gribbin john deep simplicity chaos complexity and the emergence of life
Gribbin John Deep Simplicity. Chaos, Complexity and the Emergence of Life
The world around us can be a complex, confusing place. Earthquakes happen without warning, stock markets fluctuate, weather forecasters seldom seem to get it right - even other people continue to baffle us. How do we make sense of it all? In fact, John Gribbin reveals, our seemingly random universe is actually built on simple laws of cause and effect that can explain why, for example, just one vehicle braking can cause a traffic jam; why wild storms result from a slight atmospheric change; even how we evolved from the most basic materials. Like a zen painting, a fractal image or the pattern on a butterfly's wings, simple elements form the bedrock of a sophisticated whole. Synthesizing chaos and complexity theory for the perplexed, Deep Simplicity brilliantly illuminates the harmony underlying our existence.
4096 Руб.
Gribbin John Nine Musings on Time
Time travel is a familiar theme of science fiction, but is it really possible? Surprisingly, time travel is not forbidden by the laws of physics - and John Gribbin argues that if it is not impossible then it must be possible. Gribbin brilliantly illustrates the possibilities of time travel by comparing familiar themes from science fiction with their real-world scientific counterparts, including Einstein's theories of relativity, black holes, quantum physics, and the multiverse, illuminated by examples from the fictional tales of Robert Heinlein, Larry Niven, Carl Sagan and others. The result is an entertaining guide to some deep mysteries of the Universe which may leave you wondering whether time actually passes at all, and if it does, whether we are moving forwards or backwards. A must-read for science fiction fans and anyone intrigued by deep science.
3182 Руб.
Gribbin John Seven Pillars of Science. The Incredible Lightness of Ice, and Other Scientific Surprises
John Gribbin, author of Six Impossible Things, shortlisted for the Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize, presents a tour of seven fundamental scientific truths that underpin our very existence. These 'pillars of science' also defy common sense. For example, solid things are mostly empty space, so how do they hold together? There appears to be no special 'life force', so how do we distinguish living things from inanimate objects? And why does ice float on water, when most solids don't? You might think that question hardly needs asking, and yet if ice didn't float, life on Earth would never have happened. The answers to all of these questions were sensational in their day, and some still are. Throughout history, science has been able to think the unthinkable - and Gribbin brilliantly shows the surprising secrets on which our understanding of life is based.
2603 Руб.
Marsh Henry Do No Harm. Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery
What is it like to be a brain surgeon? How does it feel to hold someone's life in your hands, to cut through the stuff that creates thought, feeling and reason? How do you live with the consequences when it all goes wrong? Do No Harm offers an unforgettable insight into the highs and lows of a life dedicated to operating on the human brain, in all its exquisite complexity. With astonishing candour and compassion, Henry Marsh reveals the exhilarating drama of surgery, the chaos and confusion of a busy modern hospital, and above all the need for hope when faced with life's most agonising decisions.
1833 Руб.
McGahern John That They May Face the Rising Sun
That They May Face the Rising Sun was the last novel from John McGahern, one of Ireland’s greatest novelists. Joe and Kate Ruttledge have come to Ireland from London in search of a different life. In passages of beauty and truth, the drama of a year in their lives and those of the memorable characters that move about them unfolds through the action, the rituals of work, religious observances and play. We are introduced, with deceptive simplicity, to a complete representation of existence – an enclosed world has been transformed into an Everywhere.
2024 Руб.
Tusa John On Board. The Insider's Guide to Surviving Life in the Boardroom
Throughout the world, thousands of people give their time, skill and energy to serving on a board. From local councils to international corporations - boards play a critical role in the running and success of any organisation, large and small. In On Board John Tusa brings us behind the closed doors of the boardroom to provide an insight into the inner-working of boards. From personal squabbles to financial crises, Tusa shares his experiences serving on a wide variety of international boards such as the British Museum and American Public Radio. These lively life-stories unveil how boards overcome deep-set divisions, appoint new members and survive in times of chaos. Through these stories, Tusa provides lessons and tips on how to effectively operate in cooperative business environments. Tusa teaches the reader how to overcome the big egos and how to work collaboratively yet effectively. On Board is not only an engaging foray into the vibrant career of John Tusa - it is also a comprehensive guide to anyone who struggles to work on boards or committees - or in any cooperative environment.
3266 Руб.
Tedman R. Led Zeppelin
Tracing the emergence of Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham from provincial roots to global rock superstardom, this photo collection also captures the more private, relaxed side of the band, away from the fans, the constant touring, and the media. From their formation in 1968 to their breakup after the death of drummer John Bonham in 1980, this volume features more than 150 previously unpublished photographs.
1869 Руб.
Tedman R. Led Zeppelin
Tracing the emergence of Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham from provincial roots to global rock superstardom, this photo collection also captures the more private, relaxed side of the band, away from the fans, the constant touring, and the media. From their formation in 1968 to their breakup after the death of drummer John Bonham in 1980, this volume features more than 150 previously unpublished photographs.
1869 Руб.
Kincaid Jamaica Annie John
An adored only child, Annie has until recently lived a peaceful and content life. She is inseparable from her beautiful mother, a powerful and influential presence, who sits at the very centre of the little girl's existence. Loved and cherished, Annie grows and thrives within her mother's shadow. When she turns twelve, however, Annie's life changes, in ways that are often mysterious to her. She begins to question the cultural assumptions of her island world; at school she makes rebellious friends and frequently challenges authority; and most frighteningly, her mother, seeing Annie as a 'young lady', ceases to be the source of unconditional adoration and takes on the new and unfamiliar guise of adversary. A haunting and tragicomic tale of the end of childhood, Annie John is told with Jamaica Kincaid's trademark candour and complexity, and is a true coming-of-age classic.
