The Great Clear Out Sale: Science & Nature

The US is the source of just about all the technologies that define modern life: personal computers, operating systems, smartphones, e-commerce, web browsers, email, search engines, social networks, electric cars and the rest. And most of the tech companies that created and monetized these technologies are also in the US. In this book, Mehran Gul, the winner of the Financial...

New and exclusive writing plus the very best of the past five years from the award-winning The Spinoff, New Zealand's hilarious, original, must-read media website. Five years ago, The Spinoff burst onto New Zealand's media scene with smart, screamingly funny and seriously relevant writing. Since then, it has enraged and inspired all the right people, respectably won Website of the...

An illuminating and entertaining history of the law's treatment of animals. Trespassing bees, murderous zebras, reasonable cows... Ever since biblical times, animals have been clashing with human laws. In Guilty Pigs, animal law experts Katy Barnett and Jeremy Gans guide readers through the philosophy and practice of animal-related law, from the very earliest cases to the issues we are debating...

The Perfect Probability Book for Beginners Wanting to Learn About Permutations & Combinations! Multi-time best selling IT & mathematics author, Arthur Taff, presents a leading book for beginners to learn and understand probability concepts such as permutations and combinations. Learning about probability with combinations and permutations gives you a competitive edge in any field. Whether it's poker, horse racing, weather...

An expert physicist argues for a revolutionary new understanding of quantum mechanics. The received wisdom in quantum physics is that, at the deepest levels of reality, there are no actual causes for atomic events. This idea led to the outlandish belief that quantum objects—indeed, reality itself—aren't real unless shaped by human measurement. Einstein mocked this idea, asking whether his bed...

How do bees communicate? What does a beekeeper do? Did you know that Napoleon loved bees? Who survived being stung by 2,443 bees? This encyclopaedic book answers all these questions and many more, imparting masses of information with a light, humorous touch, and in scores of vibrant illustrations. The Book of Bees by Piotr Socha tracks the history of bees...

This is the OFFICIALLY LICENSED Wicked Advent Calendar. Celebrate the holidays and the highly anticipated film Wicked with this official advent calendar loaded with surprises inspired by the film. From patches to keychains, buttons, magnets, stickers, and more, this advent calendar is a magical way to celebrate the holidays. Start every day with a gift from the land of Oz...

Maths is everywhere, often where we don't even realise. Award-winning professor Steven Strogatz acts as our guide as he takes us on a tour of numbers that—unbeknownst to the uninitiated—connect pop culture, literature, art, philosophy, current affairs, business and even everyday life. In The Joy of X, Strogatz explains the great ideas of maths—from negative numbers to calculus, fat tails...

'Mind-shifting, heart-lifting' ISABELLA TREE 'Inspiring and essential' ALASTAIR HUMPHREYS 'As entertaining as it is enlightening' INDEPENDENT, ★★★★★ Nature isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. But today the majority of the world’s population lives in some form of urban environment. By 2050, two-thirds of humanity will live in towns and cities. Studies have shown that a daily walk in the woods...

A major new translation of Ireland's great epic of heroism, magic, bloodshed and betrayal - now in paperback. The Tain Bo Cualinge, centrepiece of the eighth-century Ulster cycle of heroic tales, is Ireland's great epic. It tells the story of a great cattle-raid, the invasion of Ulster by the armies of Medb and Ailill, Queen and King of Connacht, and...

A Pulitzer Prize-nominated author explores the environmental complexity of trees, and their importance in our experience of nature and life itself. The acclaimed author of Pulitzer Prize finalist The Forest Unseen visits with nature's most magnificent networkers - trees. In The Songs of Trees, David George Haskell brings his acute powers of observation to the biological networks that surround all...

This illustrated, simplified explanation of Schrödinger's cat paradox is the perfect gift for every scientist! Finally, a simplified explanation of Schrödinger's cat paradox for quantum mechanics enthusiasts! Have you been lying awake at night pondering quantum superposition? Have you fretted about how to explain its flawed interpretation? Are you a fan of Schrödinger's cat? Or do you know someone who...

