While he is undoubtedly one of the best-loved and best-known visionaries of American art, photographers also recognize him as a pioneer of technique, a theoretician, and as one of the great teachers of the craft of photography. His zone system has been widely adapted, but Adams unique imagery also relied on his determination and application at every stage of the photographic process; he spent years in his darkroom, as well as out in the open air. For decades, this kind of attention to detail required the kind of equipment, time, and facilities that were out of the reach of most photographers--but now, in the digital age, technology has finally made his techniques accessible. This book will show you what can be learned from Adams working process, and how these lessons can be applied today. The craft of Adams photography is discussed, and the ZONE SYSTEM is related to the digital age. Sections on light, composition, mood, and the darkroom all show what can be achieved today using and understanding his thinking. Michael Frye's own photography provides many stunning examples of the results that can be achieved and, as one of Adams' natural successors in the field, he is well placed to analyze the inspirational shots which open each chapter.

    Why has the ancestor of the domestic dog been thus treated and why have we developed such a strong love hate relationship with the wolf?

    The Devil and Dr. Barnes traces the near-mythical journey of a man who was born into poverty, amassed a fortune through the promotion of a popular medicine, and acquired the premier private collection of works by such masters as Renoir, Matisse, Cézanne, and Picasso. Ostentatiously turning his back on the art establishment, Barnes challenged the aesthetic sensibilities of an uninitiated, often resistant and scoffing, American audience. In particular, he championed Matisse, Soutine, and Modigliani when they were obscure or in difficult straits. Analyzing what he saw as the formal relationships underlying all art, linking the old and the new, Barnes applied these principles in a rigorous course of study offered at his Merion foundation. Barnes's own mordant words, culled from the copious printed record, animate the narrative throughout, as do accounts of his associations with notables of the era--Gertrude and Leo Stein, Bertrand Russell, and John Dewey among them--many of whom he alienated with his appetite for passionate, public feuds. In this rounded portrait, Albert Barnes emerges as a complex, flawed man, who--blessed with an astute eye for greatness--has left us an incomparable treasure, gathered in one place and unforgettable to all who have seen it.

    Many were fantastic, bizarre creatures that still capture our imagination: the super-predator Tyrannosaurus, the plate-backed Stegosaurus, and the long-necked, long-tailed Diplodocus. Dinosaurs: The Ultimate Guide to How They Lived taps into our enduring interest in dinosaurs, shedding new light on different dinosaur groups. Leading paleontology experts Darren Naish and Paul Barrett trace the evolution, anatomy, biology, ecology, behavior, and lifestyle of a variety of dinosaurs. They also remind us that dinosaurs are far from extinct: they present evidence supporting the evolution of dinosaurs to birds that exist today as approximately ten thousand different species. Throughout their narrative Naish and Barrett reveal state-of-the-art new findings shaping our understanding of dinosaurs. Readers will discover, for example, how the use of CT-scanning enables scientists to look inside dinosaur skulls, thus gaining new insight into their brains and sense organs. Dinosaurs is a must-have for all those wanting to keep up to date about these dynamic, complicated creatures.

    Survival for the bumblebee depends on its ability to regulate body temperature through a complex energy exchange, and it is this management of energy resources around which Bernd Heinrich enters his discussion of physiology, behavior, and ecological interaction. Along the way, he makes some amusing parallels with the theories of Adam Smith--which, Heinrich observes, work rather well for the bees, however inadequate they may be for human needs.Bumblebee Economics uniquely offers both the professional and amateur scientist a coherent biological model that goes beyond any particular species or level of biological organization. Rich in specific detail and including an extensive appendix on the rearing of bumblebees, as well as a full-color guide to field identification, this book organizes practical knowledge according to a new criterion.In a new preface, Heinrich ranges from Maine to Alaska and north to the Arctic as he summarizes findings from continuing investigations over the past twenty-five years--by himself and others--into the wondrous "energy economy" of bumblebees.

    First Life travels the world, from Canada to Australia, Morocco to Scotland, to unearth the secrets hidden in prehistoric fossils and meet the palaeontologists who have harnessed new techniques to enhance greatly our understanding of the origins of life.With an introduction by David Attenborough, and insights captured during the making of the television series, this book is a journey of discovery, showing us what these early animals would have looked like and how they would have lived, bringing them to life with the help of modern computer technology. First Life shows us how evolutionary features of the first creatures have been passed down to modern animals, including humans, giving us amazing insight into the remarkable evolutionary journey that has brought us here today.

