder of Jonathan Ball Publishers. It includes contributions from Andrew Franklin, Mark Streatfeild, Nigel Newton, Stephen Page, Tim Hely Hutchinson, Mark Gevisser, Jonny Steinberg, Jenny Crwys-Williams and Michiel Heyns.

Jonathan Ball, the founder of Jonathan Ball Publishers, died on 3 April 2021 after a short illness. This collection of essays, commissioned in tribute to him, is edited by Michele Magwood.

Jonathan Ball left a deep impression on many different people in different ways. The 40 or so essays reflect the many facets of Jonathan: businessman, friend, brother, colleague, husband, father. But it is in the reading that we begin to understand the shape of him: publisher extraordinaire, history expert, gourmand, liberal thinker, suitor, philosemite and so on.

It cannot be exaggerated how deep an imprint Jonathan has left on the political and cultural life of South Africa, too. The shelves of Jonathan Ball Publishers are weighted with serious history and biographies of eminent figures, with books that other publishers didn't have the boldness to take on. But there are many smaller, more finespun stories that tell us too who we are as a people and as a nation.

Jonathan Ball: A Tribute includes contributions from Nick Britt, David Ball, Jonny Steinberg, Jeremy Gordin, Julian Askin, Jenny Crwys-Williams, Andrew Feinstein, Richard Steyn, Adrian Bourne, Thérèse Herbert, Hannes van Zyl, Claire Wright, David Welsh, Alison Lowry, Anika Ebrahim, Andrew Franklin, Mark Gevisser, Mark Streatfeild, Ebbe Dommisse, Michele Magwood, Tim du Plessis, Michiel Heyns, Doug Band, Michael Cardo, Anet Pienaar, Allan Greenblo, Gail Nattrass, Malcolm Edwards, Willem Burger, Kerneels Breytenbach, Milton Shain, Nigel Newton, Benjamin Trisk, Koos Bekker, Stephen Page, Antony Altbeker, Tony Leon, Tim Hely Hutchinson, Ton Vosloo, Jane Evans, and Belinda, Jamie and Jono Bowling

Michele Magwood is an award-winning journalist and the former Books Editor of the Sunday Times. She has worked in television and broadcasting, and now edits and writes.

The Army That Never Was (Hardback)

D-Day and the Great Deception

Taylor Downing

The Army That Never Was: D-Day and the Great Deception tells the remarkable story of the deceptions, hoaxes and misdirections carried out by the Allies ahead of the most pivotal moment of the Second World War – the D-Day invasion.

The most audacious of these schemes aimed to convince German forces that plans to storm Normandy were a mere sideshow, and featured a fictitious army led by General Patton and furnished with hundreds of real-world dummy landing craft, tanks and aircraft. New research reveals a hidden link with Britain’s film industry, as the fascinating behind-the-scenes story of this dramatic gambit is explored in detail.

Full of fascinating characters from the US, Britain and Germany, this compelling and propulsive narrative explores one of the most remarkable secret campaigns of the Second World War.

What’s in a Doughnut Hole? (Paperback)

And Other Philosophical Food for Thought

Suki Finn

Does a doughnut hole exist? How many grains of rice in a biryani? Can the baker, who only bakes for those who don’t bake for themselves, bake for herself?

Using food to explore classic philosophical puzzles and paradoxes about how we know, perceive and experience things, and to question the nature of reality, language and truth, this book will get your brain whirring and your stomach rumbling.

Suki Finn, a Philosophy Lecturer at Royal Holloway, University of London, serves up plenty of philosophical food for thought – enough to whet the appetite of the novice and to satisfy philosophers hungry for a different take on familiar themes. What’s in a Doughnut Hole? gives us new ways to think about the world and to understand our place in it.

Dr Suki Finn is an academic at Royal Holloway University of London. She is the editor of Women of Ideas (Oxford University Press, 2021), co-Director for the Society for Women in Philosophy UK, and a member of the council for The Royal Institute of Philosophy. Outside of academia, Suki has composed ambient electronic music for Universal and Ninja Tune Production Music.

