Best of
Science

1938

The Science of Mind


Ernest Shurtleff Holmes - 1938
    Schooled in Christian Science, he moved to Los Angeles in 1912. Holmes published his first book, Creative Mind in 1919, and followed it up with The Science of Mind in 1926. Holmes had an immense influence on New Age beliefs, particularly his core philosophy that we create our own reality. This is the text of the first edition of The Science of Mind. A revised edition of this book was published in 1938.

The Evolution of Physics: From Early Concepts to Relativity and Quanta


Albert Einstein - 1938
    For the alternate cover edition by Simon & Schuster, see hereClear and concise explanations of the development of theories explaining physical phenomena.

The Man Who Counted: A Collection of Mathematical Adventures


Malba Tahan - 1938
    He turned out to be a born storyteller.The adventures of Beremiz Samir, The Man Who Counted, take the reader on an exotic journey in which, time and again, he summons his extraordinary mathematical powers to settle disputes, give wise advice, overcome dangerous enemies, and win for himself fame and fortune. as we accompany him, we learn much of the history of famous mathematicisns who preceded him; we undergo a series of trials at the hands of the wise men of the day; and we come to admire the warm wisdom and patience that earn him the respect and affection of those whose problems he resolves so astutely. In the grace of their telling, these stories hold unusual delights for the reader.

The Realm of the Nebulae


Edwin Powell Hubble - 1938
    Basing his theory on the observation of the change in distanct galaxies, called red shift, Hubble showed that this is a Doppler effect, or alteration in the wavelength of light, resulting from the rapid motion of celestial objects away from Earth. In 1935, Hubble described his principal observations and conclusions in the Silliman lectures at Yale University. These lectures were published the following year as "The Realm of the Nebulae," which quickly became a classic work.

The Behavior of Organisms


B.F. Skinner - 1938
    

Animals Without Backbones: An Introduction to the Invertebrates


Ralph Buchsbaum - 1938
    It was the first biology textbook ever reviewed by Time and was also featured with illustrations in Life. Harvard, Stanford, the University of Chicago, and more than eighty other colleges and universities adopted it for use in courses. Since then, its clear explanations and ample illustrations have continued to introduce hundreds of thousands of students and general readers around the world to jellyfishes, corals, flatworms, squids, starfishes, spiders, grasshoppers, and the other invertebrates that make up ninety-seven percent of the animal kingdom. This new edition has been completely rewritten and redesigned, but it retains the same clarity and careful scholarship that have earned this book its continuing readership for half a century. It is even more lavishly illustrated than earlier editions, incorporating many new drawings and photographs. Informative, concise legends that form an integral part of the text accompany the illustrations. The text has been updated to include findings from recent research. Eschewing pure morphology, the authors use each group of animals to introduce one or more biological principles. In recent decades, courses and texts on invertebrate zoology at many universities have been available only for advanced biology majors specializing in this area. The Third Edition of Animals Without Backbones remains an ideal introduction to invertebrates for lower-level biology majors, nonmajors, students in paleontology and other related fields, junior college and advanced high school students, and the general reader who pursues the rewarding study of the natural world.

Procedures in Experimental Physics


John Strong - 1938
    Chapters include: laboratory glass blowing, laboratory optical work, technique of high vacuum, coating of surfaces by evaporation and sputtering, the use of fused silica, electrometers and electroscopes, Geiger counters, vacuum thermopiles and the measurement of radiant energy, optics, photoelectric cells and amplifiers, photography in the lab, heat and high temperature, notes on the materials of research, notes on the construction and design of instruments and apparatus, and molding and casting

My Friends The Baboons


Eugène N. Marais - 1938
    At the time he began his work he was able to study a troop of baboons who had never known man. The four-year Boer War removed the settlers, and the tribe led a life undisturbed, with no fear of their modern and most devastating predators, the farmers. Marais was indeed fortunate to watch this animal society in an absolutely natural environment. What they did and how they organised their lives together, how they expressed themselves, and above all, their 'instinctive' reactions, made Marais draw conclusions on the development of animal and human psyche which caused debate in scientific circles.The keenness of his observations is magnificently matched by his compassionate prose. Even the weight of his conclusions is expressed in language so eloquently moving that the very style of the book makes it a treasure to read and possess.