    It contains 2,500 underwater photographs of 2,000 species. It presents 108 fish families in one of 20 Identification groups based on a family's related visual or behavioural characteristics, such as Large Oval / Colourful or Sand/Burrow Dwellers.

    For eighteen months, John L. Rotundo and Don Ericson braved the test of war at its most bloody and most raw, specializing in ambushing the enemy and fighting jungle guerillas using their own tactics. From the undiluted high of a "contact" with the enemy to the anguished mourning of a fallen comrade, they experienced nearly every emotion known to man--most of all, the power and the pride of being the finest on America's front lines.From the Paperback edition.

    

    The second half of the nineteenth century -- the so-called Gilded Age -- was a time when Americans were exploring the West and building a nation that would stretch from coast to coast.It was also a time of scientific ferment. Charles Darwin had shaken the very foundations of Victorian society with his theory of evolution by natural selection, and scientists across the civilized world were locked in a great battle over Darwin's idea. While the debate raged in Europe, the hunt for hard evidence increasingly focused on the American West, with its grand mesas, buttes, and badlands. "We must turn to the New World if we wish to see in perfection the oldest monuments of earth's history," advised Sir Charles Lyell, the father of modern geology, after a visit to America. "Certainly in no other country are these ancient strata developed on a grander scale or more plentifully charged with fossils."Could the answer to the history of life and the proof of evolution be found in those fossils? That was the question that two young American paleontologists--Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh--set out to answer. But what began as a friendly contest quickly turned into bitter rivalry that would spill over into American science and politics and rage relentlessly for nearly three decades.        Cope and Marsh would battle on the prairies, in the halls of Congress, in science journals, and in the popular press. Both wealthy men, they launched lavish, western expeditions and raced across the plains and mountains searching for the remains of the magnificent beasts that once inhabited the continent. Along the way they would encounter George Custer, Sitting Bull, Buffalo Bill, and Red Cloud.         Among the most remarkable fossil discoveries of Cope and Marsh are a bevy of dinosaurs, including some of the best known beasts -- the Triceratops, the Stegosaurus, the Camarasaurus, and the Brontosaurus. Even today, Marsh holds the record for dinosaur discoveries.        Just as valuable, however, were some of Marsh's discoveries of ancient mammals and birds that provided the first real proof of Dar- win's theory--"The best support for the theory in twenty years," the great Darwin himself proclaimed.        The tale of Cope and Marsh is also the story of the rise of American science. When their story begins just after the Civil War, America was an intellectual backwater, with eminent scientists snookered by the great, fake stone statue The Cardiff Giant--a hoax unmasked by Marsh.        But even as Cope and Marsh waged war, they both fought to build up American science and its scientific institutions. Yet despite their discoveries and their Gilded Age celebrity, the names of Cope and Marsh have faded into the recesses of the library and archive. In The Gilded Dinosaur Mark Jaffe exhumes from those archives the notes, journals, and letters of Cope and Marsh to reanimate and retell one of the keenest rivalries in the history of science.

    Will temperatures rise by 2�C or 8�C over the next hundred years? Will sea levels rise by 2 or 30 feet? The only way that we can accurately answer questions like these is by looking into the distant past, for a comparison with the world long before the rise of mankind.We may currently believe that atmospheric shifts, like global warming, result from our impact on the planet, but the earth's atmosphere has been dramatically shifting since its creation. This book reveals the crucial role that plants have played in determining atmospheric change - and hence the conditions on the planet we know today. Along the way a number of fascinating puzzles arise: Why did plants evolve leaves? When and how did forests once grow on Antarctica? How did prehistoric insects manage to grow so large? The answers show the extraordinary amount plants can tell us about the history of the planet -- something that has often been overlooked amongst the preoccuputations with dinosaur bones and animal fossils.David Beerling's surprising conclusions are teased out from various lines of scientific enquiry, with evidence being brought to bear from fossil plants and animals, computer models of the atmosphere, and experimental studies. Intimately bound up with the narrative describing the dynamic evolution of climate and life through Earth's history, we find Victorian fossil hunters, intrepid polar explorers and pioneering chemists, alongside wallowing hippos, belching volcanoes, and restless landmasses.