From one of tech's boldest thinkers and his longtime deputy, this is a sweeping indictment of Silicon Valley and a treatise on how the West has slid into a culture of complacency—even as we enter a new era of mounting global threats. Silicon Valley has lost its way. From the founding of the American republic through much of the twentieth...

In 1954, a young and ambitious television presenter named David Attenborough was granted the chance of a lifetime - to travel the globe in search of rare and elusive animals for the London Zoo's collection, and to document these fascinating expeditions for the BBC. Adventures of a Young Naturalist chronicles these extraordinary journeys, transporting readers to exotic landscapes and captivating...

The Singularity Is Near by Ray Kurzweil is a profound and visionary exploration of the inevitable fusion between human intelligence and machine capabilities. In this seminal work, Kurzweil meticulously examines the journey towards a revolutionary epoch where unprecedented technological advancements will enable humans to surpass their biological constraints. He posits that through the integration with Artificial Intelligence, humanity will unlock...

In A Briefer History of Time, Stephen Hawking teams up with Leonard Mlodinow to offer readers a more accessible companion to his groundbreaking work, A Brief History of Time. This refined version revisits the profound mysteries of our universe in a manner that is easier to understand, aiming to reach even the most novice of science enthusiasts. Hawking and Mlodinow...

A compelling journey through science's big breakthroughs, by an award-winning Australian science writer Humans developed the scientific method over centuries. Its departure from what came before was that theories should be fuelled by data, not opinion. Today, the institutions that underpin democracy - the law, academia, government, journalism - all rely on its central idea: seeking facts and interrogating them...

A deliciously fascinating, expertly written global tour of cooking, eating and drinking, told through objects in the collections of the British Museum. Our insatiable appetite for creativity in the kitchen—or around the open fire—is reflected in the fascinating array of objects explored in this book. Authored by food writer Jenny Linford in consultation with curators from the British Museum, Repast...

From renowned historian and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author Yuval Noah Harari comes the story of how information networks have made, and unmade, our world. For the last 100,000 years, we Sapiens have accumulated enormous power. But despite all our discoveries, inventions and conquests, we now find ourselves in an existential crisis. The world is on the verge of ecological...

If you have ever wondered why an airliner bound from London to Los Angeles flies over Greenland, how we know what lies inside the Earth, or how computers correct errors, then this book is for you - JOHN GRIBBIN How does a delivery driver distribute hundreds of packages in a single day? Why can maps influence elections? Where should we...

Steve Nicholls makes an epic journey along the River Tees in north-east England, from the industrial complexes near its estuary to its source high in the Pennine Hills. The Tees estuary was where Steve’s life-long passion for nature was born, launching a long career as a documentary maker. As he travels the length of the eighty-mile river, he uses his...

The real political mission of Malcolm X, and why it needs resurrecting now — 100 years after his birth. Malcolm X is a titanic figure in political history, but he is also one of the most misunderstood. So much of what we know about his life and politics is from books, films and documentaries that are all guilty of peddling...

The Etymologicon for the social media generation—from the @etymologynerd of Instagram and TikTok (aka Adam Aleksic), comes a deep dive into how algorithms, social media, and the internet are changing the way we communicate and think. "Incisive and funny, this is a page-turner from start to finish. Algospeak is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand how we communicate today."...

The world-famous scientist behind one of the most monumental discoveries in biology explores its devastating power to change the course of human history. The most important advance of our era. One of the pioneers of the field describes the exciting hunt for the key breakthrough and what it portends for our future — Walter Isaacson World-famous scientist Jennifer Doudna —...

Part of the Te Papa Te Taiao Nature Series, this accessible introduction to a range of the aquatic and terrestrial shell-bearing molluscs encountered in New Zealand is written by two experts from our national museum, Te Papa. It features over 160 species, from chitons and mussels to snails and limpets, and also offers insights into the museum's fieldwork and collections....

Introduction by Professor Stephen Hawking. When Edwin Hubble looked into his telescope in the 1920s, he was shocked to find that nearly all of the galaxies he could see were flying away from one another. If these galaxies had always been travelling, he reasoned, then they must, at some point, have been on top of one another. This discovery transformed...