2435 Руб.
Flaubert Gustave Three Tales
First published in 1877, these three stories are dominated by questions of doubt, love, loneliness and religious experience, and together form a triumphant conclusion to Flaubert's literary career. With elegant simplicity, 'A Simple Heart' relates the story of Felicite - an uneducated serving-woman who retains her Catholic faith despite a life of desolation and loss. Inspired by a stained-glass window in Rouen cathedral, 'The Legend of Saint Julian Hospitator' describes the fate of Julian, a sadistic hunter destined to murder his own parents. The blend of faith and cruelty that dominates this story may also be found in 'Herodias' - a reworking of the tale of Salome and John the Baptist.
2084 Руб.
Gallant Mavis The Collected Stories
This generous collection of fifty-two stories selected from across her prolific career by the author, is preceded by a preface in which she discusses the sources of her art. With irony and an unfailing eye for the telling detail, Gallant weaves stories of spare complexity, often pushing the boundaries of the form in boldly unconventional directions. The settings in the Collected Stories range from Paris to Berlin to Switzerland, from the Riviera to the Cote d'Azur, and her characters are almost all exiles of one sort or another, as she herself was the most of her expatriate life. The wit and precision of her prose, combined with her expansive view of humanity, provide a rare and deep reading pleasure. With breathtaking control and compression, Gallant delivers a whole life, a whole world, in each story.
5664 Руб.
Updike John The Maples Stories
These eighteen classic stories from across John Updike’s career form a luminous chronicle of the life and times of one marriage in all its rich emotional complexity. In 1956, Updike published a story, ‘Snowing in Greenwich Village’, about a young couple, Joan and Richard Maple, at the beginning of their marriage. Over the next two decades, he returned to these characters again and again, tracing their years together raising children, finding and losing moments of romantic rapport, and facing the heartbreak of infidelity and estrangement. Now these stories appear in a single volume in hardcover for the first time, with the addition of a later story ‘Grandparenting’, which returns us to the Maples long after their wrenching divorce. Together, The Maples Stories offers a nuanced portrait of a flawed marriage between two sympathetic, well-intentioned practitioners of twentieth-century family life.
3403 Руб.
Thoreau H.D. Walden and Other Writings
With their call for "simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!", for self-honesty, and for harmony with nature, the writings of Henry David Thoreau are perhaps the most influential philosophical works in all American literature. The selections in this volume represent Thoreau at his best. Included in their entirety are Walden, his indisputable masterpiece, and his two great arguments for nonconformity, Civil Disobedience and Life Without Principle. A lifetime of brilliant observation of nature--and of himself--is recorded in selections from A Week On The Concord And Merrimack Rivers, Cape Cod, The Maine Woods and The Journal.
391 Руб.
Thoreau H.D. Walden and Other Writings
With their call for "simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!", for self-honesty, and for harmony with nature, the writings of Henry David Thoreau are perhaps the most influential philosophical works in all American literature. The selections in this volume represent Thoreau at his best. Included in their entirety are Walden, his indisputable masterpiece, and his two great arguments for nonconformity, Civil Disobedience and Life Without Principle. A lifetime of brilliant observation of nature--and of himself--is recorded in selections from A Week On The Concord And Merrimack Rivers, Cape Cod, The Maine Woods and The Journal.
391 Руб.
Howard Annabel This is Caravaggio
Mercurial, saturnine, scandalous and unpredictable, Caravaggio - as a man, as a character and as an artist - holds dramatic appeal. He spent a large part of his life on the run, leaving a trail of illuminated chaos wherever he passed, most of it recorded in criminal justice records. When he did settle for long enough to paint, he produced works of staggering creativity and technical innovation. He was famous throughout Italy for his fulminating temper, but also for his radical and sensitive humanisation of biblical stories, and in particular his decision to include the brutal and dirty life of the street in his paintings. Caravaggio was a rebel and a violent man, but he eyed the world with deep empathy, realism and an unrelenting honesty.
1093 Руб.
Peck M. The Road Less Travelled And Beyond. Spiritual Growth in an Age of Anxiety
The culmination of a lifetime of counselling, lecturing and writing, M. Scott Pecks major work leads us to a deeper awareness of how to live rich, fulfilling lives in a world fraught with stress, worry and anxiety. Writing with a depth of understanding that comes with the seasoned perspective of age, Dr Peck continues the journey of spiritual growth that began with The Road Less Travelled, one of the most influential personal development books of modern times. To the famous opening line of that book - Life is difficult he now adds Life is complex. But the greatest challenge, he reminds us, is to learn to deal with lifes conflicts, problems and paradoxes to find the true simplicity that lies on the other side of complexity. The journey to serenity and inner peace, Dr Peck writes, can only be made with increasing self-awareness and social awareness. There are no easy answers for complex problems. The work of learning and spiritual growth is hard. And yet he shows us that there is a way to think with integrity, to know the difference between good and evil, to overcome narcissism, to love and be loved, to live with paradox, to accept the consequences of our actions all through life, and to come to terms with dying and death.
1465 Руб.