    It has helped millions of smokers from all over the world quit instantly, easily, painlessly and permanently. Stop Smoking Now is the new, cutting-edge presentation of the method. Updated and set out in a clear, easy-to-read format, this book makes it simpler than ever before to get free.Allen Carr's Easyway does not rely on willpower as it removes your desire to smoke. It eliminates the fears that keep you hooked and you won't miss cigarettes. It works both for heavy and casual smokers and regardless of how long you've been smoking. There are no gimmicks or scare tactics, you won't put on weight, and you can even smoke when you read.READ STOP SMOKING NOW AND BECOME A HAPPY NON-SMOKER FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE"Allen Carr explodes the myth that giving up smoking is difficult." - The Times "A different approach. A stunning success." - The Sun"Allow Allen Carr to help you escape painlessly today." - The Observer "Instantly I was freed from my addiction. I found it not only easy but unbelievably enjoyable to stay stopped." - Sir Anthony Hopkins

    The story starts in earnest 3.8 billion years ago, with the earliest-known form of life on Earth, a bacteria that still exists today, and journeys through action-packed millennia, charting the appearance of new life forms as well as devastating extinction events. Of course, the ever-popular and endlessly intriguing dinosaurs feature large, but Prehistoric Life gives you the whole picture, and the plants, invertebrates, amphibians, birds, reptiles, and mammals that are the ancestors of today's species also populate its pages, making this book unprecedented in its coverage of prehistory. Specially commissioned artworks use cutting-edge technology to render species in breathtakingly realistic fashion, with astonishing images of prehistoric remains, such as skeletons and fossils, to complete the story. To put all the evidence in context, the concept of geological time is explored, as is the classification of species and how the evidence for their evolution is preserved and can be deciphered.New technologies have brought new life to inanimate fossils. CT scanning, for example, unlocks a 3D image of a plant or animal from a piece of rock, which can then be viewed from all angles revealing never-before-seen details. From this researchers can fill in missing pieces and even simulate how an animal might have moved. Panels explore these and numerous other scientific techniques for recovering, dating, and reconstructing, as well as profiling individuals, key excavations and discoveries, and some of the unique anatomical features that nature has developed over the course of time.The last section of the book looks at the development of humans and the eventual rise to dominance of Homo sapiens, exploring not only their changing anatomy as revealed by the fossils but also the evidence for culture and society as evidenced by extraordinary cave paintings and intricately worked tools.In combination, the stunning visuals, captivating, authoritative text, and comprehensive approach make Prehistoric Life a fascinating and revealing encyclopedia that will appeal to the whole family.TABLE OF CONTENTS1. LIVING PLANET (38 pp)Foundations of a living planet. The Earth's structure. Plate tectonics, formation of oceans and continents.Changing climate. factors that contribute to climate change, how those can be seen in the geological record, and how that has affected life on Earth.Reconstructing the past. Using the present to understand the past (rocks and the rock cycle, layers of rock and dating)Fossils. Types of fossils, how they form, reconstructing the past from them (digging up, analysis), reconstructing past environments, dating using fossils.Geological timescale. Explanation of geological time.Life on Earth. What is life? Natural selection, DNA, molecular clocks, mass extinctions.Timeline of Evolution. Broad-scale look at major evolutionary markers through time.Classification. How we classify living organisms. The kingdoms of life.2. ON EARTH (398 PP) This chapter will be organized so that pages can be removed to leave a section of 360pp.his consists of a catalog divided into geological periods. Each period introduction covers the conditions on Earth at the time (geology and climate) and includes a chart showing the evolution of the main forms of life. The subsequent catalog entries are organized into groups: Microscopic life; Plants and Fungi; Invertebrates; and Vertebrates, with each having an introduction detailing the main evolutionary developments within the group.Archean 3.8-2.5 billion years ago (4pp)Period introduction. (1p)Archean life intro - (1p) the rise of life. Biology of cells; prokaryotes, cyanobacteria, stromatolites.Catalog of species.Proterozoic 2.5 billion-543 mya (6pp)Period introduction. (2pp)Microscopic life intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (1p)Invertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (1p)Cambrian 543-490 mya (20pp)Period introduction (4pp)Microscopic life intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (3pp)Invertebrates intro. (2pp)Catalog of species. (8pp)Vertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (1p)Ordovician 490-443 mya (14pp)Period introduction. (4pp)Microscopic life intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (1p)Plants and fungi intro. (1p)Catalog of species.(1p)Invertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (3pp)Vertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (1p)Silurian 443-417 mya (20pp)Period introduction. (4pp)Microscopic life intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (1p)Plants and fungi intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (1p)Invertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (7pp)Vertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (3p)Devonian 417-354 mya (34pp)Period introduction. (4pp)Microscopic life intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (1p)Plants and fungi intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (7pp)Invertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (7pp)Vertebrates intro. (2p)Catalog of species. (10pp)Carboniferous 354-290 mya (38pp)Period introduction. (4pp)Microscopic life intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (1p)Plants and fungi intro. (2pp)Catalog of species. (8pp)Invertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (9pp)Vertebrates intro. (2pp)Catalog of species. (10pp)Permian 290-248 mya (26pp)Period introduction. (Microscopic life intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (1p)Plants and fungi intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (3pp)Invertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (7pp)Vertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (7pp)Triassic 248-206 mya (30pp)Period introduction. (Microscopic life intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (1p)Plants and fungi intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (5pp)Invertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (3pp)Vertebrates intro. (1pp)Catalog of species. (13pp)Jurassic 206-144 mya (56pp)Period introduction. (4pp)Microscopic life intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (1p)Plants and fungi intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (5pp)Invertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (9pp)Vertebrates intro. (2pp)Catalog of species. (24pp)Cretaceous 144-65 mya (54pp)Period introduction. (4pp)Microscopic life intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (1p)Plants and fungi intro. (2pp)Catalog of species. (10pp)Invertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (9pp)Vertebrates intro. (2pp)Catalog of species. (24pp)Paleogene 65-23.8 mya (34pp)Period introduction. (4pp)Microscopic life intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (1p)Plants and fungi intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (6pp)Invertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (6pp)Vertebrates intro. (2pp)Catalog of species. (12pp)Neogene 23.8-1.8 mya (32pp)Period introduction. (4pp)Microscopic life intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (1p)Plants and fungi intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (6pp)Invertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (7pp)Vertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (10pp)Quaternary 1.8 mya-Present (26pp)Period introduction. (4pp)Microscopic life intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (1p)Plants and fungi intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (Invertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (5pp)Vertebrates intro. (1p)Catalog of species. (8pp)3. THE RISE OF HUMANS (44PP)Timeline of human evolution.Coverage of: Sahelanthropus tchadensis, Orrorin tugenesis, Ardipithecus kadabba, Ardipithecus ramidus, Australopithecus anamensis, Australopithecus afarensis, Kenyanthropus platyops, Australopithecus africanus, Australopithecus aethiopicus, Australopithecus garhi, Homo habilis, Homo rudolfensis, Paranthropus boisei, Homo ergaster, Paranthropus robustus, Homo erectus, Homo heidelbergensis, Homo neanderthalensis, Homo sapiens.Themes of anatomy, DNA, global expansion, tool use, diet, communication, ecology, society, and culture run through the section.Glossary/Index/Acknowledgements