Award-winning actor and motivational speaker Hill Harper shares his real-life wisdom to chart a path to success. Inspired by speeches to students at inner-city schools, this uplifting collection of letters offers advice to young men navigating the challenges of the world and empowers them to reach their true potential. Offering inspirational advice in his unique down-to-earth style, Hill Harper provides...

Building off his award-winning New York Times series on the contemporary teen mental-health crisis, the Pulitzer Prize–winning science reporter delivers a groundbreaking investigation into adolescence, the pivotal life stage undergoing profound—and often confounding—transformation. The transition from childhood to adulthood is a natural, evolution-honed cycle that now faces radical change and challenge. The adolescent brain, sculpted for this transition over eons...

‘We stand on the shoulders of giants. Now we learn their names.’ A powerful, joyous, stunningly illustrated collection of essays by queer icons about the LGBTQ+ trailblazers throughout history who inspired them. From Elton John on Divine to Graham Norton on Armistead Maupin; Russell Tovey on David Robilliard to Lady Phyll on Moud Goba; Tan France on the Queer Eye...

In this fully revised and updated edition, neuroscientist Dr Sarah McKay delivers the essential guide to understanding women's brain health and wellbeing, redefining how we think and talk about the female brain across the lifespan. Women's brain health is no longer a niche topic. Neuroscience is uncovering answers to questions women have pondered for generations—demystifying everything from puberty, periods, contraception,...

Modern society is plagued by health epidemics: obesity, record levels of loneliness, increasing mental health problems and various forms of addiction. From the outside, all these issues might not seem related. But a single phenomenon actually ties them all together: superstimuli. Superstimuli are behaviours, objects, and social cues that are exaggerated, unnatural versions of things we have evolved to want...

A bold and groundbreaking call to harness the untapped potential of nuclear power to tackle our global climate and energy crises, from a leading chemist at the National Nuclear Laboratory. What if climate change isn't an environmental challenge, but an energy challenge? In this visionary book, Dr Tim Gregory urges us to rethink the path to net zero. He argues...

Before you step into the jungle, there are a few things you need to know... Join scientist Dr Rosa Vásquez Espinoza as she uncovers one of the most unexplored regions on the planet. Dr Rosa is no stranger to the Amazon. Growing up with the rainforest as her back garden, she learnt the lessons of the rainforest from her grandmother,...

A brand new edition of an internationally renowned science bestseller, What Is This Thing Called Science? is now well into its fourth decade. It has become something of a classic worldwide, being available in nineteen languages. Each decade, Alan Chalmers has drawn on his experience as a teacher and researcher to improve and update the text. The most significant feature...

From one of tech's boldest thinkers and his longtime deputy, this is a sweeping indictment of Silicon Valley and a treatise on how the West has slid into a culture of complacency – even as we enter a new era of mounting global threats. Our most brilliant engineering minds once collaborated with government to advance world-changing technologies. Their efforts secured...

An exploration of the most common life form on Earth—parasites—and how they provide insight into humanity's most difficult problems. "In nature, as in society, the parasites outnumber the hosts. John Janovy Jr. offers the parasites' view of this situation. The result is smart, funny, and all too revealing." – Elizabeth Kolbert, staff writer for The New Yorker and New York...

Life on land could not exist without soil. Almost everything we need can be traced to the soil: food, fibre, medicines – even oxygen produced by plants. What would we be without it? Certainly not a planet worthy of the name Earth. There are already plenty of books about agriculture, ecology or how to grow tomatoes. This book is about...

A decade after his internationally bestselling The Weather Makers, acclaimed scientist and author Tim Flannery argues that Earth's climate system is approaching a crisis. Catastrophe is not inevitable, but time is fast running out. Atmosphere of Hope provides both a snapshot of the trouble we are in and an up-to-the-minute analysis of some of the new possibilities for mitigating climate...

An expert in nutrition and the gut reveals what inflammation is, why it lies behind many modern diseases and what we can all do to help combat it. Inflammation has traditionally been thought of as the body's response to injury and foreign microbes. But as the threats we face have evolved, what if it were now the root cause of...

In 20 short books, Penguin Classics brings you the new canon of great environmental works. Over the past 75 years, a new canon has emerged. As humans have driven the living planet to the brink of collapse, visionary thinkers around the world have raised their voices to defend it. Their words have endured, becoming the classics that define the environmental...