‘Suki Finn has the ability to make philosophical ideas both fun and accessible. She writes with clarity and, consequently, this book is a marvellous romp through many engaging philosophical puzzles.’ – Stephen Law, author of The Great Philosophers

‘This lively, wide-ranging book serves as a taster menu for some deep philosophy.  Easily digestible, you can dip in and out. I consumed the whole thing, after which the plate of food in front of me was magically transformed into a bewitching array of problems and paradoxes.’ – David Edmonds, author of Death in a Shallow Pond

‘This book is unlike any other philosophy book you will encounter. It’s a lighthearted, witty romp through a huge number of philosophical issues.  And it’s also a series of ruminations on food of all sorts.  It’s a great way to discover philosophy – the reader will come away with a very sophisticated knowledge of philosophy, almost without realizing how much hard thinking they are being led though.  And they’ll enjoy it immensely!’ – Jennifer Saul, author of Dogwhistles and Figleaves

‘A highly entertaining and accessible introduction to intriguing questions, puzzles and paradoxes from a variety of philosophical traditions. Dr Finn pulls off the feat of raising substantive issues with a light touch, and the conceit of using culinary examples to illustrate abstract ideas works brilliantly for a global audience. A delicious, digestible and nourishing array of appetisers that will whet your appetite for more.’ – Angie Hobbs, author of Why Plato Matters Now

‘This book is delicious! Dr Finn has created a playful yet seriously satisfying platter of puzzles, problems, and deep difficult questions to chew on. Her discussions are easy to swallow but they don’t skimp on the substance – reading this book is like chatting over dinner with a brilliant friend who knows all sorts of fascinating things and wants to share them with you in the most creative way possible.’ – Carrie Jenkins, author of Nonmonogamy and Happiness

‘A charming journey through the kitchen of the mind, where pizzas flirt with infinity, peas challenge the laws of identity, and every bite leads you down another delightful philosophical rabbit hole. Philosophy has rarely been this much fun – and has never tasted so good.’ – Achille C. Varzi, John Dewey Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University

‘This book is a must for anyone who thinks they might enjoy getting themselves into a philosophical headspin, especially if they like food. It’s lively, accessible and funny, and asks such questions as whether non-existent noodles are just as delicious as existent ones, whether a chip is different from the potato it’s made of, whether you can go back to the past and make a better choice of ice cream this time, and, yes, what exactly is the hole in a doughnut?’ – Helen Beebee, co-author of Philosophy: Why It Matters

Short Cuts: Economics (eBook)

Navigate Your Way Through the Big Ideas

Robert Brandt

Tejvan Pettinger

Your expert guide to understanding the models, morals, minefields and mechanisms of the modern global marketplace.

What with trickle down and level up, boom and bust, stimulus and stagflation, green investment and Black Monday, the modern landscape of economics is an intriguing place to explore. But how are you expected to navigate the means and ends of this turbulent world?

Short Cuts: Economics provides the map you need to start exploring seriously big ideas. A wealth of provocative questions prompt 'short cut' answers written by experts in their field, with each one the setting-off point for instructions to help you plot your path through the economic maze.

Tejvan Pettinger teaches economics at Greenes College, Oxford. He studied at Bradford Grammar School and Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford and writes regularly on economics for publications including the Economic Review. His previous published books include Cracking Economics and What Would Keynes Do? Tejvan lives in Oxford and is a championship-winning hill climb and time trial cyclist.

Short Cuts: Philosophy (eBook)

Navigate Your Way Through Big Ideas

Laura D’Olimpio

What is knowledge? What makes me, me? Do we have free will?

People have been asking such fundamental questions about the nature of reality for centuries, but how can they help us make sense of our existence in a 21st-century world of social media, cyber wars, cloning, artificial intelligence and virtual reality?

Short Cuts: Philosophy provides the map you need to travel beyond traditional foundations and explore a diverse array of deep thinkers. Soul-searching questions prompt 'short cut' answers written by experts in their field, with each one the setting-off point for instructions that plot a path through the philosophical landscape.

With 'one-stop' graphics visualizing a memorable theory or idea for each concept, and 'route map' glossaries explaining key words and their connections, Short Cuts: Philosophy will help you wrestle with the meaning of ancient and modern philosophical thought.

Dr Laura D'Olimpio is Associate Professor of Philosophy of Education at the University of Birmingham, UK, and adjunct at the Institute for Ethics and Society at the University of Notre Dame Australia. She is co-founder and co-editor of the open access Journal of Philosophy in Schools and regularly contributes to public philosophy outlets such as The Conversation, Philosophy Now magazine, The Ethics Centre and ABC Radio National's The Philosopher's Zone and The Minefield.

Laura's first book, Media and Moral Education: a philosophy of critical engagement (Routledge, 2018) won the 2018 PESA (Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia) Annual Book Award. She is currently working on The Necessity of Aesthetic Education: The Place of the Arts on the Curriculum, which is due to be published by Bloomsbury in 2023. You can follow Laura on Twitter @Lauradol4.