    He studies antiterrorist driving techniques, dives for golf balls in a pond at a country club, hunts his fellow man with a paint gun, ice fishes for walleye with X-ray-stunned nightcrawlers, and poaches Panamanian crocodiles -- or goes pig shooting in the Australian outback. With self-effacing optimism, White captures the joys and fears of wandering the earth's surface with an eclectic cast of weirdo fellow travelers -- a frog that won't jump, a group of expatriate Brits who've developed an interesting cure for "road jaundice, " and even a mad Australian scientist.Though he rarely finds what he's looking for -- such as the legendary landlocked bull sharks of Nicaragua, or the secret to successful winter fishing on a Minnesota lake -- he develops a Zenlike "passion for the means" and a rare ability to revel in the rib-aching humor of each exotic trip.In the end, White leaves the reader mesmerized by the potential of undiscovered places and the promise of endless adventure in unfamiliar territory, from Florida to Bangkok to Borneo, and everywhere in between. An icon to the new breed of thick-skinned, high-endurance adventure travelers of the 1990s, Randy White uniquely extols the pleasures of being "alone and on the move."

    Home to one of the largest ornithological collections in the world, the Tring museum was full of rare bird specimens whose gorgeous feathers were worth staggering amounts of money to the men who shared Edwin's obsession: the Victorian art of salmon fly-tying. Once inside the museum, the champion fly-tier grabbed hundreds of bird skins--some collected 150 years earlier by a contemporary of Darwin's, Alfred Russel Wallace, who'd risked everything to gather them--and escaped into the darkness. Two years later, Kirk Wallace Johnson was waist high in a river in northern New Mexico when his fly-fishing guide told him about the heist. He was soon consumed by the strange case of the feather thief. What would possess a person to steal dead birds? Had Edwin paid the price for his crime? What became of the missing skins? In his search for answers, Johnson was catapulted into a years-long, worldwide investigation. The gripping story of a bizarre and shocking crime, and one man's relentless pursuit of justice, The Feather Thief is also a fascinating exploration of obsession, and man's destructive instinct to harvest the beauty of nature.