A Gaijin Sarariman provides a first-hand account of the lifestyles, customs, and culture of the Japanese people, particularly that of the office workers known as sarariman. The book delves into their historic context and relevance to Japanese society through the author's amusing and often painful yet entertaining experiences while living and working in Japan. In Japan, people who work for...

Where do we come from and how did we get here? Come time-travelling through the history of every species that has ever lived with Professor Max Telford. A four-billion-year journey through the evolution of our planet, The Tree of Life tells the fascinating story of the gigantic family tree that records the relationships between every living thing - from humans,...

A deliciously insightful exploration of why we are so obsessed with gossip, and what it can tell us about humans and their search for truth. Can you keep a secret? It's harder than it seems—after all, it's only human to thirst after the juicy updates, jaw-dropping stories, and idle chatter that we typically collect over drinks with friends. No one...

From the pilot's seat in the B-29 that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, to Chernobyl's exclusion zone and to the site in Finland where highly radioactive waste will be buried, this is the incredible story of nuclear power. Providing a vivid account of the characters and events that have shaped the world's most controversial energy source and our thinking...

A riveting investigation into the dark underbelly of the global trash trade - a dirty, multi-billion-dollar industry that almost no one knows exists. The total mass of the world's manmade materials has recently come to equal the entire biomass of the earth. This means we are living in a world where man's ability to create garbage, or eventual garbage, has...

A fascinating exploration of life through the lens of carbon, the most versatile element on the planet, by New York Times bestselling author Paul Hawken. Carbon animates the entirety of the living world. Though it comprises only a tiny fraction of Earth’s composition, our planet would be lifeless without it. From the intricate microscopic networks of fungi in the Earth’s...

From an award-winning and internationally-renowned expert, a wonderfully illuminating journey through the world of manufacturing and its transformational influence on our lives - and the world around us. 'An extraordinarily good read... Minshall leads us gently through all the stages necessary to produce all our "stuff" ... it also made me laugh out loud.'PROFESSOR DAVID SPIEGELHALTER, author of The Art...

From one of the world’s great science writers, a book that explores the deepest principles of evolutionary history. In this groundbreaking new approach to the evolution of all life, Richard Dawkins shows how the body, behaviour, and genes of every living creature can be read as a book – an archive of the worlds of its ancestors. A perfectly camouflaged...

Honey Bee Pests and Diseases provides up-to-date information on the management of honey bee diseases found globally, not just in the U.S., Europe, or Australia. Of particular interest are the explanations of how pathogens affect honey bees. This facet of diseases is usually left out of honey bee disease books. Written in an easy-to-understand way, and richly illustrated with photographs...

Living the Dream explores dream lifestyles around New Zealand's coastlines and waterways. It presents captivating stories and sensational images of people who have made these enviable life choices, along with what it has taken for them to get there. How often do you wish you could stay on at your holiday destination? Many people dream of a waterfront home and...

Peta crafts a story like no other and her titles "tell it like it is". - Wairarapa Times-Age In a world of hate, let's serve up some love... Peta Mathias has encountered many a lovelorn tale on her gastronomic travels around the world. Searching further, she has unearthed more stories - the heart-warming and heart-rending, the passionate and poignant, the...

The captivating finale of Peter Godfrey-Smith’s insightful trilogy, Living on Earth, beautifully builds upon the themes explored in his earlier works, Other Minds and Metazoa. In this enthralling exploration, Godfrey-Smith delves into the intricate relationships between life and the environment on our planet, weaving together an eloquent narrative that examines how life has continuously adapted and influenced Earth's evolving landscapes...

The Chaos Machine by Max Fisher is an eye-opening examination of the transformative and often destructive power of social media in our modern world. It delves into the technological and psychological mechanisms behind the world's most popular platforms, scrutinising how algorithms designed to maximise user engagement have inadvertently steered society towards chaos. In exploring the roles of social media giants...

Rebel Cell by Dr Kat Arney offers a compelling and fascinating exploration into the nature of cancer, presenting it as an inevitable consequence of complex life. In this deeply insightful and engaging work, Arney navigates the journey of cancer from its earliest origins billions of years ago to the cutting-edge treatments of today. She delves into ancient times, examining how...

