When Joshua Cross is ten it is the startling appearance of a monstrous Centaur chasing him along the Thames Embankment that first alerts him to the danger in which he and his friends are caught up. On the London Eye they avoid a near-death confrontation with the Centaur's master, Leirtod. Ages 10-15.
In 1965 Thomas Kuhn and Karl Popper met at the University of London to stage what has turned out to be the most momentous philosophical debate of the 20th century. At stake was no less than the soul of science itself…No discipline remained untouched by the consequences of this exchange. Was it really such a good thing that Kuhn's 'postmodernism' triumphed over Popper's 'positivism'? Kuhn vs. Popper is a provocative account of a landmark confrontation in which 'the wrong guy' won. A fantastically regarded author whom Icon are proud to have on board Touches upon every aspect of thinking about science in the 20th century Pacey, provocative and sure to receive media coverage
Francis Bacon – a leading figure in the history of science – never made a major discovery, provided a lasting explanation of any physical phenomena or revealed any hidden laws of nature. How then can he rank as he does alongside Newton? Bacon was the first major thinker to describe how science should be done, and to explain why. Scientific knowledge should not be gathered for its own sake but for practical benefit to mankind. And Bacon promoted experimentation, coming to outline and define the rigorous procedures of the 'scientific method' that today from the very bedrock of modern scientific progress. John Henry gives a dramatic account of the background to Bacon's innovations and the sometimes unconventional sources for his ideas. Why was he was so concerned to revolutionize the attitude to scientific knowledge – and why do his ideas for reform still resonate today?
Electricity was the scientific fashion of the Enlightenment, 'an Entertainment for Angels, rather than for Men'. Lecturers attracted huge audiences to marvel at sparkling fountains, flaming drinks, pirouetting dancers and electrified boys. Enlightenment optimists predicted that this new-found power of nature would cure illnesses, improve crop production, even bring the dead back to life.
Benjamin Franklin, better known as one of America's founding fathers, played a key role in developing the new instruments and theories of electricity during the eighteenth century. Celebrated for drawing lightning down from the sky with a kite, Franklin was an Enlightenment expert on electricity, developing one of the most successful explanations of this mysterious phenomenon.
But Patricia Fara, Senior Tutor of Clare College Cambridge, reveals how the study of electricity became intertwined with Enlightenment politics. By demonstrating their control of the natural world, Enlightenment philosophers hoped to gain authority over society. And their stunning electrical performances provided dramatic evidence of their special powers.
Philosophers have always asked fundamental and disturbing about human beings and politics. This account of this huge subject is always clear and informative and is accompanied throughout by the inventive and entertaining illustrations of Judy Groves.
Unfolding the drama of Gilbert's discoveries, this book climaxes with an exploration of geomagnetism, via the story of the logitude schemes so crucial today's seafarers.
This gentle self-portrait provides a unique insight into the beliefs and principles of the moral man whose theories on evolution shook the foundations of traditional religion and whose legacy courts both controversy and the accolade of being part of scientific orthodoxy in equal measure to this day.
'A glorious plum-pudding of a book, to be consulted, with pleasure and profit, over and over again' Sir Jeremy Isaacs
Michael Steen's 'Great Composers' was originally published in 2003. A lifetime's work and almost 1000 pages long, it has since become 'the' reference point and key read on the biographical backgrounds to classical music's biggest names.
Authoritative and hugely detailed – but nonetheless a joy to read – this new edition will expand its readership further and capitalise on a newfound popular interest in classical music.
Steen's book helps you explore the story of Bach, the respectable burgher much of whose vast output was composed amidst petty turf disputes in Lutheran Leipzig; or the ugly, argumentative Beethoven in French-occupied Vienna, obsessed by his laundry; or Mozart, the over-exploited infant prodigy whose untimely death was shrouded in rumour.
Read about Verdi, who composed against the background of the Italian Risorgimento; or about the family life of the Wagners; and, Brahms, who rose from the slums of Hamburg to become a devotee of beer and coffee in fin-de-siecle Vienna, a cultural capital bent on destroying Mahler…and much, much more.
So you've read your tea-leaves, examined his handwriting and now you and your sweetheart are engaged. This is the guide to have at your side as you walk together into the sunlit future. Hilarious, utterly mad and yet strangely compelling – a 1930's guide to marriage.
From Hippocrates to Louis Pasteur, the medical profession relied on almost wholly mistaken ideas concerning infectious illness. This text covers 20 incredible years that revolutionised our understanding of disease.
Love, poetry and romantic prose extracts are enduring favourites. Many classic poems and stories revolve around this theme in its many facets, including humorous poems. This anthology should appeal to teenagers' "romantic streak", while adults enjoy the classic content. Ages 14+.
The story of the jet engine tells of what pushing technology to its limits can achieve and of the human emotions and tragedies that can leave ambition in its wake.