Do two trees ever appear identical? No, but why? Every small difference is a clue. Each tree we meet is filled with signs that reveal secrets about the life of that tree and the landscape we stand in. The clues are easy to spot when you know what to look for, but remain invisible to most people. In How to...

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER AS HEARD ON BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK 'The ultimate anti-racism guide' Caroline Criado Perez 'Seriously important' Bill Bryson 'A fascinating debunking of racial pseudoscience' Guardian How to Argue With a Racist by Adam Rutherford is a compelling and essential guide that confronts the myths and misconceptions surrounding race, using the latest scientific evidence...

In Woke Racism, bestselling author and distinguished linguist John McWhorter explores how the modern conversation on race has taken a disturbing turn. This provocative and insightful book argues that an illiberal form of neoracism, cloaked in the guise of antiracism, is not only damaging to black communities but also threatens the cohesiveness of society at large. McWhorter takes a deep...

The Ends of the World by Peter Brannen takes readers on a captivating journey through the darkest chapters of our planet's history. Focused on the five most catastrophic mass extinction events, the book dives into the geological and fossil records to uncover how our world narrowly avoided ultimate destruction. Through gripping narrative and fascinating scientific revelations, Brannen intricately details how...

From Axolotls to Zebrafish, The Book of Barely Imagined Beings by Caspar Henderson takes readers on an extraordinary journey through the natural world, showcasing creatures that are often more astonishing than those dreamed up in a medieval bestiary. Venturing from the unexplored depths of the ocean to the most inhospitable deserts, Henderson uncovers the beauty and strangeness of living forms...

White Holes by Carlo Rovelli is a captivating exploration of the cosmos that invites readers to delve deep into the enigmatic and extraordinary phenomenon of white holes. From the bestselling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, Rovelli once again brings his unique blend of clarity and wonder to the forefront, guiding us through an ambitious journey into the universe’s...

A legendary record-producer-turned-brain-scientist explains why you love the music you do in an antidote to the Spotify algorithm doldrums. Extraordinary insights about music, emotion and the brain...An instant classic – Daniel Levitin, author of This Is Your Brain on Music This Is What It Sounds Like is a journey into the science and soul of music. It's also the story...

A warm and personal biography of the sheep by one of our most celebrated nature writers - author of multiple Sunday Times bestsellers and twice winner of the Wainwright Prize for nature writing. Everybody thinks they know what sheep are like - they're stupid, noisy, cowardly ('lambs to the slaughter'), and they're 'sheepwrecking' the environment. Or maybe not. Contrary to...

Get to grips with the essential topics in physics today through 100 key ideas, each one explained clearly in 100 words. The Science Museum Physics 100 Ideas in 100 Words offers the essential facts at your fingertips, satisfying your scientific curiosity and helping you to understand the biggest concepts in physics in concise, 100-word summaries. One of the first titles...

The follow-up to the international bestseller The Hidden Life of Trees, offering compelling insights into the lungs of our planet and the fragility of our intertwined futures. ‘Eye-opening ... The Power of Trees reminds us that trees are not the slow learners when it comes to climate change - we are.’ - Danielle Clode Trees can survive without humans, but...

The true tale of how one woman's lifelong obsession became a midlife mermaid odyssey, from the irrepressibly witty author of Tinderbox and Things I Learned at Art School. Forty, freckled and facing infertility, Megan Dunn hears the siren call that reawakens her lifelong obsession, and sets off in pursuit of mermaids. Real mermaids. From Coney Island and Copenhagen to Courtenay...

The Laws of Simplicity, crafted by world-renowned graphic designer John Maeda, is a thought-provoking exploration into the essence of simplicity in various aspects of our lives, particularly business, technology, and design. Engaging readers with a set of ten transformative principles, Maeda illuminates how embracing simplicity can lead to enhanced functionality, better user experiences, and a more profound connection with the...

A legendary conservationist. A lifetime spent fighting for nature. An indispensable message of hope. The world-renowned naturalist and conservationist Jane Goodall has spent more than a half-century warning of our impact on our planet. From her famous encounters with chimpanzees in the forests of Gombe as a young woman to her tireless campaigning for the environment in her late eighties,...

Heartbreaking and hilarious, outrageous and wise, The Afterlife Confessional is Bill Edgar's fascinating account of the things he's witnessed and learned as the Coffin Confessor - the bizarre and beautiful ways we live and love, the finality of death and the power of legacy, and how letting go can sometimes be the first step to living on. A private investigator...

Regeneration by Paul Hawken provides a wide-ranging and actionable playbook for anyone committed to fighting climate change and fostering a sustainable future. By integrating practical solutions that span from individual actions to community and governmental initiatives, this remarkable work serves as both an inspiring vision and a hands-on guide for converting the climate crisis into a regenerative and thriving reality....

A potent exploration of the power of blockchains to reshape the future of the internet Compelling Sam Altman, CEO, OpenAI | Fascinating Mustafa Suleyman, co-founder of DeepMind | A must Robert Iger, CEO, Disney The internet of today is a far cry from its early promise of a decentralized, democratic network of innovation, connection, and freedom. In the past decade,...

Paradox by Jim Al-Khalili invites readers on an exhilarating journey through some of the most perplexing and thought-provoking puzzles in the world of science. Al-Khalili masterfully unravels these scientific enigmas that have captured the imaginations of scientists and philosophers alike for centuries, presenting them in a manner that is both accessible and captivating. Imagine a world where simple questions lead...

In On Natural Selection, Charles Darwin presents a groundbreaking examination of the process by which species evolve and adapt over time. With meticulous research and keen observation, Darwin explains how natural selection drives the diversity and complexity of life on Earth. Through detailed arguments and abundant examples from nature, he demonstrates how traits that confer survival advantages are passed down...

In Numbers Don't Lie, renowned scientist and polymath Vaclav Smil embarks on an enlightening journey to uncover the hidden truths behind everyday questions and global phenomena. From the perceived dangers of air travel to the collective weight of the world's cattle, Smil delves into the facts and figures that shape our understanding of reality. Through meticulous data analysis, he illuminates...

Genius Makers: A ground-breaking account of the race to create Artificial Intelligence. This colourful page-turner puts artificial intelligence into a human perspective . . . Metz explains this transformative technology and makes the quest thrilling. — Walter Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs This is the inside story of a small group of mavericks, eccentrics, and geniuses who turned Artificial Intelligence...

Fallout by Lesley Blume is an enthralling investigation into the heart of one of the most significant journalistic breakthroughs of the 20th century. The book meticulously details the gripping narrative of how a single reporter, amidst a tightly controlled government propaganda machine, unveiled the horrific consequences of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This revelation not only exposed the...

Real life gems from the Aussie icon. I have learned that love is what really matters... My life experiences brought about that discovery. I deeply wish that you learn unconditional love, firstly of yourself, then of others, then of life itself. It's your true nature. In the dazzling world of fashion, Elle Macpherson is synonymous with elegance, grace, and timeless...

Deep Water was shortlisted for the QLD Premier's Literary Award. Through a blend of history, science, nature writing, and environmentalism, Deep Water invites you to explore the deepest recesses of our natural world. 'Teeming with mysteries, wonders and heartbreaking facts, this beautiful, lucid hymn to the sea is a reminder of what we still have, what we stand to lose,...

A dazzling follow-up to Life As Told by a Sapiens to a Neanderthal. 'We would love to discover that each species has a biological clock in its cells, because, if that clock existed and if we were able to find it, perhaps we could stop it and thus become eternal,' Arsuaga tells Millás in this book, in which science is...

In Until the End of Time by Brian Greene, the renowned physicist and bestselling author delves into the profound and intricate tapestry of the cosmos and humanity's enduring search for purpose. This engrossing exploration charts a compelling journey across the vast expanse of time, from the universe's enigmatic beginnings to the furthest reaches of its possible ends. Greene meticulously unpacks...

An acclaimed theoretical astrophysicist, Dr Katie Mack, takes readers on a compelling journey through the end times of our Universe. When will these cataclysmic events take place? How are they likely to happen? And how do scientists endeavour to predict these cosmic conclusions? In The End of Everything, Mack explores a multitude of apocalyptic scenarios with engaging wit and profound...